Systems and methods for manufacturing textiles
OwnerJonathan Grossmaninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for manufacturing textiles includes a creel having mounted thereon a plurality of regenerating yarn packages and a yarn extension device having a first plurality of inputs each coupled to a strand of yarn from one of the plurality of yarn packages, a second plurality of inputs each coupled to a strand of yarn from one of the plurality of regenerating yarn packages, and a yarn joining device operative to join a first strand of yarn from one of the first plurality of inputs to a second strand of yarn from one of the second plurality of inputs to create a joined strand of yarn.
Claims18
An apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of yarn packages each comprising a bobbin having a strand of yarn wound around the bobbin;
- a creel having mounted thereon a plurality of regenerating yarn packages each having accumulated thereon a strand of yarn;
- a yarn extension device having a first plurality of inputs each coupled to a strand of yarn from one of the plurality of yarn packages, a second plurality of inputs each coupled to a strand of yarn from one of the plurality of regenerating yarn packages, and a yarn joining device operative to join a first strand of yarn from one of the first plurality of inputs to a second strand of yarn from one of the second plurality of inputs to create a joined strand of yarn;
- at least one motor configured to control the plurality of regenerating yarn packages and operative to cause one of the plurality of regenerating yarn packages to rotate and accumulate the joined strand of yarn;
- and
- a computing device operative to automatically control operation of the yarn extension device and the at least one motor.
A method for manufacturing textiles, comprising the steps of:
- configuring a plurality of yarn packages, each comprising a bobbin so that each yarn package has a strand of yarn wound around the bobbin;
- mounting a plurality of regenerating yarn packages onto a creel so that each regenerating yarn package has accumulated thereon a strand of yarn;
- coupling a yarn extension device to the plurality of yarn packages and the plurality of regenerating yarn packages, the yarn extension device having a first plurality of inputs each coupled to a strand of yarn from one of the plurality of yarn packages, a second plurality of inputs each coupled to a strand of yarn from one of the plurality of regenerating yarn packages, and a yarn joining device operative to join yarn from any one of the first plurality of inputs to yarn from any one of the second plurality of inputs;
- configuring at least one motor to control the plurality of regenerating yarn packages;
- and
- configuring a computing device to automatically control operation of the yarn extension device, the at least one motor, and the weaving machine, in order to perform the steps of:
- joining, with the yarn extension device, a first strand from one of the first plurality of inputs to a second strand from one of the second plurality of inputs in order to form a joined strand,
- rotating one of the regenerating yarn packages to accumulate the joined strand of yarn,
- pulling a parallel set of yarns from a predetermined number of the plurality of regenerating yarn packages in a predetermined arrangement to form a warp,
- feeding the warp into a weaving machine, and
- applying a weft over-and-under the parallel set of yarns in a perpendicular manner to generate fabric.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.