Tufting Machine With Retraction And Method Of Use

Description

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/646,153 filed May 13, 2024, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to tufting machines utilized to make flooring products such as carpet, and the like, and more particularly to tufting machines having retractor devices utilized when feeding yarns to needles to apply tension and/or “back rob” yarn relative to needles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Tufting machines have been in existence for over fifty years making carpets and other flooring products of varying complexity.

One style of carpet resembles a waffle pattern. A retractor has been used to at least apply tension, if not “back rob” or reverse the direction of yarn pull as the needles penetrate a backing during the formation of one or more stitch(es) of carpets. See FIG. 1. The applicant has provided tufting machines with feed attachments which direct yarn to a retractor which would normally be rotated about an axis a set amount to “back rob” yarn at a specific pre-set desired amount for each retractor stroke across the entire span of needles (any some of which would have the yarn fed across the retractor). That selected setting would be the only setting used throughout the pattern.

When providing these machines to consumers, then consumers would select a specific amount of retraction for a given stitch to normally apply by an amount of rotation of the retractor relative to its axis such as 20° or 40° for a given stitch. The patterns implemented with the applicant's equipment would either select (a) no retraction or (b) the set amount of retraction such as 40° or 20° depending on the specific elasticity of the yarn utilized i.e., synthetic yarns having a different stretch than natural yarn such as wool.

Whatever the specific amount or of retraction selected (20 deg, 40 deg, etc.) would then be the standard over the pattern so as to be able to create the waffle type surface having essentially a high height relative to a low height created by the retraction like in FIG. 1. Due to the equipment involved, the lower height would be a square or rectangle internal to a higher height grid so as to resemble a waffle pattern.

With these prior art machines, it was an all or nothing type situation. Either the retraction rate was applied based on whatever the number was selected, or it was not, and no retraction was provided for that stitch. Also, the recessed portions only occurred with linear side edges parallel (and perpendicular) to the direction of feed.

Although some machines would have two retractors with some yarns being directed to one retractor and some yarns being directed to another, none were ever known to have a single yarn directed to contact multiple retractors. Also, no machines were known to ever have three or more retractors with a combination of yarns contacting at least two retractors.

Additionally, the user interface in prior art machines would allow user to select retraction or not but did not provide for an ability to effectively implement retractor controls as a part of a control system.

Accordingly, improved tufting machines providing retraction for a given stitch are believed to be desired for a given stitch.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a present object of many embodiments of the present invention to provide an improved tufting machine having retraction capabilities with improvements over prior art machines.

It is another object of many embodiments of the present invention to provide an improved tufting machine having an increased capabilities over prior art machines.

It is another object of many embodiments of the present invention to provide an improved tufting machine with retraction having a capability of using the retractor(s) with enhanced reactor controls as part of the control system.

It is another object of many embodiments of the present invention to provide an improved tufting machine having at least one retractor combined with backing shifting so as to provide options such as chevrons and other design elements not possible in the prior art.

It is another object of many embodiments of the present invention to provide a tufting machine with retractor(s) utilizing retraction controls having the capability of varying the retraction amount in successive stitches for one of smoothing and/or patterning effects.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of using a tufting machine with a retractor and at least one of a shifting needle bar and a shifting backing for increased capabilities.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a retractor in combination with a variable gauge device through one of a shifting needle bar and a shifting backing for increased capabilities.

Accordingly, in accordance with a present preferred embodiment of the present invention, a tufting machine is provided with a yarn feed system which could be a series of rollers or other yarn feed system known in the prior art which preferably directs yarn through one or more retractors possible three or more, with a single yarn potentially being directed across at least one if not at least two of the three or more retractors.

While a traditional waffle design may be tufted utilizing the new tufting machine, many embodiments may also permit the ability to vary the amount of retraction per stitch so that successive stitches may have the same or a different amount of retraction so that retraction controls can be utilized to at least one of smooth and/or pattern independently of the yarn pattern or in concert therewith and/or in conjunction with the yarn feed and/or needle bar controls (or backing shifting, etc.).

One method of accomplishing this feature is to allow the controls to set the amount of retraction per stroke which may vary in amount in successive strokes. Another way of doing this is to thread a single yarn over more than one retractor so that either two retractors are activated on a single stitch or only one so as to be able to provide different amounts of retraction to a single yarn depending on the specific stitch. Unlike prior art designs, the retractor can be used as an enhanced patterning tool so as to provide options for designs not available in the marketplace today and not possible without a retractor controller and/or methodology as provided herein.

When combining a tufting machine and with a retractor with the V-tech technology of the applicant's prior art tufting machine improvements such as U.S. Pat. No. 10,889,931, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, which provides for backing shifting, particularly unique designs can be created not presently available in the marketplace. Specifically, the appearance of retraction need not only be linearly provided in the direction of feed (or not) as done in the prior art but could be angled thereto such as in a chevron shape or other shapes or even curved shapes, possibly having variable stitch rates per inch. The retraction capability may be combined with the backing shifting or alternatively a shifting needle bar, so that retraction can be implemented with variable gauge which is not believed to have ever been done or another patterning tool which does not solely provide the appearance of linear and perpendicularly meeting walls of waffle dimples. Also, by varying the amount of retraction the sidewalls also need not always be planar as occur in prior art designs.

Accordingly, for some applications, there will be retractor pattern, a yarn feed pattern possibly a needle pattern, and as potentially a backing pattern as well.

The software in the applicant's initial embodiment is more robust than prior art designs for at least some advanced embodiments.

While retractors illustrated can be rotational in nature as utilized in prior art designs, retractors also could be linearly driven which may function satisfactorily with various tufting machine types.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

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:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a prior art carpet design;

FIG. 2 is a side plan view of a tufting machine with two retractors in accordance with a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a side plan view similar to FIG. 2 with the retractor retracting at about 40° showing the operation of a retractor relative to FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic side representation of a machine having three retractors;

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation showing various degrees of movement of a specific retractor;

FIG. 6 shows movement of an alternate embodiment of a linear retractor relative to pistons;

FIG. 7 shows a pattern entry per stitch from a graphical user interface including an amount of retraction which varies by at least some adjacent stitches;

FIG. 8 is a detailed graphical user interface shown in FIG. 7 showing an additional ability to select the gauge of a particular stitch based on backing shifting;

FIG. 9 shows a graphical user interface showing a stepping sequence entry; and

FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of a carpet design having transitions which are between retracted portions and non-retracted portions which are not solely linearly disposed in the direction of feed like prior art designs.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 2 show a portion of a tufting machine 10 as yarns 12 are fed through a first retractor 14 from a yarn feed attachment 16 towards a guide 18 for a needle 9 of a transverse row of needles in a needle bar as would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. This retractor 14 is shown at a no retraction point as opposed to FIG. 3 which shows the retractor 14 at angle α relative to that of FIG. 2 which will be described in further detail below. The retractor(s) 14, 15 are typically close to the needles (often within a foot or two).

While first and second retractors 14, 15 are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, FIG. 4 shows the use of three retractors 20, 22, 24 with a representative yarn 26 potentially being fed to at least two if not all three of the retractors 20, 22, 24 before continuing to the guide 28. Accordingly, a particular yarn 26 may be directed over two or more of the retractors 20, 22, 24 so that simultaneous operation of those retractors 20, 22, 24 on the same yarn 26 would then change the amount of retraction by one amount whereas a single operation of either one of those retractors 20, 22 would only change the amount of retraction less than that of the operation of both. No one is prior art is believed to have performed this capability utilizing more than one retractor 20, 22, 24 acting as a single yarn 26. Furthermore, no machine is known to have three or more different retractors 20, 22, 24 for any purpose.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic representation of the retractors 14, 15 of FIGS. 2-4 showing a first no retraction position 30, a 20° retraction position 32 and a 40° position retraction 34 there being an immediate retraction position 36, 38 at the 10° and 30° positions. Although nice even numbers have been selected for illustrations, it's possible that angles α at any specific desired amount could be desired whether it be a 3° angle, a 15° angle up to and possibly exceeding a 60 degree angle. Retraction amounts are typically expressed in angles for the applicant's graphical user interface or for convenience. The amount of retraction could alternately be expressed in relative terms (like a relative scale) or absolute terms such as inches, millimeters, etc. Additionally, the amount of retraction could be set by those specific type of yarn such as synthetic or natural and which type of yarn such as wool, nylon, etc., with the amount of retractors being selected by the program. The graphical user interface may propose the amount of retraction based on the type of yarn selected or other feature of a specific pattern desired to be created. This is not believed to ever have been done with prior art machines.

Additionally, instead of picking a single retraction amount across an entire pattern when implemented, such as 40° for synthetic yarns, the applicant's technology has the ability to vary the amount of retraction such as shown in FIG. 7 by way of example, with stitch 1 having a 45° retraction, stitch 2 50°, stitch 3 50° stitch 4 20°, stitch 5 10°, stitch 6 5°, stitch 7 5°, stitch 8 35°, etc. Transition stitches, stitches with a progression of increasing or decreasing retraction, may be provided which has not been done in the past. The retraction permits firm and quick yarn movement so that the transition from a high to low, or visa versa, may be crisp and does not tend to ramp up or down.

FIG. 8 shows a detail of the pattern entry shown in FIG. 7 including a gage selection for the stitch with this entry also showing a variable stitch rate potentially being changed on a stitch by stitch basis as well as the amount of yarn fed from the yarn feed attachment as could be part of the pattern control which also could also be varied stitch by stitch.

FIG. 9 shows a stepping sequence entry showing the steps with the stitch rate tension to be applied for a specific retractor.

FIG. 10 shows a carpet design 40 which direction of feed 42 is being tufted with the retraction rates varying in successive stitches along with backing shifting to show non-linear side edges 46 being formed in the direction of feed 42 of the retracted portions 44 which could have angled side edges 46 if not curved as viewed from above (into the carpet) as well as when angled relative to the direction of feed 42 for patterning effects so as to create more of a chevron type look, a knitted sweater effect, or other effect as well as may be combined in some embodiments with variable stitch rate such as from backing shifting as well.

Accordingly, tufting machine 10 is provided with a yarn feed system 16 which directs yarn 26 through one or more retractors 14, 15 or 20, 22, 24 etc., so that preferably in combination with a graphical user interface which may allow an operator to input specific retraction control pattern for each stitch, possibly varying on a stitch by stitch basis, so that adjacent stitches may have more than two values so as to not only be an on or off situation as has been done in the prior art to a specific pre-set amount but also provide the ability to vary in an effort to one of better address yarn stretch, smooth transitions and/or provide pattern control through the use of the retractor whether independently of the yarn feed, the stitch rate, the backing or needle shift and/or in conjunction with any of the above. Entirely new patterning effects have been discovered and more will be discovered through the use of the new retractor control system.

For some embodiments, the use of the retractor appears to bounce from going from a relatively high amount of retraction such as about 40° to a relatively low amount of retraction such as about 10° or 5° over the course of at least 1-5 strokes possibly in a decreasing manner also having the ability to ramp up retraction such as from a relatively low amount such as 5° to 40° or more, over a period of no more than 5-10 strokes. In some of the applicant's early tests, the retractor appears to bounce from a higher amount to a lower amount for a few stitches and then back up to a high amount for at least some designs.

As one of ordinary skill in the art will see from FIG. 10, the sidewalls 46 created between non-retracted or less retracted yarns compared to more retracted yarns can be varied accordingly to stitch for at least some embodiments in non-linear manners so as to create smoother, i.e., curved side edges 46 at an upper surface 48 of the carpet as well as the ability to pattern control at non-linear (i.e., not only parallel or perpendicular relative to the direction of feed only as has been done in the prior art). The sidewalls of the retracted portions can be angled and/or curved relative to the direction of feed in ways not possible with prior art techniques. Particularly when combining the retractors 14, 15, 20, 22, 24 with backing shifting and/or other programable features of tufting machines desirable effects are achievable, not provided in the prior art.

Numerous alterations of the structure herein disclosed will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be understood that the present disclosure relates to the preferred embodiment of the invention which is for purposes of illustration only and not to be construed as a limitation of the invention. All such modifications which do not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what is claimed herein is: