Apparatus for the production of patterned tufted fabric

• US 5,529,002 A
• Filed: 05/08/1995
• Issued: 06/25/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Helmut Piller
• Original Assignee: Helmut Piller
• Inventors: Piller, Helmut
• Primary Examiner(s): LEWIS, PAUL
• Application Number:
  US08/436,104
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: 112/80.01, 112/80.43, 112/80.44, 112/80.45
• US Class Current: 112/80.43
• CPC Class Codes: D05C 15/20 Arrangements or devices, e.g. needles, for inserting loops; Driving mechanisms therefor
• CPC Class Codes: D05C 15/34 by inserting loops of different nature or colour
• CPC Class Codes: D05D 2203/00 Selection of machines, accessories or parts of the same kind

Abstract

In the context of an apparatus for the manufacture of patterned tufted fabric comprising a needle bar, which has a transverse member extending right along its length, on which a plurality of rotatably mounted needle carriers are arranged in a row, which respectively bear several radially projecting needles for threads and by means of a swiveling device are able to be moved into stitching positions, it is possible to attain a high degree of accuracy and a compact construction if the swiveling device associated with each needle carrier, which is able to be locked by means of an abutment device in the stitching positions of its needles, possesses an associated transmission element able to be actuated by an associated drive device and in mesh with a segment provided on the needle carrier side, or if the needle carriers are designed a rotors of disk rotor stepper motors arranged in a row on the transverse member, respectively having a disk-like stator which is stationary in relation to the transverse member and at least one rotor adjacent to the same and preferably flanking two thereof.

Claims

1. An apparatus for production of a patterned tufted fabric, comprising:

at least one needle bar extending athwart a feed direction of a fabric web and adapted for performing stitching movements perpendicularly to a plane of the fabric web;

a drive device;

a plurality of needle carriers;

a transverse member being included as a part of said needle bar, said transverse member extending along the length of said needle bar, said plurality of needle carriers being rotatably mounted in a row on said transverse member,

a swiveling device having a transmission element adapted to be actuated by means of said drive device, said transmission element being in the form of a first segment mounted on a rotor of an external rotor motor, said external rotor motor having a stator provided on a transverse member carrier parallel to said transverse member and being provided with permanent magnets with said external rotor encircling said stator, said external rotor being provided with at least one electromagnet powerable via a slip ring contact; and

,

an abutment device with each of said needle carriers of said plurality of needle carriers bearing radially projecting needles adapted for guiding an associated thread and by means of said swiveling device are moved into stitching positions respectively associated with their needles, said swiveling device associated with each of said needle carriers being in mesh with a second segment provided on a needle carrier side with each of said needle carriers being lockable in the stitching position of its needles by means of said abutment device.

2. The apparatus for the production of a patterned tufted fabric according to claim 1, wherein said abutment device possesses a terminal abutment device with two oppositely placed abutment positions and a detent device with at least one detent pin to be actuated by means of an electrical actuating device, said detent pin is able to slip into a central notch.

3. An apparatus for production of a patterned tufted fabric, comprising:

at least one needle bar extending athwart a feed direction of a fabric web and adapted for performing stitching movements perpendicularly to a plane of the fabric web;

a linear drive device;

a plurality of needle carriers;

a transverse member being included as a part of said needle bar, said transverse member extending along the length of said needle bar, said plurality of needle carriers being rotatably mounted in a row on said transverse member,

a swiveling device having a transmission element adapted to be actuated by means of said linear drive device, wherein said transmission element is a rack connected with said linear drive device; and

,

an abutment device with each of said needle carriers of said plurality of needle carriers bearing radially projecting needles adapted for guiding an associated thread and by means of said swiveling device are moved into stitching positions respectively associated with their needles, said swiveling device associated with each of said needle carriers being in mesh with a segment provided on a needle carrier side with each of said needle carriers being lockable in the stitching position of its needles by means of said abutment device.

4. The apparatus for the production of a patterned tufted fabric according to claim 3, wherein for each of said racks, said linear drive device contains two oppositely placed single acting piston and cylinder units.

5. The apparatus for the production of a patterned tufted fabric according to claim 4, wherein said single acting piston and cylinder units are mutually adjacent one another and wherein said mutually adjacent piston and cylinder units of adjacent needle carriers are adapted to be connected via associated valves with a fluid power distributing chamber extending along the length of said needle bar.

6. The apparatus for the production of a patterned tufted fabric according to claim 3, wherein said abutment device possesses a terminal abutment device with two oppositely placed abutment positions and a detent device with at least one detent pin to be actuated by means of an electrical actuating device, said detent pin is able to slip into a central notch.

7. An apparatus for production of a patterned tufted fabric, comprising:

at least one needle bar extending athwart a feed direction of a fabric web and adapted for performing stitching movements perpendicularly to a plane of the fabric web;

a plurality of needle carriers;

at least one swiveling device; and

,

a traverse member being included as part of said needle bar, said transverse member extending along the length of said needle bar, said plurality of needle carriers being mounted on said transverse member, each of said needle carriers bearing radially projecting needles adapted for guiding an associated thread and by means of an associated said swiveling device are movable into stitching positions respectively associated with their needles, wherein said needle carriers are in the form of rotors of disk rotor arrangements, which are arranged in a sequence on said transverse member, respectively having a disk-like stator being stationary in relation to said transverse member and at least one rotatably mounted disk-like rotor adjacent thereto in the form of a disk rotor motor, said stators for each associated rotor respectively having dot-like permanent magnet zones, comprises a number, corresponding to the number of needles of said rotors, of dot-like electromagnet zone controlled by means of a control device and having an angular spacing equal to an angular spacing of the needles and, as regards their axial spacing and their configuration, are matched to a permanent magnet zone of the associated rotor.

8. The apparatus for the production of a patterned tufted fabric according to claim 7, wherein each of said stators is flanked by two rotors constructed as needle carriers which, respectively, possess diametrically opposite permanent magnet parts.

9. The apparatus for the production of a patterned tufted fabric according to claim 7, further comprising guide respective hose means for guiding the associated thread.

10. The apparatus for the production of a patterned tufted fabric according to claim 7, wherein said needles are hollow needles.

11. The apparatus for the production of a patterned tufted fabric according to claim 10, further comprising guide respective hose means for guiding the associated thread, said hose means being connected with a rear needle end.