Patent GB-853746-A (GB)
Title: Apparatus for making patterned tufted pile fabric
IPC: D05C15/18
Filed: 1957-12-19
Abstract: 853,746. Tufting, tufting machines. COBBLE BROS. MACHINERY CO. Ltd. Dec. 19, 1957 [Dec. 24, 1956], No. 39468/57. Class 112 A tufting machine comprises a plurality of yarn feed means operating respectively at constant but different speeds, means for shifting yarn from one feed means to another, and means for controlling the yarn-shifting means so as to produce a pattern of predetermined form on the base fabric. A horizontal shaft 14 journalled in the machine housing 10 is driven by an electric motor and carries eccentrics 19 adapted to impart reciprocating movement to a horizontal needle bar carrying needles 24 which co-operate with loopers 26 to insert tufts of yarn 93 in a base fabric 28.. The latter is fed by rear rollers 30 driven from shaft 14 via a belt 31, gear box 35 and shaft 36, and by front rollers, not shown, driven from shaft 36 via a belt 40 and shaft 42. A pair of parallel, horizontal rollers 43, 44 are journalled at the front of the housing and are formed with spaced circumferential bands 47 of friction material, such as emery, embedded in the surface of the rollers, the bands 47 on one roller lying opposite the smooth intermediate bands 48 on the other roller, and the rollers being spaced about 0.006 inches apart to allow the passage of yarn therebetween. Roller 44 is driven from shaft 14 via a belt 52 and gear box 50, while a gear 54 fast with roller 44 meshes with a gear 55 of larger diameter fast with roller 43 to drive the latter slower than roller 44. A casing 61 contains solenoids 62 equal in number to the number of bands 47 on one of the rollers. The plunger 63 of each solenoid is connected to a respective arm 64 which is rigid with a vertical, pivoted spindle 58. An arm 57 rigid with spindle 58 passes through a movementlimiting notch 68 in a bar 67 and extends to a position such that a notch 92_in the end of arm 57 is located over the gap between the rollers 43, 44. Springs 66, acting on plungers 63, bias arms 57 to positions opposite the bands 47 on roller 43. A pair of yarns 93 pass through each notch 92 and between rollers 43, 44 to the needles. A horizontal pattern drum 71 is rotated by gearing driven from shaft 36. Fitted around drum 71 is a pattern sheet 81 provided with the required pattern in the form of openings 82 cut in the sheet. Pattern fingers 84, equal in number to the number of solenoids, are pivoted on a bar 85 and are biased into engagement with the pattern drum at their front ends by springs 86. When a finger 84 engages an opening 82 a contact on its rear end engages a contact 88 on a bar 89 to close a circuit 90, 91 through a solenoid 62. The associated arm 57 of the latter is thereby shifted to bring its notch 92 opposite a band 47 on roller 44. The arrangement is thereby such that when a finger 84 engages the surface of pattern sheet 81 the yarn 93 guided by its associated arm 57 is fed by a band 47 of the slower drum 43 to form short tufts L<SP>2</SP>, and when the finger engages an opening 82 said arm shifts the yarn so that the latter is fed by a band 47 of the faster drum 44 to produce long tufts L<SP>1</SP>.