flat knitting machine

Abstract

This invention provides a flat knitting machine that increases the number of selectable knitting actions and improves knitting efficiency when knitting actions are mixed. An in-side needle selection mechanism acts on the needle selection plate, guiding it to any one of paths (7A, 7H, 7H) so that the selection foot plate selects the needle initially acted upon by the cam system by positioning the needle heel at any one of positions A, H, and B. The engagement portion of the needle selection plate and the selection foot plate can be interchanged. The descending cam of the selection foot plate lowers the selection foot plate from position A to position H. By selecting position A or H in the in-side needle selection mechanism, and selecting H or A in the intermediate needle selection mechanism, and further selecting position F which is closer to the serration than A, the number of knitting actions that can be knitted in a single knitting loop row can be increased, thereby improving knitting efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a flat knitting machine equipped with a needle selection mechanism, which is mounted on a triangular carriage that reciprocates along the length of the needle bed and is used to select the needles that enable the knitting needles to perform knitting actions. Background Technology

[0002] Conventionally, a cam carriage that reciprocates along the length of the needle bed is equipped with a cam system for driving the knitting needles to perform knitting actions, and a needle selection mechanism for selecting the needle to be driven. The needle bed has at least one pair positioned opposite each other, clamping the serrations. The knitting needles are housed in multiple needle slots arranged side-by-side at a certain interval along the length of the needle bed, slide within the needle slots, and are driven in the direction of advance and retreat relative to the serrations. Needle selection is reflected by the protruding state of the needle heel protruding from the needle slot. The basic knitting actions of the knitting needles are three types: looping, tucking, and floating (no knitting). The needle selection mechanism is based on distinguishing these three types and selecting the needle to be driven from the entry point of the cam system (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] The knitting needle has a needle hook for forming a loop at its front end on the toothed side, and a needle selector plate and a needle selector foot plate for receiving selection in the needle selector mechanism on its tail side away from the toothed side. The needle selector plate is driven to guide the needle selector foot plate to three positions, such as position B, position H, and position A, by receiving two selections. At multiple positions of the needle selector foot plate, pressure plates are configured as needed to press and sink into the needle groove. In Patent Document 1, the needle selector plate is selected by pressing with a selection needle heel provided directionally on the needle selector plate. Patent Document 2 discloses a technique of replacing the engaging portion for driving the needle selector foot plate after the first and second selections of the needle selector plate. In this technique, when the needle selector foot plate is guided to position A by two selections, after the needle selector foot plate is guided to position H for the first time, the needle selector plate replaces the engaging portion for driving the needle selector foot plate. The switching of the locking part reduces the distance of idle travel when the needle selection plate guides the needle selection foot plate from position H to position A for the second time, which helps to improve knitting efficiency.

[0004] [Existing Technical Documents]

[0005] [Patent Documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2007 / 074944

[0007] [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-169431 Summary of the Invention

[0008] [The problem the invention aims to solve]

[0009] If the needle is selected to three positions using only the conventional needle selection mechanism, there is a limit to the number of knitting actions that can be mixed. For example, if the pull-in triangle of the cam system, which pulls the needle in by withdrawing it from the serration, has a height difference that decreases in the latter half, and the protrusion of the needle heel is switched according to the height difference, then the following action of adjusting the tightness of the loop can be performed: switching the pull-in amount of the needle receiving the yarn at the serration by the needle hook changes the size of the loop to be formed. If the tightness of the loop can be achieved by using loop forming and loop gathering, then it is possible to switch between thick loops and ordinary loops respectively. In addition, during loop formation, the action of picking up half a loop, which moves the needle hook of the needle on the opposite needle bed to form a release loop instead of removing the old loop, can also be performed by partial changes to the cam system and the pressure plate group. However, due to the insufficient number of selectable positions, it becomes impossible to mix any of these actions with the three basic actions.

[0010] If a needle selection mechanism allows for selection of four or more positions, other actions can be combined within the three basic actions. However, such a needle selection mechanism increases the size of the needle bed along the length of the cam carriage and the needle's forward and backward movement. A larger needle selection mechanism results in a larger cam carriage, increasing the travel distance of the needle bed. Increased travel distance of the cam carriage leads to longer travel time at the same speed, reducing knitting efficiency. Even without increasing the number of selections in the needle selection mechanism, multiple actions can be selected through switching between the cam system and the pressure plate group. Before and after switching, a temporary halt to the cam carriage's movement is required, followed by a "kickback"—a period of inactivity in the opposite direction. This kickback of the cam carriage also reduces knitting efficiency.

[0011] The purpose of this invention is to provide a flat knitting machine that can increase the number of selectable knitting actions and improve knitting efficiency when knitting actions are mixed.

[0012] [Methods used to solve problems]

[0013] This invention provides a flat knitting machine, comprising:

[0014] The needle bed shall be arranged in at least one pair, front and back, with the needles facing each other and clamping the toothed openings;

[0015] Multiple knitting needles are respectively housed in multiple needle slots arranged side by side at a certain interval along the length of the needle bed;

[0016] The triangular carriage reciprocates along the length of the needle bed; and

[0017] The triangular system, needle selection mechanism, and tablet compression assembly are mounted on the triangular carriage.

[0018] The cam system drives the knitting needles in a knitting motion by switching the infeed and outfeed sections according to the travel direction of the cam carriage.

[0019] The needle selection mechanism selects needles that perform knitting actions via a cam system.

[0020] The pressing unit presses down on the selected knitting needles according to the knitting action.

[0021] Knitting needles include:

[0022] The needle selection foot plate has a selection needle heel that receives pressure from the pressure plate group. It is guided to different positions, including position B (base position), position H (middle position set in the direction of entry towards the teeth, further from position B), and position A (entry position further towards the teeth, further from position H). By varying the pressure received by the selection needle heel from the pressure plate group at each position, the cam system enables different knitting actions to be performed by the needle.

[0023] The needle selector plate corresponds to the selection state of the needle in the needle selector mechanism. It is selected in three stages: when the needle is not selected, it travels via the base path; when the needle is selected, it travels via an intermediate path that is further towards the tooth opening than the base path, and an entry path that is further towards the tooth opening than the intermediate path. If it travels via either the intermediate path or the entry path, it can engage with the needle selector foot plate, guiding the needle selector foot plate to a position in the direction of entry towards the tooth opening.

[0024] The needle selection mechanism includes a needle selection plate drive triangle, which moves the needle selection plate along a preset path and guides it by driving the needle selection base plate via an engaging part.

[0025] The flat knitting machine is characterized by the following features:

[0026] The flat knitting machine includes:

[0027] The needle selection mechanism selects the needles driven by the entry side portion of the cam system in three stages;

[0028] The needle selection base plate descends the triangle, causing the needle selection base plate, which has been guided to position A by the needle selection mechanism on the inlet side, to descend to position H;

[0029] The intermediate needle selection mechanism, located between the inlet and outlet sections of the cam system, selects needles in three stages, driven by the outlet section of the cam system, from those needles whose needle selection base plate has descended to position H due to the descending cam, or from needles selected at positions H or B by the inlet needle selection mechanism; and

[0030] Pressing the triangle allows for the following pressing of the engagement portion between the needle selector plate and the needle selector base plate: In the first stage of engagement at position B, the needle selector base plate and the needle selector plate receive needles from the side needle selector mechanism; a second stage is provided to engage at position H, allowing needles to be selected from the middle needle selector mechanism, causing the needle selector base plate or the needle selector plate to sink into the needle groove.

[0031] The intermediate needle selection mechanism is set to a forward position that is further towards the toothed opening than position A, which serves as the position for guiding the needle selection foot plate through the second stage of engagement.

[0032] As the position of the needle selection base plate guided by the engagement in the second stage, the intermediate needle selection mechanism has a forward position that is further towards the toothed opening than position A.

[0033] Furthermore, in this invention, the characteristic is that,

[0034] The pressing triangle is located on the inlet-side needle selection mechanism and presses the selection needle heel of the needle selection base plate.

[0035] The base plate of the needle selection piece has a protrusion extending towards the rear end of its root portion in the direction of withdrawal from the toothed opening.

[0036] In the needle selection plate, the front end in the direction of entering the toothed opening engages with the rear end of the selection needle heel of the needle selection base plate, which is sunk into the needle groove by the pressing of the pressing triangle, in the first stage, and engages with the rear end of the protruding part in the second stage.

[0037] Furthermore, in this invention, the following characteristics are highlighted:

[0038] The inlet needle selection mechanism and the intermediate needle selection mechanism include a suction actuator that accepts the selection and can release the state of magnetically attracting the needle selection plate at multiple positions.

[0039] The needle selector drive triangle drives the needle selector in a manner that guides it to different paths in the three stages according to the position where the attraction of the attraction actuator is released.

[0040] Furthermore, in this invention, the characteristic is that,

[0041] The pressure plate assembly includes: an inlet-side H-plate, which, through the inlet-side needle selection mechanism, selects the needle at position H for a predetermined knitting action, causing the selection needle heel of the needle selection foot plate to sink into the needle groove; and an outlet-side H-plate, which retracts at a position that does not affect the knitting action.

[0042] At least the H-shaped pressure plate should retreat in the opposite direction to the direction of travel.

[0043] Furthermore, in this invention, the characteristic is that,

[0044] The knitting action selectable by the exit side portion of the cam system includes a mesh tension knitting action, which is an action that causes the knitting needle to withdraw from the teeth, resulting in different pull-in amounts generated by the mesh triangles set in the cam system.

[0045] [Invention Effects]

[0046] According to the present invention, needle selection is performed using a needle selection plate and a needle selection foot plate, thus enabling the use of a basic combination with proven performance. Compared to needles selected by the entry-side needle selection mechanism and driven by the entry-side portion of the cam system, the intermediate needle selection mechanism can further select needles driven by the exit-side portion of the cam system, thereby increasing the number of selectable knitting actions. The intermediate needle selection mechanism replaces the engagement portion of the needle selection plate and the needle selection foot plate from the first stage in the entry-side needle selection mechanism to the second stage, allowing for additional knitting action selection. A needle selected at position A by the entry-side needle selection mechanism is also selected by the intermediate needle selection mechanism after the cam descends to position H using the needle selection foot plate, thus enabling a combination where the needle is at position A on the entry side of the cam system and position H on the exit side. The entry-side needle selection mechanism and the intermediate needle selection mechanism increase the number of knitting actions selectable in a single cam carriage movement, improving knitting efficiency when basic knitting actions are mixed with other knitting actions.

[0047] Furthermore, according to the present invention, by pressing the needle selection base plate with the pressing triangle, the engagement of the needle selection plate and the needle selection base plate can be switched in two stages. In the first stage, the front end of the needle selection plate engages with the rear end of the selection needle heel of the needle selection base plate, and in the second stage, it engages with the rear end of the protrusion, thus allowing the engagement portion of the needle selection plate to be shared.

[0048] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the inlet needle selection mechanism and the intermediate needle selection mechanism can avoid the enlargement of the triangular system and the triangular seat carriage in the length direction of the needle bed.

[0049] Furthermore, according to the present invention, at least the exit-side H-plate retracts in the direction opposite to the walking direction, so that the needle selection heel of the needle selection foot plate, which is selected as position B or H by the entry-side needle selection mechanism and as position H or A by the intermediate needle selection mechanism, does not interfere with the passage. By increasing the interval between the entry-side H-plate and the exit-side H-plate, the large size of the triangular system in the length direction of the needle bed can be avoided.

[0050] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the intermediate needle selection mechanism enables the mixing of needle tension and looseness knitting actions during the needle pull-in performed by the needle selection triangle. Attached Figure Description

[0051] Figure 1 This is a simplified triangular configuration diagram showing the general structure of a flat knitting machine 1 equipped with a triangular system 2 and a needle selection mechanism 10, as an embodiment of the present invention, and a partial side view of the knitting needle 3 as the object of control.

[0052] Figure 2 It includes Figure 1 A partial triangular configuration diagram of the triangular system 2 of the structure of the inlet needle selection mechanism 11 and the intermediate needle selection mechanism 12.

[0053] Figure 3 It shows through Figure 1 A partial side view of the engaging part of the press triangle 15 that is switched and used to move the needle selector foot plate 6 via the needle selector plate 7.

[0054] Figure 4 This is a partial side view showing the positional relationship between the needle selection plate 7 and the needle selection foot plate 6 in the needle selection mechanism 11.

[0055] Figure 5 This is a partial side view showing the positional relationship between the needle selection plate 7 and the needle selection foot plate 6 in the intermediate needle selection mechanism 12.

[0056] [Explanation of Labels in the Attached Image]

[0057] 1. Flat knitting machine

[0058] 2. Trigonometric System

[0059] 3 knitting needles

[0060] 4. Needle-shaped tablets

[0061] 4b, 5b needle heel

[0062] 5 guide pins

[0063] 6. Select needle base plate

[0064] 6b Choose to use a needle heel

[0065] 6c Protruding part

[0066] 7. Select needle pads

[0067] 7a Armature

[0068] 7b Front end

[0069] 8 needle bed

[0070] 8a Pin Groove

[0071] 10 Needle Selection Mechanism

[0072] 11. Inlet needle selection mechanism

[0073] 11a, 12a suction actuators

[0074] 11b12b selector pin drive triangle

[0075] 15 Press the triangle

[0076] 18 Select needle base plate descending triangle

[0077] 21 degree triangle

[0078] 30 tablet compression sets

[0079] 31A tablets

[0080] 32H tableting

[0081] 33B tablets Detailed Implementation

[0082] the following, Figures 1 to 5 This relates to the structure of the needle selection mechanism 10 of a flat knitting machine 1, which is an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 In the figures, the surface shown by the intersection of diagonals represents an inclined surface. Corresponding parts are labeled with the same reference numerals in different figures, and sometimes repeated descriptions are omitted. Furthermore, for ease of explanation, parts not shown in the figures being described are sometimes referred to using reference numerals from other figures.

[0083]

Example

[0084] As an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1 This diagram shows a schematic structure of a flat knitting machine 1 equipped with a cam system 2 and a needle selection mechanism 10. The following description also mentions details omitted from the illustrations for simplicity. The cam system 2 is mounted on a cam carriage that reciprocates along the length of the needle bed of the flat knitting machine. At least one pair of needle beds are arranged opposite each other, clamping the teeth present above in the diagram. Each needle bed has a needle groove extending in a forward-backward direction relative to the teeth. The needle grooves are arranged side-by-side in the length direction of the needle bed, i.e., the left-right direction. A needle 3 is received in each needle groove in a state that allows it to slide forward and backward, including a needle lifter 4, a needle guide 5, a needle selection foot 6, and a needle selection plate 7. This needle 3 is a composite needle, and the front end of the needle lifter 4 (omitted from the illustration) is connected to a needle body with a needle hook at the front end. The needle guide 5 also has a wing on its front end (omitted from the illustration), which allows the needle hook to open and close and split into two pieces, enabling it to pass over the needle hook and enter the teeth. The needle guide plate 4, needle guide plate 5, and needle selector plate 6 each have needle butts 4b and 5b for receiving mechanically controlled inputs and a selection needle butt 6b. The needle selector plate 7 has an armature 7a for receiving magnetically controlled inputs, which engages with the needle selector plate 6 at its front end 7b. The needle selector plate 7 also has a drive needle butt 7c and a lowering needle butt 7d, described later.

[0085] The needle selection mechanism 10 and the cam system 2 are bidirectional, allowing for symmetrical operation even when the cam carriage moves left and right. The following description assumes the cam carriage moves to the left of the needle bed as a row of the same knitting loops. The cam system 2 is divided into an inlet section 2a and an outlet section 2b. The needle selection mechanism 10 has an inlet needle selection mechanism 11 for selecting needles for the inlet section 2a, an intermediate needle selection mechanism 12 for selecting needles for the outlet section 2b, and an outlet needle selection mechanism 13. If the cam carriage travels to the right, the inlet and outlet sections are interchanged. The inlet needle selection mechanism 11 acts on the needle selection plate 7 of the needle 3, selecting any one of paths 7A, 7H, or 7B. When paths 7A or 7H are selected, a movement towards the toothed side occurs in the needle selection plate 7. The needle selection foot plate 6 moves to the toothed side position by engaging with the rear end of the selection needle heel 6b and the front end 7b of the needle selection plate 7. The knitting needle 3, which is acted upon by the cam system 2 from the entry side, is guided by the needle selection plate 7, which is selected for path 7A or path 7H, such that the selection needle heel 6b of the needle selection foot plate 6 is at position A 6bA or position H 6bH, respectively. A pressure plate assembly 30 is positioned at the location where the selection needle heel 6b is guided. The pressure plate assembly 30 includes an entry-side A pressure plate 31a, an exit-side A pressure plate 31b, an entry-side H pressure plate 32a, an exit-side H pressure plate 32b, and a B pressure plate 33. The entry-side A pressure plate 31a is set to be inactive, and the exit-side A pressure plate 31b is set to be active. The entry-side H pressure plate 32a and the exit-side H pressure plate 32b are fixed since there is no switching between active and inactive, so both are active. B-pressor 33 is fixed in a manner that acts continuously on both the inlet and outlet sides. (As with...) Figure 2 As explained in connection, the inlet A-press 31a and the outlet A-press 31b cooperate as A-press 31, and the inlet H-press 32a and the outlet H-press 32b cooperate as H-press 32.

[0086] Regarding the inlet needle selection mechanism 11 and the intermediate needle selection mechanism 12, the vertical lines marked with a, b, c and d, e, f respectively indicate the needle selection mechanism 11 and the intermediate needle selection mechanism 12. Figure 4 and Figure 5The phases corresponding to the positional relationships described in the diagram. The entry-side needle selection mechanism 11 has a pressing triangle 15. The pressing triangle 15 presses the selection needle heel 6b near phase a, causing the selection foot plate 6 to sink about halfway into the needle groove. Therefore, the front end 7b of the selection plate 7 engages with the rear end of the selection needle heel 6b of the selection foot plate 6, which is in a state of sinking about halfway. The intermediate needle selection mechanism 12 acts on the selection plate 7 of the knitting needle 3, selecting any one of paths 7A, 7H, and 7B, which is the same as the entry-side needle selection mechanism 11. However, the pressing triangle 15 is not provided, and except for the B pressure plate 33 arranged at position B near phase d, there is no pressure plate to sink the selection needle heel 6b into the needle groove. The selection foot plate 6 selected at position B by the entry-side needle selection mechanism 11 remains in a sinking state, and the engagement part with the front end 7b of the selection plate 7 remains unchanged at the rear end of the selection needle heel 6b. The needle selection foot plate 6, selected by the entry-side needle selection mechanism 11 at position H or A, floats up because the selection needle heel 6b is not pressed down, and the engaging portion with the front end 7b of the needle selection plate 7 is replaced by the rear end of the protruding portion 6c. By replacing the engaging portion, the needle selection foot plate 6 of the knitting needle 3, which is subjected to the action of the cam system 2, can be guided to a position closer to the guide teeth of the entry-side needle selection mechanism 11, and in particular, it can be guided to a new position F 6bF, which is a forward position set closer to the guide teeth than position A. The exit-side needle selection mechanism 13 does not perform the needle selection action for receiving the action of the cam system 2. The needle selection mechanism 10 also has a return portion 16 that returns the needle selection foot plate 6 to position B, and a return cam 17 that returns the needle selection plate 7 to path 7B.

[0087] In this embodiment, a needle selection foot plate descending triangle 18 is provided between the inlet portion 2a and the outlet portion 2b of the cam system 2. This descending triangle 18 causes the needle selection foot plate 6, which has been guided to position A by the inlet needle selection mechanism 11, to descend to position H. An intermediate needle selection mechanism 12, located between the inlet portion 2a and the outlet portion 2b, selects, in three stages, needles 3 whose needle selection foot plate 6 has descended from position A to position H via the descending triangle 18, or needles 3 selected by the inlet needle selection mechanism 11 at positions H or B, in a manner driven by the outlet portion 2b. Compared to needles 3 driven by the inlet portion 2a and selected by the inlet needle selection mechanism 11, the intermediate needle selection mechanism 12 can further select needles 3 driven by the outlet portion 2b, thus increasing the path in the combination of inlet and outlet selection positions. Regarding the intermediate needle selection mechanism 12, the engaging part of the needle selection plate 7 and the needle selection foot plate 6 is replaced with the engaging part in the entry-side needle selection mechanism 11, allowing for additional knitting action selection. The needle selected at position A using the entry-side needle selection mechanism 11 is also selected by the intermediate needle selection mechanism 12 after descending to position H using the descending triangle 18 of the needle selection foot plate. Therefore, combinations such as the needle being at position A in the entry-side portion 2a and position H in the exit-side portion 2b are also possible. That is, regarding the position of the needle selection foot plate 6, when selecting A, H, or B using the entry-side needle selection mechanism 11, even if A is descended to H using the descending triangle 18 of the needle selection foot plate, H and B remain unchanged regardless of the descending triangle 18. In the intermediate needle selection mechanism 12, H, A, and F can be selected relative to H, and B, H, and A can be selected relative to B. If the needle selection mechanism 11 is used to select needle A from point A to point H without descending the lowering triangle 18 via the needle selection foot plate, then the selection in the intermediate needle selection mechanism 12 is limited to A and F. In contrast, in this embodiment, after selecting A via the lowering triangle 18 via the needle selection foot plate, even if the needle selection mechanism 11 temporarily descends to point H, H, A, and F can still be selected. The lowering triangle 11 and intermediate needle selection mechanism 12 can increase the number of knitting actions that can be selected in one trip of the cam carriage, and can improve knitting efficiency when basic knitting actions and other knitting actions are mixed.

[0088] The cam system 2 includes a starting cam 20, a gauge cam 21, and a pressing cam 22. Between the starting cam 20 and the pressing cam 22, a path 4bA is provided that corresponds to the needle heel 4b of the needle guide plate 4 and the knitting action of forming loops. The cam system 2 also has a guide cam on the side closer to the toothed edge of the pressing cam 22, which acts on the needle heel 5b of the guide needle plate 5, but this is not shown in the diagram. Paths 4bH and 4bB, which traverse a position lower than the top of the starting cam 20, correspond to the knitting action of tucking or floating yarn, respectively. The gauge cam 21 has a gauge-determining cam surface 21b (smaller pull-in amount when the cam height is high) and a gauge-determining cam surface 21a (larger pull-in amount when the cam height is low) in the rear half of the inclined pull-in cam surface. By differentiating the protrusion amount of the needle heel 4b, a gauge-tight knitting action can be performed.

[0089] The intermediate needle selection mechanism 12 can select whether the needle selection foot plate 6 remains in position B or H, or moves from position B to position H or A, or from position H to position A or F. In this embodiment, relative to the needle heel 4b of the needle lifter plate 4, it switches between the looping path 4bA and the tucking path 4bH on the inlet side, and switches between the relatively thin ordinary loop knitting path 4ba and the thick loop knitting path 4bA on the outlet side. This switching of knitting paths is achieved by pressing the inlet-side H pressure plate 32a and the outlet-side A pressure plate 31b of the selection needle heel 6b of the needle selection foot plate 6. The outlet-side H pressure plate 32b also presses the selection needle heel 6b, but due to its phase relationship with the outlet portion 2b of the cam system 2, it does not affect the operation. Therefore, the thickness of the loop can be selected by choosing H for tucking and A for forming a loop in the needle selection mechanism 11, and A for a regular loop and H for a thick loop in the middle needle selection mechanism 12. The middle needle selection mechanism 12 can also select position F, so position F can be set for example for picking up half a stitch of knitting action. As the knitting needle 3, a composite needle that uses the wing on the front side of the guide needle plate 5 to open and close the needle hook is used, so the half-stitch knitting action disclosed by the applicant in Japanese Patent No. 5330249 can also be combined with the tightness of tucking and forming a loop. In the cam system 2, a guide path is set on the needle heel 5b of the guide needle plate 5 (not shown) to keep the wing in the serration state when forming a loop. On the guide needle cam, a forming pressure plate is provided, which presses the auxiliary needle heel set in front of the needle heel 5b of the guide needle plate 5. In this embodiment, by selecting position A using the entry-side needle selection mechanism 11 and position F using the intermediate needle selection mechanism 12, a half-point picking action can be performed. If position B is selected in both the entry-side needle selection mechanism 11 and the intermediate needle selection mechanism 12, it becomes a floating yarn. Furthermore, since a combination of rising from position B to position A is also possible, this combination allows for a loop-forming auxiliary pull action that re-pulls the loops already knitted and hooked onto the needles through the exit-side gauge 21. This loop-forming auxiliary pull prevents the knitting yarn from being pulled excessively and causing the loops to shrink excessively during a new knitting action.

[0090] Figure 2 Indicates inclusion Figure 1 The partial structure of the triangular system 2 of the inlet needle selection mechanism 11 and the intermediate needle selection mechanism 12. Figure 1The entry-side needle selection mechanism 11 and the intermediate needle selection mechanism 12 respectively include attraction actuators 11a and 12a and needle selection plate drive triangles 11b and 12b. The attraction actuators 11a and 12a can switch between a state where the armature 7a of the needle selection plate 7 is attracted by magnetic force and a state where the attraction is released after selection at release positions α and β corresponding to phase a. The needle selection plate drive triangle 11b of the entry-side needle selection mechanism 11 causes the drive plate heel 7c of the needle selection plate 7, in the state where the attraction of the attraction actuator 11a is released, to move along preset paths 7A, 7H, and 7B, thereby moving the needle selection base plate 6 to three positions via the engaging part. Path 7B corresponds to the base position, and paths 7H and 7A correspond to the selection positions. The needle selection drive triangle 12b of the intermediate needle selection mechanism 12 also causes the drive heel 7c of the suction actuator 12a to move along paths 7A, 7H, and 7B when the suction is released. However, the movement of the needle selection foot plate 6 can be added to the movement of the inlet-side needle selection mechanism 11 by switching the engagement part. Therefore, the aforementioned F position can be provided in the needle selection foot plate 6. The return triangle 17 has a triangular surface 17a on the exit side of each needle selection drive triangle 11b and 12b that acts on the descending heel 7d of the needle selection plate 7 to return to path 7B.

[0091] The inlet-side A-plate 31a and outlet-side A-plate 31b are respectively configured to be inactive and active, and the A-plate 31 is configured to be inactive by retracting upwards. The inlet-side H-plate 32a and outlet-side H-plate 32b, under their respective action, slide in the opposite direction to the walking direction at a constant interval. This sliding utilizes, for example, the mechanism disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-206143. By sliding, the selection needle heel 6b of the needle selection foot plate 6 at positions B and H is ensured to rise to the passage at positions H and A. Increasing the interval between the inlet-side H-plate 32a and outlet-side H-plate 32b ensures the passage even without sliding, but results in a larger size. Furthermore, in the knitting operations such as tucking in the loops of this embodiment, the action of the inlet-side H-plate 32a is required. Since the action of the outlet-side H-plate 32b is not needed, when the selection needle heel 6b passes, it retracts to a position that does not affect the knitting operation, avoiding interference with the selection needle heel 6b.

[0092] Figure 3 This indicates the engaging part used to move the selector foot plate 6 via the selector plate 7, which is provided in... Figure 1 The needle selection mechanism 11 is switched between two stages depending on whether the pressing triangle 15 is pressed. The pressing triangle 15 presses the needle selection base plate 6 to select the needle heel 6b, such as... Figure 3As shown in (a), the needle selection foot plate 6 is lowered approximately halfway into the needle groove. When the needle selection plate 7 is selected for path 7A or 7H via the inlet needle selection mechanism 11, the front end 7b of the needle selection plate 7 pushes the rear end of the needle heel 6b forward in a first-stage upward motion, moving the needle selection foot plate 6 to position A or H. The needle selection foot plate 6 at positions A or H is then moved via the intermediate needle selection mechanism 12, as... Figure 3 (b) shows the second stage of the push-up of the needle selector 7 without pressing on the selector heel 6b. Since the needle selector base plate 6 floats in the needle groove, the engagement part used for pushing the needle selector 7b upward can be changed from the rear end of the selector heel 6b to the rear end of the protrusion 6c. This switching can be performed as follows: during the first stage of engagement, the rear end of the protrusion 6c is further back than the front end 7b, and when the needle selector 7 returns to the base state on the path 7B of the needle selector drive triangle 12b of the intermediate needle selector mechanism 12, the front end 7b is further back than the rear end of the protrusion 6c.

[0093] Furthermore, if the needle selection base plate 6 is selected as position B by the inlet-side needle selection mechanism 11, even if the needle selection plate 7 returns to the base state via path 7B, the front end 7b remains in a position further forward than the protrusion 6c, and the front end 7b continues to engage with the rear end of the selection needle heel 6b. This engagement state is the same as that of the inlet-side needle selection mechanism 11, and in the intermediate needle selection mechanism 12, positions A, H, and B can also be selected in the first stage of engagement. Patent Document 2 discloses a two-stage switching of the engagement portion of the needle selection plate and the needle selection base plate in Embodiment 1. Patent Document 2 also discloses other examples regarding the replacement of the engagement portion, and such examples can be applied to the invention of this application.

[0094] Figure 4 Regarding the needle selection mechanism 11, in Figure 4 (a, bB) Figure 4 (cH), Figure 4 (cA) respectively represent Figure 1 The diagram shows the selection relationship between the needle selector plate 7 and the position of the needle selector base plate 6 under phases a, b, and c. In phases a and b, although there are differences in the pressure applied by the pressing triangle 15 to the needle selector heel 6b, the needle selector base plate 6 sinks into the needle groove 8a of the needle bed 8 to approximately half its depth. Figure 3 (a) There is no difference in the state. The needle selection piece 7, through the selection of paths 7A and 7H in three stages, becomes capable of utilizing... Figure 3 (a) shows the engagement part pushing the needle base plate 6 upward in the first stage. If path 7B is selected, no upward push occurs. Figure 4 (cA) shows the selector plate 7 in Figure 2The release position α shown accepts the selection of the needle base plate 6 to position A. Figure 4 (cH) indicates the selection plate 7, which corresponds to setting the selection foot plate 6 to the H position.

[0095] Figure 5 Regarding the intermediate needle selection mechanism 12, in Figure 5 (d, eH) Figure 5 (fF), Figure 5 (fA) shows respectively Figure 1 This is a partial representation of the positional relationship between the needle selection plate 7 and the needle selection foot plate 6 under phases d, e, and f. In phases d and e, without the pressing triangle 15 pressing the selection heel 6b, the needle selection foot plate 6, selected by the inlet-side needle selection mechanism 11, does not sink into the needle groove 8a of the needle bed 8 when it is in position H or A. The needle selection plate 7, through the selection of paths 7A and 7H in three stages, can... Figure 3 (b) The second stage engagement section pushes the needle base plate 6 upward. If path 7B is selected, no upward push occurs. Figure 5 (d, eH) shows the needle selector 7 in its base state and the needle selector foot plate 6 in position H. When the armature 7a of the needle selector 7 is selected to be released from the suction actuator 12a in release position α, it can be guided to position F with phase f. Additionally, the selection of the needle selector 7 at release position β guides the needle selector foot plate 6 to position A. The needle selector 7 can also guide the needle selector foot plate 6, which has been selected to position B by the inlet-side needle selector mechanism 11, to position H or A through the selection of paths 7A and 7H in three stages. The selection at this time is ensured by the retraction of the outlet-side H pressure plate 32b through the passage of the needle heel 6b, thus avoiding the enlargement of the triangular system 2 in the length direction of the needle bed.

[0096] In this embodiment, magnetic attraction actuators 11a and 12a are used in the inlet needle selection mechanism 11 and the intermediate needle selection mechanism 12, but a needle selection mechanism like that in Patent Document 1 can also be used. Using attraction actuators 11a and 12a avoids large size in the left and right directions, and the intermediate needle selection mechanism 12 can be placed in the middle of the existing triangle system 2. Furthermore, a composite needle is used as the knitting needle 3, but a latch needle can also be used. For example, the applicant of this application disclosed a half-mot using a latch needle in Japanese Patent No. 5913427, so such an action can be added in a way that allows selection by the intermediate needle selection mechanism 12. Moreover, the present invention can also apply objects other than the combination of the needle selection plate 7 and the needle selection foot plate 6 as the needle selection target.

Claims

1. A flat knitting machine (1), comprising: The needle bed (8) is provided with at least one pair in front and back, positioned opposite each other to clamp the tooth opening; Multiple knitting needles (3) are respectively housed in multiple needle grooves (8a) arranged side by side at a certain interval along the length of the needle bed (8); The triangular carriage reciprocates along the length of the needle bed (8); and The triangular system (2), needle selection mechanism (10), and tablet compression assembly (30) are mounted on the triangular carriage. The triangular system (2) drives the knitting needle (3) in the direction of advance and retreat relative to the tooth opening by switching the inward side (2a) and the outward side (2b) according to the travel direction of the triangular carriage, thereby enabling the knitting needle (3) to perform a knitting action. The needle selection mechanism (10) selects the knitting needle (3) that performs the knitting action through the cam system (2). The pressing unit (30) presses the selected needle (3) according to the knitting action. Knitting needles (3) include: The needle selection foot plate (6) has a selection needle heel (6b) that receives pressure from the pressure plate group (30). It is guided to different positions, including position B (base position), position H (middle position set in the direction of entry towards the tooth than position B), and position A (entry position further towards the tooth than position H). By varying the pressure received by the selection needle heel (6b) from the pressure plate group (30) at each position, the cam system (2) enables different knitting actions to be performed by the needle (3); and The needle selection plate (7) corresponds to the selection state of the knitting needle (3) in the needle selection mechanism (10). It is selected in three stages: when the knitting needle (3) is not selected, it passes through the base path; when the knitting needle (3) is selected, it passes through an intermediate path that is further towards the tooth opening than the base path and an entry path that is further towards the tooth opening than the intermediate path. If it passes through either the intermediate path or the entry path, it can engage with the needle selection foot plate (6) and guide the needle selection foot plate (6) to a position in the direction of entering the tooth opening. The needle selection mechanism (10) includes needle selection plate drive triangles (11b, 12b), which drive the needle selection plate (7) to move along a preset path and guide it by driving the needle selection base plate (6) via the engaging part. The flat knitting machine (1) is characterized in that, The flat knitting machine (1) includes: The needle selection mechanism (11) selects the needle (3) driven by the entry side portion (2a) of the cam system (2) in three stages; The needle selection foot plate descends the triangle (18), causing the needle selection foot plate (6), which has been guided to position A by the needle selection mechanism (11) on the inlet side, to descend to position H; The intermediate needle selection mechanism (12), located between the inlet portion (2a) and the outlet portion (2b) of the cam system (2), selects, in three stages, needles (3) whose needle selection foot plate (6) has been lowered to position H by the descending cam (18) of the needle selection foot plate, or needles (3) selected at position H or B by the inlet needle selection mechanism (11); and Pressing the triangle (15) allows for the following pressing of the engagement portion of the needle selection plate (7) and the needle selection base plate (6): In the first stage of engagement between the needle selection base plate (6) and the needle selection plate (7) at position B, the needle is selected from the side needle selection mechanism (11); in the second stage of engagement between the needle selection base plate (6) and the needle selection plate (7) at position H, the needle selection base plate (6) or the needle selection plate (7) is recessed into the needle groove (8a) in a manner that allows the needle to be selected from the intermediate needle selection mechanism (12). The intermediate needle selection mechanism (12) is set to a forward position (F) that is further towards the tooth opening than position A, as the position for guiding the needle selection foot piece (6) through the engagement of the second stage.

2. The flat knitting machine (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pressing triangle (15) is disposed on the inlet needle selection mechanism (11) and presses the selection needle heel (6b) of the needle selection foot plate (6). The needle selection foot plate (6) has a protrusion (6c) extending towards the rear end of the root portion of the needle selection heel (6b) in the direction of withdrawal from the toothed opening. In the needle selection piece (7), the front end (7b) in the direction of entering the toothed opening engages with the rear end of the selection needle heel (6b) of the needle selection foot piece (6) which sinks into the needle groove (8a) by pressing the pressing triangle (15) in the first stage, and engages with the rear end of the protrusion (6c) in the second stage.

3. The flat knitting machine (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The inlet needle selection mechanism (11) and the intermediate needle selection mechanism (12) include suction actuators (11a, 12a) that accept the selection and can release the state of magnetically attracting the needle selection piece (7) at multiple positions. The needle selector drive triangles (11b, 12b) drive the needle selector (7) in a manner that guides it to different paths (7B, 7H, 7A) in the three stages according to the position where the attraction of the attraction actuator (11a, 12a) is released.

4. The flat knitting machine (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that, The pressure plate assembly (30) includes: an inlet-side H-pressure plate (32a) that, by means of the inlet-side needle selection mechanism (11) selecting the needle (3) at position H for a prescribed knitting action, causes the selection needle heel (6b) of the needle selection foot plate (6) to sink into the needle groove (3a); and an outlet-side H-pressure plate (32b) that retracts at a position that does not affect the knitting action. At least the H-plate (32b) on the outward side retreats in the opposite direction to the direction of travel.

5. The flat knitting machine (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that, The knitting action selectable by the exiting portion (2b) of the cam system (2) includes a mesh tension knitting action, which is an action that causes the needle (3) to withdraw from the toothed opening, resulting in different pull-in amounts generated by the mesh triangle (21) set in the cam system (2).

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