Computer controlled tufting machine and a process of controlling the parameters of operation of a tufting machine

Process for automatically adjusting the pile height of a cut pile machine of the type having feed rolls which feed a backing material across a bedrail and a plurality of needles reciprocated for inserting yarns from one side through the backing material for producing successive loops in the backing material on the other side of said backing material, and wherein loopers catch and hold the loops and knives cut the held loops, the steps of:

• (a) disposing a motor in operative relationship to said bedrail for raising and lowering said bedrail;
• (b) disposing motor means in operative relationship to said feed rolls for driving said backing material in one direction or the other across said bedrail;
• and
• (c) simultaneously operating said motor and said motor means for raising said bedrail and for rocking said loops back and forth so as to retard breaking of said loopers as said backing material is lifted by said bedrail.

A tufting machine assembly for automatically altering the stitch rate of a tufting machine of the type having a plurality of needles for inserting yarns carried by the needles through a backing material as said backing material is progressively fed through said tufting machine and across the path of reciprocation of said needles so that said needles respectively produce successive tufts in successive transverse portions of said backing material, comprising:

• (a) variable drive means for moving the backing material at prescribed rates of travel;
• (b) control means for controlling said drive means;
• (c) means for detecting and transmitting the rate of reciprocation of said needles to said control means;
• and
• (d) means connected to said control means for causing said control means to alter the rate at which said backing material is fed to thereby alter the stitch rate at which successive tufts are produced by said needles per prescribed longitudinal length of backing material which passes through the path of reciprocation of said needles.

A tufting machine assembly of the type having a main drive shaft for reciprocating a needle bar carrying a plurality of needles for inserting yarns carried by the needles through a backing material as the backing material is progressively fed through the tufting machine and across the path of reciprocation of said needles and so that said needles produce tufts in said backing material, and a yarn feed means for supplying prescribed lengths of yarn to said needles, the improvement comprising:

• (a) a yarn feed motor for controlling the operation of said yarn feed means;
• (b) a computer means coupled to said yarn feed motor for controlling the speed of operation of said yarn feed motor;
• (c) encoder means operatively coupled to said main shaft for generating signals indicative of the speed of rotation of said main shaft;
• and
• (d) means coupling said encoding means to said computing means and to said yarn feed motor for utilizing said signals in setting speed ratios at which said yarn feed motor is driven in relationship to the speed of rotation of said main shaft.

A tufting machine assembly of the type having a main drive shaft for reciprocating a needle bar carrying a plurality of needles for inserting yarns carried by the needles through a backing material as the backing material is progressively fed by backing feed means through the tufting machine and across the path of reciprocation of said needles and so that said needles produce tufts in said backing material, the improvement comprising:

• (a) a feed means motor for controlling the operation of said feed means;
• (b) a computer means coupled to said feed means motor for controlling the speed of operation of said feed motor;
• (c) encoder means operatively connected to said main shaft for generating signals indicative of the speed of rotation of said main shaft;
• and
• (d) means coupling said encoding means to said computing means and to said yarn feed motor for utilizing said signals for setting the speed ratio at which said yarn feed motor is driven in relationship to the speed of rotation of said main shaft.

Process for automatically adjusting the stitch rate of a tufting machine of the type in which a main drive shaft reciprocates a needle bar carrying a plurality of needles for inserting yarns carried by the needles through a backing material as the backing material is progressively fed by a feed means through the tufting machine and across the path of reciprocation of said needles and so that the needles produce tufts in said backing material, comprising the steps of:

• (a) generating electrical signals indicative of the speed of rotation of said main shaft;
• (b) inputting said signals into a computer;
• and
• (c) inputting a program to said computer for generating signals for dictating the speed at which the backing material is to be passed beneath said needles and comparing the signals generated by said main drive shaft and generated by said computer for establishing the speed at which said backing material is moved beneath said needles and across said machine.

Process for automatically adjusting the density of the tufts produced by a tufting machine of the type in which a main drive shaft reciprocates a needle bar carrying a plurality of needles for inserting yarns carried by the needles through a backing material as the backing material is progressively fed by a feed means through the tufting machine and across the path of reciprocation of said needles and so that the needles produce said tufts in said backing material, and a yarn feed means feeds yarns to said needles, comprising the steps of:

• (a) generating electrical signals indicative of the speed of rotation of said main shaft;
• (b) inputting said signals into a computer;
• and
• (c) inputting a program to said computer for generating signals for dictating the speed at which said feed means feeds yarns to said needles and comparing the signals generated by said main drive shaft and generated by said computer for establishing the speed ratio at which said yarn feed means feeds yarns with respect to the rotation of said main drive shaft.