Knitting Needle With Longitudinal Slit And Strip Guide

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Solution Overview

Problem

The manufacturing of wedge-shaped strips for knitting tool needle beds is complex, especially when different pitches are required, increasing the complexity of knitting tool bed production.

Innovation Solution

The design features a knitting tool with a longitudinal groove for a bearing element, allowing minimal play and precise guidance, enabling close arrangement of needles with a support section and stitch-forming section of varying widths, and using parallel-flanked strips in needle beds, eliminating the need for wedge-shaped strips.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If wedge-shaped strips are used to ensure parallel needle channel walls, then the guidance precision is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveparallel needle channel wallsVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity of strips

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of making the strips wedge-shaped to achieve parallel walls, the invention inverts the approach by making the needle body wedge-shaped. The needle body has a wider support section that accommodates the bearing element and a narrower stitch-forming section, allowing parallel needle channel walls with simple rectangular strips while maintaining precise guidance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The needle body is designed with different widths in different sections: the support section has a greater width to accommodate the bearing element and provide stable support, while the stitch-forming section has a smaller width for knitting operations. This local variation in dimensions achieves precise guidance without complex strip manufacturing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Adaptability or versatility

If different pitch strips are manufactured for different dial or cylinder diameters, then the adaptability is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepitch adaptation to different diametersVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity of strips

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The needle body design with varying width along its length makes it universally adaptable to different dial or cylinder diameters. The wedge-shaped needle body (wider at support section, narrower at stitch-forming section) can accommodate different pitch requirements without requiring different strip configurations, simplifying manufacturing while maintaining versatility

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Productivity

If needles are arranged closely to reduce needle division, then the productivity is improved, but the guidance precision becomes more difficult to maintain

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveneedle arrangement densityVSAvoidneedle guidance precision

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The invention transitions from guiding needles only in the lateral direction to providing guidance in multiple dimensions. The bearing element with parallel flanks guides the needle laterally, while the wedge-shaped needle body geometry (varying width along length) provides guidance in the longitudinal direction, enabling close needle arrangement while maintaining precision

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS7762106B2Internally guided needle

Publication Date: 2010.07.27 GROZ BECKERT KG

AI summary

For longitudinal shifting, a needle in accordance with the invention is provided with a longitudinal slit 14 that is disposed to accommodate a bearing element (19), for example, having the form of a strip (20). Whereas known needles are set in a guide channel and thus are held or guided between two guide flanks, the needle in accordance with the invention extends around a strip (20) and is guided on said strip. Thus, the needle is guided on two surfaces of the guide element (19) and the strip (20), respectively, said surfaces facing away from each other. The support section (4) and the bearing element (19) form a highly precise positioning or guide device.