Double-Sided Fabric Thickness via Stacked Cord Segmentation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current flat bed knitting machines are limited in embedding continuous cord materials longer than 1 inch due to inclined angles, resulting in unsatisfactory fabric production, and existing technologies do not allow for customizable thickness and pattern changes in double-sided fabrics.

Innovation Solution

A double-sided fabric is knitted using a flat bed knitting machine with a loop presser bed that guides and feeds a continuous cord material between front and back needle beds, allowing it to be stacked and folded to form a desired thickness, enabling relief embossed patterns and customizable thicknesses.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Length of moving object

If continuous cord material longer than 1 inch is fed at an inclined angle by a yarn feeder, then the knitting process can proceed, but the continuous cord material cannot be reliably knitted and fabric quality becomes unsatisfactory

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelength of continuous cord materialVSAvoidreliability of knitting continuous cord material
Core Design Contradiction:
Length of moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The continuous cord material is divided into multiple segments, each not exceeding 1 inch in length. The yarn feeder feeds these segmented cords sequentially, and the knitting needle knits each segment reliably. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by maintaining reliable knitting (each segment ≤1 inch) while still achieving long continuous cord effects through accumulation of multiple segments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A storage container is introduced as an intermediary between the yarn feeder and the knitting needle. The storage container holds multiple continuous cord materials and feeds them one by one to the knitting needle in a horizontal direction, ensuring each cord is fed at the correct orientation and length for reliable knitting.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If traditional knitting methods are used to embed continuous cord material, then the fabric can be produced, but the thickness and pattern changes cannot be customized

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecustomizability of thickness and patternsVSAvoidease of embedding continuous cord material
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The system allows dynamic control of the knitting process parameters including needle selection, yarn feeding rate, and cord stacking height. This enables customization of fabric thickness and patterns while maintaining ease of manufacture through programmable control of the knitting machine operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes key parameters such as the length of continuous cord material (segmented to ≤1 inch), the feeding direction (horizontal from storage container), and the stacking method (multiple layers formed by repeated knitting cycles). These parameter changes enable customizable thickness and patterns while ensuring reliable manufacturing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Volume of moving object

If multiple filler materials are added to achieve desired thickness, then the fabric thickness can be increased, but the production time and manpower costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvethickness of fabricVSAvoidproduction time for adding filler materials
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The continuous cord material is integrated directly into the knitting process rather than being added as a separate filler step. Multiple cords are stacked and knitted together in sequence during the normal knitting operation, achieving desired fabric thickness without requiring additional post-processing steps for adding filler materials, thus reducing production time and manpower costs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP3263755B1Double-sided fabric comprising a stitched sack having an interlayer stacked with continuous cord material to from an area of high thickness
Publication Date: 2021.08.04 AKNIT INT LTD
  • EP3263755B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3263755B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3263755B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A double-sided fabric stacked with a continuous cord material (100) and forming a thickness in a stitched sack comprising an interlayer (200) is stitched from a face yarn (20) by a flat knitting machine including a front needle bed, a back needle bed and a loop presser bed. The front needle bed includes a plurality of front knitting needles (A to E). The back needle bed includes a plurality of back knitting needles (a to f). The loop presser bed is disposed above the front or back needle bed, and includes right-directed and left-directed stitching pressing pieces (aA, bB, cC, dD and eE and Ef, De, Cd, Bc and Ab). The double-sided fabric further includes at least one stitched sack comprising an interlayer (200) including loops stitched from the face yarn (20) by the front and back knitting needles. The stitched sack comprising an interlayer (200) includes therein at least one continuous cord material (100), which is pressed into the stitched sack comprising an interlayer (200) by the right-directed and left-directed stitching pressing pieces to become folded and stacked to form a thickness.