TRICK PLATE SPACING CHANGER FOR DOUBLE RASCHEL MACHINES

Abstract

 This is to simplify the procedure for changing and adjusting the spacing between trick plates, and further to eliminate need for stroke adjustment of the rows of knitting needles after the changing and adjusting. The trick plate spacing changer for double raschel machines comprising: front and rear, two rows of knitting needles (1a, 1b), front and rear trick plates (2a, 2b) contingent on the front and rear rows of knitting needles, front and rear intermediate frames (4a, 4b) respectively supporting the front and rear rows of knitting needles and the trick plates in a knitting-allowing manner, and front and rear pedestals (5a, 5b) on which the front and rear intermediate frames are respectively erected and fixed. As mechanism for linearly moving the front pedestal and the rear pedestal toward and away from each other, a right-hand threaded shaft (12a) and a left-hand threaded shaft (12b) are respectively provided for one and other of the front and rear pedestals (5a, 5b) as to adjust the spacing between trick plates.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This invention relates to a trick plate spacing changer for double raschel machines.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] In a conventional double raschel machine comprising two rows, front and rear, of knitting needles, a spacing between front and rear opposite rows of knitting needles should be changed when the thickness of a fabric to be knitted is changed. This requires change of a spacing between front and rear trick plates contingent on the knitting needles.

[0003] The applicant has proposed and filed the JP-A-2000-80545 for the apparatus for changing the spacing between front and rear trick plates. In the apparatus, an eccentric mechanism provided with locking means is connected to an end of each connecting rod connected to respective supporting levers for supporting front and rear opposite trick plates. Thus, the locking means would be unlocked when a spacing between the trick plates is to be changed, and a handle attached to the eccentric mechanism is rotated as to change a position of the connecting rod. Thereby, the supporting lever is rotated as to change a position of the trick plates held at the distal ends. A desired trick plate spacing is obtained through such procedure.

[0004] In the change of a trick plate spacing by the proposed apparatus described above, however, the trick plate pivots about an axis of the supporting lever to change in position. Thus, a distal end of the trick plate is even slightly shifted in a stroke direction relative to distal ends of the knitting needles. If such shift is left as it is, a condition of pulling from a loop in knitting changes, resulting in trouble or disadvantage in knitting. For canceling the shift, stroke of knitting needles has to be changed or adjusted, after changing the trick plate spacing. This makes a procedure for changing the trick plate spacing to be troublesome.

[0005] In order to resolve the above problems of double raschel machines, it is intended to provide a trick plate spacing changer for the double raschel machines, which is capable of simplifying the procedure for changing the trick plate spacing and which dispenses with stroke adjustment of the knitting needles after the changing operation.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0006] A trick plate spacing changer according to the invention, which can resolve the above problems, for a double raschel machine that is comprised of : front and rear, two rows of knitting needles; front and rear trick plates contingent on the front and rear rows of knitting needles; front and rear intermediate frames respectively supporting the front and rear rows of knitting needles and the trick plates in a knitting-allowing manner; and a front pedestal and a rear pedestal on which the front and rear intermediate frames are respectively erected and fixed, characterized in that: means or mechanism for linearly moving the front pedestal and the rear pedestal toward and away from each other are provided on both of the front and rear pedestals so as to enable changing of spacing between the front and rear trick plates together with spacing between the rows of knitting needles.

[0007] In accordance with the trick plate spacing changer according to the invention, linearly moving the front pedestal and the rear pedestal toward or away from each other by means of said means for moving allows the spacing between the front and rear trick plates to be easily changed. Furthermore, the whole parts on the front and rear pedestals including the front and rear trick plates and the front and rear rows of knitting needles evenly moves in parallel, so that a relative position of the trick plates and the knitting needles does not change before and after changing the spacing, resulting in dispensing with stroke adjustment of the knitting needles.

[0008] The front and rear trick plates are mounted through a supporting body to a supporting shaft passing through plural intermediate frames in the width direction of the knitting machine, the intermediate frames being respectively erected and fixed on the front and rear pedestals, in a knitting-allowing manner together with the knitting needles.

[0009] Said means or mechanism for linearly moving is preferably comprised of threaded shaft (s) screwed on and passing through the front pedestal and the rear pedestal in the front-rear direction. More preferably, one of the threaded shafts has a right-hand thread and the other of the threaded shaft has a left-hand thread. This allows the structure to be simplified and driving to be easily performed.

[0010] Moreover, each of the front pedestal and the rear pedestal may be fastened as fixed to a base machine pedestal by way of clamp means or clamp device(s) so that hydraulic means is used for fastening and unfastening the front pedestal and the rear pedestal. This allows members attached to the front and rear pedestals including the trick plates to be easily fixed to the base machine pedestal and to be released from the fixing for moving, resulting in an easy and convenient manner of changing of the spacing.

[0011] Furthermore, using a motor for rotating the threaded shaft (s) allows a desired operation to be performed in a short time without any labor.

[0012] In addition to the above, it may be constructed as follows. A first take-up roll and a presser roll are oppositely provided in parallel at below of the knitting area formed by the rows of knitting needles; and one of the take-up roll and the presser roll is mounted on a front intermediate frame while the other is mounted on a rear intermediate frame. Then, a spacing between the opposite rolls in conformity with the thickness of the three-dimensional warp knitted fabric being knitted is automatically adjusted when the spacing between the trick plates is changed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] 

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a double raschel machine including an embodiment of the trick plate spacing changer in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of a machine pedestal part including a base machine pedestal and front and rear pedestals.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of a threaded shaft part along the A-A line in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view along the B-B line in Figure 2, showing a pressured and fixed state of a clamp part.

Figure 5 is a sectional view of a left-hand half of the above clamp part, showing a freed state of the clamp part.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0014] An embodiment of the trick plate spacing changer for double raschel machines in accordance with the invention will be described below with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings.

[0015] Figure 1 is a sectional view of a double raschel machine including a trick plate spacing changer in accordance with the invention, the view being taken away in a direction vertical to the width direction of the knitting machine.

[0016] In Figure 1, "1a" denotes a front knitting needle and "2a" denotes a front trick plate, which is mounted to a supporting body 3a. "1b" denotes a rear knitting needle and "2b" denotes a rear trick plate, which is mounted to a supporting body 3b. The plural front and rear knitting needles 1a and 1b are arranged in parallel to form rows of knitting needles in a width direction of the knitting machine, that is, in a direction vertical to the sheet face of Figure 1. The front and rear trick plates 2a and 2b extend in the width direction of the knitting machine in parallel with the rows of knitting needles.

[0017] "4a" denotes a front intermediate frame, a plurality of which is erected and fixed with interval(s) in the width direction of the knitting machine on a front pedestal 5a that is placed on the front side of a base machine pedestal 6. The front pedestal 5a is press-wise fastened onto the base machine pedestal 6 as able to be unfastened and re-fastened by use of clamp means described later. A supporting shaft 7a is arranged to run through the upper part of the intermediate frame 4a in the width direction of the knitting machine, that is, in a direction vertical to the sheet face. Plural supporting bodies 3a are mounted to the supporting shaft 7a. The front trick plate 2a is laterally laid across and mounted to the respective supporting bodies 3a.

[0018] "4b" denotes a rear intermediate frame, a plurality of which is erected and fixed with a space in the width direction of the knitting machine on a rear pedestal 5b provided on the rear side of a base machine pedestal 6. The front pedestal 5b is press-wise fixed on the base machine pedestal 6 as able to be unfastened and re-fastened by use of clamp means described later. A supporting shaft 7b is arranged to run through the upper part of the above-mentioned intermediate frame 4b in the width direction of the knitting machine. Plural supporting bodies 3b are mounted to the supporting shaft 7b. The rear trick plate 2b is laterally laid across and mounted to the respective supporting bodies 3b.

[0019] "8a" and "8b" in Figure 1 denote respectively front and rear cam shafts. Plural cams 9a and 9b are fitted to be fixed onto the both cam shafts 8a and 8b, respectively. In Figure 1, it is illustrated that a cam lever 10b for driving the knitting needle 1a is mounted to the front cam shaft 8a while a cam lever 10b for driving a stitch comb 11b is mounted to the rear cam shaft 8b, for the sake of convenience. In reality, however, the cam levers for respectively driving the knitting needle and a stitch comb are provided on the both cam shafts 8a and 8b, respectively, in same manner with conventional apparatuses. The above is not the main point of the invention, and therefore, omitted from a detailed illustration.

[0020] "12" denotes two threaded shafts respectively provided on the front-part and rear-part sides of the knitting machine, that is, on both sides in the width direction of the knitting machine. The threaded shafts respectively run through the front pedestal 5a and the rear pedestal 5b in the front-and-rear direction as shown in Figure 3. The extreme ends of the threaded shafts 12 are respectively supported by bearings 13a and 13b fixed to the base machine pedestal 6. A front-part threaded shaft 12a (right-hand part in Figure 2) of the threaded shaft 12 as awhole is arranged in the front pedestal 5awhile a rear-part (left-hand part in Figure 2) threaded shaft 12b of the threaded shaft 12 as a whole is arranged in the rear pedestal 5b. As to form a male-female relation with the respective part of threaded shaft, nuts 13a1 and 13a2 are fixed in a built-in style in the front pedestal 5a while nuts 13b1 and 13b2 are provided in a built-in style in the rear pedestal 5b. Thus, each of the front-part and rear-part threaded shafts 12a and 12b is screwed in the pair of nuts.

[0021] "14" denotes a coupling, which couples together the front-part and rear-part threaded shafts 12a and 12b as to be joined and fixed with each other. As shown in Figure 2, two worm wheels 15 are respectively put tightly as fixed onto rear extreme ends of the joined threaded shafts 12, which are respectively arranged in the right and left sides of the knitting machine. Each of the respective worm wheels 15 is engaged with a worm 16 as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

[0022] As shown in Figure 2, two worm shafts 17 respectively for the worms 16 on right and left sides of the knitting machine are coupled as fixed to a transmission shaft 18 by use of respective couplings 19, as respectively being supported by two bearings 20. A sprocket 21 is mounted on an end of one of the worm shafts 17 to be connected, through a connecting chain 25, with a sprocket 24 mounted on a shaft 23 of a motor 22 that is provided on the base machine pedestal 6. "26" denotes supporting metals for supporting the transmission shaft 18.

[0023] Figures 4 and 5 are sectional views of clamp means for fixing the front pedestal 5a and the rear pedestal 5b to the base machine pedestal 6. Figure 4 shows two clamp sites in the front pedestal 5a while Figure 5 shows one clamp site. As shown in Figure 2, three pairs of clamp sites, namely six clamp sites as paired by every two of them, are provided on each of the front and rear pedestals 5a and 5b, since the operational width of the knitting machine is 75 inches in the double raschel machine in this embodiment. It goes without saying that the number of the clamp sites can be increased or decreased in accordance with the increase or decrease of the operational width of the knitting machine.

[0024] A structure of the clamp means will be described with reference to Figures 2, 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the line B-B in Figure 2. With respect to Figure 4, only the clamp means on left-hand side on the drawing will be explained at below since those on front-part and rear-part sides are equivalent in construction.

[0025] In Figure 4, "27" denotes a cylinder member screwed as fixed onto the front pedestal 5a by use of four bolts 28 while "29" denotes a piston member provided so as to be capable of sliding in the up-and-down direction inside an inner space 27a of the cylinder member 27. A shaft part 32 of the piston member 29 passes through the cylinder member 27 and the front pedestal 5a in the up-and-down direction. "30" denotes a belleville spring, or initially-coned disk spring, engaged with a small diameter part of a flange member 31, the flange member 31 being fit-wise fixed to one distal portion, i.e. an upper distal portion, of a shaft part 32 of the piston member 29. The flange member 31 is engaged with a concave portion on the upper surface side of the cylinder member 27. The belleville spring 30 is thus held between a bottom surface of the concave portion and the flange member 31. The other distal portion, i.e. a lower distal portion, of the shaft part 32 passes through a long hole 43, which is formed on the base machine pedestal 6 and which is long in the front-and-rear direction, so as to be capable of sliding therein. Onto the lower distal portion, a double nut 33 is screwed from a bottom surface 6a of the base machine pedestal 6, directly or via a washer as shown in Figure 4. The front pedestal 5a and the base machine pedestal 6 are thus tightly and closely fixed with each other by the belleville spring 30. There applies force of 1.8 t (metric tons) per each clamp means in the case of this embodiment, by way of parenthesis.

[0026] The clamp means of the rear pedestal 5b has a structure substantially same to that of the clamp means described above. Therefore, detailed description thereof is omitted here.

[0027] Mechanism for operations of fastening and unfastening the above clamp means will be described now.

[0028] There is a pipe 34 provided to communicate with the inner space 27a of the cylinder member 27 of the clamp means. The pipe 34 is communicated to six cylinder members 27, which are located separately, of the front pedestal 5a as shown in Figure 2. The pipe 34 is further communicated through a communication pipe 44 to six cylinder members 27, which are located separately, of the rear pedestal 5b. "35" denotes a "hydraulic jack" or hydraulic pump provided closely to the machine pedestal 6 and connected to an end of the pipe 34 as to pump oil into the inner space 27a of each cylinder member 27. The "hydraulic jack" is arranged to use the hydraulic pressure obtained by the oil-pumping operation as to move the piston member 29 and its shaft part 32 against the extension-wise restoring force, or the resilience, of the belleville spring 30. That is to say, the hydraulic means are used for performing operations of fastening and unfastening the front pedestal 5a and the rear pedestal 5b against the base machine pedestal 6 by way of the clamp means. In the Figure 5, the pipe 34 is omitted from the illustration.

[0029] Whereas a structure of an embodiment of the invention of trick plate spacing changer has been described hereto, it will be explained in following a manner of operation of the embodiment.

[0030] The numeral 36 shown in Figure 1 denotes a three-dimensional warp-knitted fabric being knitted. As is well known, a fabric having a predetermined thickness is formed as knitted with yarn fed from a group of knitting reed 37 provided at above the knitting needles 1a and 1b. The thickness of the fabric is determined in accordance with spacing between the trick plates 2a and 2b.

[0031] When changing of the thickness is happen to be needed, a lever 35a of the hydraulic jack 35 is first operated as to pump and inject oil into each space upside of the piston member 29 in the inner space 27a of each cylinder member 27. The piston member 29 and its shaft part 32 thereby move to a direction shown by an arrow 38 in Figure 5 against the extension-wise restoring force of the belleville spring 30. This results in a slight gap between the bottom surface 6a of the base machine pedestal 6 and the catching part, i.e. a washer or the like, of the double nut 33. In a concrete example, the gap is 0.4 mm.

[0032] A press-wise fixing of the front pedestal 5a and the rear pedestal 5b against the base machine pedestal 6 is thus released. Then, a driving signal is sent to the motor 22 as to rotate the both worms 16 on the transmission shaft 18, via the shaft 23, the sprocket 24, the connecting chain 25 and the sprocket 21; the worms 16 being located on right-hand and left-hand sides of the knitting machine. Such rotation of the worms 16 makes the two threaded shafts 12 on right-hand and left-hand sides of the knitting machine to simultaneously rotate, by rotating the both worm wheels 15.

[0033] When to widen the spacing between the trick plates 2a and 2b, the transmission shaft 18 is rotated in the counter-clockwise direction in view from a side associated with the motor 22. This makes the front pedestal 5a to move frontward and makes the rear pedestal 5b to move rearward so that the front and rear pedestals 5a and 5b separate from each other in a linear manner. On such occasion, it goes naturally that each spacing between the intermediate frames 4a and 4b, the supporting shafts 7a and 7b, the supporting bodies 3a and 3b, the trick plates 2a and 2b and the knitting needles 1a and 1b also increases by a same distance with increase of the spacing between the front and rear pedestals 5a and 5b. Therefore, a positional relationship between the knitting needle 1a and the trick plate 2a as well as a positional relationship between the knitting needle 1b and the trick plate 2b do not change. Thus, no stroke adjustment of the respective knitting needles 1a and 1b is necessary in changing the spacing between the trick plates 2a and 2b.

[0034] When to narrow the spacing between the trick plates 2a and 2b, the transmission shaft 18 is rotated in the clockwise direction contrary to the above. This makes the front pedestal 5a to linearly approach the rear pedestal 5b. When pumping of oil to the inner space 27a of the respective cylinder members 27 is lifted after such positional adjustment, the extension-wise restoring force by the belleville spring 30 makes the piston member 29 and its shaft part 32 to their original positions. Then, both of the front pedestal 5a and the rear pedestal 5b are held as fixed on the base machine pedestal 6.

[0035] Plural take-up rolls are provided below the knitting area, which is formed by the rows of the knitting needles, as arranged in parallel to the width direction of the knitting machine, that is, a direction vertical to the sheet surface of Figure 1. A first take-up roll 39 among the plural take-up rolls is located nearest to the knitting area and arranged to face to a presser roll 40. When distance between the trick plates 2a and 2b is changed, a distance between the first take-up roll 39 and the presser roll 40 is automatically changed in conformity with thickness of the three-dimensional warp knitted fabric 36 that is being knitted; by following construction: the first take-up roll 39 and the presser roll 40, which are opposed with each other, are respectively provided in one body with the intermediate frames 4a and 4b, or with the intermediate frames 4b and 4a. For example, when the first take-up roll 39 is provided in one body with the front intermediate frame 4a, and the presser roll 40 is provided in one body with the intermediate frame 4b, spacing between the first take-up roll 39 and the presser roll 40 is changed by same amount with change of the spacing between the front and rear pedestals 5a and 5b.

[0036] In this embodiment, a motor is used in changing the trick plate spacing. It goes without saying, however, that not only a motor but also the other driving means may be used, such that a handle may be mounted to the transmission shaft so as to be manually rotated, for example.

[0037] As described above, in accordance with the trick plate spacing changer of the invention, the front and rear pedestals 5a and 5b respectively supporting the front and rear trick plates 2a and 2b move toward and away linearly from each other, by the means for moving. Thus, a relative stroke position of the knitting needles 1a and 1b for the trick plates would not change before and after changing the spacing. This results in dispensing with stroke adjustment of the knitting needles after changing the trick plate spacing.

[0038] Furthermore, the above-mentioned means for moving are threaded shafts 12, which run through the front pedestal 5a and the rear pedestal 5b as screwed on them, in the front-and-rear direction. Preferably, one of the threaded shafts 12 has a right-hand thread while the other has a left-hand thread. This simplifies a structure of the trick plate spacing changer, resulting in easy driving.

[0039] Moreover, the hydraulic means are used for pressing and fixing the front pedestal 5a and the rear pedestal 5b to the base machine pedestal 6 and for releasing the fixing, so that a changing operation can be easily and conveniently performed.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0040] The invention is particularly applicable to a double raschel machine comprising two rows, front and rear, of knitting needles, wherein the spacing of rows of the front and rear knitting needles and the spacing of the front and rear trick plates belonging to the knitting needles should be changed in changing the thickness of a fabric to be knitted.

Claims

1. A trick plate spacing changer for double raschel machines that is comprised of: front and rear, two rows of knitting needles, front and rear trick plates contingent on the front and rear rows of knitting needles, front and rear intermediate frames respectively supporting the front and rear rows of knitting needles and the trick plates in a knitting-allowing manner, and a front pedestal and a rear pedestal on which the front and rear intermediate frames are respectively erected and fixed, characterized in that
   means for linearly moving the front pedestal and the rear pedestal toward and away from each other are provided on both of the front and rear pedestals so as to enable changing of spacing between the front and rear trick plates together with spacing between the rows of knitting needles.

2. The trick plate spacing changer for double raschel machines according to Claim 1, wherein said means for linearly moving is comprised of a threaded shaft or threads shafts screwed on and passing through the front pedestal and the rear pedestal in the front-rear direction.

3. The trick plate spacing changer for double raschel machines according to Claim 2, characterized in that one of the threaded shafts has a right-hand thread and another of the threaded shafts has a left-hand thread.

4. The trick plate spacing changer for double raschel machines according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the front pedestal and the rear pedestal are respectively fastened as fixed to a base machine pedestal by clamp means; and that hydraulic means is used for fastening and unfastening the front pedestal and the rear pedestal to and from the base machine pedestal.

5. The trick plate spacing changer for double raschel machines according to any one of Claims 2 to 4, wherein the threaded shaft is rotated by a motor.

6. The trick plate spacing changer for double raschel machines according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein a first take-up roll and a presser roll are oppositely provided in parallel at below of a knitting area formed by said rows of knitting needles; and wherein either of the first take-up roll and the presser roll is mounted on a front intermediate frame while the other is mounted on a rear intermediate frame.

Drawing