Patent ID: 12203200

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

One can quickly look atFIG.2and see that the tufted pattern10as it is tufted in a directional tuft12has a much more distinct interfaces14,16,18,20etc., than interfaces such as interface22of prior art design24which does not employ the applicant's technology as shown inFIG.1. InFIG.1the direction of tufts is26. Interfaces22are created when laterally shifting the backing (or needles with other machines) particularly with individually controlled yarn feed through needles.FIG.1shows a problem as described above which can routinely occur with hollow needle tufting as a tendency for adjacent yarns to overlap or blur interfaces22when one yarn color changes to another yarn color. This can routinely occur when there is no hook utilized with hollow needle tufting machines such as are shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,549,496; 5,588,383; 4,991,523; 7,318,383 and others, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Since the loops are not pulled and stretched before cutting, when they are cut, the yarn ends tend to be spread out more than with hook and looper style cutting tufting machines. The design10of the preferred embodiment shows much cleaner interfaces16-20than occur with prior art machines. In order to achieve the cleaner interfaces16-20utilizing the exact same pattern was utilized as provided to the tufting machine except that an additional step is implemented when tufting the design10.

Specifically, while proceeding in the direction of tuft12lateral shifting of the backing or needle bar relative to the direction of tuft26occurs to tuft a specific row such as row30. When tufting with a particular yarn color as identified in the pattern of10, utilizing the applicant's new technology, an algorithm is employed so that if more than one stitch of a specific color is required by a specific pattern, the last stitch on a lateral shift could be omitted to provide a no-sew instruction so that no-sew occurs such as at a void or omission32(either or both of at the beginning or end of multiple stitch runs). A series of omissions32occurs to provide line or outline34to more distinctly separate one yarn color from an adjacent yarn color, particularly in the lateral directions36of tuft which would be a direction that the needle bar or backing would shift before advancing in the direction of tuft12as would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art (i.e., perpendicular to the direction of tuft). While the square pattern of design10may be one of the more simple designs, the more complex designs could also utilize this technology so as in such a situation the omissions32may not provide a line34parallel to the direction of tuft12but could instead be curves, lines or other geometric features effectively more clearly outlining specific yarn colors.

Depending on the patterns, the first stitch could also be, or alternatively be, omitted as long as two stitches of a particular color are required in order to produce the omission32so as to effectively outline a specific color on the reverse face38of the backing. This procedure often results in clearer interfaces16-20on the front face40as would appear in the design10. By automatedly running the algorithm when selected, the user need not enter or open the pcx file with a graphics program such as APSO, NedGraphics or even MS Paint, paint.net or others, and individually remove specific stitches from the pattern.

FIG.4shows a tufting machine (aka, a hollow needle tufting machine) utilized in the technology disclosed herein which is better shown and described in U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2020/0056314 incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.FIG.4illustrates a general depiction of the tufting machine50with take up rolls59for the tufted fabric and two story creel54to hold cones of yarn is illustrated. It should be understood that the invention can be practiced on a wide variety of tufting machines, not simply the hollow needle machine50depicted inFIG.4. For instance, Tapistron™ ColorTec™ ICN machines and iTron™ hollow needle tufting machines also have the capability to place yarns in individual pixel locations according to a pattern and thus are suitably adapted to utilize with the invention. In addition, the yarn creel set up is exemplary and yarns could be supplied to the tufting machine from a single story creel or from beams that are wound for use in supplying yarns. In the typical case there will be hundreds of separate yarns fed from the creel, most frequently between about 600 and 1800 yarns and most commonly between about 1100 and 1700 yarns, although some machine and pattern combinations, such as relatively narrow hollow needle machines tufting patterns with a limited number of colors, could operate with a smaller number. A sample machine would typically have a substantially smaller tufting width and a smaller number of yarns would be fed into the pattern. The yarns will often be fed independently of other yarns using single end pattern control yarn feed devices, such as two end and/or four end feeds, etc. However, yarn optimization is also practical on tufting machines using double end or quadruple end yarn feeds, or even servo scroll yarn feed devices that carry larger pluralities of yarns that are typically distributed across the width of the tufting machine by a tube bank, or other yarn feed arrangements with an array of independent yarn feed drives. There will preferably be more than 72 independent yarn feed drives in the array and most commonly more than 300 independent yarn feed drives.

The tufting machine50disclosed inFIG.4includes a rotary needle shaft or main drive shaft51driven by stitch drive mechanism52from a drive motor or other conventional means.

Tufting machines50explicitly include hollow needle tufting machines as discussed herein. Rotary eccentric mechanism55mounted upon rotary needle shaft51is adapted to reciprocally move the vertical push rod56for vertically and reciprocally moving the needle bar slide holder57and needle bar58. The needle bar58supports a plurality of uniformly spaced tufting needles60in a longitudinal row, or staggered longitudinal rows, extending transversally (laterally) of the feeding direction of the backing fabric or material62. The backing fabric62is moved longitudinally in direction61through the tufting machine10by the backing fabric feed mechanism63and across a backing fabric support with needle plate and needle plate fingers and laterally shifted with the backing fabric feed mechanism63for at least some embodiments.

For hollow needle tufting machines50, multiple yarns65are fed from the creel54to the pattern control yarn feed66to respective needles20. As each needle60carries a yarn65(of the multiple possibilities) through the backing fabric62, loops are formed. For other tufting machines, a hook often driven by a looper drive holds yarn ends to form loops. Cut pile tufts are formed by cutting loops with knives.

The backing fabric62is shifted relative to the needles60(or vice versa) a predetermined transverse distance equal to the needle gauge or multiple of the needle gauge, and in either transverse direction from its normal central position, and for each stroke of the needles60. The backing shifter63may move the backing fabric62laterally with respect to a stationary needle bar58. Of course, the needle bar positioning system72could laterally shift the needle bar58relative to the backing fabric62for other embodiments.

In order to generate input encoder signals for the backing shifting apparatus63corresponding to each stroke of the needles60, an encoder74may be mounted upon a stub shaft75, or in another suitable location, and communicate positional information from which a tufting machine controller can determine the position of the needles in the tufting cycle. Alternatively, drive motors may use commutators to indicate the motor positions from which the positions of the associated driven components may be extrapolated by the controller. Operator controls64also interface with the tufting machine controllers to provide necessary pattern information to the storage associated with the various tufting machine controllers before machine operation.

On a broadloom tufting machine, these components can be operated in a fashion to provide pixel-addressed yarn placement as described in various prior patents such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,439,141; 7,426,895; and 8,359,989 and continuations thereof (all of which are incorporated herein by reference). Pixel controlled yarn placement in connection with ICN machines is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,382,723 and 5,143,003; (both of which are incorporated herein by reference) while pixel controlled placement of yarns utilizing hollow needle tufting machines is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,549,496 and 5,738,030 (both of which are incorporated herein by reference). Software to facilitate such pixel mapped designs has been available from NedGraphics since at least about 2004 in the form of its Texcelle and Tuft programs from Tuftco Corp, in the form of its Tuftco Design System, and from Yamaguchi in the form of its design system for similar lengths of time.

Turning then to the existing process of designing and manufacturing tufted fabric as reflect inFIG.4, the first step88is the creation of a graphic design to be tufted. The design can be created by an artist or adapted from a photograph or preexisting image. In either case, the image should be created or processed to limit the color palette to a manageable number of yarn colors, preferably between two and sixteen, and most commonly three to six colors. Preferably, this design process is executed on a design workstation running Texcelle or Tuftco Design software although sometimes automated design features can be included in the Operator Interface of a tufting machine.

The next step90is to load the image into a tufting machine having a controller running an operator interface software such as the TuftCom™ system sold by Tuftco Corp. and to process the pattern graphics to create machine instructions. The tufting machine should be threaded with appropriate yarns91. When using the TuftCom™ system, there are two principal steps prior to creating machine instructions. One step93(inFIG.5) is to assign a shift pattern or step pattern to the backing shifter97(shown in inFIG.2) and a stitch rate to the pattern. Variations of the shift profile for other numbers of colors utilized on a broadloom tufting machine are well known and easily computed. It can also be seen that the stitch rate45may be specified which can affect the density of yarn bights and the weight of the resulting tufted fabrics.

In addition to entering the stepping pattern inFIG.5, in the iTuft system the yarns and yarn feed increments are assigned to the colors in the graphic pattern (inFIG.6) see pattern200using the operator controls inFIG.6. In this example, the threadup151is A, B, C, D, E, F and H yarns, or seven colors52, and the darkest blue yarns “A” are assigned153, a slightly lighter blue154, a lightest blue155, a black156, a light brown157, a dark brown158, a no-sew (or always sew, but with no yarn feed)159, another light brown160and a grey161. Eight colors, fewer or more, could be used with other designs of pattern200. Tufting heights55,56may also be used for each color set. In the prior art, at this point the pixel-mapped design can be translated into tufting machine instructions at step99.

Tufting machines instructions in the form of a yarn feed pattern array for the yarn feed drives, a shift pattern array for each shifter moving the needle bars or backing fabric, a backing feed instruction (or array in the event of varied stitch rates), and a cut/loop array or arrangement if operating an LCL type apparatus are transferred from the computer running the iTuft operator interface system to storage accessible by the controllers for the yarn feed, shifter, backing feed, and LCL apparatus and the tufting machine50as tufting machine instructions at step99operated to produce a tufted fabric of the design10at step100. Step101applies the algorithm discussed herein to selectively omit certain stitches to provide cleaner interface for at least selected colors and/or other situation. Outline void option163may be selected using the operator controls for specific colors in the pattern200or by other technique to select specific colors, or areas etc., to apply automated outline voids as described herein.

In this embodiment seven color are used. Yarn F is used for both colors157and160, but other characteristics could be different, such as one having an outline (outline void, the other possibly not), or having a cut loop, and/or other features. The same is true for any of the other colors (which may, or may not, use the same yarn(s)).

Using the yarn outline void techniques of the invention requires some modifications to the prior art process. The pixel-mapped design is created as before at step88but then the design file is loaded into a tufting machine, or more typically a desk top simulator, at step90. Then the shift pattern and stitch rate are set at step93and yarn feed increments assigned to colors in the design at step97. After the pattern has been associated with yarns, it is then possible to automatically and/or automatedly insert no-sew locations32as shown inFIG.3based on the “color” or other characteristic of the pattern200at step101. This logic involves analyzing if a “color” appears in a lateral row more than once and then providing a “no-sew” instead of a stitch of that color at the beginning and/or end of the series of stitches of that color in the row (or relocate to adjacent loops).

In the case where a single yarn drive feeds multiple yarns or in a hollow needle type machine where several yarns are selectively fed through a single needle, the logic may be performed for the yarn fed by a single yarn feed drive. This automated outline feature may be applied to specific regions of a pattern, to specific colors in the pattern, or based on some other characteristics within the pattern10.

Remember also that although specific colors can be outlined, it may be that various colors such as157,160utilize the same yarns (i.e., same yarn colors) provided from the creel14. Being the omission on a “color” facilitates the ease in designing and having an outline appear at specific locations within the design10, but possibly not at other locations such as individual yarns provided in the pattern depending on how the color is characterized throughout the design10. A more sophisticated algorithm and methodology is shown inFIG.7-14using Neighborhoods.

Outline voids are one way to drop or remove stitches automatedly along the borders of existing patterning elements based upon the colors used in the image that represents the pattern. It involves detecting the boundaries between pixels of different colors. Currently it is used to drop or remove stitches but it could be used for anything else effecting the machine's behavior such as reducing the yarn rates on these border stitches, or engaging the LCL modules to cut all the loops around the edges, or anything else we decide we′d like to do automatically along the borders of elements.

It works primarily by knowing the behavior of each neighboring stitch at the time it is calculating what to do on the current stitch. In this way we can detect if any of the surrounding stitches are being directed by a different color in the pattern. This neighborhood is constructed by calculating the stitches for each of the cells from the center using a Von Neumann neighborhood (See Wikipedia article on Von_Neumann_neighborhood). Cells and stitches may be understood to represent the same thing. The stitches it uses can be controlled by the neighborhood attached to the current stitches color, but currently all stitches use the same neighborhood which is specified in the configuration of the software.FIGS.7-10show four defined neighborhoods of preferred embodiments. The Left Right Extended ofFIG.7is a most popular method currently. Still other neighborhoods may be evaluated with other embodiments. InFIG.7you will see each cell around the context marked with a number. These numbers correspond to the thickness choice in the user-interface. If the user selects thin, then only the squares with a 1 in them are considered. If the user selects thick, then both the 1 and 2 squares are considered.

A behavior switch in the user interface must refer to Inside or Outside behaviors. This is so a user can control whether the stitch being dropped will be from the context color, or the color that it is bordering. InFIGS.11-13you will see effects of these embodiments. If the blue or dark color has been specified to use outline voids with the left-right-extended neighborhood, the inside behavior, and thin thickness then when on stitch [1] it will decide to drop the stitch as shown in inFIG.11. It will do this because it will consider stitch [1] as the context and apply the left-right-extended neighborhood over it first which are shown with thick borders. It will find that directly to the right of stitch [1] it is sewing a different color. That position is marked as a 1 (Thin) on the neighborhood so it will be dropped if stitch [1] is using thin or thick as the thickness. Because stitch [1] was marked inside, stitch [1] will be dropped.

FIG.12shows the same thing with stitch [2]. Only this time the blue or dark color has been marked to do outside behavior instead of inside. When it detects that stitch [3] is a different color it will then drop stitch [3] instead of stitch [2]. This can be understood to be outside the border of the blue area instead of inside it. Which is why the terms inside and outside were selected.

FIG.13explains the thick setting. Consider the same situation but with the context stitch being [4]. Because now it is marked as thick the stitch [5] will be considered in addition to the thin stitches in the neighborhood. Remember on the neighborhood chart positions with a 1 are Thin, and 2 are Thick. If the blue or dark color was marked inside, then stitch [4] and stitch [6] will be removed because they are inside the blue area. If the blue or dark color was marked outside, then stitch [5] and [7] would be removed instead. Blue or dark is selected for purposes of these examples. Any color could be utilized as discussed herein.

Currently the interface is simplified to allow a user to specify thin or thick as shown inFIG.14, but this could be changed to anything that maps back to the numbers as used in the neighborhood. We could make an Extra-Thick that uses the 3 positions of the diamond or octagon neighborhoods. Eventually there may be a different neighborhood defined for each individual color instead of one that is presently used for everything.

The thick/thin interfaces have also evolved to include both think and thin considerations.FIGS.15-20show various situations of this embodiment.

Consider the stitch marked 1 as the current contest. If the blue color is marked to use outline void, then, and has been marked as using both behaviors then all stitches 1, 2 and 3 will be removed. 1 because it is inside the blue area but adjacent to a green stitch. When the contest is stitch 2 then it will also be removed because it borders on a blue pixel which is using both inside and outside behaviors. Stitch 3 will not be removed because we have indicated that we want thin and only thick would remove stitches in the vertical direction. Below is the same diagram but showing the finished product after each stitch has been considered the context. The stitches with X marked in them have been removed to create the void.

FIG.16shows blue thin and removal of both colors at the blue/green interface of a single stitch.FIG.17shows blue thin yarn and removal of the single stitch (inside) at the blue/green interface.FIG.18shows blue thick yarn and removal of two stitches (blue, inside) at the blue/green interface.FIG.19shows blue thin yarn and removal outside or one stitch of green at the blue/green interface. Finally,FIG.20shows blue thick yarn and removal two stitches from outside (or the green) at the blue/green interface. Other combinations of removal may be performed using the techniques taught herein.

Numerous alterations of the structure herein disclosed will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be understood that the present disclosure relates to the preferred embodiment of the invention which is for purposes of illustration only and not to be construed as a limitation of the invention. All such modifications which do not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.