Stitch distribution control system for tufting machines

• US 10,400,376 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2018
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Card-Monroe Corporation
• Original Assignee: Card-Monroe Corporation
• Inventors: Hall, Wilton, Christman, Jr., William M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Durham, Nathan E
• Application Number:
  US16/118,552
• Publication Number:
  US 20180371663A1
• Time in Patent Office: 368 Days
• CPC Class Codes: D05C 11/00 Devices for guiding, feeding, handling, or treating the threads in embroidering machines; Machine needles; Operating or control mechanisms therefor
• CPC Class Codes: D05C 15/18 Thread feeding or tensioning arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: D05C 15/30 by moving the tufting tools laterally
• CPC Class Codes: D05C 15/34 by inserting loops of different nature or colour

Abstract

A stitch distribution control system for a tufting machine for controlling placement of yarns being fed to the needles of the tufting machine by yarn feed mechanisms to form a desired pattern. A backing material is fed through the tufting machine at an increased stitch rate as the needles are shifted according to calculated pattern steps. A series of loopers or hooks engage and pick loops of yarns from the needles. The yarn feed mechanisms further can be controlled so that selected loops of yarns can be back-robbed so as to be hidden from view in the finished patterned tufted article.

Claims

1. A tufting machine for forming tufted articles having a pattern including tufts of multiple different color and/or type yarns arranged in a backing material at a desired number of stitches per inch, comprising:

one or more needle bars each carrying a series of needles;

backing feed rolls feeding the backing material along a path of travel through the tufting machine;

at least one yarn feed mechanism for feeding yarns to each of the needles;

at least one shift mechanism for shifting the one or more needle bars or shifting the backing material transversely with respect to the path of travel of the backing material;

a series of gauge parts mounted below the zone in a position to engage said needles of the at least one needle bar as the needles are reciprocated into the backing material to form tufts of yarns in the backing material; and

a stitch distribution control system controlling the backing feed rolls to feed the backing material through the tufting machine at a variable stitch rate, including feeding the backing material at an effective process stitch rate based on the desired number of stitches per inch of the pattern multiplied by a number of different color or type yarns used in the pattern for forming at least a portion of the pattern, for controlling said yarn feed mechanism to control feeding of the yarns to said needles, and controlling the at least one shift mechanism so as to present and maintain yarns at selected stitch locations along the backing material as needed in accordance with the pattern for the tufted article being formed.

2. The tufting machine of claim 1 and wherein said stitch distribution con system comprises imaging device for input of pattern information, and said tufting machine controller further comprises image recognition programming for processing images input from said imaging device.

3. The tufting machine of claim 1 and wherein said gauge parts comprise level cut loop loopers, loop pile loopers, cut pile hooks, cut/loop hooks or combinations thereof.

4. The tufting machine of claim 1 and wherein said at least one yarn feed mechanism comprises at least one of a scroll, roll, single end or double end yarn feed pattern attachment.

5. The tufting machine of claim 1, wherein the one or more needle bars comprise a pair of needle bars with the needles carried thereby in a staggered arrangement, and wherein the at least one shift mechanism further comprises a shifter linked to each needle bar of the pair of needle bars for independently shifting each needle bar transversely across the tufting zone.

6. A method of forming tufted articles having a pattern including tufts of a number of different color yarns arranged at a desired stitch rate, the method comprising:

feeding a backing material along a path of travel;

feeding a series of yarns to a plurality of needles;

reciprocating the needles into and out of the backing material as the backing material is fed along its path of travel;

with the needles penetrating the backing material, engaging the needles with a series of gauge parts so as to pick loops of yarn therefrom;

while at least a portion of the pattern being formed, feeding of the backing material at an effective process stitch rate determined by multiplying the desired stitch rate of the pattern approximately by the number of different colors of yarns of the pattern, and controlling shifting of the needles or the backing material so as to present a series of different color yarns to a series of stitch locations or the portion of the pattern being formed and controlling feeding of the yarns to maintain selected yarn or yarns of the series of different color yarns presented at the series of stitch locations.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising varying the feeding of the backing material.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein engaging the needles with a series of gauge parts comprises reciprocating a series of level cut loop loopers into engagement with the needles to pick up and selectively retain loops of yarns and form loop and cut pile tufts.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising cutting the retained loops of yarn to form cut pile tufts.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein engaging the needles with a series of gauge parts comprises reciprocating a series of loop pile loopers into engagement with the needles to pick up loops of yarns for forming loop pile tufts.