METHOD AND KNITTING DEVICE FOR PLATING ON A CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE EQUIPPED WITH COMPOUND NEEDLES

Abstract

A method and a knitting device for plating with compound needles on a circular knitting machine is described herein. At least two yarns are inserted into the hook area of a compound needle. A sinker is moved in such a way relative to a knock-over edge disposed immovably on a cylinder that the sinker, by way of a guide means, guides at least one of the yarns further into the hook area of the compound needle, in the direction of the needle shank, and in doing so keeps the yarns separated. The sinker furthermore moves, in the longitudinal direction and the elevational direction, in such a manner relative to the knock-over edge that the guide means performs a movement which, at least section-wise, tracks at least one yarn.

Claims

1. A method for plating with compound needles on a circular knitting machine, the method comprising: inserting at least two yarns (4, 5) into a hook area (7) of a compound needle (3); moving at least one sinker (6) relative to a knock-over edge (2) disposed immovably on a cylinder and extending in a longitudinal direction (L) and in a transverse direction (Q) such that, by way of a guide means (8), the at least one sinker (6) guides at least one of the at least two yarns (4, 5) further into the hook area (7) of the compound needle (3), towards a shank (9) of the compound needle (3), and in doing so keeps the at least two yarns (4, 5) separated; moving the at least one sinker (6) in the longitudinal direction (L) and in the elevational direction (H), which is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (L) and to the transverse direction (Q), towards the knock-over edge (2) such that the guide means (8) performs a movement which tracks, at least section-wise, at least one of the at least two yarns (4, 5).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least two yarns (4, 5) comprise at least one elastic (4) and at least one non-elastic yarn (5).

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising moving the sinker (6) back in the longitudinal direction (L) and elevational direction (H) after the movement during which the sinker (6) tracks the at least one of the at least two yarns (4, 5), at least section-wise, in order to not to touch any yarn during knocking-over of a loop.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising moving a holding-down means (10) in the longitudinal direction (L) over the hook area (7) of the compound needle (3) after a loop has been knocked over.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising retracting the holding-down means (10) and the guide means (8) once the compound needle (3) has risen to an uppermost position, to allow the at least two yarns (4, 5) to be inserted into the hook area (7) of the compound needle (3) and moved to the knock-over edge (2).

6. A knitting device (1) for plating with compound needles, the knitting device comprising: a cylinder with an immovably disposed knock-over edge (2), which extends in a longitudinal direction (L) and a transverse direction (Q), a plurality of compound needles (3); and at least one sinker (6), which has a guide surface (8) for separated guidance of at least two yarns (4, 5); wherein the at least one sinker (6) is disposed movably in the longitudinal direction (L) and the elevational direction (H) relative to the knock-over edge (2), in order to enable said at least one sinker, by way of a movement of the guide means (8) that tracks one of the at least two yarns (4, 5), to guide at least one of the at least two yarns (4, 5) further into a hook area (7) of one of the plurality of compound needles (3) and toward a shank thereof, and to keep the at least one yarn (4, 5) separate from another of the at least two yarns (4, 5).

7. The knitting device (1) according to claim 6, wherein the at least two yarns (4, 5) comprise at least one elastic (4) and at least one non-elastic yarn (5).

8. The knitting device (1) according to claim 6, wherein the guide means (8) is formed by an end edge of the at least one sinker (6), said end edge comprising edge sections (11, 12) that are parallel to the elevational direction (H) during every movement phase of the at least one sinker (6), and further comprising elevations and/or depressions disposed between the edge sections (11, 12) configured to guide the at least two yarns (4, 5) and/or keep them separate.

9. The knitting device (1) according to claim 6, further comprising a holding-down means (10).

10. The knitting device (1) according to claim 9, wherein the holding-down means (10) is formed by an edge (13) of the at least one sinker (6).

11. The knitting device (1) according to claim 10, wherein when the at least one sinker (6) is in an advanced position, the edge (13) that forms the holding-down means (10) of the at least one sinker (6) extends parallel to the knock-over edge (2).

12. The knitting device (1) according to claim 9, wherein the holding-down means (10) is formed on at least one additional sinker (14).

13. The knitting device (1) according to claim 12, wherein the at least one additional sinker (14) is movable in the longitudinal direction (L) over the hook portion (7) of the compound needle (3).

Description

[0034] FIG. 1 is a symbolic representation of a knitting system 1 according to the invention at a given moment during the loop-forming process. The compound needle 3 has knocked over a loop and already begun to rise. The sinker 6 is in the position of maximum retraction. An elastic yarn 4 and a non-elastic yarn 5, which were formed into loops of a given depth shortly beforehand, are enclosed in the hook of the compound needle 3. The non-elastic yarn 5 is underneath the elastic yarn 4 and is still touching the knock-over edge 2. The hook area 7 of the compound needle 3 is symbolized with curly brackets. In this state, the hook area 7 of the compound needle 3 is completely closed by the hook 15, the needle shank 9 and the slider 16. The sinker 6 comprises a guiding portion 8 at its left-hand end in FIG. 1, which has, for example, two edge sections 11 and 12 running parallel to the elevational direction H. Two depressions, each bounded by an elevation, are formed on the sinker 6 shown in FIG. 1 with the edge sections 11 and 12, which run parallel to the elevational direction H. The sinker 6 furthermore comprises a holding-down means 10 formed by an edge of the sinker 6 that is downwardly directed, in the elevational direction H. The longitudinal direction L, the elevational direction H and the transverse direction Q are symbolized by a coordinate system.

[0035] FIGS. 2 to 8 merely show the knitting system 1 of FIG. 1 at other stages of the loop-forming process. The coordinate system and some of the reference numerals are therefore not shown and explained again in these drawings.

[0036] In FIG. 2, the compound needle 3 has continued rising and the yarns 4 and 5 are no longer held down on the knock-over edge 2 by the hook 15. The sinker 6 has advanced in order to hold down the yarns 14 and 15 with its edge 13 and prevent the yarns from being raised along with the compound needle 3.

[0037] In FIG. 3, the compound needle 3 has completed its upward movement and reached its uppermost position. The yarns 4 and 5 have left the hook area of the compound needle 3 and are being held down by the edge 13 of the sinker 6. The yarns 4 and 5 have overcome the upward incline of the needle 3, enabling the slider 16 to close off the hook area 7 and the yarns 4 and 5 to be knocked over via the slider 16 and the hook 15.

[0038] In FIG. 4, the compound needle 3 has begun its retraction movement and the sinker 6 is in its retracted position so that yarns 4 and 5 can be introduced anew into the hook area 7 of the compound needle 3.

[0039] In FIG. 5, the compound needle 3 has continued its retraction movement and the sinker 6 has advanced sufficiently for it to begin touching the yarn 4 with its guide means 8.

[0040] In FIG. 6, it is clearly evident that the sinker 6 has advanced further in the longitudinal direction L and has furthermore approached the knock-over edge 2 in the elevational direction H. In this position, the sinker 6 secures the yarn 4 in the hook area 7 and also keeps the yarns 4 and 5 separated.

[0041] In FIG. 7, finally, the hook area 7 with the two yarns 4 and 5 is closed by the slider 16 and, on account of the compound needle 3 having continued its retraction movement and moved further down, the two yarns 4 and 5 have come to lie in the right order and the right position relative to one another in the hook 15 of the compound needle 3.

[0042] In FIG. 8, the compound needle 3 has reached its lowermost position and knocked over the last loop. The sinker 6 is already in its retracted position, so that it no longer covers the hook area 7 in the elevational direction and was unable to prevent loop knock-over.

[0043] FIG. 9 shows a modified knitting system 1 according to the invention, comprising an additional sinker 14 that can grasp, in the longitudinal direction L, from the exterior over the hook area 7 of the compound needle 3.

[0044] FIG. 10 shows another modified knitting system 1 according to the invention, comprising an additional sinker 14 that can grasp, in the longitudinal direction L, from the interior over the hook area 7 of the compound needle 3.

TABLE-US-00001 List of reference numerals 1 Knitting device 2 Knock-over edge 3 Compound needle 4 Elastic yarn 5 Non-elastic yarn 6 Sinker 7 Hook area of the compound needle (3) 8 Guide means of the sinker (6) 9 Needle shank of the compound needle (3) 10 Holding-down means 11 Edge section on the sinker (6) 12 Edge section on the sinker (6) 13 Edge on the sinker (6), which forms the holding-down means (10) 14 Additional sinker 15 Hook 16 Slider L Longitudinal direction Q Transverse direction H Elevational direction