US 6,178,903 B2 · Web-fed chain-stitch single-needle mattress cover quilter with needle deflection compensation

Abstract

A quilting machine is provided having at least one set of single needle stitch forming elements for forming chain stitched patterns on a thick multilayered material such as a mattress cover. The machine is preferably web-fed, with a panel of the continuous web being clamped and held stationary on a frame. The stitch forming elements include a needle and a looper mounted on separate heads that are independently moveable on a bridge transversely relative to the panel, which is moveable longitudinally relative to the frame. The bridge is longitudinally moved by a servo and the heads are transversely moved on the bridge by separate servos. The stitching elements on each head are driven by separate servos. A controller drives the servos to chain stitch patterns and differentially move the heads transversely to account for transverse needle deflection. The drives of the needle and looper are phased to compensate for longitudinal needle deflection. The controller determines or predicts needle deflection. It may store empirically determined data and respond to control signals and/or sensors to determine or predict deflection and to calculate the needle deflection compensation, in response to which it generates deflection compensation signals to drive the servos. Infrared, LED or magnetic deflection sensors are preferred, but many other types are or will become available that will be suitable.

Claims19

Dependent claims

An apparatus for quilting a thick multilayered material comprising:

support structure operable to hold the material for quilting in a plane;
a pair of chain stitch forming heads moveable parallel to the plane on opposite sides of the plane, the heads including a needle head including a needle reciprocatable through the plane and a looper head including a looper reciprocatable proximate the needle and adjacent the plane to quilt the material held by the support structure;
at least two drive motors, including a needle drive operable to reciprocate the needle through material held in the plane and a looper drive operable to reciprocate the looper proximate the needle adjacent the plane;
a controller operable to control the drive motors in synchronized cycles to quilt the material with a series of chain stitches in accordance with a programmed pattern;
at least two transverse head positioning servo motors each independently operable in response to signals from the controller;
at least one longitudinal head positioning servo motor operable in response to signals from the controller;
a needle deflection information source connected to an input of the controller;
the controller including a program to operate the controller to calculate needle deflection compensation in response to needle deflection information from the source;
the controller being operable to send signals to the motors in response to the calculated needle deflection compensation to relatively move the needle and looper to compensate for needle deflection in the formation of the series of stitches.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Web-fed chain-stitch single-needle mattress cover quilter with needle deflection compensation

Life of this patent

Web-fed chain-stitch single-needle mattress cover quilter with needle deflection compensation

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19