US3744035A

US3744035A - Method of and apparatus for preparing a program for a textile machine

Info

Publication number: US3744035A
Application number: US00257587A
Authority: US
Inventors: W Geirhos; F Eggermont
Original assignee: Grosse Webereimaschinen GmbH
Current assignee: Grosse Webereimaschinen GmbH
Priority date: 1971-06-01
Filing date: 1972-05-30
Publication date: 1973-07-03
Anticipated expiration: 1990-07-03
Also published as: FR2139929A1; DE2127151C3; DE2127151B2; IT955360B; DE2127151A1; FR2139929B1

Abstract

A design carrying lines of color effects each indicating an arrangement of particular warp and weft threads according to particular patterns is scanned and all of the color-effect data are stored in a memory. The various patterns are stored in another memory as a plurality of parallel data trains having a common start and subdivided into a plurality of weft words. The color-effect data for the first pattern line is read out of its memory and combined with the pattern data, with, if necessary, the first weft word being read and reread repeatedly as the first color-effect line is read out. The second weft word is similarly repeated for the second color-effect line and so on until the entire warp repeat is completed. The combined signals are fed via a crossbar arrangement to the inputs of a punching machine or the like which prepares the finished program.

Description

Geirhos et a1.

July 3, 1973 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PREPARING A PROGRAM FOR A TEXTILE MACHINE Inventors: Werner Gelrhos, Senden, Germany;

Frans Eggermont, Waregem,

Belgium Assignee: Grosse Weberelmaschinen Gmbl-l, Ulm/Donau, Germany Filed: May 30, 1972 Appl. No.: 257,587

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data June 1,1971 Germany P 21271512 [52] US. Cl. 340/1715, 139/319 [51] Int. Cl. D03! 49/00, (3061' 3/08 [58] Field of Search 340/172.5; 139/319 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,247,815 4/1966 Polevitzky 340/1725 X 3,529,298 9/1970 Lourie 340/1725 3,671,944 6/1972 Dubner 340/1725 Finn rm TAPE 3,693,168 9/1972 Halkyard 340/1725 Primary Examiner-Paul J. Henon Assistant Examiner-Sydney R. Chirlin Attorney-Karl F. Ross [57] ABSTRACT A design carrying lines of color effects each indicating an arrangement of particular warp and weft threads according to particular patterns is scanned and all of the color-effect data are stored in a memory. The various patterns are stored in another memory as a plurality of parallel data trains having a common start and subdivided into a plurality of weft words. The color-effect data for the first pattern line is read out of its memory and combined with the pattern data, with, if necessary, the first weft word being read and reread repeatedly as the first color-efiect line is read out. The second weft word is similarly repeated for the second color-effect line and so on until the entire warp repeat is completed. The combined signals are fed via a crossbar arrangement to the inputs of a punching machine or the like which prepares the finished program.

24 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUL 3 ms SHEEYIUF? thaw we; ma

PATENYED JUL 3 ms MUZBF'! PATENIEBJIIL 3 ms SHEH 5 0f 7 PATENTEDJUL 3M3 3.744.035

SHEEI 7 (IF 7 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PREPARING A PROGRAM FOR A TEXTILE MACHINE FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method of preparing a program for a textile machine. More specifically this invention concerns the reduction of a textile design to a program, such as a series of jacquard cards.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the textile industry, designs may be formed on goods by the use of intricate weaving, knitting, embroidering, and similar methods. To this end the desired design is generally supplied on color-coded graph paper or point paper which is subdivided into a multiplicity of parallel rows each in turn formed by a succession of color effects or color-effect indicia. These effects or indicia indicate which color the designated spot is to have in the finished goods, what type of weave, knit, or stitch is to be used in that region, or a combination of the two.

For the sake of simplicity the discussion here is limited to jacquard weaving e.g. of rugs or carpetry, although it should be understood that similar principles apply to raschel knitting, embroidering, and many other methods by which patterned and designed textiles are produced.

In ajacquard machine it is well known to use a plurality of warp threads and even a plurality of weft threads, all of different coloration. Thus, for instance, a light green spot in a design may be produced by raising the dark green warp threads and picking a light green weft through the warp shed. In this manner a great many very subtle colors can be achieved using only a few different warp colors and a few different weft colors, or even a single weft yarn.

If the region of a particular color is to be rather extensive this will produce lengthy floats that cannot be permitted in good fabrics. To this end not only may, as described above, the dark-green warp and light-green weft be combined in a simple weave on the top of the goods, but the other yarns will be drawn in occasionally, so that, say, a four-shaft twill may be produced using some yellow warp threads in addition to the green ones. The combinations of course are multiplied in practice such that what may be a single color effect on the design actually represents a combination of quite a few warp threads with several weft threads in a plurality of different weave patterns. Apparatus for producing jacquard cards for such looms has, therefore, been highly complex.

For example, it is not uncommon to produce a first series of cards, so-called precards" or preliminary cards, which carry the patterns or weave combinations, and a second series of cards for the color effects, to provide complicated card readers and harnesses connecting the card readers to a jacquard punching apparatus.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of and apparatus for producing a program for a textile machine.

Another object is the provision of a method which is simple and which can even, once set up, allow the automatic scanning and reduction of a design to a useful program.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION These objects are attained according to the present invention in a method whereby each color effect indicia of the design is broken down into its constituent weave patterns and warp and weft colors. Each weave pattern is then stored in a memory as a bit track. The tracks are all parallel and have a common start and a common end and are each subdivided into a plurality of weft data words. The bits of the tracks are aligned in parallel rows transverse to the direction of the tracks so that, for instance, all of the third bits of all of the different tracks each representing a different pattern may be read simultaneously. The overall length of the bit tracks is equal to a number of bits which is evenly divisible by the number of bits in any of the pattern sequences. Thus if one pattern sequence has three bits and another has eight, and a third pattern has a repeat of 12 bits, a bit-track length of 24 bits will be employed. For more complicated designs it will be necessary to repeat some of the patterns scores of times in order to produce repeating bit tracks all of identical length and all subdivided into coextensive weft-data words of identical length. The term memory is here used to describe any data-storage device capable of recording the various standard weave patterns so that the latter can be read repetitively (iteratively) and in a stepwise manner. Such memories may include punched tapes, magnetic tapes, core-type storage devices and shift registers.

The design is then read along one weft line and at the same time one weft-data word region of the parallel bit tracks is read as many times as necessary depending on how much greater the weft line of the design is than the weft-data word. Thus each color-effect indication on the design is translated into a signal which is combined with a signal corresponding to the respective bit in the weft-data word according to the established definition or reading for that color effect. Thus, for example, in a jacquard system using one weft yarn, 30 warp yarns of three different colors, and two different patterns, one having a four bit repeat and one having a 16-bit repeat (thus arranged in 16-bit long bit tracks subdivided into two eight-bit weft words) one color effect might mean that the first and third warp threads are to be woven with the weft yarn in an oxford-cloth pattern while a second color effect might signify that the second warp yarn is to be woven in an eight-shaft sateen weave.

As the next weft line of the design is scanned the next weft word in the memory is repeatedly scanned so that the various weaves, when continued along the warp of the goods, will come out right; the twills will be diagonally in line, any ribbing or cording will remain evenly spaced, and so on.

Since in a jacquard machine the weave is controlled by only two things-which weft thread is used and which warp threads are raised it is paramount that the reading for each color effect be properly assigned to the proper pick and lifting movements. To this end, as in the above example, with one weft thread, three different colors of warp thread, and two different patterns, the first color-effect would correspond to the information: oxford cloth with first and third warp colors. The second color effect would be: eight-shaft sateen with second warp color. According to the present invention a crossbar distributor arrangement, henceforth designated simply as a crossbar is used having an array of parallel conductors in one direction corresponding in number to the number of punches in the card puncher, and an array of parallel conductors orthogonal to the first array and connectable thereto, the transverse conductors being equal in number to the number of possible color effects. In the above cited example, a crossbar having three main conductors each associated with a respective warp-thread color and crossed by two transverse conductors are all that would be necessary. Each transverse bar is connected through an electronic gate with one pattern input and one color-effect input. According to the reading or definition for the color effect, jumpers are provided at the necessary crossover points. The jumpers may be simple conductive bridges or diodes as in a diode matrix. In the example discussed above jumpers can be provided between the output of the gate connected to the oxford-cloth input and to the first color effect input and the first and third conductors. The other gate which is connected to the eight shaft sateen and to the second color effect inputs would have its output connected to only the second conductor. Thus when color effect two, for example, is read on the design, the second warp thread corresponding to that part of the design is only lifted every eighth time a color-effect reading is exacted to produce the desired eight-shaft sateen. Thus only when the input from the color effect scanner and from the memory reader to the particular gate are live will the corresponding hole be punched in the card to raise the corresponding warp thread. For the first color effect, there will be a signal on the line from the memory reader which corresponds to the bit track for the oxford clotha simple on off alternation-for every other incoming color effect signal whether it be the one requiring use of that pattern or not. Thus the first and third warps will be lifted.

The output of the crossbar is connected to a card puncher. (See Der Spinner and Weber, 20, 1956 ad DAS l 290 895). Another suitable arrangement is a card puncher wherein a shift register is employed as the input so that when a number of registers is filled which corresponds to the number of punches, the punches are electrically actuated to punch the card, and then these registers are cleared. Thus in the above example, assuming a puncher with eight punches is employed, after the third color effect is entered the row will be punched in the card, with the very last or ninth bit being held over for punching in the first spot of the next row.

According to further features of the present invention it is possible to employ automatic scanning of the design. First of all the various weave patterns are entered in the memory which is advantageously a loop of punch tape. Then the definitions for the color effects are entered in the crossbar and the design scanning device may be set in motion to produce the necessary jacquard cards or a data carrier for generating these cards fully automatically.

As mentioned above, the principles of the present invention can be applied to textile machinesother than jacquard looms, and can be used to prepare programs which are not necessarily punched on cards. It is quite possible, for instance, to employ the concepts of the present invention to raschel knitting machines to excellent effect, as well as to many types of embroidery machines which have data carriers of one sort or another.

The color effects are advantageously not fed directly into the device where they are combined with the weave effects, but are first punched into a tape or otherwise stored. In this manner when a rug or the like is being produced with several weft threads the line of the design need only be read once, with its color effects recorded. Then this recording of these color effects can be played back for the serial production of the different cards for the different weft filaments, since each weft filament will have a different set of definitions for the various color effects. In this manner, assuming four weft threads, after the first weft line of the pattern is read the set of cards for the first weft thread is punched. Then before the reading of the second weft line the recording of the color effects for the first weft line is played back three more times and each time again combined with the pattern information for stamping of the three other sets of cards.

Thus in a system having two filaments in each weft system the first card is punched during the scanning of the first weft line of the design, then the remaining cards are punched. During the scanning of the second line the (z 1) card is stamped, and during the scanning of the third weft line of the design the (2: l) card is punched.

The memory for the color effects is, according to another feature of this invention, also used to store the various control signals for running the programmer. A core memory having room for L344 bits is usually sufficient for use as the color effect memory or the pattern memory, this being the capacity of a jacquard card system.

It is possible to associate a color printer with the machine according to the present invention to check the accuracy of the program which has been made. This apparatus will bring out the necessary colors of the overlying warp threads to give an exact picture of just what the finished fabric will look like, without the necessity of setting up an entire loom just for experimentation purposes.

A color effect may be a color-coded region on the design, a particularly hatched region on the design, or even a numbered region as in a paint by numbers design. Each color effect may or may not bear any relationship to the actual coloration of the finished textile, so that an area marked blue on the design, for instance, may mean that a blue 4-shaft twill is to be used there, or it may just mean that the first weft yarn whatever its color, is to go over the first, third, and fifth warp yarns while the second weft yarn will form a herringbone twill with the second warp yarn. The number of combinations is great indeed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWlNGS The above and other objects, features, and advantages will become apparent from the following, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the various possibilities for deriving the color-effect and weave data;

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing how the data is fed to a punching machine via a crossbar;

FIG. 3 is a table showing the definitions for the color effects of a particular cloth sample;

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing the connection of the color-effect and weave data to the punches for the warp thread systems;

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing the connection between the crossing elements of the crossbar distribution grid according to the data of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a view of a design reading device with a punch tape cutter; and

FIG. 7 is a view of a punch machine with a punch tape reader for color-effect data and weave data.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION As seen in FIG. 2 the various data F -F for the color effects and the data B,-B,,, for weave patterns are derived in various manners and fed via a circuit 24 to a crossbar 28. A keyboard 27 may be used to feed in the color-effect signals F,F,,,, each key corresponding to a specific color effect, with the output being fed over a cable III to the circuit 24. Alternately a pattern 19g may be read by a coordinate-reading mechanism 19 with its output fed via a multiconductor cable IV to the circuit 24. A so called designograph or automatic design or pattern reading machine 20 may feed a 1,344- bit core memory 21 which is in turn connected through another multiconductor cable I to the circuit 24. This memory 21 can be cleared line by line for repeat punching of jacquard cards.

It is also possible to store the weave data B -B on a tape 17 which is read by a device 25 and fed to the input circuit 24, and the color data may be stored on a color tape 18 which is read by a device 26 connected via a cable II to the circuit 24. These color-effect data are coded and punched into the tape 18 in an order derived from the design and then transmitted in decoded form with each color effect F -F, being sent over a particular wire of the cable II to the input circuit 24. Of course only one of the various lines I-lV is used at a time, for which reason only one is shown as a solid line.

The means by which the tapes l7 and 18 may be produced are shown in FIG. 1 in detail.

The color data F -F are derived from a pattern reading device 11 which has the input keyboard 27 whose individual keys A4 are each associated with a particular color effect F,-F,,,. The output of the keyboard 27 is fed to a color encoder 14 which is connected to a puncher l6 capable of cutting the tape 18. This output is also fed to a control device 12 connected to the indexing motor 11a of the reader 11. Each time a key is actuated on the board 27 the control device indexes the pointer 11b of the reader 11 a single square of the design 11d in the direction shown by the arrow x. This control 12 also counts so that when the end of a row on the pattern 11d is reached it returns the pointer 11b to the left-hand side to read another row, after raising the pattern 11d one square or weft line in the y direction. The pivot point 11c of the pointer 11b may be moved so that each indexing step just corresponds to the width of a square in the x direction. Bach depression of one of the keys A-P causes a particular code to be punched into the tape 18 transverse to its longitudinal direction.

The same apparatus may also be used to produce a similar pattern tape 17 which gives the pattern or weave data in which case this information is fed to a pattern encoder 125. In contrast to the coding of the color-effect data the pattern or weave data are simply entered in parallel longitudinal rows on, as shown here, an eight-hole paper tape. Each warp thread lifting is represented by a hole.

FIG. 1 also shows a coordinate reading device 19 which can be used for automatically reading coloreffect or pattern information from a design 193. This device has a photoelectric color sensor 19b which is indexed across the pattern 193 block by block in both x and y directions. The movement in the x direction is effected by a motor 19c which rotates a spindle l9! threadedly coupled to the sensor 19b. In the y direction a motor 19f connected to a spindle 19 k threaded into a slider 19m carrying the motor 19c is provided. A pair of graduated strips 19h and 19: is provided, the strips extending in the .t and y directions, respectively, and associated with sensors 19c and 19d which can detect their graduations. Each time the sensor 1% makes a color-effect or pattern reading the motor 19 is actuated by a control device 15 to advance the sensor 1% until the sensor carried thereon comes over the next graduation on the strip 19h. Then another reading is taken by sensor 19c and so on until the last graduation on 19h is reached, at which time the motor 19f is actuated by a control device 15 to advance the entire slider 19m one graduation in direction y and the motor 19: is reversed to return the sensor 19c to the graduation of strip 19h at its opposite end. At this moment the next at line is read. Should, for some reason, the sensor 19b be unable to read the color, it stops and the correct reading may be ascertained and entered on read-in device I9a, whereupon the automatic scanning will be resumed. The graduations on strips 1911 and 191' are made to correspond to the spacing of the data on the design 19g. The scanner 1% can be moved continuously and only make a reading when one of the lines on a strip 19h or 191' is crossed, or as described above, it may stop for each reading.

Whether

input device

11, 20, or 19 is used, the color information is fed into a color encoder l4 and, if any of these devices is used to derive weave information, this information is fed into a pattern encoder 113.

FIG. 3 shows the various weave patterns and the pattern data for a particular example of fabric. The goods here have six different weave patterns B -B. plus I: for a warp lift (a hole in the jacquard card in the corresponding location) and r for a nonperforated portion of the card. The warp direction is shown by arrow K and the weft direction by arrow SB. The first weave pattern B is entered in the first channel or line on the tape 4, the second weave pattern B, in the second channel or line, and so on.

In this case the six weave patterns B, B, shown are relatively simple. The largest pattern requires four spaces in the weft direction and four spaces in the warp direction, and all of the other patterns fit into such a four-by-four square, so that the tape 4 need only be sixteen bits longs. In addition to these 16 bits a hole is punched in column S after such weft word SB to give the eight-track tape 4 an overall length of twenty bits. This tape is formed into a closed loop so that the end of word SB runs into, with interposition of control hole S, the beginning of weft word 58,.

As a single weft line of a pattern is read a single word of the tape 4 is repeatedly scanned so that each time a color-effect is fed in either from a scanner as described above or from another punch tape a transverse line of a weft word is read. Thus for instance, if the first line (indicated by a small circle) of weft word SB, is being read as color effect F, is fed in only the second warp thread K, will be lifted for the first weft thread 8,. For

weft thread S, the warp threads K will all be lifted since either their respective column F, has dots or indicates a pattern which in the first line of the tape 4 has no warp lift. Since K, is supposed to be woven in pattern 8, for color effect F, with weft thread S, and the corresponding space in the first row of tape 4 indicates no warp lift, this thread K, is left down. For weft thread S, only warp threads K, and K, are lifted, as is always the case for this third weft thread which serves mainly to hold the fabric so produced together.

The dots which represent a hole in the corresponding location of the respective jacquard card, and which hence signify no particular weave pattern, are not coded into the tape 4 since the effect they are to have is easily brought about by an arrangement described below.

It is not impossible when several very complicated weave patterns are used that a tape loop several hundreds of bits long will have to be produced, in which case the respective weft words will only be read a few times for each corresponding weft line of a design. When smaller jacquard machines having around 400 needles are used it is entirely possible that each weft word on the tape 4 will have as many bits as there are needles, and that the loop is simply read straight through. This is the case when patterns having a common multiple greater than the number of needles are combined in a single design. Of course such a tape will have as many weft word as there are in each warp repeat, so that a tape 4 carrying literally thousands of transverse rows of information is possible.

In the illustrated example the seventh longitudinal channel on the tape, shown as 8, is left empty. If more than seven or eight weave patterns are required two or more such tapes may be used. It is also possible to code this weave pattern information into a magnetic tape, a core memory, or any other kind of storage device. Here punch tape is used because of its extreme cheapness and its ease of handling and storing.

FIG. 4 shows a crossbar 7 for the first weft thread. This arrangement is subdivided into eight regions or fields 9 each having as many horizontal, as seen in the view, conductors as there are punches in the card puncher and as many vertical conductors in each region 9 as there are possible color effects. In this example since only six different warp threads are used and only ten different color effects only the upper left-hand corner of each region 9 is used, having 60 crossover points.

The vertical conductors of the first field corresponding to respective color effects F,-F,, are connected to the outputs of respective NOR gates a,, b,, c, p,. The second field, which corresponds generally to weave pattern 8,, is similarly connected to NOR gates 0,, b,, c, p, and so on for the other regions 9. One input of each of the gates a,-a,, is connected to the input line A for color effect F,, and each gate b,-b,, is similarly connected to line B for color effect F, and so on. In addition each gate a,p, has its other output connected to the input line for weave pattern 8,, and gates a,p, are connected to the input line for pattern 82 and so on across the cross bar.

Each horizontal bar of the crossbar 7 is connected through an inverter 38 to the tape punch control 29 where it is connected to the individual solenoids controlling the punches. All of the gates a,,-p,, have one input connected to a constantly energized line.

Diode jacks 8 may be inserted into the crossover points on the crossbar in order to connect specified horizontal conductors to specific vertical conductors. These jacks are inserted according to the reading or definition table of FIG. 3. More specifically for the field 9 corresponding to color effect F3, for example all of the crossover points between the lines corresponding to color effects F,, F,, F,, F, and F,,, are connected to the horizontal conductor corresponding to the sixth warp thread K,, just as shown on the FIG. 3 table. The connections on the field 9 corresponding to weave pattern 8,, for a hole in a card are similarly made as determined by the dots on the FIG. 3 table. This weave 8,, may be the ground color, or may be an underlay pattern necessary to stabilize the textile so produced.

Assuming that none of the input lines 13,-8, and F,-F,,, are live, every gate a,p,, will have zero on both its inputs and will thereby generate a one. These ones will be conducted by the many diode jacks 8 to all of the first six horizontal lines and thence to the top six inverters 38 which will convert them into zeroes. The punches of the device 29 will not be activated by these zeroes.

The same type of crossbar arrangement is used for the other two weft threads in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5. Three jacquard cards .I, are thus produced simultaneously.

To go back to the example given above, if the color effect F,, indicated by a small circle, is read simultaneously with the first row of word SB, all of the jacks shown surrounded by small circles will conduct to punch card J, for the first weft filament S, so that in the first warp system thread K, only is lifted, for the second weft filament S, warp threads K,.,, are lifted, and as mentioned above warp filaments K, and K, only are lifted for the third weft filament 8,. Thus

input lines

8,, 8,, 8,, B, and 8,, are all live when this color effect F, is read in to produce the series of holes described immediately above in the cards J ,-.l,. The various signals to produce these holes can be stored in three respective shift registers until a whole line on the jacquard card can be punched, or they may be immediately punched into the cards.

Once the F, information is taken by the punch 29 the tape 4 is advanced to the second row, indicated by a small triangle. If color effect F, is now read in, those intersections surrounded by a triangle will be affected in the following relationship: S ,-only K,; S,K,, K,, and K,; and S,-K, and K,. On the third reading, assuming F, to be the color effect, the points surrounded by small squares will be affected, and on the fourth reading with color effect F, those points surrounded by a small hexagon will be affected. After this fourth reading the control hole S will be read and the fifth color-effect signal will be combined again with the first row (small circle), the sixth with the second row (small triangle) etc., until the end of the weft line on the design in which case the second weft word SB, on tape 4 will be similarly read and reread. After the fourth weft line on the design is read, in conjunction with repetitive reading of weft word S8,, the first word S8, is started over again for the fifth design weft line.

Switch 3 shown in FIG. 4 indicated that the line 8,, can be activated by either positive or negative voltage, as can any of the gates a,-p,,. It is similarly possible to eliminate the inverters 38 and use AND gates in the place of the NOR gates.

Advantageously, as shown in FIG. 2, the punch 30 is connected to three outputs 39 from the punch control 29. This punch 30 has an automatic card advancer 300, a punch drive 30b, and a carriage drive 30c for moving the punches along the cards as described in German Auslegeschrift 1,290,895. In addition a manual input 304 is provided to perform any corrections that might be required.

The outputs 39 are connected through a parallelseries converter 40 to a tape deck 31 for convenient storage of the information for punching new cards at a later date. in addition it is possible to provide an auxiliary record of the punching by means of a punch tape 32, a card puncher 35, a magnetic drum memory 33, a core memory 34, a plate memory 36, or a film 37, as also shown schematically in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 shows a pattern reading apparatus 11 combined with a tape puncher 16 whose control devices 12-15 are shown. In FIG. '7 the mechanical parts of a punch 30 can be seen as well as a

reading apparatus

25, 26 for the data carriers with the color-effect and weave-pattern data. Underneath this device are the

various control devices

24, 29 which serve to punch the deck 48 of cards. In addition a color printer 47 (FIG. 2) may be connected to these outputs 39 to check the accuracy of the program.

The apparatus according to the present invention allows even a small weaving, knitting, or similar textile concern to prepare its own programs for its textile machines. Any design, even a hand drawing on graph paper, can be quickly reduced to the necessary program cards by a worker knowing no more than the basics of textile design. All the programmer need do is reduce the design table as shown in FIG. 3 to a punched tape, and then set the design itself up in a scanner. if certain weaves are encountered frequently they can be stored on tapes and automatically punched into the pattern tape. Once the program cards are used, if any alteration is to be made, it is a relatively simple job to return to the original color and pattern tapes and rewrite the necessary portions for punching of a new set of cards.

We claim:

1. A method of making a data carrier for controlling a textile machine based on a design formed by a multiplicity of color-effect indicia arrayed in a plurality of weft lines and each representing a particular arrangement of warp and weft filaments in at least one of a plurality of repeating patterns, said method comprising the steps of:

entering the patterns in at least one memory as respective parallel trains of bits, each train being subdivided into at least two weft-data words representing each at least one weft repeat of the respective pattern, the weft-data words of all of said patterns having equivalent starting positions in said memy.

reading stepwise the color-effect indicia of a line of said design to produce a succession of color-effect signals;

reading stepwise said weft words out of said memory synchronously with the reading of said color-effect indicia and selectively combining the readout so made with said signals according to predetermined definitions of said color effects; and

transferring the combination of said readout and said color-effect signals to a data carrier.

2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said readout and said color-effect signals are combined in a crossbar having its conductors in one direction operatively connected to means for registering information on said data carrier and having its transverse conductors connected to gates to whose inputs are fed said readout and said color-effect signals, the selective combination being effected by connecting certain of said conductors in one direction to certain of said transverse conductors according to the definition of each color effect.

3. The method defined in claim 2 wherein said textile machine is a jacquard loom and said data carrier is a jacquard card. i

4. The method defined in claim 3, further comprising the step of:

scanning said pattern and generating therefrom said succession of color-effect signals;

encoding said signals;

registering the encoded signals in a second memory,

said signals being read out of said second memory for combination with said weft words.

5. The method defined in claim 4, further comprising the step of entering control signals for said machine in said second memory along with said encoded signals.

6. The method defined in claim I, further comprising the step of transferring said combination from said data carrier to a jacquard card.

7. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

reading the color-effect indicia of the next weft line of said design to produce a corresponding succession of color-effect signals;

reading out of said memory synchronously with the reading of said color-effect indicia for said next weft line the weft word of said patterns following said one weft word and combining this readout with the color-effect signals for said next weft line; and

transferring the combination of said readout of said next weft word and said color-effect signals of said next weft line to said data carrier.

8. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising the steps of reading said data carrier and printing the data thereon in color.

9. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said patterns are entered into said memory in binary form.

10. An apparatus for making a data carrier for controlling a textile machine based on a design formed by a multiplicity of color-effect indicia arrayed in a plurality of weft lines and each representing a particular arrangement of warp and weft filaments in at least one of a plurality of patterns, said apparatus comprising:

a memory;

means connected to said memory for entering the patterns into said memory as respective parallel trains of bits, each train being subdivided into at least two weft-data words representing each at least one weft repeat of the respective pattern, the weft data words of said patterns having equivalent starting positions in said memory;

means for reading the color-effect indicia of one of said lines of said design to produce a succession of color-effect signals;

means connected to said memory for reading said weft words out of said memory synchronously with the reading of said color-effect indicia;

means connected to both of the reading means for selectively combining the readout so made with said signals according to predetermined definitions of said color-effects; and

means connected to the combining means for trans ferring the combination of said readout and said color-effect signals to a data carrier.

11. The apparatus defined in claim wherein said combining means includes a plurality of gates each cor responding to one of said color-effects and each having one input connected to said memory, another input connected to said means for reading said color-effect indicia, and an output, said means for transferring said combination including a crossbar having a plurality of output conductors, a plurality of input conductors, and means for interconnecting said conductors, each input conductor being connected to the output of one of said gates.

12. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein said design represents a plurality of weft filaments, said crossbar having a plurality of sets of output conductors, each set corresponding to a particular weft filament.

IS. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein said means for interconnecting said conductors is a plurality of diode jacks.

14. The apparatus defined in claim 11, further comprising a design scanner and a second memory connected thereto, said means for reading said color-effect indicia being connected to said second memory.

15. The apparatus defined in claim 14 wherein said second memory has a capacity of at least 1,344 bits.

16. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein said scanner includes a keyboard for entering said coloreffect signals.

17. The apparatus defined in claim 14 wherein said scanner includes a photoelectric eye and means for displacing same across said design.

18. The apparatus defined in claim 17 wherein said scanner includes a pair of elements arranged at right angles to each other and each carrying graduations and means on said scanner for sensing said graduations and taking a reading from said design with said eye.

19. The apparatus defined in claim ll wherein said means for transferring further includes a puncher for punching holes in jacquard cards.

20. The apparatus defined in claim 19, further comprising secondary memory means for storing the combination of said readout and said color-effect signals.

21. The apparatus defined in claim 20 wherein said secondary memory means includes a parallel-series converter connected to said transferring means.

22. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein said memory is a closed loop of punched tape.

23. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein said machine is a jacquard loom.

24. An apparatus for punching cards for a jacquard machine comprising:

a memory having a plurality of parallel tracks;

means connected to said memory for entering a plurality of weave patterns into respective tracks of said memory as trains of bits, each train being subdivided into at least two weft-data words representing each at least one weft repeat of the respective pattern, the weft-data words of said patterns having the same position in said memory with respect to readout therefrom;

means for generating a succession of color-effect signals;

means connected to said memory for reading said weft words out of said memory synchronously with the generation of said color-effect indicia;

multiplicity of gates each having one input connected to the color-effect generating means, another input connected to the pattem-memory reading means, and an output;

a crossbar having a plurality of parallel input conductors connected to the outputs of said gates and a plurality of output conductors crossing said input conductors;

means for connecting particular output conductors to particular input conductors according to predetermined definitions of said color-effects; and

a punching device having a plurality of punches each operatively connected to one of said output conductors.

Claims

1. A method of making a data carrier for controlling a textile machine based on a design formed by a multiplicity of coloreffect indicia arrayed in a plurality of weft lines and each representing a particular arrangement of warp and weft filaments in at least one of a plurality of repeating patterns, said method comprising the steps of: entering the patterns in at least one memory as respective parallel trains of bits, each train being subdivided into at least two weft-data words representing each at least one weft repeat of the respective pattern, the weft-data words of all of said patterns having equivalent starting positions in said memory; reading stepwise the color-effect indicia of a line of said design to produce a succession of color-effect signals; reading stepwise said weft words out of said memory synchronously with the reading of said color-effect indicia and selectively combining the readout so made with said signals according to predetermined definitions of said color effects; and transferring the combination of said readout and said coloreffect signals to a data carrier.

3. The method defined in claim 2 wherein said textile machine is a jacquard loom and said data carrier is a jacquard card.

4. The method defined in claim 3, further comprising the step of: scanning said pattern and generating therefrom said succession of color-effect signals; encoding said signals; registering the encoded signals in a second memory, said signals being read out of said second memory for combination with said weft words.

6. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of transferring said combination from said data carrier to a jacquard card.

7. The method defined in claim 1, further comprising the steps of: reading the color-effect indicia of the next weft line of said design to produce a corresponding succession of color-effect signals; reading out of said memory synchronously with the reading of said color-effect indicia for said next weft line the weft word of said patterns following said one weft word and combining this readout with the color-effect signals for said next weft line; and transferring the combination of said readout of said next weft word and said color-effect signals of said next weft line to said data carrier.

10. An apparatus for making a data carrier for controlling a textile machine based on a design formed by a multiplicity of color-effect indicia arrayed in a plurality of weft lines and each representing a particular arrangement of warp and weft filaments in at leAst one of a plurality of patterns, said apparatus comprising: a memory; means connected to said memory for entering the patterns into said memory as respective parallel trains of bits, each train being subdivided into at least two weft-data words representing each at least one weft repeat of the respective pattern, the weft data words of said patterns having equivalent starting positions in said memory; means for reading the color-effect indicia of one of said lines of said design to produce a succession of color-effect signals; means connected to said memory for reading said weft words out of said memory synchronously with the reading of said color-effect indicia; means connected to both of the reading means for selectively combining the readout so made with said signals according to predetermined definitions of said color-effects; and means connected to the combining means for transferring the combination of said readout and said color-effect signals to a data carrier.

11. The apparatus defined in claim 10 wherein said combining means includes a plurality of gates each corresponding to one of said color-effects and each having one input connected to said memory, another input connected to said means for reading said color-effect indicia, and an output, said means for transferring said combination including a crossbar having a plurality of output conductors, a plurality of input conductors, and means for interconnecting said conductors, each input conductor being connected to the output of one of said gates.

13. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein said means for interconnecting said conductors is a plurality of diode jacks.

16. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein said scanner includes a keyboard for entering said color-effect signals.

19. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein said means for transferring further includes a puncher for punching holes in jacquard cards.

23. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein said machine is a jacquard loom.

24. An apparatus for punching cards for a jacquard machine comprising: a memory having a plurality of parallel tracks; means connected to said memory for entering a plurality of weave patterns into respective tracks of said memory as trains of bits, each train being subdivided into at least two weft-data words representing each at least one weft repeat of the respective pattern, the weft-data words of said patterns having the same position in said memory with respect to readout therefrom; means for generating a succession of color-effect signals; means connected to said memory for reading said weft words out of said memory sYnchronously with the generation of said color-effect indicia; multiplicity of gates each having one input connected to the color-effect generating means, another input connected to the pattern-memory reading means, and an output; a crossbar having a plurality of parallel input conductors connected to the outputs of said gates and a plurality of output conductors crossing said input conductors; means for connecting particular output conductors to particular input conductors according to predetermined definitions of said color-effects; and a punching device having a plurality of punches each operatively connected to one of said output conductors.