摘要 |
An apparatus and method for detecting the position of a knife on a tufting machine. The apparatus includes a grounded needle, an electrically-insulated knife adapted to send a knife signal, a solenoid adapted to move the knife, and a programmable logic controller adapted to send a pattern signal to the solenoid, receive the knife signal from the knife, compare the knife signal to the pattern signal, and determine if the knife is in the position prescribed by the pattern signal. The method includes providing such an apparatus, inputting the pattern signal into the programmable logic controller, sending the pattern signal from the programmable logic controller to the solenoid, sending a knife signal from the electrically-insulated knife to the programmable logic controller, comparing the knife signal to the pattern signal, determining if the electrically-insulated knife is in the position prescribed by the pattern signal.
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