Tufting machine and method of tufting

Abstract

A tufting machine for selectively forming tufts of yarns, including different color or type yarns, for forming patterned tufted articles such as carpets. A series of needles are reciprocated into and out of a backing material being fed through the tufting machine and are engaged by a series of gauge parts so as to pick-up loops of yarns from the needles. The gauge parts will be selectively controlled by actuators to extend or retract the gauge parts to positions or elevations sufficient to pick-up or not pick-up loops of yarns from the needles. The feeding of the yarns to the needles further can be controlled in conjunction with the movement of the gauge parts, while the backing feed can also be controlled, to enable formation of tufts of yarns at an increased rate over the pattern stitch rate for the pattern of the tufted article being formed.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A tufting machine, comprising:
 at least one needle bar carrying a plurality of needles;   a plurality of gauge parts configured to pick up yarns from the needles, the gauge parts being moveable in a first direction toward and away from the needles;   a drive system configured to control movement of the gauge parts in a second direction between retracted and extended positions, the drive system comprising:
 actuators linked to the gauge parts and configured to control movement of the gauge parts in the second direction between a plurality of positions; and 
 biasing members positioned between the actuators and the gauge parts, the biasing members configured apply a biasing force the gauge parts so as to urge the gauge parts toward an extended position; and 
   a control system including programming for controlling feeding of the yarns to the needles in coordination with the movement of the gauge parts between at least one retracted position at which gauge parts are positioned so as to not pick up yarns from the needles and at least one extended position at which the gauge parts will pick up yarns from the needles for forming tufts of the yarns in a backing material passing through the tufting machine.   
     
     
         2 . The tufting machine of  claim 1 , further comprising a shift mechanism for shifting the at least one needle bar transversely across the backing material. 
     
     
         3 . The tufting machine of  claim 2 , wherein the control system further comprises programming to coordinate shifting of the at least one needle bar by the shift mechanism with the movement of the gauge parts in the second direction between the at least one retracted position and the at least one extended position and the feeding of the yarns to the needles as the needles are reciprocated into and out of the backing material, so as to present a series of yarns to a series of stitch locations and withdraw non-selected yarns where loops of such non-selected yarns are not picked up by one of the gauge parts. 
     
     
         4 . The tufting machine of  claim 3 , further comprising a series of backing feed rolls configured to feed the backing material through the tufting machine; and wherein the control system further comprises programming configured for feeding of the backing material at an actual stitch rate that is greater than a pattern stitch rate for a pattern being formed such that a number of retained tufts of yarns per inch in the backing material is approximately equivalent to the pattern stitch rate. 
     
     
         5 . The tufting machine of  claim 1 , wherein the gauge parts comprise level cut loop loopers, loop pile loopers, or cut pile hooks. 
     
     
         6 . The tufting machine of  claim 1 , wherein the actuators comprise hydraulic cylinders, pneumatic cylinders, stepper motors, servo motors, electric cylinders, linear actuators, moving coil or voice coil actuators, solenoids, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The tufting machine of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of modules in which a series of the gauge parts are received and through which the gauge parts are moveable. 
     
     
         8 . The tufting machine of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of connectors, each connector having a first end coupled to at least one gauge part and a second end coupled to at least one linkage connected to at least one of the actuators; wherein the biasing members are positioned between the second ends of the connectors and the actuators; and wherein as the at least one gauge part is moved toward the at least one retracted position by retraction of the at least one linkage, at least one of the biasing members is compressed against the connector. 
     
     
         9 . A tufting machine, comprising:
 a plurality of needles;   at least one yarn feed mechanism configured to yarns to the needles; and   a gauge part assembly positioned below the needles, the gauge part assembly comprising:
 a plurality of modules, each module including a module body having at least one passage defined therethrough; 
 a series of gauge parts slidably received within the at least one passage of each module, wherein the gauge parts are carried with their modules in a first direction of movement toward and away from the needles and are selectively movable in a second direction through the passages of their modules; and 
 a drive system comprising:
 a plurality of motors; 
 a plurality of connectors, each connector having a first end coupled to at least one gauge part and a second end; and 
 a plurality of linkages including cables, rods, arms, wires, belts, or combinations thereof, each linkage coupled to and extending between at least one connector and at least one motor; and 
 
   a control system including programming for controlling the at least one yarn feed mechanism to control feeding of the yarns to the needles in coordination with selective operation of each motor to control a tension in a linkage coupled thereto for controlling movement of the gauge parts between at least one retracted position at which gauge parts are positioned so as to not pick up yarns from the needles and at least one extended position at which the gauge parts will pick up yarns from the needles for forming tufts of the yarns in a backing material passing through the tufting machine.   
     
     
         10 . The tufting machine of  claim 9 , further comprising a series of backing feed rolls configured to feed the backing material through the tufting machine; and wherein the control system further comprises programming configured for feeding of the backing material at an actual stitch rate that is based on a pattern stitch rate for a pattern being formed multiplied by a number of colors of yarns for the pattern. 
     
     
         11 . The tufting machine of  claim 10 , further comprising at least one shift mechanism coupled to at least one needle bar along with the needles are located; and wherein the control system further comprises programming to coordinate shifting of the at least one needle bar by the shift mechanism with the movement of the gauge parts between the at least one retracted position and the at least one extended position and feeding of the yarns to the needles, so as to present a series of yarns to a series of stitch locations and withdraw non-selected yarns where loops of such non-selected yarns are not picked up by one of the gauge parts as the backing material is fed at the actual stitch rate such that a number of retained tufts of yarns per inch in the backing material is approximately equivalent to the pattern stitch rate. 
     
     
         12 . The tufting machine of  claim 9 , further comprising a plurality of biasing members positioned between the connectors and the motors, the biasing members configured to exert a biasing force against the gauge parts to urge the gauge parts toward an extended position. 
     
     
         13 . The tufting machine of  claim 12 , wherein the biasing members comprise springs, cylinders, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         14 . The tufting machine of  claim 9 , wherein one or more of the linkages are adapted to translate a rotary motion of the at least one motor coupled thereto to a linear motion for controlling the movement of one or more selected gauge parts. 
     
     
         15 . The tufting machine of  claim 9 , wherein each of the modules further comprises at least one insert received within the at least one passage defined through the module body such that the gauge parts slide along the at least one insert as the gauge parts are moved in the second direction through the module body; and wherein the inserts have a hardness greater than a hardness of the module body. 
     
     
         16 . A method, comprising:
 moving a backing material through a tufting machine; and   reciprocating a plurality of needles carrying a plurality of yarns into and out of the backing material, and reciprocating a plurality of gauge parts toward the needles are reciprocated into the backing material;   feeding the yarns to the needles as the needles are reciprocated into the backing material; and   selectively forming tufts of the yarns in the backing material to form a pattern;   wherein for non-selected yarns that are not to remain visible or appear as part of the pattern being formed, controlling a tension of a series of linkages extending between gauge parts positioned below the needles carrying the non-selected yarns and actuators connected thereto sufficient to overcome a biasing force applied to each of the gauge parts and move the gauge parts at a retracted positions at which the gauge parts are positioned so as to not pick up the non-selected yarns from the needles, and controlling feeding of the non-selected yarns to the needles so as to pull the non-selected yarns out of the backing material or sufficiently low to hold the non-selected yarns against the backing material;   wherein for selected yarns that are to remain visible or appear as part of the pattern, releasing the tension in the linkages for the gauge parts so as to enable the biasing force applied to each of the gauge parts positioned below the needles carrying the selected yarns to move the gauge parts to one or more extended positions at which the gauge parts are positioned to pick up the selected yarns from the needles; and   wherein the pattern is formed with a number of tufts of the selected yarns per inch remaining visible or appearing along a face of the backing material that is substantially equivalent to a pattern stitch rate for the pattern.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein locating the gauge parts comprises moving the gauge parts vertically with respect to a stroke or penetration depth of the needles. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising threading at least some of the needles with a series of different color or type yarns in a selected thread-up sequence; and wherein moving the backing material though the tufting machine comprises feeding the backing material at an actual stitch rate determined by multiplying the pattern stitch rate of the pattern by a number of different color or type yarns in the selected thread-up sequence. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising shifting the needles, the backing material, or a combination thereof in a transverse direction so as to present a series of the different color or type yarns into the backing material at each of a plurality of stitch locations for the pattern. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising controlling feeding of the selected yarns to their needles so as to form tufts of yarns having different pile heights.