Flat Knitting Machine Plating Yarn Inversion Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flatbed knitting machines face inefficiencies in switching between ordinary and inverse plating stitches, leading to unclear pattern boundaries, excessive tensile force on yarns, and potential instability in stitch quality due to the need for multiple routes and sinker operations.
Innovation Solution
A method that allows switching between ordinary and inverse plating stitches using a single route for the knitting needle, employing an operating member with a movable part that inverts the vertical positions of main and plating yarns within the needle bed gap, enabling the plating yarn to be on the front side during inverse plating without altering the yarn feeding order.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the running order of yarn feeding ports is changed during knitting to switch between ordinary and inverse plating, then the plating yarn and main yarn can be inverted, but the pattern boundary becomes unclear and knitting efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The movable sinker is positioned in advance to prepare for yarn inversion before the knitting needle reaches the inversion point. By pre-positioning the sinker to swing and exchange yarn positions before the needle pulls the yarn, the system ensures clean pattern boundaries without requiring mid-stitch changes in yarn feeding order.
Solution Approach 2:
The sinker is designed as a movable component that can dynamically swing between different positions to control yarn exchange. This dynamic movement allows the sinker to automatically switch between ordinary plating mode (no swing) and inverse plating mode (swing to exchange yarns), enabling versatile pattern switching while maintaining precise control over pattern boundaries.
2Manufacturing precision
If knitting is stopped at pattern boundaries to change yarn feeding order, then clear pattern boundaries are achieved, but knitting efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The movable sinker performs yarn exchange in advance during the knitting process without stopping. By pre-positioning and swinging the sinker to exchange yarns before the knitting needle completes its stroke, the system achieves clear pattern boundaries while maintaining continuous knitting operation and high productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The knitting process continues without interruption while the movable sinker performs yarn exchange operations. The sinker's swinging motion is synchronized with the knitting needle movement, allowing yarn inversion to occur during the knitting cycle rather than requiring separate stopping and repositioning operations, thus maintaining continuous productive action.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a swing-type movable sinker is used to invert yarns, then switching between ordinary and inverse plating is enabled, but excessive tensile force may break the yarn and stitch stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The movable sinker completes the yarn exchange operation before the knitting needle begins its pull-in stroke. By pre-positioning the yarns in the correct vertical order through sinker swinging, the needle pulls the yarns smoothly without encountering excessive tensile force or resistance, thereby preventing yarn breakage and ensuring stitch stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The yarn inversion function is separated from the knitting needle operation and assigned to the movable sinker. This segmentation allows the sinker to handle the complex yarn exchange maneuver independently before the needle performs its simple pull-in action, reducing the mechanical stress on the yarn during inversion and improving overall system reliability.
4Adaptability or versatility
If two routes are prepared for pull-in stitching operation to switch between ordinary and inverse plating, then switching is enabled, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The movable sinker serves multiple functions: it acts as a standard sinker during ordinary plating and transforms into a yarn exchange mechanism during inverse plating. This single component handles both plating modes without requiring separate dedicated mechanisms, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of providing two separate static routes for ordinary and inverse plating, the system uses a single dynamic route where the sinker's position and motion are adjusted based on the required plating mode. The sinker swings to different positions to create the necessary yarn exchange condition, eliminating the need for complex dual-route cam systems.
Data Source
Figure 1(a)~1(d)
Figure 2(a)~2(b)
Figure 3(c)~3(d)
AI summary
There is provided a method of knitting for plating stitch by a flatbed knitting machine in which there is no need to change the running order of two yarn feeding ports, only a single route of pull-in by the knitting needle is sufficient, and a main yarn and a plating yarn can be inverted even during mid-course of one knitting course. In ordinary plating shown in (a) and (c), a main yarn 11 and a plating yarn 12 are respectively fed from preceding and following yarn feeding ports 1a, 2a. The main yarn 11 and the plating yarn 12 are fed to a hook 3a of the same knitting needle 3 while being kept at vertical positions. When a fabric is knitted, the main yarn 11 on the lower side of the plating yarn 12 appears on the front surface, and the plating yarn 12 is hidden on the back surface. In the inverse plating, as shown in (b) and (d), an operating member 5 provided with in correspondence with each knitting needle 3 is operated such that an operating part formed near a leading end moves forward and backward above a needle bed gap 4, whereby the vertical positions of the main yarn 11 and the plating yarn 12 to be pulled in by the hook 3a of the knitting needle 3 are inverted.