Fixed Sinker Sloping Thickness Reduces Knitting Collision
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Solution Overview
Problem
In flatbed knitting machines, the collision between the knitting member and the fixed sinker is a concern due to the narrow spacing between knitting needles and the positional shift of needle beds, which can lead to deformation or damage, especially when finer pitches and thinner yarns are used.
Innovation Solution
A fixed sinker with a plate-like body having a sloping thickness on its side surfaces, where the thickness increases from the upper start end to the lower terminal end, is designed to reduce the likelihood of collision by allowing the knitting member to move downward along the slope, and supporting projections are provided to prevent lateral bending.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the fixed sinker is made thinner to reduce collision risk, then the collision likelihood between knitting member and sinker is reduced, but the sinker becomes more prone to bending and thinner yarns may get caught and cut
Solution Approach 1:
The sinker body is designed with non-uniform thickness, being thinnest at the upper start end where collision risk is highest, and progressively thicker toward the lower terminal end where structural strength is needed. This local variation in thickness allows the sinker to be thin where it matters for collision avoidance while maintaining sufficient strength where needed
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of uniformly reducing thickness in one dimension, the invention introduces a gradient thickness variation along the vertical dimension of the sinker body. This dimensional approach allows simultaneous optimization of collision resistance (at the top) and structural integrity (at the bottom)
2Manufacturing precision
If knitting needles are arranged with finer pitch to achieve fine stitches, then the stitch fineness is improved, but the spacing between fixed sinker and knitting needle becomes narrower increasing collision risk
Solution Approach 1:
The sinker body thickness is locally optimized at different positions: the upper start end is made thinner to accommodate the reduced spacing caused by finer needle pitch, while maintaining sufficient thickness at the lower terminal end for structural integrity and stitch determination functionality
3Ease of operation
If the fixed sinker is made thinner to allow easier yarn passage, then the yarn passage is improved, but the sinker becomes more prone to bending and damage
Solution Approach 1:
The sinker body is designed with varying thickness where the upper start end is thinner to facilitate yarn passage, while the lower terminal end maintains sufficient thickness to provide the structural strength needed to prevent bending and damage during operation
Data Source
Figure 1(a)~1(b)
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
It is an object of the present invention to provide a fixed sinker and a flatbed knitting machine capable of making a collision between a fixed sinker and a knitting member less likely to occur. A fixed sinker 1 includes a plate-like sinker body 2 that has a function of forming a sinker loop. At least one side surface 2a of the sinker body 2 has a slope of thickness such that the thickness increases along a transition direction from an upper start end 2f to a lower terminal end 2g. The other side surface 2b of the sinker body 2 has also a similar slope. With the slopes of thickness increase on the both side surfaces 2a, 2b, the sinker body 2 has a tapered shape as shown in a front view of (a). Since the sinker body 2 is thin at the upper start end 2f, even when a knitting member such as a loop presser enters from above opposing needle bed, it is possible to make a collision less likely to occur.