Knitting machine

Abstract

 A knitting machine which moves a cylindrical or conical needle bed (13) relative to a knitting actuating device (35). A multiplicity of knitting needles (18) are arranged about the circumferential periphery of the needle bed at predetermined intervals. A knitting actuating device (35) is disposed in the vicinity of the needle bed (13) for causing each knitting needle (18) to perform a knitting action. A driver rotates at least one of the needle bed and the knitting actuating device relative to the other every time the individual knitting needles are driven by the knitting actuating device.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to knitting machines. More particularly this invention relates to knitting machines which execute knitting by moying a needle bed in relation to a knitting actuating device, the needle bed having multiple aligned knitting needles which perform the knitting action.

[0002] As a knitting machine of this type, one disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 58-186644 is known. In this conventional knitting machine a row of knitting needles is arranged on a flat needle bed extending in the lateral direction in a horizontal plane. A needle driver and a carriage are disposed on the needle bed in such a manner as to be slidable in the lateral direction in the horizontal plane. The needle driver imparts a knitting action to each knitting needle. The carriage is equipped with an actuating cam or the like for actuating the needle driver. The needle driver actuates individual knitting needles to carry out a knitting action. A driving device steps the carriage by one aligned pitch of the knitting needles as required. The driving device includes a motor supported on the carriage.

[0003] The needle bed of this knitting machine is designed to be foldable with a cover attached to the rear edge of the needle bed. When the knitting machine is in use, the cover is opened and the needle bed is stretched (unfolded) from the folded state, so that the knitting is executed with the surfaces of the needle bed and the carriage exposed. When the knitting machine is not used, the needle bed is folded and the cover is moved to the closed position. This provides storage and carrying.

[0004] Further, in this knitting machine a tensioner for absorbing the slacking of yarn is attached to the inner wall of the cover in a manner movable between the use position and the storage position via a thread take-up stud. When the knitting machine is in use, the thread take-up stud is put upright and is rotated with the cover open to set the tensioner to the use position. When the knitting machine is not in use, the thread take-up stud is rotated to the side-down position along the inner wall of the cover to move the tensioner to the storage position within the cover.

[0005] The knitting machine however has the following drawbacks. First, since the needle bed is formed flat extending in the lateral direction in the horizontal plane, it is necessary to make the needle bed thick for higher flexural strength to prevent the bending of the needle bed. This increases the material cost, process cost and assembling cost.

[0006] It is also very difficult to form the needle bed straight along the entire length with high accuracy. Particularly, when the needle bed is made of a synthetic resin, it is difficult to obtain the desired flexural strength and high straightening precision. This makes the manufacturing process for the needle bed quite troublesome. Further, as the needle bed has an laterally elongated shape, a wider space is required to set and use the knitting machine. When the knitting machine is not in use, it will not be compact and is thus inconvenient to carry or store.

[0007] Further, when this knitting machine is in use, the cover is pivoted open rearward of the needle bed to expose the bed and the surface of the carriage and the knitting is executed in this condition. For this reason, noise resulting from the movement of the carriage or the knitting action of the knitting needles will directly reach the outside, which disturbs the users or other persons in the vicinity. Furthermore, waste fabric generated during knitting flies up and around, which is insanitary. In addition, since the cover should be opened or closed at the beginning or end of the use of the knitting machine, it is very troublesome to prepare the knitting machine for use or put it away for storage.

[0008] It is also necessary to move the tensioner to the use position by setting the tread take-up stud upright before use. The Opposite is required after use. Further, yarn should be put through the knitting machine when the tensioner is moved to the use position, and yarn should be removed therefrom when the tensioner is moved to the storage position. Therefore, the effort required for setup and breakdown is somewhat troublesome and taken time, Additionally, the appearance of the knitting machine is impaired.

[0009] It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a knitting machine which can assure a sufficient needle bed strength without increasing its thickness, and which also contributes to the reduction of the material, process, and assembling costs.

[0010] It is another object of the present invention to provide a knitting machine which permits its needle bed to be processed with high precision over the entire length of the needle bed.

[0011] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a portable knitting machine that is compact and light and which can be easily setup for use, and which can be easily carried around or stored when not in use.

[0012] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a knitting machine which ensures quiet and sanitary knitting.

[0013] To achieve these objects, the knitting machine of the present invention includes a cylindrical or frusto-conical needle bed, having a multiplicity of knitting needles positioned at predetermined intervals along its circumference. A knitting actuating device is disposed in the vicinity of the needle bed for causing each knitting needle to perform a knitting action. A driver rotates at least one of the needle bed and the knitting actuating device relative to the other every time the individual knitting needles are driven by the knitting actuating device.

[0014] In a preferred aspect of the invention, the knitting machine is disposed within a sealable case. In a separate preferred aspect the case may be portable.

Fig. 1 is a cross section illustrating the knitting machine of the present invention in use;

Fig. 2 is a cross section illustrating the knitting machine with its cover open;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the knitting machine in the state shown in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a cross section of the knitting machine in a portable state.

[0015] A preferred embodiment of a knitting machine of the present invention will now be described in detail referring to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] Figs. 1 and 3 illustrate a case 1 that including a bottom housing 2 made of a synthetic resin, and a synthetic resin cover 4 pivotally attached to the upper portion of the housing 2 by means of a hinge 3. A handle 5 is attached to the top of the cover 4. The handle is held by a user when carrying the case 1.

[0017] A clamp 6 is attached to the outer surface of the upper end of the housing 2. When the cover 4 is closed, the clamp 6 engages a fastener 7 on the side of the cover 4. A rubber molding 8 seals the junction between the housing 2 and the cover 4 thereby sealing the carrying case.

[0018] A plurality of legs 9 are attached to the bottom of the housing 2 in a manner such that they can rotate between protruding and folding positions. When the legs 9 are held in the protruding positions, the case 1 can be placed on a stand, for example table 10, such that it rests above the table surface.

[0019] A needle bed 13 is formed in a cylindrical shape with an annular cross section, by synthetic-resin molding or aluminum die-casting. The needle bed 13 is rotatably mounted in the housing 2 by a flange 14 at the lower peripheral edge of the needle bed 13 which engages a hold ring 15.

[0020] A multiplicity of parallel needle grooves 16 are provided at predetermined intervals about the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder of the needle bed 13. Each needle groove 16 has one sinker 17 at the upper end of the sidewall. Needles (hereafter referred to as "main needles") 18 are arranged in a row in the respective needle grooves 16. The main needles are vertically movable and are pressed against the inner bottoms of the needle grooves 16 by a needle press spring 19.

[0021] A driven gear 20 is formed on the outer surface of the needle bed 13. A reference magnet 21 is buried in the outer wall of the needle bed 13 adjacent a specific tooth of the driven gear 20..

[0022] A circular through hole 22 is formed in the bottom of the housing 2. In the inner wall of the needle bed 13, a storage recess 23 is formed in association with the hole 22. A collection bin 24 for receiving a knitting fabric 100 is inserted in the hole 22 in a manner such that it is vertically movable as well as rotatable. As shown in Fig. 1, when the bin 24 is drawn downward from the hole 22, the bin 24 is held at the use position where it protrudes from the bottom of the housing 2 by engagement of the a flange 25 at the upper periphery with the upper periphery of the hole 22. On the other hand, when the bin 24 is pushed upward from the hole 22 as shown in Fig. 4, the bin 24 is retained in the recess 23 of the needle bed 13.

[0023] A support board 29 with nearly L-shaped side walls is arranged movable in the housing 2 by a plurality of pins 31 which are arranged to engage corresponding long holes 30, so that the board 29 is positioned on one side of the needle bed 13. The support board 29 is moveable between a drive position near the needle bed 13 as shown in Fig. 1 and a non-drive position away from the needle bed 13 as shown in Fig. 2. A single needle hereafter referred to as the "secondary needle") 32 is supported through a support member 33 so as to face one of the main needles 18 on the needle bed 13. The secondary needle is vertically movable as well as rotatable with respect to the support board 29. A cylindrical yarn feeder 34 adjacent to the secondary needle 32 is slidably supported for horizontal movement by the support board 29. The yarn feeder 34 moves so as to supply yarn 101 to the main needle 18 or the secondary needle 32.

[0024] A knitting actuating device 35, constituting a first drive means, is mounted on the support board 29 such that it comes close to the needle bed 13. The actuating device 35 includes a vertically movable drive member 36 which is also supported by the support board 29, and a drive cam 37 supported rotatably on the board 29. The drive member 36 individually engages the main needles 18, and permits each includes a first cam to activate the drive member 36 for the main needles 18, a second cam to allow the secondary needle 32 to move up and down or to rotate through a needle driver (not shown), a third cam to move the yarn feeder 34 horizontally, and a forth cam to give drive power to a rotor 44 to rotate the needle bed 13, as will be described later.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 3, a motor 38 is installed on the support board 29 as a main portion of second drive means. As the motor 38 rotates, the drive cam 37 rotates through gears 39 to 43. The rotor 44 is supported rotatable on the support board 29. The rotor 44 has a pair of ratchet wheels 45 and 46 on a first side, and a drive gear 47 on a second side; the gear 47 engages with the driven gear 20 on the needle bed 13. As the drive cam 37 rotates, one of the cams selectively rotates the rotor 44 clockwise or counterclockwise through either the ratchet wheel 45 or 46, then through the gears 47 and 20, the needle bed 13 turns by one pitch of the main needles 18 at a time, thereby sequentially performing the knitting action.

[0026] The knitting actuating device 35 including the drive member 36 and the drive cams 37, and the driving device including the motor 38 have the same structures as described in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 58-186644. Accordingly, a detailed explanation of these components will be omitted.

[0027] A feeding hole 51 is formed in the bottom of the housing 2 as shown in Fig. 1. The yarn 101 is fed from a bobbin 102 and supplied through the hole 51 to the case 1. A noise shut-off member 52 is attached to the inner edge of the feeding hole 51 so as to prevent noise from leaking outside through the feeding hole 51. A tension controller 53 is provided on the bottom surface of the housing 2 in association with the feeding hole 51. The controller 53 includes a pair of control plates 54 that hold the yarn 101 and applying tension thereto. A spring 55 which applies a gripping force to the plates 54, and a control knob 56 for changing the force of the spring 55 to control the yarn tension.

[0028] A tensioner 57 is positioned upward of the feeding hole 51 in the housing 2. A fixing plate 58 is fixed to the inner side wall of the housing 2, and has a pair of guide rollers 59 and 60 rotatably supported at the upper end. A tension roller 61 is fitted in a slit 62 of the board 58 in such a manner as to be vertically movably and rotatably supported, and biased downward by a spring or a weight (neither shown). As shown in Fig. 1, the yarn 101 is put around the guide roller 59, the tension roller 61, and the guide roller 60, then is put via the guide 63 through the yarn feeder 34, and is used for sequential knitting. If the needle bed 13 rotates in the reverse direction during the knitting and the yarn 101 gets loose, the tension roller 61 moves downward to tighten the yarn 101.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 3, a control board 67 is attached to one sidewall of the housing 2. A control circuit is installed on the control board 67 to control, for example, the operation of the drive member 36 caused by the drive cam 37.

[0030] A transformer 68 is provided close to the control board 67 in the housing 2. Power is supplied over a power cord 69 to the control board 67 through the transformer 68. As shown in Fig. 1, an operation panel 70 is arranged on the top of the cover 4. The operation panel 70 includes a keyboard 71 for entering data, such as the pattern number of a work to be knitted, the body size, the design number and the gauge, and a liquid crystal or CRT display 72 to display the entered data and the number of rows which are being knitted. The keyboard 71 and the display 72 on the panel 70 are connected via a cable 73 to the control circuit on the control board 67.

[0031] The operation of the thus constituted knitting machine will be explained below.

[0032] In Fig. 1, the cover 4 of the carrying case 1 is closed and latched by the engagement of the clamp 6 with the fastener 7. The case 1 is placed on the table 10 or the like with the legs 9 held at the protruding positions. The collection bin 24 is now at the use position below the housing 2.

[0033] When the motor 38 rotates in the above conditions, the drive cam 37 of the knitting actuating device 35 rotates. The drive cam 37 rotates to rotates the needle bed 13 by one pitch of the main needles 18 at a time through the rotor 44, the drive gear 47 and the driven gear 20. Upon each one-pitch rotation of the needle bed 13, one of the main needles 18 on the bed 13 or the opposite secondary needle 32 is actuated to perform a knitting action to make one stitch.

[0034] As the above operation is sequentially repeated, knitting of one course is done. Then, the rotation of the needle bed 13 is reversed to move to the knitting of the next course. In this manner, desired fabric 100 will be prepared. The fabric 100 hangs over the hook portion of the main needle 18 down in the needle bed 13 and is collected in the collection bin 24.

[0035] During the knitting action of the knitting machine, as described above, the needle bed 13, the knitting actuating device 35 and the motor 38 constituting the driver, etc. are kept retained in the closed (and sealed) case 1. Therefore, noise originating from the rotation of the needle bed 13 and the knitting action of the needles 18 and 32 at the knitting time is damped, thus ensuring quiet knitting.

[0036] Because of the same reason given above, waste fabric produced at the knitting time can be prevented from flying outside, so that the knitting machine can be used under the sanitary conditions.

[0037] Further, according to the knitting machine of this embodiment, the needle bed 13 is formed cylindrical and a number of main needles 18 are arranged in parallel to one another on the outer surface of the bed 13 at predetermined intervals along the circumference thereof. It is therefore possible to assure a sufficient flexural strength without increasing the thickness of the needle bed 13. In addition, processing of the needle bed 13 can be finished with high precision along the entire circumference, and the whole knitting machine including the needle bed 13 can be made compact and lighter. When the knitting machine is in use, therefore, the machine can easily be set without requiring large space, and when the machine is not used, it can easily be carried around or stored.

[0038] If a knitting trouble occurs during knitting and the user wants to overcome the trouble, or if the user wants to put the yarn 101 through the tensioner 57 or yarn feeder 34 prior to the knitting, the clamp 6 should be disengaged from the fastener 7 to rotate the cover 4 rearward of the housing 2 to open the top of the needle bed 13 and knitting actuating device 35, as shown in Fig. 2.

[0039] When the support board 29 is moved to the non-drive position away from the needle bed 13 under the above conditions, the drive member 36 of the knitting actuating device 35 is disengaged from the main needle 18 on the needle bed 13, and the drive gear 47 on the side of the support plate 29 is also disengaged from the driven gear 20 on the needle bed 13. It is therefore possible to manually arbitrarily rotate the needle bed 13 in this state to move the troubled portion of the knitting machine to where it is not specifically associated with the knitting actuating device 35 to thereby overcome the trouble, or execute the insertion of the yarn 101.

[0040] After the trouble has been cleared or the insertion of the yarn has been completed, the user aligns the magnet 21 to a reference position sensor (not shown) through visual confirmation while rotating the needle bed 13. Then, the needle bed 13 is rotated back to the original position, and the support board 29 is moved to the drive position close to the needle bed 13. As a result, the drive member 36 is positioned to engage with the main needle 18 and the drive gear 47 engages with the driven gear 20 as shown in Fig. 1. When the cover 4 of the case 1 is moved to the close position on the housing 2 under this condition and is clamped there by the engagement of the clamp 6 with the fastener 7, the knitting operation can be started or restarted.

[0041] When the user wants to carry or store the knitting machine after the knitting is completed or interrupted, the legs 9 are turned and folded at the folding position along the bottom of the housing 2 as shown in Fig. 4. Further, when the collection bin 24 is pushed upward from the hole 22 to be retained in the recess 23, the whole knitting machine can be made further compact. This permits the user to easily carry the knitting machine, holding the handle 5 on the top of the cover 4, and to easily store the machine even in small space.

[0042] Since the tensioner 57 is placed in the case 1 at the time of carrying or housing the knitting machine, it is not necessary to take the yarn 101 off from the tensioner 57, or to fold the tensioner 57, and with the yarn 101 left through the tensioner 57, it has only to be cut off from the bobbin 102 while leaving a certain length of the yarn 101 from the feeding hole 51 of the housing 2. The knitting can be immediately restarted by tying the yarn end to the yarn 101 fed from the bobbin 102. Therefore, the put-away work after the knitting is completed or the preparation work before starting the knitting can quickly and easily be executed.

[0043] The present invention is not limited to the structure of the above-described embodiment, but may be modified in various manners without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. For instance, the knitting needles 18 may be aligned on the inner wall of the cylindrical needle bed 13, or the needle bed 13 may be formed conical with the knitting needles 18 aligned on the outer or inner wall thereof.

Claims

1. A knitting machine comprising:
a needle bed (13) having an annular face and an axis:
a multiplicity of knitting needles (32) spaced along the circumference of said needle bed (13);
first drive means (35) for individually driving said knitting needles (32) in the vicinity of the needle bed (13); and
second drive means (38) for rotating at least one of said needle bed (13) and said first drive means (35) relative to the other whenever said knitting needles (32) are driven by the first drive means (35).

2. A knitting machine as set forth in Claim 1, wherein said first drive means (35) is fixed, and said second drive means (38) is arranged to rotate said needle bed (13) about said axis.

3. A knitting machine as set forth in Claim 2, wherein said needle bed (13) is rotatable in two opposite directions by means of the second drive means (38).

4. A knitting machine as set forth in any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein said needle bed (13), said first drive means (35) and said second drive means (38) are disposed within a sealed case (1).

5. A knitting machine as set forth in Claim 4 wherein the case (1) is a portable carrying case that includes a bottom housing (2) and a cover (4) pivotally attached to an upper portion of said housing (2) to permit opening and closing of the carrying case.

6. A knitting machine as set forth in Claim 4 or 5 further including a collection bin (24) at a lower portion of the case (1) for receiving a fabric (100).

7. A knitting machine as set forth in Claim 6, wherein said collection bin (24) is vertically expandable and contractible so as to change a capacity for accommodating the fabric (100).

8. A knitting machine as set forth in any one of Claims 4 to 7, wherein said case (1) includes a tensioner (57) for applying tension to yarn (101).

9. A knitting machine as set forth in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said needle bed (13) is cylindrical.

10. A knitting machine as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein said needle bed (13) is frusto-conical.

Drawing