阅读说明：本技术 一种带有集成式纱线输送和控制系统的筒子架 (Bobbin creel with integrated yarn conveying and control system ) 是由 S·戴 J·史密斯 R·帕吉特 R·斯坦菲尔德 K·怀特赛德 于 2019-11-08 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供了一种用于纱线筒子架的通信系统,其具有传感器和显示器,该传感器和显示器位于纱线位置阵列中,并且与筒子架控制器通信,以便于传输和显示线头信息以及分析操作数据。(The present invention provides a communication system for a yarn creel having sensors and displays located in an array of yarn positions and in communication with a creel controller to facilitate the transmission and display of end of line information and analysis of operational data.)

1. A communication system for a creel for supplying yarn to a tufting machine and having an array of locations for mounting yarn bobbins, the communication system comprising:

a controller in communication with a plurality of sensors located proximate to a yarn installation location;

the controller is in communication with a plurality of displays located proximate to a yarn installation location;

the controller accessing a virtual creel for mapping yarn ends of the pattern to yarn mounting locations; and

an input for pattern information including at least a yarn end.

2. A communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a manually operable switch.

3. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the display comprises an LED.

4. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the display comprises a screen capable of displaying text and graphics.

5. The communication system of claim 1, further comprising an operator interface.

6. The communication system of claim 5, wherein the operator interface is viewable on a mobile device wirelessly connected with the controller.

7. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the controller is in wireless communication with the plurality of displays.

8. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of modules located proximate to the yarn installation location comprise at least one of the plurality of sensors and at least one of the plurality of displays.

9. A method for coordinating display and sensor information from a yarn creel with an operator interface of a tufting machine, the method comprising the steps of:

inputting pattern information into the tufting machine;

extracting or generating yarn end information from the pattern information;

mapping the yarn end information to a plurality of yarn mounting locations in the creel;

activating a display located near the selected yarn installation location;

mounting a bobbin at a mounting location of the selected yarn adjacent to the activated display; and

a drive sensor proximate to the selected yarn installation location.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the sensor is a manual switch.

11. A creel, comprising:

an array of locations for mounting bobbins;

a controller in communication with a plurality of screens capable of displaying graphical and textual information, the plurality of screens located proximate to a yarn installation location; and

an operator interface for specifying graphical and textual information displayed on the screen.

12. The creel of claim 11, further including a controller in communication with a plurality of sensors located proximate to a yarn mounting location.

13. The creel of claim 11, wherein the operator interface is operable by wired or wireless communication with the controller.

14. The creel of claim 11, wherein the operator interface provides parameters used to map a virtual creel that correlates yarn mounting locations in the creel with needle locations on an associated tufting machine.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to automation of the tufting process, and in particular to improvements in the operation of yarn creel sub-frames, and designs optimized for tufting industrial applications.

Background

In the last few years, Human Machine Interfaces (HMI) for tufting machines have been developed to improve the operator controls of the machine. Limited electronics have also been added to the yarn creel used in conjunction with the tufting machine, but it is believed that yarn creels and tufting machines have not previously been able to share information, particularly near real time information. Significant advantages can be realized by real-time communication between the yarn creel and the tufting machine supplied with yarn from the yarn creel, and by equipping the creel with indicators, displays and sensor electronics.

Disclosure of Invention

A novel system integrates a computer-based tufting machine pattern (pattern) processing system with one or more of an electronic sensor-based yarn breakage system, an adjustable pressure sensitive yarn tension system, a digital camera-based vision system for carpet inspection or for machine monitoring, a position-based manual switch, and a creel yarn positioning system with visible markings. These interconnected items provide computer control throughout the tufting process to improve machine performance, reduce the occurrence of defective carpet products, and improve productivity of the tufting machine operators, support aids, and management personnel. Since all of these networked items can provide data to the production monitoring system for aggregation, analysis, and presentation, administrative work becomes easier.

Typically, the integrated yarn delivery and control system sends, receives, stores, processes and communicates critical information-from the very beginning the correct bobbin position is selected, up to the output of the tufted fabric. The system is integrated in the yarn delivery creel and can be presented in the form of lights or visual cues in text and graphic displays to indicate the position of the creel to determine the specific color and size of the yarn package, according to the processed tufting machine pattern file entered by the user. Bobbins are also referred to as tubes or bobbins, as the case may be. This allows a worker loading or maintaining the creel to quickly determine where to locate a particular package and reduces errors in producing defective carpet products.

As the yarn moves through the yarn feed system, the break sensor and automatically adjusting tight end detector may cause the tufting machine to stop operating and alert the operator to a particular area or location of the yarn. The tight end detector may maintain settings stored with the computer stored tufting pattern file to facilitate quick changes to the pattern. Patterns or color defects in the carpet can be identified by a visual inspection system located on the output side of the tufting machine to notify the machine operator when a color or pattern is detected that may not be within specification. A button or manual switch located at the location of the bobbin may provide context-based operator information or audit data. The operator alert may be one or more forms of visual notification, audible notification, a message displayed on a monitor or display, or a combination of alerts transmitted through the mobile device.

Finally, the integrated yarn delivery and control system can collect data throughout the tufting system and provide summary information and analysis to facilitate troubleshooting of machines, raw materials, patterns, machine operators and other potential sources of variation and machine productivity.

When the pattern is loaded into the tufting machine, a suitable amount of yarn must be pre-loaded onto the creel or beam so that each needle can use the yarn during the sewing of the product. The creel is a simple frame where the bobbins are placed, which supply the yarn to designated needles on the associated tufting machine. Generally, a creel must be fitted with a yarn package to correspond to each tufting machine needle used to tuft the pattern. Thus, a relatively large and complex structure may be created to feed yarn to the typical range of 800 to even 2000 individual needles. In addition to providing an array of locations for hundreds or thousands of yarn packages, the creel must also direct these individual yarns out of the creel in a manner that avoids entanglement, breakage and breakage. Another type of yarn feeding mechanism is called a beam. The beam is a large circular spool wound with multiple strands of yarn. One vertical column of the pattern is sewn through each yarn of the tufting machine needle or, in the case of a needle-transfer or backing fabric, one color is sewn in several adjacent or nearly adjacent columns of the pattern. In the tufting industry, these are often referred to as spindles, or single needle spindles.

For each pattern, in addition to a simple solid color, it is necessary to place different spools of yarn on a creel or to wrap different yarns around a beam in order to feed the yarns to specific needles on the tufting machine. The invention is primarily applicable to creels, but some elements of the invention may also be applied to yarns fed from a beam.

When loading yarn into a creel, the yarn bobbin must be correlated to the needle position on the tufting machine. In addition to the color variation in the pattern, the amount of yarn consumed may also vary. Thus, for a large amount of yarn used, three pound spools or spools may be required, while less used tufted yarn may be fed to the creel from a two pound spool. Even more, it is desirable to be able to customize the desired length of the wound yarn spool, which is necessary for short run modes, so that a large amount of yarn does not remain on the spool mounted on the creel at the end of the production run. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a creel with a display function that can access pattern information that is available to a tufting machine. It is another object of the present invention to enable near real time communication of data from the tufting machine to the creel enabled by the controller. Another object of the invention is to provide a creel that is capable of displaying textual and graphical information at the mounting location of the yarn packages in the creel.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide real-time and offline data for analytical machine operation and optimization. Some or all of these objects may be achieved by various embodiments of the present invention.

Drawings

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a tufting machine and creel;

FIG. 1B is a simplified schematic of a tufting machine and creel showing the operative components;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the steps currently used in designing and manufacturing tufted fabrics;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the data input and processing of instructions to create a pattern for a tufting machine operable to produce fixed and variable gauge fabrics with multiple pattern options;

FIG. 4A is a tufting machine operator interface screen showing the movement pattern of the two needle bars and the basic tufting parameters;

FIG. 4B is an operator interface screen from a tufting machine showing a four color thread head (ABCD) for an exemplary pattern, the interface screen having basic color, yarn feed and pattern information;

FIG. 4C is a tufting machine operator interface screen showing various yarn feed parameters of the tufting pattern;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of system hardware for an exemplary creel wired with a display and sensors, the system hardware having a controller connected to an operator interface or controller interface of an associated tufting machine;

FIG. 6 is an illustration of an exemplary display module having a manual switch;

FIG. 7 is an illustration of several exemplary interconnected display modules;

FIG. 8 is an exemplary screen display for creating a virtual creel;

FIG. 9 is an exemplary creel operating screen with various controller options for a creel equipped with displays and sensors;

FIG. 10 is a creel operator screen display showing exemplary configuration options and templates available in creel and yarn management.

Detailed Description

Turning next to fig. 1A, a conventional tufting machine 10 is shown having a take-up roll 19 for tufting the fabric and a double layer creel 14 to hold the bobbins or spools. It should be understood that aspects of the present invention may be practiced on a variety of tufting machines, not just the wide loom 10 shown in fig. 1A. In fact, versions of this system can be implemented on most computer controlled tufting devices and the sensor data can be captured and processed in a wider setting.

For purposes of explanation, the tufting machine 10 disclosed in fig. 1B comprises a rotary needle shaft or main drive shaft 11, which rotary needle shaft or main drive shaft 11 is driven by a stitch drive mechanism 12 of a drive motor, or other conventional means. A rotary eccentric mechanism 15 mounted on the rotary needle shaft 11 is adapted to reciprocate a vertical push rod 16 to vertically reciprocate a needle bar slide holder 17 and a needle bar 18. The needle bar 18 supports a plurality of longitudinally aligned, or staggered longitudinally aligned, evenly spaced tufting needles 20 extending transversely to the feed direction of a backing fabric or material 22. The backing fabric 22 is moved longitudinally in direction 21 through the tufting machine 10 by a backing fabric feed mechanism 23 and passed through a backing fabric support with a needle board and needle board fingers.

Yarn 25 is fed from creel 14 to a pattern control yarn feeder 26 and then to the respective needles 20. As each needle 20 carries yarn 25 through backing fabric 22, the hooks or loopers are reciprocally driven by looper drivers 29 to pass through each respective needle 20 and hold the respective yarn 25 ends to form loops. The cut loop pile may be formed by cutting a loop using a cutter: a cut/loop or horizontal cut/loop (LCL) device may also be used and may have its own controller, like the yarn feeding device, the needle bar or backing shifter, and the backing feeding device.

The needle bar moving device 32 is designed to move the needle bar 18 laterally or transversely with respect to the needle bar carrier 17 by a predetermined transverse distance, typically equal to the gauge (gauge) or a multiple of the gauge, and in either transverse direction with respect to the normal central position of the backing fabric 22, and so on for each stroke of the needles 20. In some configurations, multiple rows of needles are mounted in the needle bar, or multiple needle bars may be moved simultaneously or independently. The jute or backing shifter may move the backing fabric laterally relative to the laterally fixed needle bars or simultaneously with one or more laterally moving needle bars.

To generate the input encoder signals for the needle bar movement device 32 corresponding to each stroke of the needle 20, an encoder 34 may be mounted on the stub shaft 35, or at another suitable location, to convey position information from which the tufting machine controller can determine the position of the needle in the tufting loop. Alternatively, the drive motor may use a commutator to indicate the motor position, and the controller may infer the position of the associated driven component from the motor position. As schematically shown in fig. 3, the operator control device 24 is also connected to the tufting machine controller to provide the necessary pattern information to the memory associated with the various tufting machine controllers prior to operation of the machine.

Turning then to fig. 2, in the prior art, the first step in designing and manufacturing a tufted fabric is to create a graphic design 28 to be tufted. The design may be created by the artist or may be modified from a photograph or an existing image. In either case, the image should be created or processed to limit the color palette to a manageable number of yarn selections, preferably between 2 and 12, most commonly about 2 to 6 colors. Preferably, the design process is performed on a design workstation running either Texcel or Tuftco design software, although sometimes the automated design function is also included in the operating interface of the tufting machine.

The next step 30 is to load the pattern image or data into the tufting machine having a controller running operator interface software (e.g., the tufftworks software suite from Tuftco corporation) and to process the pattern graphics to create machine instructions. These steps may be performed using a modern tufting machine operator control device 24. The tufting machine should be threaded with suitable yarns 31. With the Tuftworks system, there are two main steps before the machine instructions are created. One step 33 (in FIG. 2) is to assign a shift pattern or step pattern to needle shaft 18 (shown in FIG. 1B) and assign a stitch rate to that pattern. In the case of the two-color mode, it is very practical to use a very simple back and forth stepping mode, so that the needle bar is moved only from the dead point to a position offset by one unit of measure, and then repeated.

The step of threading the yarn 31 through the tufting machine requires associating the tufting machine with the yarn creel 14 or yarn beam. A yarn creel must be loaded so that the yarn corresponding to the first needle on the tufting machine is fed to the appropriate side of the tufting machine. This requires that the proper color, and possibly the proper yarn spool size, be located at the creel position where the first needle is fed when the creel is loaded. In the yarn creel 14 shown in fig. 1A, different carpet mills may feed the first needle of the tufting machine at 16 different locations (i.e., top or bottom locations) at any one of the designated positions at the top or bottom of the creel, four corners of the creel. When the creel position corresponding to the needle position on the associated tufting machine is sensed, the pattern input and real time data available on the tufting machine operator position is available for use in the operation of the creel. Accordingly, it would be beneficial to transmit information from the tufting machine interface or controller for access by creel workers or technicians.

Prior art attempts to automate the creel loading process have primarily included pattern perfection (Pattern perfection) creel systems provided by Essex, Inc., which include a controller mounted on the creel that provides the illumination flash. In a pattern perfection (PatternPerfect) system, LEDs are associated with the position of each bobbin located in the creel. Pattern perfection (PatternPerfect) uses a single color to illuminate the LEDs to sequentially load a particular type of color or color package, and a six color pattern requires six separate passes through the creel. In addition, the pattern must be specially configured for loading into the controller through the operator interface of the pattern perfection (pattern perfect) system. This means that of the different information and documents, in the tufting machine and the associated pattern perfection (PatternPerfect) creel, different information and documents are used.

Sometimes it is useful to load the pattern directly onto the interface of the creel so that the creel can be loaded without communicating with the tufting machine in operation. This is the case of a mobile creel that is pushed into position for use, or a tufting machine associated with multiple creels (or creel sections) for simultaneous pattern making and yarn loading of different patterns. In addition, in the double creel 14 of fig. 1, a pattern can be loaded on a particular creel section (e.g., the top layer) while a separate pattern is fed from a group of separate bobbins (e.g., the bottom layer). However, it would also be desirable to use the pattern loaded into the tufting machine operator interface for the associated creel.

FIG. 3 provides an overview of how data input from a pattern file may be combined with operator input to create a pattern information file. The pattern information file is transmitted from the operator interface computer to the tufting machine controller for the appropriate spindle movement which causes movement, feeding and reciprocating movement of the components to form the tufted fabric. In particular, as can be seen in fig. 3, at an operator interface 101, a PCX format pattern file 102 can be loaded, which graphically depicts the image to be tufted. On the operator interface 101, the operator will input specification information for the yarn feed rate 103, yarn end 104, shift pattern 105, and machine and tuft patterns 106 and 108. With this information, the tufting machine generates, verifies and stores yarn feed patterns for the various needles on the tufting machine 110 and 112, and this information is available to the yarn feed controller 113 to operate the pattern control yarn feed device 26 (shown in fig. 1B). In addition, shift pattern information 105 is stored (114) and available to the shift controller, and web shift and feed information is generated and stored (116) and available to the web controller 119.

Fig. 4A illustrates an operator interface screen for a tufting machine that may be used to create a pattern related to yarn placement. The pattern may be created with one or two rows of needles. The operator can specify the shift pattern of the needle bar and the backward shift. The illustrated shift pattern 105 shows the front and rear needle bars being shifted simultaneously in alternating directions in four or more sequential steps. In fig. 4A, the stitch rate 106 is nominally set at 10 stitches per inch. However, the actual number of needles per inch, which is actually the specified 10 needles per inch, is multiplied by the number of different yarns. If tufted at a different speed than the gauge (gauge) of tufting machine 1/10, a factor is used to compensate for the different needle densities required by the non-machine gauge.

Fig. 4B shows an operator interface screen in which yarn ends 104 are assigned to pattern and yarn stack heights 103, the pattern and yarn stack heights 103 being assigned for different yarns and their appearances being reflected in the graphical pattern image 102. Four color (ABCD) ends are shown, each yarn having a high pile height, etc., wherein the pile heights of the two yarns are medium, thereby providing six colors for the image display 102.

Fig. 4C shows an additional operator screen with the function of combining the hollow needle tufting machine and the yarn placement machine. Typically, the dual needle bar or the graphic machine has a uniform color pattern, and since the backing shifter allows for varying specifications, the machine specification 107 can be specified. For placing the thread, the thread lengths of the embedding needle or the drawing needle and the additional needle are specified. The result of all these pattern information is: a relatively accurate estimate of the yarn consumption can be calculated and verified on the basis of the fabric obtained in production. Furthermore, during the production process, the yarn consumption can be estimated and verified. After the creel is enabled, appropriate information may be sent to the creel controller and displayed in a preferred manner.

Fig. 5 shows an exemplary overview of the creel connected to the tufting machine operation control, wherein the machine operator's computer 24 communicates with the controller in the tufting machine 10, feeding yarn feed pattern data, shift pattern data, backing feed command data and cut/loop data information in the tufting machine 10. Software on the computer 24 with an operator interface (HMI) communicates with the creel controller 62, and the creel controller 62 may also have an operator interface (HMI) and be in wired or wireless communication with the sensor 70 and the yarn illumination module 80. The sensor 70 and display 80 technologies may be in separate units or combined in a composite unit. The display technology may be limited to LED-type devices that may change color, light intensity, or may even blink, and may include a screen display that provides graphical or textual information, or may include both display aspects. In the illustrated embodiment, the ethernet cabling 60 connects the creel operator interface controller 62 to an ethernet hub 63, the ethernet hub 63 in turn being connected to a wired sensor package 70a that includes a microcontroller 71 and a plurality of sensor devices 74-77, the microcontroller 71 being in communication with a microcontroller 73. Since a large number of yarn packages can be mounted in a single creel, a plurality of sensor packs 70a can be distributed on the creel. In addition, the ethernet hub 63 communicates with a wired display module 80a, the wired display module 80a further comprising an ethernet controller 81, the ethernet controller 81 communicating with a microcontroller 83, the microcontroller 83 providing instructions to the multicolor LED units. A wireless computer or tablet computer may also be associated with the creel controller 62 to allow the creel functionality to be used simultaneously across multiple creel positions while working within the creel, rather than being constrained to a fixed position.

In the wireless sensor/display version, the ethernet hub 63 is connected to a wireless router 65, the wireless router 65 having a microcontroller 67, a wireless transceiver 68 in communication with an ethernet controller 66 to provide wireless communication 61 to a sensor package 70b, a wireless display module 80b, the sensor package 70b having a wireless transceiver 72, and the wireless display module 80b having a wireless transceiver 82 in communication with a microcontroller 83. As shown in fig. 6, a Thin Film Transistor (TFT) display for use with a wireless display module is shown, wherein the wireless display module 80b is in a combined unit with a first Thin Film Transistor (TFT) display 84, a wireless antenna 89. Thin film transistor display 84 schematically shows needle position number 91, yarn color name 92, bobbin size 93, and yarn dye batch 94. The information displayed may vary according to the needs of a particular carpet manufacturer to provide the creel worker or technician with the most relevant information at any particular time during the creel loading or operation. The yarn display module 80b may also include a sensor or sensor interface. In the illustrated embodiment of fig. 6, a sensor in the form of a manual push button switch 99 is included. The creel technician or worker may press the button 99 to send a context signal to the creel controller. Fig. 7 shows a wireless display module 80b in wired communication with displays 84, 85 and 86, with a top module located on the tree or column of display/sensor assemblies to provide communication functionality for each assembly of the creel tree or column.

Fig. 8 shows a virtual creel 130 for use in an available operator interface (HMI) at the creel 14 or operator control 24 of the tufting machine. To create a virtual creel for a particular physical creel 14, the pattern interface must know the relationship of the yarn spool position to the needles on the tufting machine. The virtual creel maps the physical creel characteristics, which should be included in the mapping algorithm, to the actual creel. The virtual creel HMI shown supports the input of physical characteristics including the number of yarn ends per tree (or per column) of the creel 131, the number of layers of the creel 132, the number of columns per lane on the creel 133, and the number of column rows 134 on the creel. Using this information and knowledge of the position associated with the first needle (typically the top or bottom position at a corner of one of the floors of the creel), a virtual creel can be algorithmically determined. The positions of the needles are assigned in sequence to the creel positions according to whether the yarn ends in the creel increase from left to right, front to back or top to bottom. When the virtual creel is configured, the yarn 104 is input or delivered from the tufting machine (fig. 4B) and assigned to the virtual creel map.

In operation, when the virtual creel is in place, as shown in step 30 of fig. 2, a pattern is loaded into the tufting machine, then yarn entries cause the yarn to be assigned to different creel positions, and when the creels are loaded, the desired position information is illuminated or displayed. Alternatively, the pattern or linehead information may be loaded directly onto the creel controller. The creel controller may have an operator interface 140, as shown in fig. 9, to provide the creel technician with a variety of options. For example, as shown in fig. 8, the technician may select a configuration screen 141, set the thread end ID and color 142, configure the thread end position 143 in the virtual creel, enter an audit mode 144, enter the applicable package size 148, set a screen page 147, load the pattern 146 directly, or utilize a debugging tool 145. Of particular note, the setup of the screen page may allow the display unit within the creel to display multiple screens of information. This allows the display unit to cycle between multiple patterns, or between pattern information, sensor information, or historical data.

The audit mode 144 allows for random or systematic illumination of selected yarn packages for validation prior to feeding the yarn from the creel to the tufting machine. A wrongly positioned yarn can result in considerable downtime and waste. An audit function is provided which can minimize the chance of these interruptions by using buttons 99, or by being tracked by a technician or creeper worker carrying a mobile operator interface. Fig. 10 provides a configuration screen 120 that allows for selection of a communication network 122, selection of command instructions 124, selection of templates 126 optimized for various screen displays 128, and various color options 129.

After configuring and loading the pattern information, one or more sensor packs 70a and 70b in fig. 3 can communicate various desired information to the operator controls of the creel and tufting machine. In addition, the information may be communicated to a creel display location associated with a particular yarn package location. Similarly, information from the tufting machine, such as a pattern controlled yarn tension signal near the yarn feeding device 26, can be communicated back to the creel controller and displayed on the creel HMI, or by a screen or LED display of the relative yarn bobbin position.

Many variations of the disclosed structure will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It should be understood, however, that the present disclosure of the preferred embodiments of the invention, which are presented for purposes of illustration only, is not to be construed as limiting the invention. All such modifications which do not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.