JP3457161B2 - Fabric lowering device for flat knitting machine - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a knitting fabric lowering device provided below a gap between front and rear needle beds of a flat knitting machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A flat knitting machine has at least a pair of needle beds arranged in front and back so as to face each other, and below a needle bed portion of a needle bed, a pulling down for lowering a knitted fabric knitted by knitting needles on the needle bed. A device is provided. An example of such a knitting fabric lowering device is Japanese Patent Publication No. 57-55815.

In the device disclosed in the above publication, a plurality of drive flaps (hereinafter referred to as pulling members) are provided in parallel on one side of the knitted fabric passing path below the needle bed gap and face the drive flap on the other side. And a knitted fabric contact surface is provided to grip the knitted fabric between the pulling member and the knitted fabric contact surface. Each pulling member is selectively operated by the lifting device as a pulling member that is a gripping portion that has been subjected to a spring preload capable of swinging within a limited range around each swinging axis that extends in the longitudinal direction of the needle bed. Then, the knitted fabric, which is knitted when the pulling-down member descends, is held between the free edge of the pulling-down member and the knitting contact surface, and the knitted fabric is pulled out along the knitting contact surface.

Therefore, in this apparatus, it is possible to perform flexible pulling down by drivingly controlling each pulling down member,
As a result, even with a three-dimensional knitted fabric, it is possible to guarantee desired uniform and reliable drawing over the entire width of the knitted fabric.

However, in the pulling-down device disclosed in the above publication, the pulling-down member always receives a preload from the spring, so that the pulling-down member presses the knitting-fabric contact surface with or without the knitted fabric between the pulling-down member and the knitted fabric contact surface. It is supposed to do. In this way, the pull-down member always takes the above-mentioned position, for example, when the knitted fabric is moved in the lateral direction by the racking operation or the transfer operation of the needle bed, or when a hole portion having a hole is formed in a predetermined portion of the knitted fabric. It becomes a problem when doing. In addition, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-2
Even when a knitting machine is provided with a set-up device that can move up and down along a knitted fabric passing path as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 10046 and that captures a knitting start portion of the knitted fabric and transfers it to a pulling-down device provided below. This causes a problem that the passage route of the dispensing device cannot be secured.

[0006]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to prevent the pull-down member from engaging with the knitted fabric as necessary, and prevent the pull-down member from causing the above-mentioned problems in knitting the knitted fabric. It is an object of the present invention to provide a knitting fabric lowering device for a flat knitting machine.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a knitting fabric lowering device for a flat knitting machine, which allows the knitting fabric to be easily caught and released by the pulling down member.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a knitting fabric lowering device for a flat knitting machine, which can arbitrarily set a knitting fabric lowering force of a knitted fabric capturing surface in accordance with a knitting fabric and knitting conditions. .

[0009]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to the present invention, a needle is placed in a state in which needle bed mouth portions of a needle bed are opposed to each other.
A flat knitting machine provided with a knitting fabric lowering means for capturing and pulling down a knitted fabric in a knitting fabric passage path below a bed gap portion of at least a pair of front and rear flat knitting machines, In the knitting fabric lowering device, the ground lowering means is formed by arranging a plurality of lowering members in the longitudinal direction of the needle bed, and when the knitting fabric is being lowered, each of the lowering members is capable of sequentially or individually lowering the knitted fabric. The pulling-down member of the knitting fabric pulling-down means is
A knitting fabric catching surface is provided on a portion of the pulling down member body facing the knitting fabric, and the knitting fabric catching surface is provided with a pulling down member main body via an elastic material.
It is attached to the body and forms a shape that captures the knitted fabric when descending and releases the tubular knitted fabric when ascending, and presses the knitted fabric catching surface against the pulling down member main body in the protruding direction, which has no effect. Sometimes, the pulling member main body can be stored at a position where it does not project from the side surface, or can be retracted so that the amount of projection is small.

According to this, the knitted fabric knitted on the needle bed of the flat knitting machine catches the knitted fabric when the knitting fabric catching surface of each pulling down member of the knitting fabric lowering means descends to lower the knitted fabric, Release the knitted fabric when the ground capture surface rises. If necessary, the knitting fabric does not need to be lowered during knitting, and if necessary, the knitting fabric catching surface of the pulling down member is retracted to a position where it separates from the knitting fabric so as to stop the interference with the knitting fabric.

Further, the knitted fabric capturing surface is formed by a plurality of needles which are perpendicular to the surface of the base material or are implanted at a predetermined angle, and the intermediate position of the plurality of needles or the portion near the tip is bent obliquely downward.

In such a device, the knitted fabric is automatically captured and released by simply moving the knitted fabric capturing surface up and down on the same plane. In addition, when the knitted fabric catching surface is attached to the pulling-down member main body via the elastic material, the knitted fabric catching portion releases the knitted fabric by the knitting fabric tension caused by the movement when the knitted fabric moves in the lateral direction. Displaces and releases the knitted fabric.

The pull-down member is connected to the pull-down force adjusting means for adjusting the pull-down force of the pull-down means by an elastic member, and the elastic force of the elastic member is changed by changing the position of the elastic member connecting portion of the pull-down force adjusting means. The fabric lowering force of the knitted fabric catching surface can be changed.

With such a device, the knitting fabric lowering force of the knitted fabric capturing surface can be arbitrarily set according to the knitting fabric and the knitting conditions.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to parts. FIG. 1 is a front view in which a part of the flat knitting machine is cut away, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, in which reference numeral 1 generally indicates the flat knitting machine. This flat knitting machine 1 accommodates a knitting needle 2 in a needle bed 3 so as to be able to move forward and backward, and arranges the needle bed 3 in the front and back with the needle bed portions 4 facing each other, and between the needle bed portions 4. And a roller device 6 for niping and pulling down the knitted fabric that has been pulled down to a predetermined length by the set up device 5, and a knitting fabric that works in cooperation with the roller device 6 or alone. A knitting fabric lowering device 7 for lowering is provided.

These set-up device 5 and pull-down roller device 6
The knitting fabric lowering device 7 is shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 2 formed between the needle bed gaps 4 of the front needle bed (FD, FU) and the rear needle bed (BU, BD) arranged to face each other in the front and rear. It is provided below each needle bed across the knitted fabric passing path 8. In the knitting fabric lowering device 7 of the present embodiment, a pair of knitting fabric lowering means 16 and 17 are provided in front and back of the knitted fabric passing path 8 below the needle bed gap 4 for a knitted fabric which is knitted in a tubular shape. Also, it is a type that can be advantageously lowered. The tubular knitted fabric here means that the knitted fabric of the front body is attached to the front needle bed and the knitted fabric of the back body is attached to the rear needle bed, and both knitted fabrics are knitted in a state in which they are connected at both ends thereof. This means a knitted fabric, and one pulling device 7 pulls down only the knitted fabric on the front body, and the other 7 pulls down only the knitted fabric on the back body. The set-up device 5 includes a pair of hook members 9 arranged back to back so as to face the front and rear knitting needles, and the hook members 9 between the lower part of the pull-down roller device 6 and the upper part of the gap between the needle bed gaps. And an elevating mechanism (not shown) for elevating.

Further, the pull-down roller device 6 oscillates with a pair of front and rear shafts 11 pivotally supported between the left and right frames 10 of the flat knitting machine with the "L" -shaped bracket 12 facing each other. This bracket 12 is movably pivoted.
The pulling-down roller 13 is rotatably supported at the upper end of the above, and the front and rear pulling-down rollers 13, 13 can be rotationally driven by a turning means (not shown). Then, the end portions of the bracket 12 facing each other on the side of the knitted fabric passing path 8 are connected by the link plate 14, and one of the brackets 12 is rotated by the rotating lever 15, so that the front and rear pulling rollers 13 ,.
It is possible to swing 13 in the direction of coming close to each other.

The knitted fabric lowering device 7 has a knitted fabric passing path 8
Front knitting fabric lowering means 16 capable of capturing and lowering only the front knitted fabric of the knitted fabric therein, rear knitting fabric lowering means 17 capable of capturing and lowering only the rear knitted fabric, and both knitting fabric lowering means A knitting fabric lowering device opening / closing mechanism (hereinafter simply referred to as an opening / closing mechanism) 18 that moves 16 and 17 in a direction of moving toward and away from the knitted fabric on the knitted fabric passage 8, and knitted fabrics of both knitting fabric lowering means 16 and 17 described later It is provided with a pulling force adjusting mechanism 20 for adjusting the raising and lowering of the capturing surface 19 and the pulling force thereof. The front knitted fabric lowering means 16 and the rear knitted fabric lowering means 17 are respectively incorporated in front and rear casings 22 and 22 which can be moved in the contact and separation directions by a parallel link 21 described later. That is, the front and rear movements of the casings 22 and 22 are in a "closed" state in which the knitting fabric lowering action is performed in which the space between the facing knitted fabric catching faces 19 and 19 is narrowed, and in an "open" state in which the knitted fabric lowering action is not widely opened. Will be moved to.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the opening / closing mechanism 18 has a motor 84 whose rotation is controlled by a controller (not shown) for controlling the knitting of the flat knitting machine, and the rotation of the motor 84 is a gear transmission mechanism. A cam shaft 86 that is transmitted via 85 and is driven to rotate, and an opening / closing cam 2 attached to the cam shaft 86.
5, an open / close swing bracket 27 on which a roller 26 slidably contacts the open / close cam 25 to swing, and an open / close swing bracket 2
The front opening / closing arm 29 having an inverted “L” shape pivotally supported on the front pivot shaft 30 by an opening / closing rod 28 connected to the front opening / closing arm 29 and the front opening / closing arm 29 with respect to the knitted fabric passing path 8 are provided at symmetrical positions. It is provided with an inverted "L" -shaped rear side opening / closing arm 33 and an interlocking plate 34 that connects the ends of the opening / closing arms 29, 33 on the side of the knitted fabric passing path 8 to each other. This open / close cam 2
Reference numeral 5 denotes an opening / closing swing bracket 27 which swings counterclockwise in the drawing to separate the front and rear casings 22 and 22 from each other as shown in FIG. The closing cam surface has a narrowed space between the casings 22 and 22.

Front opening / closing arm 29 and rear opening / closing arm 3
The respective inverted "L" -shaped corner portions of 3 are connected to the output transmission shafts 30 and 30 of the drive motors 87 and 87 that rotate and drive the drive shaft 70 of the pulling force adjusting mechanism 20, which will be described later, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. It is rotatably supported. The front opening / closing arm 29 pivotally supports an end portion 70a of the front drive shaft 70 of the pulling force adjusting mechanism 20 pivotally supported by the front casing 22 at an intermediate portion between a corner portion of the front opening / closing arm 29 and the connection of the opening / closing rod 28. An end portion 70a of the drive shaft 70 on the rear side of the pulling force adjusting mechanism 20 pivotally supported on the casing 22 on the rear side is pivotally supported on the lower end portion of the opening / closing arm 33, respectively.

The parallel link 21 for moving the two casings 22 in the contacting / separating direction is the front opening / closing arm 2
The end portion 70a of 9 and the link plate 38 provided in parallel with the end portion 70a of the parallel casing 21 of the front casing 22.
Is formed, and the parallel link 21 of the front casing 22 is formed by the end portion 70a side portion of the rear opening / closing arm 33 and the link plate 39 provided in parallel therewith (FIG. 3).
reference).

The pulling-down force adjusting mechanism 20 controls the knitting of the flat knitting machine 1 as shown in FIG. 6 (not shown).
A motor 84 whose rotation is controlled by a control signal from the motor, a cam shaft 86 whose rotation is transmitted through a gear transmission mechanism 85 and is driven to rotate, and a cam shaft 86 which is fixed to the cam shaft 86 and accompanies the opening / closing cam 25. Rotating pulling force adjustment cam 40
And a pull-down force adjusting bracket 42 in which a sliding roller 41 slidably contacts and swings with the pull-down force adjusting cam 40, and an intermediate portion is rotatably supported by the output transmission shaft 30 and front and rear casings 22. The front arm 43 and the rear arm 44 of the "F" shape, which are arranged symmetrically across the knitted fabric passing path 8 in 22, and the lower end of the rear arm 44 and the pulling down force adjusting bracket 42. A connecting rod 45 having an adjustable length for connecting the upper end, and both arms 43 on the knitted fabric passing path 8 side.
And an interlocking plate 46 that connects the end portions of 44 to each other.

At the lower end portions of both arms 43 and 44, a raising and lowering drive means 48 for raising and lowering the lowering members 47 and 47 incorporated in the front and rear casings 22 and 22, and a lowering force of the lowering members 47 and 47 are set. Pulling force adjusting means 4
9 and 9 are provided (see FIGS. 7 and 8). A plurality of the pull-down members 47 are formed side by side along the longitudinal direction of the front and rear needle beds 3 and 3, and each pull-down member 47 and a plastic pull-down member main body 50 formed into a substantially rectangular shape by injection molding. And a knitted fabric capturing surface forming member 53 mounted in the pulling-down member main body 50 (see FIG. 9).

The pulling-down member main body 50 has a storage space 52 for the knitted fabric capturing surface forming member 53 formed in the upper half thereof, and
A pulling tension adjusting spring 5 is provided on one side of the storage space 52.
A spring receiving projection 55 for engaging the upper end of 4 is formed to project (see FIGS. 7 and 8). The lower end of the pull-down tension adjusting spring 54 is received by a spring receiving projection (elastic member connecting portion) 83 provided on a push-up acting portion 76b of a push-up lever 76 described later. An engaging piece 6 of a solenoid 59, which will be described later, is provided on the inner surface of one side portion of the lowering body 50 at the lower side.
An engaging portion 61 for engaging with 0 is formed in upper and lower tiers, and the pushing-up roller 5
6 is provided, and the elevating drive means 48 and the pulling force adjusting means 49 act on the push-up roller 56 so that the pulling-down member main body 50 is vertically moved up and down.

The knitted fabric catching surface forming member 53 is made of a relatively heavy synthetic resin, and is formed in the storage space 52 of the pulling down member main body 50 with the knitted fabric catching surface formed on the surface thereof. The knitted fabric catching surface forming member 53 is stored and is prevented from being pulled out by a protector 50a attached to the lower half of the pulling-down member main body 50. The solenoid 59
Is provided on the back surface of the sliding bearing 58 fixed to the knitted fabric passing path 8 side of the casing 22 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. Next, the operation of the solenoid 59 will be described.

The solenoid 59 is controlled to be turned on and off by a control signal from the control device, and is normally turned off because the energization is cut off.
0 is an engaging portion 61 provided on the back side of the pulling-down member main body 50.
The pull-down member main body 50 can slide in the vertical direction without engaging with. When the solenoid 59 is energized and turned on, the engagement piece 60 of the solenoid 59 is tilted in the engagement direction to be engaged with one of the upper and lower engagement portions 61 provided on the pulling-down member main body 50.

When the knitted fabric catching surface forming member 53 in which the engaging piece 60 of the solenoid 59 is engaged with the lower engaging portion 61 is raised to the vicinity of the upper limit, the knitted fabric catching surface 19 is sunk into the casing 22 side. When the engaging piece 60 of the solenoid 59 is engaged with the upper engaging portion 61, the knitted fabric catching surface 19 is in a protruding state and the knitted fabric catching surface 19 does not move up and down to be in a "pause" state. The states of the "depression" and the "pause" will be described in detail later, but in this way, the O of the solenoid 59 is turned on.
N and OFF control stopping and releasing of the vertical sliding motion of the pull-down member 47.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the knitted fabric catching surface forming member 53 has spring storing recesses 6 at the four corners of the back surface thereof.
2 is bored, the coil spring 63 attached to the spring accommodating recess 62 is attached to the spring receiving projection 64 that is taken out from the bottom of the accommodating space 52 of the pulling-down member main body 50, and the knitted fabric capturing surface 19 has its surface. Are urged so as to project toward the knitted fabric passing path 8 side. Thus, the coil springs 63 provided at the four corners of the back surface of the knitted fabric catching surface forming member 53 push the knitted fabric catching surface 19 and urge the knitted fabric catching surface 19 at the same time, so that the needle bed 3 is racked and the knitted fabric is reduced in the lateral direction. When the force is applied, the knitted fabric catching surface 19 inclines in the direction in which the knitted fabric easily comes off against the coil spring 63, and the knitted fabric is removed from the knitted fabric catching surface 19 in combination with the shape of the needle 51 described later. It also acts to release.
Further, the knitted fabric catching surface 19 also has the coil spring 6 when the thickness of the knitted fabric is increased or decreased or the count of the knitting yarn is changed as in the case of changing the knitting structure during knitting to form a pattern.
The tension of 3 causes the knitted fabric catching surface 19 to properly engage with and release the knitted fabric during knitting.

At the center of the back surface of the knitted fabric catching surface forming member 53, a roller 65 is provided in a horizontally supported state with a space provided between the roller 65 and the back surface. On the other hand, downward hook-shaped retracting pieces 66 are provided from the front and rear casings 22 and 22 side so as to enter the space between the roller 65 and the center of the back surface of the knitted fabric capturing surface forming member 53. As shown in FIG. 10, the hook-shaped pull-in piece 66 has a downward hook portion 66a protruding from the surface thereof.
A fixing piece 66b is formed so as to fit from the upper end of 6a to the back surface and fit into the upper end space of the casing 22. The fixing piece 66b abuts the front upper edge portion 22a of the casing 22 between the hook portion 66a and the fixing piece 66b. A fixed portion 66c that stabilizes the pull-in piece 66 is integrally formed.

Therefore, the fixing piece 66b of the pull-in piece 66 is fitted to the upper end portion of the casing 22, and the fixing portion 66c abuts on the front upper edge of the casing 22 so that the hook-shaped pull-in piece 66 is located near the upper end of the casing 22. When the pull-down member 47 is lifted to the vicinity of the uppermost position, the roller 65 is pulled toward the casing 22 by the downward hook-shaped pull-in piece 66 protruding from the casing 22. As shown in FIG. 7, the knitted fabric catching surface 19 sinks toward the casing 22 side against the elastic force of the coil spring 63.

As shown in FIG. 11, the knitted fabric capturing surface 19 comprises a flexible base material 69 in which a canvas 67 is coated with rubber 68 and the like, and a needle 51 densely planted in the base material 69. The needle 51 portion protruding from the base material 69 is
The seeds are once planted upward with respect to the surface of the base material 69, the middle portion thereof is bent so that the tip end portion thereof is downward, and the upper edge of the tip end of the needle 51 is chamfered, and the tip end side surface portion is cut into a tapered shape. Has been formed. When the needle 51 of the knitted fabric catching surface 19 is formed in this manner, the tension of the knitted fabric firmly bites upward (toward the C direction in the drawing) with respect to the needle 51 and downward (toward the needle 51 as shown in FIG. 11-B). The knitted fabric is released without resistance to the tension in the direction D in the figure).

As shown in FIG. 11-B, when the tension of the knitted fabric acts on the needle 51 in the lateral direction (E direction in the drawing), the knitting is caused by the elastic deformation of the base material 69 and the bending of the needle 51. Release the ground from the needle 51. Here, it is needless to say that the needle 51 may be implanted perpendicularly to the surface of the base material 69 and then the middle portion may be bent so that the tip is formed obliquely downward, as shown in FIG. Needless to say, it is also possible to extend the needle 51 from the plate-shaped member, or form the needle 51 for forming the knitted fabric catching surface 19 by forming a saw-tooth shape from the plate-shaped member as shown in FIG. . When forming the needle 51 portion from the plate-like member as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, it can be integrally formed of synthetic resin.

The pulling force adjusting mechanism 20 for adjusting the raising and lowering of the pulling down member 47 incorporated in each casing 22 and the amount of raising and lowering will be described below.
0 is a lift drive means 48 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8,
And a pulling down force adjusting means 49. Lift drive means 48
Is a pair of front and rear drive motors 87 provided on the left side of the frame 10 as shown in FIGS.
A hexagonal drive shaft 70 provided on each of the 2 and 22 and having end portions 70a supported by the front and rear open / close arms 29, and a gear that transmits the rotation of the drive motor 87 to the drive shaft 70 via the output transmission shaft 30. 7 and 8 and the conducting means 88
The push-up cam 7 provided on the drive shaft 70 corresponding to the push-up roller 56 of each pull-down member 47 as shown in FIG.
1 and the push-up lever 7 acting on the push-up roller 56
3 and a push-up roller 74 provided at an intermediate portion of the push-up lever 73.

As shown in FIG. 14, the push-up cam 71 has one cam crest 71b formed from the base end portion in which a hexagonal hole 71a which fits into the drive shaft 70 is formed.
The push-up cam 71 has five pull-down members 47 as one unit and is arranged corresponding to each pull-down member 47, 47, ... In a state in which the phases of the adjacent cam ridges 71b are sequentially shifted by 60 degrees. It is fitted and attached to the hexagonal drive shaft 70. As shown in FIGS. 15-A to 15-C, the push-up lever 73 is provided with a slit 89 in the middle for rotating the cam crest 71b of the push-up cam 71, and the push-up roller 74 is rotatable in the slit 89. It is arranged.

The push-up lever 73 has a base end portion 73a.
Is pivotally supported by a pivot shaft 72 (see FIG. 7 and FIG. 8) provided in parallel with the drive shaft 70, and a helix spring 75 is provided at the base end portion 73a, and an arch shape is formed from the base end portion 73a. The tip end portion 73b extended to the above acts on the push-up roller 56. Above-mentioned vine spring 75
Together with the pull-down tension adjusting spring 54
It also works to adjust the pulling force of. As described above, the push-up cam 71 and the push-up lever 73 have five pull-down members 47 arranged in the longitudinal direction of the needle bed 3 as one unit, and the pull-down members 47, 47 ... Have a phase of 60 degrees. Since they are fitted and attached to the hexagonal drive shaft 70 in a shifted state, the cam peaks 71b are formed on five of the six sides of the hexagonal drive shaft 70, and the drive shaft 70 The remaining one surface is a rest surface where neither push-up lever 73 is rocked, that is, the drive motor 72 stops. When the drive motor 72 is stopped on this rest surface, all the pulling-down members 47 move to the knitted fabric catching surface 19
Holds the knitted fabric, and the knitted fabric is pulled down by the knitted fabric catching surface 19. The drive motor 72 controls the knitting speed of the knitted fabric and the knitted fabric catching surface forming member 53 shown in FIG.
The rotational speed can be changed and stopped to match the relationship with the basic stroke S of. For example, when the knitting speed of the knitted fabric is slow, the drive motor 72 is not always rotated and is stopped at the rest position, or is rotated at a low speed. Conversely, when the knitting speed of the knitted fabric is fast, the drive motor 72 is constantly operated. Rotate.

The pull-down force adjusting means 49 is formed by a push-up lever 76 that is rotated by the front arm 43 and the rear arm 44 of the pull-down force adjusting mechanism 20, respectively. As shown in FIG. 16, the push-up lever 76 pushes up the push-up roller 56 of the pull-down member 47 to the tip end portion that extends in an arch shape from the pivotal support portion 76a pivotally supported by the pivot shaft 72 of the push-up lever 73. A push-up acting portion 76b is formed, and a spring receiving projection 83 is formed to project from a side surface portion of the push-up acting portion 76b. Also, the pivot 76
A forked portion 76c that is operated by the operating swing shaft 82 of the pulling force adjusting mechanism 20 is formed below a. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the operating rocking shaft 82 is disposed on the upper end portion of the operating lever 78 attached to the operating shaft 79. The operating lever 78 is provided on both arms of the pulling force adjusting mechanism 20. The slider 80 at the end of the interlocking lever 77 attached to the operation shaft 79 is slidably fitted in the long hole 81 formed at the lower end of the motor 43, 44.
By driving and controlling 4, the front arm 43 and the rear arm 44 are oscillated through the gear transmission mechanism 85, the cam shaft 86, the pulling force adjusting cam 40, the pulling force adjusting bracket 42, and the connecting rod 45. At the same time, the interlocking lever 77 is adapted to rotate the operating shaft 79 (see FIG. 6).

Opening / closing of the casings 22, 22 by the opening / closing mechanism 18 configured as described above, and the pulling down force adjusting mechanism 2
The pulling amount of the pulling down member 47 is controlled by 0 and the pulling down force is adjusted.
The pull-down force adjusting cam 40 is attached to the same cam shaft 84 so as to rotate together. Therefore, by combining these cams 25 and 40, the casing 22
When the casing 22 is operated in the two states of the open state and the closed state and the casing 22 is in the closed state, the pulling down force of the pulling down member 47 causes the pulling down force of the pulling down member 47 to be “strong”, “medium”.
It is adjusted to four levels: "weak" and "pause."

The four steps of pulling down force of the pulling down member 47 when the casings 22 and 22 are closed and the casings 22 and 22 are closed will be described below. The pulling down amount of the knitted fabric catching surface forming member 53 is pushed up. An amount (S shown in FIG. 18) pushed up by the cam crest of the push-up cam 71 via the lever 73 will be described as a basic stroke. Casing 2
The open state of 2 means a state in which the knitted fabric passing path 8 through which the knitted fabric between the casings 22 and 22 in which the knitted fabric catching surface 19 is installed passes, and the opening / closing mechanism 18 is operated as follows. To do.

First, the opening / closing cam 25 is rotated by the motor 84, whose rotation is controlled by a control device (not shown) for controlling the knitting of the flat knitting machine 1, through the gear transmission 85 and the cam shaft 86. When the moving bracket 27 is swung counterclockwise in FIG. 3, the front opening / closing arm 29 of the front casing 22 is rotated clockwise and the rear opening / closing arm 33 of the rear casing 22 is rotated counterclockwise. Move. As a result, the front and rear casings 22 and 22 are parallel links 2 respectively.
It is moved in the direction of separating by 1 to be in the “open” state of FIGS. 2 and 3. As a result, due to the action of the parallel link 21, the front and rear casings 22 have the knitted fabric passing path 8 therebetween.
Is opened wide, and the hook member 9 of the set-up device 5 can be raised up to the needle bed gap 4.

At this time, the pulling-down force adjusting cam 40 rotates together with the opening / closing cam 25. As a result, the pulling down force adjusting bracket 42 swings clockwise in the state of FIG.
The operation shaft 79 on the rear side is rotated counterclockwise via the interlocking lever 77. This rotation of the operating shaft 79 causes the operating swing shaft 82 to push up the lever 7 as shown in FIG.
6 pushes the front part of the bifurcated portion 76c to push up the lever 7
Since 6 is rotated clockwise about 72 as a rotation center, the action portion 76c at the tip of the push-up lever 76 pushes up the push-up roller 56 and raises the knitted fabric catching surface forming member 53 to a position near the upper limit position.

The push-up amount of the knitted fabric catching surface forming member 53 by the push-up action portion 76b is larger than the basic stroke S pushed up by the push-up cam 71 via the push-up lever 73. Thereby, the knitted fabric capturing surface forming member 53
Since the roller 65 at the center of the back surface of the knitted fabric is drawn toward the holder 57 side by the hook-shaped drawing piece 66, the knitted fabric catching surface 19 sinks against the coil spring 63 toward the casing 22 side (FIG. 16).
-See A). In this state, the solenoid 59 is energized to move the engaging piece 60 from the state (a) in FIG.
Inclining to the engaging portion 61 side in the state of (B) in B, the engaging piece 60 engages with the lower engaging portion 61, and the knitted fabric catching surface 19
That is, the state in which the knitted fabric catching surface forming member 53 is held near the upper limit position is maintained in the state where the knitted fabric is sunk into the casing 22 side. Here, the state of “depression” in which the knitted fabric catching surface 19 is sunk to the casing 22 side is set in the pull-down member 47 portion outside the knitting width, and the knitted fabric catching surface 19 is sunk into the casing 22 side, The fabric is evacuated so as not to hinder the knitting of the knitted fabric. Further, even when the knitted fabric is moved in the lateral direction when racking the needle bed, the pull-down member 47 part in the movement route may be put in the “sinking” state in order to secure the movement route of the knitted fabric.

Next, in order to bring the front and rear casings 22 and 22 into the "closed" state, the motor 84 is rotated to open and close the open / close cam 25 attached to the cam shaft 86 by the open / close swing bracket 27 shown in FIG. From the state, rotate the tip so that the tip swings to the right. Then, the front side opening / closing arm 29 of the front side casing 22 rotates counterclockwise and the rear side opening / closing arm 33 of the rear side casing 22 rotates clockwise, and the front and rear casings 22 and 22 are respectively moved by the parallel links 21. It is drawn to the "closed" state. When the energization of the solenoid 59 is cut off and the engagement between the engaging piece 60 and the engaging portion 61 is released, the knitted fabric catching surface forming member 53 can move up and down and the knitted fabric catching surface 19 can lower the knitted fabric. , It becomes a "pause" state where it does not go up and down.

When the casings 22 and 22 before and after this are pulled to the "closed" state, the knitting fabric lowering action by the knitted fabric catching surface 19 of the pulling down member 47 is not performed.
Energizes the solenoid 59 to move the engagement piece 60 to the position shown in FIG.
16 (B) is inclined from the state (a) in FIG. 16B to the state (b) in FIG. 16B, and the engaging piece 60 is engaged with the upper engaging portion 61. Is slightly above the basic stroke S, that is, the pull-down member 47.
The push-up roller 56 is located slightly below the rotational locus of the cam lobes of the push-up cam 71. Therefore, even if the push-up cam 71 rotates, the pull-down member 47 is caught by the cam mountain.
Is not pushed up, and the knitted fabric catching surface forming member 53 is in the “pause” state. This idle state is set in a portion that is within the width of knitting and is not knitted by pattern knitting or the like.

The state in which the knitted fabric pulling down force by the knitted fabric catching surface 19 is "strong" in the "closed" state in which the front and rear casings 22 are drawn together will be described below. In order to make the knitting fabric pulling down force "strong", the pulling down force adjusting cam 40 is rotated so that the pulling down force adjusting swing bracket 42 is swung so that its tip is located at the leftmost side in the drawing, and is connected. Operation shaft 79 via rod 45, rear arm 44 and interlocking lever 77
Rotate. This rotation of the operating shaft 79 causes the operating lever 78
With the operating swing shaft 82, the front push-up lever 76
18A is rotated clockwise, and the rear push-up lever 76 is rotated counterclockwise. As shown in FIG. 18-A, the push-up action portion 76b of the push-up lever 76 is lowered to move the pull-down tension adjusting spring 54. The tension of the pull-down tension adjusting spring 54 that extends and applies to the spring receiving protrusion 55 is applied. Due to the increased tension of the tension adjusting spring 54 and the own weight of the pulling-down member 47, the knitting fabric pulling down force by the knitting fabric catching surface 19 becomes “strong”. This "strong" state is
It is used, for example, when a particularly large pulling down force is required, such as when it is desired to repeat knitting only a part of the knitting width, and the other part that is not knitted is set to the "rest" state. In the above "strong" state, that is, in the state where the tension of the tension adjusting spring 54 acts, the tension is adjusted steplessly within the tension of the tension adjusting spring 54 to adjust the knitted fabric catching surface 1
It is possible to adjust the knitting fabric pulling down force by 9.

In order to make the knitting fabric pulling down force by the knitting fabric catching surface 19 in the "closed" state in which the front and rear casings 22 and 22 are pulled together, the pulling down force adjusting cam 40 is rotated. The pulling force adjusting swing bracket 42 is swung to a position where the tip end thereof is on the right side of the “strong” state in FIG. 18 and to the left side of FIG. Then, the connecting rod 4
5, via the rear arm 44 and the interlocking lever 77, FIG.
The operation shaft 79 on the front side is rotated clockwise and the operation shaft 79 on the rear side is rotated counterclockwise from the "strong" state of 8-A. By the rotation of each operation shaft 79, the front operation rocking shaft 82 is rotated in the clockwise direction and the rear operation rocking shaft 82 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction. As a result, the pull-down tension adjusting spring 54 in the expanded state contracts, and the push-up acting portion 76b of the push-up lever 76 is raised, so that the pull-down member 47 is not acted on by the tension of the pull-down tension adjusting spring 54. Therefore, the knitting fabric pulling down force by the knitting fabric catching surface 19 pulls down the knitting fabric by the weight of the pulling down member 47, and the knitting fabric pulling down force becomes “medium”.
A general knitting is knitted in this "medium" state.

Further, in order to make the knitted fabric pulling down force by the knitted fabric catching surface 19 in the “closed” state in which the front and rear casings 22 are drawn to “weak”, the front side from the “medium” state is further increased. The operation shaft 79 is rotated in the clockwise direction and the rear operation shaft 79 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, and the front-side push-up lever 73 is moved in the counterclockwise direction by the operation swing shaft 82 via the vine winding spring 75. The rear push-up lever 7
3 is rotated counterclockwise. Then, FIG.
As shown by -A, even after the tip end portion 73b of the push-up lever 73 contacts the push-up roller 56 of the pull-down member 47, the vine winding spring 75 provided at the base end portion 73a is pressed by the operating swing shaft 82. It becomes a state. Therefore, the knitting fabric pulling down force by the knitting fabric catching surface 19 becomes the weight obtained by subtracting the pressing force of the vine winding spring 75 at the tip portion 73b from the own weight of the pulling down member 47, and the knitting fabric pulling down force becomes "weak". This "weak" state is set, for example, when performing bind-off processing such as knitted fabric edge processing. The knitting of the knitted fabric is set in each state of “strong”, “medium”, “weak” and “pause” of the knitting fabric pulling down force of the knitted fabric catching face 19 or “sinking” when the knitting fabric catching face 19 sinks. When the knitting fabric pulling down force of some of the pulling down members 47 is changed from the state where the knitting fabric pulling down is “medium” to the state where the knitting fabric catching surface 19 is “sunk”, for example, the front and rear casings 22 can be set. Is changed from "closed" to "open" and the knitted fabric catching surface 19 is "distanced".
Then, the pulling-down member 47 at a desired portion is held in the raised "sunk" state by the engaging piece 60 of the solenoid 59, and the front and rear casings 22 are returned from "open" to "closed". Then, a part of the pull-down member 47 has a knitting fabric pull-down force of "medium".
It is possible to change the state from the state 1 to the state 1 in which the knitted fabric capturing surface is sunk. When the knitted fabric pulling down force is changed from the state of "medium" to the state of "depression" in which the knitted fabric catching surface 19 is depressed, the knitted fabric is lowered by the pulling down roller device 6 as in this example. It is desirable to sandwich and hold. In the pulling-down device 7 of the present embodiment, since a pair of pulling-down means is arranged in front of and behind the knitted fabric passing path 8, the pulling-down means provided for pulling down each of the front and back knitting fabrics forming the tubular knitted fabric are individually arranged. Since the respective knitted fabrics can be pulled down by controlling the knitted fabric, the knitted fabrics can be pulled down even when the shape and the number of courses of the front body and the back body are different when knitting a sweater or the like.

In the above embodiment, the opening / closing mechanism 18 is configured to move the knitted fabric catching surface 19 of each of the pulling-down means 16 and 17 to a wide open position. Thus, even when two set-up devices 5 are provided, a passage path for raising and lowering the set-up devices can be secured, but when only one set-up device 5 is provided or The opening / closing mechanism 18 may be omitted when the apparatus is not provided. Further, the knitting fabric lowering device of the above-mentioned embodiment is not only for knitting a tubular knitted fabric having a two-layer cross-section, but also for knitting, for example, the front body and the back body as separate knitted fabrics (single layers) one by one. It goes without saying that it can also be used for. However, in the case of a flat knitting machine whose main purpose is to knit one by one without forming the knitted fabric into a tubular body, a pulling down means is provided only on one side of the knitted fabric passing path and is pulled down on the other side. A guide member may be provided which faces each knitted fabric pressing surface of the member and covers the range of the lifting stroke of the knitted fabric pressing surface. In this case, the guide member regulates the escape of the knitted fabric from the catching face when catching the knitted fabric on the knitted fabric catching face, and reliably catches the knitted fabric on the knitted fabric catching face. Also, five pulling down members constitute one unit and the pulling down members are arranged so that the cam crests are shifted in phase so as to be sequentially pushed up from the end, but the number of pulling down members constituting the unit is changed. The present invention can be carried out within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention, for example, by changing the mounting position of the cam lobe to the drive shaft so that each pulling member is operated at different timings.

[0048]

As described above, according to the knitted fabric lowering apparatus of the present invention, any knitted fabric can be captured in the knitted fabric catching portion which is selectively drive-controllable and arranged in the longitudinal direction of the needle bed. Since the part can be disengaged from the knitted fabric as needed, for example, when forming a hole part in the knitted fabric and when the knitted fabric is largely moved in the lateral direction by racking, the position of the part can be maintained. The knitting of the knitted fabric can be performed smoothly by separating the pulling-down member from the knitted fabric and retracting it. Further, the knitted fabric can be automatically captured and released only by moving the knitted fabric capturing surface up and down on the same plane. Further, by attaching the knitted fabric catching surface to the pulling-down member main body through the elastic material, the knitted fabric can be easily released from the knitted fabric catching portion even when the knitted fabric moves laterally. Further, the knitting fabric lowering force of the knitted fabric capturing surface can be arbitrarily set according to the knitting fabric and the knitting conditions.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway front view of a flat knitting machine in which a knitting fabric lowering device according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to the flat knitting machine.

FIG. 2 is a cross section taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing an opening / closing mechanism of a casing.

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of an opening / closing mechanism and a pulling-down force adjusting mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a schematic front view of an opening / closing mechanism and a pulling-down force adjusting mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view showing a pull-down force adjusting mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a schematic side view showing the operation of the mechanism of the knitted fabric lowering device including the lowering force adjusting mechanism.

8 is a front view of FIG. 7. FIG.

FIG. 9 is an exploded side view of the pull-down member.

FIG. 10 is a schematic side view of a pull-in piece portion.

11-A is a side view of the knitted fabric capturing surface, FIG.
B is the enlarged view, and FIG. 11-C is an enlarged plan view.

FIG. 12 is a side view showing a modified example of the knitted fabric capturing surface.

FIG. 13 is a side view showing still another modified example of the knitted fabric capturing surface.

14-A is a side view of the push-up cam, FIG.
-B is the front view.

FIG. 15-A is a side view of the push-up lever, FIG.
5-B is a plan view of the push-up cam lever, and FIG. 15-C is a front view of the push-up lever.

16-A is a side view of the lifting lever, FIG.
6-B is a plan view of the push-up lever, and FIG. 16-C is a front view of the push-up lever.

FIG. 17-A is a side view showing a state where the knitted fabric catching surface is retracted at a position near the upper limit, and FIG. 17-B is a side view showing a state where the knitted fabric catching surface is retracted at a position near the upper limit. It is a figure.

FIG. 18-A is a side view showing a basic stroke of a knitted fabric capturing surface, and FIG. 18-B is a front view showing a basic stroke of a knitted fabric capturing surface.

FIG. 19-A is a side view showing the operation when adjusting the amount of lowering of the knitted fabric capturing surface, and FIG. 19-B is a front view showing the operation when adjusting the amount of lowering of the knitting fabric capturing surface. is there.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Flat knitting machine, 3 ... Needle bed, 8 ... Knitted fabric passage route, 16 ... Front knitted fabric lowering means, 17 ... Rear knitted fabric lowering means, 18 ... Opening / closing mechanism, 19 Knitted fabric catching surface, 20 ... Pulling force adjustment Mechanism, 2
4 ... Knitting carriage, 47 ... Pulling down member, 48 ... Elevating / driving means, 49 ... Pulling down force adjusting means, 50 ... Pulling down member main body, 51 ... Needle, 69 ... Base material, 83 ... Elastic member connecting portion

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) Reference JP-A-5-214645 (JP, A) JP-A-2-210046 (JP, A) JP-A-48-91364 (JP, A) JP-A-58- 208451 (JP, A) JP 63-112758 (JP, A) JP 51-105460 (JP, A) JP-B 2-6863 (JP, B2) JP 57-55815 (JP, B1) Actual Public Showa 55-24041 (JP, Y1) Actual Public Showa 62-19650 (JP, Y1) Actual Public Showa 25-9460 (JP, Y1) Actual Public Showa 44-12215 (JP, Y1) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) D04B 15/88-15/90

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A needle in a state in which needle bed openings of a needle bed face each other.
A flat knitting machine provided with a knitting fabric lowering means for capturing and pulling down a knitted fabric in a knitting fabric passage path below a bed gap portion of at least a pair of front and rear flat knitting machines, In the knitting fabric lowering device, the ground lowering means is formed by arranging a plurality of lowering members in the longitudinal direction of the needle bed, and when the knitting fabric is being lowered, each of the lowering members is capable of sequentially or individually lowering the knitted fabric. The pulling-down member of the knitting fabric pulling-down means is provided with a knitting fabric catching surface in a portion of the pulling-down member main body facing the knitting fabric, and the knitting fabric catching surface is attached to the pulling- down member main body via an elastic material.
The pulling member body is formed in such a shape that it captures the knitted fabric when descending and releases the tubular knitted fabric when rising and presses the knitting fabric catching surface against the pulling down member main body in the projecting direction, and when it does not work. A knitting fabric lowering device in a flat knitting machine, characterized in that it can be stored at a position where it does not project from the side surface of the knitting machine or can be retracted so that the amount of projection is small. 2. The knitted fabric capturing surface is formed by a plurality of needles that are perpendicular to the surface of the base material or are planted at a predetermined angle, and the intermediate position of the plurality of needles or the portion near the tip is bent obliquely downward. The knitted fabric lowering device in the flat knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein 3. The pull-down member is connected to a pull-down force adjusting means for adjusting the pull-down force of the pull-down means by an elastic member, and the elastic force of the elastic member is changed by changing the position of the elastic member connecting portion of the pull-down force adjusting means. 2. The knitted fabric lowering device in a flat knitting machine according to claim 1, wherein the knitted fabric lowering force of the knitted fabric catching surface can be changed.