Needle selection device on a knitting machine, particularly a flat knitting machine

Claim 1

A needle selection device on a knitting machine, especially a flat knitting machine, comprising knitting needles and jacks arranged displaceably in needle channels, and spring-biassed selection shanks, with cantilever ends and with operating butts, connected with the knitting needles or jacks, said selection shanks being lowerable in the needle channels by pressure cam means moved relative to the needle channels, and with selection jacks, each having at least one selection butt, displaceably mounted in the needle channels behind the knitting needles, said selection jacks being displaceable in the needle channels in a controlled manner selectively at selection positions by selection magnet means and being arranged to hold the operating butts of the selection shanks selectively in the lowered position in which: (a) the selection shanks are inherently flexible and are engaged by the horizontally displaceable selection jacks, (b) selection members are provided at the selection positions and are controlled selectively by the selection magnet means, (c) the selection members comprise double-armed selection flaps pivotably mounted perpendicular to the needle channels and provided each with an inclined actuation surface for engaging the selection butts and thereby displacing the selection jacks, and (d) the selection magnet means comprise flap-anchoring magnets or solenoids having armatures which in the attracted state hold the selection flaps in the vertical position for forward displacement of the selection jacks.