JP2023184122A - Latch needle - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a latch needle capable of reducing impact energy when opening or closing a latch by reducing weight of the latch and sufficiently securing a contact area between the latch and a seat receiving part.SOLUTION: A latch 20 has a latch step part 21 to be inserted into a slit 13 and a spoon part 30 that is formed to be wider than the latch stem part 21 at a tip of the latch stem part 21. The latch 20 can rotate between a closed state in which a surface 31 of the spoon part 30 abuts against a hook 12 and an open state in which a rear surface 32 of the spoon part 30 abuts against a seat receiving part 14. Length W1 of the spoon part 30 when viewed from the rear surface 32 is set to be longer than length W2 of the spoon part 30 when viewed from the surface 31.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a latch needle equipped with a hook and a latch at the tip.

This type of latch needle includes a needle body with a hook-like hook at the tip, and a latch that can be moved into and out of contact with the hook. The bellows are rotatably attached to the needle body and are configured to open and close by alternately contacting the hook and seat holder to form a loop. The collar needle is attached to a knitting machine and reciprocates in the longitudinal direction, and as the needle moves back and forth, it is pushed by the yarn and opens and closes, automatically forming a loop and knitting the yarn.

In order to improve the productivity of knit fabrics in such knitting machines, it is necessary to increase the opening/closing speed and the number of opening/closing times of the latch of the latch needle (for example, the latch should be opened and closed 1 million times/day at a speed of 1.0 m/s or more). ). When the latch opens and closes at such high speed, the impact load when the latch contacts the needle body accumulates, and the spoon portion formed at the tip of the latch may suffer fatigue failure (latch chipping). In particular, since stress is concentrated at the edge of the spoon portion, there is a problem in that the spoon is prone to chipping.

When edge chipping occurs, the knitting yarn may break and the knitting machine may stop. In addition, if knitting is continued without thread breakage, the broken surface of the chipped edge may come into contact with the thread, causing fuzz, etc. As described above, edge chipping has been a cause of decreased productivity and quality of knitted fabrics.

Regarding this problem, there is an idea to reduce the impact energy when opening and closing the blade by reducing the mass of the blade, thereby preventing the blade from chipping. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which an opening is formed in the blade to reduce the mass. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration in which a concave portion is formed on the outside of the head of the blade to reduce the mass of the blade.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 60-71750 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-299071

However, since the latch needle described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above has an opening formed in the latch, there is a risk that fluff may enter the hole during knitting of the fabric, causing problems such as poor opening/closing of the latch or breakage of the latch. There is.

In addition, since the latch needle described in Patent Document 2 mentioned above has a concave portion formed on the outside of the latch, the contact area between the thread and the latch is small when the thread moves along the outside of the closed latch. It has become. When the thread moves along the outside of the closed latch, the tension of the thread is at its maximum, so repeated friction with the thread tends to cause uneven wear on the outer side of the latch, which can cause fuzzing or thread breakage. .

Note that by making the spoon portion of the spatula smaller, the mass of the spatula can be reduced, and the impact energy when opening and closing the spatula can be reduced. However, when the spoon portion is made smaller, the area of the back surface of the spoon portion becomes smaller. The back surface of the spoon part is the part that comes into contact with the seat part of the needle body when the bellows are in the open state. When the area of the back surface of the spoon portion decreases, the contact area between the seat support portion and the spoon portion also decreases, so there is a risk that the spatula may be damaged because the impact cannot be dispersed.

Therefore, the present invention provides a latch needle that can reduce the mass of the lug to reduce the impact energy when opening and closing the lug, and can ensure a sufficient contact area between the lug and the seat support. That is the issue.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention includes a needle body equipped with a hook-like hook at the tip, and a bellows rotatably attached to the needle body and capable of moving toward and away from the hook. The latch needle has a slit formed in the needle body into which the latch is inserted, and a seat part wider than the slit is formed at the opening edge of the slit, and the latch has a slit formed in the needle body. The bellows includes a bellows trunk that is inserted into a slit, and a spoon portion that is formed wider than the bellows trunk at the tip of the bellows trunk, and the bellows is in a closed state in which the surface of the spoon portion is in contact with the hook. , is rotatable between an open state in which the back surface of the spoon portion is in contact with the seat support, and the length of the spoon portion when viewed from the back surface is such that the length of the spoon portion when viewed from the front surface is the same as that of the spoon portion when viewed from the front surface. It is set longer than the length.

The present invention is as described above, and the length of the spoon portion when viewed from the back side is set longer than the length of the spoon portion when viewed from the front side. Therefore, the back surface of the spoon portion that contacts the seat support portion can be ensured to be larger than the surface of the spoon portion that contacts the hook. According to such a configuration, even when the spoon portion is made smaller to reduce the mass of the spatula, a large contact area with the seat support portion can be ensured. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the mass of the bellows and reduce the impact energy when opening and closing the bellows, and it is also possible to ensure a sufficient contact area between the bellows and the seat support.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of the vicinity of the tip of the bellows needle, showing (a) a closed state and (b) an open state. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of the vicinity of the cheek part of the knife, showing (a) a plan view, (b) a side view, and (c) a bottom view. They are (a) a top view, (b) a front view, (c) a side view, (d) a rear view, and (e) a bottom view of the bellows. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the vicinity of the cheek part of the knife in an open state, (a) a partially enlarged perspective view, and (b) a partially enlarged perspective view seen from another angle. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view showing the vicinity of the cheek part of the latch needle in an open state, and is (a) a plan view, (b) a side view, and (c) a side view shown with hidden lines. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view showing the vicinity of the cheek part of a conventional latch needle; FIG.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The flattened needle 10 according to this embodiment is used by being attached to a circular knitting machine or a flat knitting machine as a knitting needle for stockinette knitting. As shown in FIG. 1, etc., the bellows needle 10 includes a needle body 11 having a hook-shaped hook 12 at the tip thereof, and a bellows 20 which is rotatably attached to the needle body 11 and can be moved into and out of the hook 12. , is provided. This latch needle 10 knits the fabric through the process of feeding yarn and forming loops by opening and closing the latch 20. The bellows 20 is rotatable between a closed state shown in FIG. 1(a) and an open state shown in FIG. 1(b).

This latch needle 10 can be used in conventionally known knitting machines. Although not particularly shown in the drawings, a conventionally known knitting machine is provided with a plurality of parallel grooves for attaching the latch needles 10. The blade needles 10 are slidably accommodated one by one in this groove. When the knitting machine is operated, the latch needles 10 reciprocate in the longitudinal direction (sliding direction D1 of the latch needles 10 shown in FIG. 1), and the yarn set in the knitting machine is knitted to knit the fabric.

The bellows needle 10 is pushed by the yarn as it reciprocates, causing the bellows 20 to open and close, automatically forming a loop and knitting the yarn. Specifically, first, when the latch needle 10 moves in the distal direction P1, the loop of knitting yarn held by the hook 12 comes off the hook 12 and moves toward the needle body 11 (clear state). At this time, the collar 20 opens toward the needle body 11 side opposite to the hook 12 due to the tension of the knitting yarn. Thereafter, the tongue needle 10 moves in a direction opposite to the tip direction P1. At this time, the thread is hooked onto the hook 12 to create a new loop. After that, when the latch needle 10 further moves in the opposite direction to the tip direction P1, the latch 20 is pushed by the loop hanging on the needle body 11 side and rotates toward the hook 12 side and closes, and the hook 12 comes out of the loop. (Knockover condition). By repeating this series of operations, stitches are formed.

The needle body 11 according to the present embodiment includes a shaft (not shown) that is accommodated in a groove of a knitting machine, a cheek portion 16 provided on the tip side of the shaft, and a hook provided on the tip side of the cheek portion 16. 12. The cheek portion 16 and the hook 12 shown in the figure are formed of one member and are inseparable from the shaft. The cheek portion 16 is a portion that supports the tongue 20, and is formed so as to be able to sandwich and hold the tongue 20. As described above, the hook 12 is for grasping the yarn during knitting, and is a hook-shaped portion bent into a substantially J-shape.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cheek portion 16 has a slit 13 formed therein into which a bellows 20 is inserted. This slit 13 is a groove formed to have a constant width in the D2 direction shown in FIG. 2(a). The proximal end portion (the end portion on the opposite tip side) of the bellows 20 is inserted into this slit 13 .

Further, this cheek portion 16 is provided with a rotation shaft 23, as shown in FIG. 2(b). This rotation axis 23 is a rotation axis of the bellows 20 with the D2 direction as an axis. In this embodiment, the rotation shaft 23 is formed by caulking the surface of the cheek portion 16 inward. This rotation shaft 23 is not limited to caulking, and may be formed using a pin, for example.

Further, a seat support portion 14 is formed on the opening edge 13a of the slit 13. The seat support portion 14 is formed to have a width wider in the D2 direction shown in FIG. 2(a) than the slit 13. This seat support portion 14 is a recess on which a back surface 32 of a spoon portion 30, which will be described later, is seated. This seat support portion 14 is formed at a position where the back surface 32 of the spoon portion 30 comes into contact, and corresponds to the shape of the back surface 32 of the spoon portion 30 . This seat support portion 14 has a substantially elliptical opening in a plan view shown in FIG. 2(a).
As shown in FIG. 3, the spatula 20 includes a spatula trunk 21 and a spoon portion 30.

The bellow trunk 21 is a portion inserted into the slit 13 described above. This bellow trunk 21 is formed into a thin plate shape, and its thickness (width as viewed in the direction D2 of the rotation axis 23 of the bellows 20) is constant. By forming the thickness of the bellows trunk 21 to be slightly narrower than the slit 13, the bellows trunk 21 can be inserted into the slit 13. A shaft hole 22 for inserting a rotation shaft 23 is formed through the vicinity of the proximal end of the bellow trunk 21 . By inserting the rotation shaft 23 into the shaft hole 22, the bellows 20 is attached to the needle body 11 so as to be swingable about the rotation shaft 23.

The spoon portion 30 is a spoon-shaped portion formed at the tip of the bellow trunk 21, and is formed wider than the bellow trunk 21. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3A, etc., the spoon portion 30 is formed to be wider than the spatula trunk 21 when viewed in the direction D2 of the rotation axis 23 of the spatula 20. In other words, the spoon portion 30 has a shape that bulges outward from both sides of the bellows trunk 21. Since this spoon portion 30 protrudes laterally to be larger than the width of the slit 13, it does not enter into the slit 13.

This spoon portion 30 has a recess 31a formed in its surface 31 to engage with the hook 12. Further, the back surface 32 (opposite surface to the front surface 31) of the spoon portion 30 forms a substantially ellipsoidal curved surface. In the closed state, the surface 31 of the spoon portion 30 contacts the hook 12, as shown in FIG. 1(a). At this time, the tip of the hook 12 is held in the recess 31a of the spoon portion 30. Further, in the open state, the back surface 32 of the spoon portion 30 comes into contact with the seat support portion 14, as shown in FIGS. 1(b) and 5. In this way, the bellows 20 is rotatable between the closed state and the open state.

By the way, the reference numeral 35 shown in FIG. 3(c) represents a boundary line 35 between the spatula trunk 21 and the spoon portion 30 when the spatula 20 is viewed from the side 33 (a surface perpendicular to the rotation axis 23). In other words, this boundary line 35 indicates the position where the spoon portion 30 begins to bulge out from the side surface 33 of the bellows trunk 21. As shown in FIG. 3(c), the boundary line 35 extends from the back surface 32 to the front surface 31 when the blade 20 is viewed from the side surface 33 (in FIG. 3(c), the boundary line 35 is It is formed obliquely so as to gradually move toward the distal end direction P2 of the bellows 20 (as one moves downward). In other words, the length W1 of the spoon portion 30 when viewed from the back surface 32 is set longer than the length W2 of the spoon portion 30 when viewed from the front surface 31.

Note that the length of the spoon portion 30 when viewed from the surface 31 refers to the length of the spoon portion 30 when viewed from the surface 31 of the spoon portion 30 from a direction perpendicular to the surface 31, as shown in FIG. is the length of Similarly, the length of the spoon portion 30 seen from the back surface 32 is the length of the spoon portion 30 when the back surface 32 of the spoon portion 30 is viewed from a direction perpendicular to the back surface 32.

If the boundary line 35 is formed in this way, and the front surface 31 side of the spoon section 30 is made small and the back surface 32 side of the spoon section 30 is made large, even when the volume of the spoon section 30 is made small, the spoon section 30 in the open state can be A large contact area between the seat support portion 14 and the seat support portion 14 can be ensured. Note that the boundary line 35 may be a straight line or a curved line.

In the open state, the bellows 20 does not come into contact with the bottom surface 13b of the slit 13, as shown in FIG. 6(c). Therefore, all the load of the bellows 20 is received by the seat support portion 14. According to this embodiment, the back surface 32 of the spoon portion 30 can be made large, so that this load can be distributed and received over a wide area.

Further, in this embodiment, in the open state shown in FIG. 6(c), the boundary line 35 between the bellows trunk 21 and the spoon portion 30 is changed from the front surface 31 to the back surface 32 (in FIG. 6(c), the boundary line 35 is As the line 35 is traced from top to bottom), it is formed obliquely with respect to the sliding direction D1 of the latch needle 10 so as to move toward the tip P1 of the latch needle 10.

In other words, in the open state shown in FIG. 6(c), when the end of the boundary line 35 on the back surface 32 side is the first end 35a, and the end of the boundary line 35 on the front surface 31 side is the second end 35b. In addition, the first end 35a is formed to be located further in the distal direction P1 of the latch needle 10 than the second end 35b.
Therefore, the boundary line 35 runs in the direction in which the contact area between the seat support part 14 and the spoon part 30 increases, and the load can be distributed and received over a wide area.

In most conventional knife needles 10, as shown in FIG. 7, the length of the spoon portion 30 when viewed from the back surface 32 is equal to the length of the spoon portion 30 when viewed from the front surface 31. . In addition, the boundary line 35 between the bellows trunk 21 and the spoon portion 30 is inclined toward the rear end of the bellows needle 10 as it goes from the front surface 31 to the back surface 32 in the open state. In such a conventional configuration, in order to increase the contact area between the seat support part 14 and the spoon part 30, it was necessary to enlarge the spoon part 30 as shown in FIG. 7(a). However, if the spoon portion 30 is made larger, the impact load due to acceleration will increase, and there is a risk that the spoon will chip. Furthermore, if an attempt is made to downsize the spoon part 30 to make the spatula 20 smaller, the contact area between the seat support part 14 and the spoon part 30 will become smaller, as shown in FIG. 7(b), and the impact load will be dispersed. Otherwise, there is a risk of chipping.

In this regard, with the latch needle 10 according to the present embodiment, the back surface 32 of the spoon portion 30 that contacts the seat support portion 14 can be ensured to be larger than the surface 31 of the spoon portion 30 that contacts the hook 12. Therefore, even when the spoon portion 30 is made smaller to reduce the mass of the spatula 20, a large contact area between the spoon portion 30 and the seat support portion 14 can be ensured. In other words, it is possible to reduce the mass of the bellows 20 to reduce the impact energy when the bellows 20 is opened and closed, and to ensure a sufficient contact area between the bellows 20 and the seat support portion 14 to disperse the impact when clearing. can.

Note that the seat support portion 14 according to the present embodiment is formed to match the shape of the back surface 32 of the spoon portion 30 so that the contact area with the spoon portion 30 is increased as much as possible. The seat support part 14 has a seat surface 14c that comes into contact with the spoon part 30, as shown in FIG. 2(b). It is desirable that the entire sheet surface 14c be in contact with the spoon portion 30. For this purpose, it is desirable to form the sheet surface 14c along the shape of the back surface 32 of the spoon portion 30.

For example, the reference numeral 14a shown in FIG. 2(b) indicates the position closest to the tip of the latch needle 10 in the opening of the seat support portion 14 (opening front end 14a). Further, the reference numeral 14b indicates the position (opening rear end 14b) of the opening of the seat support portion 14 that is closest to the opposite tip of the latch needle 10. Further, the reference numeral 14d indicates the position closest to the tip of the latch needle 10 on the sheet surface 14c (the front end 14d of the sheet surface). At this time, since the sheet surface front end 14d is located in the tip direction P1 of the latch needle 10 rather than the opening front end 14a, the sheet surface 14c is formed to enter inside the opening. In this way, the seat surface 14c may be formed so as to cut further into the tip direction P1 of the latch needle 10 than the opening of the seat support portion 14.

10 Scratch needle 11 Needle main body 12 Hook 13 Slit 13a Opening edge 13b Bottom surface 14 Seat part 14a Opening front end 14b Opening rear end 14c Seat surface 14d Seat surface front end 16 Cheek part 20 Scratch 21 Scratch trunk 22 Shaft hole 23 Rotating shaft 30 Spoon Part 31 Front surface 31a Hollow 32 Back surface 33 Side surface 35 Boundary line 35a First end 35b Second end D1 Sliding direction of the latch needle D2 Rotation axis direction of the latch P1 Tip direction of the latch needle P2 Tip direction of the latch W1 From the back side Length of the spoon when viewed W2 Length of the spoon when viewed from the surface

Claims (4)

A needle body with a hook-like hook at the tip,
a bellow rotatably attached to the needle body and capable of moving toward and away from the hook;
A bellows needle comprising:
A slit into which the bellows is inserted is formed in the needle body, and a seat part wider than the slit is formed at the opening edge of the slit,
The bellows includes a bellow trunk inserted into the slit, and a spoon portion formed at a tip of the bellow trunk wider than the bellow trunk,
The spatula is rotatable between a closed state in which the surface of the spoon portion contacts the hook and an open state in which the back surface of the spoon portion contacts the seat receiving portion,
The length of the spoon portion when viewed from the back surface is set longer than the length of the spoon portion when viewed from the front surface.
Vera needle. The boundary line between the spatula trunk and the spoon portion is formed obliquely toward the tip of the spatula as it goes from the back surface to the front surface when the spatula is viewed from the side.
The bellows needle according to claim 1. In the open state, the boundary line between the tip of the tip of the tip of the tip of the tip of the tip of the tip is oblique to the sliding direction of the tip of the tip of the tip of the tip of the tip of the tip of the tip of the tip of the tip of the tip of the tip of the tip of the tip. ing,
The bellows needle according to claim 1. In the boundary line between the bellow trunk and the spoon part, when the end of the boundary line on the back side is a first end and the end of the boundary line on the front side is a second end,
In the open state, the first end is formed to be located closer to the tip of the bellows needle than the second end.
The bellows needle according to claim 1.

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