Circular knitting needle

Abstract

The invention relates to an intelligent knitting needle (1) with at least one needle tip and a shaft on which the knitting fabric can be arranged, at least partially, and a circular knitting needle (2). The objective of providing a knitting needle that makes it possible to easily count the stitches and rows of a knitting project without additional aids and to display this information to the user is achieved by integrating an inertial measuring unit (6) for detecting movement of the knitting needle (1), a processor unit (7) for processing the detected movement data of the inertial measuring unit (6), and a power source (10) for supplying power to the inertial measuring unit (6) and the processor unit (7) into the knitting needle (1). The processor unit (7) determines the number of knitted stitches from the detected movement data of the inertial measuring unit (6) and outputs this number to a user of the knitting needle (1) via an output device (11).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a circular knitting needle for handwork, which has at least one intelligent knitting needle.

[0002] Knitting needles for handcraft have been around for a long time and are available in many different types. Knitting needles for handcraft can differ in terms of their cross-sectional shape, thickness and length, among other things. With such knitting needles, a distinction is usually made between the receiving knitting needle and the knitting needle for knitting off. This means that knitting usually requires at least two knitting needles, with the user holding one knitting needle in each hand. As a rule, the user's dominant or preferred hand holds one knitting needle in order to cast on stitches on the other knitting needle held by the user's less preferred hand. The cast-on stitches are transferred from the knitting needle for knitting off to the other stitch-receiving needle while the knitting process progresses.

[0003] When hand-knitting, the number of stitches is very important, for example, for creating specific knitting patterns. Each knitting requires a specific number of stitches and rows to achieve the desired or intended knitting result. It is possible, for example, to memorize the number of stitches and rows knitted or to count them manually using a written method. In circular knitting, the end of a row can be indicated by a thread or other object suitable for marking the end of a row.

[0004] For many people, knitting is a social pastime and / or an activity that is performed alongside other activities, such as entertaining, listening to the radio, or watching TV. Because of these other activities, the knitter is distracted by other stimuli and cannot or does not want to concentrate primarily on counting stitches. A miscount of the stitch count is almost always the result.

[0005] It would therefore be desirable to provide knitters with a tool that makes counting stitches easier when knitting by hand.

[0006] A row counter (US 4,343,160 A) is known from the prior art and can be attached to a knitting needle. This row counter has a counting mechanism that must be operated manually via a single, accessible button as soon as a row is completed or a row change is due. A disadvantage is that it can only count rows and not individual stitches. A further disadvantage is that the counting device must be operated manually, which requires the knitting process to be interrupted each time. Motion-based detection of individual knitted stitches or rows is not possible.

[0007] US 2012 / 0296465 A1 discloses an interactive knitting and crochet system comprising a crochet or knitting needle, a computing unit, and an audiovisual device. The interactive knitting and crochet system is designed to monitor the correct crochet or knitting technique. If an incorrect technique is detected, a warning is issued indicating an error, thus preventing unnecessary knitting. The audiovisual device is designed to alert the knitter or crocheter to an improper technique or to inform them about the progress of their handcrafted project. For this purpose, the crochet or knitting needle has an acceleration sensor and an optical sensor located in the tip of the respective needle. The acceleration sensor detects rotational movements of the needle.Through the interaction of the optical sensor with infrared lights arranged on the audiovisual device, the distance and position of each needle are determined using a triangulation algorithm. Using the recorded movement data and the triangulation algorithm, a microprocessor located in the audiovisual device monitors the correct execution of each handcrafted task, issuing a notification if an error occurs. The disadvantage of this interactive knitting and crocheting system, however, is the mandatory presence of the aforementioned audiovisual device to validate the accuracy of the knitting pattern. This makes the system very cumbersome and unsuitable for spontaneous use or in a social setting.

[0008] DE 27 30 238 A1 discloses a measuring system for measuring the movement of a stitch-forming element. Measurement values ​​from the moving machine part are converted into frequency signals and, after superimposing them on a carrier frequency, transmitted to an evaluation unit via a transmitter and receiver. Dielectrics are attached to the knitting elements, which, when moved, generate displacement-proportional capacitance changes relative to a measuring capacitor in the machine bed. This arrangement is not suitable for use in hand-knitting needles.

[0009] DD 146 065 A1 describes a device for determining the time point for a change in the path-time curve of a knitting needle. It includes actuating elements on the knitting needles, an initiator circuit, and an electronic circuit that triggers a signal for an observation or measuring device. This arrangement is also unsuitable for use in knitting needles for handcrafting.

[0010] US 2018 / 0016716 A1 discloses knitting and crochet needles configured with devices to assist a user of the needles in counting, tracking, and following a knitting or crochet pattern, either automatically or manually. For this purpose, a needle is equipped with an integrated electronic or manual counting system. The electronic counting system includes an accelerometer to detect movement. However, the movement of a knitting needle when knitting a stitch is so complex and individually different depending on the user using the needles that this individual movement cannot be clearly detected with an accelerometer.

[0011] WO 2018 / 092128 A1 discloses a circular knitting needle according to the preamble of claim 1, the needles of which each have a motion sensor, a power source and a wireless communication means.

[0012] The object of the present invention is therefore, in particular, to provide a knitting needle that allows the stitches and rows of a knitted item to be counted and distributed easily and without additional aids, thus eliminating the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art and everyday experience. In particular, a knitting needle is to be provided that can be used spontaneously, easily, and anywhere for knitting, allowing the user to knit without having to concentrate on counting stitches and rows.

[0013] In such an intelligent knitting needle, an inertial measuring unit for recording a movement of the knitting needle, a processor unit for processing the movement data of the knitting needle recorded by the inertial measuring unit, and a power source for supplying power to the inertial measuring unit and the processor unit are integrated, wherein the processor unit is designed to determine a number of knitted stitches from the movement data recorded by the inertial measuring unit and to output this to a user of the knitting needle via an output means. The inertial measuring unit should advantageously be positioned in the tip or the end of the knitting needle. The tip or the end of the knitting needle have a greater movement amplitude during the knitting process, in particular in comparison to the middle of the knitting needle. This allows the movement data to be better or more accurately recorded.more reliably than with the smaller movement amplitudes in the middle of the knitting needle.

[0014] The name intelligent knitting needle is derived from its inherent ability to independently count knitted stitches and output them to the user of the knitting needle.

[0015] The inertial measuring unit of the knitting needle comprises at least one acceleration sensor, at least one gyroscope and / or at least one magnetic sensor.

[0016] The accelerometer and gyroscope are used to determine the position of the knitting needle in space. The components of the inertial measurement unit are arranged on a circuit board, which can be designed flexibly, for example, to allow for their placement and integration into the knitting needle in the most space-saving way possible.

[0017] The power supply further comprises a voltage regulation unit for adjusting the supply voltage, for example from 1.5V to 3.3V, depending on the energy source used and the supply voltage of the inertial measuring unit and the processor unit.

[0018] The knitting needle has a radio unit for communication and / or transmission of recorded movement data of the knitting needle to the output means or for wireless communication with one or more other intelligent knitting needles.

[0019] The radio unit is also integrated into the intelligent knitting needle. The radio unit communicates with the output device or another intelligent knitting needle via a radio standard, regardless of which radio standard is used, e.g., via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Both the output device and the intelligent knitting needle have a receiver unit for this purpose. Advantageously, recorded measurement data, i.e., movement data of the inertial measurement unit, can be transmitted and / or communicated to the output device or another intelligent knitting needle via the wireless connection. The recorded measurement data can either already have been further processed by a processor unit or can be transmitted wirelessly for further processing.

[0020] In the knitting needle, the output device is a display unit integrated into the knitting needle. The integrated display unit can be configured as an LED (light-emitting diode) or a display. The display unit shows the knitting needle user the number of stitches and / or rows knitted. A row change can also be notified to the user via an acoustic signal or a vibration alarm.

[0021] In the knitting needle system, the output device is a mobile device, specifically a smartphone or tablet. Many users carry a smartphone with them at all times, and it is used for a variety of applications. Due to the constant access to a smartphone, it can also be used to evaluate the sensor data recorded, i.e., movement data from the inertial measurement unit.

[0022] The knitting needle also features a charging module. The intelligent knitting needle is powered by a battery. In one variant, the battery can be replaced by opening the knitting needle, e.g., a screw cap. In another advantageous variant, the battery is rechargeable and can be recharged via the charging module using inductive charging. The battery can also be inserted into a charging station via the charging module and recharged. For charging in a charging station, the knitting needle's charging module has appropriate contacts for connecting to the charging station.

[0023] The object is achieved by a circular knitting needle according to claim 1, comprising a first and a second knitting needle that are connected to one another via a flexible connecting element. An inertial measuring unit for detecting a movement of the first knitting needle and a processor unit for processing the detected movement data of the first knitting needle by the inertial measuring unit are integrated in the first knitting needle, and an energy source for supplying energy to the inertial measuring unit and the processor unit is integrated in the second knitting needle. The flexible connecting element is designed as an electrical line for transmitting data and / or energy between the first and second knitting needles.

[0024] An advantage of the circular knitting needle according to the invention is the possibility of arranging the energy source for supplying the inertial measurement unit and the processor unit separately from the first knitting needle in the second knitting needle, thus saving space in the knitting needle. The electrical connection can be realized via the flexible connecting element between the first and second knitting needles. This allows the intelligent knitting needles to be manufactured and offered with very small diameters.

[0025] In one embodiment of the circular knitting needle according to the invention, an additional inertial measuring unit is integrated into the second knitting needle. This is advantageous because the movements of the first and second knitting needles can be recorded even more precisely.

[0026] In a further embodiment of the circular knitting needle according to the invention, an additional processor unit is integrated into the second knitting needle. This allows the calculation processes of the movement data for each of the two knitting needles to be performed separately, thus simplifying the computing capacity of the processor unit used in each knitting needle, which in turn leads to more energy-efficient operation of the knitting needles.

[0027] In another embodiment of the circular knitting needle according to the invention, the first knitting needle additionally has an additional power source. The first knitting needle can thus operate independently of the second knitting needle. This allows the movement data of both knitting needles to be recorded and evaluated independently of each other. This allows for even more precise evaluation and determination of the number of stitches and rows knitted.

[0028] In a further advantageous embodiment of the intelligent knitting needle or the circular knitting needle according to the invention, the number of knitted stitches is determined using the movement data recorded by the inertial measuring unit via a deep-learning algorithm or via an algorithmic evaluation in the processor unit or in the mobile device. With the deep-learning algorithm, the recorded movement data is compared by the inertial measuring unit with comparison data composed of a large number of recorded movement data from knitting needle users. Using the deep-learning algorithm, the number of stitches that have been knitted is determined from the recorded movement data using pattern recognition, whereby a distinction can also be made between knit and purl stitches. Models for stitch recognition and counting are derived and created from the comparison data, i.e. calculation rules for determining the number of stitches.These can be stored either in a memory unit of the integrated processor unit in the knitting needle, in a mobile external device, or in the cloud. The comparison data is continuously expanded and analyzed by the deep-learning algorithm, so that the models for detecting knitted stitches and determining the stitch count are continuously trained and improved. The models optimized using the comparison data can be transferred to the knitting needle via a firmware update, for example, via the radio unit in the knitting needle. The intelligent knitting needle and / or circular knitting needle according to the invention is / are thus updateable. This ensures continuous development and improvement of the stitch count detection.

[0029] It is also possible to calculate the number of knitted stitches using a mathematical analysis of the recorded movement data. This approach has the advantage that no comparative data is required to create and improve the models for determining the number of stitches. During the mathematical analysis, limit values ​​for the needle movements are defined and compared mathematically. Various methods can be used for this, such as Kalman filters, dynamic time normalization, fast Fourier transformation, etc.

[0030] In a further embodiment of the knitting needle, more than two knitting needles are used for knitting. In an advantageous embodiment, one of the more than two knitting needles used acts as the master and can communicate with the other knitting needles via the respective radio units. This ensures that only the movement data of the knitting needles actually being used for knitting are used to determine the number of stitches.

[0031] Using the smart knitting needle, it's possible to derive and establish a kind of standard for knitting patterns. This standard can be used by various apps, websites, knitting pattern books, etc. The smart knitting needles thus offer the advantage of standardizing the previously known and used description variants for knitting patterns.

[0032] The invention will be explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments. The accompanying drawings show Fig. 1: Intelligent knitting needle with integrated inertial measuring unit, processor unit, and energy source; Fig. 2: Circular knitting needle according to the invention in a first embodiment; Fig. 3: Circular knitting needle according to the invention in a second embodiment; Fig. 4: Circular knitting needle according to the invention in a third embodiment; Fig. 5: Circular knitting needle according to the invention in a fourth embodiment; Fig. 6: Circular knitting needle according to the invention with external evaluation and display unit; Fig. 7: Communicating intelligent knitting needles for knitting projects with multiple knitting needles; Fig. 8: Intelligent knitting needle according to the invention with inductive charging module.

[0033] Figure 1shows the intelligent knitting needle 1 in cross-section. An inertial measuring unit 6 for detecting the movement of the knitting needle 1 is integrated into the knitting needle 1. The inertial measuring unit 6 comprises at least one motion sensor and at least one gyroscope. In addition, a magnetic sensor can be used for position detection. The measuring unit 6 is connected to a processor unit 7 via a line 9 for energy and data, which processes the detected movement data and uses this to determine the number of knitted stitches and rows. The inertial measuring unit 6 and the processor unit 7 are powered by a voltage-regulated energy source 10. The processor unit 7 transmits the number of stitches and rows to an output device 11. The output device 11 can be designed as a display integrated into the knitting needle 1. LEDs or a vibration signal can be used to indicate a row change.

[0034] Figure 2shows a first embodiment of the intelligent circular knitting needle 2 according to the invention. A circular knitting needle 2 comprises a first 3 and a second 4 knitting needle, which are connected to one another by a flexible connecting element 5. In a first embodiment, the inertial measuring unit 6 for detecting the movement of the first knitting needle 3 and a processor unit 7 for processing the detected movement data are integrated in the first knitting needle 3. In the second knitting needle 4, the energy source 10 for supplying energy to the inertial measuring unit 6 and the processor unit 7 is integrated in the first knitting needle 4, wherein the flexible connecting element 5 is designed as an electrical line for transmitting the energy between the first 3 and second 4 knitting needles. This variant is advantageous because the energy source 10, e.g.A battery is arranged separately from the measuring unit 6 and the processor unit 7, and the space can be used by both knitting needles 3, 4. This allows for the production of smaller knitting needles.

[0035] Figure 3 shows a second embodiment of the intelligent circular knitting needle 2 according to the invention. In contrast to the first embodiment described, an inertial measuring unit 6 is also integrated into the second knitting needle 4. The data acquired thereby is transmitted via the electrical connecting line 5 to the processor unit 7 in the first knitting needle 3 and evaluated. The two measuring units 6 enable more precise detection of the movement of the two knitting needles 3, 4 relative to each other, so that the number of stitches can be determined very precisely. A hand change can thus be evaluated more accurately.

[0036] Figure 4shows a third embodiment of the intelligent circular knitting needle 2 according to the invention. Compared to the first embodiment described, an energy source 10 for supplying energy to the inertial measuring unit 6 and the processor unit 7 is also integrated into the first knitting needle 3. This has the advantage that more energy is available and thus knitting can continue for longer.

[0037] Figure 5 shows a fourth embodiment of the intelligent circular knitting needle 2 according to the invention. This is a combination of the described second and third embodiments. Both knitting needles 3, 4 have an inertial measuring unit 6 and a power source 10. A processor unit 7 is arranged in only one knitting needle.

[0038] Figure 6shows the intelligent knitting needle 1 or a knitting needle 3, 4 of a circular knitting needle 2 with an external evaluation and display unit 11, 12. The radio unit sends the recorded and / or evaluated movement data with the determined number of stitches to an external output device 11. This can be a smartphone 12, for example.

[0039] For knitting projects where more than one knitting needle 1 is required, Figure 7Two intelligent knitting needles 1 according to the invention communicate with each other. More than two different knitting needles can also communicate with each other. During the knitting process, however, only the two knitting needles actually being used for knitting communicate with each other. The processor units 7 of the two knitting needles 1 can communicate with each other via their respective radio units 8 and send the determined number of stitches and / or rows to an external output device 11, such as a smartphone 12 or tablet. This is particularly advantageous for knitting projects with multiple knitting needles.

[0040] In a further advantageous embodiment, it is also possible for the movement data of the knitting needles 1 recorded by the inertial measuring units 6 to be sent via the radio unit 8 directly via a radio standard, e.g., Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, to an external output device 11, which 11, 12 is then used to determine the number of stitches and rows.

[0041] Figure 8 shows the intelligent knitting needle 1 with inductive charging module 13. The energy source 10, e.g. a battery, can be recharged via the charging module 13 by inductive charging. List of reference symbols

[0042] 1Intelligent knitting needle 2Intelligent circular knitting needle 3First knitting needle of a circular knitting needle 4Second knitting needle of a circular knitting needle 5Flexible connecting element with electrical cable 6Inertial measuring unit 7Processor unit 8Radio unit 9Cable for data and energy within the knitting needle 10Energy source with voltage regulation 11Output device 12Mobile device 13Inductive charging module

Claims

1. Circular knitting needle (2) comprising a first (3) and a second (4) knitting needle which are connected to one another via a flexible connecting element (5), wherein an inertial measurement unit (6) for detecting a movement of the first knitting needle (3), a processor unit (7) for processing the movement data of the knitting needle (3) captured by the inertial measurement unit (6), and a radio unit (8) for communicating and / or transmitting the captured movement data to an output means (11) are integrated in the first knitting needle (3), characterized in that an energy source (10) for supplying energy to the inertial measurement unit (6) and to the processor unit (7) in the first knitting needle (3) is integrated in the second knitting needle (4), wherein the flexible connecting element (5) is designed as an electrical line for transmitting energy or transmitting data and energy between the first (3) and second (4) knitting needle, wherein the output means (11) is designed as a display unit integrated in the first or second knitting needle (3, 4) or as a mobile terminal (12), wherein the processor unit (7) or the mobile terminal are designed to determine a number of knitted stitches from the movement data captured by the inertial measurement unit (6), and to output this number to a user of the knitting needle (1) via the integrated display unit or the mobile terminal (12).

2. Circular knitting needle (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that an additional inertial measurement unit (6) is integrated in the second knitting needle (4).

3. Circular knitting needle (2) according to either of the preceding claims, characterized in that an additional processor unit (7) is integrated in the second knitting needle (4).

4. Circular knitting needle (2) according to any of the preceding claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the first knitting needle (3) has an energy source (10).

5. Circular knitting needle (2) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the processor unit (7) or the mobile terminal are designed to determine the number of knitted stitches by means of the movement data captured by the inertial measurement unit (6) via a deep-learning algorithm or via an algorithmic evaluation.

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