Knitting Machine Selector Mechanism for High-Gauge Stitching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional weft knitting machines face challenges in increasing gauge without significantly increasing the number of components in the needle selection mechanism, making it difficult to produce fine-stitched knitted products, especially elastic portions like those in gloves, due to the complexity and cost associated with a large number of needles.
Innovation Solution
A weft knitting machine design where multiple knitting needles with protruding butts are operated simultaneously by a selector, allowing them to slide along cam grooves, enabling independent operation and reducing the number of components in the needle selection mechanism, while also facilitating inlaid knitting by using different height butts and cam grooves to control the knitting process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the number of knitting needles is increased to achieve higher gauge and finer stitches, then the manufacturing precision and product quality are improved, but the number of components in the needle selection mechanism increases, leading to increased device complexity and manufacturing cost
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple knitting needles (specifically two adjacent needles) are controlled by a single selector component. The selector simultaneously moves both needles to the protruding side, allowing them to be operated together as a unit. This merging of control functions reduces the total number of selectors needed in the needle selection mechanism, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining the ability to knit fine-stitched high-gauge products
2Device complexity
If hooks in one needle groove operate integrally to reduce the number of selectors, then device complexity is reduced, but the ability to perform inlaid knitting and elastic portion knitting is lost
Solution Approach 1:
Different heights of butts are provided on knitting needles to create local differentiation. By varying the butt height, the system can selectively control which needles participate in specific knitting operations. This allows integral operation of multiple needles through a single selector while maintaining the ability to perform different knitting methods (including inlaid knitting and elastic portion knitting) by selectively engaging needles with appropriate butt heights
Solution Approach 2:
The height of the butt on knitting needles is changed as a key parameter to enable different knitting functions. By providing butts of different heights, the system can selectively engage needles for specific knitting operations such as inlaid knitting or elastic portion knitting, even when multiple needles are controlled by a single selector. This parameter variation maintains knitting method versatility while reducing mechanism complexity
3Device complexity
If a single jack controls multiple hooks to reduce component numbers, then device complexity is reduced, but individual needle operation capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
Different heights of butts are provided on knitting needles to create local differentiation. By varying the butt height, the system can selectively control which needles participate in specific knitting operations. This allows integral operation of multiple needles through a single selector while maintaining the ability to perform different knitting methods (including inlaid knitting and elastic portion knitting) by selectively engaging needles with appropriate butt heights
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static one-to-one needle-selector correspondence to a dynamic many-to-one relationship where a single selector can control multiple needles with different butt heights. This dynamic configuration allows the same selector to adaptively control different sets of needles for different knitting operations, maintaining individual needle operation capability while reducing overall component numbers
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design allows for the efficient production of high-gauge, fine-stitched knitted products with reduced component complexity, enabling cost-effective manufacturing of gloves with elastic portions through inlaid knitting.
Implementation Method 1
a carriage having a cam groove along which the butt of the knitting needle moved by the selector to the side where the butt is protrudingly provided can slide
Data Source
AI summary
A knitting machine that is capable of: knitting a knitted product of high gauge while effectively preventing increase in the number of components in a needle selection mechanism, and performing knitting methods such as inlaid knitting easily and reliably. The knitting machine comprises a plurality of knitting needles each of which have a protrudingly provided butt and which are arranged substantially parallel to each other so as to be able to perform a knitting operation independently, a plurality of selectors that move the knitting needles toward a protruding side of the butt, and a carriage having a cam groove along which the butt of the knitting needle, which has been moved by the selector to the side where the butt is protrudingly provided, can slide, in which the selector moves at least two adjacent knitting needles simultaneously to the side where the butt is protrudingly provided.