Smart motor controlled quilting machine

A longarm quilting machine comprising:

• a frame having an upper arm, a lower arm, and an intermediate portion connecting the upper arm to the lower arm;
• a needle bar drive mechanism configured to be combined with a needle carrier and combined with a portion of the upper arm;
• a bobbin hook assembly configured to be combined with a bobbin and combined with a portion of the lower arm;
• a needle hybrid servo/stepper motor having integrated drive circuitry, said needle hybrid servo/stepper motor combined with the upper arm and operatively combined with the needle bar drive mechanism, said needle hybrid servo/stepper motor configured to provide torque to the needle bar drive mechanism to cause movement of the needle carrier;
• a bobbin hybrid servo/stepper motor having integrated drive circuitry, said bobbin hybrid servo/stepper motor combined with the lower arm and operatively combined with the bobbin hook assembly, said bobbin hybrid servo/stepper motor configured to provide torque to the bobbin hook assembly causing movement of the bobbin;
• wherein the needle hybrid servo/stepper motor and the bobbin hybrid servo/stepper motor each have a rotational position;
• a controller configured to determine whether the rotational position of the needle hybrid servo/stepper motor is synchronized with the rotation position of the bobbin hybrid servo/stepper motor;
• and
• a needle hybrid servo/stepper motor sensor configured to communicate the rotational position of the needle hybrid servo/stepper motor to the controller a bobbin hybrid servo/stepper motor sensor configured to communicate the rotational position of the bobbin hybrid servo/stepper motor to the controller;
• and
• a first drive shaft configured to provide torque from needle hybrid servo/stepper motor to the needle bar drive mechanism and a second drive shaft configured to provide torque from the bobbin hybrid servo/stepper motor to the bobbin hook assembly, wherein the first drive shaft has a first visible marker and the second drive shaft has a second visible marker, and wherein the needle motor sensor is configured communicate position information to the controller and the bobbin motor sensor is configured to communicate position information to the controller.

A method of operating a quilting machine, the quilting machine comprising a needle motor operatively combined with a needle bar drive mechanism having a needle carrier and a first optical marker, a bobbin motor operatively combined with a bobbin hook assembly, the bobbin hook assembly including a second optical marker, and a controller in communication with the needle motor and the bobbin motor, wherein the controller is configured to execute the method, the method comprising:

• receiving rotational position information about the needle motor from a first optical sensor based on a position of the first optical marker;
• receiving rotational position information about the bobbin motor from a second optical sensor based on a position of the second optical marker;
• monitoring for the occurrence of a predetermined event;
• and
• synchronizing the needle motor and the bobbin motor upon the occurrence of a predetermined event by:
• moving the bobbin motor to a bobbin motor home position;
• and
• moving the needle motor to a needle motor home position predetermined to be synchronized with the bobbin motor home position.