Yarn tensioning mechanism
AssigneeTuftco Corporation
InventorGary L. Ingram
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A yarn tensioning apparatus is supplied with a yarn clamping position and a positive yarn engaging position to precisely meter yarns to tufting machine needles and especially to more uniformly advance pneumatically supplied yarns to hollow needles.
Claims20
A yarn tensioning assembly for use in controlling the supply of yarns to the needles of a tufting machine comprising a pivotal yarn tensioning and clamping apparatus and a rotatable yarn gripping wheel operable so that yarn tensioning is provided when the rotatable yarn gripping wheel is pivoted into engagement with a yarn driving wheel, and yarn clamping is provided when the yarn gripping wheel is pivoted out of engagement with a yarn driving wheel.
A yarn tensioning assembly for use in controlling the supply of yarns to the needles of a tufting machine comprising a housing with a mounting post, wherein said housing has a slideable weight block at a first end and a teethed yarn roll at a second end and a yarn guide for directing yarn through the assembly.
A method of tensioning, clamping and feeding yarns in a hollow needle tufting machine comprising the steps of:
- (a) feeding a plurality of yarns to a hollow needle, each through a yarn tensioning assembly having a pivotal yarn tensioning and clamping apparatus and a rotatable yarn gripping wheel operable so that yarn tensioning is provided when the rotatable yarn gripping wheel is pivoted into engagement with a yarn driving wheel, and yarn clamping is provided when the yarn gripping wheel is pivoted out of engagement with a yarn driving wheel;
- (b) selecting a first of the plurality of yarns and pivoting the rotatable yarn gripping wheel of the associated yarn tensioning assembly into engagement with the associated yarn driving wheel;
- (c) feeding a selected length of the selected first yarn to a hollow needle for tufting;
- and
- (d) pivoting the rotatable yarn gripping wheel of the yarn tensioning assembly associated with a second yarn out of engagement with the associated yarn driving wheel and clamping the second yarn so that the second yarn is not fed through the hollow needle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.