JP7599713B2 - Processing device for stretchable narrow lace fabric - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a processing device for stretchable knitted fabrics that can also be used for ear straps on sanitary masks.

Hygiene masks are fitted with ear straps that hook around the user's ears and are made of elastic material, as they are easy to put on and require moderate pressure on the nose and mouth when in use. However, with the spread of novel infectious diseases, the demand for hygiene masks has increased, and there is a growing demand for ear straps that are low cost yet comfortable to wear.

Conventionally, elastic ear straps have been made of elastomer tape strings made by extruding polyester-based polyurethane into a film shape and then slitting it into a tape shape; multi-covering yarns or processed yarns such as twisted yarns in which a core thread of rubber thread or polyurethane elastic fiber is wrapped around a sheath thread of synthetic fibers such as polyester fiber or polyamide fiber or modified cellulose fiber; and braided cords made by a cording machine using a mixture of polyurethane elastic fiber.
However, due to the spread of new infectious diseases, sanitary masks are being used for longer periods of time and in all seasons, creating a need to respond to increased demand and improve usability.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses "(Claim 1) Mask ear elastics provided on the left and right sides of the mask body, characterized in that a plurality of rubber strings are woven together and a fibrous member is wound around each of the rubber strings." It also discloses "(Claim 2) Mask ear elastics provided on the left and right sides of the mask body, characterized in that a plurality of sets formed by bundling a plurality of rubber strings are woven together."

Patent Document 2 also discloses that "(Problem) to provide an elastic cord that has a good texture, is not uncomfortable even when in direct contact with the skin, and can be manufactured with good productivity using a normal tubular weft knitting machine. (Solution) An elastic tubular weft knitted cord that is weft knitted into a tubular shape and is knitted using, as an elastic material, a side-by-side type composite or eccentric sheath-core type composite polyester-based composite fiber that contains at least one layer whose main component is polytrimethylene terephthalate, or a composite elastic elastic yarn composed of a polyurethane elastic fiber and a non-elastic yarn, and has an elongation rate of 30% or more."

In addition, Patent Document 3 discloses a narrow knit fabric with the following description: "(Problem) To provide a string-like knit fabric with flexibility and stretchability in a rounded shape by a simple manufacturing method. (Solution) The stretchable string-like knit fabric is a narrow knit fabric consisting of multiple loop rows knitted on a single needle bed, and the knitting yarn contains at least an elastic yarn, and is curled in the width direction to form a string shape. The knitting structure includes needle loops 6 made of elastic yarn, needle loops 7 made of inelastic yarn, and respective sinker loops 4 and 5. The phenomenon of the ends curling in the width direction is a phenomenon that is usually seen in knit fabrics knitted on a single needle bed, and the bent parts near needle loops 6 and 7 of sinker loops 4 and 5 that bridge adjacent loops are subjected to a force that tries to return them to the sinker loops 4 and 5 side due to the rigidity of the knitting yarn itself, so that the free ends are warped toward the sinker loops 4 and 5 side."

In order to solve the problems that cannot be solved by the prior art as described above, the inventors of the present application have devised and are able to provide a narrow lace fabric that is less likely to twist, easier to maintain its shape, and has excellent stretchability that makes it comfortable to wear regardless of the environment by using a raschel lace knitting machine to minimize the area that comes into contact with the skin and is subjected to pressure, as well as a manufacturing method for simultaneously knitting multiple narrow lace fabrics having said stretchability, thereby improving productivity while maintaining low costs.
However, in the conventional post-knitting process, multiple narrow lace fabrics knitted simultaneously on a knitting machine are wound up on a large winding bobbin called a beam in predetermined numbers, and each strand is processed into a bundle called a skein in the skein-lifting process. Multiple skeins are then hung on a pole and heated in a heating chamber to cause thermal shrinkage in a heat treatment process before being ready for shipment. However, we were faced with a new problem that needed to be solved in this post-knitting process.

Patent No. 6404413 JP 2005-220497 A Utility Model Registration No. 3227635

After knitting, a skein lifting process is required to process each of the narrow lace fabric wound around a beam in a specified number of strands into a skein. Another issue is that skeins of yarn called hibiro are used to prevent them from falling apart and maintain their shape, which can result in creases and bends in the narrow lace fabric. In the heat treatment process, workers must hang each skein on a pole to give it a uniform elasticity, and then remove it from the pole after heating. Also, the product is shipped in skeins, making it difficult for users to handle.

The object of the present invention is to provide a processing device for stretchable narrow lace fabric that eliminates the skein lifting process itself after multiple simultaneously knitted narrow lace fabrics are wound onto a beam in predetermined numbers, thereby improving productivity, while aiming to eliminate streaks and bends caused by the ribs necessary to maintain the shape of the skein, and by eliminating the need for workers in the heat treatment process, not only reduces personnel costs but also contributes to hygienic product management by eliminating human intervention.

The processing device for stretchable narrow lace fabric of the present invention is characterized in that it is composed of a fabric introduction section which pulls out the narrow lace fabric from a beam on which a predetermined number of narrow lace fabrics have been wound and sends it to a subsequent process, a fabric heat processing section which includes a heating section which heats the narrow lace fabric sent out by the fabric introduction section with high-temperature steam to shrink it, and a drying section which removes moisture imparted to the narrow lace fabric by the heating section, a fabric storage section which stores the narrow lace fabric processed by the fabric heat processing section in a storage box, and a control section which controls the operation of each section.
According to the present invention, the narrow lace fabrics knitted simultaneously in multiple strands on a Russell lace knitting machine are wound onto a beam in predetermined numbers, and then processed into a skein, which is a bundle of individual narrow lace fabrics, and the skein is hung on a pole and heat-treated in a heating chamber to cause thermal shrinkage.However, this invention can eliminate the steps of lifting the skein and moving it to the heating chamber.
In addition, the skeins of narrow lace fabric are held together with a thread called hibiro to prevent them from falling apart, which was the cause of streaks and bends in the narrow lace fabric, but this technology also reduces the possibility of such problems occurring.

Next, the heating section in the processing device for stretchable narrow lace fabric of the present invention comprises a heating box which uses high-temperature steam to thermally shrink the narrow lace fabric pulled out from the beam by the fabric introduction section, one drive means which draws the narrow lace fabric into the heating box until it reaches a predetermined length, and the other drive means which pulls the narrow lace fabric from the heating box and sends it to a subsequent process, and is characterized in that it is possible to control the other drive means to be stopped and the one drive means to be operated to draw in the narrow lace fabric of a predetermined length and bring it to a relaxed state within the heating box, and to stop the one drive means and operate the other drive means until the narrow lace fabric in the heating box is in a tensed state, thereby sending it to a subsequent process.
The heating box is characterized in that a belt conveyor is provided at the bottom thereof for dispersing the narrow lace fabric which is drawn in by one of the driving means and accumulated at a certain location.
According to the present invention, if part of the narrow lace fabric in the heating box is in a state of tension or if the narrow lace fabric overlaps with itself, it becomes difficult to apply heat uniformly, resulting in variations in quality. However, by creating a relaxed state in the narrow lace fabric and preventing the narrow lace fabric from overlapping with itself, it becomes possible to apply heat uniformly, which contributes to reducing variations in quality.

Furthermore, the drying section in the processing device for stretchable narrow lace fabric of the present invention is characterized in that heaters for removing moisture contained in the narrow lace fabric are arranged opposite each other on the upstream and downstream sides of the drying section, thereby performing drying in two stages.
The heater is characterized in that it is configured to dry the narrow lace fabric by drawing it into a space formed by overlapping two long iron plates, one or both of which are heated, with a spacer between them, and moving it in the longitudinal direction.
According to the present invention, it is possible to reliably remove moisture while minimizing the distance from the upstream side to the downstream side of the processing device (the length of the device).

The fabric storage section in the processing device for stretchable narrow lace fabric of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a storage box for storing processed narrow lace fabric, a drive means for receiving the narrow lace fabric sent out from the fabric heat processing section and sending it out to the storage box, and a storage base for enabling the storage box to be moved horizontally.
The storage base is capable of moving horizontally by a cam mechanism and a motor, and is configured so that the narrow lace fabric sent out from the drive means is stored in the storage box in a figure-8 shape.
According to the present invention, although the device configuration is simple, the storage capacity of the narrow lace fabric in the storage box is increased, thereby improving production efficiency, and it is also expected to have the effect of preventing tangling when used by consumers.

By introducing the processing device of the present invention into the processing of narrow, stretchy lace fabrics that are knitted in multiple pieces simultaneously by a Russell lace knitting machine, not only is the skein lifting process eliminated, but the use of skeins, which are necessary to maintain the shape of the skein, is also unnecessary, and the problems of streaks and bends that occur in narrow lace fabrics due to skeins are also eliminated.
Furthermore, it is possible to reduce the number of workers required in the heat treatment process and to obtain a hygienic narrow lace fabric, thereby improving productivity and reducing manufacturing costs.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing one form of a covering yarn used in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing another form of covering yarn used in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a knitting machine used in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a basic structure of a lace knitted fabric in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a basic structure of a lace knitted fabric in an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an image showing each knitted fabric obtained according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the stretchable narrow lace knitted fabric of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between ground yarns and connecting yarns in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between ground yarns and connecting yarns in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between ground yarns and connecting yarns in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between ground yarns and connecting yarns in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between ground yarns and connecting yarns in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between ground yarns and connecting yarns in the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the stretchable narrow lace knitted fabric of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the ground yarns and the connecting yarns in the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the ground yarns and the connecting yarns in the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the ground yarns and the connecting yarns in the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the ground yarns and the connecting yarns in the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the ground yarns and the connecting yarns in the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between ground yarns and connecting yarns in a third embodiment of the stretchable narrow lace knitted fabric of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a narrow lace knitted fabric having elasticity of the third embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the processing steps of a stretchable narrow lace fabric obtained by the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a skein lifting process in a conventional processing device process. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a heat treatment step in a conventional processing step. 1 is a front view of a processing device for a stretchable narrow lace fabric in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a processing device for a stretchable narrow lace fabric in the above embodiment. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a knitted fabric introduction section and a knitted fabric heat processing section in the embodiment. 13 is an image showing a beam on which a narrow lace fabric in the above embodiment is wound. FIG. 4 is a front view showing a heating unit in the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view showing a drying unit in the embodiment. 4 is a diagram showing details of a drying unit in the embodiment. FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a knitted fabric storage section in the embodiment. 13 is an image showing a storage box and a narrow lace fabric to be stored in the storage box according to the embodiment. 11A and 11B are reference diagrams illustrating horizontal movement of the storage base in the above embodiment.

(Embodiment)
The embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings in which the embodiments are specifically illustrated as follows.

(Threads used)
1 and 2 are enlarged schematic diagrams of yarns used in knitting an elastic narrow lace fabric 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and show a covering yarn Z (Z1) in which other spun yarns or filament yarns are wound around an elastic core yarn made of polyurethane, natural rubber, synthetic rubber, or the like.
As the covering yarn Z, in addition to a single covered yarn Z1 in which a single yarn (sheath yarn) 1b is wound around a core yarn 1a as shown in FIG. 1, a double covered yarn Z2 in which a single yarn (sheath yarn) 2b is wound around a core yarn 2a and another yarn 2c (sheath yarn) is wound in the opposite direction to the wound yarn 2b as shown in FIG. 2 can also be appropriately selected.
In addition, it is possible to use the covering yarn Z (Z1 and/or Z2) for the entire lace fabric or for only a part of it, but in this embodiment, by using the covering yarn Z (Z1 and/or Z2) for the entire lace fabric, it is possible to make the fabric stretchable in all directions and to prevent deformation due to differences in thermal shrinkage rates when heat treatment is performed in the manufacturing process described below.
By adopting the above-mentioned covering yarn Z (Z1 and/or Z2), even when the stretchable narrow lace knit fabric 100 of this embodiment is used as a sanitary mask, ear strap, or chin strap for a hat, the elastic yarn serving as the core thread is prevented from coming into direct contact with the skin, which is effective in preventing stuffiness and rough skin.

(Knitting machine used)
A raschel lace knitting machine (knitting machine R) is used to knit the stretchable narrow lace fabric 100 of this embodiment.
A raschel lace knitting machine is a type of warp knitting machine, and has a reed as a yarn guide means for guiding yarns with different roles, such as ground yarns, weft yarns, and pattern yarns, toward the knitting section provided near the knitting needles. Specifically, the knitting machine is realized by a jacquard bar, which is a jacquard reed, a number of pattern reeds, and ground reeds. When viewed from the side of the knitting machine, these reeds are arranged radially toward the knitting section where the knitting needles capture the ground yarns.
A large number of knitting needles are arranged in a line perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction when viewed from the side of the knitting machine, and are fixed to a needle bar that serves as a holding means for holding each knitting needle. The needle bar moves each knitting needle up and down. The needle bar also operates to guide each yarn introduced to each reed to a predetermined knitting position.
Each reed synchronizes the corresponding yarn with the raising and lowering movement of the knitting needles to perform overlap (stitch formation movement) in which the corresponding yarns move in the space behind the knitting machine relative to the knitting needles in the direction in which the knitting needles are lined up, and underlap (insertion movement) in which the corresponding yarns move in the space in front of the knitting machine relative to the knitting needles in the direction in which the knitting needles are lined up. In addition to these wrap movements, a so-called swing (oscillating movement) is also performed in which the yarns move in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the knitting needles are lined up. Specifically, there are two swing movements.
The first swing motion, the swing-in (backswing) motion, passes alongside the knitting needle, moving each yarn corresponding to the knitting needle from the space behind the knitting machine to the space in front of the knitting machine. The second swing motion, the swing-out (front swing) motion, passes alongside the knitting needle, moving each yarn corresponding to the knitting needle from the space in front of the knitting machine to the space behind the knitting machine.
A guide attached to each reed operates to pass each corresponding yarn around the knitting needles in a predetermined path, thereby knitting a lace fabric including each corresponding yarn.
The knitted lace fabric is usually wound up by a winding means W provided in front of the knitting section when viewed from the side of the knitting machine as shown in Figure 3(a) , but the knitting machine R used in this embodiment has been improved so that the subsequent processes can be carried out smoothly by arranging large winding bobbins called "beams" that are divisible into several pieces and wound up in predetermined numbers of knitted narrow lace fabric 100 at the winding position where the winding means W is provided in a typical knitting machine (B shown in Figure 3(b) ).

(Basic knitted fabric)
The structure of the basic lace knit fabric in this embodiment is shown in Figures 4 and 5. V in Figure 4 is a ground yarn, and shows that multiple chain stitches C that are the basis of the knit fabric are formed from the ground yarn V by a knitting machine R, and adjacent chain stitches C are connected so as to be entangled, and S in Figure 5 is a weft yarn, and shows a state in which each independent chain stitch C is knitted so as to be connected by the weft yarn S. It is shown that the basic lace knit fabric 10 is knitted only with these multiple ground yarns V, or a combination of multiple ground yarns V and the weft yarn S. Arrow A shown in Figures 4 and 5 indicates the knitting direction.
FIG. 6 shows an image of an actual lace fabric 10 in which the lace is intertwined and connected only with the ground yarn V shown in FIG.
A plurality of such lace fabrics 10 are knitted simultaneously in the width direction of the fabric by the knitting machine R described above.
Here, in this embodiment, a lace fabric 10 is used that is knitted only with ground yarns V that form chain stitches C, but it is also possible to connect adjacent ground yarns V so that they are intertwined and to arrange a weft yarn S, and it is also possible to make a lace fabric in which adjacent independent chain stitches C are connected using a weft yarn S as shown in Figure 5.
In the basic lace fabric 10 shown in Figure 6, eight ground yarns V are used, but the ground yarns V of the lace fabric 10 in this embodiment can be appropriately selected in the width direction depending on the desired width of the lace fabric.

(First form of narrow lace fabric made with connecting yarn)
A connecting thread M is introduced from the same reed as the ground thread V so that the basic lace fabric 10 becomes a tubular narrow lace fabric 100 having a substantially circular cross section as shown in FIG.
At this time, the number of ground yarns V is eight and the number of connecting yarns M is one, which will be described in detail below.
The connecting yarn M is introduced from a reed arranged on the front side of the same knitted fabric as the multiple ground yarns V that make up the basic knitted fabric 10 described above, and the ground yarns V (V1 and V8 shown in Figure 8 (a)) that form both widthwise ends of the lace fabric 10 are woven close to each other to form a connecting tissue 40, and the entire lace fabric becomes rounded in the width direction to form a tubular narrow-width lace fabric 100 (tubular body T) with an approximately circular cross-section.
8(a) defines the orientation of the lace fabric 10 with the knitting direction as the up-down direction and the width direction of the fabric as the left-right direction as the front, and shows the lace fabric 10 as viewed from directly below, with eight ground yarns V (V1 to V8) lined up in the width direction, and no weft yarns S are used in this embodiment. Also, it shows that a connecting yarn M is introduced from the front side of the fabric.
First, as shown in Figure 8(b), a knitting needle (not shown) for knitting the connecting yarn M picks up the ground yarn V1 arranged at one of the two widthwise ends of the lace fabric 10 and knits the connecting yarn M into it, and then, as shown in Figure 8(c), picks up the ground yarn V8 arranged at the other widthwise end of the lace fabric 10 and knits the connecting yarn M into it, thereby forming a first connecting portion 40a.
Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8(d), the knitting needle picks up the ground yarn V2 arranged next to the ground yarn V1 and weaves the connecting yarn M into it, and as shown in FIG. 8(e), the knitting needle picks up the ground yarn V7 arranged next to the ground yarn V8 and weaves the connecting yarn M into it, thereby forming a second connecting portion 40b.
By alternately weaving ground yarn V1 → ground yarn V8 → ground yarn V2 → ground yarn V7 → ground yarn V1 ... on the left and right in the width direction, and by alternately weaving the ground yarns arranged at both ends of the knitted fabric in the width direction with the ground yarns arranged next to the ground yarns arranged at both ends in the width direction, a connective tissue 40 is formed in which first connecting parts 40a and second connecting parts 40b are alternately and continuously formed in the knitting direction A, and not only can the narrow lace knitted fabric 100 be knitted as a tubular body T, but the connective tissue 40 can be formed by containing the connective tissue 40 in the space part side so as not to protrude on the surface side (outside) of the tubular narrow lace knitted fabric 100 (having an approximately circular cross section), thereby achieving a shape similar to that of seamless bag weaving or circular knitting on the sides of the knitted fabric and a natural feel when used.
In addition, since the narrow lace knitted fabric 100 has a space X (is tubular), it has cushioning properties against forces applied to the sides of the narrow lace knitted fabric 100, as well as breathability and moisture permeability, which helps prevent stuffiness and rough skin.
An actual narrow lace fabric 100 is shown in FIG.
In this embodiment, the number of ground yarns V has been described as eight, but it is also possible to obtain a narrow lace fabric 100 (tubular body T) that can be used with five ground yarns V.

Here, if the connecting yarn M forming the tubular body T of the narrow lace fabric 100 breaks or frays, the formation of the tubular body T will easily be dissolved, causing a problem that the state of the lace fabric 10 will return to normal.
8(f), before the ground yarn V1 arranged at one end in the width direction of the lace fabric 10 is woven with the connecting yarn M, the connecting yarn M is passed over the ground yarns V constituting the lace fabric 10 in the order of V1, V2, V3, ... to the ground yarn V8 arranged at the other end of the lace fabric 10. Then, after the ground yarn V1 arranged at one end in the width direction of the lace fabric 10 is woven with the connecting yarn M, the lace fabric 10 moves to the other end side, and the connecting yarn M is passed over in the order of ground yarns V8, V7, V6, ... V1 to weave the ground yarn V8 arranged at the other end.
In this way, by adding a step of crossing the connecting thread M from one end to the other end before knitting the ground thread V (ground threads V1, V2) arranged at one end in the width direction of the lace fabric 10, and a step of crossing the connecting thread M from the other end to one end before knitting the ground thread V (ground threads V8, V7) arranged at the other end, a method has been found in which even if the connecting thread M breaks or unravels, it will not affect the entire narrow lace fabric 100.
That is, by repeatedly and continuously performing the steps of passing the connecting thread M to the ground thread V in the order of ground thread 1 → ground thread 8 and weaving the ground thread V1, passing the connecting thread M to the ground thread V in the order of ground thread 8 → ground thread 1 and weaving the ground thread V8, bringing the ground threads V1 and V8 close to each other to form a first connecting portion 40a, and after forming the first connecting portion 40a, passing the connecting thread M to the ground thread V in the order of ground thread 1 → ground thread 8 and weaving the ground thread V2, passing the connecting thread M to the ground thread V in the order of ground thread 8 → ground thread 1 and weaving the ground thread V7, bringing the ground threads V2 and V7 close to each other to form a second connecting portion 40b, a narrow lace fabric 100 can be obtained in which the effects of breakage or unraveling of the connecting thread M during or after knitting can be minimized.

(Second embodiment of narrow lace fabric made of connecting yarn)
Furthermore, the inventor of the present application has come up with the idea of further complicating the steps of forming the above-mentioned tubular narrow lace fabric 100 (tubular body T) by using two connecting yarns M and bringing not only the ground yarns forming both ends of the lace fabric 10 in the width direction, but also the central portion Y of the lace fabric 10 in the width direction close to each other, thereby obtaining a narrow lace fabric 200 in the form of two connected tubular bodies T (FIG. 9).
That is, the number of ground yarns V is increased (17 in this embodiment) and the lace fabric 10 is divided in half in the width direction. Then, one of the two connecting yarns Ma is used to bring the ground yarns located at both ends of the lace fabric 10a in the width direction close to each other to form a connecting portion 41a, and at the same time, the other connecting yarn Mb is used to bring the ground yarns located at both ends of the lace fabric 10b in the width direction close to each other to form a connecting portion 41b, thereby obtaining a narrow lace fabric 200 in which two tubular bodies T with a substantially elliptical cross section are connected.
Explaining the details in the same manner as the knitting procedure of the narrow lace fabric 100, Fig. 10(a) defines the orientation of the lace fabric 10 with the knitting direction being the up-down direction and the width direction of the fabric being the left-right direction as the front, and is a view of the lace fabric 10 seen from directly below, showing that 17 ground yarns V (V1 to V17) are lined up in the width direction, and the lace fabric 10 is composed only of chain stitches formed by the ground yarns, without using weft yarns S. It also shows that two connecting yarns Ma and Mb are introduced from the front side of the fabric.
Hereinafter, the movement of the connecting yarn Mb is linearly symmetrical to the connecting yarn Ma with respect to the axis L that bisects the lace fabric 10 passing through the ground yarn V9 as shown in FIG. 11(a), so a description thereof will be omitted.
First, as shown in Figure 11(b), a knitting needle (not shown) for knitting the connecting thread Ma picks up the ground thread V1 arranged at one end of the halved lace fabric 10a and knits the connecting thread Ma into it, and then, as shown in Figure 11(c), picks up the ground thread V8 (ground thread V8 forming the widthwise central portion Y of the lace fabric 10) located at the other end of the halved lace fabric 10a and knits the connecting thread Ma into it so that the ground threads V1 and V8 are close to each other.
After that, as shown in Fig. 11(d), the knitting needle picks up the ground yarn V2 located next to the ground yarn V1 and knits in the connecting yarn Ma, and then as shown in Fig. 11(e), the knitting needle picks up the ground yarn V8 again and knits in the connecting yarn Ma. By repeating this operation, the connecting part 41a is formed and the ground yarn V1 is contained in the space formed inside the knitted fabric, so that the connecting part 41a does not protrude from the surface of the knitted lace fabric.
Here, the other connecting thread Mb also moves in a similar manner, forming a connecting portion 41b, so that not only do the ground threads V1 and V17 which form both widthwise ends of the lace fabric 10 come close to each other, but the ground threads V8, V9, and V10 (in the widthwise central part Y of the lace fabric 10) located at the ends of the lace fabric 10a, which divides the lace fabric 10 into two equal parts, and 10b come close to each other, forming a connecting tissue 41, and a narrow lace fabric 200 in the form in which two tubular bodies T are connected can be obtained.
The narrow lace knit fabric 200 obtained here is stronger and less prone to twisting or bending than the basic lace knit fabric 10 described above, yet has the characteristic that the area that comes into contact with the skin is smaller, and like the narrow lace knit fabric 100 with a circular cross section described above, the connecting tissue 41 does not protrude onto the knit fabric surface and has spaces, which reduces stuffiness and rough skin, making it a narrow lace knit fabric with excellent feel.
An actual image of the narrow lace fabric 200 is shown in Fig. 6, and as described above, even if the number of ground yarns is reduced to 10, a narrow lace fabric 200 (having two tubular bodies T connected together) that is one size smaller can be obtained. This allows many narrow lace fabrics 200 to be knitted at the same time using one knitting machine R, which contributes to reducing manufacturing costs and time.

(Third form of narrow lace fabric made of connecting yarn)
In addition to the narrow lace fabric 200 using the above-mentioned connecting yarns Ma and Mb, the lace fabric 10 can be divided into thirds in the width direction and a connecting yarn Mc added. The three connecting yarns M (Ma, Mb, Mc) are introduced into the knitting section and the ground yarns are knitted in as shown in Figure 11. This allows the connecting tissue 42 consisting of three connecting parts 42a, 42b, 42c to bring the ground yarns V forming both ends of the lace fabric 10 in the width direction close together, and allows the production of a narrow lace fabric 300 in which three tubular bodies T are connected (Figure 12).

Considering the series of narrow lace fabrics 100, 200, 300 described above, they can be explained according to one rule.
In other words, by weaving the ground yarns V (V1 and V8) arranged at both widthwise ends of the lace fabric 10 so that they are close to each other via a single connecting yarn M, a single connective tissue 40 is formed, and a narrow lace fabric 100 consisting of a single tubular body T can be obtained.Next, the lace fabric 10 (the multiple ground yarns V that constitute it) is divided into two equal parts in the knitted fabric width direction, and two connecting yarns Ma and Mb are used to weave the ground yarns V1 and V8, and the ground yarns V10 and V17, which will be located at both ends of the two equal parts of the lace fabric 10, so that they are close to each other, forming a connective tissue, and a narrow lace fabric 200 in the form of two connected tubular bodies T can be obtained. Similarly, the lace knitted fabric 10 is divided into three equal parts in the knitted fabric width direction, and three connecting threads Ma, Mb, and Mc are woven together so that the ground yarns V located at both ends of each are close to each other to form a connective tissue 42 with three connecting parts 42a, 42b, and 42c, thereby obtaining a narrow lace knitted fabric 300 in the form of three connected tubular bodies.
From this, it can be defined that a lace fabric 10 made from at least N x 5 ground yarns V, which is an integer of 1 or greater, is divided into N equal parts in the width direction, and N connecting yarns M are used to knit the ground yarns V located at both ends of the width direction of the fabric into close proximity to each other to form N connecting sections, and the N connecting sections constitute a connective tissue, resulting in a narrow lace fabric in which N number of tubular bodies T are connected.
By changing the number of N to 4, 5, etc., the number of ground yarns, connecting yarns, connecting portions formed, and the number of tubular bodies vary.
In this case, the number N can be appropriately selected from 1 or more, but in light of the objectives of the present invention, such as resistance to twisting and shape maintenance, it is particularly preferable that the number N is 1 or more and 5 or less.

(Conventional processing steps)
After going through a knitting process in which a plurality of narrow lace fabrics 100 are knitted simultaneously by the knitting section of the knitting machine R, the narrow lace fabrics 100 are wound up on a beam B in predetermined numbers. The narrow lace fabrics 100 wound up on the beam B are then ready for shipment through a process as shown in Fig. 13, which will be described in detail below.

(Processing step 1 after knitting: skein lifting)
A plurality of narrow lace fabrics 100 simultaneously obtained through the knitting process are wound up on a beam B in predetermined numbers and then transferred to the next process, skein winding.
The skein lifting process is a process in which the narrow lace fabric 100 wound around a beam B in a predetermined number of strands is wound one by one around a cylindrical frame F to process the fabric into a "skein" with a constant circumference, as shown in Fig. 14(a). The skein K is secured with a thread H called a "hibiro" to prevent it from coming apart (Fig. 14(b)).
In conventional processing methods, the specified number of narrow lace fabrics wound onto one beam is 10, and 10 skeins K are formed from one beam, but there is no particular mechanical limitation regarding the specified number and it can be selected as appropriate.

(Post-knitting process 2: Heat treatment)
The narrow lace fabric 100 gathered into a skein K is then moved to the next step, which is heat treatment.
Normally, even a knitted fabric made using covering yarn has poor elasticity and is an incomplete product. However, by heating the knitted fabric (the covering yarn used to knit the knitted fabric) through heat treatment, the knitted fabric (the covering yarn used to knit the knitted fabric) shrinks and becomes elastic.
In a conventional processing step, a skein K is hung on a rod in a heating chamber and heated at 95°C for 90 minutes using boiler heat (Fig. 15). At this time, the narrow lace fabrics constituting one skein are hung on the rod so that they do not overlap, so that heat is evenly transmitted to the entire fabric, and the narrow lace fabric is in a nearly relaxed state except for the part that is in contact with the rod, making it possible to achieve uniform shrinkage and uniform stretchability.

(First embodiment of the present invention)
In order to solve the problems in the conventional processing steps described above, the inventors of the present application have devised a new processing apparatus and processing method.
The following will explain in detail with reference to the drawings.

16(a) and 16(b) are front views of the narrow lace fabric processing device 500, which is made up of a fabric introduction section 500a that draws the narrow lace fabric 100 wound around a beam into the processing device 500 one by one, a fabric heat processing section 500b that heats and heat-shrinks the narrow lace fabric 100 drawn in by the fabric introduction section 500a, and a fabric storage section 500c that stores the narrow lace fabric 100 after heat shrinkage and prepares it for shipment. It also has a control section (not shown) that integrates the above sections and controls their operations.
Fig. 17 is a plan view of the narrow lace fabric processing device 500, showing that ten narrow lace fabrics 100 are wound on a beam B, which are introduced one by one into the processing device 500 and processed simultaneously. Fig. 18 is an actual image of the beam B on which the narrow lace fabric 100 is wound.
Furthermore, the beam B can be made of not only wood as shown in Fig. 18 but also reinforced plastic. The reinforced plastic beam B is lighter and stronger than a wooden beam, so it is possible to wind up a longer narrow lace fabric 100 and obtain an uninterrupted narrow lace fabric 100, and it is advantageous in that the number of times the beam B is attached and detached during knitting and processing can be reduced, improving work efficiency.
In this embodiment, a beam B on which 10 narrow lace fabrics 100 are wound is used as the processing device, which can process 10 fabrics simultaneously; however, the number of fabrics processed simultaneously and the number of processing devices can be appropriately selected depending on the location, production scale, etc.

(About the knitting introduction part)
In the narrow lace fabric processing apparatus 500 of this embodiment, the fabric introduction section 500a is equipped with a first driving means Q1 which sets a beam B on which multiple narrow lace fabrics 100 are wound and rotates the beam to feed the narrow lace fabric to the apparatus, and a feed adjustment means O which adjusts the flow of the narrow lace fabric when the narrow lace fabric is introduced into the apparatus one by one to prevent bending, tangling, breakage, etc., and may further be equipped with a narrow lace fabric detection means which detects the presence or absence of narrow lace fabric being fed out from the beam B and stops the operation of the first driving means Q1 when the feeding of the narrow lace fabric has been completed (Figure 16 (b)).
The driving means here is composed of a rotatable roller for feeding the narrow lace fabric from the upstream side of the apparatus to the downstream side and/or a motor which provides rotational power.

(About the knitted fabric heat treatment section)
In the narrow lace fabric processing apparatus 500 of this embodiment, the knitted fabric heat processing section 500b is composed of a heating section I and a drying section J.
First, the narrow lace fabric supplied from the fabric introduction section 500a is drawn in and stored in the heating section I so that it is in a relaxed state at a predetermined length, and the inside of the heating section I is made hot and humid with high-temperature steam, causing the narrow lace fabric in the heating section to thermally shrink.
Next, the heat-shrunk narrow lace fabric is sent to a drying section J, where the moisture is removed by a heater and air blowing, thereby completing the heat treatment.

(Configuration of heating section)
Of the knitted fabric heat treatment section 500b of this embodiment, the heating section I shown in Figure 19 is composed of a heating box Ia that supplies high-temperature steam and applies it to the narrow lace fabric, a second drive means Q2 that introduces the narrow lace fabric supplied from the knitted fabric introduction section into the heating box Ia, and a third drive means Q3 that rolls up the narrow lace fabric that has been thermally shrunk in the heating box and supplies it to the drying section J, which is the subsequent process.
Here, since the narrow lace fabric drawn in by the second drive means Q2 hangs down from the second drive means Q2, it is preferable to move the fabrics downstream of the device so that they do not overlap when a predetermined length is stored in the heating box Ia. Therefore, a belt conveyor Ib is provided at the bottom of the heating box Ia and is configured to be operated by a motor P. This suppresses unevenness in the application of heat to the fabrics caused by overlapping of the fabrics.

Furthermore, smooth processing is achieved by providing a knitted fabric tension detection means Ic and controlling the movements of the second driving means Q2 and the third driving means Q3 as follows.
When the narrow lace fabric supplied from the fabric introduction section 500a is drawn into the heating box Ia, the third driving means Q3 is stopped and the second driving means Q2 is operated to draw the narrow lace fabric into the heating box Ia.
The narrow lace fabric, which has reached a predetermined length in the heating box Ia, is prevented from overlapping and is placed in a relaxed state by the belt conveyor Ib.
When the predetermined length is reached, the second driving means Q2 is stopped, and heat is applied evenly by the high-temperature steam.
Heat is applied for a predetermined time, and the narrow lace fabric which has been thermally shrunk is wound up by operating the third driving means Q3 and sent to the heater J in the subsequent process.
This operation by the third driving means Q3 is performed while the second driving means Q2 is stopped and no new narrow lace fabric is being supplied, so that the narrow lace fabric in the heating box Ia gradually becomes shorter.
When the tension state of the narrow lace fabric is detected by the fabric tension detection means Ic provided in the heating box Ia, the operation of the third drive means Q3 is stopped.
Thereafter, the second driving means Q2 is operated again while the third driving means Q3 is kept stopped, and this operation is repeated, which contributes to smooth processing of the narrow lace fabric without variation in the application of heat and without problems such as breakage of the fabric within the heating box Ia.

(Heater Configuration)
After the processing in the heating section I is completed, the narrow lace fabric shrunk by heat is sent to the drying section J. As shown in Fig. 20, the drying section J is composed of a heater Ja for drying the moist narrow lace fabric, a temperature control controller Jb for adjusting the temperature of the heater, a fabric tension detection means Jc for detecting the tension state of the narrow lace fabric, and a fourth drive means Q4 which is synchronized with the third drive means Q3 constituting the heating section I, draws the narrow lace fabric into the heater Ja, and sends the dried narrow lace fabric to a subsequent process.
In order to increase the drying speed, it is also possible to add a blower Jd.

The narrow lace fabric that has been thermally shrunk by processing in the heating section I is wound up by the third driving means Q3 and is drawn into the drying section J by the fourth driving means Q4 that is synchronized with the third driving means Q3.
Fig. 21 shows the configuration of heater Ja (Ja1), in which a space is formed by sandwiching a spacer between two long metal plates D (Da, Db), and the narrow lace fabric is passed through the space. A ribbon heater is arranged in the longitudinal direction of one of the metal plates D, and the metal plate D is heated to a predetermined temperature by a temperature control controller Jb, removing moisture contained in the narrow lace fabric as it passes through.
Figure 21 (a) is an oblique view showing the positional relationship between two metal plates Da, Db and the narrow lace fabric 100, (b) is a front view and a side view of heater Ja1, (c) is a side view showing the arrangement of metal plates Da, Db and spacers, and (d) is a plan view showing the arrangement of metal plates Da, Db and spacers.
In this embodiment, two sets of the heater Ja and temperature adjustment controller Jb are prepared, and a second heater Jb2 and a second temperature adjustment controller Jb2 are provided opposite the first heater Ja1 and the first temperature adjustment controller Jb1, thereby making it possible to create a space-saving device that can perform reliable drying (Figure 20).

Here, by providing a fabric tension detection means Jc between the first heater Ja1 and the second heater Ja2 to detect the tension state of the narrow lace fabric, it becomes possible to control the operation of the fourth driving means Q4, thereby preventing problems such as breakage or stretching of the narrow lace fabric.

(About the fabric storage section)
Figure 22 shows a plan view of the knitted fabric storage section 500c in this embodiment, and shows a state in which ten cylindrical storage cases E are lined up to house each narrow lace fabric 100 obtained through the previous process, the knitted fabric heat processing section 500b.
After processing, the narrow lace fabric 100 is sent out from the fourth driving means Q4, passes through the fifth driving means Q5, and is dropped into a storage case E located directly below the fifth driving means Q5, and is ready for shipment (Figure 23).

(Configuration of the knitted fabric storage section)
The knitted fabric storage section 500c includes a storage base N on which a storage case E is arranged, a cam mechanism G that moves the storage base N in a figure-8 shape in the horizontal direction and is configured to be movable in the horizontal direction.
A motor P is provided as a power source for operating the cam mechanism G.
In this embodiment, the cam mechanism G is equipped with a heart cam that causes the storage base N to reciprocate at a constant speed in the up and down direction in Figure 22, and a heart cam that causes the storage base N to reciprocate at a constant speed in the left and right direction, and the figure-of-eight movement is achieved by rotating both heart cams at a constant speed using a motor P (see Figure 24), but there are no limitations to this mechanism and the figure-eight movement may be achieved by any known method.
This movable storage base N and cam mechanism G allow the narrow lace fabric to be stored evenly inside the storage case E, which not only allows more narrow lace fabric to be stored than if the narrow lace fabric were dropped randomly into the same place by hanging it down from the fifth driving means Q5 into the storage case E, but is also expected to have the effect of preventing tangling when used by consumers of the narrow lace fabric.
Moreover, the storage case E is made of reinforced plastic and has a number of holes on its side so that the narrow lace fabric 100 stored therein can be seen, thereby making the storage case E lighter and making it possible to check whether the narrow lace fabric 100 is properly stored.

Here, a near-infrared camera for measuring the amount of moisture contained in the narrow lace fabric 100 may be provided in the vicinity of the fifth driving means of the knitted fabric storage section 500 in this embodiment.
If the narrow lace fabric 100 after processing contains excess moisture, condensation may occur inside the storage case E, causing product defects such as mold. Therefore, to determine whether the drying in the drying section J is appropriate, the moisture content of the fabric is measured from images taken with a near-infrared camera, and the drying speed and drying temperature in the drying section J are appropriately set in the control section based on the measured data, thereby contributing to the provision of a stable product.
Note that a near-infrared camera was used to measure the moisture content without touching the knitted fabric or applying excessive external force, but any known means may be selected as long as it can measure the moisture content without applying excessive force to the knitted fabric.

By introducing the narrow lace fabric processing device 500 as described above, it is possible to process the narrow lace fabric 100 knitted by the knitting machine R from the state where it is wound onto the beam B to the shipping state without human intervention, which contributes to reducing product defects, improving productivity, reducing the personnel costs of workers involved in processing, and improving the hygiene of the product compared to conventional methods, thereby achieving an advantage over other products.

100, 200, 300 Narrow lace knitting,
1a, 2a core yarn,
1b, 2b, 2c sheath thread,
10, 10a, 10b Basic lace knitted fabric,
40, 41, 42 Connecting organization,
40a first connecting portion,
40b second connecting portion;
41a, 42a, 41b, 42b, 42c connection part,
500 Narrow lace knitting processing device,
500a knitted fabric introduction section,
500b knitted fabric heat processing section,
500c knitted fabric storage section,
A Braiding direction,
B Beam,
C chain edition,
D, Da, Db metal plate,
E. Storage case,
F. Frame for processing skeins,
G Cam mechanism,
H. Hibiro,
I heating section,
Ia heating box,
Ib conveyor belt,
Ic knitting fabric tension detection means,
J Drying section,
Ja1, first heater;
Ja2, second heater K skein,
L: Axis for dividing the lace fabric equally;
M, Ma, Mb, Mc connecting threads,
N Storage base,
O feed adjustment means,
P motor,
Q, Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5 driving means,
R knitting machine,
S weft thread,
T tubular body,
V. Ground thread,
W winding means,
X space part,
Y: lace knitted central part,
Z, Z1, Z2 covering thread

Claims (6)

This processing device for a stretchable narrow lace fabric knitted by a raschel lace knitting machine comprises a fabric introduction section which pulls out the narrow lace fabric from a beam on which a predetermined number of narrow lace fabrics have been wound and sends it to a subsequent process, a fabric heat treatment section which includes a heating section which heats the narrow lace fabric sent out by the fabric introduction section with high-temperature steam to shrink it, and a drying section which removes moisture imparted to the narrow lace fabric by the heating section, a fabric storage section which stores the narrow lace fabric processed by the fabric heat treatment section in a storage box, and a control section which controls the operation of each section , and the heating section heats the narrow lace fabric pulled out from the beam by the fabric introduction section, The device for processing stretchable narrow lace fabric comprises a heating box which heat-shrinks the narrow lace fabric with high-temperature steam, one drive means which draws the narrow lace fabric into the heating box until it reaches a predetermined length, and the other drive means which draws the narrow lace fabric from the heating box and sends it to a subsequent process, and is capable of controlling the other drive means to be stopped and the one drive means to be operated to draw in the narrow lace fabric of a predetermined length to bring it into a relaxed state within the heating box, and the one drive means to be stopped and the other drive means to be operated until the narrow lace fabric in the heating box is in a tensed state, thereby sending it to a subsequent process .
The processing device for stretchable narrow lace fabric described in claim 1, characterized in that a belt conveyor is provided at the bottom of the heating box to disperse the narrow lace fabric that is drawn in by one of the driving means and accumulated at a certain location. The processing device for stretchable narrow lace fabric as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the drying section is configured to dry the narrow lace fabric in two stages by arranging heaters opposite each other on the upstream and downstream sides of the drying section to remove moisture contained in the narrow lace fabric . The processing device for stretchable narrow lace fabric as described in claim 3, characterized in that the heater is configured to dry the narrow lace fabric by drawing it into a space formed by overlapping two long iron plates, one or both of which are heated, with a spacer between them and moving it in the longitudinal direction. The processing device for stretchable narrow lace fabric described in claim 1, characterized in that the knitted fabric storage section is composed of a storage box that stores the processed narrow lace fabric, a drive means that receives the narrow lace fabric sent out from the knitted fabric heat processing section and sends it to the storage box, and a storage base that allows the storage box to move horizontally. The processing device for stretchable narrow lace fabric as described in claim 5, characterized in that the storage base is capable of moving horizontally by a cam mechanism and a motor, and the narrow lace fabric sent out from the drive means is stored in the storage box so as to draw a figure eight .