Compound Needle Parallel Arrangement for Flat Knitting Machine Miniaturization
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing flat knitting machines equipped with compound needles are large and heavy due to the lengthy compound needles, which hinder miniaturization and weight reduction efforts.
Innovation Solution
The compound needle design is modified by arranging the arm-slidably-contacting surface and needle jack engagement portion in parallel within the thickness direction of the needle groove, shortening the overall length of the needle main body and allowing the needle jack to engage closer to the hook, thereby reducing the entire length of the compound needle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the needle jack engagement portion is positioned far from the hook to ensure sufficient slide length for the slider, then the slider can adequately open and close the hook, but the entire length of the compound needle becomes excessively long
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions the arrangement from a longitudinal sequence (hook --- arm-slidably-contacting surface --- needle jack engagement portion) to a parallel configuration where the arm-slidably-contacting surface and needle jack engagement portion are positioned side-by-side in the thickness direction of the needle groove. This dimensional change allows the slider to maintain sufficient slide length for reliable hook operation while the needle jack engagement portion is positioned closer to the hook, thereby shortening the overall compound needle length.
2Weight of stationary object
If the compound needle length is reduced to miniaturize the flat knitting machine, then the machine size and weight decrease, but the slider may lack sufficient slide length to reliably open and close the hook
Solution Approach 1:
By arranging the arm-slidably-contacting surface and needle jack engagement portion in parallel in the thickness direction rather than sequentially along the length, the patent enables the needle groove to be shortened while maintaining adequate slide length for the slider. This allows the flat knitting machine to be miniaturized and reduced in weight without compromising the reliability of hook operation.
3Loss of substance
If the needle main body is shortened to reduce material usage and machine size, then resource consumption decreases, but the structural integrity and functional performance may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The parallel arrangement of the arm-slidably-contacting surface and needle jack engagement portion in the thickness direction allows the needle main body to be shortened in length, reducing material usage. The functional performance is maintained because the slider still has sufficient slide length to reliably open and close the hook, and the needle jack can still engage and advance/withdraw the needle main body effectively.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2(A)~2(C)
Figure 3
AI summary
To provide a compound needle in which the entire length is shortened. A compound needle 100 includes a needle main body 1, a slider 2, and a needle jack 3. The needle main body 1 includes a needle jack engagement portion 12 that is formed locally thin, and an arm-slidably-contacting surface 13 having a width in parallel to the needle jack engagement portion 12 in a thickness direction of the needle main body 1. The slider 2 includes a slider plate 21 arranged in a slider base body 20, and a thin slider arm 23 that slidably contacts the arm-slidably-contacting surface 13 of the needle main body 1. The needle jack 3 includes a distal end engagement portion 32, which is formed in a distal end region 3R formed to a thickness smaller than or equal to a thickness of the needle jack engagement portion 12 and engages the needle jack engagement portion 12.