The Singer Company

Randel P Smith

Gary L Ingram

Jimmie D Scott

Alvin Truitt Bonner, Sr

This disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for forming patterned cut pile tufted fabrics and, in particular, colored patterned tufted pile fabrics. The patterns are essentially produced by selectively backrobbing one leg of a cut loop thereby producing a cut loop having one relatively long leg and one relatively short leg. By selectively backrobbing one leg of a cut loop of one color yarn and by refraining from backrobbing a leg of a cut loop of at least a second color, the second color will become predominant in the pattern by virtue of having twice as many long legs of that color making up the surface of the cut pile tufted fabric. The disclosure also encompasses a method and apparatus for producing relatively long nap cut pile tufted fabrics having controlled J-cut loops.

Patterned cut pile tufting machine

A multiple needle tufting machine having a multiplicity of yarns and a high tension detector for detecting when the tension of any yarn between the tufting machine and a yarn supply deviates from a predetermined normal and for identifying the particular yarn that so deviates. The detector includes a yarn contacting member for each yarn urged into engagement with the yarn for reacting to tension variation and to close a switch when the tension is excessive. Two electrical circuits for identifying the particular switch, and therefore yarn, are disclosed.

Tight end circuitry II

A cloth feed take off system for a cut pile control needle tufting machine having a yarn tail extractor for removing the loose strand of yarn formed by the initial stitch each needle makes upon reactivation. The cloth feed take off system maintains high tension in the cloth in the stitch forming section while providing a lower tension in the cloth in the yarn tail extractor section.

Cloth feed system for tufting machine having loose yarn end extractor

A patterning device for a tufting machine having a reciprocating needle bar slidably mounted for lateral movement. The patterning device has a pair of solenoid actuated pawls mounted on the tufting machine head above the needle bar, and a pair of ratchet members mounted on the needle bar for cooperating with a respective pawl. The solenoids are individually controlled by a programmable pattern controller driven in synchronization with the tufting machine so as to engage the pawls selectively with the respective ratchet to force the needle bar to shift laterally. One pawl and ratchet acts to shift the needle bar to the right, and the other to the left. A centering tooth intermediate the pawls cooperates with an alignment plate to ensure precise shifting, and a needle bar locking tooth on the needle bar cooperates with a centering dog on the bed of the tufting machine to ensure that the needle bar does not shift while it is within the work piece.

Needle bar pattern shifting device

Apparatus and method of making a very dense tufted fabric using a programmed intermittent backing fabric feed in combination with means for changing the relative lateral displacement of the point of needle penetration into the backing fabric. The method in general comprises feeding a backing fabric through the machine, tufting stitches into the backing, stopping the fabric feed and initiating relative lateral displacement between the backing fabric and the needles, tufting additional stitches into the backing fabric and either initiating further relative displacement between the backing fabric and the needles and tufting again or feeding the fabric forward and repeating the process.

Dense pile fabric

A patterning device for a tufting machine including a rotary shaft carrying three cams and driven in timed relationship with the tufting machine. Two of the cams each act to cyclically oscillate a respective pawl carrying carriage in opposite directions toward and away from the other during a substantial portion of each cycle. Two sets of ratchet teeth one for each pawl are secured to an output drive member which may be coupled to a tufting machine fabric or needle bar shifting system. A programmable pattern controller drive in synchronization with the shaft selectively controls the engagement of the pawls with the respective set of ratchet teeth during a portion of the cycle when each carrier is moving in a first non-coupling direction and when the directions reverse motion is transmitted to the ratchet by the engaged pawl. The third cam controls a locking tooth to cyclically engage with and disengage from a set of teeth in a locking and alignment plate secured to the output drive member. The locking tooth is engaged during a major portion of every cycle and controllably releases the output drive member only during that portion of the cycle in which the pawl carriers are moving in the motion transmitting direction.

Patterning device for tufting machines or the like

A tufting machine having a needle plate supported for lateral movement relative to the needles. The needle plate may be shifted laterally in accordance with a pattern. The support for the needle plate includes a pair of laterally extending rods movable in bearing members secured to the tufting machine. Picker rolls on the leading edge of the needle plate provide a positive gripping action between the backing fabric and the needle plate during the shifting movements.

Growing community of inventors

Chattanooga, TN, United States of America

Randel P Smith