阅读说明：本技术 绗缝机 (Quilting machine ) 是由 M·A·詹姆斯 T·L·迈尔斯 M·C·斯莫尔伍德 于 2018-04-30 设计创作，主要内容包括：用于绗缝织物的设备、方法和计算机程序产品。绗缝机(10)包括切割边缘(256)、弯针(76)和包括多个可选位置的调节器组件(88),该弯针提供线(202)以形成针迹。调节器组件(88)朝向弯针(76)和保持器(90)之间的线(202)延伸调节器(210)。当调节器(210)移动时,预定量的线(202)被调节器(210)从弯针(76)上拉开,以在弯针(76)和切割边缘(256)之间提供受控长度的线(202)。调节器(210)被配置成在开始绗缝图案之前移动到中间可选择位置,并且在开始绗缝图案之后从中间位置移动到另一可选择位置。(An apparatus, method and computer program product for quilting a web. The quilting machine (10) includes a cutting edge (256), a looper (76) that provides a thread (202) to form a stitch, and an adjuster assembly (88) including a plurality of selectable positions. The adjuster assembly (88) extends the adjuster (210) towards the line (202) between the curved needle (76) and the holder (90). As the adjuster (210) moves, a predetermined amount of the thread (202) is pulled away from the looper (76) by the adjuster (210) to provide a controlled length of the thread (202) between the looper (76) and the cutting edge (256). The adjuster (210) is configured to move to an intermediate selectable position before starting to quilt the pattern and to move from the intermediate position to another selectable position after starting to quilt the pattern.)

1. A quilting machine comprising:

a looper from which threads are provided to form stitches in a fabric; and

an adjuster having a plurality of selectable positions including a first position, a second position, and a third position between the first position and the second position, the adjuster configured to, when moved from the first position to the second position:

capturing a thread at a point between the looper and a last formed stitch in the fabric, an

A predetermined amount of thread is pulled from the looper.

2. The quilting machine of claim 1 wherein the first position is an extended position, the second position is a retracted position, and the third position is an intermediate position.

3. The quilting machine of claim 1, wherein the quilting machine is configured to move the adjuster from the second position to the first position in response to the wire being severed.

4. The quilting machine of claim 3, wherein the quilting machine is configured to move the adjuster from the first position to the third position prior to beginning to quilt a pattern.

5. The quilting machine of claim 4, wherein the quilting machine is configured to move the adjuster from the third position to the second position after a pattern is quilted starting.

6. The quilting machine of claim 1 wherein severing the thread produces a tail extending from the looper and the adjuster releases the tail when the adjuster moves from the second position to the first position.

7. The quilting machine of claim 1, further comprising:

an actuator coupled to the regulator and including a neutral state; and

a biasing mechanism configured to urge the adjuster to the third position when the actuator is in a neutral state.

8. The quilting machine of claim 7, wherein the biasing mechanism is configured to urge the adjuster from the first position to the third position.

9. The quilting machine of claim 7, wherein the biasing mechanism comprises:

an elastic member; and

a stop defining the third position.

10. The quilting machine of claim 9, wherein the stop defines the third position by limiting movement of the resilient member.

11. A method of quilting a web, the method comprising:

providing thread from a looper to form stitches in the fabric;

moving an adjuster from a first position to a second position, the movement of the adjuster from the first position to the second position capturing the thread at a point between the looper and a last formed stitch in the fabric and pulling a predetermined amount of thread from the looper;

moving the adjuster from the second position to the first position to release a tail of the wire extending from the looper; and

moving the adjuster from the first position to a third position between the first position and the second position after moving the adjuster from the second position to the first position.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first position is an extended position, the second position is a retracted position, and the third position is an intermediate position.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the adjuster moves from the second position to the first position in response to the wire being severed.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the adjuster is moved from the first position to the third position prior to starting to quilt the pattern.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the adjuster is moved from the third position to the second position after quilting the pattern begins.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

placing an actuator coupled with the regulator in a neutral state; and

urging the adjuster to the third position using a biasing mechanism.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the biasing mechanism urges the adjuster from the first position to the third position.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein urging the adjuster to the third position using the biasing mechanism comprises:

applying a force to the adjuster using a resilient member; and

the third position is defined using a stop.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the stop defines the third position by limiting movement of the adjuster.

20. A computer program product for controlling a quilting machine, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium; and

program code stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium, which when executed by one or more processors of a quilting machine, causes the quilting machine to:

providing thread from a looper to form stitches in the fabric;

moving an adjuster from a first position to a second position, the movement of the adjuster from the first position to the second position capturing the thread at a point between the looper and a last formed stitch in the fabric and pulling a predetermined amount of thread from the looper;

moving the adjuster from the second position to the first position to release the tail of the wire; and

moving the adjuster from the first position to a third position between the first position and the second position after moving the adjuster from the second position to the first position.

Technical Field

The invention relates to quilting, in particular to a high-speed quilting machine.

Background

Quilting is a sewing process by which layers of textile materials and/or other textiles are joined to produce a decorative and functional compressible face. The manufacture of certain products, such as mattress covers, involves the application of large scale quilting processes. These large scale quilting processes typically use high speed multi-needle quilting machines to form a series of panels along a web of multi-layered material. Large scale quilting processes typically use chain stitch sewing heads that produce a chain of elastic stitches provided by a large bobbin.

For non-continuous quilted patterns, when a pattern is quilted, the quilted product is moved relative to the sewing head to place the stitch forming element at the start of the new pattern. To avoid the entanglement of loose threads between the end of the previous pattern and the beginning of the new pattern, which would require manual trimming, the needles and/or looper threads may be cut after the previous pattern is sewn. However, severing the thread also increases the likelihood that the needle and/or looper will miss the thread.

When cutting the thread, sufficient thread length should be left to prevent needle and/or looper thread unraveling, but not so long that the thread tail protrudes from the finished quilted product. If the thread is too short, the needle or curved needle may be out of line, thereby forcing the quilting machine to stop until the thread can be re-broken. Conversely, if the thread is too long, the resulting quilted product may need to be trimmed manually before it can be used. If the length of the looper thread is insufficient, the needle thread may also have difficulty picking up the looper thread at the beginning of the next pattern, resulting in stitch omission.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved method, apparatus and computer program product for producing quilted products that allows for severing threads between patterns without causing the stitch head to miss or create a defective quilted product due to missing stitches at the beginning of the next pattern.

Disclosure of Invention

In an embodiment of the present invention, a quilting machine is provided. The quilting machine includes: a looper from which threads are provided to form stitches in a fabric/web (web); and an adjuster having a plurality of selectable positions including a first position, a second position, and a third position between the first position and the second position. The adjuster is configured to, when moving from the first position to the second position: capturing a thread at a point between the looper and a last formed stitch in the fabric, and pulling a predetermined amount of thread from the looper.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a method of quilting a web is provided. The method comprises the following steps: providing a thread from a looper to form a stitch in the fabric, and moving an actuator from a first position to a second position, the movement of the actuator from the first position to the second position capturing the thread at a point between the looper and the last formed stitch in the fabric and pulling a predetermined amount of thread from the looper. The method also includes moving the adjustor from the second position to the first position to release a tail of a thread extending from the curved needle, and moving the adjustor from the first position to a third position between the first position and the second position after moving the adjustor from the second position to the first position.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a computer program product for quilting a web is provided that includes a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. The storage medium includes program code configured to, when executed by one or more processors, cause a quilting machine to provide a thread from a looper to form a stitch in the fabric, and move an adjuster from a first position to a second position, wherein movement of the adjuster from the first position to the second position captures the thread at a point between the looper and a last formed stitch in the fabric and pulls a predetermined amount of thread from the looper. The program code also causes the quilting machine to move the adjuster from the second position to the first position to release the tail of the thread, and after moving the adjuster from the second position to the first position, move the adjuster from the first position to a third position between the first position and the second position.

The foregoing summary may present a simplified summary of some embodiments of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention discussed herein. This summary is not intended to provide an extensive overview of the invention, nor is it intended to identify any critical or essential elements or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate various embodiments of the invention and, together with a general description of the invention given above, and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary quilting machine in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the quilting machine of fig. 1 showing a web positioning system including: a plurality of rollers mounted to the carriage; and a plurality of sewing heads, each sewing head including a needle assembly and a looper assembly.

Fig. 3 and 4 are schematic views of the needle assembly and looper assembly of fig. 2, viewed from the side and front of the assembly.

Fig. 5 and 6 are schematic views of one of the needle assemblies of fig. 3 and 4, showing additional details of the needle assembly.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of the looper assembly of fig. 3 and 4 showing the looper, retainer and adjuster assembly.

Fig. 8A and 8B are perspective views of another portion of the looper assembly of fig. 3 and 4 showing a looper thread processor.

Fig. 9A to 9G are perspective views of the stitch forming elements of the needle assembly and looper assembly, illustrating the suturing process.

Fig. 9H to 9L are perspective views of the stitch forming element of fig. 9A to 9G, showing a thread cutting process.

Fig. 9M to 9Q are perspective views of the stitch forming element of fig. 9A to 9L, illustrating a process of resuming stitching.

Fig. 10A to 10Q are plan views respectively showing relative positions of stitch forming elements in each of fig. 9A to 9Q.

Fig. 11A to 11C are perspective views illustrating a regulator assembly according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the line cutting process of fig. 9H to 9L.

Fig. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a process of resuming stitching of fig. 9M to 9Q.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary controller that may be used to perform the processes of FIGS. 12-13.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented on single or multi-needle quilting machines. Each sewing head of the quilting machine includes a looper assembly. The looper assembly includes a cutter (e.g., a holder having a cutting edge); a looper having an eye from which looper threads are provided to form a chain stitch; and a regulator assembly. The adjuster assembly is configured to extend an adjuster to the looper thread at a point between where an eye of the looper intersects the looper thread and the retainer in response to actuation of a controller of the quilting machine. In response to the adjustor being moved (e.g., retracted or extended as appropriate), the looper thread is pulled away from the looper, thereby withdrawing a predetermined amount of thread from the looper. Thus, the regulator assembly provides a controlled length of thread between the looper and the cutter. This length of thread provides a tail of sufficient length to reduce the likelihood that the looper will be stripped after the looper thread is cut. The looper assembly may also include an air nozzle that provides air to the looper to assist in releasing the thread from the regulator after severing the thread and/or to position the thread to begin the next pattern.

In another aspect of the invention, each of the needle assembly and looper assembly may include a wire tensioner and a wire tensioning monitor having a lift arm. The thread tension monitor can be configured to monitor tension in the respective needle or looper thread and to generate a signal to shut down the quilting machine in response to detecting a loss of tension. The lift arm may be activated by the controller to disable the thread tensioning monitor so that a loss of tension in the sewing head does not shut down the quilting machine. The needle assemblies may also include a wire clamp that clamps the needle wires in response to a signal from the controller, thereby enabling the controller to increase the tension on each needle assembly independently of the tension provided by the tensioner. The lift arm and clamp may assist the controller in deactivating one or more sewing heads. For example, the controller may deactivate one or more sewing heads when the quilting machine is being used to quilt patterns that do not require the use of deactivated sewing heads.

Fig. 1 and 2 provide a perspective view and a cross-sectional view along line 2, respectively, of a multi-needle quilting machine 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The quilting machine 10 may be used, for example, to quilt webs of multi-layer materials, such as used in the manufacture of mattress covers. The quilting machine 10 is constructed on a frame 12, the frame 12 having an upstream or input end 14 positioned adjacent a lower portion of the frame 12 and a downstream or output end 16 positioned adjacent an upper portion of the frame 12. A web 18 comprising a plurality of material layers (e.g., a facing layer, a fill layer, and a liner layer) is provided from a supply station 20 and enters the quilting machine 10 at an input 14. The quilting machine 10 includes at least one motor 22 that provides a power source for operating the quilting machine 10. The power may be provided to the various components of the quilting machine 10 by one or more drive systems, such as drive system 24. Exemplary methods and systems for powering quilting machines are described in more detail in U.S. patent nos. 5,154,130 and 7,143,705, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The input 14 of the quilting machine 10 can include one or more entry rollers 26-29 configured to receive the web 18. The entry rollers 26-29 can include idler rollers that direct the web 18 to a set of upstream driven rollers 30-33. The upstream drive rollers 30-33 are configured to pull the web into the input end 14 of the quilting machine 10 and to provide the web 18 to the sewing area. A set of downstream drive rollers 34-38 at the output end 16 of the quilting machine 10 pull the web 18 through the sewing area and discharge the quilted web 18 into a collection station 40. Each of the rollers 26-38 is rotatably mounted on a carriage 42, the carriage 42 being configured to move laterally relative to the frame 12 of the quilting machine 10 in response to signals from a controller 44. The controller 44 may control the lateral position of the fabric 18 in the sewing area by adjusting the position of the carriage 42.

The fabric 18 passes between a platen 46 and a needle plate 48, the platen 46 and the needle plate 48 defining a quilting plane 50 in the stitching region between the upstream drive rollers 30-33 and the downstream drive rollers 29-38. The drive rollers 30-38 can cooperate to provide tension to position the portion of the fabric 18 between the platen 46 and the needle plate 48. To this end, the drive rollers 30-38 may be linked to drive motors and/or brakes in response to signals from the controller 44. The controller 44 can control the movement and tension of the web 18 through the quilting machine 10, particularly in the quilting plane 50, to position the web 18 in both the longitudinal and lateral directions within the quilting plane 50 using the drive rollers 30-38 and by adjusting the position of the carriage 42.

The position and motion of components of the quilting machine 10 can be described using a coordinate system 52, the coordinate system 52 including an x-axis 54, a y-axis 56, and a z-axis 58. An x-axis 54 of the coordinate system 52 is aligned with the quilting plane 50 in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal movement of the web 18 between the platen 46 and the needle plate 48. The y-axis 56 of the coordinate system 52 is aligned with the quilting plane 50 in a direction perpendicular to the x-axis 54 and parallel to the lateral movement of the web 18 provided by the lateral movement of the carriage 42. A z-axis 58 of the coordinate system 52 is perpendicular to both the x-axis 54 and the y-axis 56 and is orthogonal to the quilting plane 50.

One or more needle assemblies 60 and looper assemblies 62 may be mounted to a common support structure 64 that couples the assemblies 60, 62 to the frame 12. Support structure 64 positions each needle assembly 60 on the needle-facing side of platen 46 and each looper assembly 62 on the looper-facing side of needle plate 48. Each needle assembly 60 is provided with thread from a respective needle thread spool 66 and each looper assembly 62 is provided with thread from a respective looper thread spool 68. Each needle assembly 60 is positioned opposite a corresponding looper assembly 62 to form a sewing head 70. The needle assembly 60 and looper assembly 62 of each sewing head 70 may be configured to cooperate to form a series of double-lock chain stitches in the fabric 18 using the thread provided by the needle thread spool 66 and looper thread spool 68.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of sewing heads 70 are mounted to the support structure 64 in one or more rows (e.g., two rows), each row including a plurality of sewing heads 70 (e.g., seven or more) spaced laterally along the row. The lateral spacing in each row may be selected such that each sewing head 70 is offset from its adjacent sewing head by a fixed distance d along the y-axis 56₁(e.g., 12 inches), the distance d₁Corresponding to twice the minimum distance between quilted patterns that can be produced by the quilting machine 10. In addition, the sewing heads 70 in adjacent rows may be offset from each other by another fixed distance d along the y-axis 56₂(e.g., 6 inches), the distance d₂Corresponding to the minimum distance between quilted patterns that can be produced by the quilting machine 10. The rows of sewing heads 70 may be arranged longitudinally such that each row is offset from its adjacent row by a fixed distance d along the x-axis 54₂. This spacing may enable the quilting machine 10 to simultaneously produce patterns with a minimum spacing by synchronized operation of the sewing heads 70.

The rollers 26-38 and carriage 42 may be configured to provide bi-directional movement of the fabric 18 relative to the sewing head 70 on both the x-axis 54 and the y-axis 56. In operation, the controller 44 may cause the quilting machine 10 to sequentially reciprocate the web 18 relative to the sewing head 70 in both the longitudinal (x-axis 54) direction and the transverse (y-axis 56) direction to stitch a 360 degree pattern on the web 18. The material accumulator can be used to facilitate movement through the portion of the fabric 18 between the platen 46 and the needle bar 48 in the fore-aft direction by the drive rollers 30-38 without changing the direction of the entire length of the fabric 18. With this structure, the controller 44 can use the drive rollers 30-38 to move the fabric 18 longitudinally in a front or rear direction, reciprocate laterally by moving the carriage 42, and selectively open and close the respective sewing heads 70 in various combinations and sequences to sew various quilted patterns.

Although the movement of the sewing head 70 relative to the fabric 18 is described herein as being accomplished by holding the sewing head 70 stationary and moving the fabric 18 relative to the frame 12, it should be understood that such relative movement may also be achieved by moving the sewing head 70 relative to the frame 12 while holding the fabric 18 stationary, or by a combination of the sewing head 70 and the movement of the fabric 18 relative to the frame 12 of the quilting machine 10. Embodiments of the present invention are therefore not limited to quilting machines 10 in which the sewing head 70 remains stationary while the fabric 18 moves relative to the frame 12.

Fig. 3 and 4 show respective front and side views of two sewing heads 70, the two sewing heads 70 being in each of two longitudinally spaced rows. The needle assembly 60 of each sewing head 70 is configured to reciprocate the needle 72 in a generally linear path along its axis 74 perpendicular to the quilting plane 50. The respective looper assembly 62 is configured to oscillate the looper 76 in a plane that is generally perpendicular to the quilting plane 50 and intersects the path of the needle 72. The platen 46 is coupled to the presser drive shaft 78 by a presser linkage 80, which presser linkage 80 moves the platen 46 linearly along the z-axis 58 to selectively compress and release the fabric 18 in response to rotation of the presser drive shaft 78.

Each needle assembly 60 receives thread from its corresponding thread spool 66 through a thread handler 82. The needle plate 48 supports the fabric 18 as the pattern is sewn to the fabric 18 to form the quilted product. The platen 46 and the stitch plate 48 each include a plurality of respective needle holes 84, 86 that are vertically aligned to allow the needles 72 to pass through the fabric 18 and extend below the stitch plate 48. The platen 46 is movable toward the needle plate 48 to press the fabric 18 against the needle plate 48 to hold the fabric 18 as the needles 72 extend through the fabric 18 and move upwardly to facilitate movement of the fabric 18.

The looper assembly 62 of each sewing head 70 is positioned below the corresponding needle assembly 60. Each looper assembly 62 includes a looper 76, an adjuster assembly 88, and a retainer 90 (fig. 7), and receives thread from a looper thread spool 68 through a looper thread processor 92. The looper assemblies 62 are laterally spaced apart on a looper shaft 94 and the looper shaft 94 is longitudinally spaced apart on the frame 12 of the quilting machine 10 such that each looper 76 is generally vertically aligned with the needle 72 of the corresponding needle assembly 60. A looper shaft 94 is pivotally mounted to the frame 12 and is configured to oscillate about an axis 96 of the looper shaft 94 in synchronization with the reciprocating motion of the needle 72. This synchronized oscillation causes the looper 76 to reciprocate in a vertical plane generally perpendicular to the quilting plane 50 and parallel to the motion of the needle 72.

Referring now to fig. 5 and 6, with continued reference to fig. 3 and 4, each needle assembly 60 includes a needle thread handler 82, a sub-frame 98, a needle driver 100, and a needle holder 102 that holds the needle 72. The subframe 98 may be rigidly mounted to or part of the support structure 64 and provide a mounting point for each of the other components of the needle assembly 60.

Needle drive 100 includes a linkage 104, an output pulley 106, an idler pulley 108, a crank pulley 110, a link 112, a reciprocating shaft 114, and a timing belt 116. The coupling device 104 may include a clutch or other mechanism configured to selectively engage and disengage the output pulley 106 from the drive system 24 in response to a signal from the controller 44. The coupling device 104 may thereby enable the controller 44 to independently activate and deactivate operation of each needle assembly 60. An exemplary linkage apparatus for a quilting machine is described in more detail in U.S. patent No.7,143,705.

The output pulley 106 is coupled to the crank pulley 110 by a timing belt 116, which timing belt 116 drives the crank pulley 110 in response to rotation of the output pulley 106. The idler pulley 108 provides tension to the timing belt 116 to maintain the positive engagement of the timing belt 116 with the output pulley 106 and the crank pulley 110.

Crank pulley 110 includes a pin 118 radially offset from the center of rotation of the crank pulley, pin 118 rotatably connected to a proximal end 120 of link 112. The distal end 122 of the link 112 is rotatably connected to a pin 124, the pin 124 extending from a reciprocating shaft 114 that is an extension of or otherwise coupled to the needle holder 102. The needle drive 100 is thus configured to reciprocate the needle holder 102 in a generally linear path perpendicular to the quilting plane 50 in response to rotation of the output pulley 106. To reduce the variation in tension on the thread 126 as the needle 72 reciprocates up and down to form stitches, the reciprocating shaft 114 may include a thread guide 128 through which the thread 126 passes from the thread processor 82 to the needle 72.

The needle thread processor 82 includes a thread clamp 130, a thread tensioner 132 and a thread tension monitor 134. Line clamp 130 includes an input line guide 136, a clamping mechanism 138, and an output line guide 140. The clamping mechanism 138 may include a reciprocating member 142 and a stationary member 146 coupled to an actuator 144. The reciprocating member 142 includes a clamping surface 148 facing and generally parallel to a corresponding clamping surface 150 of the stationary member 146. The input thread guide 136 is configured to receive the needle thread 126 from the needle thread spool 66 and cooperate with the output thread guide 140 to position the needle thread 126 between the gripping surface 148 of the reciprocating member 142 and the gripping surface 150 of the stationary member 146.

The actuator 144 of the clamping mechanism 138 is configured to selectively position the reciprocating member 142 in either a retracted position or an extended position. When the reciprocating member 142 is in the retracted position, there may be a gap between the gripping surface 148 of the reciprocating member 142 and the gripping surface 150 of the stationary member 146. When the reciprocating member 142 is in the extended position, the gap between the clamping surfaces 148, 150 may be reduced, compressing the needle thread 126 between the clamping surfaces 148, 150 with sufficient force to prevent the needle thread from moving freely through the wire clamp 130.

The position of one or more of the reciprocating member 142 and the stationary member 146 of the clamping mechanism 138 may be adjusted, for example, by using nuts to adjust the position of the reciprocating member 142 relative to the actuator 144 and/or to adjust the position of the stationary member 146 relative to the subframe 98. Such adjustability of the clamping mechanism 138 may enable an operator to set the size of the gap and/or the clamping pressure of the clamping mechanism 138 to a desired value.

The wire tensioner 132 may include an actuator 152, an elastic member 154, a fixed member 156, and a movable member 158. The fixed member 156 and the movable member 158 include friction surfaces 160, 162 that oppose each other. The movable member 158 may be coupled to a guide rod 164, which guide rod 164 is in turn connected to the elastic member 154 by a retainer 166. The retainer 166 may comprise a knurled nut or other suitable fastener that attaches to the distal end of the guide rod 164 and provides a surface against which the resilient member 154 presses when compressed. The tension provided by the resilient member 154 may be set by adjusting the position of the retainer 166 on the guide bar 164. For example, for embodiments including a knurled nut, the distal end of guide rod 164 may be threaded, and the position of retainer 166 may be adjusted by rotating the knurled nut relative to the threaded end until the desired tension is achieved. The lock nut may then be tightened against the knurled nut to lock the retainer 166 in place.

The resilient member 154 may include a spring coaxially located around the guide rod 164 and configured to urge the movable member 158 toward the fixed member 156. The needle thread 126 is positioned by one or more thread guides 168, 170, the thread guides 168, 170 aligning the needle thread 126 between the friction surfaces 160, 162. The friction surfaces 160, 162 apply friction to the needle thread 126 when urged into contact by the resilient member 154, creating tension as the thread is pulled downstream from the thread tensioner 132 to the needle 72. In response to activation of the controller 44, the actuator 152 applies a force to the guide bar 164 that reduces the tension provided by the resilient member 154 (e.g., by moving the retainer 166 away from the movable member 158), which may in turn reduce the tension on the needle thread 126. The thread tensioner 132 may be adjusted to control the tension on the needle thread 126, for example, by adjusting the position of the retainer 166 such that the elastic member 156 exerts varying amounts of pressure on the movable member 158.

The needle thread tensioner 132 may provide a desired thread tension in an activated state and provide minimal or no tension in a deactivated state. The controller 44 may cycle the needle thread tensioner 132 between an activated state and a deactivated state through activation of the actuator 152, such as by selectively applying pneumatic pressure to the actuator 152 to switch between a tension state during which a set tension is applied to the needle thread 126 and a release state during which no or minimal tension is applied to the needle thread 126.

The thread tension monitor 134 includes one or more (e.g., three) fixed thread guides 172 and 174 that define a path of travel 176 for the needle thread 126; a drop wire 178 coupled to the switch and having an aperture 180; and a lift arm 182 coupled to an actuator 184. In operation, the needle thread 126 may be passed through the fixed thread guide 172 and 174 of the thread tension monitor 134 and the eyelet 180 of the suspension thread 178. When the needle thread 126 is under tension, the thread forces the eyelet 180 to remain generally within or adjacent to the travel path 176 defined by the fixed thread guides 172 and 174, e.g., between the thread guides 172, 173. The suspension wire 178 may be biased (e.g., by gravity) to pivot in a direction that moves the eyelet 180 out of the travel path 176 without tension from the needle thread 126. In response to the suspension wire 178 pivoting beyond a predetermined angle indicative of a loss of tension in the needle wire 126, the switch may transition from a state indicative of sufficient tension (e.g., an open state) to a state indicative of a lack of sufficient tension (e.g., a closed state). The lack of tension on the needle thread 126 may indicate that the thread has been loosened, broken, or used up from the needle 72. Accordingly, the quilting machine 10 may be configured to cease operation in response to detecting a change in state in the switch indicating a lack of sufficient tension on the needle thread 126.

The lift arm 182 and the actuator 184 are configured such that when the sewing head 70 is operating, the lift arm 182 is normally maintained in a position that does not interfere with the pivotal movement of the suspension wire 178. In this case, the loss of tension on the needle thread 126 causes the suspension wire 178 to pivot out of the travel path 176 and trigger the switch. If the quilted pattern does not require the use of all of the sewing heads 70 of the quilting machine 10, the unnecessary sewing heads 70 may be taken off-line. In this case, the controller 44 may cause the actuator 184 to position the lift arm 182 on the off-line sewing head 70 such that the lift arm 182 blocks the pivotal movement of the suspension wire 178. In this case, the lack of tension in the needle thread 126 does not cause the suspension thread 178 to pivot out of the travel path 176 because the lift arm blocks the pivoting movement of the suspension thread 178. The actuated lift arms 182 prevent accidental shutdown of the quilting machine 10 during periods when the needle 126 of the deactivated sewing head 70 is loose or during intentional under-tension operation on the needle 126.

Fig. 7 depicts a portion of the looper assembly 62 including a looper 76, an adjuster assembly 88, and a retainer 90. In an embodiment of the present invention, the looper assembly 62 may further comprise an optional air nozzle 185 configured to direct air 187 at the looper 76. The looper 76 includes a needle guard 186 and a retainer 188 that couples the looper 76 to the looper shaft 94. The needle guard 186 is configured to prevent the descending needle 72 from deviating from the needle facing side 190 of the advancing curved needle 76. The needle guard 186 thus increases the likelihood that the descending needle 72 will rest on the needle facing side 190 of the curved needle 76 as compared to curved needle systems lacking this feature. Holding the needle 72 on the needle facing side 190 of the looper 76 may help the looper 76 pick up the needle thread 126 and thereby reduce the likelihood of needle skipping.

The looper 76 further includes a hook 192 having a pointed end 194 at a forward end thereof and a base 196 at a rearward end thereof, the hook 192 extending from the base 196. The hook 192 includes a longitudinal hole or channel that connects an opening 198 at the back or rear side of the looper 76 with an opening or eyelet 200 (fig. 9A) at the tip 194. The looper thread 202 from the looper thread spool 68 enters the opening 198 behind the looper 76 and exits the eye 200 of the looper 76. The air nozzle 185 may be configured to blow or blast air 187 at the opening 198 such that at least a portion of the air 187 flows through the aperture and out of the aperture 200 of the curved needle 76. The flow of air out of the eyelet 200 and/or around the hook 192 may be used to push the looper thread 202 outwardly away from the eyelet 200 of the looper 76 or otherwise position the thread 202.

The base 196 of the curved needle 76 can include a hole configured to receive the needle guard 186 and a set screw 204 to secure the needle guard 186 within the hole. The base 196 of the curved needle 76 may be secured to the curved needle holder 188 by a peg (not shown) extending from the bottom of the base 196 for insertion into a hole in the curved needle holder 188. Set screws 205, 206 may be used to secure the base 196 of the looper 76 to the looper holder 188. The set screw 204 and 206 may enable adjustment of the position of the base 196 of the curved needle 76 and/or the needle guard 186 so that the curved needle 76 and/or the needle guard 186 have the proper orientation relative to the needle 72.

The adjuster assembly 88 includes an adjuster 210, a base 212 having a channel 214, a linkage 216, and an actuator 218. The actuator 218 may include a reciprocating member 219 coupled to the linkage 216 by a coupling 221 and a force applying mechanism 223. The force application mechanism 223 may include a solenoid, a pneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, or the like, configured to selectively apply a force to the reciprocating member 219. Embodiments in which the force applying mechanism 223 is a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder may also include one or more (e.g., two) ports 225 fluidly connected to the cylinder.

The adjuster 210 may include a sheet metal strip having a hook 220 (e.g., a hook) at a front end of the strip, and a post protruding from a rear end of the strip. When extended, the hook 220 may be configured to engage the looper thread 202 such that when the adjuster 210 is retracted, the hook 220 pulls a predetermined amount of the looper thread 202 from the eyelet 200 of the looper 76.

The linkage 216 may include a generally L-shaped member having two arms 224, 226, the two arms 224, 226 intersecting at an angle (e.g., a right angle) to form a vertex 228. The linkage 216 may be pivotally mounted to the base 212 near the apex 228 by fasteners 229 and include a slot 230 at the end of the arm 224 and a slot (not shown) at the end of the arm 226. The fastener 229 may include a head 231 projecting generally outwardly from the apex 228 of the linkage 228.

The actuator 218 may have one or more activation states that urge the reciprocating member 219 to one or more selectable positions, e.g., an extended position, a retracted position, and/or one or more intermediate positions. The actuator 218 may also have a deactivated or neutral state in which the reciprocating member 219 may move between the extended and retracted positions, for example, in response to a push from a source other than the force applying mechanism 223.

For example, the actuator 218 may be a double acting actuator, wherein the force application mechanism 223 is configured to selectively apply a force to the reciprocating member 219 in a pushing or pulling direction. This selectively applied force may urge the reciprocating member 219 to either the extended position or the retracted position when the actuator 218 is in a respective one of two activated states, e.g., the extended state or the retracted state. The dual action actuator 218 may also include a neutral state in which the force applying mechanism 223 is not actively applying force to the reciprocating member 219.

In embodiments of the present invention, the force application mechanism 223 may include a transducer (e.g., one or more of a piston, diaphragm, magnet, electrical coil, etc.) that moves in response to a stimulus, such as pressure from a fluid, an applied current, or some other suitable stimulus. For embodiments using a fluid, the extended state may be enabled by providing pressurized fluid (e.g., compressed air) to one port 225 coupling the pressurized fluid to the side of the transducer opposite the reciprocating member 219, and allowing the fluid to escape from the other port 225 coupling the side of the transducer facing the reciprocating member 219. Thus, by applying pressurized fluid, the force applying mechanism 223 may be caused to extend the reciprocating member 219 outward from the actuator 218. The retracted state may be enabled by providing pressurized fluid to a port 225 that couples the pressurized fluid to a side of the transducer facing the reciprocating member 219 and allowing fluid to escape from the port 225 coupled to the opposite side of the transducer from the reciprocating member 219. Thus, by applying pressurized fluid, the force applying mechanism 223 may be caused to retract the reciprocating member 219 inwardly towards the actuator 218. The neutral state may be entered by allowing fluid to escape and/or enter both ports 225 of the force applying mechanism 223, such as by coupling each port 225 to atmospheric pressure. Placing the actuator 218 in a neutral state may thereby allow the reciprocating member 219 to move with relatively little resistance from the force applying mechanism 223.

For embodiments using current to activate the actuator 218, the extended state may be activated by providing current to the transducer in a direction that causes the forcing mechanism 225 to extend the reciprocating member 219, the retracted state may be activated by providing current to the transducer in a direction that causes the forcing mechanism 225 to retract the reciprocating member 219, and the neutral state may be entered when no current is applied to the transducer, for example, when the input to the forcing mechanism 223 is open circuit.

Controller 44 may selectively provide pressurized fluid to port 225 and/or allow fluid to escape from port 225 by transmitting one or more signals to one or more valves. In response to receiving the signal, one or more valves may selectively couple the port 225 to a source of pressurized fluid and/or allow fluid to escape/enter the port 225 from the port 225, such as by coupling a selected port 225 to the atmosphere or a suitable container. For embodiments using electrical current, the controller 44 may selectively provide electrical current to the transducers by transmitting one or more signals to one or more switches that selectively couple the transducers to a suitable source of electrical current.

Although depicted as pulling a predetermined amount of the looper thread 202 upon retraction, embodiments of the present invention are not limited to this configuration. For example, in an alternative embodiment, the adjuster assembly 88 may be configured to pull a predetermined amount of the looper thread 202 from the looper 76 by extending the adjuster 210. In this alternative embodiment, the hook 220 may be provided by a notch in the regulator 210 rather than a hook, and the regulator assembly 88 and/or the cutting edge 256 may be positioned on the opposite side of the curved needle 76 from that shown in fig. 9A and 10A.

The post 222 of the adjuster 210 pivotally/slidably engages the slot 230 in the arm 224 and the reciprocating member 219 of the actuator 218 pivotally/slidably engages the slot in the arm 226, thereby causing the adjuster 210 to move (extend or retract) in response to corresponding movement of the reciprocating member 219 via the actuator 218. The adjuster 210 may be retained in the channel 214 by a plate 234, the plate 234 having a slot 236 through which the post 222 of the adjuster 210 extends to engage the slot 230 of the arm 224. The plate 234 may be held in place against the base 212 by one or more fasteners 238. The adjuster assembly 88 may be configured such that when the adjuster 210 is extended, it passes between the looper 76 and the needle facing side of the needle plate 48 to hook the looper thread 202. When retracted, the adjuster 210 may pull the looper thread 202 to create a predetermined amount of slack in the looper thread 202 between the eye 200 of the looper 76 and the last stitch formed in the fabric 18.

As best shown in fig. 10A, with continued reference to fig. 7, retainer 90 may include a notch 246 formed by the apex of teeth 248 and a lobe 250 at the forward end of retainer 90, and a recessed portion 254 formed on the looper facing side of retainer 90. The recessed portion 254 of the retainer 90 may include a cutting edge 256 adapted to cut away one or more of the needle threads 126 or looper threads 202. The rear end of the retainer 90 may form a bracket that couples the retainer 90 to the rigid rod 260. The holders 90 of looper assemblies 62 corresponding to each row of sewing heads 70 may be ganged together by respective rigid rods 260 (e.g., one rod 260 per row). Holder 90 is synchronously movable by rigid rod 260 in a closed loop path around needle bore 86 of needle bar 48 in a plane substantially perpendicular to the path of needle 72 and intersecting a vertical plane defined by the reciprocating angular motion of looper 76.

Fig. 8A and 8B depict a pair of looper thread processors 92 in different states, respectively. Each looper thread processor 92 includes a thread tensioner 262, a thread tension monitor 264 and a pull-out mechanism 266, which are coupled to the support structure 64 by a mounting plate 268. In the illustrated embodiment, the pull-out mechanism 266 is shared by multiple (e.g., two) looper thread processors 92 mounted to a mounting plate 268. However, embodiments of the present invention may include looper thread handlers 92 each having its own pull-out mechanism 266, and the present invention is not limited to looper thread handlers 92 sharing either a pull-out mechanism 266 or a mounting plate 268.

The wire tensioner 262 includes an actuator 272, a resilient member 274, a fixed member 276 and a movable member 278. The fixed member 276 and the movable member 278 include mutually opposing friction surfaces (not visible) configured to resist movement of the looper thread 202 when the friction surfaces are urged into confronting engagement by the resilient member 274 in a manner similar to that described above with respect to the thread tensioner 132 of the thread handler 82.

The movable member 278 may be coupled to the actuator 272 and biased toward the fixed member 276 by the resilient member 274 such that the friction surface selectively provides tension to the looper thread 202. The wire tensioner 262 may provide a desired wire tension in an activated state and provide minimal or no tension in a deactivated state. The controller 44 may cycle the wire tensioner 262 between an activated state and a deactivated state through activation of the actuator 272, such as by selectively applying air pressure to the actuator 272. The application of this air pressure can switch the thread tensioner 262 between a tensioned state during which a set tension is applied to the looper thread 202 and a released state during which substantially no tension or minimal tension is applied to the looper thread 202.

The looper thread 202 may be received from a looper thread spool 68 and guided to a thread tensioner 262 by one or more thread guides 270, 271. After exiting the thread tensioner 262, the looper thread 202 may pass through a thread tension monitor 264 and a pull-out mechanism 266 before being provided to the respective looper 76. Although the thread tension monitor 264 is shown in fig. 8A and 8B upstream of the pulling mechanism 266, the invention is not so limited and embodiments of the invention may include a looper thread processor 92 having the thread tension monitor 264 downstream of the pulling mechanism 266.

The thread tension monitor 264 of the looper thread processor 92 may be configured similarly to the thread tension monitor 134 of the needle thread processor 82 and include one or more (e.g., three) fixed thread guides 284 and 286 that define a path of travel 290 for the looper thread 202. The wire tension monitor 264 may further include a suspension wire 292 coupled to the switch and having an eyelet 294 and a lift arm 296 coupled to an actuator 298. In operation, the looper thread 202 may pass through the fixed thread guides 284 and 286 of the thread tension monitor 264 and the eyelet 294 of the suspension thread 292. When the looper thread 202 is under tension, it causes the eyelet 294 to remain generally within or adjacent to the path of travel 290 defined by the fixed thread guides 284 and 286. In the absence of tension from the looper thread 202, the suspension thread 292 may be biased to pivot in a direction to move the eyelet 294 out of the path of travel 290.

In response to the suspension wire 292 pivoting beyond a predetermined angle indicating a loss of tension in the looper wire 202, the switch may transition from a state indicating sufficient tension (e.g., an open state) to a state indicating a lack of sufficient tension (e.g., a closed state). The lack of tension on the looper thread 202 may indicate that the thread has been loosened, broken or used up from the looper 76. Accordingly, operation of the quilting machine 10 may be stopped in response to detecting a change in state of the switch indicating a lack of sufficient tension on the looper thread 202.

The lift arm 296 and the actuator 298 may be configured such that when the sewing head 70 is operating, the lift arm 296 is normally maintained in a position that does not interfere with the pivotal movement of the suspension wire 292. In this case, the loss of tension on the looper thread 202 causes the messenger 292 to pivot out of the travel path 290 and trigger a switch, as depicted by the lift arm 296 on the right in fig. 8A and 8B. If the quilted pattern does not require the use of all of the sewing heads 70 of the quilting machine 10, the unnecessary sewing heads 70 may be taken off-line. In this case, the controller 44 may cause the actuator 298 to position the lift arm 296 on the off-line sewing head 70 such that the lift arm 296 blocks the pivotal movement of the suspension wire 292, as depicted by the lift arm 296 on the left side in fig. 8A and 8B.

When the lift arm 296 is positioned to obstruct the wire 292, the lack of tension on the looper wire 202 does not cause the wire 292 to pivot out of the travel path 290 because the lift arm 296 is present in the path of the wire 292. Thus, the lift arm 296 can be used to prevent the quilting machine 10 from being inadvertently shut down in the event that the looper thread 202 of the deactivated sewing head 70 becomes loose or otherwise loses tension. Prior to or concurrently with operation of the pull-out mechanism 266, the controller 44 may also cause the actuator 298 to position the lift arm 296 to block the pivotal movement of the wire 292.

The pull-out mechanism 266 includes an actuator 300, a puller 302 coupled to the actuator 300 by a link 304, and a fixed member 306 configured to position the link 304 relative to the mounting plate 268. The stationary member 306 may include a channel through which the linkage 304 reciprocates along a substantially linear path 308 in response to activation of the actuator 300. The wire guides 310, 312 can be coupled to the fixed member 306 and configured such that when the puller 302 of the pull-out mechanism 266 is in the retracted position, the looper wire guides 310, 312 are substantially aligned with the looper wire guide 314 coupled to the puller 302.

In response to activation of the actuator 300 by the controller 44, the puller 302 of the pull-out mechanism 266 can be moved from the retracted position shown in FIG. 8A to the extended position shown in FIG. 8B. The resulting movement of the wire guide 314 of the puller 302 relative to the fixed wire guides 310, 312 may result in a length of looper wire 202 being pulled from the looper wire spool 68. To facilitate pulling this length of looper thread 202 from the looper thread spool 68, the controller 44 may cause the thread tensioner 262 of the looper thread processor 92 to release or reduce the tension on the looper thread 202 prior to activation of the actuator 300. The length of looper thread 202 pulled by the pulling mechanism 266 when the pulling mechanism 266 is extended can provide a controlled amount of slack between the looper 76 and the looper thread processor 92 when the puller 302 of the pulling mechanism 266 is retracted. The controller 44 may also activate the actuator 298 of the thread tension monitor 264 prior to retracting the puller 302 of the pulling mechanism 266 to prevent the slack created in the looper thread 202 from triggering (tripping) the thread tension monitor 264 of the looper thread processor 92.

The position of the needle 72 can be described in terms of the angular position of the crank pulley 110. For reference purposes, the position of the crank pulley 110 is considered to be in the 0 degree position when the needle 72 is in its most extended position along its axis 74 through the quilting plane 50, or its Bottom Dead Center (BDC) position. The crank pulley 110 is at 180 degrees when the needle 72 is in its most retracted position or Top Dead Center (TDC) position above the quilting plane 50 along its axis 74. Since the movement of the looper 76 and the holder 90 is synchronized with the movement of the needle 72, the angular position of the crank pulley 110 also defines the position of these elements. Thus, the orientation of the needle 72, the looper 76 and the retainer 90 or "stitch forming element" 72, 76, 90 may be fully defined as a function of the angular position of the crank pulley 110, with each stitch cycle starting from a reference position of 0 degrees and repeating once every 360 degrees of rotation.

Fig. 9A and 10A provide perspective and top views, respectively, illustrating the position of stitch forming elements 72, 76, 90 at a point in the stitch cycle associated with the 0 degree position of crank pulley 110. In this position, the needles 72 extend completely through the fabric 18 and the needle holes 86 of the needle bar 48. The curved needle 76 is in its most rearward position (i.e., its most extended position in the positive direction of the x-axis 54), and the holder 90 is in its leftmost position (i.e., its most extended position in the positive direction of the y-axis 56) when viewed from behind the curved needle 76. The needle thread 126 passes through a hole 316 of the needle 72 near its tip and extends from the opposite side of the needle 72 to the last stitch 318 formed. The looper thread 202 extends from the tip 194 of the hook 192 to the last stitch 318 formed, which is now fully formed but can remain secured.

As the stitch cycle moves forward from the 0 degree position, the needle 72 begins to retract by moving in a positive direction relative to the z-axis 58 along its axis 74, and as the curved needle 76 rotates about the axis 96 of the curved needle shaft 94, the curved needle 76 begins to move forward in a negative direction relative to the x-axis 54. At the same time, the retainer 90 begins to travel around the closed path while maintaining its orientation. In the illustrated embodiment, the forward path of the retainer 90 is a clockwise circular motion in the horizontal x-y plane such that the lobes 250 of the retainer 90 generally spiral about the axis 74 of the needle 72.

At about the 40 degree point in the stitch cycle, forward rotation of the drive pulley 110 moves the stitch forming elements 72, 76, 90 to the positions shown in fig. 9B and 10B. At this point, the tip 194 of the hook 192 passes laterally against the looper face of the needle 72 and slides between the thread 126 and the needle 72 as it enters from the stitch side of the needle 72. Concurrently with this movement, the fabric 18 begins to move in a pattern direction, depicted as a downstream or positive direction along the x-axis 54, as determined by a pattern control program in the controller 44.

Referring to fig. 9C and 10C, as the crank pulley 110 approaches a point of approximately 100 ° in the stitch cycle, the fabric 18 has moved approximately one-half of the stitch relative to the needle 72, the needle thread 126 has formed a loop around the hook 192 of the looper 76, and the looper thread 202 has been pulled forward by the tip 194 of the hook 192 a sufficient distance to pass through the loop of the needle thread to enter the notch 246 of the retainer 90. Fig. 9D and 10D depict stitch forming elements 72, 76, 90 entering approximately 180 degrees of a stitch cycle. At this point, the needle 72 reaches its most retracted position, the looper 76 reaches its most forward position, the retainer 90 reaches its most extended position in the negative direction of the y-axis 56, and the needle thread 126 engages the looper thread 202 in the notch 246 of the retainer 90.

The needle 72 passes through its TDC position and begins to extend back toward the fabric 18 by moving along its axis 74 in a negative direction relative to the z-axis 58. As shown in fig. 9E and 10E, when the crank pulley 110 reaches approximately the 270 degree position in the stitch cycle, the needle 72 begins to extend from the needle aperture 86 of the needle plate 48. At this point, the looper 76 moves rearward (e.g., in a positive direction relative to the x-axis 54), while the retainer 90 moves in a positive direction relative to the y-axis 56, thereby positioning the threads 126, 202 such that the threads move in a positive direction along the y-axis relative to the looper 76 and the needle 72. The movement of the retainer 90 opens a triangle 320 having sides defined by the needle thread 126, the hook 192 of the looper 76 and the looper thread 202.

As the stitch cycle continues, the tip of the needle 72 extends through the triangle 320 along the axis 74 with the stitch forming elements 72, 76, 90 reaching the position shown in fig. 9F and 10F, at a position of approximately 310 degrees of the crank pulley 110. It can be seen that the pointed end 194 of the hook 192 passes through the needle 72 such that the needle 72 is located between the hook 192 of the looper 76 and the retainer 90. At the approximately 340 degree position depicted in fig. 9G and 10G, the looper 76 has pivoted sufficiently rearward that the needle thread 126 has slid off the tip 194 of the hook 192 and now forms a loop around the looper thread 202. Shortly thereafter, the stitch forming element reaches the 0 degree or BDC position from which it can begin the next stitch cycle.

The stitch forming member continues to cycle through the positions of fig. 9A-9G and 10A-10G, one stitch per cycle as the web 18 moves relative to the stitch forming member in response to signals from the controller 44, thereby sewing the quilted pattern in the web 18. When the pattern is complete, the controller 44 may perform redirecting, cutting and repositioning operations that redirect the stitches and loopers at the end of the completed pattern so that the threads do not unravel.

Fig. 11A-11C illustrate an alternative embodiment of the regulator assembly 88 including a positioner 322. The regulator assembly 88 is depicted in a retracted position (fig. 11A), an intermediate position (fig. 11B), and an extended position (fig. 11C). The intermediate position is located between the retracted position and the extended position, e.g., midway between the retracted position and the extended position. The positioner 322 may be configured to position the linkage 216 (and thus the adjuster 210) in the neutral position when the actuator 218 is in the neutral state. To this end, the positioner 322 may include a biasing mechanism 323, the biasing mechanism 323 configured to urge the linkage 216 into the neutral position. The biasing mechanism 323 can include a resilient member (e.g., a torsion spring) having a proximal portion 324, a distal portion 325, and a resilient portion 326 (e.g., a coil) connecting the proximal and distal portions.

The proximal portion 324 and the distal portion 325 of the biasing mechanism 323 can have a deflection angle (e.g., 180 degrees) relative to each other when the resilient portion 326 is in a relaxed state. When the actuator 218 extends beyond the neutral position, the proximal portion 324 of the biasing mechanism 323 can contact the reciprocating member 219 and/or the coupler 221. The resilient portion 326 of the biasing mechanism 323 can be pivotably coupled to the base 212 by a fastener 327, the fastener 327 providing a fulcrum or pivot point about which the biasing mechanism 323 deflects in response to the proximal end portion 324 being biased away from the deflection angle by the actuator 218. The distal portion 325 may be held in a fixed position relative to the base 212 of the regulator assembly 88 by a retainer 328 such that deflection of the proximal portion 324 creates or increases tension in the resilient portion 326 of the biasing mechanism 323.

In operation, when the actuator 218 is in the retracted position, the proximal end portion 324 of the biasing mechanism 323 can engage the head 231 of the fastener 229, as shown in fig. 11A. The head 231 of the fastener 229 may provide a stop that limits the movement of the biasing mechanism 323. The stop may thus define the position of the proximal portion 324 of the biasing mechanism 323, and thus the position of the adjuster 210, when the actuator 218 is in the neutral state. Depending on the position of the stopper, the resilient portion 326 of the biasing mechanism 323 may have a residual amount of tension when the proximal portion 324 is in contact with the stopper.

In response to extension of the actuator 218, the reciprocating member 219 of the actuator 218 may engage the proximal portion 324 of the biasing mechanism 323 at approximately a neutral position. As the reciprocating member 219 continues to extend beyond the intermediate position toward the extended position, the proximal portion 324 may deflect away from the stop, as shown in FIG. 11C. This deflection may create tension in the resilient portion 326 of the biasing mechanism 323. This tension may cause the biasing mechanism 323 to provide a force opposing the outward movement of the reciprocating member 219. When the actuator 218 enters the neutral state from the extended state, the opposing force provided by the biasing mechanism 323 may urge the reciprocating member 219, and thus the adjuster 210, from the extended position toward the intermediate position, as shown in FIG. 11B.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the biasing mechanism 323 may be configured to provide a force opposing the inward movement of the reciprocating member 219 when the reciprocating member 219 is retracted past the intermediate position towards the retracted position. In this alternative embodiment, the fastener 229 may be configured such that it does not engage the proximal portion 324 of the biasing mechanism 323, thereby allowing the proximal portion 324 to be deflected toward the actuator 218 by the reciprocating member 219. In this embodiment, when the actuator 218 enters the neutral state from the retracted state, an opposing force may urge the linkage 216 from the retracted position to the intermediate position.

Although depicted as torsion springs in the exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 11A-11C, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the biasing mechanism 323 may include other types of springs, such as coil springs, leaf springs, and/or air springs, weights that move the reciprocating member in response to a pull of gravity, magnets, or any other suitable device for providing a mechanical bias to the adjuster 210, the linkage 216, and/or the reciprocating member 219.

Fig. 12 shows a flow chart depicting a process 330 that may be performed by controller 44 to sever one or more of the needle thread 126 and the looper thread 202 after completion of the redirecting sequence. Cutting the thread, and in particular the looper thread 202, may allow the controller 44 to reposition the web 18 to the start position of the next quilted pattern at a higher speed than a machine that does not cut the looper thread 202. In block 332, the process 330 moves the stitch forming elements 72, 76, 90 to an initial position, such as by advancing the stitch forming elements 72, 76, 90 to a BDC or 0 degree position.

The process 330 may proceed to block 334 and position the wires 126, 202 in the recessed portion 254 of the retainer 90. To do so, the process 330 may move the stitch forming elements 72, 76, 90 in opposite directions, for example, by rotating the crank pulley 110 backward a predetermined amount using the drive system 24. The predetermined amount of counter-rotation may be an amount sufficient to cause the portion of the needle thread 126 and looper thread 202 between the looper 76 and the fabric 18 to enter the recessed portion 254 of the retainer 90, such as 70 degrees. At the end of this movement, stitch-forming elements 72, 76, 90 and threads 126, 202 may be positioned as shown in fig. 9H and 10H.

The process 330 may proceed to block 336 and release the tension on the looper thread 202. The process 330 may release the tension on the looper thread 202 by activating the actuator 272 of the thread tensioner 262. In response, the actuator 272 may move the friction surface of the movable member 278 away from the friction surface of the fixed member 276 or press against the friction surface of the fixed member 276 with less force so that the looper thread 202 may pass through the thread tensioner 262 without encountering significant resistance.

In block 338, the process 330 pulls a predetermined amount of the looper thread 202 from the looper thread spool 68. To do so, the process 330 can extend the puller 302 of the pull-out mechanism 266 by activating its actuator 300. The resulting movement of the wire guide 314 of the puller 302 relative to the wire guides 310, 312 of the fixed member 306 pulls the looper wire 202 out of the looper wire spool 68.

Referring now to fig. 9I and 10I, with continued reference to fig. 12, in block 340 the process 330 extends the regulator 210 of the regulator assembly 88 by activating the actuator 218. The actuator 218 is activated to push the adjuster 210 in a negative direction along the y-axis 56 of the coordinate system 52 such that the adjuster 210 protrudes toward a point in the looper thread 202 between the eyelet 200 of the looper 76 and the recessed portion 254 of the retainer 90. The hook 220 of the adjuster 210 thus protrudes beyond the looper thread 202.

In block 342, the process 330 may release the tension on the needle thread 126 and provide slack to the curved needle 76. The process 330 may release the tension on the needle thread 126 by activating the actuator 152 of the needle thread tensioner 132, thereby reducing the pressure between the friction surface 162 of the movable member 158 and the friction surface 160 of the stationary member 156. The process 330 may also activate the actuator 298 of the wire tensioning monitor 264 to prevent the drop of the suspension wire 292 and inadvertent stoppage of the quilting machine 10. The process 330 may further retract the puller 302 of the pulling mechanism 266 by using the actuator 300 to provide slack to the looper thread 202 between the looper thread spool 68 and the looper 76.

In block 344, the process 330 pulls the looper wire 202 out of the looper 76 by activating the actuator 218 to retract the adjustor 210 of the adjustor assembly 88. As the adjuster 210 is retracted, the hook 220 of the adjuster 210 captures the looper thread 202 at a point between the eyelet 200 of the looper 76 and the cutting edge 256 of the retainer 90. As the hook 220 of the adjustor 210 continues to retract, the hook 220 pulls the looper thread 202 away from the looper 76 in a positive direction relative to the y-axis. By the time of full retraction, the adjuster 210 of the adjuster assembly 88 may have pulled a predetermined length of looper thread 202 between the fabric 18 and the eye 200 of the looper 76, as shown in fig. 9J and 10J. Pulling the looper thread 202 away from the looper 76 may shorten (take up) at least a portion of the slack between the looper thread spool 68 and the looper 76 and place a portion of the looper thread 202 in a cutting position, for example, in contact with or proximate to the cutting edge 256 of the retainer 90.

In block 346, the process 330 positions the stitch forming elements 72, 76, 90 in the TDC or 180 degree positions shown in fig. 9K and 10K. The process 330 may position the stitch forming elements 72, 76, 90 at TDC using the drive system 24 to rotate the crank pulley 110 backward approximately 110 degrees. Fully retracting the needle 72 may allow the fabric 18 to move relative to the sewing head 70.

In block 348, the process 330 cuts the needle thread 126 and/or looper thread 202 by moving the fabric 18. The process 330 may, for example, move the fabric 18 at a cutting speed in a positive direction (i.e., downstream) relative to the x-axis 54. Because the needle threads 126 and looper threads 202 are anchored to the fabric 18 by the flat stitches, the movement of the fabric 18 will pull the threads. When the thread tensioners 132, 262 apply little or no tension to their respective needle threads 126 and/or looper threads 202, the movement of the fabric 18 may draw the threads 126, 202 through the eye 316 of the needle 72 and/or the eye 200 of the looper 76, respectively. Conversely, when the thread tensioners 132, 262 apply tension, the movement of the fabric 18 may stretch the needle threads 126 and looper threads 202 across the cutting edge 256 of the retainer 90. In this case, the movement of the fabric 18 may cause the needle threads 126 and looper threads 202 to press against the cutting edge 256 of the retainer 90 to sever the threads with sufficient force. Thus, the process 330 may adjust the length of the thread 126, 202 between the last formed stitch 318 and the severed end by applying tension to the thread 126, 202 at different times relative to the movement of the fabric 18.

In alternative embodiments of the invention, process 330 may perform the blocks in a different order, eliminate some blocks, or add additional blocks. For example, the puller 302 of the pull-out mechanism 266 may be retracted after the adjuster 210 rather than before, or the pull-out mechanism 266 may be eliminated from use altogether. Additional steps may include waiting time between frames (e.g., 100-.

As shown in fig. 9L and 10L, each severed thread 126, 202 may include a corresponding length of thread or tail 350, 352 extending from the last formed stitch 318, and another tail 354, 356 extending from the eyelet 316 of the needle 72 and the eyelet 200 of the looper 76, respectively. As described above, waiting to activate one or more of the thread tensioners 132, 262 until after the fabric 18 has moved a distance relative to the needle 72 results in the tails 350, 352 having an increased length. Tension is applied to the threads 126, 202 as the fabric 18 advances, pulling the tensioned threads 126, 202 against the cutting edge 256 of the holder 90, cutting the threads 126, 202 from below the needle bar 48. The cut may be timed to leave a sufficient length of the tails 350, 352 on the back of the fabric 18 to prevent unraveling of the last formed stitch 318. The adjuster 210 may be configured to produce a tail 356 of the looper thread 202 of sufficient length to prevent thread dropout of the looper 76. The ends 350, 352 of the threads 126, 202 on the back of the fabric 18 will be located inside the bedding or furniture and therefore not visible in the finished product. In any event, after severing the thread, the process 330 may change the speed and/or direction of movement of the web 18 to position the web 18 at the beginning of the next quilted pattern.

Advantageously, the adjuster 210 may provide an additional controlled length of looper thread 202 between the eye 200 of the looper 76 and the cutting edge 256 of the retainer 90 as compared to a machine lacking this feature. This additional length may provide a tail 356 having a consistent controlled length trailing from the eyelet 200 of the curved needle 76. The increased length of tail 356 may in turn reduce the likelihood of needle 76 becoming dislodged. Machines lacking the adjuster 210 may forego cutting the looper thread 202 and allow thread 202 to be fed from the eyelet 200 of the looper 76 only when the fabric 18 moves from one pattern to the next to prevent the looper 76 from unthreading. In this case, because the downstream movement of the fabric 18 may be opposite to the direction in which the looper threads 202 are fed to the loopers 76, the looper threads 202 may be pulled through the loopers 76 at twice the speed of the fabric 18. This doubling of speed may further reduce the upper limit of the speed at which the fabric 18 can move from one pattern to the next without breaking the looper thread 202. By pulling the desired amount of looper thread 202 without moving the web 18 and achieving severing of the looper thread without significant risk of unthreading the looper 76, the adjuster 210 can cause the quilting machine 10 to move the web 18 between patterns at a higher speed than a machine lacking this feature.

Fig. 13 shows a flow chart depicting a process 360, which process 360 may be executed by the controller 44 to initiate quilting of a selected pattern after the process 330 is performed. The stitch forming elements 72, 76, 90 may initially be at TDC or 180 degrees as shown in fig. 9L and 10L so that the fabric 18 may be positioned at the starting position without interference from the needles 72.

In block 362, the process 360 may determine which sewing heads 70 are active and which are inactive for the selected pattern. The process 360 may make this determination, for example, based on a data file (e.g., a computer-aided design (CAD) file) that defines the locations and/or stitch paths of various patterns to be quilted in the web 18. The data file may be programmed into the controller 44 by an operator, for example, and/or received by the controller 44 from an external computing system.

In response to determining which sewing head 70 is to be activated, process 360 may engage the coupling 104 of each needle assembly 60 corresponding to the activated sewing head 70 and disengage and/or verify the disengagement of the coupling 104 for each needle assembly 60 corresponding to the deactivated sewing head 70. The process 360 may also activate the actuators 144 of the thread clamps 130 for the respective needle assemblies 60 for each sewing head 70 that is not used to quilt the selected pattern. In response to activation of the actuator 144, the clamping mechanism 138 may clamp the respective needle thread 126 of the deactivated sewing head 70 between the clamping surfaces 148, 150 of the thread clamp 130. The process 360 may thus prevent the needle thread 126 from moving when the pattern is quilted.

The wire clamp 130 may provide the controller 44 with independent control of the needle thread 126 in each needle assembly 60 so that the thread tensioner 132 of the needle thread processor 82 may be synchronously controlled by a single control signal. For example, the controller 44 may open/close a single valve that provides compressed air to the actuator 152 of each thread tensioner 132 to simultaneously control thread tensioning on the activated needle assembly 60 and rely on the thread clamp 130 to prevent thread from being pulled from the needle thread spool 66 associated with the deactivated needle assembly 60. The process 360 may also activate the actuator 184 to raise the lift arm 182 of the wire tension monitor 134 for each deactivated needle assembly 60. This may prevent the quilting machine 10 from being inadvertently stopped due to insufficient tension on the needle thread 126 of the deactivated needle assembly 60.

Although the looper 76 and the retainer 90 of the looper assembly 62 are generally described as being jointly coupled to the motor 22 by the looper shaft 94 and the rigid rod 260, respectively, embodiments of the present invention are not limited to this configuration. Alternative embodiments of the invention may include machines in which the loopers 76 and holders 90 are independently coupled to the drive system 24, or are otherwise independently driven. In these alternative embodiments, process 360 may also deactivate looper assembly 62 of each deactivated sewing head 70 by activating/deactivating one or more motors or linkages.

Advantageously, deactivating the unused needle assemblies 60 may reduce wear of the needle assemblies 60, as well as reduce energy consumption and/or noise generated by the quilting machine 10, as compared to machines lacking this feature. Once needle assembly 62 of sewing head 70 is coupled and/or decoupled from drive system 24, process 360 may wait for a period of time (e.g., 500 ms). During this waiting period, the process 360 may verify that each needle 72 of the enabled sewing head 70 is at TDC.

In block 364, the process 360 may release the tail 356 of the looper thread 202. To do so, the process 360 may move the stitch forming elements 72, 76, 90 forward a predetermined amount, such as by advancing the crank pulley 110 approximately 80 to 260 degrees. Concurrently with or subsequent to such forward movement of stitch forming members 72, 76, 90, process 360 may extend actuator 210, thereby releasing tail 356 of looper thread 202. The tail 356 may relax to a position such that the tail 356 extends from the eye 200 of the looper 76 generally upstream of the needle aperture 86 of the needle plate 48, as shown in fig. 9M and 10M.

For embodiments of the invention that include an air nozzle 185, the process 360 may also blow air 187 out of the nozzle 185 to help release the tail 356 of the looper thread 202 from the hook 220 and/or position the tail 356 to be picked up by the thread 126 when sewing resumes. In any case, the process 360 may wait a period of time (e.g., 250ms) after the regulator 210 is extended to allow the tail 356 to reach its relaxed state. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, process 360 may skip block 364, allowing regulator 210 to maintain control of tail 356. In this alternative embodiment, the holder assembly 88 may be configured such that the looper thread 202 is positioned relative to the needle 72 in a manner that increases the likelihood that the looper thread 202 will be picked up by the thread 126 when the stitch is resumed.

In block 366, the process 360 may position the stitch forming element 72, 76, 90 at the 0 degree or BDC position. Such repositioning of the stitch forming elements 72, 76, 90 may be accomplished by moving the stitch forming elements 72, 76, 90 forward a predetermined amount, such as about 100 degrees. As the element advances, the needle 72 may advance through the fabric 18, pulling the tail 354 of the needle thread 126 at least partially through the fabric 18. At the same time, looper 72 may move rearward, pulling tail 356 of looper thread 20 away from hook 220 of regulator 210. Once the stitch forming element has reached BDC, the process 360 may retract the regulator 210 to position the stitch forming elements 72, 76, 90 as shown in FIGS. 9N and 10N. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the air flow 187 from the air nozzle 185 may be provided continuously or intermittently until the regulator 210 is retracted to ensure that the tail 356 of the looper thread 202 is released by the hook 220 and remains free. To this end, the air flow provided by the air nozzle 185 through the hole connecting the opening 198 and the eyelet 200 of the looper 76 and around the looper 76 may push the tail 364 of the looper thread 200 to a position where the tail 364 is moved away from the hook 220 when the tail 364 is retracted.

At block 368, the process 360 may perform a tail elimination procedure such that the tail 354 of the stitch 126 remains on the bottom surface of the web 18 at the beginning of the quilted pattern. As shown in fig. 9N, the tail 354 of the needle thread may initially extend from the eyelet 316 of the needle 72 through the fabric 18 such that a portion of the tail 354 protrudes from the front side of the fabric 18. To initiate the tail elimination procedure, the process 360 may advance the stitch forming elements 72, 76, 90 by a predetermined amount (e.g., 180 degrees) to the TDC positions depicted in fig. 9P and 10P. As the stitch forming elements 72, 76, 90 advance, the hooks 196 of the loopers 76 may pass between the needle threads 126 and the needles 72, as previously described with respect to fig. 9B-9D. At the TDC position, the needle thread 126 may form a loop around the hook 196 of the looper 76, and the tail 354 of the needle thread 126 may extend from the looper 76 to the front side of the fabric 18.

The process 360 may increase the resistance provided by the wire clamp 130 and/or the wire tensioner 132 when the stitch forming elements 72, 76, 90 are in the TDC position. The process 360 may then move the fabric 18 a distance sufficient to pull the tail 354 of the needle thread 126 completely through the fabric 18, as shown in fig. 9Q and 10Q. Process 360 may then return fabric 18 to its previous position and, in response, tail 354 of needle thread 126 may drop through needle hole 86 of needle bar 48. Process 360 may then set needle tensioner 132 and looper thread tensioner 262 to the stitch height, lock the coupling, and then resume sewing.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention in which the regulator assembly 88 has an intermediate position between the extended position and the retracted position, the process 360 may release the tail 356 of the looper thread 202 by moving the stitch forming element 72, 76, 90 forward a different predetermined amount (e.g., by advancing the crank pulley 110 about 180 degrees to the BDC or 0 degree position) in block 364. Concurrently with or after the forward movement of stitch forming elements 72, 76, 90, process 380 may extend actuator 210, thereby releasing tail 356 of looper thread 202. Tail 356 may relax to a position that causes tail 356 to extend from eye 200 of looper 76 generally upstream of needle aperture 86 of needle plate 48, as generally shown in fig. 9N and 10N. After waiting a period of time (e.g., 100ms), the regulator 210 may be placed in an intermediate position. Positioning the knob 210 in the neutral position may reduce the likelihood that the tail 356 fails to release from the knob 210 or is recaptured by the knob 210. The adjuster 210 may be placed in the neutral position by having the actuator 218 actively position the adjuster 210 in the neutral position or by placing the actuator 218 in neutral and allowing the adjuster to move to the neutral position, for example, via the biasing mechanism 323.

In response to positioning the governor 210 in the neutral position, the process 360 may wait an additional period of time (e.g., 250ms) to release the tail 356 before proceeding. Because the stitch forming elements 72, 76, 90 are already in the BDC position, the process 360 may then skip block 366 and proceed directly to block 368. The process 360 may hold the adjuster 210 in the neutral position until after resuming stitching in block 370. After the stitch forming elements 72, 76, 90 have been advanced a predetermined amount (e.g., four cycles), the process 360 may cause the actuator 218 to fully retract the adjustor 210.

Referring now to fig. 14, the controller 44 may include a processor 400, a memory 402, an input/output (I/O) interface 404, and a human-machine interface (HMI) 406. Processor 400 may include one or more devices configured to manipulate signals (analog or digital) based on operational instructions stored in memory 402. Memory 402 may include a single memory device or multiple memory devices, including but not limited to Read Only Memory (ROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, a hard drive, optical storage, mass storage, or any other device capable of storing data.

The processor 400 may operate under the control of an operating system 408, which may reside in the memory 402. The operating system 408 may manage controller resources such that computer program code embodied as one or more computer software applications (such as controller application 410 residing in memory 402) may have instructions executed by the processor 400. One or more data structures 412 may also reside in the memory 402 and may be used by the processor 400, the operating system 408, and/or the controller application 410 to store data.

I/O interface 404 operably couples processor 400 to other components of quilting machine 10, and may also couple processor 400 to an external computing system or network (not shown). An external computing system or network may, for example, be used to exchange data files, such as quilted patterns, updated applications, and/or other operational data, with the controller 44 to update the controller 44 and/or collect data related to the operation of the quilting machine 10.

The I/O interface 404 may include signal processing circuitry that conditions or encodes/decodes input and output signals to make the signals compatible with the processor 400 and components coupled to the processor 400. To this end, the I/O interface 404 may include analog-to-digital (a/D) and/or digital-to-analog (D/a) converters, voltage level and/or frequency shifting circuits, optical isolation and/or driver circuits, protocol stacks, solenoids, relays, pneumatic valves, and/or any other suitable device for coupling the processor 400 with other components of the quilting machine 10 and/or an external computing system.

HMI 406 may be operably coupled to processor 400 of controller 44 to enable a user to interact directly with controller 44. HMI 406 may include a video or alphanumeric display, a touch screen, a speaker, and any other suitable audio and visual indicator capable of providing data to a user. HMI 406 may also include input devices and controls, such as an alphanumeric keyboard, a pointing device, a keyboard, buttons, control knobs, microphones, etc., capable of accepting commands or input from a user and communicating the incoming input to processor 400.

In general, the routines executed to implement the embodiments of the invention, whether implemented as part of an operating system or a module or sequence of specific applications, components, programs, objects, instructions, or a subset thereof, may be referred to herein as "computer program code," or simply "program code. The program code typically comprises computer readable instructions that reside at various times in the various memories and storage devices of a computer, and that when read and executed by one or more processors in a computer, cause the computer to perform operations required to perform operations and/or elements embodying the various aspects of embodiments of the present invention. The computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations of embodiments of the present invention may be, for example, source code or object code in assembly language or any combination of one or more programming languages.

Various program code described herein may be identified based upon the application within which it is implemented in a specific embodiment of the invention. However, it should be appreciated that any particular program nomenclature that follows is used merely for convenience, and thus the invention should not be limited to use solely in any specific application identified and/or implied by such nomenclature. Furthermore, given the typically endless number of manners in which computer programs may be organized into routines, procedures, methods, modules, objects, and the like, as well as the various manners in which program functionality may be allocated among various software layers that are stored within a typical computer (e.g., operating systems, libraries, APIs, applications, applets, etc.), it should be appreciated that embodiments of the invention are not limited to the specific organization and allocation of program functionality described herein.

Program code embodied in any of the applications/modules described herein can be distributed individually or collectively in a variety of different forms of program products. In particular, program code may be distributed using a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to perform aspects of embodiments of the invention.

Computer-readable storage media, which are non-transitory in nature, may include volatile and nonvolatile, and removable and non-removable tangible media implemented in any method or technology for storage of data, such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Computer-readable storage media may also include RAM, ROM, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other solid state memory technology, portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired data and which can be read by the computer. The computer-readable storage medium itself should not be interpreted as a transitory signal (e.g., a radio wave or other propagating electromagnetic wave, an electromagnetic wave propagating through a transmission medium such as a waveguide, or an electrical signal transmitted through a wire). The computer-readable program instructions may be downloaded from a computer-readable storage medium to a computer, another type of programmable data processing apparatus, or another device, or to an external computer or external storage device via a network.

The computer readable program instructions stored in the computer readable medium may be used to direct a computer, other type of programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function, act, and/or operation specified in the flowchart, sequence diagram, and/or block diagram block or blocks. The computer program instructions may be provided to one or more processors of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the one or more processors, cause a series of computations to be performed to implement the functions, acts, and/or operations specified in the flowchart, sequence diagram, and/or block diagram block or blocks.

In certain alternative embodiments, the functions, acts and/or operations specified in the flowchart, sequence diagram and/or block diagram may be reordered, processed serially and/or processed simultaneously consistent with embodiments of the invention. Moreover, any of the flow diagrams, sequence diagrams, and/or block diagrams may include more or fewer block diagrams than those shown according to embodiments of the invention.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of embodiments of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, actions, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, actions, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms "includes," has, "" contains, "" has, "" consists of, "or variants thereof are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive, such as in a manner similar to the term" comprising.

While the present invention has been illustrated by a description of various embodiments and while these embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of the applicants to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Other advantages and modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and method, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of applicant's general inventive concept.