Tice Engineering and Sales, Inc.

Robotic Control Group, L.l.c.

Gregory A Davis

Moshe Shloush

William A Tice

Mark E Stapel

Benjamin D Bower

A motion control system includes a signal conduit to which the various devices of the system, such as a motion controller and motor drive modules, are linked. The modules are intertied such that the order of the modules along the signal conduit does not affect system operability. In one embodiment, the signal conduit includes a substantially rigid substrate having a plurality of electrically conductive lines formed in one or more layers of the substrate. The substrate may include a one-piece construction to which the motion controller, drives, and other devices are attached, or the substrate may be in the form of a plurality of couplers joined one to the other by connectors. For the latter, the various modules of the system include a coupler with connectors which allow the various modules to be easily connected without the need for any tools and without concern for the order in which the modules are attached. In another embodiment, a flexible cable (such as a ribbon cable) forms part or all of the signal conduit which connects the various devices of the system. In either embodiment, a &ldquo;plug-and-play&rdquo; motion control system is provided which requires little or no technical expertise to assemble, install, and operate.

Motion control coupling apparatus

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for electronically gearing the sewing parts of a sewing machine, and more particularly it relates to electronically gearing the bobbin to the needle to eliminate the necessity of their physical coupling through mechanical linkages and drive shafts. Servo motors provide torque to the needle, bobbin, and various other sewing parts of the sewing machine which require concerted movement. A computer uses servo motor positional information to calculate motion commands that are sent to the needle and bobbin servo motors, thereby enabling electronic gearing of the bobbin to the needle so that each moves substantially in unison. Motion commands sent to servo motors attached to various other sewing parts of the sewing machine are based on servo motor positional information to enable the sewing parts to move in concert with the needle and bobbin. Servo motors move the sewing material in two dimensions during stitching, and each move of the sewing material is calculated to consume the maximum amount of time available between stitches in order to dampen acceleration and deceleration of sewing parts and eliminate problems associated with machine jerk.

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Maynardville, TN, United States of America

Gregory A Davis