JP2009127140A - Automatic flat knitting machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve an automatic flat knitting machine capable of carrying out multi-stage knitting in one transfer stroke of a carriage, and having high productivity with reduced power consumption in knitting a knitted fabric. <P>SOLUTION: The automatic flat knitting machine includes a first and a second needle beds which are tilted and arranged, a plurality of knitting needles arranged along the tilted surfaces of the first and the second needle beds so that advance and retreat motion is carried out in a vertical direction, a plurality of actuators operably connected to each knitting needle in one-to-one correspondence for driving the corresponding knitting needle, a yarn guide device provided so as to be reciprocative in the longitudinal direction of the needle beds for feeding a yarn to each knitting needle, and a controller for optionally selecting and driving each actuator synchronously with the reciprocation of the yarn guide device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic flat knitting machine provided with an actuator corresponding to a knitting needle on a one-to-one basis.

In conventional automatic flat knitting machines, a carriage having a plurality of cams is reciprocated along a needle bed by a driving device, and the knitting needles are sequentially moved up and down (advanced and retracted) by the cams to knit a flat knitted fabric. It was. However, in a conventional automatic flat knitting machine using a carriage, since the carriage is heavy, a motor having a large capacity and high power consumption must be used as a motor used for driving the reciprocating motion. Due to the large inertial force, it was difficult to increase the speed and there was a problem that the productivity was low. In addition, since the knitting needle is driven by a cam in the carriage, the life of the knitting needle is short due to engagement and sliding with the cam, and adjustment of the cam is necessary for adjusting the stitch, resulting in maintenance management costs. There was a problem that it was expensive and economic efficiency was poor. In order to solve such problems, Patent Document 1 proposes a carriageless automatic flat knitting machine including an actuator that is individually connected to one knitting needle and individually driven to each knitting needle. ing.
Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 1-1855

  However, in the automatic flat knitting machine described in the above-mentioned patent document, a large number of knitting needles are arranged in parallel in one plane, and a yarn supply device that supplies yarn along each knitting needle also reciprocates in the left-right direction along the guide member. Since it was comprised so that it might move linearly, there existed a problem that an apparatus became large.

  In addition, there is a problem that the number of yarn supply devices is limited to 2 to 3.

  An object of the present invention is to solve such a conventional problem, and to provide an automatic flat knitting machine with low power consumption, high productivity, good economic efficiency, and which can be miniaturized.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic knitting machine that can be installed with a large number of moving yarn feeding devices while being small.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides two needle beds that are inclined symmetrically in the front-rear direction, a plurality of knitting needles are arranged on these needle beds so as to be movable up and down along the inclined surface, and a plurality of yarn ends are arranged. In addition, each of the knitting needles is provided with a plurality of one-to-one corresponding actuators, and the knitting needles are independently driven and controlled one by one. The yarn is moved along a nearby movement path, and the yarn is supplied from each yarn mouth to each knitting needle in synchronization with the driving of the knitting needle. As a result, the stitches can be knitted by the number of stages corresponding to the number of yarn ends per one movement stroke of the yarn guiding device, and high-speed knitting can be performed, so that the productivity can be further improved. In addition, since a cam for driving the knitting needle and a heavy carriage are not used, an automatic flat knitting machine with low power consumption, high productivity, and high economic efficiency can be realized.

  The present invention also includes position detection means for reciprocating in synchronization with the yarn guidance device to detect the movement position of the yarn guidance device, and the control device includes a plurality of actuators based on detection results from the position detection means. It was made to work independently. As a result, the yarn supply and the knitting needle drive control can be accurately performed.

  In the automatic flat knitting machine according to the present invention, the yarn guide is guided by a shooter installed on a travel route formed on the rail, and a plurality of rails and travel routes are provided, and a plurality of yarn guides are set on each travel route. They were moved side by side in a single row with a pitch interval of 2 and more than two shooters were installed on each travel route, and the clues were guided by each shooter. As a result, the number of yarn outlets corresponding to the number of additional shooters can be moved in a single row at a predetermined pitch interval, so the number of knitting stages of the knitted fabric can be doubled and productivity can be dramatically improved. be able to.

  In the present invention, when two or more shooters are installed in each travel route, the control device sets the knitting needle operation area of the needle bed in the yarn end stop area at the end of the needle bed rather than the pitch interval of the moving needle hole. The movement of the yarn mouth is controlled so that the pitch interval of the stopped yarn mouth becomes small. Thereby, the stop area | region of a thread | yarn mouth can be gathered compactly by increase in a shooter, and it can implement | achieve compactness of an apparatus.

In the present invention, a yarn path opening / closing device is provided above the yarn guiding device, and a flexible tension member is provided on the yarn guiding device corresponding to each yarn mouth so that the yarn is viewed from the yarn supply side. After passing through the road opening and closing device, it is configured to supply to the yarn port through the tension member. After the yarn port passes through the knitting needle operating area of the needle bed, the yarn is locked by the yarn path opening and closing device before reaching the stop position, and the subsequent yarn The tensile force generated in the tension member is absorbed by elastic deformation of the tension member. As a result, the thread that has moved to the stop position is not loosened and the thread can be prevented from becoming entangled.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a plurality of knitting needles are provided with one-to-one corresponding actuators so that the knitting needles can be independently driven one by one, and a plurality of yarn guiding devices are synchronized with the driving of the knitting needles. Yarn was simultaneously supplied to each knitting needle. As a result, the stitches can be knitted by the number of stages corresponding to the number of yarn ends per one movement stroke of the yarn guiding device, and high-speed knitting can be performed, so that the productivity can be further improved. Further, since the cam for driving the knitting needle is not used, the carriage can be lightened, the carriage can be moved at a high speed, and the number of yarn ends can be increased. Therefore, an automatic flat knitting machine with low power consumption and good economic efficiency can be realized.

(Embodiment 1)
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing the overall configuration of the automatic flat knitting machine in the present embodiment. In this figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a frame which supports various members and the entire apparatus as a base structure. The frame 1 includes a first needle bed 2 that has a planar structure and is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to a horizontal plane, and has a planar structure and is substantially symmetrical on the opposite side of the first needle bed 2. Thus, the second needle bed 3 installed at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal plane is attached. In this embodiment, the first needle bed 2 side is the front of the apparatus and the second needle bed 3 side is the apparatus rear surface. As is apparent from FIG. 1, the first needle bed 2 and the second needle bed 3 are close to each other with a slight gap when viewed from the side, and gradually expand toward the bottom. It is arranged symmetrically like an open, sloping roof structure. The first and second needle beds 2 and 3 extend linearly in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. The first and second needle beds 2 and 3 are provided with a plurality of needle grooves extending in the inclined direction in parallel with each other in the longitudinal direction at predetermined intervals. The knitting needles 4 are arranged so as to be movable back and forth in the vertical direction along a few inclined surfaces. A plurality of knitting needles 4 are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the needle beds 2 and 3.

A plurality of stepping motors 5 as actuators (that is, knitting needle operating mechanisms) are arranged on the surfaces of the needle beds 2 and 3. The stepping motor 5 is provided for each knitting needle 4 in a one-to-one correspondence, and the output portion of the stepping motor 5 is operatively connected to the base end protrusion of the corresponding knitting needle 4 so that the knitting needle 5 moves forward and backward along the needle groove. It comes to drive.
A drive motor 14 for driving various members for supplying yarn is installed at the bottom of the frame 1. A belt / pulley mechanism is connected to the drive motor 14, and the power of the drive motor 14 is decelerated to a support rod 43 disposed near the ceiling of the automatic flat knitting machine by connecting the belt / pulley mechanism in several stages. To communicate. A yarn package 6 is placed on the table behind the ceiling portion of the automatic flat knitting machine. The yarn 7 drawn out from the yarn package 6 is guided to the yarn mouth 9 through the yarn guiding device 8 constituted by a link mechanism, a lever, a tension spring and the like. A plurality of yarn holes 9 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. In this embodiment, the number of yarn ports 9 is described as eight, but it may be eight or less, or may be eight or more.

  The yarn guiding device 8 is supported by the beam portion 1a of the frame 1 and extended in the longitudinal direction at a position away from the first and second needle beds 2 and 3 by a predetermined distance. A carriage 11 that moves in the longitudinal direction along the rail 10, a yarn mouth switching device 12 provided on the carriage 11, and a yarn guide tube that is supported by the carriage 11 and supplies yarn from the carriage 11 to the knitting operation position of the knitting machine. 13. The beam portions 1a are provided in pairs at positions corresponding to both ends of the needle beds 2 and 3 in the longitudinal direction. Further, the plurality of rails 10 are attached to the paired beam portions 1a with a certain interval between the rails (that is, in the width direction). In this embodiment, six rails 10 are provided (see FIG. 1), but this number is sufficient to convey eight yarn ports 9. A yarn mouth 9 is provided at the tip of the yarn guide tube 13. The carriage 11 is provided with a plurality of rollers 11a corresponding to the respective rails 10, and supports the carriage 11 and thus the entire yarn guiding device 8 so as to be able to reciprocate in the longitudinal direction of the first and second needle beds 2 and 3. ing. The configuration of the yarn guiding device 8 will be described in detail later.

  Next, a drive mechanism for reciprocating the yarn guiding device 8 will be described. In FIG. 1, a drive motor 14 is attached to the lower part of the frame 1. Above the drive motor 14, a first pulley 15, a second pulley 16, a third pulley 17, a fourth pulley 18, and a fifth pulley 19 are located at the uppermost position from the lower position. These are arranged at a predetermined interval up to almost the same height as the carriage 11. The first pulley 15 and the second pulley 16 are attached to a first support shaft 20 attached to the frame 1 so as to be integrally rotatable. Further, the third pulley 17 and the fourth pulley 18 are attached to a second support shaft 21 attached to the frame 1 so as to be integrally rotatable. The fifth pulley 19 is attached to a third support shaft 22 attached to the frame 1 so as to be rotatable integrally with the third support shaft 22. The first pulley 15 is connected to the output shaft of the drive motor 14 via the first belt 23. The second pulley 16 is connected to the third pulley 17 via the second belt 24. The fourth pulley 18 is connected to the fifth belt 19 via the third belt 25. The diameter of the first pulley 15 (driven side) is set larger than the diameter of the output shaft (driving side) of the drive motor 14, and the diameter of the third pulley 17 (driven side) is set to the second pulley 16. It is set larger than the diameter of the (drive side). As described above, since the drive motor 14 to the fifth pulley 19 are operatively connected by the pulley / belt mechanism while setting the diameter of the driven side larger than the diameter of the drive side, the rotation of the drive motor 14 is reduced. However, the driving force can be transmitted to the fifth pulley 19.

  Further, at a position adjacent to the fifth pulley 19, a conveying device 26 that reciprocates the yarn guiding device 8 in the longitudinal direction is disposed. As an example of the transport device, a chain drive mechanism that is attached to the frame 1 and makes a circular motion in the longitudinal direction is used. The chain drive mechanism serves as a drive unit for the yarn guiding device 8. A first sprocket (gear) and a second sprocket respectively provided at positions corresponding to both ends in the longitudinal direction of the first and second needle beds 2 and 3 of the chain drive mechanism, and the first and second sprockets. The chain consists of a chain spanned over a sprocket and an engagement pin attached to the chain and revolving around the chain. This chain drive mechanism is modeled and shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, 37 is a first sprocket, 38 is a second sprocket, 39 is a chain, and 40 is an engaging pin. Of the first and second sprockets, the first sprocket is a drive-side sprocket. The third support shaft 22 described above is fixedly coupled to the center of the first sprocket 37 to form a central shaft. Therefore, the rotational output of the drive motor 14 is finally transmitted to the first sprocket while being decelerated on the way, and becomes a power source of the transport device 26 including the chain drive mechanism. A cam member 41 having a plate structure as a whole is connected to the engaging pin 40 attached to the chain 39. A cam groove 42 is formed in the cam member 41, and the engagement pin 40 is operatively connected to the cam member by loosely fitting into the cam groove 42. Therefore, when the chain drive mechanism is activated, the engaging pin 40 moves around together with the chain 39. However, the engaging pin 40 also moves along the cam groove 42 (particularly, reaches the end of the turning track, and the first And when moving along the outer circumference of the second sprocket 37, 38). Therefore, the cam member 41 reciprocates in the left-right direction in FIG. A support rod 43 for hanging and supporting the entire yarn guiding device 8 is attached to the cam member 41 via a joint member 44. With the above configuration, the conveying device 26 including the chain driving mechanism is actuated by driving the drive motor 14, whereby the yarn guiding device 8 reciprocates along the longitudinal direction of the first and second needle beds 2 and 3.

  The support rod 43 extends in both directions of the joint member 44, and a sensor 46 and this are operated in a portion (right side in FIG. 1) and a portion (left side) opposite to the portion that supports the yarn guiding device 8. A light shielding member 45 is attached as a set. For this reason, when the conveyance device 26 comprising a chain drive mechanism is actuated by driving the drive motor 14, the light shielding member 45 also has the longitudinal lengths of the first and second needle beds 2 and 3 together with the yarn guiding device 8 and the yarn mouth 9. Reciprocate along the direction. The sensor 46 and the light shielding member 45 constitute a detection device 50 that detects a position when the yarn guiding device 8 moves in the longitudinal direction. As is apparent from FIG. 1, the detection device 50 is arranged at the rearmost position when viewed from the front side of the automatic flat knitting machine of the present invention. In this embodiment, eight sets of the sensor 46 and the light shielding member 45 are provided as shown in FIG. 1, and this is because the number of the clues 9 is eight as described above. Corresponding to The structural relationship between the sensor 46 and the light shielding member 45 is shown in an enlarged manner in FIG. Furthermore, the attachment positions in the longitudinal direction of the respective light shielding members 45 to the support rods 43 are set in a one-to-one correspondence with the positions of the respective thread heads 9. The sensors 46 are installed on the support base 47 below the light shielding members 45 and are disposed on the respective light shielding members 45 in a vertical relationship. The sensor 46 extends in the rail structure in the longitudinal direction, and has a groove 46a having a U-shaped cross section as shown in FIG. As for each sensor 46, one sensor 46 has a plurality of light detection members, each composed of a light emitting element and a light receiving element, arranged in the longitudinal direction on both side surfaces of the groove 46a. On the other hand, the distal end portion 47a of the light shielding member 45 has a structure that can be inserted into the groove 46a of the sensor 46, and the position is set in a state where the distal end portion 47a is inserted into the groove 46a. When the light shielding member 45 reciprocates along the longitudinal direction of the first and second needle beds 2, 3, on the sensor 46 side, the region between the light emitting element and the light receiving element that matches the position of the light shielding member 45 is provided. Since the light conduction is interrupted, the position of the light shielding member 45 and thus the thread hole 9 is detected by detecting this. Then, since the position of the yarn mouth 9 is detected by the operation of the sensor 46, the knitting needle 4 located at the position corresponding to the yarn mouth 9 is moved forward and backward (ie, knitting operation) accordingly. The sensor detection mechanism may be based on the photoelectric method as described above, or other mechanisms such as an electromagnetic field method, an electric field method, a sound field method, and other methods may be used.

  Here, the support structure of the support rod 43 will be described. The support rod 43 is supported by the conveying device 26 at the joint member 44. However, since the support rod 43 extends in a rod shape on both sides of the joint member 44 and has a balance structure, the support member 43 and the carriage 11 are supported. Supporting the rail 10 on the side alone is not sufficient. Therefore, in FIG. 1, the support base 47 of the detection device 50 is installed at the left side portion of the support rod 43 around the joint member 44, and extends in the longitudinal direction on the support base 47 at the left end portion of the support rod 43. A rail 48 is installed, and a roller 49 that rotates in contact with the rail 48 is attached to the support rod 43. As a result, the rail 48 and the roller 49 support the left side portion of the support rod 43 and also serve to guide the support rod 43 to reciprocate in the longitudinal direction of the first and second needle beds 2 and 3. In addition, about the right side part of the support rod 43, since the several rail 10 is installed in the beam part 1a, the carriage 11 is supported through the roller 11a corresponding to each rail 10 so that a reciprocating motion can be carried out to a longitudinal direction. The support rod 43 is supported substantially horizontally.

  Next, the installation configuration of the stepping motor 5 on the first and second needle beds 2 and 3 will be described. In the present invention, it has already been described that the advancing and retreating movement of the knitting needle 4 during the knitting operation is realized by the actuator (stepping motor 5) without using the cam mechanism. The stepping motor 5 is arranged on the first and second needle beds 2 and 3. Since the arrangement is the same for both the first needle bed 2 and the second needle bed 3, the arrangement of the stepping motors 5 in the first needle bed 2 will be described here. A plurality of knitting needles 4 are arranged on the first needle bed 2 in alignment with intervals of several mm (millimeters: for example, 3 to 5 mm). However, since the planar size (width dimension) of the stepping motor 5 is larger than several mm, a plurality of the stepping motors 5 cannot be aligned side by side like the knitting needles 4. Therefore, the plurality of stepping motors 5 are arranged on the surface of the first needle bed 2 while shifting their positions obliquely.

  3 and 4 are plan views showing an example of an arrangement state of the stepping motor 5. Among these drawings, FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the entire apparatus from above in a state where the first and second needle beds 2 and 3 that are actually inclined are spread in a planar shape. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an arrangement state of the stepping motor 5 for the first needle bed 2 out of the first needle bed 2 and the second needle bed 3. As shown in these drawings, the plurality of stepping motors 5 are arranged on the surface of the first needle bed 2 while shifting their positions in an oblique direction. As shown in FIG. 4, when the left to right direction in the figure is the X direction and the bottom to top direction is the Y direction, the stepping motor 5b and the stepping motor 5b have the knitting needle 4 more than the stepping motor 5a. It is arranged closer to the X direction by one pitch and closer to the Y direction by a predetermined dimension. The predetermined dimension in the Y direction of the stepping motor 5b corresponds to a vertical dimension necessary for the stepping motor 5b and the stepping motor 1a one lower below not to interfere with each other. Under these conditions, the stepping motors 5a, 5b, 5c,. Each of the stepping motors 5a, 5b, 5c,... Is associated with the plurality of knitting needles 4 so as to form one stepping motor for one knitting needle, and is provided in operative association with each other. It is done.

  Here, a linkage structure between one knitting needle and one stepping motor will be described. FIG. 5 is a view showing a linkage structure between one knitting needle 4 and one stepping motor 5. 5A is a view of the knitting needle 4 and the stepping motor 5 viewed from the side of the knitting needle, and FIG. 5B is a view of the knitting needle 4 and the stepping motor 5 viewed from the rear of the knitting needle, that is, FIG. It is the figure rotated 90 degree | times on the plane with respect to (a). The stepping motor 5 has a motor body 51 and an output shaft 52, and the output shaft 52 rotates upon receiving power. A bevel gear 53 is attached to the tip of the output shaft 52 and rotates together with the output shaft 52. Support frames 54 and 55 facing each other are attached to a side wall corresponding to the positional relationship on the opposite side of the motor main body 51 so as to extend below the motor main body 5, and between the lower ends of the support frames 54 and 55. The shaft 56 is constructed. A bevel gear 57 that meshes with the bevel gear 53 is attached to the end of the shaft 56, and a spur gear 58 is attached to the center of the shaft 56. The bevel gear 57 and the spur gear 58 are fixedly attached to the shaft 56, and when the stepping motor 5 is operated, the rotation output is transmitted from the bevel gear 53 to the bevel gear 57, and the spur gear 58 rotates together with the bevel gear 57. In FIG. 5, the lower edge position of the bevel gear 57 and the spur gear 58 should be at the same level, or the lower edge of the bevel gear 57 should be at a higher level. The reason is that a plurality of knitting needles 4 are arranged in the left-right direction as viewed in FIG. 4B, and each moves forward and backward in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of the figure, so that the knitting needle 4 and the bevel gear 57 do not interfere with each other. It is to do.

  Below the spur gear 58, a rack gear 59 having a rectangular parallelepiped structure and placed on a needle groove provided in the needle beds 2 and 3 is arranged in mesh with the spur gear 58. The rack gear 59 has a plurality of teeth 60 formed on the upper surface thereof at the same pitch as the teeth of the spur gear 58, while a recess 61 and an engagement hole 62 are provided on the lower surface. A plurality of recesses 61 are provided along the longitudinal direction of the rack gear 59. The engagement hole 62 only needs to be formed by a predetermined length (depth) from the lower surface of the rack gear 59, and does not need to penetrate the rack gear 59. A bearing ball 63 is accommodated in the recess 61 and is interposed between the rack gear 59 and the needle groove, and supports the rack gear 59 so as to be movable along the needle groove. The engaging hole 62 accommodates the engaging protrusion 64 of the knitting needle 4. With such a configuration, the rack gear 59 moves forward and backward along the needle groove by the rotation of the spur gear 58, and the knitting needle 4 also moves forward and backward together with this. Then, it is possible to perform the knitting operation by performing drive control on all the stepping motors 5 (and hence the knitting needles 4) and simultaneously driving and controlling the yarn guiding device. In the above description, the separate rack gear 59 is used to move the knitting needle 4 forward and backward, but the rack gear portion may be formed integrally with the knitting needle 4. At this time, the main bar portion of the knitting needle 4 is made large. As another aspect, the rack gear can be molded from a resin material so that the rack gear can be engaged with the knitting needle 4 and the knitting needle 4 and the rack gear can be attached to the needle beds 2 and 3 as an integrated body.

  Here, the configuration of the yarn guide device 8 will be described. FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view showing a part of the yarn guiding device 8 surrounded by a two-dot chain line in FIG. In this figure, reference numeral 1a is a beam portion, 8 is a yarn guiding device, 10 is a rail, and 11 is a carriage. The beam portions 1a are provided in pairs at both end positions of the rail 10, and fixedly support the plurality of rails 10. A space (that is, a gap) 65 having a groove structure is provided between the rails of the plurality of rails 10, and the yarn guide pipe 13 moves along the space 65. As is clear from FIGS. 1 and 6, the cross-sectional structure of the rail 10 has a structure similar to that of a thread winding, and ribs 66 are provided on both sides of this cross section. A shooter 67, which is a movable body, is meshed and engaged with the collar portion 66 so as to move along the rail 10. While the shooter 67 is connected to the carriage 11, the yarn guide tube 13 is fixedly supported on the shooter 67, and the yarn guide 9 is provided at the tip of the yarn guide tube 13. In this embodiment, six rails 10 are provided in this embodiment as shown in FIG. 1, but for convenience of explanation, these rails are provided from the right on the first rail 10a, the second rail 10b, the third rail 10c, The fourth rail 10d, the fifth rail 10e, and the sixth rail 10f are used. Among these rails 10a to 10f, the first rail 10a and the sixth rail 10f are used for movably supporting the carriage 11 of the yarn guide device 8. Therefore, track members 68 extending in the longitudinal direction are attached to the first rail 10a and the sixth rail 10f, respectively. On the other hand, a roller 69 that is engaged with the track member 68 to roll is attached to the carriage 11. Thereby, the carriage 11 can move smoothly on the first rail 10a and the sixth rail 10f. The rails 10b, 10c, 10d, and 10e other than the first rail 10a and the sixth rail 10f and the carriage 11 are not directly engaged or coupled, and are connected via a shooter 67. A shooter 67 is engaged with the left hook 66 and the sixth rail of the first rail 10a and the right hook 66 of 10f, and these shooters 67 are engaged with the shooter 67 from the yarn guide tube 13 of the yarn guide device 8 to the yarn mouth 9. A cover member 70 is attached to protect this portion.

  The second rail 10b to the fifth rail 10e are used to support the yarn guide tube 13 so as to be movable. In the above description, in the present embodiment, the number of yarn ports 9 is eight, so eight yarn guide pipes 13 are also provided. For the convenience of explanation, these thread guide pipes 13 are also shown from the right in FIG. 1 from the right: the first thread guide pipe 13a, the second thread guide pipe 13b, the third thread guide pipe 13c, the fourth thread guide pipe 13d, and the fifth thread guide. The thread 13e, the sixth thread guide pipe 13f, the seventh thread guide pipe 13g, and the eighth thread guide pipe 13h, and the thread ports provided at the tips of the respective thread guide pipes 13 also correspond to the first thread ports 9a to 9a. 8 thread 9h. The yarn guide pipes 13a to 13h are sequentially coupled and supported by shooters 67 that start from the right side hook part 66 of the second rail 10b and engage with the left side hook part 66 of the fifth rail 10e (there are 8 places in total). ing. 1, the first yarn guide tube 13a to the eighth yarn guide tube 13h are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction when viewed in FIG. Each yarn guide tube 13a to 13h is bent and formed so as to converge at the work site. Further, regarding the yarn mouths 9a to 9h, the yarn mouths 9a to 9h are spaced apart by a predetermined dimension in the depth direction of FIG. 1, that is, the longitudinal direction of the needle beds 2 and 3, and are arranged in a line. It has become. This is realized by arranging the mounting positions of the shooters 67 to the flange portions 66 of the rails 10b to 10e so as to be shifted from each other in the longitudinal direction. Note that the shooter 67 does not have a drive mechanism by itself, and moves along the rail 10 by receiving a drive force from other drive side members.

  Here, the structure of the shooter 67 will be described. FIG. 7 is a view showing an example of the structure of the shooter 67, FIG. 7A is a front view of the shooter 67, and FIG. 7B is a right side view of FIG. The shooter 67 includes a shooter main body 71, a yarn guide tube mounting portion 72 provided on the front side of the shooter main body 71, and a rail fitting portion 73 provided on the back side of the shooter main body 71. Tapered portions 74 and 75 that gradually descend from the center side to the end portion are formed on the left and right sides of the upper edge portion of the shooter main body 71, and the upper edge portion on the center side from the taper portions 74 and 75 is horizontal. Portions 76 and 77 are formed, and a substantially rectangular recess 78 is formed over a predetermined length including the central portion. The taper portions 74 and 75, the horizontal portions 76 and 77, and the recess portion 78 are provided for operative engagement with a power transmission member (described later) for operating the shooter 67. That is, the shooter 67 receives a driving force on the side wall of the depression 78 when the drive-side power transmission member 79 enters the depression 78 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Moves in the opposite direction. The yarn guide tube 13 is fixedly attached to the yarn guide tube attachment portion 72. The rail fitting portion 73 provided on the back side of the shooter main body 71 is formed in a dovetail structure. As a result, the shooter 67 can be reliably engaged with the flange portion 66 of the rail 10 and can move smoothly along the rail 10.

  Here, the power transmission member 79 will be described. The power transmission member 79 is schematically shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, and basically comprises a rod body mounted on the carriage 11 so as to be movable up and down. A power transmission member 79 is mounted on the carriage 11 at a position above each shooter 67 engaged with the rail 10 (specifically, the second rail 10b to the fifth rail 10e). The power transmission member 79 is coupled between the rod body 80 inserted so as to be movable up and down from the upper edge frame 11a to the lower edge frame 11b of the carriage 11, and the rod body 80 and the lower edge frame 11b. And a spring member 81 that biases downward. Further, at a position adjacent to the power transmission member 79, the carriage 11 is provided with a cam mechanism 82 that is operatively connected to the rod body 80. The rod body 80 and the cam mechanism 82 are not always operatively connected but are operatively connected as necessary. Then, when the rod body 80 and the cam mechanism 82 are operatively connected, the cam mechanism 82 lifts the rod body 80 upward against the action of the spring member 81 and stops in this state to remove the rod body 80 from the shooter 67. Separate. The operation of the cam mechanism 82 is executed when pattern knitting that requires the supply of yarn to be adjusted by the automatic flat knitting machine in the present embodiment, and all (8) yarns are supplied to perform flat knitting. When doing so, the cam mechanism 82 is stopped. Further, the cam mechanism 81 is connected to an appropriate drive member (132 in FIG. 13) different from the power source (drive motor 14) for operating the yarn guiding device 8.

  Next, a knitted fabric fixing or supporting mechanism (herein referred to as a knitted fabric fixing mechanism) when the knitted fabric is knitted by the knitting needle 4 and a collection mechanism for the knitted fabric knitted by the knitting needle 4 will be described. A knitted fabric fixing mechanism 83 is disposed below the needle beds 2 and 3. The knitted fabric fixing mechanism 83 supports a knitted fabric portion already knitted from below when a multi-stage knitting operation is performed in the automatic flat knitting machine of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a front view showing the configuration of the knitted fabric fixing mechanism 83 in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, the knitted fabric fixing mechanism 83 is fixedly supported by the frame 1 and movably supports the entire knitted fabric fixing mechanism 83, and a support shaft member 85 with respect to the strut member 84 at one end. It consists of a rod member 86 attached rotatably and a presser foot 87 attached to the other end of the rod member. The presser foot 87 includes a base 88 having a bottomed pipe structure coupled to the rod member 86, a spring member 90 inserted into the bottomed hole 89 of the base 88, and a spring member 90 on the opening side of the bottomed hole 89. And a pad member 91 attached to the tip of the pad. The knitted fabric fixing mechanism 83 having such a configuration is somewhat shifted in the vertical direction about the knitted fabric 92 toward the front side and the rear side of the knitted fabric 92, but the pad members 91 can be in contact with each other. They are arranged facing each other with such a positional relationship. In addition, each knitted fabric fixing mechanism 83 has a width approximately equal to the length of at least eight yarn ports 9 arranged in the longitudinal direction of the needle beds 2 and 3 (or the size of eight pitches of knitting needles). It preferably has dimensions. The knitted fabric fixing mechanisms 83 are arranged side by side from one end to the other end in the longitudinal direction of the needle beds 2 and 3, respectively. In one knitted fabric fixing mechanism 83, the support shaft member 85 and the rod member 86 are integrally fixedly coupled, while the support member 84 and the support shaft member 85 are coupled to each other in a rotatable manner. Further, a support shaft driving member (not shown) is connected to the support shaft member 85, and the support shaft member 85 and the rod member 86 are rotated. As the spindle drive member, various motors such as a stepping motor (a motor different from the stepping motor 5) can be used.

  In such a configuration, when the driving member of the knitted fabric fixing mechanism 83 is stopped, the rod member 86 is set at the position indicated by the dotted line in FIG. In this position, the presser foot 87 is in the retracted position, and the pad member 91 is away from the knitted fabric 92. When the support shaft driving member is actuated, the power is transmitted to the rod member 86 through the support shaft member 85, and the rod member 86 is rotated by an angle θ to take a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. In this position, the presser foot 87 is in the advanced position, and the pad member 91 contacts the knitted fabric 92 and presses the knitted fabric 92 by the action of the spring member 90. Since this pressing action acts on the knitted fabric 92 from both the front side and the back side, the knitted fabric 92 is fixedly supported by the knitted fabric fixing mechanism 83 in this operating state. In a normal state, the support shaft drive member is inactive, and when the yarn port moves and the knitting operation is performed, the support shaft drive member operates to fix the knitted fabric 92 portion at that position.

  Next, the knitted fabric recovery mechanism will be described. A knitted fabric fixing mechanism 83 is disposed below the needle beds 2 and 3 and a knitted fabric collecting mechanism 93 is also disposed. The knitted fabric collection mechanism 93 is for collecting the knitted fabric knitted in the automatic flat knitting machine of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a front view showing the configuration of the knitted fabric collecting mechanism 93 in the present embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 10, the knitted fabric recovery mechanism 93 includes a drum 94 that rotates in contact with the knitted fabric 92 and draws the knitted fabric 92 downward, and a gear integrally attached to the drum 94. 95, a drive sprocket 96 that meshes with the gear 95 and rotationally drives the gear 95 and the drum 94, and a crank member 97 that engages or disengages the drive sprocket 96 and performs a crank motion to rotate the drive sprocket 96. It consists of and. The crank member 97 includes a driving arm 98 having a claw portion 98a that meshes with the teeth of the driving sprocket 96 at the distal end, a second arm 100 having one end pin-coupled to a proximal end portion of the driving arm 98, and a distal end second. The third arm 101 is fixedly coupled to the other end of the arm 100. As shown in FIG. 10, a locking arm 99 is disposed on the back side of the drive arm 98. The locking arm 99 has a claw portion 99 a that meshes with the teeth of the drive sprocket 96, and unlike the drive arm 98, it is pin-coupled to the frame 1 so as to be rotatable. Therefore, the locking arm 99 is not a component of the crank member 97. Since the drive sprocket 96 is engaged with both the claw portion 98a of the drive arm 98 and the claw portion 99a of the locking arm 99, the width (thickness) of the drive sprocket 96 is set to be slightly larger. Also, the arm 102 is fixedly attached to the frame 1 so as to extend toward the crank member 97, and the crank member 97 is supported by being rotatably connected to the connecting portion of the second arm 100 and the third arm 101 at the connecting point 106. ing. Further, a spring 103 is disposed between the connecting portion of the drive arm 98 and the second arm 100 and the frame 1 and is set so as to pull the drive arm 98 to the proximal end side. Further, the distal end portion of the link rod 103 is connected to the proximal end portion of the third arm 101, and the proximal end portion of the link rod 104 is connected to the operating rod 105 (see FIG. 1). The operating rod 105 is attached to the operating rod 105 so as to be rotatable about the fulcrum 107, and a rod driving member 140 is connected to the operating rod 105, and the crank member 97 is operated via the link rod 104. . As the rod driving member 140, various motors such as a stepping motor (a motor different from the stepping motor 5) can be used.

  The knitted fabric collection mechanism 93 having the above-described configuration is somewhat shifted in the vertical direction from the front side and the rear side of the knitted fabric 92 around the knitted fabric 92, but the drums 94 can come into contact with each other. They are arranged facing each other with such a positional relationship. This is the same as the arrangement state of the knitted fabric fixing mechanism 83 described above. Each knitted fabric collection mechanism 93 has a structure extending in the longitudinal direction of the needle beds 2 and 3. The drum 94 may have a single structure, or may have a structure divided in the longitudinal direction of the needle beds 2 and 3. And this knitted fabric collection | recovery mechanism 93 is each extended from the longitudinal direction one end to the other end of the needle beds 2 and 3, and is arrange | positioned. As shown in FIG. 1, the operating rod 105 is provided at a position corresponding to the substantially central portion of the pair of needle beds 2 and 3, and is disposed on the front side and the rear side of the knitted fabric 92. It is connected to both link bars 104 of the knitted fabric collection mechanism 93. Therefore, the crank member 97 of both knitted fabric collection mechanisms 93 is operated by the operation of the operating rod 105.

  In such a configuration, normally, when the rod drive member 140 is stopped, the knitted fabric collection mechanism 93 is in a state where the claw portion 98a is engaged with the drive sprocket 96 as shown in FIG. It has become. The meshing relationship between the drive sprocket 96 and the crank member 97 is as follows. The claw portion 98a of the drive arm 98 and the claw portion 99a of the locking arm 99 are in relation to the teeth of the drive sprocket 96. Thus, it is set so as to freely move in the right direction (that is, in the released state) and to move in the left direction together with the drive sprocket 96 (that is, in the locked state). When the right knitted fabric collecting mechanism 93 is viewed, the meshing relationship between the drive sprocket 96 and the claw portions 98a and 99a is opposite to the above.

  Here, the operating state of the knitted fabric collecting mechanism 93 on the left side in FIG. 10 will be described. When the rod driving member 140 is actuated to raise the link rod 104 in the direction of the arrow S1, the base end portion of the third arm 101 of the crank member 97 is also raised, so that the third arm 101 and the third arm 101 are fixedly coupled to each other. A certain second arm 100 rotates in the direction of arrow S <b> 2 around a connection point 106 to the arm 102. As a result, the drive arm 98 moves forward (in the direction of arrow S3) from the proximal end side to the distal end side against the acting force of the spring 103. This forward movement is a free relative movement in the released state as seen from the meshing relationship between the drive sprocket 96 and the crank member 97. Therefore, the claw portion 98a of the drive arm 98 is equivalent to the distance traveled forward. Go over the teeth and mesh with the most advanced teeth. At this time, regarding the locking arm 99, the locking arm 99 does not constitute the crank member 97 and is only pin-coupled to the frame 1, so that it does not perform any crank operation and remains stationary. .

  Next, when the rod driving member 140 is operated to lower the link rod 104 in the direction opposite to the arrow S1, the base end portion of the third arm 101 of the crank member 97 is also lowered. The second arm 100 in a fixedly coupled state with this rotates about the coupling point 106 to the arm 102 in the direction opposite to the arrow S2. As a result, the drive arm 98 moves backward (in the direction opposite to the arrow S3) while receiving the action of the spring 103 from the distal end side to the proximal end side. This backward movement corresponds to an integral movement in the locked state when viewed from the meshing relationship between the drive sprocket 96 and the crank member 97, so that the claw portion 98a of the drive arm 98 is engaged with the teeth of the drive sprocket 96 while moving the drive sprocket 96 to the arrow. Retreat while rotating in the direction of S4. By this rotational movement, the gear 95 engaged with the drive sprocket 96 rotates in the direction of the arrow S5 opposite to the arrow S4. Since the gear 95 is integrally attached to the drum 94, the drum 94 also rotates in the direction of the arrow S5. Since the rotation of the drum 94 in the direction of the arrow S5 acts to pull down the knitted fabric 92, the knitted fabric is recovered. At this time, regarding the locking arm 99, the locking arm 99 is stationary as described above. Therefore, the rotation of the drive sprocket 96 in the S4 direction can be seen due to the meshing relationship between the drive sprocket 96 and the locking arm 99. Therefore, the claw portion 99a of the locking arm 99 does not oppose the rotation of the drive sprocket 96 in the S4 direction, and corresponds to the rotation length of the drive sprocket 96. It advances over the teeth of the drive sprocket 96 and engages with the teeth in the most advanced position. Then, when the knitted fabric collecting mechanism 93 finishes its operation and stops, the knitted fabric 92 tries to contract against the pulling action accompanying the collecting operation, and the drum 94 and the drive sprocket 96 are moved to the arrows S4 and S5, respectively. When trying to rotate in the opposite direction, the claw portion 99a of the locking arm meshes with the teeth of the drive sprocket 96 and prevents the rotation in the opposite direction.

  During the operation in the left knitted fabric collection mechanism 93, the reverse operation is performed in the right knitted fabric collection mechanism 93. That is, since the two link rods 104 are driven by the rotational movement of one actuating rod 105, when one rises, the other falls. Therefore, with respect to the drum 94 as well, the right drum and the left drum appear to rotate in opposite directions, and when one of them rotates, the other is resting. The stepping motor 5, the drive motor 14, and other drive members described above are all connected to the controller, and are activated and deactivated by a control command from the controller.

  The knitting operation by the automatic flat knitting machine having the above configuration will be described below. At the start of the knitting operation, the carriage 11 is located at a location corresponding to one end in the longitudinal direction of the needle beds 2 and 3. The yarn ports 9 connected to the carriage 11 are arranged in a line in the traveling direction. Here, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the thread head 9a is at the head, and the thread heads 9b, 9c, 9d,. However, in actuality, which yarn port may be the head and which yarn port is the tail, it is sufficient that the controller recognizes the positional relationship of the yarn hole 9.

  In the initial knitting operation, a set-up member (not shown) is located between the tops of the needle beds 2 and 3 from the lower side of the needle beds 2 and 3 through a gap formed between the tops of the needle beds 2 and 3. It is set so that it comes out to the center. On the other hand, with respect to the knitting needle 4, when the stepping motor 5 is operated, all the knitting needles 4 involved in the knitting work advance and retreat in a half stroke, and are stopped at the middle position of the knitting needle 4.

  Here, the knitting needle 4 can take the forward position, the backward position, and the middle position by the forward and backward movements by the operation of the stepping motor 5. The advance position refers to a terminal position where the knitting needle 4 extends from the needle bed 2 or 3 in the advance direction (obliquely upward in FIG. 1) by the advance operation. The retracted position refers to a position where the knitting needle 4 is retracted to the proximal end side (in the oblique direction in FIG. 1) of the needle bed 2 or 3 by the retracting operation. When the knitting needle 4 is in this retracted position, the tip of the knitting needle 4 is slightly retracted from the top edge of the needle bed 2 or 3. The middle position is a position corresponding to an intermediate portion between the forward position and the backward position, and is a position where the knitting needle 4 receives the knitting yarn from the yarn mouth 9. When the knitting needle 4 is in this middle position, the tip end portion of the knitting needle 4 is substantially on the center line between the top edges of the needle beds 2, 3, that is, almost directly below the path of the yarn mouth 9. The relationship between the forward and backward movements of the knitting needle 4 and the rotation operation of the stepping motor 5 is that the knitting needle 4 reaches the forward position when the stepping motor 5 rotates forward 180 degrees with the backward position of the knitting needle 4 as a reference position, and stepping from there When the motor 5 rotates backward 90 degrees, the knitting needle 4 reaches the middle position. From this state, when the stepping motor 5 rotates further 90 degrees backward, the knitting needle 4 reaches the original retracted position. One stroke for the knitting needle 4 is from the retracted position of the knitting needle 4 to the advanced position or vice versa.

  In the state where the above-described set-up member is set so as to come out substantially at the center between the tops of the needle beds 2 and 3, and the knitting needle 4 is stopped at the middle position, only one thread is selected at the beginning. The feeding operation is performed and the knitting yarn is supplied to the knitting needle 4. Thereafter, the knitting needle 4 is retracted to the retracted position, and the first stage knitting operation is performed. If this stitch is made, the knitting operation (flat knitting operation) is performed using all the knitting needles 4 from now on. In this knitting operation, the carriage 11 advances from one end (the right end when viewed from the front side) of the needle beds 2 and 3 toward the left end. The traveling operation of the carriage 11 is realized by operating the drive motor 14, transmitting this power to the chain drive mechanism via the pulley mechanism, and operating the chain drive mechanism. As the carriage 11 advances, the yarn port 9 also advances at a constant interval in the order of the first yarn port 9a, the second yarn port 9b,..., But the needle bed 2 during the progress of the first yarn port 9a to the eighth yarn port 9h. , 3 is detected by the sensor 46 and transmitted to the controller. First, when the yarn mouth 9a reaches the first knitting needle which is the first knitting needle 4, the stepping motor 5 corresponding to the first knitting needle is actuated to move the first knitting needle forward and backward, and knitting from the first yarn mouth 9a. Yarn is supplied and the knitting operation is performed. Next, since the first yarn port 9a reaches the second knitting needle, the stepping motor 5 corresponding to the second knitting needle is actuated to move the second knitting needle forward and backward, and the knitting yarn is supplied from the first yarn port 9a. The knitting operation is performed. Similarly, the knitting operation related to the first yarn mouth 9a is performed over the entire length of the needle beds 2 and 3, as the first yarn mouth 9a advances, such as a third knitting needle, a fourth knitting needle,. In addition, a sinker which is a knitted fabric holding mechanism is provided in the vicinity of the tops of the needle beds 2 and 3, and when the knitting needle 4 starts a forward motion to perform a knitting operation, the stitch portion knitted before one operation The pressing operation is performed so that the needle is not lifted by being pulled by the knitting needle 4 that is about to move forward. The sinker is composed of a plurality of lever members mounted side by side in the longitudinal direction near the tops of the needle beds 2 and 3, and for example, a mechanism that performs a pressing operation / pressing release operation by the action of a magnet is used. Specifically, a magnet (N pole) is attached to the power point portion of each lever member, while an N pole magnet is similarly attached to the side of the thread head 9, and the thread hole 9 passes through the lever member. When this is done, the lever member is actuated by utilizing the repulsive force between the N poles of the magnet, and when it has passed, the lever member is returned to its original state. A spring is used to return the lever member.

  Here, the feature of the above-described operation in the automatic flat knitting machine of the present invention is that when the knitting operation on the second knitting needle is started, the knitting operation on the first knitting needle, that is, the forward and backward operations of the first knitting needle are completed. Or in the final stage of the knitting operation, the first knitting needle is in a standby state until the second yarn port 9b reaches the first knitting needle. This is because each knitting needle 4 receives an operation from the start of advance to the end of retreat by the corresponding stepping motor 5, and the operation of the stepping motor 5 is independently performed under the control of the controller. This is not possible with the advance / retreat method of the knitting needle using the cam mechanism used in the knitting machine.

As described above, the second yarn mouth 9b continues from the back where the first yarn mouth 9a proceeds. The intervals in the advancing direction of the yarn ends 9a to 9h are, for example, 5 to 8 pitches of knitting needles. If the distance between the first yarn port 9a and the second yarn port 9b is 5 pitches, the second yarn port 9b is involved in the knitting operation of the first knitting needle when the first yarn port 9a is involved in the knitting operation of the sixth knitting needle. Therefore, the knitting operation is executed simultaneously on the two knitting needles. By further proceeding, when the first yarn mouth 9a is involved in the knitting operation of the 36th knitting needle, the other yarn mouths 9b to 9h are involved in the knitting operation of the next knitting needle.
2nd thread end ... 31st needle 3rd thread ... 26th needle 4th thread ... 21st needle 5th thread ... 16th needle 6th thread ... 11th needle 7th thread ...・ 6th knitting needle 8th thread mouth ... 1st knitting needle

  That is, after this, all the yarn ports 9 are involved in the knitting operation of one of the knitting needles. Therefore, in the automatic flat knitting machine of the present invention, the knitting operation is always performed at the eight knitting needles while the carriage 11 is moving. Will be done. Thereafter, the number of the knitting needles 4 performing the knitting operation at the same time is gradually decreased until the eighth yarn mouth 9h reaches the last knitting needle after the first yarn mouth 9a reaches the last knitting needle in the stroke by the advance of the carriage 11. When the eighth yarn port 9h reaches the last knitting needle and the knitting operation is performed, the carriage 11 stops and the knitting operation for one stroke is completed. During this time, the knitting operation was performed using the knitting yarns of all the yarn mouths 9a to 9h. That is, since all the knitting needles 4 performed the knitting operation 8 times during one stroke, eight stitches were formed. Is done.

  The carriage 11 continues to move after the yarn port 9 (particularly, the first yarn port 9a, the second yarn port 9b, etc.) reaches the last knitting needle and the knitting operation is performed. Must reach the last knitting needle and be cut off from the carriage 11 when the knitting operation is performed. In order to separate the yarn port 9, yarn port separating members are provided on the second rail 10 b to the fifth rail 10 e that support the yarn guide tube 13. Specifically, each of the second rail 10b to the fifth rail 10e is provided with a thread end separating member corresponding to the travel path of the shooter 67 at each end portion. The shooter 67 supports the yarn guide tube 13, engages with the carriage 11 and travels along the rail together with the carriage 11, or disengages, thereby connecting the yarn guide tube 13 and thus the yarn port 9 to the carriage 11. As described above, it is moved or disconnected. FIG. 11 is a front view showing the relationship between the yarn mouth separating member and the linkage operation between the yarn port separating member and the shooter 67. In FIG. 11, the code | symbol 108 shows a thread | yarn end cutting member. This yarn end separating member 108 is formed of a wedge-shaped plate structure with a sharp tip, and has a tip inclined edge portion 109 followed by a proximal edge side horizontal edge portion 110. The yarn end separating member 108 is fixedly attached to the tip portion in the direction in which the shooter 67 advances, that is, the inner side of the rail 10. The tip of the inclined edge 109 of the thread cuff separating member 108 is set to a position that is substantially the same as or slightly lower than the bottom of the recess 78 of the shooter 67, and the horizontal edge 110 of the cuff separating member 108 is It is set at a position substantially the same as or slightly higher than the horizontal portion 76. For this reason, when the shooter 67 travels and reaches the end of the rail 10, the rod body 80 engaged with the shooter 67 collides with the tip end portion of the yarn end separating member 108, and the carriage 11 moves. By continuing, it moves in the direction of arrow S while rising along the inclined edge portion 109. When the rod body 80 reaches the horizontal edge portion of the yarn end separating member 108, the rod body 80 is detached from the shooter 67 and moves along the yarn mouth separating member 108, while the shooter 67 (and thus the yarn mouth 9) is left in that position. Stop. Thereby, the yarn mouth is separated. In addition, the thread | yarn cutting | disconnection member 108 is attached corresponding to each thread | yarn 9a-9h, and is attached to the both ends of each rail 10b-10e. Further, the tip ends of the yarn end separating members 108 are attached to the respective end portions of the rails 10 b to 10 e so as to be located at different positions in the longitudinal direction of the rail 10. More specifically, the yarn mouth separating member 108 corresponding to the first yarn mouth 9a stops the first yarn mouth 9a at the outermost end, and the yarn mouth separating member 108 corresponding to the eighth yarn mouth 9h is the first at the innermost edge. It is set to stop the yarn mouth 9a. As a result, the clues 9a to 9h, which have moved in a single column in the movement path of the clues, maintain the interval when moving and stop at the ends of the needle beds 2 and 3 while maintaining the vertical column. Can do.

  In the above-described operation, the carriage 11 and the yarn mouth 9 which have progressed while forming eight stitches in one stroke then proceed from the left end of the needle beds 2 and 3 to the right end, that is, reversely move. At this time, the yarn port 9 advances at a constant interval in the order of the eighth yarn port 9h, the seventh yarn port 9g,..., The second yarn port 9b, and the first yarn port 9a, contrary to the previous case. Thereafter, a knitting operation is performed in the same manner as described above, and eight knitted fabrics 92 are formed for each stroke. A weight 111 is attached to the lower part of the knitted fabric 92, and a knitted fabric fixing mechanism 83 supports a portion of the knitted fabric where the knitting operation is performed by the yarn openings 9a to 9h in the middle of the knitted fabric 92 so that the knitting operation is smooth. To be done. In the present invention, since eight steps of knitting operations are performed in one stroke, there are eight steps of stitches between the knitted fabric portion already knitted and the knitted fabric portion not yet knitted in one stroke. This is to prevent a step and distortion in the knitting operation portion. Then, the knitted fabric is drawn down by the knitted fabric collecting mechanism 93.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a portion of the carriage 11a according to the second embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is intended to improve the performance of an automatic flat knitting machine by partially improving the first embodiment. In FIG. 12, 16 yarn holes 9 connected to the carriage 11a are arranged in the traveling direction. In order from the top, each of the first yarn ports 9a, second yarn ports 9b, third yarn ports 9c, fourth yarn ports 9d, fifth yarn ports 9e, sixth yarn ports 9f, seventh yarn ports 9g, eighth yarn ports 9h, ninth Yarn port 9a ', 10th yarn port 9b', 11th yarn port 9c ', 12th yarn port 9d', 13th yarn port 9e ', 14th yarn port 9f', 15th yarn port 9g ', 16th yarn port 9h'. Sixteen rod bodies of the power transmission member 79 are also provided on the carriage 11a corresponding to the yarn ports 9a to 9h ′. Further, regarding the mounting of the shooter 67 to the rails 10b to 10e, one rail track formed by one brim portion 66, that is, two shooters 67 are mounted per shooter travel route, and a total of 16 shooters and By doing so, it is made to respond | correspond one-to-one with 16 thread | yarn openings 9a-9h '. That is, two shooters 67 are mounted per shooter travel route, and these two shooters 67 move along the rail 10 at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction of the rail 10. The distance between the two shooters 67 is determined by setting the distance between the rod members 80 attached to the carriage 11. In this embodiment, the shooter 67 and the yarn mouths 9a to 9h ′ have a correspondence relationship between the shooter 67 corresponding to the yarn mouth 9a and the shooter 67 corresponding to the yarn mouth 9a ′. Placed above, and so on
Each shooter yarn port 9c of each of the shooter yarn ports 9c and 9c 'of the yarn port 9b and each of the yarn port 9b' Due to the relationship between the shooters 9h and the shooters 9h ', they are arranged on the same shooter travel route. In this embodiment, two yarn clumps corresponding to the two shooters 67 mounted on the same shooter travel route are referred to as a clue set. That is, the yarn mouth 9a and the yarn mouth 9a ′ form one yarn mouth pair. Similarly,
A clasp 9b and a clue 9b 'A clue 9m and a clasp 9c' A clasp 9d and a sprue 9d ' A pair of yarn ends is formed by a yarn mouth 9h and a yarn mouth 9h '.

  As the example, in order to detect the positions of all the thread holes 9 in the detection operation by the sensor 46 of the detection device 50 by setting the thread holes 9 and the shooters 67 and the shooters 67 in the above-described arrangement relationship, The detection operation as shown in FIG. 12 is performed. That is, as shown in FIG. 12, as the carriage 11a moves from the right end of the needle beds 2 and 3 to the left, the sensor 46 has the first yarn port 9a, the second yarn port 9b, the third yarn port 9c, and the fourth yarn port. 9d, 5th thread port 9e, 6th thread port 9f, 7th thread port 9g, and 8th thread port 9h are sequentially detected by different sensors, and then the same sensor that detects the position of the 1st thread port 9a. Thus, the position of the ninth yarn mouth 9a ′ is detected. Subsequently, the 10th yarn port 9b ', the 11th yarn port 9c', the 12th yarn port 9d ', the 13th yarn port 9e', the 14th yarn port 9f ', the 15th yarn port 9g', and the 16th yarn port 9h 'are as described above. Similarly, position detection is sequentially performed by different sensors.

  The knitting operation by the automatic flat knitting machine having the above configuration will be described below. Note that the stand-by position of the carriage 11a at the start of the knitting operation, the traveling direction, and the arrangement order of the yarn ends 9 are the same as those in the first embodiment. The first knitting operation is the same as that in the first embodiment.

In the knitting operation, the knitting operation is sequentially performed from the knitting needle 4 at the right end as the carriage 11a advances from the right end to the left end of the needle beds 2 and 3. With the advance of the carriage 11a, the yarn port 9 also has the first yarn port 9a, the second yarn port 9b,..., The seventh yarn port 9g, the eighth yarn port 9h, the ninth yarn port 9a ′, the tenth yarn port 9b ′,. The yarn port 9g 'and the 16th yarn port 9h' proceed at a constant interval in this order, and the positions of the first yarn port 9a to the 16th yarn port 9h 'on the needle beds 2 and 3 are detected by the sensor 46 and are sent to the controller. It is reported. The second yarn port 9b and the subsequent yarn yarns 9b and the subsequent yarns sequentially follow from the rear where the first yarn port 9a proceeds. However, since each of the knitting needles 4 is moved forward and backward independently by the corresponding stepping motor 5, each yarn port 9a to 9h. When 'reaches the knitting needle 4 sequentially, the knitting operation is simultaneously performed on each knitting needle 4 (plural). Therefore, assuming that the distance in the advancing direction between the respective yarn mouths 9a to 9h ′ is 5 pitches, when the first yarn mouth 9a is involved in the knitting operation of the sixth knitting needle, the second yarn mouth 9b is knitted on the first knitting needle. In other words, the knitting operation is performed simultaneously on the two knitting needles. As this progresses further, when the first yarn port 9a is involved in the knitting operation of the 76th knitting needle, the other yarn ports 9b-9h 'are involved in the knitting operation of the next knitting needle.
2nd yarn port ... 71st knitting needle 3rd yarn port ... 66th knitting needle 4th yarn port ... 61st knitting needle 5th yarn port ... 56th knitting needle 6th yarn port ... 51st knitting needle 7th yarn mouth -46th knitting needle 8th thread port-41st knitting needle 9th thread port-36th knitting needle 10th thread port-31st knitting needle 11th thread port-26th knitting needle 12th thread port-21st knitting needle 13 yarn mouth ... 16th knitting needle 14th yarn mouth ... 11th knitting needle 15th yarn mouth ... 6th knitting needle 16th yarn mouth ... 1st knitting needle

  That is, after this, all the yarn ports 9 are involved in the knitting operation of any one of the knitting needles. Therefore, in the automatic flat knitting machine of the present invention, the knitting operation is always performed at 16 knitting needles while the carriage 11a is moving. Will be done. Thereafter, the number of the knitting needles 4 performing the knitting operation at the same time is gradually reduced until the sixteenth yarn mouth 9h ′ reaches the last knitting needle after the first yarn mouth 9a reaches the last knitting needle in the stroke by the advancement of the carriage 11. Then, when the 16th yarn end 9h ′ reaches the final knitting needle and the knitting operation is performed, the carriage 11a stops and the knitting operation for one stroke is completed. During this time, the knitting operation was performed using all the yarns 9a to 9h ′, that is, all the knitting needles 4 performed the knitting operation 16 times during one stroke, so that the 16-stage stitches It is formed.

  Next, the operation of separating the yarn port 9 from the carriage 11a will be described. The threading 9 detaching operation is basically performed by the same means as in the first embodiment. That is, in order to perform the operation of separating the thread guide 9, the second rail 10b to the fifth rail 10e that support the thread guide tube 13 are provided with thread guide separating members corresponding to the travel paths of the shooters 67 at both ends. It has been. As shown in FIG. 11, the yarn end separating member is formed of a wedge-shaped plate structure with a sharp tip, and is fixedly attached to the tip portion in the direction in which the shooter 67 advances, that is, the inner side of the rail 10. Has been. When the shooter 67 travels and reaches the end of the rail 10, the rod body 80 engaged with the shooter 67 abuts on the tip portion of the yarn end separating member 108, and the carriage 11 a moves. By continuing, it moves in the direction of arrow S while rising along the inclined edge portion 109. When the rod body 80 reaches the horizontal edge portion of the yarn end separating member 108, the rod body 80 is detached from the shooter 67 and moves along the yarn mouth separating member 108, while the shooter 67 (and thus the yarn mouth 9) is left in that position. Then, the yarn port 9 is separated.

  The thread tip detaching member 108 is attached to each of the pairs 9a, 9a '; 9b, 9b', etc., and attached to both ends of the rails 10b to 10e. Further, the tip of the yarn end separating member 108 is attached so as to come to a different position when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the rail 10. More specifically, the yarn mouth separating member 108 corresponding to the first yarn mouth 9a stops the first yarn mouth 9a at the outermost end, and the yarn mouth separating member 108 corresponding to the eighth yarn mouth 9h is the first at the innermost edge. It is set to stop the yarn mouth 9a. In this way, as extended in the first embodiment, the clues 9a to 9h ′ that have moved in a single column maintain the interval when they move, and the needle beds 2 and 3 remain in that column. Can be stopped at the end.

  However, in the present embodiment, since the number of yarn ports 9 is larger than that in the first embodiment (twice the number), in the method of the first embodiment, the yarn port 9 after stopping is the rail 10 and the needle bed 2. , 3 will occupy an area over a large distance. Therefore, in this embodiment, some improvement is required for stopping the yarn mouth 9 at the end portion, that is, storing the yarn mouth. As an example of the solution, with respect to the tip positions of the tip detachment members 108 attached to both ends of the rails 10b to 10e, the tip positions of the tip detachment members 108 corresponding to the tip sets 9a and 9a 'and the tip sets 9b and 9b' The distance in the longitudinal direction of the rail 10 at the tip end position of the yarn mouth separating member 108 corresponding to is set to a size that is the same as or slightly larger than the size of the yarn mouth 9 itself. As a result, the yarn port 9 moves at a constant interval between the yarn ports while moving in the knitting operation region of the movement stroke, while the distance between the yarn ports 9 enters the stop region at the end of the needle beds 2 and 3. Stop while narrowing. As a result, it is not necessary for the carriage 11a to move in the redundant area (corresponding to the stop area) over a long distance at the ends of the needle beds 2 and 3 in spite of having a large number of yarn openings 9, and at the same time. It is not necessary for the needle beds 2 and 3 to secure a redundant area over a long distance. In addition, as for the technology for separating the yarn mouth, a method of mechanically separating using the yarn mouth separating member 108 as described above may be used, but other methods may be adopted. For example, using the position detection function of the sensor 46, the controller detects the yarn end (for example, 9a) that has finished the knitting operation in one movement stroke of the carriage 11a, and when the yarn end 9a reaches the position to be stopped, The corresponding cam mechanism 82 may be actuated by a command to release the rod member 80 corresponding to the yarn mouth 9a from the shooter 67. This yarn mouth separation technique can also be applied to the first embodiment.

In the above-described knitting operation, the carriage 11a and the yarn mouth 9 which have progressed while forming 16 stitches in one stroke then proceed from the left end to the right end of the needle beds 2 and 3, that is, reversely move. At this time, the yarn port 9 advances at a constant interval in the order of the 16th yarn port 9h ′, the 15th yarn port 9g ′,..., The second yarn port 9b, and the first yarn port 9a. For this purpose, the yarn mouth 9 that has been stopped in the packed state in the stop area moves simultaneously with the beginning of the movement, spreading between the yarn mouths behind it, and the next yarn mouth moves when the distance between the yarn mouths reaches the above-mentioned fixed interval. A movement start operation such as starting is performed. That is, when the overall movement, stop, and reverse movement of the thread heads are viewed, the movement starts while the distance between the thread holes widens, continues to move at a constant spread distance, and stops while narrowing the distance between the thread heads at the end of the movement. For example, the accordion member opens and closes. This aspect is illustrated in FIG. That is, the pitch interval P between the yarn port 9 and the yarn guide tube 13 indicated by the solid line in FIG. 13 indicates the pitch interval between the yarn port 9 and the yarn guide tube 13 when moving in the knitting needle operation region. On the other hand, the pitch interval Po between all the yarn ports 9 and the yarn guide tube 13 indicated by the solid line and the broken line indicates the pitch interval between the yarn port 9 and the yarn guide tube 13 when stopped in the stop region. In the example of FIG. 13, the relationship between P and Po is approximately P = 3Po.
Thus, it can be seen that in the stop region, the thread hole 9 is more tightly packed. Thereby, even if the shooter 67 is doubled, the stop area of the yarn mouth 9 can be gathered compactly without being unnecessarily enlarged, and the apparatus can be downsized. After the carriage 11a starts to reversely move, the knitting operation is performed in the same manner as described above, and the knitted fabric 92 is formed in 16 stages for each stroke. The weight 111 is attached to the lower part of the knitted fabric 92, and the knitted fabric fixing mechanism 83 is knitted by the yarn openings 9a to 9h ′ in the middle of the knitted fabric 92 in the vertical direction as in the first embodiment. The knitted fabric 92 is supported so that the knitting operation can be performed smoothly. In the present invention, since eight steps of knitting operations are performed in one stroke, there are eight steps of stitches between the knitted fabric portion already knitted and the knitted fabric portion not yet knitted in one stroke. This is to prevent a step and distortion in the knitting operation portion. Then, the knitted fabric is drawn down by the knitted fabric collecting mechanism 93.

  Here, the yarn guidance adjusting mechanism for yarn guidance in the present embodiment will be described. In the present invention, even if one yarn mouth (for example, 9a) finishes the knitting operation in one movement stroke of the carriage 11a, the carriage 11a does not stop and moves until all (16) yarn mouths 9 finish the knitting operation. Keep doing. For this reason, if it is left to the yarn mouth 9a, a yarn that is not knitted is supplied as long as it moves even after the knitting operation is finished, which causes loosening of the yarn. The yarn guide adjusting mechanism is for appropriately adjusting the supply of the yarn.

  FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 are views showing a yarn guiding adjustment mechanism used in the present embodiment, FIG. 13 is an overall configuration diagram of the yarn guiding adjustment mechanism, and FIG. 14 is a diagram of a yarn path opening / closing device used in the yarn guiding adjustment mechanism. It is sectional drawing which shows the example of a structure. In FIG. 13, a support shelf 112 is provided at a position higher than the carriage 11a of the automatic flat knitting machine (a position close to the ceiling of the room), and a plurality of yarn path opening / closing devices 113 are fixedly placed on the support shelf 112. The yarn path opening / closing device 113 is provided so as to correspond one-to-one for each yarn supplied to all the yarn mouths 9a to 9h ′, while being attached to the shooter 67 attached to the rail 10 or this. A support frame 114 is attached to the yarn guide pipe 13, and a tension member 115 for adjusting and holding the supply of the yarn while applying tension (tension) to the yarn 7 is attached to the support frame member 114. Further, the tension member is attached. A threading member 116 is attached to the tip of 115. The support frame 114 is constructed by assembling a bar or pipe material into a frame structure. 15, the flexible, such as piano wire (i.e., excellent in bending elastic) a wire material, is deformed by applied external force. Threading member 116 and a ring member.

  The yarn path opening / closing device 113 includes a column member 117 attached to the support shelf 112, a solenoid 119 as a driving member held by the column member 117, and a slide member 120 mounted on the column member 117 so as to be able to advance and retract. A first contact member 121 attached to the tip of the slide member 120, a receiving member 122 installed opposite the slide member 120, and attached to the end surface of the receiving member 122 on the slide member 120 side. The second contact member 123 is provided. Further, the yarn path opening / closing device 113 includes a support member 124 erected on the support shelf 112, a cam member 125 attached to the support member 124, and a lever body 126 arranged to be engageable with the cam member 125. And have.

  The solenoid 119 has an operating rod 118 that moves forward and backward by electromagnetic induction, and this operating rod 118 is disposed so as to be able to contact the force point portion 126 a of the insulator body 126. The slide member 120 is a cylindrical body having a bottom and having a plurality of slits on the side, or a section having a U-shaped cross section in the lateral direction, with the bottom portion directed toward the cam member 125 and a support member. It is attached to 117 so as to be capable of moving back and forth (that is, sliding) in the horizontal direction. A projection 127 that engages with the cam member 125 is provided outside the bottom of the slide member 120, while a mounting screw 128 is accommodated inside the slide member 120, and a first end is provided at the opening end of the slide member 120. A contact member 121 is attached. The first contact member 121 has a curved structure in cross section, and is disposed toward the receiving member 122 by receiving the convex side of the curve. The receiving member 122 is constituted by a bottomed cylindrical body, the bottom portion is laterally directed toward the slide member 120, and a column member is formed by a mounting screw 128 and a fixing nut 129 at a certain distance from the slide member 120. 117 is attached. The attachment screw 128 extends through the first contact member 121, the second contact member 123, and the receiving member 122 with the head portion 128 a engaged with the attachment hole of the column member 124. And has a threaded portion 128b at the tip. The receiving member 122 is attached to the attachment screw 128 so as to be slidable. A spring 130 is accommodated in the cylinder, and the spring 130 is screwed into the screw portion 128b from the distal end side of the attachment screw 128. It is held by the holding nut 131. The spring 130 abuts against the bottom of the receiving member 122 and the holding nut 131 and acts as a spring to elastically hold the receiving member 122. A second contact member 123 is attached to the bottom of the receiving member 122. Similar to the first contact member 121, the second contact member 123 has a curved cross section, and is disposed with the convex portion of the curve directed toward the first contact member 121. Yes. Therefore, the first contact member 121 and the second contact member 123 are arranged with their outer surfaces facing each other. The cam member 125 is made of a substantially circular plate, is rotatably attached to the support member 124, and a plurality of saw-tooth teeth 125a are formed on the outer periphery thereof. The lever body 126 has a force point portion 126a, a fulcrum portion 126b, and an action point portion 126c. The force point portion 126a is arranged to be engageable with the actuating rod 118 of the solenoid, and the fulcrum portion 126b is pivotally coupled to the support member 124. The point portion 126 c is disposed so as to be engageable with the teeth 125 a of the cam member 125.

  The operation of the yarn path opening / closing device 113 having such a configuration will be described. In the state where the knitting operation is performed, the cam member 125 is rotated by the operation of the solenoid 119 and the insulator 126, and the protrusion 127 of the slide member 120 is disengaged from the teeth 125a of the cam member 125 (FIG. 14). In the state shown in FIG. At this time, the first contact member 121 and the second contact member 123 are in a state where the curved convex surfaces are in contact with each other as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. The contact of the curved convex surface is realized by the spring 130 pushing the receiving member 122 by its acting force, but the acting force of the spring 130 is set sufficiently small to prevent the yarn 7 from being fed. It is not a slight tension. Therefore, the yarn path is substantially the same as in the open state, and the yarn 7 can be supplied freely. Here, when the solenoid 119 is actuated for the first time, the rod member 118 moves forward, hits the force point portion 126a of the lever body 126, and rotates the lever body 126 in the arrow S11 direction. As a result, the cam member 125 rotates by a predetermined angle in the direction of the arrow S12, and the teeth 125a engage with the protrusion 127 to move the slide member 120 to the right in FIG. The rotation angle of the cam member 125 at this time is relative to the position (engagement position) where the protrusion 127 contacts the tooth tip of the tooth 125a from the position where the protrusion 127 enters the root of the tooth 125a (engagement release position). Is the angle of movement. When the slide member 120 moves to the right, the first contact member 121 moves toward the second contact member 123, and the thread 7 is pinched by both the contact members 121 and 123. The contact members 121 and 123 move in the right direction against the action of the spring 130 with the thread 7 interposed therebetween, and finally the proximal end portion of the receiving member 122 abuts on the nut 129. As a result, the yarn 7 is strongly clamped by the both contact members 121 and 123 and locked, and the yarn path does not move. Next, when the solenoid 119 is actuated for the second time, the rod member 118 moves forward and hits the power point portion 126a of the lever body 126 to rotate the lever body 126 in the direction of arrow S11. As a result, the cam member 125 further rotates by a predetermined angle in the direction of the arrow S12, and the protrusion 127 gets over the tip of the tooth 125a that has been engaged so far and comes to the disengagement position. As a result, the lock is released, and the receiving member 122 and the slide member 120 are moved to the left in FIG. 14 by the action of the spring 130, and the spring acting force between the first and second contact members 121 and 123 is weak. It will be in the contact state by, and will be in a free state (no-pressure state) substantially. As a result, the yarn 7 is not pinched by the both contact members 121 and 123, and can freely move along the yarn path. As described above, the thread 7 is locked and unlocked by the stepping motion of the cam member 125 accompanying the operation of the solenoid 119.

  In such a configuration, the yarn guiding adjustment operation after one yarn mouth (for example, 9a) finishes the knitting operation in one movement stroke of the carriage 11a will be described. In FIG. 13, the knitting needle 4 ends at the position T1 in the figure. After the knitting operation of the knitting needle (4t) at the final end is finished, the yarn mouth 9a continues to move and stops at the position T2 of the moving path. The position of the moving yarn port 9a is detected by a sensor 46. In the present embodiment, by the detection of the sensor 46, until the yarn mouth 9a reaches the position T3 in front of the stop position T2 by a predetermined distance L, including when the yarn mouth 9a is moving in the knitting area, The yarn path opening / closing device 113 corresponding to 9a is in an opened state to open the yarn path. Therefore, while the yarn port 9a is moving from the position T1 to the position T3, the yarn is supplied to the yarn port 9a, so that the tension member 115 is in an almost unloaded state, and the return position (tension member in FIG. 13). 115, which is also the reference position of 115). Thereafter, when the yarn port 9a reaches the position T3, the yarn path opening / closing device 113 locks and closes the yarn path, so that the supply of the yarn is stopped, and the tension member 115 is elasticized as the yarn port 9a moves to the stop position T2. The shortage of yarn is absorbed by bending and deforming. When the yarn port 9a stops at the stop position T2, the tension member 115 holds the yarn 7 at the tension position P2 in FIG. At this time, the surplus portion (the portion that has not yet been knitted) of the yarn 7 extends from the tip (position T1) of the terminal knitting needle 4 to the position T2 in the horizontal direction, and enters the thread hole 9a at that position to enter the corresponding yarn guide tube 13. , And further upward through the threading member 116 to reach the yarn path opening / closing device 113.

  Thereafter, when the yarn mouth 9 moves to the right by starting the reverse movement of the carriage 11, the yarn mouth 9a is loosened (the same is true for all the yarn mouths), but this slack is absorbed by the return operation of the tension member 115. The When the yarn mouth 9a moves to reach the position T3, the sensor detects this, and the yarn path opening / closing device 113 performs the unlocking operation to open the yarn path, so that the yarn can be freely supplied and the yarn mouth 9a is positioned. When the end knitting needle 4 at T1 (the knitting needle at the terminal end becomes the knitting needle at the start end) is reached, the knitting operation starts.

  Here, control of the knitting operation between the controller, the sensor 46, and the stepping motor 5 will be described. FIG. 15 is an operation linkage diagram between the controller, the sensor 46, and the stepping motor 5. In this figure, in the first stage, the sensor (optical sensor) 46 starts detecting the thread head portion, and detects the thread hole 9 and the light shielding member 45 in the actual detection operation in the second stage. When the sensor 46 is turned on in the third stage, the on signal is transmitted to the controller (fourth stage). A signal indicating that the sensor 46 is off is not transmitted to the controller. When the controller receives the ON signal from the sensor 46, the control circuit generates a pulse signal (that is, a control signal) for operation for the stepping motor corresponding to the sensor 46 that issued the ON signal as the fifth stage. In this embodiment, when the controller outputs a 250-pulse advance signal, the stepping motor 5 rotates forward 180 degrees to raise the knitting needle 4 to the upper position (advance position). Next, when the controller outputs a 125-pulse reverse signal, the stepping motor 5 rotates reverse 90 degrees to lower the knitting needle 4 to the middle position. Further, when the controller outputs a 150-pulse backward signal, the stepping motor 5 further reversely rotates 108 degrees to lower the knitting needle 4 to a position below the lower position (retracted position). The reason why the stepping motor 5 is reversely rotated by 90 degrees or more in the second half backward operation is to secure the size of the stitches in the knitting operation and prevent the stitches from being clogged. Even if the stepping motor 5 performs the excessive lowering operation, the knitting needle 4 returns to the initial start position by the origin return operation of the stepping motor itself when the stepping motor 5 is stopped later. When the controller generates a pulse signal, as a sixth step, the pulse signal is sent to a driver provided in the controller. Then, as a seventh stage, the driver sends a drive signal to the corresponding stepping motor 5 to operate the stepping motor 5. Thereby, as the eighth stage, the knitting needle 4 of the knitting machine is actuated to perform the knitting operation. In this way, the knitting operation is executed by the linked operation of the controller or the like.

  In FIG. 15, stages 1a to 3a show the linkage operation when pattern knitting is performed using the automatic flat knitting machine of the present embodiment. In this pattern knitting operation, the sensor (light sensor) 46 starts detecting the pattern knitting portion in the first stage a, and the punch card or recording medium (optical disc) on which the pattern data is recorded in the actual detection operation in the second stage. Etc.) is detected. When the sensor 46 is turned on in the third stage, the on signal is transmitted to the driver. Similarly, when the sensor 46 is turned off in the third stage, the off signal is also transmitted to the driver. Subsequent operations are the sixth step, the seventh step, and the eighth step, and the same operations as described above are performed.

  In the above description, an example in which a knitting needle is driven using a stepping motor as an actuator has been described, but other driving members such as a solenoid may be used as the actuator.

  A plurality of knitting needles are provided with one-to-one actuators so that the knitting needles can be independently driven one by one, and the yarn is supplied to each knitting needle in synchronization with the driving of the knitting needles. Since the cam for driving the knitting needle is not used, the carriage can be lightened, the carriage can be moved at a high speed, and the number of yarn ends can be increased. Therefore, an automatic flat knitting machine with low power consumption, high productivity, and high economic efficiency can be realized.

1 is a schematic side view of an automatic flat knitting machine showing an embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view which shows the structure of the carriage drive mechanism used in the said embodiment. It is a top view which shows roughly the arrangement | positioning relationship of the needle bed in the said embodiment, a carriage, and a detection apparatus. In the said embodiment, it is a top view which shows the arrangement | positioning state of the stepping motor about the 1st needle bed. In the said embodiment, it is a figure which shows the action | operation connection structure between one knitting needle and one stepping motor, (a) is a front view, (b) is a side view. In the said embodiment, it is a side view which expands and shows a part of yarn guide | induction apparatus enclosed with the dashed-two dotted line in FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the shooter in the said embodiment, (a) is a front view of a shooter, (b) is a right view of (a). In the said embodiment, it is a side view which expands and shows the structural relationship of the sensor and light-shielding member which were shown by FIG. It is a front view which shows the structure of the knitted fabric fixing mechanism in the said embodiment. It is a front view which shows the structure of the knitted fabric collection | recovery mechanism in the said embodiment. It is a front view which shows the relationship of the linkage operation | movement of this yarn splicing separation member and this yarn splicing separation member and a shooter in the said embodiment. It is a top view which shows the part of the carriage in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a whole block diagram of the thread | yarn guidance adjustment mechanism in the said Embodiment 2. It is sectional drawing which shows the structural example of the yarn path opening / closing apparatus used for the thread | yarn guidance adjustment mechanism in the said Embodiment 2. It is an operation | movement linkage diagram between the controller and sensor in the said Embodiment 2, and a stepping motor.

Explanation of symbols

1 Frame 2 First needle bed 3 Second needle bed 4 Knitting needle 5 Stepping motor (actuator)
6 Yarn Package 7 Yarn 8 Yarn Inducing Device 9 Yarn Port 10, 48 Rail 11 Carriage 12 Yarn Switching Device 13 Yarn Inducing Tube 14 Drive Motors 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 Pulley 26 Conveying Device (Chain Drive Mechanism)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 50 Detection apparatus 67 Shooter 83 Knitted fabric fixing mechanism 93 Knitted fabric collection | recovery mechanism 108 Yarn end separation member 113 Yarn path opening / closing device

Claims (7)

A first needle bed having a planar structure and installed at a predetermined angle with respect to a horizontal plane;
A second needle bed that has a planar structure and is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to a horizontal plane so as to be substantially symmetrical on the opposite side of the first needle bed;
A plurality of knitting needles arranged on the first and second needle beds so as to be movable back and forth in the vertical direction along the inclined surface;
A plurality of actuators that are operatively connected to each knitting needle in a one-to-one relationship and that drive corresponding knitting needles;
A yarn guiding device provided so as to be capable of reciprocating along the longitudinal direction of the needle bed above the tops of the first and second needle beds and supplying yarns to the respective knitting needles in turn;
An automatic flat knitting machine comprising a control device that independently drives and controls each actuator in synchronism with the reciprocating motion of the yarn guiding device. Further, the controller includes a position detecting unit that reciprocates in synchronization with the yarn guiding device to detect a moving position of the yarn guiding device, and the control device independently operates the plurality of actuators based on the detection result from the position detecting unit. 2. The automatic flat knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein the automatic flat knitting machine is operated. The yarn guiding device has a plurality of yarn mouths that reciprocate along the rail, and the control device independently drives and controls a plurality of actuators corresponding to each yarn mouth, so that the yarn mouth is moved in one movement stroke of the yarn guiding device. 2. The automatic flat knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein the number of knitting stitches equal to the number of knitting is knitted. The clue is guided by a shooter installed on the travel path formed on the rail, and a plurality of rails and travel paths are provided and a shooter is installed on each travel path to move a plurality of clues in a single row at a predetermined pitch interval. The automatic flat knitting machine according to claim 3, wherein Two or more shooters are installed in each travel route, and the number of thread holes corresponding to the number of additional shooters is moved in a single row at a predetermined pitch interval by guiding the thread holes by each shooter. Item 5. The automatic flat knitting machine according to item 4. When two or more shooters are installed in each travel route, the control device is configured so that the control of the yarn end stopped in the yarn end stop region at the end of the needle bed is greater than the pitch interval of the moving yarn needle moving region in the needle bed. 6. The automatic flat knitting machine according to claim 5, wherein the movement of the yarn mouth is controlled so that the pitch interval becomes small. A yarn path opening / closing device is provided above the yarn guiding device, and a flexible tension member is provided in the yarn guiding device corresponding to each yarn port, and the yarn is passed through the yarn path opening / closing device as viewed from the yarn supply side. After that, it is configured to be supplied to the clue through the tension member,
After the yarn mouth passes the knitting needle operation area of the needle bed, before reaching the stop position, the yarn is locked by the yarn path opening / closing device, and the tensile force generated in the subsequent yarn is absorbed by the elastic deformation of the tension member. The automatic flat knitting machine according to claim 5 or 6, characterized by the above.

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