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System for controlling tension of a primary backing material in a tufting machine

  • US 5,809,917 A
  • Filed: 01/15/1997
  • Issued: 09/22/1998
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/15/1997
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A tufting machine for inserting yarn in a backing material, comprising:

  • a pair of advancing rollers with a first advancing roller for feeding the backing material into the tufting machine and a second advancing roller for removing the backing material from the tufting machine;

    a load measuring unit for measuring an actual value of tension generated along the backing material between the pair of advancing rollers and for generating a tension signal representing the actual value of tension;

    a drive motor for rotating one advancing roller of the pair of advancing rollers;

    a drive circuit for generating a driving signal for driving the drive motor;

    a monitoring unit for monitoring a condition of the other advancing roller of the pair of advancing rollers and for generating a condition signal; and

    a controller for receiving the tension signal from the load measuring unit and for receiving a predefined value of tension, the controller generating a control signal based on the tension signal from the load measuring unit and the predefined value of tension;

    wherein the drive circuit generates the driving signal by combining the condition signal from the monitoring unit and the control signal from the controller, the driving signal for causing the drive motor to rotate the one advancing roller so that the actual value of tension measured by the load measuring unit becomes substantially equal to the predefined value of tension; and

    wherein the monitoring unit includes an encoder coupled to the other advancing roller and a frequency to analog converter for converting an output of the encoder to an analog signal that represents a speed of the other advancing roller.

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