Yarn feed system for tufting machines
First Claim
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1. A tufting machine for forming tufts of yarns in a backing material passing therethrough, comprising:
- at least one needle bar having a series of spaced needles positioned therealong;
a plurality of yarn feed devices each including a drive motor and a drive roll for feeding a supply of yarns to said needles along said needle bar;
a plurality of yarn feed controllers electrically connected to said drive motors of said yarn feed devices for controlling the feeding of the yarns to said needles;
a yarn distribution device including at least one tube bank having a series of yarn feed tubes through which the yarns are passed to a first group of said needles to form at least a first repeat, and to a second group of needles to form at least a second repeat; and
a control system in communication with said yarn feed controllers for providing control signals based on programmed pattern information to said yarn feed controllers.
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Abstract
A yarn feed system, enabling the control of individual yarns to the needles of a tufting machine, and which system can be manufactured as a substantially standardized unit or attachment that can be removably mounted to a tufting machine. The yarn feed unit includes a series of yarn feed devices for feeding each of the yarns to the needles of the tufting machine, and a series of yarn feed controllers that monitor and control the operation of the yarn feed devices to control the feeding of the yarns to the needles according to programmed pattern instructions.
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Citations
57 Claims
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1. A tufting machine for forming tufts of yarns in a backing material passing therethrough, comprising:
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at least one needle bar having a series of spaced needles positioned therealong;
a plurality of yarn feed devices each including a drive motor and a drive roll for feeding a supply of yarns to said needles along said needle bar;
a plurality of yarn feed controllers electrically connected to said drive motors of said yarn feed devices for controlling the feeding of the yarns to said needles;
a yarn distribution device including at least one tube bank having a series of yarn feed tubes through which the yarns are passed to a first group of said needles to form at least a first repeat, and to a second group of needles to form at least a second repeat; and
a control system in communication with said yarn feed controllers for providing control signals based on programmed pattern information to said yarn feed controllers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16-38. -38. (canceled)
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39. A tufting machine for introducing tufts of yarns into a backing material, comprising:
a needle bar having a series of spaced needles;
a series of yarn feed devices for feeding yarns to said needles;
a yarn distribution device having a tube bank having a series of separate yarn food tubes through which each of the yarns are directed to selected ones of said needles, wherein said yarn feed tubes of said tube bank are of a number and an arrangement sufficient to form at least two pattern repeats across the backing material; and
a control system in communication with said yarn fee devices to provide instructions for controlling said yarn feed devices in accordance with programmed pattern information. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. A method of forming a tufted product, comprising:
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moving a backing material through a tufting zone of a tufting machine;
reciprocating a series of needles carrying a plurality of yarns into the backing material to form tufts of yarns in the backing material;
feeding the yarns to the needles though a yarn feed mechanism mounted on the tufting machine and including a series of independently controllable yarn feed devices, each having a servo-motor and a feed roll, each yarn feed device feeding at least a pair of yarns; and
directing each of the yarns to selected ones of the needles of the tufting machine spaced along the tufting zone so as to form multiple pattern repeats of the tufted product across the backing material. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51, 52)
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53. A tufting machine for forming patterned tufted articles, comprising:
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at least one reciprocating needle bar a series of spaced needles;
backing feed rolls for feeding a backing material through the tufting machine;
a series of servo-motor driven yarn feed devices, each including a servo-motor and a feed roll driven thereby, wherein each yarn feed device receives at least two yarns per feed roll and feeds each of the yarns to selected ones of the needles so as to form at least two pattern repeats across the backing material, and wherein there are approximately one-half the number of yarn feed devices as there are needles of the tufting machine; and
a control system for controlling feeding of the yarns by the yarn feed devices to form a desired tufted pattern. - View Dependent Claims (54, 55, 56, 57)
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Specification