1. An end yarn treatment apparatus of a weft knitting machine, for cutting a knitting yarn and for treating end yarns generated by cutting when front and rear needle beds face each other in the weft knitting machine and a fabric is knitted by letting knitting needles move back and forth, comprising:
a first gripper that can move in a direction along needle beds of a weft knitting machine and in a direction in which the first gripper moves closer to and away from a needle bed gap of the needle beds, and that can switch between a state in which a knitting yarn is not and a state in which a knitting yarn is gripped;
a second gripper that can move independently of the first gripper in a direction along the needle beds of the weft knitting machine and in a direction in which the second gripper moves closer to and away from the needle beds, and that can switch between a state in which a knitting yarn is not gripped and a state in which a knitting yarn is gripped;
a cutter that can move along the needle beds of the weft knitting machine, and that can switch between a state in which a knitting yarn is cut and a state in which a knitting yarn is not cut; and
control means for controlling movement and switching of the states of the first gripper, and the second gripper and the cutter, and for performing a control such that in a state where a knitting yarn is gripped with the first gripper and the second gripper, the knitting yarn between gripped points is cut with the cutter.
2. The end yarn treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cutter is provided on the first gripper, and
the second gripper is provided with at least a part of driving mechanism for operating the cutter so as to cut a knitting yarn.
3. The end yarn treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one gripper among the first gripper and the second gripper is provided with a spring-biased gripper mechanism, comprising:
a hook member whose front end portion catches and hooks a knitting yarn extending from a knitted fabric,
a press member for pressing a knitting yarn hooked on the hook member such that the knitting yarn is held and gripped with the press member together with the front end portion of the hook member,
a spring for applying a force such that the press member is pressed toward the front end portion of the hook member, and
a displacement mechanism for displacing the hook member in a direction in which the hook member moves closer to and away from the needle bed gap of the needle beds.
4. The end yarn treatment apparatus of claim 3, wherein, among the first gripper and the second gripper, the other gripper than the one gripper provided with the spring-biased gripper mechanism, is provided with a stopper for preventing the press member on a side opposed to the stopper on one side from moving closer to a position at which a knitting yarn is fed to the needle bed gap of the needle beds when the first gripper and the second gripper have moved closer to each other within a range of a predetermined distance.
5. The end yarn treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein a pair of guide paths that are provided in parallel with each other along the needle bed gap of the needle beds and that guide movement of the first gripper and the second gripper along the needle beds, are provided, and
one guide path and the other guide path among the pair of guide paths respectively drive the first gripper and the second gripper for movement in a direction in which the grippers move closer to and away from the needle bed gap of the needle beds with an angular displacement about an axis.
6. An end yarn treatment method of a weft knitting machine, for cutting a knitting yarn and for treating end yarns generated by cutting in knitting a fabric with the weft knitting machine, comprising:
gripping both sides of a portion at which a knitting yarn is to be cut with a cutter, with two grippers; and
treating end yarns generated after a knitting yarn is cut with the cutter by the grippers such that the end yarns are absorbed into a knitted fabric independently of each other.
7. The end yarn treatment method of claim 6, wherein a knitting yarn is caught and gripped only when the two grippers have moved closer to each other within a range of a predetermined distance.
8. The end yarn treatment method of claim 6, wherein a knitting yarn is cut by operating the cutter only when the two grippers grip the knitting yarn.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A structured kite having a kite body with at least one flying line, comprising: at least two structural members, and flexible sheet material forming adjacent, continuous, inseparable sections forming the kite body carried on said structural members, said structural members supporting, configuring and determining at least in substantial part the aerodynamic characteristics of the kite body, said characteristics being changeable by means for relatively moving selected ones of said adjacent, inseparable sections of the sheet material relative to one another while still remaining connected together, the changes being made in flight by the moving of said selected ones of said sections by control of the at least one flying line.
2. The structured kite of claim 1, wherein said adjacent, inseparable sections comprise: over-lapped sections of continuous, integrally contiguous flexible sheet material, the means for relatively moving changes the effective size of the kite body and its effective aerodynamic characteristics by varying the amount of over-lap between said over-lapped sections.
3. The structured kite of claim 2, wherein the kite body has a longitudinal centerline and said over-lapped section has at least one fold axis, and wherein: said over-lapped section forms at least one \u201cZ\u201d shape in configuration made up of at least two folds.
4. The structured kite of claim 1, wherein said adjacent sections comprise: at least one rollable section of continuous, integrally contiguous flexible sheet material, the means for relatively moving changes the effective size of the kite body and its effective aerodynamic characteristics by varying the amount of roll of said rollable section.
5. The structured kite of claim 1, wherein said adjacent sections comprise: at least two telescoping sections each having a telescoping element, nested one with the other, the means for relatively moving changes the effective size of the kite body and its effective aerodynamic characteristics by said sections telescoping one within the other.
6. The structured kite of claim 1 wherein said at least one flying line has two lines for controlling the flying of said kite and a third bending line that when shortened or lengthened allows the middle part of the kite to move down or up with respect to the edges of the kite.
7. The structured kite of claim 1 wherein said at least one flying line has two lines for controlling the flying of said kite, at least one control line for tipping the front edge of the kite and an added bending line that when shortened or lengthened allows the middle part of the kite to be placed lower or higher with respect to the edges of the kite.
8. The structured kite of claim 1 wherein said kite includes structural battens being flexed by a line connected to the leading edge of said batten and a location further down the length of the said batten so as to bend a section of said batten to provide an airfoil shape to the kite.
9. The structured kite of claim 8 wherein said batten is connected to the leading edge of kite with adjustable cog for further bending said batten.
10. The structured kite of claim 6 or 7 which said sections are a portion of the kite that has two panels that overlap each other allowing for expansion and contraction of that portion of the structured kite.
11. The structured kite of claim 10 which has two overlappingsliding sections on opposite sides of the structured kite.
12. The structured kite of claim 11 which has a mechanism that unlocks the sliding sections when the middle of the sections is pulled down allowing the sections to contract and to expand when the middle of the sections is allowed to go up.
13. The structured kite of claim 1 with closed cell foam along the leading edge.
14. The structured kite of claim 1 with an inflatable leading edge.