Synchronous Grass Tufting Machine

Abstract

A synchronous grass tufting machine is useful to coordinate the simultaneous driving of spaced apart needle bars vertically relative to a backing fabric being fed through a tufting machine. The needle bars preferably have push rods mechanically linked, if not joined, for simultaneous movement. Controllers may permit selective needle selection, looper operation, backing or needle bar shifting, yarn feeding, backing feeding, and/or other functions.

Claims

1. A tufting machine comprising: A backing fabric feed mechanism supporting and directing backing fabric in a feeding direction through the tufting machine; First and second needle bars each supporting a plurality of needles in at least one longitudinal row extending transversely of the feeding direction, wherein the first and second needle bars are spaced apart in the feeding direction from one another; A first push rod connected to the first needle bar; A second push md connected to the second needle bar; Wherein the first and second push rods are mechanically linked providing synchronous simultaneous vertical motion of the first and second needle bars relative to the backing fabric.

2. The tufting machine of claim 1 wherein at least some of the plurality of needles are evenly spaced apart.

3. The tufting machine of claim 2 wherein the first needle bar further comprises staggered longitudinal rows of needles.

4. The tufting machine of claim 1 further comprising a pattern control yarn feed selectively feeding needles of the first and second needle bars.

5. The tufting machine of claim 4 further comprising a first looper selectively holding yarn ends from selected needles of the first needle bar forming loops.

6. The tufting machine of claim 5 further comprising knives which selectively cut selected loops formed by the first looper.

7. The tufting machine of claim 5 further comprising a second looper selectively holding yarn ends from selected needles of the second needle bar forming loops.

8. The tufting machine of claim 7 further comprising knives which selectively cut selected loops formed by the second looper.

9. The tufting machine of claim 1 further comprising a needle selector mechanism, said needle selector mechanism assists in selecting which, if any, needles of the first and second needle bars penetrate backing fabric on a specific stroke.

10. The tufting machine of claim 9 further comprising needle clamps, said needle clamps hold respective needles thereby selectively permitting which needles penetrate the backing fabric on the specific stroke.

11. The tufting machine of claim 1 further comprising at least one of a backing shifter and a needle bar shifter which imparts transverse movement of the backing fabric relative to the first and second needle bars.

12. The tufting machine of claim 11 further comprising a needle plate shifter used with the backing shifter.

13. The tufting machine of claim 1 further comprising a main drive shaft, said main drive shaft driving a rotary needle shaft which moves at least the first push rod.

14. The tufting machine of claim 1 further comprising bridges extending in the direction of feed securing the first needle bar relative to the second needle bar.

15. The tufting machine of claim 14 wherein the bridges extend intermediate the first to the second push rods.

16. The tufting machine of claim 1 wherein the first and second push rods are geared to move together.

17. The tufting machine of claim 1 further comprising an encoder providing signals to a controller related to position of the first and second needle bars during a stroke.

18. The tufting machine of claim 1 further comprising operator controls permitting input of at least one of looper drive operation, yarn feed to selected needles, needle selection, needle bar shifting, backing shifting and backing feed operation for each stroke of the first and second needle bars.

19. The tufting machine of claim 1 wherein the first needle bar is downstream in the feeding direction relative to the second needle bar.

20. The tufting machine of claim 1 wherein the first and second needle bars can shift transversely independently of one another.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The particular features and advantages of the invention as well as other objects will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0020] FIG. 1 is a simplified diagrammatic illustration of the tufting machine and creel showing operative components;

[0021] FIG. 2 is a partial cross section end view of a tufting machine of a presently preferred embodiment having front and back independently controlled needles of needle bars synchronously connected together with a bridge at an up stroke:

[0022] FIG. 3 is a partial cross section end view of a tufting machine of a presently preferred embodiment having at least one needle of the front needle bar selectively tufting at a down stroke;

[0023] FIG. 4 is a partial cross section end view of a tufting machine of a presently preferred embodiment having at least one needle of the rear needle bar selectively tufting at a down stroke;

[0024] FIG. 5 is a partial cross section end view of a tufting machine of a presently preferred embodiment having at least one needle of the front and rear needle bars selectively tufting at a down stroke;

[0025] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the push rods and main drive shaft driving the front and rear needle bars removed from the tufting machine of FIGS. 1-5 at a downstroke;

[0026] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the push rods and main drive shaft driving the front and rear needle bars removed from the tufting machine of FIGS. 1-5 starting an up stroke;

[0027] FIG. 8 is perspective view of a first alternative embodiment showing front and rear push rods connected to a main and a slave shaft geared to rotate in opposite directions which respectively drive front and rear needle bars as could replace the embodiment of FIGS. 6-7 at a downstroke; and

[0028] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the push rods and drive and slave shaft driving the front and rear needle bars removed from the tufting machine of FIGS. 1-5 starting an up stroke.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0029] Turning then to FIG. 1, a generalized tufting machine 10 and a creel 14 to hold cones or spools of yarn is illustrated. It should be understood that aspects of the invention can be practiced on a wide variety of tufting machines, not simply the broadloom machine 10 depicted in FIG. 1. Indeed, versions of the system can be implemented on most computer controlled tufting apparatus and sensor data can be captured and processed in an even wider variety of settings.

[0030] For explanatory purposes, the tufting machine 10 disclosed in FIG. 1 includes a rotary needle shaft or main drive shaft 11 driven by stitch drive mechanism 12 from a drive motor or other conventional means, rotary eccentric mechanism 15 mounted upon rotary needle shaft 11 is adapted to reciprocally move the vertical push rod 16 and possibly first push rod 48 for vertically and reciprocally moving the first needle bar slide holder 17 and first needle bar 18. The first needle bar 18 supports a plurality of uniformly spaced tufting needles 20 in a longitudinal row or staggered longitudinal rows, extending transversely of the feeding direction of the backing fabric or material 22. The backing fabric 22 is moved longitudinally in direction 21 through the tufting machine 10 by the backing fabric feed mechanism 23 and across the backing fabric support with needle plate and needle plate fingers.

[0031] Second push rod 40 vertically and reciprocally moving the second needle bar slide holder 41 and second needle bar 42. The second needle bar 42 supports a plurality of uniformly spaced tufting needles 43 in a longitudinal row or staggered longitudinal rows, extending transversely of the feeding direction of the backing fabric or material 22. Second needle bar 42 is preferably synchronously tied to first needle bar to be moved vertically and reciprocally with first needle bar 18 such as being connected with bridge(s) 44 or gearing 47 (shown in phantom in FIGS. 8-9). First and second may be front and rear, or visa versa, depending upon design characteristics as would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0032] Yarns 25 are fed from the creel 14 to the pattern control yarn feed 26 to the respective needles 20. When any individual needle 20 carries a yarn 25 through the backing fabric 22, a first hook or first looper 49 is reciprocally driven by looper drive 29 to cross each corresponding needle 20 and hold the corresponding yarn end 25 to form loops. Cut pile tufts are preferably formed by cutting the loops with knives 50. Each component, the looper drive 29, the yarn feed, needle selector 32, needle bar or backing shifter, and backing feed apparatus, may share and/or have independent controllers such as the operator controls 24.

[0033] Yarn feed 26 may be simple or complex, like U.S. Pat. No. 11,661,094 or other yarn feed system.

[0034] The same, or different system can feed the yarns 25 to needles 43. Second hook or second looper 52 is reciprocally driven by looper drive 51 to cross each corresponding needle 43 and hold the corresponding yarn end 25 to form loops. Cut pile tufts are preferably formed by cutting the loops with knives 53. Each component, the looper drive 51, the yarn feed, needle selector 32, needle bar or backing shifter, and backing feed apparatus, may share and/or have independent controllers such as the operator controls 24. Some embodiments may cut all loops, some embodiments may provide both cut and uncut loops, and some embodiments may not cut any loops.

[0035] The needle bar shifter 45 is designed to laterally or transversely shift needle bars 18, 42 relative to the needle bar holders 17,41 a predetermined transverse distance, typically equal to the needle gauge or multiple of the needle gauge, and in either transverse direction from its normal central position, relative to the backing fabric 22, and for each stroke of the needles 20,43. The rows of needles 20,43 can preferably be shifted in unison or independently.

[0036] A jute or backing shifter 46 may move the backing fabric laterally with respect to a transversely stationary needle bar, or simultaneously with one or more transversely shifting needle bars. If backing shifter 46 is utilized, an oscillating needle plate, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 11,802,359, incorporated herein by reference, may also be utilized and moved with needle plate shifter 47 as seen in FIG. 1.

[0037] Whether any needle 20,43 passes through backing on any given stroke is dependent upon the pattern and whether that particular needle 20,43 is selected by the needle selector mechanism 32. Needle clamps 92 may be useful to hold specific selected needles 20,43 from engaging the backing in a stroke. Knife wedges 90 may be useful to keep the knives from cutting yarn against hooks when no yarn is being tufted on particular hooks.

[0038] In order to generate input encoder signals for the needle bar shifting apparatus 45 corresponding to each stroke of the needles 20, an encoder 34 may be mounted upon a stub shaft 35, or in another suitable location, and communicate positional information from which a tufting machine controller can determine the position of the needles in the tufting cycle. Alternatively, drive motors may use commutators to indicate the motor positions from which the positions of the associated driven components may be extrapolated by the controller. Operator controls 24 may also interface with the tufting machine controllers 70 to provide necessary pattern information to the storage associated with the various tufting machine controllers 70 before machine operation.

[0039] Needle selector mechanism 32 preferably assists in selecting which, if any of needles 20,43 on the needle bars 18,42 are selected to penetrate the backing fabric 22 on any specific stitch (downstroke of any pushrod 16,40). No other party is believed to have provided synchronously driven needle bars 18,42 with ICN capability. No other party is believed to have provided bridges 44 from a common push rod 16 oriented with the bridges 44 parallel a direction of feed 21 and/or provide spaced apart needle bars 18,42 with independent control of any needle 20,43 on the needle bars 18,42. No other party is believed to have provided selectively synchronizable needle bars spaced apart in the direction of feed with corresponding selectively synchronizable loopers with front and rear needles independently selectably controlled to provide stitches separately from each other or in unison.

[0040] While bridges 44 function particularly well for many embodiments to join a front and rear pushrod 48,40 to main shaft 11 via vertical push rod 16, other embodiments may rely more on gearing or linkages to couple a first shaft 60 to a second, or slave, shaft 62 such as with gearing 47 or otherwise as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. First shaft 60 could correspond to the main shaft 11 in many embodiments. Counterweights 64,66 may be helpful for many embodiments.

[0041] While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alterations, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications, and variations in the appended claims.