Tufting machine and method of tufting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12173439-B2
Application number	US-202318205011-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 2, 2023
Priority date	Mar 17, 2016
Publication date	Dec 24, 2024
Grant date	Dec 24, 2024

Abstract

A tufting machine for selectively forming tufts of yarns, including different color or type yarns, for forming patterned tufted articles such as carpets. A series of needles are reciprocated into and out of a backing material being fed through the tufting machine and are engaged by a series of gauge parts so as to pick-up loops of yarns from the needles. The gauge parts will be selectively controlled by activators to move the gauge parts to positions or elevations sufficient to pick-up or not pick-up loops of yarns from the needles. The feeding of the yarns to the needles further will be controlled to pull back the yarns not picked-up by the gauge parts, while the backing feed will be controlled to enable formation of tufts at an increased rate over the pattern stitch rate for the pattern of the tufted article being formed.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A tufting machine comprising:
at least one needle bar having a plurality of needles arranged therealong;
at least one yarn feed mechanism feeding yarns to the needles as the needles are reciprocated along a path of travel into and out of a backing;
a gauge part assembly positioned adjacent the backing, and comprising a plurality of loopers;
wherein the gauge part assembly is movable in a direction of reciprocation toward and away from the needles as the needles are reciprocated into the backing for pick-up of loops of yarns by the loopers;
wherein at least some of the loopers of the gauge part assembly are independently moveable in an additional direction with respect to the path of travel of the needles so as to move a proximal end thereof between an operative position for pick-up of the loops of yarns by the loopers and a lowered position at which pick-up of the loops of yarns by the loopers is substantially avoided; and
a control system including programming configured to control feeding of the yarns to the needles in coordination with movement of selected ones of the loopers in the additional direction with respect to the needles as the needles are reciprocated into the backing so as to selectively pick-up loops of yarns from the needles.

2. The tufting machine of claim 1 , further comprising:
a shift mechanism for shifting the at least one needle bar across the backing; and
wherein the control system further comprises programming to coordinate shifting of the at least one needle bar, feeding of the backing, movement of the at least some loopers of the gauge part assembly in the additional direction, and feeding of the yarns to the needles as the needles are reciprocated into and out of the backing such that a series of yarns are presented to each of a plurality of stitch locations along the backing and where loops of non-selected yarns are not picked up by a looper of the plurality of loopers, the non-selected yarns are pulled low or substantially withdrawn from the backing.

3. The tufting machine of claim 2 , wherein the control system controls the feeding to the backing at an operative stitch rate that is greater than a pattern stitch rate for a tufted pattern being formed.

4. The tufting machine of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of actuators each coupled to at least one of the loopers, at least some of the actuators being individually controlled by the control system for selectively moving the loopers in the additional direction.

5. The tufting machine of claim 1 , wherein each looper is pivotally mounted to a support, and wherein movement of the at least some loopers of the plurality of loopers in the additional direction causes the proximal ends thereof to be pivoted between the lowered position and one or more operative positions for picking up the loops of yarns from the needles.

6. A method of forming a patterned tufted article comprising:
moving a backing along a path of travel;
reciprocating a plurality of needles along a substantially vertical path of travel into and out of the backing;
feeding yarns to the needles as the needles are reciprocated into the backing;
presenting a plurality of the yarns to a stitch location;
as the needles move along their path of travel into the backing, reciprocating a series of gauge parts in a direction of reciprocation toward the needles for pick-up of loops of yarns from the needles;
wherein at least some of the gauge parts are selectively moveable in an additional direction with respect to the path of travel of the needles, the additional direction being different from the direction of reciprocation of the gauge parts;
when a selected yarn of the yarns is presented and is to be retained at the stitch location, locating a corresponding gauge part at an operative position for pick-up of a loop of the selected yarn by the corresponding gauge part, and controlling the feeding of the selected yarn to form a tuft of the selected yarn having a desired pile height at the stitch location; and
when a non-selected yarn is presented at the stitch location, moving the corresponding gauge part in the additional direction toward a lowered position adapted to substantially avoid pick-up of a loop of the non-selected yarn by the corresponding gauge part, and controlling feeding of the non-selected yarn so as to pull back the non-selected yarn as the needles are reciprocated out of the backing.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein moving the corresponding gauge part in the additional direction comprises selectively controlling an actuator coupled to the corresponding gauge part to raise or lower a bill of the corresponding gauge part with respect to the needles.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein moving the corresponding gauge part in the additional direction comprises pivoting the corresponding gauge part to reorient a bill thereof with respect to the needles.

9. The method of claim 6 , further comprising threading at least some of the needles with a series of different color or type yarns in a selected thread-up sequence.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein moving the backing along its path of travel comprises feeding the backing at an operative stitch rate, wherein the operative stitch rate is approximately equal to a desired stitch rate for a pattern being formed multiplied by a number of different color or type yarns in the selected thread-up sequence.

11. The method of claim 6 , wherein presenting the plurality of the yarns to the stitch location comprises shifting at least some of the needles transversely with respect to the backing, and wherein feeding the backing comprises moving the backing at an operative stitch rate determined by multiplying a desired stitch rate for a pattern being formed by a number of yarns in a selected thread-up sequence.

12. The method of claim 6 , wherein controlling feeding of the non-selected yarn so as to pull back the non-selected yarn comprises pulling the non-selected yarn substantially out of the backing or sufficiently low to an extent to enable the non-selected yarn to be held in the backing while substantially avoiding creation of undesired or unnecessary gaps or spaces between retained or face yarns of the patterned tufted article.

13. A tufting machine comprising:
at least one needle bar carrying a series of needles;
a backing feed for feeding a backing through the tufting machine;
at least one yarn feed mechanism feeding a plurality of yarns to the needles;
a gauge part assembly arranged below the backing and including a plurality of gauge parts each comprising a body having a bill at one end thereof;
wherein the gauge part assembly is moveable in a direction of reciprocation so as to carry the gauge parts toward and away from engagement with the needles to pick-up loops of yarns from the needles along the bills of the gauge parts as the needles are reciprocated into the backing;
wherein at least some of the gauge parts are individually moveable in an additional direction with respect to a stroke of the needles, the additional direction being different from the direction of reciprocation of the gauge part assembly;
actuators coupled to the gauge parts and configured to move the gauge parts in the additional direction; and
a control system including programming configured to control the actuators to move selected gauge parts in the additional direction so as to locate the bills of the selected gauge parts between at least one operative position for picking-up loops of selected yarns therealong and a lowered position at which the selected gauge parts are positioned to substantially avoid picking-up of loops of non-selected yarns, and

Assignees

• Card Monroe Corp

Inventors

• Hall Wilton
• Mathews Ricky E

Classifications

• D05C15/34

  by inserting loops of different nature or colour · CPC title

• D05C15/20

  Arrangements or devices, e.g. needles, for inserting loops; Driving mechanisms therefor · CPC title

• D05C15/22 Primary

  Loop-catching arrangements, e.g. loopers; Driving mechanisms therefor · CPC title

• D05C15/10

  operating with a plurality of needles, e.g. in one row · CPC title

• D05C15/24

  Loop cutters; Driving mechanisms therefor · CPC title