Abstract: The invention concerns an improved tufting machine which comprises a tufting head translatable within said tufting machine in X- and Y-directions with respect to backing fabric by means of a movement system. The tufting head comprises a tufting mechanism having a cyclic mode of operation, a hollow needle mounted in the tufting mechanism that is moveable relative to a cooperating foot in a reciprocating manner to insert a tuft of yarn into backing fabric in each cycle, a yarn supply mechanism mounted in the tufting mechanism and operable to supply a length of yarn to the hollow needle in each cycle, a yarn cutter mounted in the tufting head that is selectively operable to cut the length of yarn in selected cycles to produce loop or cut pile, and a computer-operated motion control system.

Abstract: This invention concerns the production of so called “hand tufted rugs”, carpets and wall hangings by use a “tufting machine” which employs a single hollow needle through which yarn is fed into a backing fabric, to form tufts of yarn. The machine comprises a yarn cutter, in the tufting head, which is selectively operable to cause the tufts to be cut or loop pile. A computer operated motion control system is operable under the control of a machine readable tufting design pattern comprising a series of vectors and associated control codes, to drive the tufting gun as follows: (a) to operate the mechanism and reciprocate the needle to insert tufts into backing fabric. (b) to operate the movement system and move the needle across a two-dimensional plane while inserting tufts, in accordance with the vectors. (c) to lift and lower the foot, in accordance with respective control codes. And, (d) to selectively operate the yarn cutter, in accordance with respective control codes.

Abstract: This invention concerns automatically generating embroidery stitch patterns in a computer aided design system where areas defined by vector outline shapes are filled with stitches which follow curved lines rather than straight lines. This is done in a way to maintain consistent densities and consistent needle penetration patterns inside the areas. The shapes of the areas may be simple polygons which can be filled in one contiguous segment of curved stitching, or they may be complex or multi-boundary shapes which must be stitched in more than one distinct segments of curved line stitching. The areas are transformed into another coordinate space where known calculation methods for straight line stitching are used to calculate straight line fills of the transformed area.