Claims
- 1. A latch needle for knitting machines comprising:
a substantially flat needle shank having a hook at a front end and provided with an elongated sawslot that extends in a longitudinal direction of the needle into the shank from a front side of the shank toward a needle back side and that has two oppositely disposed narrow sides; a latch having one end extending into the sawslot and pivotally mounted for pivotal motion about an axis extending transverse to the longitudinal direction of the needle between a closed end position, wherein the latch engages the hook, and a rearward end position; an elongated leaf spring disposed in the sawslot and having opposite ends thereof supported in respective bearing seats disposed at the narrow sides of the sawslot, said leaf spring being positioned in the sawslot to engage the one end of the latch with its surface facing the front side of the shank at least during pivotal movement of the latch; and, wherein the bearing seats each have a support surface for the respective end of the leaf spring and a counterpart surface located opposite the support surface and between which the respective end of the leaf spring extends.
- 2. The latch needle according to claim 1, wherein the support surface and the counterpart surface of at least one bearing seat are formed such that the respective end of the leaf spring is held at the respective bearing seat so as to be displaceable in the longitudinal direction.
- 3. The latch needle according to claim 1, wherein the support surface and the counterpart surface of the two bearing seats are formed such that the leaf spring is held at the respective bearing seat so as to be displaceable to a limited degree in the longitudinal direction.
- 4. The latch needle according to claim 1, wherein each end of the leaf spring is held with play between the support surface and the counterpart surface of the respective bearing seat.
- 5. The latch needle according to claim 1, wherein the support surface and the counterpart surface of each bearing seat forms a pocket for receiving a respective end of the leaf spring.
- 6. The latch needle according to claim 5, wherein the support surface and the counterpart surface of the respective pocket that receives a respective end of the leaf spring are limited in the longitudinal direction by a pocket floor formed by a portion of the narrow side of the sawslot.
- 7. The latch needle according to claim 6, wherein at least one end of the leaf spring each touch the floor of the respective pocket.
- 8. The latch needle according to claim 7, wherein the leaf spring is stressed.
- 9. The latch needle according to claim 1, wherein the one end of the latch extending into the sawslot rests against the surface of the leaf spring facing the front side of the needle shank in a region of the leaf spring provided between its ends.
- 10. The latch needle according to claim 1, wherein the one end of the latch has at least one flattened region for stabilizing a selected pivoting position between the closed and rearward positions, with the flattened region being positioned to rest against the spring when the latch is in the selected pivoting position.
- 11. The latch needle according to claim 10, wherein the leaf spring is normally substantially flat.
- 12. The latch needle according to claim 1, wherein the leaf spring has a curved segment that rests against the one end of the latch.
- 13. The latch needle according to claim 12, wherein the curved segment extends in a direction toward the back of the shank, and is V-shaped whereby the latch is normally maintained in pivot position between the closed and rearward end positions.
- 14. The latch needle according to claim 13, wherein the leaf spring is a flat spring having the curved segment in substantially its center and transition regions between the curved segment and remaining portions of the leaf spring, whereby pivoting the latch from the normally maintained pivot position causes the latch to engage a transition region and stress the leaf spring.
- 15. The latch needle according to claim 1, wherein: the leaf spring is held in the bearing seats; and, the length of each counterpart surface in the longitudinal direction of the leaf spring exceeds the maximum spring stroke in the longitudinal direction resulting from further stressing and shortening of the leaf spring during pivoting of the latch into one of its closed and rearward end positions.
- 16. The latch needle according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the counterpart surfaces is a projection extending into the sawslot in the longitudinal direction at a narrow side of the sawslot.
- 17. The latch needle according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the counterpart surfaces is a projection extending into the sawslot in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction from a longitudinal side of the sawslot.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
101 06 989.8 |
Feb 2001 |
DE |
|
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/074,236 filed Feb. 14, 2002.
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10074236 |
Feb 2002 |
US |
Child |
10163371 |
Jun 2002 |
US |