Patent Abstract:
A yarn feeder includes a switching mechanism which presets a swing direction of the yarn feeding port after completion of a yarn feeding operation, and, after having completed a yarn feeding operation, changes over the swing of the yarn feeding port from one yarn feeding position to another standby position interlocking with the released selective operation of an entraining device, in which the switching mechanism includes a feeder rod having a yarn feeding port at its lower end, which is composed of at least two members, both of the members being arranged to relatively slide each other in a vertical direction and provided with a push-up member to force upward respectively. The switching mechanism includes a support member for bearing the yarn feeding rod being provided with a regulation unit for regulating the upward movement of the yarn feeding port in the determined standby position, wherein the rise of the yarn feeding port in the standby position is limited below the determined altitude by using the regulation unit.

Full Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
   The present invention relates to a yarn feeder of a yarn feeding device for a weft knitting machine, in which a yarn feeding port of the yarn feeder put on standby at an end portion of the knitting fabric or at a changed portion of the knitting pattern, for example, an intarsia knitting pattern, can be switched over to a position outside the fabric knitting region. 
   BACKGROUND ART 
   In general, a yarn feeder associated with a carriage to feed yarn to a needle in a needle bed for the knitting fabric is kept on a standby position outside the fabric knitting region. 
   In this case, the position of a yarn is lowered proportionately as the yarn feeder greatly moves beyond the boundary with the adjoining knitting area so that the yarn feeding condition can be improved. 
   Meanwhile, in case of an intarsia knitting operation, such a yarn feeder is released from the entraining device at a position exceeding the boundary with the boundary with the adjacent knitting region. 
   In the aforementioned structure of the yarn feeding device, it is considered that the amount of swing of the yarn feeder must be sufficiently increased correspondingly to the amount necessitated to retire a yarn extending between the yarn feeder that has stopped inside the adjoining knitting region and the knitted fabric to a position that does not cause any obstruction of the subsequent knitting operation in the next knitting region. 
   However, if the amount of swing of the yarn feeder is increased, a swinging mechanism of the yarn feeder becomes enlarged and complicated. 
   Accordingly, there has been proposed by the inventor of the present invention such a yarn feeder of a weft knitting machine, comprising a switching mechanism for switch-swinging the position of the yarn feeding port installed in a feeder case, the switching mechanism further comprising a pressing operation part switch-operating the swinging direction and altitude of the yarn feeding port in association, wherein the said yarn feeder is capable of obtaining the same effect as in a case in which the amount of swinging of a yarn feeder is substantially increased without increasing the amount thereof (See Patent Document 1). 
   Patent Document 1: International Publication WO02-079556 
   SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
   Problems to be Solved by the Invention 
   In the aforementioned proposal of a yarn feeder provided by the inventor of the present invention, the yarn feeding port of the yarn feeder moves vertically interlocking with a yarn feeding rod operated by an entraining device so that the yarn feeding port will be largely swung to the left or the right on its standby position and stop in a high position thereafter, and, as a result, the yarn drawn from the stitch at the end of the knitting region being pulled up. Therefore, there was such a problem that it may occur clogging of the stitch at the end of the knitting region and become very hard to form a uniform stitch therein. 
   Further, there was a fear that, if the yarn feeding port of the yarn feeder moved with a large amount of horizontal swing on the standby position and being kept in the high position, stitches are brought into free-lifting, and, upon transferring of the stitches, if the stitches being free-lifting, it is very hard to insert a yarn receiving needle into the free-lifted stitches, and, as a result, there happened a problem that transferring of the stitches could not be reliably performed. 
   Additionally, since the yarn feeding port of the yarn feeder must be moved sufficiently with a large amount of horizontal swing on the standby position and being stop in the high position, there has been a fear that the yarn will not reliably turn the back face of the needle in the stitch-transferring operation at the end of the knitted fabric or the width-increasing knitting operation. 
   The present invention has been proposed in consideration of the aforementioned problems. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a yarn feeder of a yarn feeding device used for a weft knitting machine, which is capable of producing a fabric having uniform stitches without the yarn free-lifting from the yarn feeder. 
   Method to Solve the Problems 
   In order to achieve the aforementioned object, a yarn feeder of a yarn feeding device used for a weft knitting machine according to the present invention, in which a plurality of yarn feeders which are engaged with and to be slide on knitting yarn guide rails arranged over a needle bed, an entraining means for entraining selectively any one of the yarn feeders and a switching mechanism for changing over the swing of a yarn feeding port provided at a lower end of a feeder rod between a yarn feeding position and a standby position interlocking with the operation of the entraining means, wherein before the selected yarn feeder through the operation of the entraining means having been entrained from a standby position to a yarn feeding position, the switching mechanism is operated so as to swing the yarn feeding port from the standby position to the yarn feeding position while, after having completed yarn feeding operation, the yarn feeding port being swung from one yarn feeding position to another standby position interlocking with the released selective operation of the entraining means, the yarn feeder being characterized in that: 
   the feeder rod is formed of at least two members, one being an upper member activated by the entraining means and another one being a lower member composed of a yarn feeding port at its lower end, both of the members being arranged to be relatively slide each other in a vertical direction and provided with a push-up member forced upward respectively; and the upper member of the feeder rod is moved downward through the action of the entraining means, as well as the lower member of the feeder rod downward so that the yarn feeding port is set into the yarn feeding position, while the feeder rod is moved upward into the standby position by means of a regulation unit provided on a support member bearing the feeder rod so as to keep the lower member from rising against the action of a force caused by the push-up member, and the rise of the lower member of the feeder rod is resultantly made less than that of the upper member to limit the rise of the yarn feeding port in the standby position below the determined altitude. 
   Additionally, a yarn feeder of a yarn feeding device used for a weft knitting machine according to the present invention is characterized in that a lower plate that forms the feeder rod comprises a yarn feeding port forming member, a spring storage member provided between the upper portion of the yarn feeding port forming member and a feeder rod guide, a compression spring that forms a depression member stored in the spring storage member, and a receiving portion that receives a lower end of the compression spring, wherein an abutment portion for abutting against a regulation unit is provided on an upper end of the spring storage members so as to rise the yarn feeding port forming port through a force caused by the compression spring. 
   Further, a yarn feeder of a yarn feeding device used for a weft knitting machine according to the present invention is characterized in that a slot is provided with at least either one of an upper end of the yarn feeding port forming member and a lower end of the spring storage member, through which a fixing element is inserted to be coupled to each other such as a height position of the yarn feeding port is adjustable by changing of coupling position. Additionally, a yarn feeder of a yarn feeding device used for a weft knitting machine according to the present invention is characterized in that a variable uppermost regulation position of the yarn feeding port can be adjusted by replacing the spring storage member having a different distance between a portion coupled to the yarn feeding port forming member and an upper portion abutting against the upper end of the spring storage member. 
   Effect of the Invention 
   According to the present invention, the feeder rod is formed of at least two members, one being an upper member activated by the entraining means and another one being a lower member composed of a yarn feeding port at its lower end, both of the members being arranged to be relatively slide each other in a vertical direction and provided with a push-up member forced upward respectively, and the upper member of the feeder rod is moved downward through the action of the entraining means, as well as the lower member of the feeder rod downward so that the yarn feeding port is set into the yarn feeding position, while the feeder rod is moved upward into the standby position by means of a regulation unit provided on a support member bearing the feeder rod so as to keep the lower member from rising against the action of a force caused by the push-up member, and the rise of the lower member of the feeder rod is resultantly made less than that of the upper member to limit the rise of the yarn feeding port in the standby position below the determined altitude. Therefore, the present invention resides not only in reliably obtaining the swing width of the yarn feeder but also in preventing from a larger altitude of the yarn feeding port in the standby position. 
   In this way, since the knitting yarn extended from the stitch of the end of the knitting region in the knitted fabric could be eliminated from oversized tension stress and clogging of stitch, it will advantageously lead to produce a knitted fabric having uniform stitches and high quality. 
   Moreover, unlike the generally employed case, the yarn feeder does not have to be largely slid to outside the knitting region, thus improving the productivity by reducing the sliding distance of the yarn feeder. 
   Additionally, in comparison with a conventional yarn feeder, even when the amount of swing of yarn feeders being in the same, the yarn feeding port in the present invention can be placed at a lower altitude. Therefore, even in case of a weft knitting machine of rough gauge or a needle-jumping-over knitting operation in which a large extent of swing of the yarn feeder is required, it can be advantageously kept in an ideal height apart from the yarn feeding port. 

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   An embodiment of a yarn feeding device for a weft knitting machine according to the present invention will be described referring to the drawings. 
     FIG. 1  is a lateral view of a weft knitting machine having a yarn feeding device including yarn feeders of the present invention, wherein a reference numeral  1  denotes the weft knitting machine in its entirety, and  2  denotes the yarn feeding device. 
   The weft knitting machine  1  has a pair of front and rear needle beds  3  disposed on a frame  4  in a fan shape with extreme ends thereof confronting each other, and each needle bed  3  has a plurality of knitting needles  5  thereon in parallel with each other so that they are movable back and forth. 
   A carriage  6  is disposed on an upper surface of each needle bed  3  so that it can be caused to reciprocate by a belt drive device (not shown). A bat  48  of each knitting needle  5  is operated by a knitting cam  7  attached to the carriage  6  as shown in the drawing so as to be advanced and retracted. 
   A gate arm (slide drive mechanism)  8  is mounted on the carriages  6  so as to stride over the front and back needle beds  3 , and is integrally coupled with the carriages  6 . Mounted on the gate arm  8  are a entraining device  10  that brings yarn feeders  9 , and a push-down member  13  that pushes down yarn feeding ports  12  of the yarn feeders  9  to positions adjacent to each extreme end of the knitting needles  5  and  5 . 
   Four knitting yarn guide rails  11  are elongated longitudinally over the needle beds  3  and arranged backward and forward over there in the form of a fan at the position in the radical direction apart from the center nearly close to the extreme one end of the knitting needles  5  disposed in parallel with each other on the needle beds  3 . 
   The entraining device  10  includes transmission rods  15  for transmitting movement of output shafts of solenoids, which are projected and retracted in response to a signal output from a controller (not shown) to entraining pins  14  as shown in  FIG. 2 . The entraining pins  14  are forced downward by means of springs  16  engaged into engagement portions  19  which are formed respectively on a pair of right and left swinging pieces  18  disposed on a feeder case  17  of the respective yarn feeder  9  at portions adjacent to the center of upper end thereof. In this way, the yarn feeders  9  are fed by the entraining pins  14  (see  FIG. 3 ). 
   The yarn feeder  9  is composed of a feeder case  17  supported by the knitting yarn guide rail  11  to be able to slide thereon, a feeder rod  20  provided with the yarn feeding port  12  at its lower end and suspended from the lower end portion of the feeder case  17 , and a neutral position holding mechanism that hangs a feeder rod guide  21  for guiding the feeder rod  20  and holds the yarn feeding ports  12  in a neutral state at the standby position. An upper pivot portion of the feeder rod guide  21  is pivoted to the feeder case  17  to be able to swing horizontally. 
   The feeder rod  20  is formed of a slender sheet-shaped lower plate  22  whose right and left side edge portions are supported by the feeder rod guide  21  to be able to slide upward and downward, an intermediate plate  23  whose lower end portion is moveably coupled with an upper end portion of the lower plate  22 , and an upper plate  25  whose lower end portion is coupled with the intermediate plate  23  through a push-down roller  24  projecting from an upper back surface of the intermediate plate  23 . The push-down roller  24  is engaged with a lateral slot  26  formed at a lower end portion of the upper plate  25 . An upper member of the yarn feeder  9  is composed of the upper plate  25  and the intermediate plate  23 . 
   As shown in  FIGS. 4-8 , the lower plate  22  comprises a lower member which is composed of a yarn feeding port forming member  22   a  and a spring storage member  22   b  interposed in a portion above the yarn feeding port forming member  22   a  between the yarn feeding port forming member  22   a  and the feeder rod guide  21 , compression springs  22   c  stored in the spring storage member  22   b  and a receiving member  22   d  for supporting the compressed springs  22   c  (urging portion), the receiving member  22   d  being engaged with an engagement hole  21   a  of the feeder rod guide  21 . The spring storage member  22   b  is provided at the upper portion thereof with an abutment portion  22   e  abutting against a regulation portion  46  (described later) such that the lower plate  22  is forced upward by the compressed springs  22   c.    
   The regulation portion  46  that abuts against the abutment portion  22   e  is formed of a dice-like member  47  fixed to be tightened to the feeder case  17  together with the feeder rod guide  21  through a sliding slot  23   a.    
   Further, in the middle portion of the upper plate  25 , coil springs  27  are mounted on the coil receiving portions  28  of the feeder case  17  with the middle plate  23  and the lower plate  22  so as to forcibly move the upper plate  25  vertically (see  FIG. 7 ). 
   A switching roller  30  of a switching mechanism  29  for switching a position of the yarn feeding port  12  projects from a front surface of the intermediate plate  23  at an upper end portion thereof. 
   The switching mechanism  29  includes the switching roller  30 , a regulation hole  31  formed through the feeder case  17  for regulating a swinging motion of the switching roller  30 , and a selection lever  32  disposed on a back surface side of the regulation hole  31 . 
   As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the regulation hole  31  is formed in substantially a trifoliate shape having spaces with which the switching roller  30  is engaged at the center, upper left and upper right portions thereof. 
   The selection lever  32  that sets an upward moving direction of the switching roller  30  confronting the regulation hole  31  is formed in substantially a T-shape with its upper end portion  32   a  formed in a gentle V-shape. The selection lever  32  is pivoted to the feeder case  17  at a pivot portion  32   b  at the center, which hangs down from a center of the upper end portion  32   a  and terminates in an arrow shape having oblique surfaces  34  and  34  on the right and left sides thereof for directing the upward moving direction of the switching roller  30 . The intermediate portion between the oblique surfaces  34  and  34  has a roller receiving portion  35  that receives the switching roller  30  in a neutral position. 
   A holding means  36  for holding the switched positions of the selection lever  32  is disposed at an upper portion of an arrow-shaped portion formed of the two oblique surfaces  34  and  34  and the neutral position holding means. 
   The holding means  36  is arranged such that mustache-like elastic portions  37  are extended in both horizontal directions from an upper portion of the arrow-like portion, and gripping portions  38  and  39  are formed by bending portions near extreme ends of the elastic portions  37 . Further engaging projections  40  are formed on a back surface of the feeder case  17  such that any one of them is engaged with any one of the gripping portions  38  and  39  when the selection lever  32  is turned to any one of the right or left position or the neutral position. 
   The neutral position holding mechanism  50  that holds the yarn feeding port  12  at the low neutral position adjacent to the knitting needle  5  while keeping the selection lever  32  in an upright state at the standby position is, as shown in  FIG. 4 , composed of pivot portions  51  and  51  each formed through the upper end portion of the feeder case  17  and a pair of links  53  having rotating portions  52  and  52  pivoted to the pivot portions  51  and  51  so as to be enabled to swing. 
   The pair of links  53  includes engagement portions  54  each having the extreme end portion engaged with each other at the center of the feeder case  17  in a horizontal direction. Protrusions  55  for operating the selection lever  32  into the neutral position by pushing up the upper end portion  32   a  of the selection lever  32  from the lower side are formed at the respective side surfaces that face with each other. Operation pieces  56  each extending to the left and the right from the rotating portions  52  are formed at the upper portion of the respective links  53 . 
   The operation pieces  56  swung by the entraining pins  14  are formed to extend to the left and the right from the rotating portions  52 , and have the upper surface oblique to be lower as it becomes closer to the engagement portion  54 , and the outer end oblique downward. A reference numeral  57  denotes a plate of preventing dropout of the link  53 . 
   The push-down member  13  that pushes down the feeder rod  20  is composed of a coupling plate  42  having one end coupled with the entraining pin  14  at an intermediate height position thereof, and a cam plate  43  having upper end portion coupled with another end of the coupling plate  42 , whereby the cam plate  43  can be swung back and forth about a swing pivot pin  44  interlocking with up and down movement of the entraining pin  14  (see  FIG. 2 ). 
   The entraining pin  14  is disposed on the middle of the cam plate  43  aside of the knitting yarn guide rail  11 . 
   A reference numeral  46  shown in  FIG. 4  denotes a brake unit formed of a magnet attracted to the knitting yarn guide rail. Since the yarn feeder  9  is reduced in size and weight, the yarn feeder  9  can be stopped at an accurate position even by a light sliding friction generated by an attracting force of the magnet. 
   Accordingly, unlike the generally employed yarn feeder, the present invention never causes the problem of unstable on stop position due to a large inertia force applied thereon, even if the yarn feeder interlocking with entraining device is stopped in a place, which fails to allow the yarn feeder to stop at the desired position. It is unnecessary to provide a special brake unit for stopping the yarn feeder at the desired position against the large inertia force. 
   Next, a description of operations performed by the yarn feeder  9  of the yarn feeding machine according to the present invention will be given. 
   As the carriages  6  are caused to travel on the needle beds  3  from right to left (direction shown by the arrow A in  FIG. 3  and  FIGS. 8-12 ) by the belt drive device in response to a signal output from the controller, the knitting needles  5  disposed in parallel with each other on the needle beds  3  are advanced and retreated by the knitting cams  7 . 
   When the carriages  6  travel, in a portion where no knitting is executed, a solenoid is actuated responding to an output signal of pattern knitting operation so that the output shaft of the solenoid is projected downward and the entraining pin  14  of the entraining device  10  is moved upward against tension of a spring  16  through the transmission rod  15  thereafter. 
   As the entraining pin  14  is moved upward, the cam plate  43  of the push-down member  13  is lifted up about a swing pivot pin  44  (refer to the cam plate  43  at the right side in  FIG. 2 ). 
   At a portion where knitting is performed, the solenoid is actuated in response to the signal output from the controller in front of a position where the carriage  6  confronts a predetermined yarn feeder  9  for supplying yarn to the knitting needles  5 , and when the output shaft of the solenoid is receded upward, the entraining pin  14  moved upward is pushed downward by the tension of the spring  16 . In association with this pushed-down operation of the entraining pin  14 , the cam plate  43  of the push-down member  13  is swung toward the yarn feeder  9  about the swing pivot pin  44  through the coupling plate  42  (refer to the cam plate  43  at the left side of  FIG. 2 ). 
   As the carriage  6  slides, the cam plate  43  pushes down the upper end portion (push-down portion)  25   a  of the upper plate  25  against a force caused by contraction of a coil spring  27 , the switching roller  30  borne in the regulation hole  31  being guided downward to be centered in the lower portion of the regulation hole  31  and put on the descended position as shown in  FIG. 9 . 
   As the switching roller  30  through guidance of the regulation hole  31  descends to the middle of the lower portion in the regulation hole  30 , the feeder rod guide  21  stands upright at the center of the feeder case  17  while projecting the yarn feeding port  12  of the feeder rod  20  downward from the lower end of the feeder rod guide  21 , and the yarn feeding port  12  is located at a yarn feed position adjacent to the knitting needles  5  on a needle bed  3 . 
   As the carriage  6  goes further away in the left side direction and subsequently the entraining pin  14  presses a projecting upper end portion  32   a  at a lower part (left side) of the selection lever  32 , the selection lever  32  is swung counterclockwise about the turning center position of the pivot portion  32   b  from one status as shown in  FIG. 9  to the other status as shown in  FIG. 10 . The position of the selection lever  32  is held because the left gripping portion  38 , which forms a holding means  36 , of the elastic portion  37  of the selection lever  32  is disengaged from the engaging projection  40 , and because the right gripping portion  39  is engaged with engaging projection  41 . 
   Thereafter, when the entraining pin  14  abuts against the engaging portion  19  of the swinging piece  18  located downstream of an advancing direction of the selection lever  32 , the yarn feeder  9  is brought by the carriage  6 , and yarn is fed to the knitting needles  5  from the yarn feeding port  12  of the yarn feeder  9 . In this manner, the knitting operation is performed with the yarn fed from the yarn feeder  9  in the right knitting region. 
   When knitting operation of the determined knitting region having been finished and reached to the standby position outside the knitting region, the solenoid is energized in response to a signal output from the controller, in which the output shaft of the solenoid projects downward, the entraining pin  14  expanded downward being pushed up against the force caused by stretch of the spring  16 . 
   As the entraining pin  14  is moved upward, the cam plate  43  of the push-down member  13  is swung to be lifted up about the swing pivot pin  44  in the state shown by the right side of  FIG. 2 . 
   When the entraining pin  14  having been moved upward and subsequently disengaged from the engaging portion  19  of the swinging piece  18  located downstream of an advancing direction of the carriage  6 , the interlocked yarn feeder  9  is released. As a result, the cam plate  43  is lifted up and swung, the feeder rod  20  lowered up to that time begins to move upward, and, as a result, the yarn feeding port  12  in a lower end position is raised upward. 
   As aforementioned, when the yarn feeding port  12  ascends, the lower portion of the selection lever  32  resides in a position diagonally deflected on the right side as shown in  FIG. 10  so that the switching roller  30  on its upper end is guided by the left side oblique surface  34  of the selection lever  32 , and, therefore, the yarn feeding rod  12  ascends while it turning anticlockwise. 
   When the abutment portion  22   e  formed on the upper portion of the spring storage member  22   b  in the lower plate  22  abuts against the dice-like member  47 , the yarn feeding port forming member  22   a  stops rising vertically opposed to a force caused by the compression spring  22   c  without exceeding the current latitude while only the intermediate plate  23  keeps ascending furthermore in response to a push-up force caused by the compression spring  27 . Resultantly, the yarn feeding port  12  starts to swing on the right side with stopping its further ascending. 
   In comparison with an already known type of a yarn feeder constructed in solid from a push-down member to a yarn feeding port to be operated integrally, since the yarn feeding port of the yarn feeder of the present invention can be held at a lower altitude, upon changing a yarn feeder at a knitting boundary portion of a knitted fabric, for example, an intarsia knitted fabric, the yarn feeder is very far away from the boundary portion. In this way, it can make a yarn feeding machine to perform such an intarsia knitting operation without causing interference between the yarn feeders each other. 
   Next, it can be explained in connection with changing a yarn feeding port from the standby position to a yarn feeding position as follows. As the carriage  6  slides, the upper end  25   a  of the upper plate  25  is pressed down along an inclined portion at one end of the cam plate  43  in opposition to a force caused by the coil spring  27 . At first, the upper plate  25  descends downward and next, the intermediate plate  23  starts to descend by means of the push-down roller  24  and the lower palate  22  starts to descend by means of the spring storage member  22   b  from the switching roller  30 , and, as a result, the yarn feeding port  12  is changed in place of the yarn feeding position. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 5-8 , when the slot  65  formed through the yarn feeding port forming member  22   a  of the lower plate  22  being associated with a hole  66  formed through the upper end of the spring storage member  22   b  by means of fixtures  67 , for example, bolts and nuts, it is capable of adjusting a position of the lower plate  22  by loosening the fixture  67  to be adjustable in a altitude of the yarn feeding port  12 . 
   In addition, as described above, when such lower plate  22  is composed of a yarn feeding port forming member  22   a  and a spring storage member  22   b  and an abutting portion  22   e  is formed an abutting portion  22   e  at the upper portion of the spring storage member  22   b , in which the upper limit of the rise of the yarn feeding port forming member  22   a  is easily changeable by replacing it with an abutting portion  22   e  having a variety height thereof and a desired upper limit of the yarn feeding port  22   a  is freely selectable in response to various gauges, a variety of knitting operation and so on. 
   In the Figure, the reference numeral  61  denotes a swing regulation unit, in which after having depressed the upper plate  25  in the position that is not influenced by the cam plate  43 , that is, in the yarn feeding position, the protrusion  61   a  of the swing regulation unit  61  is inserted into the lower end of the slide slot  23   a  formed through the intermediate plate  23  and the swing regulation unit  61  is mounted by screwing the fixture  62  against the female screw  63  in the feeder case  17 , and, as a result, the yarn feeding rod guide  21  can be constrained on its sides to regulate the swinging motion to be operated as a yarn feeder for the normal knitting. 
   BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1  is a side view in elevation of a weft knitting machine equipped with a yarn feed device including a yarn feeder according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 2  is an enlarged view of the yarn feeder according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 3  is an explanatory view showing a mechanism of the yarn feeder of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of the yarn feeder of the present invention. 
     FIG. 5  is an exploded view of a feeder rod and regulation portion of the yarn feeder according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 6  is a partial vertical cross sectional exploded view of the feeder rod and the regulation portion of the yarn feeder according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 7  is a front view showing the feeder rod and the regulation portion of the yarn feeder according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 8  is a partial vertical cross sectional view of the feeder rod and the regulation portion of the yarn feeder according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 9  is an explanatory view of the selection lever of the yarn feeder according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 10  is an explanatory view showing an operation of a portion that operates the selection lever of the yarn feeder according to the present invention. 
   REFERENCE NUMBERS 
     3  NEEDLE BED 
     8  SLIDE DRIVE MECHANISM (GATE ARM) 
     9  YARN FEEDER 
     10  BRINGING DEVICE 
     11  KNITTING YARN GUIDE RAIL 
     12  YARN FEEDING PORT 
     17  FEEDER CASE 
     20  FEEDER ROD 
     22  LOWER PLATE 
     22   a  YARN FEEDING PORT FORMING MEMBER 
     22   b  SPRING STORAGE MEMBER 
     22   c  COMPRESSION SPRINGS(COMPRESSION MEANS) 
     22   e  ABUTMENT PORTION AT  22   b    
     29  SWITCHING MECHANISM 
     32  SELECTION LEVER 
     65  SLOT FORMED THROUGH THE UPPER END OF  22   a    
     66  HOLE FORMED THROUGH THE UPPER END OF  22   b    
     67  FIXTURE

Technology Classification (CPC): 3