Flat-knitting machine

Abstract

To provide a flat-knitting machine having a pulling-down device that can pass through a tooth port even if a width of the tooth port is narrow and has a looper capable of capturing a knitting yarn.SOLUTION: A flat-knitting machine comprises: a front needle bed; a rear needle bed facing the front needle bed; a yarn feeder to feed a knitting yarn to a tooth port formed between the front needle bed and the rear needle bed; and a pulling-down device to capture the knitting yarn extending from the yarn feeder to the tooth port and pull down the knitting yarn to below the tooth port. The pulling-down device has a movable body constituted so as to be movable along a length direction of the front needle bed and the rear needle bed and a looper supported so as to be vertically movable with respect to the movable body. The looper has a hook. Drawing direction of the hook when viewed from above the tooth port intersects with a width direction of the tooth port.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a flatbed knitting machine including a pull-down device that captures a knitting yarn extending from a terminal stitch of a knitted fabric to a yarn feeder when the knitting yarn is cut. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a flat knitting machine equipped with a knitting yarn holding and cutting device. The flat knitting machine includes a front needle bed, a rear needle bed, and a yarn feeder. The yarn feeder supplies knitting yarn to a needle bed gap formed between the front needle bed and the rear needle bed. The knitting yarn supplied from the yarn feeder is knitted by the knitting needles of the front needle bed and the rear needle bed.

[0003] The knitting yarn holding and cutting device includes a pull-down device that captures the knitting yarn extending from the last stitch of the fabric knitted on the needle bed to the yarn feeder and pulls it down below the needle gap, a holding device that holds the knitting yarn, and a cutting device that cuts the knitting yarn. The pull-down device includes a looper that is configured to be able to move up and down. The looper has a hook at its upper end. The hook hooks the knitting yarn above the needle gap. The extension direction of the hook as viewed from above the needle gap is along the width direction of the needle gap. The width direction of the needle gap is a direction perpendicular to the length direction of the front needle bed and the rear needle bed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-173248 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] There is a need to reduce the width of the gap in a flat knitting machine. For example, if the width of the gap is reduced, a knitted fabric with tight stitches can be obtained. However, if the width of the gap is reduced, there is a risk that the hook of the looper arranged below the gap will not be able to pass through the gap when the looper rises. If the hook is made smaller, there is a risk that the hook will fail to capture the knitting yarn.

[0006] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a flat knitting machine equipped with a pull-down device having a looper that can pass through a gap even if the gap is narrow and capture a knitting yarn. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] <1> The flat knitting machine of the present invention comprises: A front needle bed; a back needle bed facing the front needle bed; a yarn feeder for supplying a knitting yarn to a needle gap formed between the front needle bed and the rear needle bed; A pull-down device that captures the knitting yarn extending from the yarn feeder to the needle gap and pulls it down below the needle gap. The pull-down device is a movable body configured to be movable along the length direction of the front needle bed and the rear needle bed; a looper supported so as to be movable up and down relative to the movable body, The looper has a hook for hooking the knitting yarn, The extension direction of the hook as viewed from above the tooth gap intersects with the width direction of the tooth gap.

[0008] <2> the above <1> As one embodiment of the flat knitting machine described in The angle between the stretching direction and the width direction may be 30° or more and 90° or less.

[0009] <3> the above <1> As one embodiment of the flat knitting machine described in The angle between the stretching direction and the width direction may be 45° or more and 80° or less.

[0010] <4> the above <1> from <3> As one embodiment of the flat knitting machine described in any one of the above, The machine may further include a control unit that controls movement of at least one of the moving body and the yarn feeder so that the moving body and the yarn feeder approach each other during or after the looper is raised.

[0011] <5> the above <4> As one embodiment of the flat knitting machine described in The control unit may control the moving body to move in a direction approaching the yarn feeder.

[0012] <6> the above <1> from <5> As one embodiment of the flat knitting machine described in any one of the above, the looper includes a front looper corresponding to the front needle bed and a rear looper corresponding to the rear needle bed, The hooks include a front hook formed on the front looper and a rear hook formed on the rear looper, the front hook, as viewed from above the needle gap, is inclined so that a tip of the front hook approaches the front needle bed, The rear hook, as viewed from above the needle gap, may be inclined so that a tip of the rear hook approaches the rear needle bed.

[0013] <7> the above <6> As one embodiment of the flat knitting machine described in A displacement mechanism may be provided above the needle gap for displacing the front hook toward the front needle bed and displacing the rear hook toward the rear needle bed.

[0014] <8> the above <7> As one embodiment of the flat knitting machine described in The displacement mechanism includes: a guide groove in which the front looper and the rear looper are arranged in an overlapping state; a connecting shaft that rotatably connects a lower portion of the front looper and a lower portion of the rear looper to each other; a spring disposed between the front looper and the rear looper. Effect of the Invention

[0015] the above <1> In the flat knitting machine described in the above, the extension direction of the hook when viewed from above the gap is not along the width direction of the gap, but crosses the width direction of the gap. Such a hook easily passes through the gap when the looper moves up and down. Therefore, the hook can pass through the narrow gap without making the hook small. In addition, since there is no need to make the hook small, the knitting yarn can be easily captured by the hook.

[0016] the above <2> In the flat knitting machine described in the above, the extending direction of the hook is inclined by 30° or more with respect to the width direction of the gap, so that the hook easily passes through the gap when the looper moves up and down.

[0017] the above <3> In the flat knitting machine described in the above, the extension direction of the hook is inclined at 45° to 80° with respect to the width direction of the hook gap. Hooks inclined at 45° or more with respect to the width direction tend to pass through the hook gap. Also, hooks inclined at 80° or less with respect to the width direction tend to catch the knitting yarn.

[0018] the above <4> In the flat knitting machine described in the above, the yarn feeder and the looper come close to each other during or after the looper is raised, so that the knitting yarn is easily caught by the hook.

[0019] the above <5> In the flat knitting machine described in the above, when the looper approaches the yarn feeder, the knitting yarn is more likely to be caught by the hook than when the yarn feeder approaches the looper. As will be described in detail in the embodiment, the elevation angle of the knitting yarn from the last stitch to the yarn feeder does not change, so the hook is more likely to catch the knitting yarn.

[0020] the above <6> The flat knitting machine described in is provided with a front looper corresponding to the front needle bed and a rear looper corresponding to the rear needle bed. Therefore, whether the final stitch to which the knitting yarn extending from the yarn feeder is connected is on the front needle bed or the rear needle bed, the knitting yarn can be reliably captured by either looper.

[0021] the above <7> In the flat knitting machine described in the above, the front hook approaches the front needle bed and the rear hook approaches the rear needle bed above the needle gap. Therefore, whether the last stitch is on the front needle bed or the rear needle bed, the knitting yarn can be reliably captured by the hook of either looper.

[0022] the above <8> In the flat knitting machine described in the above, a front looper and a rear looper are stacked with a spring between them, and are arranged in a guide groove, and a lower part of the front looper is connected to a lower part of the rear looper. In this configuration, simply by lifting the front looper and the rear looper along the guide groove, it is possible to displace the front hook of the front looper so as to approach the front needle bed, and the rear hook of the rear looper so as to approach the rear needle bed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a flat knitting machine according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a pull-down device provided in the flat knitting machine shown in the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing a looper disposed in a guide groove. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the looper of the pulling-down device shown in the first embodiment is lowered. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the looper of the pulling-down device shown in the first embodiment is raised. [Figure 6] FIG. 6(A) is a top view seen from above to explain the positional relationship between the looper hook and the knitting yarn when the looper is lowered, and FIG. 6(B) is a side view seen from the side of FIG. 6(A). [Figure 7] FIG. 7(A) is a top view seen from above to explain the positional relationship between the looper hook and the knitting yarn when the looper is raised, and FIG. 7(B) is a side view seen from the side of FIG. 7(A). [Figure 8]FIG. 8(A) is a top view seen from above to explain the positional relationship between the looper hook and the knitting yarn when the looper approaches the yarn feeder, and FIG. 8(B) is a side view seen from the side of FIG. 8(A). [Figure 9] FIG. 9(A) is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the looper of the pulling-down device shown in the second embodiment is lowered, and FIG. 9(B) is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the looper of FIG. 9(A) is raised. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] <Embodiment 1> Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of a flat knitting machine of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs.

[0025] <Overall composition> The flat knitting machine 1 of this example shown in FIG. 1 is a two-bed flat knitting machine. Unlike this example, the configuration of the present invention may be applied to a four-bed flat knitting machine. As shown in FIG. 1, the flat knitting machine 1 of this example includes a front needle bed 1F and a rear needle bed 1B, a yarn feeder 11 (FIGS. 6 to 8), and a knitting yarn holding and cutting device 2. The flat knitting machine 1 further includes a control unit 15 that controls the operation of the components included in the flat knitting machine 1. The control unit 15 is, for example, configured by a computer. Each component of the flat knitting machine will be described in detail below.

[0026] ≪Needle bed≫ In Fig. 1, only a part of the configuration of the front needle bed 1F and the rear needle bed 1B is shown. The front needle bed 1F and the rear needle bed 1B each have a plurality of knitting needles 19 for knitting a fabric. The front needle bed 1F and the rear needle bed 1B are fixed to a frame 10 of the flatbed knitting machine 1. The front needle bed 1F and the rear needle bed 1B are arranged in a mountain shape so that the tips of the knitting needles 19 of each needle bed face each other. A needle gap 1G is formed between the upper end of the front needle bed 1F and the upper end of the rear needle bed 1B. In Figs. 1, 4, and 5, the height of the needle gap 1G is indicated by a two-dot chain line extending in the left-right direction of the paper.

[0027] In this example, directions are defined based on the front needle bed 1F and the rear needle bed 1B. First, the length direction of the front needle bed 1F and the rear needle bed 1B is defined as the X direction. In FIG. 1, the X direction is the direction extending into the depth direction of the paper. Next, the direction in which the front needle bed 1F and the rear needle bed 1B face each other is defined as the Y direction. The Y direction is a direction perpendicular to the X direction. Finally, the height direction of the flatbed knitting machine 1 is defined as the Z direction. The Z direction is a direction perpendicular to the X direction and the Y direction.

[0028] <Yarn feeder> 6, the yarn feeder 11 is disposed above the needle gap 1G and supplies the knitting yarn 11Y to the needle gap 1G. The knitting yarn 11Y supplied to the needle gap 1G is hooked on the knitting needle 19 and drawn into the front needle bed 1F or the rear needle bed 1B to form a stitch.

[0029] The yarn feeder 11 is configured to be movable in the X direction. The yarn feeder 11 may be self-propelled or may be carried by a carriage (not shown). The carriage is a member that reciprocates over the front needle bed 1F and the rear needle bed 1B in the X direction. The carriage is equipped with a cam system that causes the knitting needles 19 to perform a knitting operation. The movement of the yarn feeder 11 is controlled by a control unit 15.

[0030] ≪Knitting yarn holding and cutting device≫ As shown in FIG. 2, the knitting yarn holding and cutting device 2 is configured by integrating a pull-down device 3, a holding device 8, and a cutting device 9. FIG. 2 is a view of the knitting yarn holding and cutting device 2 as seen from the right side of the paper surface of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 6 to FIG. 8, the pull-down device 3 is a device that captures the knitting yarn 11Y extending from the last stitch of the knitted fabric knitted on the front needle bed 1F or the rear needle bed 1B to the yarn feeder 11 and pulls it down below the needle gap 1G. The last stitch is the stitch that is lastly held by the knitting needle 19 in the knitted fabric. The holding device 8 is a device that holds and holds the knitting yarn 11Y that is pulled down below the needle gap 1G. The cutting device 9 is a device that cuts off a portion of the knitting yarn 11Y closer to the last stitch than the portion held by the holding device 8. By holding the knitting yarn 11Y by the holding device 8, knitting of another knitted fabric can be started using the knitting yarn 11Y. The operation of the yarn holding and cutting device 2 is controlled by a control unit 15.

[0031] 1 and 2, the pulling-down device 3 includes a moving body 30 that moves along the X direction, and a looper 4 that is supported so as to be vertically movable with respect to the moving body 30. In this example, the holding device 8 and the cutting device 9 are mounted on the moving body 30 and move together with the moving body 30. Unlike this example, the holding device 8 and the cutting device 9 may be configured independent of the pulling-down device 3.

[0032] The moving body 30 includes a base portion 31, a support 32, and a rotating body 33. The base portion 31 is supported from below by a fixed shaft portion 31B and a rotating shaft portion 31S. The base portion 31 moves in the X direction along the fixed shaft portion 31B and the rotating shaft portion 31S. The fixed shaft portion 31B and the rotating shaft portion 31S are rod-shaped bodies extending along the X direction. The fixed shaft portion 31B is fixedly fixed to the inner frame portion 31F. The rotating shaft portion 31S is supported by the inner frame portion 31F so as to be rotatable about its axis. The inner frame portion 31F is fixedly fixed to the frame 10. A motor that rotates the rotating shaft portion 31S is disposed in the inner frame portion 31F. The drive mechanism that moves the base portion 31 includes, for example, a rack fixed to the base portion 31 and a pinion disposed in the frame 10. The pinion is driven, for example, by a motor disposed in the frame 10. The driving mechanism is not particularly limited as long as it is configured to move the moving body 30. For example, the driving mechanism may be configured to include a belt and a pulley.

[0033] The support 32 is fixed to the base portion 31. The support 32 supports the looper 4 so that it can slide up and down. The rotating body 33 is a drive mechanism that moves the looper 4 up and down. As shown in Fig. 2, the support 32 is fixed immovably to a surface of the moving body 30 facing the X direction. Therefore, it can be said that the looper 4 is supported so as to be movable up and down relative to the moving body 30.

[0034] The support body 32 includes a slider groove 32g in which the slider 4S of the looper 4 is disposed, and a guide groove 70 in which the front looper 5 (FIG. 3, etc.) and rear looper 6 of the looper 4 are disposed. The slider groove 32g is formed on a surface of the support body 32 facing the base portion 31. The slider groove 32g extends from the upper end to the lower end of the support body 32. The guide groove 70 is formed on a surface of the support body 32 opposite to the surface on which the slider groove 32g is provided. The guide groove 70 extends from the upper end of the support body 32 to a position midway toward the lower end.

[0035] The support 32 further includes a communication hole 32h that connects the slider groove 32g and the guide groove 70 at a position slightly lower than the support 32, and a slit 32s that connects the slider groove 32g and the guide groove 70 at the upper end of the support 32. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the communication hole 32h has an elongated hole shape extending in the Z direction, i.e., in the vertical direction. The communication hole 32h is a space that allows a connecting shaft 75 of the looper 4, which will be described later, to slide in the vertical direction. The slit 32s is a space that allows a front shank portion 52 (Fig. 3) and a rear shank portion 62 (Fig. 3) of the looper 4, which will be described later, to slide in the vertical direction. As shown in Fig. 2, the opening of the slider groove 32g is covered by the pressing plate 34, and the opening of the guide groove 70 is covered by the pressing plate 35. These presser plates 34, 35 prevent the looper 4 from falling off from the opening of the slider groove 32g and the guide groove 70.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 3, the guide groove 70 of this example in which the looper 4 is disposed includes an upper portion 70U and a lower portion 70L having different widths. The width of the upper portion 70U along the Y direction is wider than the width of the lower portion 70L along the Y direction. The looper 4 of this example disposed in the guide groove 70 includes a slider 4S, a front looper 5, and a rear looper 6. In FIG. 3, the slider 4S is indicated by a two-dot chain line. The slider 4S includes an arm portion 41 that branches off from the slider 4S in the Y direction. The arm portion 41 includes a protrusion 43 that extends in the X direction. The protrusion 43 is pushed upward by a rotating body 33, which will be described later. As a result, the looper 4 moves upward. The configuration of the looper 4 will be described in detail later.

[0037] The rotating body 33 is rotatably attached to the base portion 31. The configuration of the rotating body 33 is the same as that described in Patent Document 1. Here, the configuration of the rotating body 33 will be briefly described. As shown in FIG. 4, the rotating body 33 is fixed to the outer periphery of the rotating shaft portion 31S. The rotating shaft portion 31S is rotated by a motor mounted on the inner frame portion 31F (FIG. 1). Therefore, the rotating body 33 rotates with the rotation of the rotating shaft portion 31S. This rotating body 33 includes a lever 33L and a concave engaging portion 33E. The outer periphery of the lever 33L is formed in an arc shape. When the looper 4 is lowered, the outer periphery of the tip of the lever 33L is in contact with or close to the protrusion 43. When the rotating body 33 rotates counterclockwise, as shown in FIG. 5, the protrusion 43 fits into the engaging portion 33E, and the protrusion 43 is pushed upward. The lever 33L functions as a guide for smoothly guiding the projection 43 to the engagement portion 33E.

[0038] The rotating body 33 has a cam surface 33C. The cam surface 33C is a surface having projections and recesses. The cam surface 33C is for rotating the rotating shaft portion 80 shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Most of the rotating shaft portion 80 is rotatably arranged inside the base portion 31. The lower portion of the rotating shaft portion 80 protrudes from the lower portion of the moving body 30. An arm member 80C is arranged on the protruding portion. The arm member 80C is in contact with the cam surface 33C. The portion of the cam surface 33C that contacts the arm member 80C changes as the rotating body 33 rotates. The arm member 80C is pushed by the cam surface 33C, causing the rotating shaft portion 80 to rotate.

[0039] A movable piece 82 (FIG. 6(B), etc.) of the holding device 8 and a movable blade 92 (FIG. 6(B), etc.) of the cutting device 9, which will be described later, are fixed to the upper end of the rotating shaft portion 80. Therefore, the movable piece 82 and the movable blade 92 rotate due to the rotation of the rotating shaft portion 80. In this example, when the looper 4 descends, the holding device 8 holds the knitting yarn 11Y, and the cutting device 9 cuts the knitting yarn 11Y.

[0040] The configurations of the holding device 8 and the cutting device 9 are the same as those described in Patent Document 1. The holding device 8 includes plate-shaped fixed pieces 81 and 83 and a plate-shaped movable piece 82. The movable piece 82 is disposed between the fixed pieces 81 and 83. When the movable piece 82 rotates, a V-shaped gap is formed between the fixed pieces 81 and 83 and the movable piece 82 when viewed from above. When the movable piece 82 closes with the knitting yarn 11Y disposed in this gap, the knitting yarn 11Y is sandwiched and held between the fixed pieces 81 and 83 and the movable piece 82. The cutting device 9 includes a fixed blade 91 and a movable blade 92. When the movable blade 92 rotates, the knitting yarn 11Y sandwiched between the fixed blade 91 and the movable blade 92 is cut.

[0041] Looper The configuration of the looper 4 of this example will be described mainly with reference to FIG. 3. The looper 4 has at least one hook 40. As already described, the looper 4 of this example has a slider 4S, a front looper 5, and a rear looper 6. The front looper 5 corresponding to the front needle bed 1F is a member configured to easily capture the knitting yarn 11Y extending from the final stitch held on the front needle bed 1F to the yarn feeder 11. The rear looper 6 corresponding to the rear needle bed 1B is a member configured to easily capture the knitting yarn 11Y extending from the final stitch held on the rear needle bed 1B to the yarn feeder 11. The front looper 5 and the rear looper 6 each have hooks 40, 40. The hook 40 of the front looper 5 is called the front hook 50. The hook 40 of the rear looper 6 is called the rear hook 60. Unlike this example, the front looper 5 and the rear looper 6 may be configured to move up and down independently.

[0042] The front looper 5 includes a front base portion 51, a front shank portion 52 fixed to the front base portion 51, and a front hook 50 formed at the tip of the front shank portion 52. The front base portion 51 is a rigid body extending in the Z direction. A protruding portion 59 is formed in a portion of the front base portion 51 facing the inner peripheral surface of the guide groove 70, as shown in FIG. 3. The front shank portion 52 is a thin plate material in the Y direction and is elastically deformable in the Y direction. The middle portion of the front shank portion 52 in this example is hidden by the rear shank portion 62 in FIG. 2 and cannot be seen, but is bent in the X direction like the rear shank portion 62. This bent portion positions the front hook 50 in a position close to the yarn feeder 11. The front shank portion 52 is further bent in the Y direction at an upper position of the bent portion bent in the X direction as shown in FIG. 3.

[0043] The front hook 50 protrudes from the upper end of the front shank portion 52 in the X direction, that is, in the direction approaching the yarn feeder 11. As shown in FIG. 6(A), the front hook 50 viewed from above the needle gap 1G is inclined so that the tip 50p of the front hook 50 approaches the front needle bed 1F. The extension direction of the front hook 50 viewed from above the needle gap 1G, that is, the direction from the front shank portion 52 toward the tip 50p, intersects with the Y direction, which is the width direction of the needle gap 1G. Since the extension direction of the front hook 50 intersects with the width direction of the needle gap 1G, the front hook 50 can easily pass through the needle gap 1G even if the width of the needle gap 1G is narrow. The larger the angle θ1 between the width direction of the needle gap 1G and the extension direction of the front hook 50, the easier it is for the front hook 50 to pass through the needle gap 1G even if the front hook 50 is made large. The angle θ1 is, for example, 30° or more and 90° or less. If the angle θ1 is 30° or more, and further 45° or more, the front hook 50 can easily pass through the gap 1G. As the angle θ1 becomes smaller and the angle of the extension direction of the front hook 50 to the extension direction of the knitting yarn 11Y approaches a right angle when viewed from above the gap 1G, the front hook 50 can easily catch the knitting yarn 11Y. Therefore, it is preferable that the angle θ1 is 80° or less. In this example, the angle θ1 is 75°.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 3, the rear looper 6 is disposed in parallel with the front looper 5 inside the guide groove 70. The rear looper 6 has a configuration symmetrical to the front looper 5 across the central axis of the guide groove 70. Specifically, the rear looper 6 has a rear base portion 61, a rear shank portion 62 fixed to the rear base portion 61, and a rear hook 60 formed at the tip of the rear shank portion 62. As shown in FIG. 3, a protruding portion 69 is formed at a portion of the rear base portion 61 facing the inner peripheral surface of the guide groove 70. The rear shank portion 62 is bent toward the front shank portion 52 and abuts against the front shank portion 52.

[0045] The rear hook 60 protrudes from the upper end of the rear shank 62 in the X direction, i.e., in the direction approaching the yarn feeder 11. As shown in FIG. 6(A), the rear hook 60 viewed from above the needle gap 1G is inclined so that the tip 60p of the rear hook 60 approaches the rear needle bed 1B. The extension direction of the rear hook 60 viewed from above the needle gap 1G, i.e., the direction from the rear shank 62 toward the tip 60p, intersects with the Y direction, which is the width direction of the needle gap 1G. The angle θ2 between the width direction of the needle gap 1G and the extension direction of the rear hook 60 is, for example, 30° or more and 90° or less, or further 45° or more and 80° or less. In this example, the angle θ2 is 75°.

[0046] As shown in Fig. 3, the pulling-down device 3 of this example further includes a displacement mechanism 7. The displacement mechanism 7 displaces the front hook 50 toward the front needle bed 1F above the needle gap 1G, and displaces the rear hook 60 toward the rear needle bed 1B. Although the displacement mechanism 7 is not essential, the displacement mechanism 7 makes it easier for the looper 4 to capture the knitting yarn 11Y. The displacement mechanism 7 of this example includes a connecting shaft 75 and a spring 79. In this example, the guide groove 70, the overhanging portion 59 of the front looper 5, and the overhanging portion 69 of the rear looper 6 also constitute part of the displacement mechanism 7.

[0047] The connecting shaft 75 rotatably connects the lower part of the front looper 5 and the lower part of the rear looper 6 to each other. In this example, the connecting shaft 75 rotatably connects the lower end of the front base part 51 and the lower end of the rear base part 61. The connecting shaft 75 is disposed in the middle part of the slider 4S. The connecting shaft 75 extends in the X direction. Therefore, when the front looper 5 rotates around the connecting shaft 75, the front hook 50 is displaced in a direction approaching the front needle bed 1F or in a direction away from the front needle bed 1F. Similarly, when the rear looper 6 rotates around the connecting shaft 75, the rear looper 6 is displaced in a direction approaching the rear needle bed 1B or in a direction away from the rear needle bed 1B.

[0048] The spring 79 is disposed between the front base portion 51 and the rear base portion 61. The elastic force of the spring 79 presses the front looper 5 and the rear looper 6 in a direction in which the distance between the upper portion of the front looper 5 and the upper portion of the rear looper 6 increases. When the looper 4 is in the lowered state, the overhanging portion 59 of the front looper 5 and the overhanging portion 69 of the rear looper 6 abut against the lower portion 70L of the guide groove 70, and the upper portions of the front looper 5 and the rear looper 6 are in a closed state.

[0049] When the looper 4 rises and the overhanging parts 59, 69 are positioned at the upper part 70U of the guide groove 70, the upper parts of the front looper 5 and the rear looper 6 are open because the width of the upper part 70U in the Y direction is greater than the width of the lower part 70L in the Y direction. When the looper 4 descends, the upper parts of the front looper 5 and the rear looper 6 are closed, and the front shank part 52 of the front looper 5 and the rear shank part 62 of the rear looper 6 are in contact with each other. In this example, the upper and lower parts of the overhanging parts 59, 69 are formed as inclined surfaces, and the part of the upper part 70U of the guide groove 70 that connects to the lower part 70L is also formed as an inclined surface. Therefore, the overhanging parts 59, 69 can move smoothly between the lower part 70L and the upper part 70U of the guide groove 70.

[0050] <Operation of the yarn holding and cutting device> The procedure for capturing, holding, and cutting the knitting yarn 11Y by the knitting yarn holding and cutting device 2 will be described with reference mainly to Figures 6 to 8. Figures 6 to 8 (A) are diagrams showing the positional relationship between the yarn feeder 11 and the looper 4 as viewed from above. Figures 6 to 8 (B) are diagrams showing the positional relationship between the yarn feeder 11 and the looper 4 as viewed from the Y direction. Figures 6 to 8 (A) show the cutting device 9, and Figures 6 to 8 (B) show the holding device 8 and the cutting device 9.

[0051] Fig. 6 shows the positional relationship between the yarn feeder 11 and the looper 4 when the looper 4 shown in Fig. 4 is lowered. In this example, the final stitch is formed on the knitting needle 19 of the rear needle bed 1B, and the knitting yarn 11Y extends from the final stitch toward the yarn feeder 11. At this time, the movable blade 92 of the cutting device 9 is closed. As shown in Fig. 6(A), the front looper 5 and the rear looper 6 are in contact with each other on the center line (dotted chain line) that bisects the width of the needle gap 1G.

[0052] Here, unlike this example, when the looper 4 is in the lowered state, the front looper 5 and the rear looper 6 may be disposed at a position closer to the front needle bed 1F and the rear needle bed 1B, respectively, from the center line. In a configuration in which the front looper 5 and the rear looper 6 are disposed closer to the front needle bed 1F and the rear needle bed 1B, respectively, as viewed from the center line, the displacement mechanism 7 may not be necessary. In this configuration, the front hook 50 and the rear hook 60 can easily catch the knitting yarn 11Y even if the angles θ1 and θ2 are 90°.

[0053] As shown in Fig. 5, when the rotor 33 of the pull-down device 3 rotates counterclockwise and the looper 4 is raised by the rotor 33, the yarn feeder 11 and the looper 4 are in the state shown in Fig. 7. The rotation of the rotor 33, i.e., the motor that rotates the rotating shaft portion 31S, is controlled by the control unit 15 (Fig. 1). When the looper 4 is raised and the overhanging portion 59 of the front looper 5 and the overhanging portion 69 of the rear looper 6 reach the upper portion 70U of the guide groove 70, the gap between the front hook 50 of the front looper 5 and the rear hook 60 of the rear looper 6 increases. When the overhanging portions 59, 69 reach the upper portion 70U, the front hook 50 and the rear hook 60 are located above the needle gap 1G. That is, after the front hook 50 and the rear hook 60 pass through the tooth gap 1G, the distance between the two hooks 50, 60 increases, so that the two hooks 50, 60 do not get caught in the tooth gap 1G.

[0054] In the configuration of this example, the rotation of the rotor 33 rotates the rotating shaft 80 in Figures 1 and 2, and the movable blade 92 of the cutting device 9 also rotates. As a result, the gap between the fixed blade 91 and the movable blade 92 increases. In addition, the movable piece 82 of the holding device 8 also rotates, and the gap between the movable piece 82 and the fixed pieces 81 and 83 increases.

[0055] Further, in this example, as shown in Fig. 8, the pull-down device 3 moves toward the yarn feeder 11. The movement of the pull-down device 3 is performed by the control unit 15 shown in Fig. 1 moving the moving body 30 toward the yarn feeder 11. Specifically, the control unit 15 controls the operation of the moving body 30 so that the moving body 30 moves in a direction approaching the yarn feeder 11. Unlike this example, the control unit 15 may control the operation of the yarn feeder 11 so that the yarn feeder 11 moves in a direction approaching the pull-down device 3.

[0056] As the yarn feeder 11 and the pull-down device 3 approach each other in the X direction, the rear hook 60 and the knitting yarn 11Y cross each other as shown in FIG. 8(A). As the looper 4 descends from this state, the knitting yarn 11Y is reliably hooked by the rear hook 60. When the pull-down device 3 moves toward the yarn feeder 11, the angle of the knitting yarn 11Y extending from the last stitch toward the yarn feeder 11 as viewed from above the needle gap 1G does not change, so the knitting yarn 11Y is easily captured by the rear hook 60. The knitting yarn 11Y hooked on the rear hook 60 is wound around the surface of the rear shank portion 62 facing the rear needle bed 1B, and is difficult to come off from the rear hook 60.

[0057] In FIG. 6, an example in which the knitting yarn 11Y held on the rear needle bed 1B is caught has been described. However, when the knitting yarn 11Y is held on the front needle bed 1F, the knitting yarn 11Y is caught by the front hook 50.

[0058] Here, the operation of bringing the pull-down device 3 and the yarn feeder 11 closer to each other as shown in Fig. 8 is not essential. For example, by making the rear hook 60 larger or bringing the angle of the extension direction of the rear hook 60 with respect to the extension direction of the knitting yarn 11Y as viewed from above the needle gap 1G closer to a right angle, the possibility of the rear hook 60 failing to capture the knitting yarn 11Y can be reduced even if the pull-down device 3 and the yarn feeder 11 are not brought closer to each other.

[0059] <Embodiment 2> In the second embodiment, a displacement mechanism 7 different from that in the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 shows the looper 4 of the second embodiment arranged in the guide groove 70. FIG. 9(A) shows the looper 4 in a lowered state, and FIG. 9(B) shows the looper 4 in a raised state. The looper 4 of this example includes a slider 4S, and a front looper 5 and a rear looper 6 fixed in a cantilevered manner to the upper end of the slider 4S. The front looper 5 is a leaf spring-like member whose upper end is curved toward the front needle bed 1F. The rear looper 6 is a leaf spring-like member whose upper end is curved toward the rear needle bed 1B. In this configuration, when the looper 4 is stored in the guide groove 70, the front looper 5 and the rear looper 6 are elastically deformed so as to approach a straight shape along the inner diameter of the guide groove 70. When the looper 4 rises and the upper part of the looper 4 protrudes from the guide groove 70, the front looper 5 and the rear looper 6 approach the front needle bed 1F and the rear needle bed 1B, respectively. Therefore, the front looper 5 easily catches the knitting yarn 11Y extending from the front needle bed 1F, and the rear looper 6 easily catches the knitting yarn 11Y extending from the rear needle bed 1B. When the looper 4 descends, the front looper 5 and the rear looper 6 are stored in the guide groove 70, and the front looper 5 and the rear looper 6 elastically deform so as to approach a linear shape along the inner diameter of the guide groove 70.

[0060] <Other embodiments> The looper 4 may be composed of only the front looper 5 or the rear looper 6. For example, in a flatbed knitting machine 1 equipped with only the front looper 5, if knitting is controlled so that the final stitch is formed on the front needle bed 1F, the knitting yarn 11Y can be captured even by the front looper 5 alone. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1 Flat knitting machine 1B rear needle bed, 1F front needle bed, 1G needle opening 10 Frames 11 Yarn feeder, 11Y knitting yarn 15 Control section 19 Knitting Needles 2 Yarn holding and cutting device 3 Pulling device 30 Mobile 31 base portion, 31B fixed shaft portion, 31F inner frame portion, 31S rotating shaft portion 32 support, 32g slider groove, 32h communication hole, 32s slit 33 Rotating Body 33C cam surface, 33E engagement portion, 33L lever 34,35 Presser plate 4. Looper 4S slider, 40 hook, 41 arm, 43 protrusion 5 Front Looper 50 front hook, 50p tip 51 front base portion, 52 front shank portion, 59 extension portion 6 Rear looper 60 rear hook, 60p tip 61 rear base portion, 62 rear shank portion, 69 overhang portion 7 Displacement Mechanism 70 Guide groove, 70L lower part, 70U upper part, 75 connecting shaft, 79 spring 8 Holding device 80 Rotating shaft portion, 80C Arm member 81,83 Fixed piece, 82 Movable piece 9 Cutting device 91 Fixed blade, 92 Movable blade θ1,θ2 angle

Claims

1. A front needle bed; a back needle bed facing the front needle bed; a yarn feeder for supplying a knitting yarn to a needle gap formed between the front needle bed and the rear needle bed; A pull-down device that captures the knitting yarn extending from the yarn feeder to the needle gap and pulls it down below the needle gap. The pull-down device is a movable body configured to be movable along the length direction of the front needle bed and the rear needle bed; a looper supported so as to be movable up and down relative to the movable body, The looper has a hook for hooking the knitting yarn, The extension direction of the hook as viewed from above the tooth gap intersects with the width direction of the tooth gap. Flat knitting machine.

2. The flat knitting machine according to claim 1 , wherein an angle between the stretching direction and the width direction is equal to or greater than 30° and equal to or less than 90°.

3. The flat knitting machine according to claim 1 , wherein an angle between the stretching direction and the width direction is equal to or greater than 45° and equal to or less than 80°.

4. The flat knitting machine according to claim 1 , further comprising a control unit that controls movement of at least one of the moving body and the yarn feeder so that the moving body and the yarn feeder approach each other during or after the looper is raised.

5. The flat knitting machine according to claim 4 , wherein the control unit controls the moving body to move in a direction approaching the yarn feeder.

6. the looper includes a front looper corresponding to the front needle bed and a rear looper corresponding to the rear needle bed, The hooks include a front hook formed on the front looper and a rear hook formed on the rear looper, the front hook, as viewed from above the needle gap, is inclined so that a tip of the front hook approaches the front needle bed, The flat knitting machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the rear hook, as viewed from above the needle gap, is inclined so that a tip of the rear hook approaches the rear needle bed.

7. The flat knitting machine according to claim 6, further comprising a displacement mechanism for displacing the front hook toward the front needle bed and displacing the rear hook toward the rear needle bed above the needle gap.

8. The displacement mechanism includes: a guide groove in which the front looper and the rear looper are arranged in an overlapping state; a connecting shaft that rotatably connects a lower portion of the front looper and a lower portion of the rear looper to each other; The flat knitting machine according to claim 7 , further comprising: a spring disposed between the front looper and the rear looper.

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