Knitting needle

Abstract

A knitting needle includes a hook, a latch, a shaft provided with a first transfer portion, and a flat spring provided with a second transfer portion and having a front portion bent outward to form a protrusion and a back portion connected to a bottom surface of a recess to form a connecting end. A deformation surface and the protrusion are not exposed outside the recess, or the deformation surface and the protrusion have a portion exposed outside the recess, where the portion exposed outside the recess is elastically pressed into the recess by a needle groove or is located in a depression at a corresponding side of the needle groove. The deformation surface is elastically deformed to drive the protrusion to expand outward, such that a loop hung on the first transfer portion and the second transfer portion is stretched.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A knitting needle, provided in a needle groove of a front or back needle bed of a flatbed knitting machine, and cooperative with another knitting needle in a corresponding needle groove of a back or front needle bed, wherein the knitting needle comprises:
 a hook;   a latch, provided at a back side of the hook, and rotatable to close the hook;   a shaft, comprising a stem and a shank arranged in sequence in a back portion of the hook, the shank being wider than the stem;   a recessed first transfer portion, formed at a joint of the stem and the shank;   a recess, provided in one side of the shaft;   a flat spring, provided with a recessed second transfer portion, and having a front portion bent outward in a length direction of the shaft to form a protrusion and a back portion connected to a bottom surface of the recess to form a connecting end; and   a hook insertion slot, formed by an inner cavity of the protrusion;   wherein:   the flat spring is further provided with a deformation surface located between a back side of the protrusion and a front side of the connecting end; the deformation surface and the protrusion are not exposed outside the recess, or the deformation surface and the protrusion have a portion exposed outside the recess, wherein the portion exposed outside the recess is elastically pressed into the recess by the needle groove or is located in a depression at a corresponding side of the needle groove; and   during loop transfer, the hook of another knitting needle in the corresponding needle groove is inserted into a position between the flat spring and the shaft through the hook insertion slot, such that the deformation surface is elastically deformed to drive the protrusion to expand outward, and a loop hung on the recessed first transfer portion and the recessed second transfer portion is stretched.   
     
     
         2 . The knitting needle according to  claim 1 , wherein the deformation surface is a bending surface, wherein the bending surface is bent outward. 
     
     
         3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . The knitting needle according to  claim 2 , wherein a slot depth formed between a top end surface and a bottom end surface of the hook insertion slot is smaller than a thickness of the hook; and a lower end of the hook insertion slot is provided with a needle groove guide portion for easy insertion of the hook, and/or a front end of the hook is provided with a hook guide portion for easy insertion into the hook insertion slot. 
     
     
         5 . The knitting needle according to  claim 4 , wherein a lower end of the flat spring protrudes downward at a position corresponding to a front side of the recessed second transfer portion to form a latch opening portion for opening the latch of the knitting needle entering the hook insertion slot. 
     
     
         6 . The knitting needle according to  claim 5 , wherein the needle groove guide portion is an inclined surface, wherein the inclined surface is provided on the bottom surface of the recess, located at the lower end of the hook insertion slot, and inclined backward, such that a lower end opening of the hook insertion slot is shaped as a bell mouth for easy insertion of the hook. 
     
     
         7 . The knitting needle according to  claim 5 , wherein the front end of the knitting needle in a thickness direction is shaped as an arc or a trapezoid that is gradually widened from narrow to wide, with a narrowest front portion narrower than the slot depth. 
     
     
         8 . The knitting needle according to  claim 7 , wherein the deformation surface and the protrusion correspond to positions of a front portion of the shank and a back portion of the stem, respectively; and a front side of the deformation surface protrudes upward from the back side of the protrusion in a width direction, such that the recessed second transfer portion is located at a joint of the deformation surface and the protrusion. 
     
     
         9 . The knitting needle according to  claim 8 , wherein the deformation surface is longer than the protrusion. 
     
     
         10 . The knitting needle according to  claim 1 , wherein the deformation surface is a flat surface. 
     
     
         11 . The knitting needle according to  claim 10 , wherein a slot depth formed between a top end surface and a bottom end surface of the hook insertion slot is smaller than a thickness of the hook; and a lower end of the hook insertion slot is provided with a needle groove guide portion for easy insertion of the hook, and/or a front end of the hook is provided with a hook guide portion for easy insertion into the hook insertion slot. 
     
     
         12 . The knitting needle according to  claim 11 , wherein a lower end of the flat spring protrudes downward at a position corresponding to a front side of the recessed second transfer portion to form a latch opening portion for opening the latch of the knitting needle entering the hook insertion slot. 
     
     
         13 . The knitting needle according to  claim 12 , wherein the needle groove guide portion is an inclined surface, wherein the inclined surface is provided on the bottom surface of the recess, located at the lower end of the hook insertion slot, and inclined backward, such that a lower end opening of the hook insertion slot is shaped as a bell mouth for easy insertion of the hook. 
     
     
         14 . The knitting needle according to  claim 12 , wherein the front end of the knitting needle in a thickness direction is shaped as an arc or a trapezoid that is gradually widened from narrow to wide, with a narrowest front portion narrower than the slot depth. 
     
     
         15 . The knitting needle according to  claim 14 , wherein the deformation surface and the protrusion correspond to positions of a front portion of the shank and a back portion of the stem, respectively; and a front side of the deformation surface protrudes upward from the back side of the protrusion in a width direction, such that the recessed second transfer portion is located at a joint of the deformation surface and the protrusion. 
     
     
         16 . The knitting needle according to  claim 15 , wherein the deformation surface is longer than the protrusion.