Bow and skew control system and method

• US 6,776,109 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2001
• Issued: 08/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Columbia Insurance Company (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Columbia Insurance Company (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Inventors: Vaughan, William N., Segars, Jeffery W.
• Primary Examiner(s): NERBUN, PETER P
• Application Number:
  US10/017,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20020108550A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 112/80.23, 112/80.3, 112/80.31, 112/80.32, 112/80.33, 112/470.03, 112/305, 112/318, 112/322, 112/272, 112/475.23, 250/559.29, 226/24, 226/27, 226/28, 26/515, 26/514
• US Class Current: 112/80.23
• CPC Class Codes: D06H 1/00 Marking textile materials; Marking in combination with metering or inspecting
• CPC Class Codes: D06H 3/12 Detecting or automatically correcting errors in the position of weft threads in woven fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: D06H 3/125 Detecting errors in the position of weft threads

Abstract

A bow and skew reduction control system and method is disclosed. In a tufting machine, an elongate bow roll is positioned intermediate a supply of a backing material to be tufted and a cloth feed roll positioned upstream of a needle bar. The backing material is passed at least partially about the bow roll and is passed over the cloth feed roll and into a tufting zone positioned with respect to the needle bar. The bow roll is provided with an actuator operably coupled to a controller. The roll of backing material is supported at its respective ends by a pair of jack assemblies, the jack assemblies being constructed and arranged for independent operation, and for raising and lowering, respectively, the ends of the roll of backing material as instructed by the controller. At least one, or a plurality, of spaced weft yarn markers are formed or otherwise disposed on the backing material and are parallel with the weft yarns thereof. The weft yarn markers are detected by a control and detection system of which the controller is a part. If the control system determines that the weft yarn markers are not parallel to the needle bar, the controller will selectively instruct either the bow roller actuator, and/or the jack assembly actuators to increase or decrease the tension of the backing material passed into the tufting machine for aligning the weft yarns of the backing material with respect to the needle bar.

Claims

1. A system for controlling the bow and skew of a backing material fed through a tufting machine, the tufting machine having a reciprocating needle bar disposed with respect to a tufting zone through which the backing material is fed, a cloth feed roll positioned upstream of the tufting zone, a roll of backing material from which the backing material is supplied, the backing material having a plurality of elongate warp yarns extending longitudinally in the lengthwise direction of the backing material and a plurality of weft yarns extending substantially perpendicular to the warp yarns in the cross-length direction of the backing material, the system comprising:

at least one weft yarn marker disposed on the backing material, the at least one weft yarn marker being substantially parallel to the weft yarns of the backing material;

at least one detection device positioned with respect to the needle bar and being constructed and arranged to detect the at least one weft yarn marker as the backing material is being passed toward the tufting zone;

a bow roll positioned intermediate the cloth feed roil and the roll of backing material, the backing material being at least partially passed thereabout; and

a controller operably coupled to the at least one detection device and the bow roll.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the bow roll is constructed and arranged to increase or decrease the tension of at least a portion of the backing material passed thereover.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the bow roll is constructed and arranged to increase or decrease the tension of a central portion of the backing material passed thereover.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the bow roll is constructed and arranged to be moved to increase or decrease the tension in the backing material passed thereover.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising an actuator operably coupled to the controller and being constructed and arranged to move the bow roll with respect to the backing material to increase or decrease the tension of the backing material.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the actuator comprises a linear actuator.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one jack assembly constructed and arranged to carry the roll of backing material.

8. The system of claim 7, the at least one jack assembly being operably coupled to the controller, and being constructed and arranged to raise and lower the respective ends of the roll of backing material independently of one another to increase and decrease the tension of the backing material passed toward the tufting zone.

9. The system of claim 7, the at least one jack assembly being operably coupled to the controller, and being constructed and arranged to raise one end of the roll of backing material and to simultaneously lower the other end of the roll of backing material independently of one another to increase and decrease the tension of the backing material passed toward the tufting zone.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a spaced pair of jack assemblies positioned at the ends of the roll of backing material, each of the jack assemblies being constructed and arranged to carry an end of the roll of backing material.

11. The system of claim 10, each of the jack assemblies being operably coupled to the controller and being selectively instructed by the controller to raise or lower the respective ends of the roll of backing material independently of one another to increase or decrease the tension of at least a portion of the backing material passed toward the tufting zone.

12. The system of claim 10, each of the jack assemblies being operably coupled to the controller, each of the jack assemblies being constructed and arranged to raise and lower the respective ends of the roll of backing material independently of one another to increase or decrease the tension of at least a portion of the backing material passed toward the tufting zone.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the respective jack assemblies increase and decrease the tension of at least one of two spaced and separate edge portions extending along the respective and separate side edge portions of the backing material passed from the roll of backing material toward the tufting zone.

14. The system of claim 1, the at least one weft yarn marker comprising a plurality of parallel weft yarn markers disposed on the backing material and spaced from one another in the lengthwise direction of the backing material.

15. The system of claim 1, the at least one weft yarn marker comprising further comprising a series of parallel weft yarn marker groups disposed on the backing material and spaced from one another in the lengthwise direction of the backing material.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one detection device is positioned downstream of the cloth feed roller.

17. The system of claim 1, the at least one detector comprising a plurality of detectors spaced from one another in the weft direction of the backing material and being positioned parallel to the needle bar.

18. The system of claim 1, the at least one detector being selected from at least one of the detectors in the group of detectors comprising optical, laser, magnetic, electronic, infra-red, and ultrasonic detectors.

19. The system of claim 1, the at least one weft yarn marker being selected from at least one of the markers in the group of markers comprising optical, laser readable, magnetic, electronic, infra-red, and ultrasonic markers.

20. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one jack assembly constructed and arranged to carry the roll of backing material, wherein the controller selectively instructs a first actuator operably coupled to the bow roll to move the bow roll against the backing material supply, and instructs at least one second actuator operably coupled to the at least one jack assembly to raise and lower at least one end of the roll of backing material, respectively, to selectively increase and decrease the tension of the backing material being passed toward the tufting zone in response to the detection of the at least one weft yarn marker not being substantially parallel to the needle bar.

21. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second bow roll spaced from said bow roll and also being positioned intermediate the cloth feed roll and the roll of backing material, the second bow roll being operably coupled to the at least one detection device and the controller.

22. A system for controlling the bow and skew of a backing material fed through a tufting machine, the tufting machine having a reciprocating needle bar disposed with respect to a tufting zone through which the backing material is fed, a cloth feed roll positioned upstream of the tufting zone, a roll of backing material from which the backing material is supplied, the backing material having a plurality of elongate warp yarns extending longitudinally in the lengthwise direction of the backing material and a plurality of weft yarns extending substantially perpendicular to the warp yarns in the cross-length direction of the backing material, the system comprising:

at least one elongate weft yarn marker disposed on the backing material, the at least one weft yarn marker being substantially parallel to the weft yarns of the backing material;

at least one detection device positioned with respect to the needle bar and being constructed and arranged to detect the at least one weft yarn marker as the backing material is passed toward the tufting zone;

a bow roll positioned intermediate the cloth feed roll and the roll of backing material, the backing material being at least partially passed thereabout, wherein the bow roll is constructed and arranged to increase and decrease the tension of the backing material passed toward the tufting zone;

at least one jack assembly positioned with respect to the roll of backing material, the at least one jack assembly being constructed and arranged to carry the roll of backing material thereon and being constructed and arranged to raise and lower the respective ends of the roll of backing material independently of one another to increase and decrease the tension of the backing material passed toward the tufting zone; and

a controller operably coupled to the at least one detection device, the bow roll, and the at least one jack assembly, respectively.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the controller selectively instructs a first actuator operably coupled to the bow roll to move the bow roll against the backing material, and instructs at least one second actuator operably coupled to the at least one jack assembly to raise and lower at least one end of the roll of backing material, respectively, in response to the detection of the at least one weft yarn marker not being substantially parallel to the needle bar.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the controller is automated.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the controller is manually operated.

26. A system for controlling the bow and skew of a backing material fed through a tufting machine, the tufting machine having a reciprocating needle bar disposed with respect to a tufting zone through which the backing material is fed, a cloth feed roll positioned upstream of the tufting zone, a roll of backing material from which the backing material is supplied, the backing material having a plurality of elongate warp yarns extending longitudinally in the lengthwise direction of the backing material and a plurality of weft yarns extending substantially perpendicular to the warp yarns in the cross-length direction of the backing material, the system comprising:

at least one elongate weft yarn marker disposed on the backing material and being substantially parallel to the weft yarns of the backing material;

at least one detection device positioned with respect to the needle bar and being constructed and arranged to detect the at least one weft yarn marker as the backing material is being passed toward the tufting zone;

a bow roll positioned intermediate the cloth feed roll and the roll of backing material, the backing material being at least partially passed thereabout, wherein the bow roll is constructed and arranged to increase and decrease the tension of the backing material passed toward the tufting zone;

a jack assembly positioned at each respective end of the roll of backing material, each of the jack assemblies being constructed and arranged to carry an end of the roll of backing material and to raise and lower the respective ends of the roll of backing material independently of one another to increase and decrease the tension of the backing material passed toward the tufting zone; and

a controller operably coupled to the at least one detection device, the bow roll, and to each respective jack assembly.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the controller selectively instructs a first actuator operably coupled to the bow roll to move the bow roll, and selectively instructs one or both of a pair of second actuators operably coupled one each to one of the respective jack assemblies to raise and lower at least one end of the roll of backing material independently of one another.

28. A system for controlling the bow and skew of a backing material fed through a tufting machine, the tufting machine having a reciprocating needle bar disposed with respect to a tufting zone through which the backing material is fed, a cloth feed roll positioned upstream of the tufting zone, a roll of backing material from which the backing material is supplied, the backing material having a plurality of elongate warp yarns extending longitudinally in the lengthwise direction of the backing material and a plurality of weft yarns extending substantially perpendicular to the warp yarns in the cross-length direction of the backing material, the system comprising:

a plurality of closely spaced and substantially parallel weft yarn markers disposed on the backing material and formed as a group of weft yarn markers, each of the weft yarn markers within the group being spaced from one another in the lengthwise direction of the backing material and being substantially parallel to the weft yarns of the backing material;

at least one detection device positioned with respect to the needle bar and being constructed and arranged to detect the weft yarn markers as the backing material is being passed thereby and toward the tufting zone;

a bow roll positioned intermediate the cloth feed roll and the roll of backing material, the backing material being at least partially passed thereabout, the bow roll being constructed and arranged to increase and decrease the tension of the backing material passed thereover;

at least one jack assembly constructed and arranged to carry the roll of backing material thereon and to raise and lower the respective ends of the roll of backing material independently of one another to increase and decrease the tension of the backing material passed toward the tufting zone; and

a controller operably coupled to the at least one detection device, the bow roll, and the at least one jack assembly, respectively.