Program controlled quilter and panel cutter system with automatic shrinkage compensation
US5544599A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 6, 1994 |
| Grant date | Aug 13, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 6, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC D)Textiles; Paper
- CPC primaryD05D2305/32
- WIPO fieldTextile and paper machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A quilting machine includes a multiple needle quilter with a panel cutter located in-line therewith and downstream thereof and having an accumulator therebetween. A programmable controller operates the quilter to stitch a programmed series of one or more patterns on a web. A feed roller angular encoder measures the quilted web length fed under tension to the accumulator. A detector signals when the accumulator is full, whereupon the controller causes web to be fed from the accumulator to the panel cutter, where it passes without tension thereon toward a photo sensor. The photo sensor signals the controller which activates the cutter to sever a predetermined panel length from the web. The controller then reads information from the encoder and the accumulator detector to determine the amount of stressed quilt required to replenish the cutoff panel length. The ratio of measurements is then processed to determine the elongation change or "shrinkage", which information is used to control the relative feed at the quilter, cutter and fabric supply and to track the quilted patterns and splices in the fabric of the web through the machine.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.