Classifications

• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D05—SEWING; EMBROIDERING; TUFTING
  • D05C—EMBROIDERING; TUFTING
  • D05C15/00—Making pile fabrics or articles having similar surface features by inserting loops into a base material
  • D05C15/04—Tufting
  • D05C15/08—Tufting machines
  • D05C15/26—Tufting machines with provision for producing patterns
  • D05C15/36—Tufting machines with provision for producing patterns by selective cutting of loops
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D05—SEWING; EMBROIDERING; TUFTING
  • D05C—EMBROIDERING; TUFTING
  • D05C15/00—Making pile fabrics or articles having similar surface features by inserting loops into a base material
  • D05C15/04—Tufting
  • D05C15/08—Tufting machines
  • D05C15/16—Arrangements or devices for manipulating threads
  • D05C15/24—Loop cutters; Driving mechanisms therefor

Definitions

• This invention relates to tufting machines and more particularly to a method and apparatus for selectively forming cut pile and loop pile having substantially the same pile height as the cut pile in the same row of stitching in a backing material.
• a tufting machine comprising a housing; a needle bar which is reciprocably operable in a needle plane within the housing and on which a plurality of needles are mounted, a hook associated with each needle for engaging with each loop of yarn formed by the respective needle, in use, as a backing medium is fed through the machine; a clip associated with each hook which is selectively movable relatively to the hook in a direction perpendicular to the needle plane so as to selectively retain loops on yarn on the hook, and an actuator for moving each respective clip relatively to the respective hook, each actuator having a movable actuator member which is directly coupled to the respective clip without an intervening linkage member.
• This arrangement reduces the complexity of the link between the actuator and clip. This reduces the overall mass to be reciprocated as it allows the actuator member to be brought generally into alignment with the clips, and also reduces the lost motion between the actuator and clip.
• the clips could be fixed to the actuator members so as to be part of an actuator module. However, the current preference is for the clips to be associated with the module, and for the coupling between the actuators and modules to be done in situ.
• the actuators are arranged in two rows, with one row being offset with respect to the other by half the distance between adjacent actuators. This staggered arrangement allows actuators to be brought closer together in the transverse direction of the machine, while the actuator members still remain substantially in line with the clip.
• the actuators are preferably directly connected to the hook bar. This eliminates the intervening spacer members of the prior art.
• a plurality of actuators are preferably grouped together in a single housing forming an actuator module. This facilitates the ease of assembly of the tufting machine.
• each actuator has an actuating mechanism to move each actuator member independently, a port connection to a source of motive power, and a connector for connecting the module to the tufting machine, the housing having a two-part construction, the two parts being releasably connected together with the first part having the ports, and the second part housing the actuator members.
• This construction facilitates the maintenance of a tufting machine. If a fault should occur with one of the actuators, the module in which the fault occurs can be disconnected from the tufting machine. The two parts of the housing can then be detached from one another, and the second part of the housing can be replaced with a new second part which is attached to the first part.
• the advantage of this is that the connections to the source of motive power for all of the actuators in a particular module can be left in place while the second part of the housing is replaced. There is no danger with this approach of incorrectly connecting an actuator to the wrong source of motive power. There is therefore no need to test that all connections are correct following the replacement of a module so that the maintenance process is greatly improved.
• This forms the second aspect of the invention which may be defined in the broadest sense as an actuator module for moving a plurality of clips reciprocally with respect to a corresponding plurality of hooks in a tufting machine, the module comprising a housing containing a plurality of actuators, one for each clip, each actuator having an actuator member which is movable to move the clip, an actuating mechanism to move each actuator member independently, a port for connection to a source of motive power, and a connector for connecting the module to the tufting machine, the housing having a two-part construction, the two parts being releasably connected together, with the first part having the port, and the second part having the actuator members.
• the actuator members may be actuated electrically or hydraulically, but the current preference is for pneumatic actuation.
• the actuator members are preferably pistons which are reciprocabiy movable within the housing which forms a plurality of cylinders.
• a return spring is preferably provided for each actuator member to urge the actuator member into a retracted position.
• Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view taken transversely through a multiple needle tufting machine illustrating certain features in diagrammatic form
• Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a portion of a tufting machine illustrating the prior art hook and gate mounting structure
• Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a portion of the tufting machine illustrated in Fig. 1, but enlarged to show the hook and gate mounting structure constructed in accordance with the present invention.
• Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a cylinder module partly broken away constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and illustrating one coupling member exploded out from the module.
• Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the tufting machine of Fig. 3 from the opposite side to Fig. 3.
• Fig. 1 illustrates a tufting machine 10 having a frame comprising a bed 12 and a head 14 disposed above the bed.
• the bed 12 includes a bed plate 16 having a support finger plate 17 across which fabric F is adapted to be fed in the direction illustrated by a pair of input feed rolls 18 and output or take-off rolls 20.
• a reciprocating motion is imparted to the ends of the push rods 22 and thus the needle bar 24 and needles 26 by a connecting rod 28 which is pivotally connected at its lower end to the push rods 22 and at its upper end to an eccentric 30 on a driven rotary main shaft 32 that is journalled longitudinally in the head 14.
• a pressure foot assembly 34 may be supported on the head 14 to hold down the fabric F during needle retraction.
• a yarn-jerker 36 is carried by the needle bar 24 and operates to engage the yarn between a stationary yarn guide 38 on frame of the machine and the needles 26.
• Yarn Y is supplied to each needle 26 by a conventional type of yarn feed mechanism including a pair of feed rolls 40, 42 mounted on the head 14 and adapted to be continuously rotated by any convenient means preferably synchronized with the main shaft 32 to continuously feed lengths of yarn to the needles.
• the amount of yarn fed to the needles is less than that demanded by the system so that yarn is pulled back from each loop after is has been formed as each stitch is tightened and set into the fabric F.
• the hooks as hereinafter made clear are of the cut pile type which point in the direction opposite to that which the fabric is fed, and additionally carry a sliding gate as hereinafter described.
• the hooks preferably are mounted in modules 48 similar to those modules disclosed in US-A- 4,739,717 which are connected to a mounting bar 49 secured to the upper end of a rocker arm 50. Any conventional means to oscillate the arm 50 may be provided. It is preferred that the lower end of the rocker arm 50 is clamped to a laterally extending rocker shaft 52 journalled in the bed.
• Pivotally connected to the upper portion of the rocker arm 50 is one end of the connecting link 54 having its other end pivotally connected between forked arms of a jack shaft rocker arm 56.
• the arm 56 is clamped to a jack shaft 58 which has oscillating motion imparted thereto by a conventional drive means such as a cam and lever means (not shown) from the main shaft 32 in timed relationship with the reciprocation of the needles.
• the tufting machine incorporates a plurality of knives 60 which may cooperate with the hooks that cut the selected loops thereon to form cut pile as hereinafter described.
• the knives may be mounted in knife blocks 62 secured to a knife bar 64 which in turn is secured to a knife shaft rocker arm 66 clamped to a knife shaft 68 to conventionally drive the knives into engagement with one side of the respective hooks as known in the art to provide a scissors-like cutting action.
• the gated hooks 44 and the associated modules 48 within which a plurality of hooks are mounted have the gate 46 slidably mounted within a slot formed in the hook to open and close the bill of the hook, the tail of the gate being connected thrcugn a linkage 70 including a link 71 and a block 72 fastened to the output rod of the respective pneumatic cylinder 74.
• the cylinders were mounted in a vertical stack with the cylinder 74 supported in a frame 76 and the blocks 72 of adjacent cylinders offset vertically so that a coupling pin 78 on each block may cooperate with a slot 80 in the cooperating end of a respective link 71, the links of alternate hooks 44 differing so that the block connecting portions of alternate links are spaced not only laterally but vertically as illustrated.
• the hook mounting bar 49 must be connected to a support member 82 by means of a spacer member 84 therebetween and is in turn connected to the cylinder support frame 76 by another spacer member 86.
• a cover member 88 which is required to protect the apparatus from lint due to the environment in which it operates is connected to the support member 82 and to the frame 76.
• the elements illustrated in Fig. 2 oscillate with the hook mounting bar drive as aforesaid. Thus, it may be readily understood that since all of these elements are constructed from steel, a very heavy mass must be oscillated, and also the multitude of elements require substantial assembly time during manufacture and both disassembly and assembly time during maintenance.
• the present invention provides a cylinder module 90 illustrated in Figs. 3 to 5, the module comprising a housing constructed from two body members 91, 93 formed from aluminum alloy so as to be light in weight and carry a plurality of pneumatic cylinders (not illustrated) fed with air from respective nipples 92 and having piston driven output rods 94.
• the body member 91 has cylindrical chambers formed therein and receives the pistons 95 with the rods extending out the end remote from the body member 93, the latter having the input nipples 92.
• a spring 97 biases the rods inwardly.
• the cylinders and thus the output rods 94 are arranged in two vertical spaced apart rows with the cylinders in one row staggered relative to those in the other row with each rod terminating in a coupling member 96 rigidly fixed to the end of each rod.
• the module there are twenty cylinders in an 1/8 gauge machine and twenty four cylinders in a 1/10 gauge machine and half of the cylinders are in each row.
• Disposed at each lateral end integral with the lower surface of the module is a respective tube 99 (only one of which is shown) within which a screw 101 extends for securing the module to the mounting bar 49.
• the cylinders may be arranged in a single line. In this case, the cylinder could have a square cross section to allow the cylinders to be close enough together that they do not need to be staggered.
• the two body members 91, 93 are releasably joined together by a pair of screws 91A.
• the screw 101 is first undone to release the module from the machine.
• the two screws 91A are then unscrewed so that the body member 91 containing the pistons 95 and springs 97 can be removed and replaced.
• the replacement body member is simply screwed in place by the screws 91A and the module is then reattached to the machine. During this replacement, the pneumatic connections remain attached to the input nipples 92, so that there is no need to test the pneumatic connections once the replacement module is in place. The faulty module can either be repaired or discarded.
• Each of the coupling members 96 includes a slot 98 with an internal nub 100.
• the nub 100 is adapted to be received within and coupled with a complementary recess formed in the tail end 104 of the gate 46 so that the gate may move with the cylinder rod of the respective cylinder.
• the cylinder rod extends when pressurized air is supplied to the corresponding cylinder and retracts into the cylinder by virtue of a spring internal to the cylinder when the pressure is released.
• a cover 106 preferably may overlie the module, the rods and the tail end of the gate for the same purpose as in the prior art.
• the control of the air cylinders and thus the gates may be via a programmed computer 108 supplying signals to valves 110, the number of valves preferably corresponding to the cylinders so that each hook in the tufting machine is controlled individually, the valves opening and closing communication between a compressor 112 and air conduits 114 communicating the valves with the cylinders in the module.
• a programmed computer 108 supplying signals to valves 110, the number of valves preferably corresponding to the cylinders so that each hook in the tufting machine is controlled individually, the valves opening and closing communication between a compressor 112 and air conduits 114 communicating the valves with the cylinders in the module.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Materials Engineering (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Sewing Machines And Sewing (AREA)
• Actuator (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Publications (1)

Family

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Cited By (12)

Families Citing this family (3)

Citations (5)

Family Cites Families (10)

• 2000
  • 2000-09-04 GB GB0201187A patent/GB2367305B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2000-09-04 JP JP2001523434A patent/JP2003509595A/ja active Pending
  • 2000-09-04 WO PCT/GB2000/003435 patent/WO2001020069A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2000-09-04 DE DE10085038.3T patent/DE10085038B3/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2000-09-04 GB GB0021658A patent/GB2354263B8/en not_active Expired - Fee Related

Patent Citations (5)

Non-Patent Citations (3)

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