Tufting machine and method of tufting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12584255-B2
Application number	US-202519035236-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2025
Priority date	Feb 16, 2021
Publication date	Mar 24, 2026
Grant date	Mar 24, 2026

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 extend or retract 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 back-rob 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 gauge part assembly for a tufting machine, comprising:
a plurality of gauge modules each having a body; a plurality of inserts received within the body of each module; wherein each insert comprises a metal, metal carbide, ceramics, powdered metal materials, including metal powders including tungsten, titanium, or combinations thereof, having a hardness greater than a hardness of the body of each module; a plurality of gauge parts received within the body of each module; wherein the gauge parts are carried with the modules in a first direction toward and away from engagement with a plurality of needles, and are selectively movable in a second direction through the modules; wherein the inserts are configured to define contact areas along which the gauge parts slide as the gauge parts are moved in the second direction through the modules; and wherein the body of cach module comprises a skeletonized construction configured to provide a reduced weight or profile to the modules.

2 . The gauge part assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of actuators coupled to the gauge parts, the actuators each being selectively actuatable so as to move the gauge parts coupled thereto in the second direction between one or more extended positions for picking loops of yarns from the needles and a retracted position adapted to substantially avoid picking loops of yarns from the needles.

3 . The gauge part assembly of claim 1 , wherein the inserts comprise one or more pins located adjacent at least one passage extending through the body of each module and along which the gauge parts are slidably received such that edge portions of the gauge parts contact the pins as the gauge parts slide along the passage.

4 . The gauge part assembly of claim 1 , wherein the inserts comprise a hardness of at least 75+RC.

5 . The gauge part assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the body of one or more of the modules comprises a substantially h-shaped or y-shaped configuration including an open-ended recess defined along a front face thereof.

6 . A tufting machine, comprising:
one or more needle bars having a plurality of needles mounted therealong; at least one yarn feed mechanism feeding yarns to the needles; and a gauge part assembly comprising:
a plurality of gauge modules each having a body;
one or more inserts received within the body of each module;
wherein the one or more inserts comprise a material having a hardness greater than a hardness of a material forming the body of each module;
a series of gauge parts slidably received within the body of each module;
wherein the gauge parts are carried with the modules in a first direction toward and away from engagement with the needles, and are selectively movable in a second direction through the modules;
wherein the one or more inserts are configured to define contact areas along which the gauge parts slide as the gauge parts are moved in the second direction; and
wherein the body of each module comprises a skeletonized construction configured to provide a reduced weight or profile to the modules.

7 . The tufting machine of claim 6 , wherein the material of the body of each module comprises a metal, polymer, composite or synthetic material, or combinations thereof; and wherein the material of the one or more inserts comprises a metal carbide, ceramics, powdered metal materials, including metal powders including tungsten, titanium, or combinations thereof.

8 . The tufting machine of claim 6 , further comprising a series of actuators coupled to the gauge parts and configured to control movement of the gauge parts in the second direction through the modules.

9 . The tufting machine of claim 8 , further comprising a control system including programming for controlling feeding of a plurality of yarns to the needles in coordination with control of one or more of the actuators so as to move selected ones of the gauge parts in the second direction between a retracted position and one or more extended positions with respect to the needles as the needles move into and out of a backing material for selectively forming tufts of the yarns in the backing material according to a pattern being formed.

10 . The tufting machine of claim 9 , further comprising a shift mechanism for shifting the one or more needle bars transversely across the backing material, and wherein the control system further comprises programming adapted to coordinate shifting of the one or more needle bars, movement of the gauge parts in the second direction, and feeding of the yarns to the needles as the needles are reciprocated into and out of the backing material, so as to present a series of the yarns to selected stitch locations along the backing material and withdraw non-selected yarns where the non-selected yarns are not picked up by one of the gauge parts.

11 . The tufting machine of claim 10 , wherein the control system further comprises programming for controlling feeding of the backing material, such that the backing material moved through a tufting zone at an actual stitch rate that is greater than a pattern stitch rate for the pattern being formed.

12 . The tufting machine of claim 6 , the body of each gauge module comprises a substantially h-shaped or y-shaped configuration including an open-ended recess defined along a front face thereof; and wherein the one or more inserts comprise a plurality of pins received within the body of each gauge module so as to define a plurality of contact areas for the gauge parts.

13 . A tufting machine, comprising:
at least one needle bar having a plurality of needles mounted therealong; a plurality of gauge parts received within the at least one module and configured to pick up yarns from the needles; wherein the gauge parts are received within a series of modules formed from a material having a first hardness; wherein the gauge parts are moveable through the modules; at least one insert received within each module, each insert formed from a material having a second hardness that is greater than the first hardness of the material of the modules; wherein the inserts are configured to define contact surfaces against which the gauge parts engage and slide as the gauge parts are moved through the modules; and a control system including programming for controlling movement of the gauge parts through the modules between a first position at which pick up of the yarns from corresponding needles by the gauge parts is substantially avoided, and a second position for picking up the yarns from the corresponding needles, and for controlling the at least one yam feed mechanism to control feeding of the yarns to the needles; and wherein the modules comprise a skeletonized body construction configured to provide a reduced weight or profile to the modules.

14 . The tufting machine of claim 12 , further comprising a shift mechanism for shifting the at least one needle bar, a backing material shifter, or a combination thereof.

15 . The tufting machine of claim 13 , wherein the control system further comprises programming adapted to coordinate shifting of the at least one needle bar or shifting of a backing material moving through the tufting machine, or a combination thereof, with the movement of the gauge parts through the body of the at least one module, and control of the feeding of the yams to the needles, so as to enable presentation of one or more yarns to selected stitch locations along the backing material.

16 . The tufting machine of claim 14 , wherein the control system further comprises p

Assignees

• Card Monroe Corp

Inventors

• Neely Marshall Allen
• Mathews Ricky E
• Hall Wilton

Classifications

• D05C15/14

  Arrangements or devices for holding or feeding the base material (D05C15/26 takes precedence) · CPC title

• D05C15/22 Primary

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