JP7701262B2 - Slack removal mechanism for warp feed device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to technology for a slack removal mechanism in a warp feed device that feeds warp threads to a knitting machine.

Conventionally, technology for removing slack in a warp feed device that feeds warp threads to a knitting machine has been publicly known. For example, it is as described in Patent Document 1.

Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for sandwiching warp and weft yarns with weft-knitted knitting yarns. Specifically, in Patent Document 1, multiple first base yarns (warp yarns) arranged in parallel in the knitting width direction and second base yarns (weft yarns) arranged in parallel in the vertical direction and intersecting with the first base yarns are sandwiched by weft-knitting the knitting yarns.

In such technology, a yarn feed roller may be provided to guide the yarn (warp) unwound from the creel to the knitting machine. When arranging a large number of such rollers in the knitting width direction, a mechanism that converts the reciprocating motion of a specified member into the rotational force of the roller is suitable for driving these rollers. Specifically, by providing a one-way clutch on the rotation shaft of the roller connected to the specified member, the roller can be rotated on the outward path, while a ratchet mechanism acts to prevent the roller from rotating on the return path.

However, while the above-mentioned mechanism can feed the thread, it cannot eliminate slack by winding the thread, for example, if an error in the amount of thread feed accumulates and causes the thread to slacken. It is also possible to remove slack by installing a spring tensioner in the thread path, but installing individual tensioners for multiple threads is difficult in terms of space and cost. Another idea is to pass a weight through the thread, but since this and the tensioner act directly on the thread, there is a possibility that the thread tension will be affected. Furthermore, the release resistance can change depending on the amount of thread remaining on the creel, so these means of directly controlling the thread are not desirable as they may pull out more thread than necessary from the creel.

JP 2014-34737 A

The present invention was made in consideration of the above situation, and the problem it aims to solve is to provide a slack removal mechanism for a warp feed device that can eliminate slack in the warp yarns using magnetic force with a relatively simple configuration.

The problem that the present invention aims to solve is as described above, and the means for solving this problem will be explained next.

In other words, the warp yarn feeding device of the present invention is a yarn feeding device having a roller that is rotatable in one direction and the other direction and can feed out yarn by controlling the rotation in the one direction, and is a slack removal mechanism for the warp yarn feeding device that removes slack in the yarn downstream of the roller, and is equipped with a first magnet portion provided on the roller, and a second magnet portion that is provided independently of the roller and rotates the roller in the other direction by the action of magnetic force on the first magnet portion.
With this configuration, it is possible to eliminate slack in the thread using magnetic force with a relatively simple configuration. In addition, since magnetic force is used, problems such as wear between members do not occur, unlike in the case of torque application by physical connection, and it is possible to improve maintainability and durability.

The first magnet portion has a shielding member that blocks a magnetic force acting on the second magnet portion to rotate the roller in the one direction.
With this configuration, the roller can be rotated in the other direction (the direction in which the yarn is rewound) in an appropriate manner, thereby effectively eliminating slack in the yarn.

In addition, the first magnet portion is provided on the outer periphery of the roller and is provided at an angle relative to the radial direction of the roller so that one magnetic pole acting to rotate the roller in the other direction faces toward the outer diameter side more than the other magnetic pole.
With this configuration, the roller can be rotated in the other direction (the direction in which the yarn is rewound) in an appropriate manner, thereby effectively eliminating slack in the yarn.

The first magnet portion is provided in plurality at equal intervals on the outer periphery of the roller.
With this configuration, the roller can be rotated in the other direction (the direction in which the yarn is rewound) in an appropriate manner, thereby effectively eliminating slack in the yarn.

In addition, the rollers include a drive roller that can rotate using a driving force and contacts the yarn to send it out, and a driven roller that can rotate with the rotation of the drive roller, and the first magnet portion is provided on the driven roller.
With this configuration, the first magnet portion can be provided on a roller (driven roller) other than the roller (drive roller) that sends out the yarn, thereby simplifying the configuration of the roller.

The second magnet portion is provided in plurality at equal intervals in the rotation direction on another roller that can rotate using a driving force different from the driving force.
By configuring in this way, the slack in the thread can be eliminated more effectively.

The advantage of the present invention is that it is possible to eliminate slack in the thread using magnetic force with a relatively simple structure.

1 is a schematic side view showing a yarn feeding mechanism to which a warp yarn feeding device including a slack eliminating mechanism according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied; 1 is a side view showing a warp yarn feeding device equipped with a slack eliminating mechanism according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1A and 1B are side views showing the operation of the warp yarn feeding device, in which (a) shows a state in which the lever has been rotated upward, and (b) shows a state in which the lever has been rotated downward. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the slack removing mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1A is a side view showing an operation of the slack eliminating mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a side view showing a state in which the warp thread has been wound and the slack eliminated; FIG. 11 is a side view showing a slack eliminating mechanism according to a second embodiment. 13A is a side view showing a slack removing mechanism according to a third embodiment, FIG. 13B is a schematic side view of a second driven rotor and a slack removing roller, and FIG. FIG. 11 is a side view showing a warp yarn feeding device according to another embodiment.

In the following description, the directions indicated by arrows U, D, F, and B in the figures are defined as the upward direction, downward direction, forward direction, and rearward direction, respectively. In addition, the forward direction and the backward direction in the side view of FIG. 1 and the like are defined as the rightward direction and the leftward direction, respectively. The left-right direction corresponds to the knitting width direction of the flat knitting machine 2. In addition, in the figures, the illustration of each component has been omitted as appropriate to simplify the illustration.

As shown in FIG. 1, a warp yarn sending device 1 equipped with a slack removing mechanism 200 according to one embodiment of the present invention sends out warp yarns 3b used in knitting a knitted fabric to a flat knitting machine 2. The flat knitting machine 2 can knit a knitted fabric by fixing a plurality of warp yarns 3b arranged in parallel in the knitting width direction and a weft yarn arranged in parallel in the vertical direction and crossing the warp yarns 3b by weft knitting the knitting yarns. In the knitted fabric, the weft yarn is inserted as an inlay yarn. In this way, the warp yarns 3b and the weft yarns do not form stitches, but are fixed to each other by friction by being sandwiched by the knitting yarn as a retaining yarn. A creel stand 3 is provided behind the flat knitting machine 2. The creel stand 3 houses a plurality of yarn source reels 3a around which the warp yarns 3b are wound. When the flat knitting machine 2 knits a knitted fabric, the warp yarns 3b wound on the yarn source reels 3a are supplied to the flat knitting machine 2 via the warp yarn sending device 1. For example, a bundle of multiple reinforcing fibers (e.g., carbon fibers) is used as the warp yarns 3b.

The flat knitting machine 2 has a front needle bed 2a and a rear needle bed 2b that face each other from the front to the rear with a needle gap 2c in between. In the flat knitting machine 2, the hooks of the knitting needles (not shown) advance and retreat from the tip side of the front needle bed 2a or the rear needle bed 2b to the needle gap 2c. Weft yarns and knitting yarns are supplied to the needle gap 2c from multiple yarn feeders (not shown).

The flat knitting machine 2 also has warp pipes 2d that can simultaneously supply multiple warp threads 3b when knitting the fabric. The warp pipes 2d are arranged in three rows in the front-to-rear direction, and in multiple rows in the knitting width direction for the number of warp threads 3b to be knitted. The warp pipes 2d are positioned so as not to interfere with the yarn feeder that moves in the knitting width direction, and the warp threads 3b are passed through the inside of the warp pipes 2d to supply each warp thread 3b from above to the needle gap 2c.

The configuration of the warp yarn feeding device 1 will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Note that in the following, the yarn source reel 3a side of the yarn supply path of the warp yarn 3b may be referred to as the "upstream side," and the flat knitting machine 2 side as the "downstream side."

The warp yarn feeding device 1 feeds a plurality of warp yarns 3b used in knitting the fabric to the flat knitting machine 2 by controlling the feed amount for each warp yarn 3b. The warp yarn feeding device 1 mainly comprises a drive unit 10, a drive roller 20, a transmission mechanism 30, a motion control unit 40, a driven mechanism 50, and a slack removal mechanism 200. The slack removal mechanism 200 will be described in detail later.

The drive device 10 shown in FIG. 1 drives the drive roller 20 (described later) via the transmission mechanism 30 (described later). The drive device 10 includes a jacquard shedding device 11 and a harness 12.

The jacquard shedding device 11 shown in FIG. 1 is a driving source for the operation of the warp yarn sending device 1 when sending each warp yarn 3b to the flat knitting machine 2. The jacquard shedding device 11 also controls the sending amount of each warp yarn 3b individually. As the jacquard shedding device 11, for example, a known jacquard shedding device used in a general shuttle loom can be adopted. The jacquard shedding device 11 performs control based on a pre-installed program. The jacquard shedding device 11 is placed on a stand 4 placed between the flat knitting machine 2 and the creel stand 3. The jacquard shedding device 11 is placed above the flat knitting machine 2. The jacquard shedding device 11 is also placed above the drive roller 20, the transmission mechanism 30, the operation regulating unit 40, and the driven mechanism 50 described later. The jacquard shedding device 11 is equipped with a motor 11a.

The motor 11a generates a driving force. The motor 11a is provided so that the amount of rotation can be adjusted, and the amount of displacement of the harness 12 described below can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of rotation. A plurality of motors 11a are provided. More specifically, a motor 11a is provided for each warp thread 3b. The motor 11a may be one that is originally provided in the jacquard shedding device 11. The operation of the motor 11a is controlled by a control unit (not shown).

The harness 12 shown in Figures 1 to 3 is for rotating the lever 31 (described later) up and down. One harness 12 is provided for each motor 11a. The upper end of the harness 12 is connected to the motor 11a via an appropriate member. The lower end of the harness 12 is connected to the lever 31 (described later). The harness 12 extends forward from the motor 11a and is bent downward by a direction changing member (not shown).

In the drive device 10 configured in this manner, each motor 11a is driven according to a pattern that is individually set in advance, so that the multiple harnesses 12 can be individually displaced upward or downward.

The drive roller 20 shown in Figures 2 and 3 sends the warp thread 3b downstream. The drive roller 20 is provided on the yarn supply path of the warp thread 3b so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the left-right direction. A drive roller 20 is provided for each warp thread 3b. As shown in Figure 1, the drive rollers 20 adjacent to each other in the knitting width direction are positioned at different heights to ensure sufficient placement space.

The warp thread 3b unwound from the rear of the drive roller 20 (the thread source reel 3a stored in the creel stand 3) is fed to the upper end of the peripheral surface 20a of the drive roller 20. The warp thread 3b is fed to the peripheral surface 20a from a direction along the tangent to the upper end of the peripheral surface 20a. The warp thread 3b then comes into contact with the peripheral surface 20a and is guided by the peripheral surface 20a so that it bends downward.

A number of teeth 20b are provided around the outer periphery of the drive roller 20. The teeth 20b are equally spaced from one another in the circumferential direction.

The drive roller 20 configured in this manner can send out the warp thread 3b downstream by rotating in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from the right side in Figures 2 and 3. Hereinafter, the rotation direction of the drive roller 20 may be referred to as the "forward direction" when viewed from the right side, that is, the direction in which the warp thread 3b is sent out downstream, and the "reverse direction" when viewed from the right side, which is the opposite direction to the forward direction, may be referred to as the "reverse direction."

The transmission mechanism 30 shown in Figures 2 and 3 transmits the driving force from the drive device 10 to the drive roller 20. The transmission mechanism 30 includes a lever 31 and a ratchet mechanism 32.

The lever 31 is for rotating the drive roller 20, and is provided so as to be rotatable (swingable up and down) around the same axis as the drive roller 20. The lever 31 is provided so that its longitudinal direction extends substantially rearward from the center of rotation. The lever 31 has a first hook portion 31a and a second hook portion 31b.

The first hook portion 31a is the portion to which the harness 12 is hooked, and is formed in a generally inverted U-shaped hook shape. The first hook portion 31a is formed at the rear end of the lever 31.

The second hook portion 31b is a portion to which the spring 41 described below is hooked, and is formed in a generally U-shaped hook shape. The second hook portion 31b is formed midway between the front and rear of the lever 31 (forward of the first hook portion 31a).

The ratchet mechanism 32 regulates the rotation direction of the drive roller 20, is incorporated in the rotation center of the lever 31, and is configured to rotate with the rotation of the lever 31. The ratchet mechanism 32 is configured to engage with the drive roller 20 when the lever 31 rotates upward, but not to engage with the drive roller 20 when the lever 31 rotates downward.

That is, the ratchet mechanism 32 rotates the drive roller 20 in the forward direction as the lever 31 rotates upward. On the other hand, the ratchet mechanism 32 prevents the drive roller 20 from rotating in the reverse direction as the lever 31 rotates downward.

The movement restriction unit 40 shown in Figures 2 and 3 restricts or controls the movement of the lever 31, and includes a spring 41 and a movement range restriction unit 42.

The spring 41 biases the lever 31 downward and is a tension coil spring. The upper end of the spring 41 is fixed to the second hook portion 31b of the lever 31. The lower end of the spring 41 is fixed to an arbitrary part of the warp feed device 1. The arbitrary part is a part that does not move even when the lever 31 rotates.

The movement range restriction portion 42 shown in FIG. 3 restricts the rotation range of the lever 31 and includes an upper restriction portion 42a and a lower restriction portion 42b.

The upper regulating portion 42a regulates the upward rotation range of the lever 31 and is provided above the lever 31. More specifically, the upper regulating portion 42a is formed in a position that abuts against the lever 31 when the lever 31 rotates upward by a predetermined angle, regulating the upward rotation range of the lever 31.

The lower regulating portion 42b regulates the downward rotation range of the lever 31 and is provided below the lever 31. More specifically, the lower regulating portion 42b is formed in a position that abuts against the lever 31 when the lever 31 rotates downward by a predetermined angle, regulating the downward rotation range of the lever 31.

When the drive roller 20 is rotated, the harness 12 moves linearly, whereas the lever 31 moves in an arc. Therefore, if the stroke of the harness 12 becomes too large, the amount of displacement of the harness 12 and the amount of warp thread 3b fed are no longer proportional. For this reason, in the warp thread feeding device 1 according to this embodiment, the rotation range of the lever 31 is restricted by the movement range restricting section 42. In addition, by restricting the upward rotation range of the lever 31, plastic deformation of the spring 41 can be suppressed.

The driven mechanism 50 shown in Figures 2 and 3 operates in conjunction with the rotation of the drive roller 20, and includes a first driven roller 51, a second driven roller 52, and an endless belt 53.

The first driven roller 51 is rotatable about an axis extending in the left-right direction and is positioned approximately above the drive roller 20.

The outer peripheral surface of the first driven roller 51 is provided with a plurality of teeth 51a around the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the first driven roller 51. The teeth 51a are provided at equal intervals from each other in the circumferential direction. The first driven roller 51 is provided so that the teeth 51a mesh with the teeth 20b of the drive roller 20. As a result, the first driven roller 51 rotates (rotates synchronously) with the rotation of the drive roller 20.

The second driven roller 52 is rotatable about an axis extending in the left-right direction, and is provided below and in front of the first driven roller 51 and approximately in front of the drive roller 20. The second driven roller 52 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the first driven roller 51 via an endless belt 53 described below.

The endless belt 53 is arranged so as to be stretched over the first driven roller 51 and the second driven roller 52, and so that its outer circumferential surface abuts the driving roller 20. More specifically, the outer circumferential surface of the endless belt 53 is arranged so as to abut the portion of the circumferential surface 20a of the driving roller 20 that contacts the warp threads 3b.

The operation of the warp yarn feeding device 1 when feeding the warp yarn 3b to the flat knitting machine 2 will be described below with reference to FIG. 3.

When sending the warp thread 3b to the flat knitting machine 2, the motor 11a of the drive unit 10 is first driven to displace the harness 12 upward by a predetermined amount. Then, as shown in FIG. 3(a), the lever 31 connected to the harness 12 rotates upward, rotating the drive roller 20 in the forward direction. This causes the warp thread 3b to be sent downstream. The amount of displacement of the harness 12, which determines the amount of warp thread 3b sent, is set taking into account the amount required for knitting the fabric.

As described above, the first driven roller 51 is arranged so that the teeth 51a mesh with the teeth 20b of the drive roller 20, and therefore rotates in a clockwise direction as viewed from the right side in association with the forward rotation of the drive roller 20. Then, the second driven roller 52 connected to the first driven roller 51 via the endless belt 53 also rotates in a clockwise direction as viewed from the right side.

As a result, the drive roller 20 can send out the warp threads 3b downward while the warp threads 3b are sandwiched between the circumferential surface 20a and the outer circumferential surface of the endless belt 53. This makes it difficult for the warp threads 3b to come off the drive roller 20, and the warp threads 3b can be sent out reliably downstream. It is also possible to prevent only the parts of the multiple reinforcing fibers that make up the warp threads 3b that are in contact with the circumferential surface 20a from being sent out downstream. Even if the warp threads 3b are simply bundled carbon fibers and are not twisted, it is possible to prevent them from coming apart, and the warp threads 3b can be sent to the flat knitting machine 2 more suitably.

On the other hand, when the upward driving force of the harness 12 is released, as shown in FIG. 3(b), the lever 31 connected to the harness 12 rotates downward due to the biasing force of the spring 41. However, due to the action of the ratchet mechanism 32, even if the lever 31 rotates downward, the driving roller 20 does not rotate in the reverse direction. This makes it possible to prevent the warp threads 3b from being returned to the upstream side.

In this way, in the warp yarn feeding device 1, the driving force from the driving device 10 is used to rotate the driving roller 20, so that each warp yarn 3b used to knit the knitted fabric can be actively fed to the flat knitting machine 2. This allows the warp yarn 3b to be knitted down by the amount necessary for knitting the knitted fabric, against the tension applied to the warp yarn 3b (tension due to the release resistance when the warp yarn 3b is taken out from the yarn source reel 3a, and tension due to the downward bending of the warp yarn 3b due to its own weight). This makes it possible to prevent the gap between the weft yarns arranged in parallel in the vertical direction from becoming narrow. In addition, the warp yarn 3b can be continuously fed to the flat knitting machine 2 by a relatively simple configuration such as the driving roller 20 and the transmission mechanism 30.

In addition, a large number of drive rollers 20 must be arranged in the knitting width direction to individually control the warp yarns 3b, and in this case, a large number of warp yarns will be passed from the creel stand to the knitting machine. For this reason, the degree of freedom in arranging the drive unit 10 is relatively low. Therefore, in this embodiment, the drive unit 10 for rotating the drive rollers 20 is arranged at a position relatively far from the flat knitting machine 2, so that a large number of warp yarns 3b can be actively sent individually without complicating the area around the yarn feed path. More specifically, by configuring the drive unit 10 to connect to the lever 31 via the harness 12 rather than directly rotating the drive roller 20 by the drive unit 10, it is not necessary to arrange the drive unit 10 near the yarn feed path, and it is possible to arrange the drive unit 10 at a position relatively far from the flat knitting machine 2. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the area around the yarn feed path from becoming complicated.

In addition, the feed amount of each warp thread 3b can be adjusted individually using each motor 11a of the jacquard shedding device 11, so for example, the amount of warp thread 3b in one part of the knitted fabric in the knitting width direction can be increased or decreased compared to other parts.

Next, the configuration of the slack removal mechanism 200 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 4.

In the warp thread feeding device 1, a feeding error may occur, for example, when the warp thread 3b is not used as much as expected in knitting the fabric. If this feeding error accumulates, the warp thread 3b may become loose downstream of the drive roller 20, and the warp thread 3b may come into contact with other objects, which may adversely affect the knitting of the fabric, which is undesirable. The slack removal mechanism 200 is provided to remove the slack in the warp thread 3b, and includes a first magnet section 210, a second magnet section 220, and a shielding member 230.

The first magnet portion 210 is a magnet provided on the second driven roller 52 and is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. A plurality of first magnet portions 210 are provided with their longitudinal direction facing the radial direction of the second driven roller 52. The first magnet portions 210 are provided at equal intervals from each other in the circumferential direction of the second driven roller 52. In this embodiment, six first magnet portions 210 are provided at intervals of 60° from each other. The first magnet portion 210 is provided so that its radially outer surface is generally in the same position as the outer peripheral surface of the second driven roller 52 in a side view. The first magnet portion 210 has an S pole portion 211 and an N pole portion 212.

The S-pole portion 211 is disposed on the counterclockwise side of the first magnet portion 210 when viewed from the right side. Specifically, the S-pole portion 211 is disposed so as to be located at the front portion of the first magnet portion 210 when the second driven roller 52 rotates and the first magnet portion 210 is positioned at the uppermost position.

The N-pole portion 212 is disposed on the clockwise side of the first magnet portion 210 when viewed from the right side. Specifically, the N-pole portion 212 is disposed so as to be located at the rear portion of the first magnet portion 210 when the second driven roller 52 rotates and the first magnet portion 210 is at the uppermost position. The N-pole portion 212 is disposed so as to be adjacent to the S-pole portion 211.

The second magnet section 220 is a magnet that is provided independently of the second driven roller 52, and is fixed to the flat knitting machine 2 below the second driven roller 52. More specifically, the second magnet section 220 is provided so that its front-to-rear center is located slightly behind the center of the second driven roller 52. The second magnet section 220 is formed in a generally rectangular shape in a side view. The second magnet section 220 has an S pole section 221 and an N pole section 222.

The south pole portion 221 is arranged to form the rear portion of the second magnet portion 220.

The N-pole portion 222 constitutes the front portion of the second magnet portion 220 and is disposed adjacent to the S-pole portion 221. The N-pole portion 222 is disposed at a position closer to the second driven roller 52 than the S-pole portion 221.

The shielding member 230 shields or demagnetizes the magnetic force of the first magnet section 210. More specifically, the shielding member 230 shields the magnetic force acting on the second magnet section 220 to rotate the second driven roller 52 in the opposite direction. The shielding member 230 is formed from a piece of iron, which is a ferromagnetic material, and is provided so as to cover the magnetic pole surface of the N pole section 212 of the first magnet section 210.

Next, the operation of the slack removing mechanism 200 will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. In the following, the rotation direction of the second driven roller 52, which is the counterclockwise direction when viewed from the right side, i.e., the direction in which the slack in the warp thread 3b is wound up, may be referred to as the "winding direction."

Figure 5 (a) shows a state in which the warp thread 3b is loosened downstream of the drive roller 20 due to a feed error or the like. When the warp thread 3b is loosened in this way and the first magnet section 210 and the second magnet section 220 are in the positional relationship shown in Figure 4, an attractive force is exerted by the N pole section 222 of the second magnet section 220 on the S pole section 211a of the first magnet section 210a, which is located at the front lower part of the six first magnet sections 210.

At this time, when the lever 31 is stopped or is in the middle of rotating upward, the ratchet mechanism 32 works so that the second driven roller 52 does not rotate in the winding direction even if the N pole portion 222 exerts an adhesive force on the S pole portion 211a.

Meanwhile, while the lever 31 is rotating downward, the S pole portion 211a is attracted to the N pole portion 222, causing the second driven roller 52 to rotate in the winding direction until the S pole portion 211a and the N pole portion 222 are roughly opposed to each other.

At this time, the magnetic pole surface of the N-pole portion 212b of the first magnet portion 210b located at the rear lower portion among the six first magnet portions 210 is covered by the shielding member 230. Therefore, the attraction force of the N-pole portion 212b to the S-pole portion 221 is shielded or demagnetized. Therefore, the second driven roller 52 is prevented from rotating in the direction opposite to the winding direction.

When the second driven roller 52 rotates in the winding direction in this way, the drive roller 20 rotates in the reverse direction. This winds up the warp thread 3b downstream of the drive roller 20, eliminating slack in the warp thread 3b. In addition, as the drive roller 20 rotates, the endless belt 53 also moves in a direction to wind up the warp thread 3b. Therefore, the warp thread 3b can be wound while being sandwiched between the peripheral surface 20a of the drive roller 20 and the outer circumferential surface of the endless belt 53.

As described above, the slack removal mechanism 200 uses magnetic force to wind the warp thread 3b. Therefore, unlike cases where torque is applied by physical connections, problems such as wear between parts do not occur, and maintenance and durability can be improved.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and appropriate modifications are possible within the scope of the technical concept of the invention described in the claims.

For example, in this embodiment, the flat knitting machine 2 to which the warp yarn 3b is fed by the warp yarn feeding device 1 knits a knitted fabric by fixing the warp yarn 3b and the weft yarn using a knitting yarn, but the knitted fabric may be knitted without using a weft yarn. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1 of Patent No. 5955197, for example, the flat knitting machine 2 may sandwich the warp yarn based on the positional relationship between the knitting yarn and the warp yarn fed from two carriers that move in front and back phases relative to the warp yarn.

In addition, although the warp threads 3b are described as being fed to the upper end of the peripheral surface 20a of the drive roller 20, they may be fed to a portion behind the upper end of the peripheral surface 20a, and after passing the upper end of the peripheral surface 20a, they may be guided by the peripheral surface 20a so as to bend downward. This increases the length of the warp threads 3b in contact with the peripheral surface 20a, reducing the slippage of the warp threads 3b against the peripheral surface 20a and improving the feeding accuracy of the warp threads 3b.

In addition, each warp thread 3b is fed into the flat knitting machine 2 in the amount required for the next course when the knitting direction is reversed. In this way, each warp thread 3b is fed into the flat knitting machine 2 at the same timing. However, this is not limited to this, and for example, when each knitting needle advances into the needle gap 2c, the warp thread 3b fixed by the knitting needle with a retaining thread may be fed into the flat knitting machine 2. In other words, each warp thread 3b may be fed into the flat knitting machine 2 at different times.

In addition, in this embodiment, a motor 11a is used as the drive source, but a solenoid may also be used.

In addition, in this embodiment, the ratchet mechanism 32 is used to regulate the rotation direction of the drive roller 20, but any mechanism that can transmit force in one direction and not in the other direction may be used, such as a one-way clutch.

In addition, in this embodiment, the second magnet section 220 is fixed to the flat knitting machine 2, but similar to the first magnet section 210, magnets may be provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the roller, and configured to constantly rotate and generate a force that rotates the second driven roller 52 in the winding direction. However, this force is set to be smaller than the rotational force of the drive roller 20 when sending the warp thread 3b downstream, and is set so as not to interfere with the sending of the warp thread 3b.

In addition, in this embodiment, six first magnet sections 210 are provided, but the number of first magnet sections 210 can be any number.

Next, the configuration of the slack removal mechanism 200 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The slack removal mechanism 200 according to the second embodiment differs from the slack removal mechanism 200 according to the first embodiment in that the arrangement of the first magnet portion 210 is different. This difference is described below.

As shown in FIG. 6, the first magnet portion 210 is disposed with its longitudinal direction inclined relative to the radial direction of the second driven roller 52. More specifically, the first magnet portion 210 is disposed so that the S pole portion 211 faces radially outward relative to the N pole portion 212.

When the warp thread 3b is loose, and the first magnet section 210 and the second magnet section 220 are in the positional relationship shown in FIG. 6, the magnetic pole surface of the S-pole section 211c of the first magnet section 210c located in the front lower part of the six first magnet sections 210 generally faces the N-pole section 222 of the second magnet section 220. On the other hand, the magnetic pole surface of the N-pole section 212d of the first magnet section 210d located in the rear lower part of the six first magnet sections 210 does not face the S-pole section 221 of the second magnet section 220. Therefore, the second driven roller 52 rotates in the winding direction due to the attraction force between the S-pole section 211c and the N-pole section 222.

When the second driven roller 52 rotates in the winding direction in this way, the drive roller 20 rotates in the reverse direction. This causes the warp thread 3b downstream of the drive roller 20 to be wound, eliminating slack in the warp thread 3b.

In the slack removal mechanism 200 of the warp sending device 1 according to the first and second embodiments, the ratio of the rotation amount is set to drive roller 20: first driven roller 51: second driven roller 52 = 1:2:2. In other words, the rotation amount of the second driven roller 52 by the first magnet section 210 and the second magnet section 220 is half that of the drive roller 20. The sending amount of the warp thread 3b per course is about 3.5 mm, and the sending error is estimated to be about ±0.1 to 0.2 mm. Here, due to the relative positional relationship between the first magnet section 210 and the second magnet section 220, it may happen that the warp thread 3b is not wound ("no winding"). However, since the amount of winding in one time is about 2 to 3 mm, even if "no winding" of +0.2 mm occurs ten times in a row, the accumulated sending error can be eliminated by one winding.

Next, the configuration of the slack removal mechanism 200 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The slack removal mechanism 200 according to the third embodiment differs from the slack removal mechanism 200 according to the first embodiment in that it further comprises a slack removal roller 240, and a second magnet 220 is provided on the slack removal roller 240. This difference will be explained below.

The slack removal rollers 240 are provided for each second driven roller 52 and are fixed to a common rotation shaft 240a extending in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 7(a), each slack removal roller 240 is provided below and in front of the second driven roller 52 so as to be rotatable about the rotation shaft by a driving force from a common driving source. The slack removal roller 240 has multiple second magnet portions 220 provided at equal intervals from each other in the rotation direction of the slack removal roller 240.

As shown in FIG. 7(b), the second magnet portion 220 is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the slack removing roller 240. In this case, the slack removing roller 240 is disposed in a position that does not overlap with the second driven roller 52 in a side view.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7(c), the second magnet portion 220 may be disposed on a roller surface radially inward of the outer peripheral surface of the slack removal roller 240. In this case, the slack removal roller 240 is disposed in a position overlapping with the second driven roller 52 in a side view.

The slack removal roller 240 constantly rotates in a clockwise direction when viewed from the right side, thereby constantly applying a force in the winding direction to the second driven roller 52. When there is slack in the thread, this force in the winding direction rotates the second driven roller 52, thereby eliminating the slack in the warp thread 3b. On the other hand, when there is no slack in the thread, the tension in the warp thread 3b exceeds the winding force, so the second driven roller 52 does not rotate.

The configuration of the slack removal mechanism 200 according to the third embodiment may be such that the second magnet 220 is attached to the rotating shaft 240a itself, without the rollers 240 being fixed, rather than the multiple rollers 240 fixed to the rotating shaft 240a as described above. In this case, the rotating shaft 240a to which the second magnet 220 is attached is included in the "other rollers" according to the present invention.

Next, using FIG. 8, we will explain another example of the warp yarn feeding device 1 equipped with the slack removing mechanism 200 according to the first and second embodiments.

The warp yarn feeding device 1 shown in FIG. 8 differs from the warp yarn feeding device 1 shown in FIG. 1 etc. in that it is equipped with a driving device 60 instead of the driving device 10. This difference will be explained below. Note that the driven mechanism 50 is not shown in FIG. 8.

The drive unit 60 includes a harness 12, a moving body 61, a needle-shaped body 62, a needle bed 63, and a direction-changing roller 64. Note that the harness 12 is the same as in the first embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted.

The moving body 61 can move back and forth in the knitting width direction in synchronization with a carriage (not shown) of the flat knitting machine 2, and is driven by a motor and a timing belt (not shown). A cam surface 61a is provided on the underside of the moving body 61.

The needle-shaped body 62 is formed in a needle shape with its longitudinal direction facing the front-rear direction, and is provided for each harness 12. The front end of the needle-shaped body 62 is formed in a hook shape, and the harness 12 is engaged. The needle-shaped body 62 has a butt 62a formed so that its front-rear midpoint protrudes upward. The needle-shaped bodies 62 are provided on the needle bed 63 so that multiple needle-shaped bodies 62 are lined up in the left-right direction.

The driving device 60 is also equipped with an actuator (not shown), and is configured to be able to switch the needle-shaped body 62 between a needle selection state and a non-needle selection state by the actuator. The switching between the needle selection state and the non-needle selection state is determined based on a pre-installed program. In the needle selection state, when the moving body 61 moves in the knitting width direction, the butt 62a of the needle-shaped body 62 moves back and forth as it is guided by the cam surface 61a. On the other hand, in the non-needle selection state, the butt 62a of the needle-shaped body 62 is sunk into the needle bed 63. Therefore, even if the moving body 61 moves in the knitting width direction, the butt 62a is not guided by the cam surface 61a. Therefore, the needle-shaped body 62 does not move back and forth. In this way, the cam surface 61a generates a driving force that moves the needle-shaped body 62 as the moving body 61 moves.

The direction-changing roller 64 changes the direction of the harness 12, and is formed to change the extension direction of the harness 12 so that the harness 12 extending forward from the front end of the needle-shaped body 62 bends downward.

In the warp yarn feeding device 1 according to the second embodiment configured in this way, when the moving body 61 moves back and forth in the knitting width direction in synchronization with the carriage of the flat knitting machine 2, only the needle-shaped body 62 in the needle selection state moves forward and backward. This displaces the harness 12 up and down, causing the lever 31 to rotate upward. This rotates the drive roller 20 in the forward direction, allowing the warp yarn 3b to be fed downstream.

In addition, by driving the drive roller 20 using the drive device 60 configured as described above, it is possible to achieve relatively small space and low costs.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 warp yarn feeding device 2 flat knitting machine 3a yarn source reel 3b warp yarn 10, 60 drive device 11 jacquard shedding device 11a motor 20 drive roller 30 transmission mechanism 31 lever 51 first driven roller 52 second driven roller 53 endless belt 61 moving body 61a cam surface 103 rack 104 pinion gear 200 slack removing mechanism 210 first magnet section 220 second magnet section 230 shielding member 240 slack removing roller

Claims (6)

A yarn feeding device having a roller that can rotate in one direction and the other direction and can feed out a yarn by controlling the rotation in the one direction, the slack removal mechanism of the warp yarn feeding device removing slack in the yarn downstream of the roller,
A first magnet portion provided on the roller;
a second magnet portion provided independently of the roller and rotating the roller in the other direction by the action of a magnetic force on the first magnet portion;
Equipped with
A mechanism for removing slack in the warp feed device. The first magnet portion is
a shielding member for blocking a magnetic force acting on the second magnet portion to rotate the roller in the one direction;
A slack eliminating mechanism for a warp yarn feeding device according to claim 1. The first magnet portion is
The roller is provided on an outer periphery thereof.
one magnetic pole acting to rotate the roller in the other direction is provided in a tilted state with respect to the radial direction of the roller so as to face the outer diameter side more than the other magnetic pole;
A slack eliminating mechanism for a warp yarn feeding device according to claim 1 or 2. The first magnet portion is
A plurality of the rollers are provided at equal intervals on the outer periphery of the roller.
A slack eliminating mechanism for a warp yarn feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The roller is
A drive roller that is rotatable by a driving force and contacts the yarn to deliver it;
a driven roller that is rotatable in association with the rotation of the drive roller;
Including,
The first magnet portion is
The driven roller is provided with:
A slack eliminating mechanism for a warp yarn feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The second magnet portion is
A plurality of rollers are provided at equal intervals in the rotation direction on another roller that can be rotated using a driving force different from the driving force.
A slack eliminating mechanism for a warp yarn feeding device according to claim 5.

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