Methods and devices for controlling a tufting machine for forming tufted carpet

A method for controlling a tufting machine for forming patterned tufted articles of the type having a plurality of needles carrying a plurality of yarns into a backing material that passes through the tufting machine at a desired rate, the tufting machine having a plurality of yarn feed motors, each yarn feed motor in communication with one yarn from the source of yarns and one needle of the plurality of needles, the method comprising:

• using a processor to control the operation of a plurality of yarn feed controllers of the tufting machine, each yarn feed controller being coupled to the processor and a respective yarn feed motor for controlling the amount of yarn being supplied by the respective yarn feed motor;
• using the processor to receive an input corresponding to a programmed pattern to be tufted, the programmed pattern comprising a plurality of predetermined yarn feed profiles for selected stitches of yarn to be tufted by respective needles of the plurality of needles, wherein at least two predetermined yarn feed profiles of the plurality of predetermined yarn feed profiles are different;
• and
• using the processor to control the operation of the respective yarn feed controllers to feed yarns to the plurality of needles for each selected stitch to be tufted according to an associated predetermined yarn feed profile, wherein the processor:
• (i) determines, for each predetermined yarn feed profile, a base yarn feed value for each stitch of the yarn for each pattern repeat of the programmed pattern;
• and
• (ii) varies at least one of the predetermined yarn feed profiles from the base yarn feed value for at least one stitch of the yarn for each pattern repeat,
• and wherein, for each repeat of the programmed pattern, each yarn of the plurality of yarns has a respective feed length of yarn that is used, and wherein the processor varies said at least one of the predetermined yarn feed profiles from the base yarn feed value to achieve a desired feed length for each yarn of the plurality of yarns.