CA1038698A - Loader-unloader for automatic sewing apparatus - Google Patents
Loader-unloader for automatic sewing apparatusInfo
- Publication number
- CA1038698A CA1038698A CA213,796A CA213796A CA1038698A CA 1038698 A CA1038698 A CA 1038698A CA 213796 A CA213796 A CA 213796A CA 1038698 A CA1038698 A CA 1038698A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- work
- sewn
- work holder
- holder
- unloader
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D05—SEWING; EMBROIDERING; TUFTING
- D05B—SEWING
- D05B33/00—Devices incorporated in sewing machines for supplying or removing the work
- D05B33/02—Devices incorporated in sewing machines for supplying or removing the work and connected, for synchronous operation, with the work-feeding devices of the sewing machine
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D05—SEWING; EMBROIDERING; TUFTING
- D05B—SEWING
- D05B33/00—Devices incorporated in sewing machines for supplying or removing the work
- D05B33/006—Feeding workpieces separated from piles, e.g. unstacking
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D05—SEWING; EMBROIDERING; TUFTING
- D05B—SEWING
- D05B41/00—Work-collecting devices
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D05—SEWING; EMBROIDERING; TUFTING
- D05D—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES D05B AND D05C, RELATING TO SEWING, EMBROIDERING AND TUFTING
- D05D2207/00—Use of special elements
- D05D2207/02—Pneumatic or hydraulic devices
- D05D2207/04—Suction or blowing devices
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Textile Engineering (AREA)
- Sewing Machines And Sewing (AREA)
- Feeding Of Articles By Means Other Than Belts Or Rollers (AREA)
Abstract
Abstract of the Disclosure A loader-unloader for automatic sewing appa-ratus or the like, the sewing apparatus comprising a sewing machine having a needle, a work holder for holding work to be sewn and means for moving the work holder and the work held thereby along the predetermined path rel-ative to the needle so as to stitch the work along a pre-determined stitching line, the loader-unloader comprising transfer means on which work to be sewn may be positioned for being transferred to the work holder, means for lo-cating the work on the transfer means in a predetermined position, and means for moving the transfer means for transferring the work to be sewn to the work holder and for removing previously sewn work.
Description
D3~69B
LOADER-UNLOADER FO~ AUTOMATIC SE~NG APPARATUS
~ackground of the Invention This invention relates to apparatus for loading work to be sewn ~e.g., pieces of cloth) in automatic sewing apparatus or the like and for unloading previously completed ~e.g~, sewn) work from the sewing apparatus.
Garment manufacturing is a lahor intensive industry and thus efforts are continuously being made to automate various oper-ations so as to increase worker and machine productivity~ Auto-matic sewing apparatus, such as described in Canadian patent ap-plication Serial No~ 16Q,354, filed January 2J 1973 (issued June 15, 1976 as patent No~ 991,2~6) has been developed to speed production and cut costs. Heretofore, work was entirely manually loaded in and unloaded from automatic sewing apparatus. Not Qnly was the loading and unloading of the work holder in and of itself time consuming, but of necessity these operations were done after the sewing of the work was completed. This resulted in appreciahle delays between sewing cycles thus not making full use of the high speed sewing capabilities of the automatic sewing apparatus~ Also, manual loading of the work holder resulted in some of the work being improperly positioned in the work holder and thus resulting in improperly sewn work.
Summary of the Invention Among the several ohjects of this inyention may be noted the provision of a loader-unloader for automatic sewing apparatus or the like which quickly and accurately loads work to be sewn in the sewing apparatus and removes previously sewn work therefrom;
the p~o~ision of such a loader-unloader which accurately places the work in the se~-ing apparatus in a predetermined sewing position So that the completed work is of greater uniformity and thus re-duces wastage of cloth; and the provision of such a loader-unloader which is of relatively simple construction and which is reliable in operation~ Other objects and features of this invention will G
be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.
Briefly, a loader-unloader of this invention is especial-ly adapted for use with automatic sewing apparatus or the like, the automatic sewing apparatus comprising a sewing machine having a needle, a work holder for holding work to be sewn, and means for effecting relative movement of the work holder and the sewing machine so as to stitch the work along a predetermined stitching line. The loader-unloader of tnis invention comprises transfer means on which work to be sewn may be positioned for being trans-ferred to the work holder, means for locating the work on thetransfer means in a predetermined position, and means for moving the transfer means for transferring the work to be sewn to the work nolder and for removing previously sewn work.
Brief Description of the Drawings Fig. 1 is a plan view of automatic sewing apparatus and a loader-unloader of this invention, the sewing apparatus having a work holder for holding work to be sewn and the unloader having a pair of tables or trays selectively movable inwardly toward the work holder when the work holder is in a home position adjacent a respective table or tray and then movable outwardly for simultan-eously loading work to be sewn and for unloading previously sewn work;
Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the sewing appa-ratus and loader-unloader of this invention illustrating an air conveyor for conveying away completed work once removed from the work holder;
Fig. 3 is an end elevational view of the sewing appa-ratus and loader-unloader;
Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevational view of the work holder illustrating a clamping means in a clamped position (shown in solid lines) and a raised unclamped position (shown in phantom), and a table in its retracted or starting position;
~03~69B
Figs. SA-5D diagrammati~ally represent the sequence of operation of the loader-unloader for loading work to be sewn onto the work holder and for simultaneously removing previously sewn work from the work holder; and Fig. 6 is a schematic of a pneumatic circuit.
Corresponding reference characters indicate correspond-ing parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment Referring now to the drawings, a loader-unloader of this invention, indicated in its entirety at 1, is shown as operatively installed on automatic sewing apparatus generally indicated in its entirety at 3. Briefly, this sewing apparatus is a punch t~pe pro-grammable sewing apparatus similar to apparatus disclosed in my said Canadian patent application, Serial ~o. 160,35~.
More particularly, the sewing apparatus includes a frame 5 supporting a power driven sewing machine 7 of a commerical type, with the sewing machine having a needle 9, and a work holder or carriage generally indicated at 11, for holding work Wl to be sewn for movement along a predetermined path relative to the needle so as to stitch the work along a Dredetermined stitching line. The sewing apparatus further includes a drive for moving the work holder in incremental steps along an X-axis and a Y-axis in accordance with a predetermined program, comprising an X-drive 13 for moving the work holder lengthwise along frame 5 parallel to the X-axis and a Y-drive 15 for moving the wor~ holder transversely of the frame parallel to the Y-axis.
The loader-unloader 1 includes transfer means generally indicated at 17 on which work Wl to be sewn may be positioned for being transferred to work holder 11. This transfer means comprises a pair of transfer members or tables l9a and l9b (the latter being shown in phantom in Fig. 1) for supporting work Wl to be sewn in a predetermined position relative thereto. Locating pins 21 are pro-vided for each table l9a, 19b, these pins being movable upwardly ,t 1031~698 and downwardly relative to the table between a raised position (see Figs. 4 and 5A) in which they project up above the upper sur-face of the table and constitute a stop for work Wl thereby to posi-tion the work in its predetermined position relative to the table and a lowered retracted position (see Figs. 5B-SD), clear of the table permitting movement of the table for purposes as will appear.
It will be inderstood that these locating pins 21 constitute means for locating the work to be sewn in a desired position on tables l9a, l9b. Clamps 23 are provided on each table l9a, l9b for hold-ing work on the table in its above mentioned predetermined posi-tion. These clamps are automatically operable to engage the work ~1 and to hold it in its predetermined position until the work is in position for being deposited in work holder 11, and then auto-matically release the work for transfer to the work holder. As generally indicated at 25, means is provided for moving the trans-fer means (i.e., tables l9a,19b) from a starting or retracted posi-tion, as shown in Fig. 5A, to a load position ~shown in Fig. 5B) for transferring work wl to be sewn from the table to the work holder and for removing previously sewn work W2 from the work hold-er (see Fig. 5D), and then returning to its starting position.
~ lore ~pecifically, X-drive 13 and Y-drive 15 of sewing apparatus 3 comprise an X stepping motor and a Y stepping motor respectively indicated at 27 and 29; these stepping motors are dis-cretely operable in response to signals generated by a punch tape progr G er 31 so as to step the X and Y stepping motors in such fashion as to move work holder 11 along the above mentioned pre-determined path relative to needle 9 so the needle may stitch work along a predetermined stitching line. The work holder is movable generally laterally relative to the sewing machine from a first home position Hl (as shown in solid lines in Fig. 1) in which the work Wl held by the work holder is clear of needle 9 and in which work may be loaded on and unloaded from the work holder by means ~03~69B
of the loader-unloader 1 to an operating position (not shown) in which the work may be stitched by needle 9 along the above-men-tioned predetermined stitching line. The work holder is further movable generally laterally with respect to the sewing machine to a second home position H2 (shown in phantom in Fig. 1) on the op-posite side of the sewing machine from position Hl. Transfer means 17 is positioned relative to sewing machine 7 for transferring work Wl to be sewn to the work holder, and for removing previously sewn work W2 from the work holder when the work holder is in eitner its first or second home position. As best shown in Fig. 4, work hold-er 11 includes a sewing platform 33 on which work Wl is held for being stitched by a needle 9 and a movable clamping jaw 35 movable between a lowered clamping or closed position and a raised retract-ed or open position (as shown in phantom) by means of air cylin-ders 37. With the clamping jaw in its lowered clamping position, work is securely held in position on sewing platform 33 in a pre-determined sewing position for being stitched by needle 9, and with the clamping jaw in its raised retracted position, previously sewn work W2 may be removed from the sewing platform and work Wl to be sewn may be deposited thereon by means of transfer means 17 in the above-mentioned sewing position. Clamp jaw 35 has a gripper pad 39 on its lowered surface for engaging work to be sewn and for holding it in its stated sewing position.
Loader-unloader 1 further comprises a subframe 41 carry-ing transfer means 17, this subframe being adjustably movable lat-erally relative to frame 5 for positioning tables l9a,19b generally in front of the work holder 11 when the work holder is in its first and second home positions Hl and H2. The loader-unloader further comprises an air conveyor, generally indicated at 43, for convey-ing away previously sewn work unloaded from the work holder. Itwill be understood that conveyor 43 may include a stacker for stacking sewn work after removal from the sewing apparatus.
Means 25 for moving tables l9a,19b for transferring work Wl to be sewn to the work holder and for removing previously sewn work W2 from the work holder is shown to comprise a horizontal guide or slide rod 45 extending generally parallel to the direct-ion of movement of tables 19a,19b as they move between their re-tracted and load positions. A slide bearing 47 is slidably re-ceived on guide bar for sliding movement axially therealong. A
bar 49 is secured to and movable with slide bearing 47, with one end of the bar being supported by a roller 51 rolling on a frame member 53 of frame 41. A three bar linkage, generally indicated at 55, is connected to bar 49 for effecting movement of this bar along slide rod 45, this three bar linkage including a pivot link 57 pivotally connected to bar 49 and a crank 59 pivoted on frame member 53 and pivotally connected to pivot link 57. An air cylin-der 61 constituting fluid power operated means is interposed be-tween crank 59 and frame 41 whereby extension and retraction of the piston rod of the air cylinder effects axial sliding movement of the slide bearing 47 and bar 49 along slide rod 45. A respective table l9a or l9b is pivotally supported on bar 49 by means of angle 62 pivotally connected to bar 49 by means of pivot arms 63. The table is biased upwardly by means of a compression coil spring 65 and a stop 67 carried by slide bearing 47 prevents movement of the table beyond a raised position in which the table is disposed at a slight angle (e.g., 5) from t;~e horizontal with its leading edge sloping downwardly for receiving work Wl to be sewn on its upper surface. The spring permits downward movement of the table from its raised loading position (e.g., the inclination of the table being approximately 8 as snown in Fig. 5D).
Locating stops or pins 21 are movable vertically in slots 70 in tables l9a,19b by means of an air cylinder 71 carried by frame 41. More particularly, pins 21 are movable by the air cylin-der 71 between a raised locating position (see Fig. 5A) in which ; 6 103~69~
the pins project upwardly througn slots 70 in the table thereby to locate work ~1 to be sewn in its predetermined position on the ta~le and for being gripped by clamps 23 and a lowered retracted postion (see Figs. 5B-5D) clear of tie table thereby to permit movement of the table from its retracted position to its load posi-tion and to permit removal of work Wl from the table. Pins 21 and air cylinder 71 are adjustably movable relative to frame 41 so that the postion of the pins relative to tahles l9a,19b may be varied to accommodate work of different sizes and shapes. As indicated at 73 (see Figs. 4 and 5A-D), a pad is provided on the lower front edge of each table l9a,19b for engagement with previously sewn work W2 supported on sewing platform 33 to remove it from the sewing platform as the table l9a,19b returns to its starting position (see Fig. 5D). An air switch pus;~button 75 (see Fig. 1) is pro-vided on each table l9a,19b, this button being actuable by the operator to initiate a sequence of operation to automatically load a piece of cloth (i.e., work Wl) onto the upper surface of a res-pective table l9a,19b to be sewn, to deposit this work to be sewn on sewing platform 33 of work holder 11 in a predetermined sewing position, and to remove previously sewn work from the work holder.
As shown in Fig. 4, clamps 23 each comprise a miniature air cylinder 77 having a piston rod 79 with the rear end of the cylinder pivotally secured to a mounting fixture 81. A crank 83 is pivotally connected to the piston rod and to the mounting fix-ture and a downturned clamping foot 85 is carried on the outer end of the piston rod for engagement with work Wl on the table. ~pon actuation of air cylinder 77 to extend its piston rod 79, clamping foot 85 is lifted by crank 83 from a down retracted or unclamped position (see Fig.4) in which it is clear of the work and is moved up over the work and lowered to a clamped position in engagement with the work thereby to hold it in position on the table. The piston rod is spring loaded to return to its retracted position iO3869B
upon the release of air from the air cylinder. Thus, to unclamp the work, air cylinder 77 is vented and the clamping foot lifts clear of the work and returns to its retracted position. Mounting fixture 81 may be clamped to table l9a,19b in any desired position thereon by means of a toggle clamp 86 (see Fig. 4) so that the clamp 23 may be positioned where desired relative to work 1 to be clamped. This permits clamping of work Wl of various sizes and shapes.
Referring now to Fig. 6, a schematic diagram of the pneu-matic circuit for the loader-unloader 1 of this invention is shown interconnecting various air cylinders, air switches and valves as heretofore described and as will appear. Briefly, the pneumatic circuit illustrated in Fig. 6 causes loader-unloader 1 and sewing machine 7 to operate in a predetermined operational sequence to first actuate clamps 23 to clamp work Wl to be sewn in a desired position on a respective table l9a, l9b, to lower pins 21 to their retracted position, to move the table inwardly from its retracted position to its loading position adjacent work holder 11 when the work holder is in a respective home position Hl or H2 and when clamping jaw 35 of the work holder is open, to close the clamping jaw, to return the table to its retracted position thereby to simultaneously deposit work Wl to be sewn in the work holder and to remove previously sewn work 1~2 from the work holder. With the table returned to its retracted position, an electrical signal is generated to energize the programmer 31 and to thus initiate oper-ation of sewing machine 7 thereby to sew the work held by the work holder along its predetermined stitching line.
In Fig. 6, the various pneumatic components are ~hown connected by means of air lines L. The reference character P de-notes that relatively high pressure air (e.g., 75-90 psi) is con~
tinuously supplied to a port in a pneumatic component adjacent the reference character P.
~03~69~
Vl, V2, V3 and V4 indicate manually or mechanically tripped four-way valves. Valves Vl and V2 are each carried by tables l9a and l9b, respectively, and each is actuated by manual pushbutton 75. Valves V3 and V4 are carried by frame 41 and are a adapted to be automatically tripped by a respective table l9a,19b returning to its retracted oosition.
Valves Cl, C2, C3 etc. are pneumatically actuated, nor-mally closed three-way valves. Operation of these normally closed three-way valves will become apparent.
Al and A2 indicate air actuated microswitches, These microswitches, when tripped, provide an electric signal to pro-grammer 31 indicating that a respective table l9a,19b is ready to be moved from its retracted position to its load position.
PVl, PV2 etc. indicate pilot actuated four-way air valves.
The function of the various pilot valves will be more fully ex-plained hereinafter.
01 and 02 indicate normally open three-way valves. Like valve Cl, C2 and C3, the purpose of these normally open valves will be expleained hereinafter.
SVl, SV2 and SV3 indicate pneumatically operated shuttle valves.
TVl, TV2 and TV3 indicate manually operable toggle valves which when in the position shown in Fig. 6 permit automatic opera-tion of the loader-unloader, but when manually tog~les permit in-dependent operation of air cylinders 71 and 37.
Sl, S2 and S3 indicate electrically operated four-way solenoid valves. Solenoid valves Sl and S2 are energized by elec-tric signals generated by programmer 31. These signals are pro-vided only after work holder 11 has moved to one of its home posi-tions Hl or H2, after clamping jaw 35 has been opened, and after pushbuttons 75 have been actuated. Upon receivina the above men-tioned electric signal, solenoid valve Sl or S2 effects movement of the appropriate table l9a,19b from its retracted position to its load position. Upon a table moving to its load position, an electric signal is provided to solenoid valve S3 by means of a photocell PCl tripped by a blade 87 (see Fig. 4) carried by slide bearing 47 as the table moves to its load position, solenoid valve S3 then energizing cylinders 37 to close clamp jaw 35.
Operation of the loader-unloader of this invention is as follows:
With work holder 11 positioned in its first home position ~1, (as shown in Fig. 1), and with a piece of previously sewn work W2 held in position on sewing platform 33 of work holder 11, an operator places pieces of cloth constituting work Wl to be sewn on the upper surface of table l9a with the forward edge of the work in en~agement with pins or stops 21 thereby to locate the work to be sewn in a predetermined position on the table. The operator then initiates operation of the loader by depressing air switch pushbutton 75 on table l9a. Pushbutton 75 actuates valve Vl and supplies air pressure to a transfer port in normally closed valve Cl thereby to shift its spool and trip air actuated microswitch Al, and to supply pressurized air to the pilot ports of pilot air valves PVl and PV3. Air cylinders 71 for stops 21 are normally pressurized to maintain the pins in their raised position. Upon shifting of the spool of the valve PVl, the cap end of air cylin-der 71 is vented via shuttle valve SVl and toggle valve TVl and air pressure is supplied to the rod end of air cylinder 71 via the tog~le valve TVl thereby to forcefully move pins 21 to their lowered retracted position below their respective table l9a,19b.
Simultaneously, the spool of pilot valve PV3 is shifted to supply air pressure to clamp cvlinders 77 thereby to move clamps 23 on table l9a from their unclamped to their clamped positions.
Table l9a is now ready to he moved from its retracted to its load pOSl tion .
Upon an appropriate electrical signal being supplied to solenoid valve Sl indicating that work holder 11 is properly posi-tioned in its homa position ~1 and tnat work Wl is in position to be loaded, actuation of this solenoid valve supplies air pressure to a transfer port of normally closed valve C3 and to a transfer port of normally open valve Ol. The opening of valve C3 causes air under pressure to be directed to the rod end of cylinder 61 thereby to move table l9a from its retracted position to its load position (i.e., from its Fig. 5A to its Fig. 53 position). It will be understood that air cylinders 61 for tables 19a,19b each are equipped with pneumatic flow control devices and are cushioned thereby to smoothly start and stop the tables as they move between their ratracted and load ~ositions. Simultaneous with the energi-zation of cylinders 61, normally open valve Ol closes and thereby vents the other pilot port of valve PV3 thereby to effect the re-lease of clamps 23. It will bc understood that clamps 23 do not release the work Wl until table l9a ;~as attained its load position.
As table 19a moves to its load position, blade 87 car-ried by the slide bearing 47 actuates photocell PCl thus yenerating an electric signal which energizes solenoid valve S3 and deener-gizes solenoid valve Sl. Upon energization of solenoid valve S3, low pressure air from regulator 21 is supplied to cylinders 37 via shuttle valve SV3 and a toggle valve TV3 thereby to close clamping jaw 35. This causes the clamping jaw 35 to move down-wardly from its raised retracted or open position ~ward its clamp-ed or closed position and thereby to engage work ~1 supported on ~he upper surface of table 13a. Continued closing movement of clamping jaw 35 under relatively low air pressure (e.g., 10-15 psi), causes table 19a to tilt downwardly (see Fig. 5C), and to cause gripper pad 73 on the bottom face of the table to engage the previouslv sewn work W2 on sewing piatform 33. Upon the closing of ciamping jaw 35, solenoid valve Sl is deenergized thus alloT~ing ~4 11 ., 103~69B
normally closed valve C3 and normally open valve Ol to return to their positions as sho~n in Fig. 6 thus venting the rod end of cyl-inder 61 and applying pressure to the cap end thereof to extend its piston rod and thereby to effect movement of the table from its load position to its retracted position (see Figs. 5C and 5D).
As the table returns to its retracted position (Fig. 5~), gripper 39 on clamping jaw 35 holds work 1~1 and causes it to slide from the table onto sewin~ platform 33 in a predetermined sewing posi-tion and gripper pad 73 on the ~ottom face of the table pushes the previously sewn work W2 from the sewing platform into air conveyor 43. Thus, the table slides out from under the new work being load-ed in the work holder, and slides the completed work off the plat-form 33. Upon complete withdrawal of the table, work Wl is held by the clam?ing jaw 35 in its sewing position on platform 33 and upon movement of the leading edges of the table clear of the clamp-ing jaw, spring 65 biases the table uowardly to return it to its initial tilted (e.g., 5) po~ition. Upon return of the table to its starting position, blade 87 trips a photocell PC2 (see Fig. 4) to provide a signal to programmer 31 that the table is clear of the work holder with the cloth to be sewn positioned in the work holder whereby the work holder may be moved relative to needle 9 for sew-ing of the work. As the leading edge of t~ble 19a moves clear of the work holder, a delay circuit including a flow control device FC and an air tank T provides a delayed pressure signal to the pilot port of pilot valve P5 thereby to shif-t the spool in the pilot valve and to apply high oressure (e.g., 80 psi) to shuttle valve SV3 thereby to shift its spool and to direct high pressure air to air cylinders 37 thereby to increase the clamping force on the cloth to securely hold it in position on sewing platform 33.
Upon completion of stitching of work Wl, the work holder moves ~enerally laterally with respect to the sewing machine to its sec-ond nome position H2. It will be understood that during the sew-ing of a piece of work, the operator places a second piece of work ~0~86~B
to be sewn on the table l9b. Upon the work holder moving to its second home position after completion of sewing work, clamping jaw 35 automatically opens to release the previously sewn work and the operator depresses pushbutton 75 on l9b thereby to effect the next load-unload cycle.
It will be understood that the loader-unloader 1 of this invention enables work to be accurately and rapidly placed in the work holder and to simultaneously remove previously sewn work therefrom. It will be particularly noted that work holder 11 moves generally laterally with respect to sewing machine 7 as the work is stitched so that upon completion of sewing of the work, the work holder is relatively close to the home position on the oppo-site side of the sewing machine from which it started. Thus, as it moves from one home position to its sewing or operating posi-tion and thence to its other home position the work holder need not be returned the entire length of the sewing apparatus to un-load the completed work and to have other work loaded thereon. This aids in speeding production of automatic sewing apparatus. Also, the provision of two tables l9a,19b allows the operator to load the next piece of cloth to be sewn while the sewing macnine is stitch-ing a previously loaded work. Thus, as soon as the work holder returns to a home position, the load-unload cycle may be immediately initiated further saving production time. It will be understood that air cylinders 77 for clamps 23, air cylinders 37 for clamp jaw 35 and air cylinders 61 for moving tables 19a and l9b are so sized and the air pressure supplied thereto is so regulated as to not exert excessive forces and thus reduce the possibility of injury to the operator, In view of the a~ove, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous re-sults attained.
As various changes could be made in the above construc-tions and methods without departing from the scope of the invention, ,, ' 13 iO3~S9~ 1 it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
LOADER-UNLOADER FO~ AUTOMATIC SE~NG APPARATUS
~ackground of the Invention This invention relates to apparatus for loading work to be sewn ~e.g., pieces of cloth) in automatic sewing apparatus or the like and for unloading previously completed ~e.g~, sewn) work from the sewing apparatus.
Garment manufacturing is a lahor intensive industry and thus efforts are continuously being made to automate various oper-ations so as to increase worker and machine productivity~ Auto-matic sewing apparatus, such as described in Canadian patent ap-plication Serial No~ 16Q,354, filed January 2J 1973 (issued June 15, 1976 as patent No~ 991,2~6) has been developed to speed production and cut costs. Heretofore, work was entirely manually loaded in and unloaded from automatic sewing apparatus. Not Qnly was the loading and unloading of the work holder in and of itself time consuming, but of necessity these operations were done after the sewing of the work was completed. This resulted in appreciahle delays between sewing cycles thus not making full use of the high speed sewing capabilities of the automatic sewing apparatus~ Also, manual loading of the work holder resulted in some of the work being improperly positioned in the work holder and thus resulting in improperly sewn work.
Summary of the Invention Among the several ohjects of this inyention may be noted the provision of a loader-unloader for automatic sewing apparatus or the like which quickly and accurately loads work to be sewn in the sewing apparatus and removes previously sewn work therefrom;
the p~o~ision of such a loader-unloader which accurately places the work in the se~-ing apparatus in a predetermined sewing position So that the completed work is of greater uniformity and thus re-duces wastage of cloth; and the provision of such a loader-unloader which is of relatively simple construction and which is reliable in operation~ Other objects and features of this invention will G
be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.
Briefly, a loader-unloader of this invention is especial-ly adapted for use with automatic sewing apparatus or the like, the automatic sewing apparatus comprising a sewing machine having a needle, a work holder for holding work to be sewn, and means for effecting relative movement of the work holder and the sewing machine so as to stitch the work along a predetermined stitching line. The loader-unloader of tnis invention comprises transfer means on which work to be sewn may be positioned for being trans-ferred to the work holder, means for locating the work on thetransfer means in a predetermined position, and means for moving the transfer means for transferring the work to be sewn to the work nolder and for removing previously sewn work.
Brief Description of the Drawings Fig. 1 is a plan view of automatic sewing apparatus and a loader-unloader of this invention, the sewing apparatus having a work holder for holding work to be sewn and the unloader having a pair of tables or trays selectively movable inwardly toward the work holder when the work holder is in a home position adjacent a respective table or tray and then movable outwardly for simultan-eously loading work to be sewn and for unloading previously sewn work;
Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the sewing appa-ratus and loader-unloader of this invention illustrating an air conveyor for conveying away completed work once removed from the work holder;
Fig. 3 is an end elevational view of the sewing appa-ratus and loader-unloader;
Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevational view of the work holder illustrating a clamping means in a clamped position (shown in solid lines) and a raised unclamped position (shown in phantom), and a table in its retracted or starting position;
~03~69B
Figs. SA-5D diagrammati~ally represent the sequence of operation of the loader-unloader for loading work to be sewn onto the work holder and for simultaneously removing previously sewn work from the work holder; and Fig. 6 is a schematic of a pneumatic circuit.
Corresponding reference characters indicate correspond-ing parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment Referring now to the drawings, a loader-unloader of this invention, indicated in its entirety at 1, is shown as operatively installed on automatic sewing apparatus generally indicated in its entirety at 3. Briefly, this sewing apparatus is a punch t~pe pro-grammable sewing apparatus similar to apparatus disclosed in my said Canadian patent application, Serial ~o. 160,35~.
More particularly, the sewing apparatus includes a frame 5 supporting a power driven sewing machine 7 of a commerical type, with the sewing machine having a needle 9, and a work holder or carriage generally indicated at 11, for holding work Wl to be sewn for movement along a predetermined path relative to the needle so as to stitch the work along a Dredetermined stitching line. The sewing apparatus further includes a drive for moving the work holder in incremental steps along an X-axis and a Y-axis in accordance with a predetermined program, comprising an X-drive 13 for moving the work holder lengthwise along frame 5 parallel to the X-axis and a Y-drive 15 for moving the wor~ holder transversely of the frame parallel to the Y-axis.
The loader-unloader 1 includes transfer means generally indicated at 17 on which work Wl to be sewn may be positioned for being transferred to work holder 11. This transfer means comprises a pair of transfer members or tables l9a and l9b (the latter being shown in phantom in Fig. 1) for supporting work Wl to be sewn in a predetermined position relative thereto. Locating pins 21 are pro-vided for each table l9a, 19b, these pins being movable upwardly ,t 1031~698 and downwardly relative to the table between a raised position (see Figs. 4 and 5A) in which they project up above the upper sur-face of the table and constitute a stop for work Wl thereby to posi-tion the work in its predetermined position relative to the table and a lowered retracted position (see Figs. 5B-SD), clear of the table permitting movement of the table for purposes as will appear.
It will be inderstood that these locating pins 21 constitute means for locating the work to be sewn in a desired position on tables l9a, l9b. Clamps 23 are provided on each table l9a, l9b for hold-ing work on the table in its above mentioned predetermined posi-tion. These clamps are automatically operable to engage the work ~1 and to hold it in its predetermined position until the work is in position for being deposited in work holder 11, and then auto-matically release the work for transfer to the work holder. As generally indicated at 25, means is provided for moving the trans-fer means (i.e., tables l9a,19b) from a starting or retracted posi-tion, as shown in Fig. 5A, to a load position ~shown in Fig. 5B) for transferring work wl to be sewn from the table to the work holder and for removing previously sewn work W2 from the work hold-er (see Fig. 5D), and then returning to its starting position.
~ lore ~pecifically, X-drive 13 and Y-drive 15 of sewing apparatus 3 comprise an X stepping motor and a Y stepping motor respectively indicated at 27 and 29; these stepping motors are dis-cretely operable in response to signals generated by a punch tape progr G er 31 so as to step the X and Y stepping motors in such fashion as to move work holder 11 along the above mentioned pre-determined path relative to needle 9 so the needle may stitch work along a predetermined stitching line. The work holder is movable generally laterally relative to the sewing machine from a first home position Hl (as shown in solid lines in Fig. 1) in which the work Wl held by the work holder is clear of needle 9 and in which work may be loaded on and unloaded from the work holder by means ~03~69B
of the loader-unloader 1 to an operating position (not shown) in which the work may be stitched by needle 9 along the above-men-tioned predetermined stitching line. The work holder is further movable generally laterally with respect to the sewing machine to a second home position H2 (shown in phantom in Fig. 1) on the op-posite side of the sewing machine from position Hl. Transfer means 17 is positioned relative to sewing machine 7 for transferring work Wl to be sewn to the work holder, and for removing previously sewn work W2 from the work holder when the work holder is in eitner its first or second home position. As best shown in Fig. 4, work hold-er 11 includes a sewing platform 33 on which work Wl is held for being stitched by a needle 9 and a movable clamping jaw 35 movable between a lowered clamping or closed position and a raised retract-ed or open position (as shown in phantom) by means of air cylin-ders 37. With the clamping jaw in its lowered clamping position, work is securely held in position on sewing platform 33 in a pre-determined sewing position for being stitched by needle 9, and with the clamping jaw in its raised retracted position, previously sewn work W2 may be removed from the sewing platform and work Wl to be sewn may be deposited thereon by means of transfer means 17 in the above-mentioned sewing position. Clamp jaw 35 has a gripper pad 39 on its lowered surface for engaging work to be sewn and for holding it in its stated sewing position.
Loader-unloader 1 further comprises a subframe 41 carry-ing transfer means 17, this subframe being adjustably movable lat-erally relative to frame 5 for positioning tables l9a,19b generally in front of the work holder 11 when the work holder is in its first and second home positions Hl and H2. The loader-unloader further comprises an air conveyor, generally indicated at 43, for convey-ing away previously sewn work unloaded from the work holder. Itwill be understood that conveyor 43 may include a stacker for stacking sewn work after removal from the sewing apparatus.
Means 25 for moving tables l9a,19b for transferring work Wl to be sewn to the work holder and for removing previously sewn work W2 from the work holder is shown to comprise a horizontal guide or slide rod 45 extending generally parallel to the direct-ion of movement of tables 19a,19b as they move between their re-tracted and load positions. A slide bearing 47 is slidably re-ceived on guide bar for sliding movement axially therealong. A
bar 49 is secured to and movable with slide bearing 47, with one end of the bar being supported by a roller 51 rolling on a frame member 53 of frame 41. A three bar linkage, generally indicated at 55, is connected to bar 49 for effecting movement of this bar along slide rod 45, this three bar linkage including a pivot link 57 pivotally connected to bar 49 and a crank 59 pivoted on frame member 53 and pivotally connected to pivot link 57. An air cylin-der 61 constituting fluid power operated means is interposed be-tween crank 59 and frame 41 whereby extension and retraction of the piston rod of the air cylinder effects axial sliding movement of the slide bearing 47 and bar 49 along slide rod 45. A respective table l9a or l9b is pivotally supported on bar 49 by means of angle 62 pivotally connected to bar 49 by means of pivot arms 63. The table is biased upwardly by means of a compression coil spring 65 and a stop 67 carried by slide bearing 47 prevents movement of the table beyond a raised position in which the table is disposed at a slight angle (e.g., 5) from t;~e horizontal with its leading edge sloping downwardly for receiving work Wl to be sewn on its upper surface. The spring permits downward movement of the table from its raised loading position (e.g., the inclination of the table being approximately 8 as snown in Fig. 5D).
Locating stops or pins 21 are movable vertically in slots 70 in tables l9a,19b by means of an air cylinder 71 carried by frame 41. More particularly, pins 21 are movable by the air cylin-der 71 between a raised locating position (see Fig. 5A) in which ; 6 103~69~
the pins project upwardly througn slots 70 in the table thereby to locate work ~1 to be sewn in its predetermined position on the ta~le and for being gripped by clamps 23 and a lowered retracted postion (see Figs. 5B-5D) clear of tie table thereby to permit movement of the table from its retracted position to its load posi-tion and to permit removal of work Wl from the table. Pins 21 and air cylinder 71 are adjustably movable relative to frame 41 so that the postion of the pins relative to tahles l9a,19b may be varied to accommodate work of different sizes and shapes. As indicated at 73 (see Figs. 4 and 5A-D), a pad is provided on the lower front edge of each table l9a,19b for engagement with previously sewn work W2 supported on sewing platform 33 to remove it from the sewing platform as the table l9a,19b returns to its starting position (see Fig. 5D). An air switch pus;~button 75 (see Fig. 1) is pro-vided on each table l9a,19b, this button being actuable by the operator to initiate a sequence of operation to automatically load a piece of cloth (i.e., work Wl) onto the upper surface of a res-pective table l9a,19b to be sewn, to deposit this work to be sewn on sewing platform 33 of work holder 11 in a predetermined sewing position, and to remove previously sewn work from the work holder.
As shown in Fig. 4, clamps 23 each comprise a miniature air cylinder 77 having a piston rod 79 with the rear end of the cylinder pivotally secured to a mounting fixture 81. A crank 83 is pivotally connected to the piston rod and to the mounting fix-ture and a downturned clamping foot 85 is carried on the outer end of the piston rod for engagement with work Wl on the table. ~pon actuation of air cylinder 77 to extend its piston rod 79, clamping foot 85 is lifted by crank 83 from a down retracted or unclamped position (see Fig.4) in which it is clear of the work and is moved up over the work and lowered to a clamped position in engagement with the work thereby to hold it in position on the table. The piston rod is spring loaded to return to its retracted position iO3869B
upon the release of air from the air cylinder. Thus, to unclamp the work, air cylinder 77 is vented and the clamping foot lifts clear of the work and returns to its retracted position. Mounting fixture 81 may be clamped to table l9a,19b in any desired position thereon by means of a toggle clamp 86 (see Fig. 4) so that the clamp 23 may be positioned where desired relative to work 1 to be clamped. This permits clamping of work Wl of various sizes and shapes.
Referring now to Fig. 6, a schematic diagram of the pneu-matic circuit for the loader-unloader 1 of this invention is shown interconnecting various air cylinders, air switches and valves as heretofore described and as will appear. Briefly, the pneumatic circuit illustrated in Fig. 6 causes loader-unloader 1 and sewing machine 7 to operate in a predetermined operational sequence to first actuate clamps 23 to clamp work Wl to be sewn in a desired position on a respective table l9a, l9b, to lower pins 21 to their retracted position, to move the table inwardly from its retracted position to its loading position adjacent work holder 11 when the work holder is in a respective home position Hl or H2 and when clamping jaw 35 of the work holder is open, to close the clamping jaw, to return the table to its retracted position thereby to simultaneously deposit work Wl to be sewn in the work holder and to remove previously sewn work 1~2 from the work holder. With the table returned to its retracted position, an electrical signal is generated to energize the programmer 31 and to thus initiate oper-ation of sewing machine 7 thereby to sew the work held by the work holder along its predetermined stitching line.
In Fig. 6, the various pneumatic components are ~hown connected by means of air lines L. The reference character P de-notes that relatively high pressure air (e.g., 75-90 psi) is con~
tinuously supplied to a port in a pneumatic component adjacent the reference character P.
~03~69~
Vl, V2, V3 and V4 indicate manually or mechanically tripped four-way valves. Valves Vl and V2 are each carried by tables l9a and l9b, respectively, and each is actuated by manual pushbutton 75. Valves V3 and V4 are carried by frame 41 and are a adapted to be automatically tripped by a respective table l9a,19b returning to its retracted oosition.
Valves Cl, C2, C3 etc. are pneumatically actuated, nor-mally closed three-way valves. Operation of these normally closed three-way valves will become apparent.
Al and A2 indicate air actuated microswitches, These microswitches, when tripped, provide an electric signal to pro-grammer 31 indicating that a respective table l9a,19b is ready to be moved from its retracted position to its load position.
PVl, PV2 etc. indicate pilot actuated four-way air valves.
The function of the various pilot valves will be more fully ex-plained hereinafter.
01 and 02 indicate normally open three-way valves. Like valve Cl, C2 and C3, the purpose of these normally open valves will be expleained hereinafter.
SVl, SV2 and SV3 indicate pneumatically operated shuttle valves.
TVl, TV2 and TV3 indicate manually operable toggle valves which when in the position shown in Fig. 6 permit automatic opera-tion of the loader-unloader, but when manually tog~les permit in-dependent operation of air cylinders 71 and 37.
Sl, S2 and S3 indicate electrically operated four-way solenoid valves. Solenoid valves Sl and S2 are energized by elec-tric signals generated by programmer 31. These signals are pro-vided only after work holder 11 has moved to one of its home posi-tions Hl or H2, after clamping jaw 35 has been opened, and after pushbuttons 75 have been actuated. Upon receivina the above men-tioned electric signal, solenoid valve Sl or S2 effects movement of the appropriate table l9a,19b from its retracted position to its load position. Upon a table moving to its load position, an electric signal is provided to solenoid valve S3 by means of a photocell PCl tripped by a blade 87 (see Fig. 4) carried by slide bearing 47 as the table moves to its load position, solenoid valve S3 then energizing cylinders 37 to close clamp jaw 35.
Operation of the loader-unloader of this invention is as follows:
With work holder 11 positioned in its first home position ~1, (as shown in Fig. 1), and with a piece of previously sewn work W2 held in position on sewing platform 33 of work holder 11, an operator places pieces of cloth constituting work Wl to be sewn on the upper surface of table l9a with the forward edge of the work in en~agement with pins or stops 21 thereby to locate the work to be sewn in a predetermined position on the table. The operator then initiates operation of the loader by depressing air switch pushbutton 75 on table l9a. Pushbutton 75 actuates valve Vl and supplies air pressure to a transfer port in normally closed valve Cl thereby to shift its spool and trip air actuated microswitch Al, and to supply pressurized air to the pilot ports of pilot air valves PVl and PV3. Air cylinders 71 for stops 21 are normally pressurized to maintain the pins in their raised position. Upon shifting of the spool of the valve PVl, the cap end of air cylin-der 71 is vented via shuttle valve SVl and toggle valve TVl and air pressure is supplied to the rod end of air cylinder 71 via the tog~le valve TVl thereby to forcefully move pins 21 to their lowered retracted position below their respective table l9a,19b.
Simultaneously, the spool of pilot valve PV3 is shifted to supply air pressure to clamp cvlinders 77 thereby to move clamps 23 on table l9a from their unclamped to their clamped positions.
Table l9a is now ready to he moved from its retracted to its load pOSl tion .
Upon an appropriate electrical signal being supplied to solenoid valve Sl indicating that work holder 11 is properly posi-tioned in its homa position ~1 and tnat work Wl is in position to be loaded, actuation of this solenoid valve supplies air pressure to a transfer port of normally closed valve C3 and to a transfer port of normally open valve Ol. The opening of valve C3 causes air under pressure to be directed to the rod end of cylinder 61 thereby to move table l9a from its retracted position to its load position (i.e., from its Fig. 5A to its Fig. 53 position). It will be understood that air cylinders 61 for tables 19a,19b each are equipped with pneumatic flow control devices and are cushioned thereby to smoothly start and stop the tables as they move between their ratracted and load ~ositions. Simultaneous with the energi-zation of cylinders 61, normally open valve Ol closes and thereby vents the other pilot port of valve PV3 thereby to effect the re-lease of clamps 23. It will bc understood that clamps 23 do not release the work Wl until table l9a ;~as attained its load position.
As table 19a moves to its load position, blade 87 car-ried by the slide bearing 47 actuates photocell PCl thus yenerating an electric signal which energizes solenoid valve S3 and deener-gizes solenoid valve Sl. Upon energization of solenoid valve S3, low pressure air from regulator 21 is supplied to cylinders 37 via shuttle valve SV3 and a toggle valve TV3 thereby to close clamping jaw 35. This causes the clamping jaw 35 to move down-wardly from its raised retracted or open position ~ward its clamp-ed or closed position and thereby to engage work ~1 supported on ~he upper surface of table 13a. Continued closing movement of clamping jaw 35 under relatively low air pressure (e.g., 10-15 psi), causes table 19a to tilt downwardly (see Fig. 5C), and to cause gripper pad 73 on the bottom face of the table to engage the previouslv sewn work W2 on sewing piatform 33. Upon the closing of ciamping jaw 35, solenoid valve Sl is deenergized thus alloT~ing ~4 11 ., 103~69B
normally closed valve C3 and normally open valve Ol to return to their positions as sho~n in Fig. 6 thus venting the rod end of cyl-inder 61 and applying pressure to the cap end thereof to extend its piston rod and thereby to effect movement of the table from its load position to its retracted position (see Figs. 5C and 5D).
As the table returns to its retracted position (Fig. 5~), gripper 39 on clamping jaw 35 holds work 1~1 and causes it to slide from the table onto sewin~ platform 33 in a predetermined sewing posi-tion and gripper pad 73 on the ~ottom face of the table pushes the previously sewn work W2 from the sewing platform into air conveyor 43. Thus, the table slides out from under the new work being load-ed in the work holder, and slides the completed work off the plat-form 33. Upon complete withdrawal of the table, work Wl is held by the clam?ing jaw 35 in its sewing position on platform 33 and upon movement of the leading edges of the table clear of the clamp-ing jaw, spring 65 biases the table uowardly to return it to its initial tilted (e.g., 5) po~ition. Upon return of the table to its starting position, blade 87 trips a photocell PC2 (see Fig. 4) to provide a signal to programmer 31 that the table is clear of the work holder with the cloth to be sewn positioned in the work holder whereby the work holder may be moved relative to needle 9 for sew-ing of the work. As the leading edge of t~ble 19a moves clear of the work holder, a delay circuit including a flow control device FC and an air tank T provides a delayed pressure signal to the pilot port of pilot valve P5 thereby to shif-t the spool in the pilot valve and to apply high oressure (e.g., 80 psi) to shuttle valve SV3 thereby to shift its spool and to direct high pressure air to air cylinders 37 thereby to increase the clamping force on the cloth to securely hold it in position on sewing platform 33.
Upon completion of stitching of work Wl, the work holder moves ~enerally laterally with respect to the sewing machine to its sec-ond nome position H2. It will be understood that during the sew-ing of a piece of work, the operator places a second piece of work ~0~86~B
to be sewn on the table l9b. Upon the work holder moving to its second home position after completion of sewing work, clamping jaw 35 automatically opens to release the previously sewn work and the operator depresses pushbutton 75 on l9b thereby to effect the next load-unload cycle.
It will be understood that the loader-unloader 1 of this invention enables work to be accurately and rapidly placed in the work holder and to simultaneously remove previously sewn work therefrom. It will be particularly noted that work holder 11 moves generally laterally with respect to sewing machine 7 as the work is stitched so that upon completion of sewing of the work, the work holder is relatively close to the home position on the oppo-site side of the sewing machine from which it started. Thus, as it moves from one home position to its sewing or operating posi-tion and thence to its other home position the work holder need not be returned the entire length of the sewing apparatus to un-load the completed work and to have other work loaded thereon. This aids in speeding production of automatic sewing apparatus. Also, the provision of two tables l9a,19b allows the operator to load the next piece of cloth to be sewn while the sewing macnine is stitch-ing a previously loaded work. Thus, as soon as the work holder returns to a home position, the load-unload cycle may be immediately initiated further saving production time. It will be understood that air cylinders 77 for clamps 23, air cylinders 37 for clamp jaw 35 and air cylinders 61 for moving tables 19a and l9b are so sized and the air pressure supplied thereto is so regulated as to not exert excessive forces and thus reduce the possibility of injury to the operator, In view of the a~ove, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous re-sults attained.
As various changes could be made in the above construc-tions and methods without departing from the scope of the invention, ,, ' 13 iO3~S9~ 1 it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
Claims (25)
1. A loader-unloader for automatic sewing apparatus, said automatic sewing apparatus comprising a sewing maching having a needle, a work holder for holding work to be sewn, means for effecting relative movement of the work holder and the sewing ma-chine to stitch the work held by the work holder along a predeter-mined stitching line, said loader-unloader comprising transfer means on which work to be sewn may be positioned for being trans-ferred to said work holder, means for locating the work on said transfer means in a predetermined position, means mounting the transfer means for movement from a retracted position relative to the work holder to a load position relative to the work holder, means for retaining the work in the work holder as the transfer means returns to retracted position, and means on the transfer means for engaging previously sewn work in the work holder and removing it from the work holder as the transfer means returns to retracted position.
2. A loader-unloader as set forth in claim 1 further having means for holding said work on the transfer means in said predetermined position.
3. A loader-unloader as set forth in claim 2 wherein the means for effecting relative movement of the work holder and the sewing machine comprises means for moving the work holder and the work held thereby along a predetermined path relative to the needle to stitch the work along a predetermined stitching line, said loader-unloader having means for moving said transfer means for transferring the work to be sewn to said work holder and for removing previously sewn work from the work holder, said work holder being movable relative to the sewing machine from a home position in which work held by the work holder is clear of said needle and in which work may be loaded on and unloaded from the work holder for stitching said work along said prede-termined stitching line, and said transfer means being positioned relative to the sewing machine for transferring the work to be sewn to the work holder and for removing previously sewn work therefrom when the work holder is in its home position.
4. A loader-unloader as set forth in claim 3 further comprising means for conveying away previously sewn work unloaded from the work holder.
5. A loader-unloader as set forth in claim 3 wherein said work holder is movable generally laterally with respect to the sewing machine to and from a first home position at one side of the sewing machine to its operating position, and upon comple-tion of stitching of said work is movable to a second home posi-tion on the other side of the sewing machine, said work being clear of the needle of the sewing machine with said work holder posi-tioned in either its first or second home position, and wherein said transfer means further comprises a first transfer member posi-tioned adjacent said first home position and a second transfer member positioned adjacent said second home position, each of said transfer means having means for moving its respective transfer mem-ber for transferring the work to be sewn to said work holder and for removing previously sewn work, said first transfer member be-ing operable to load a first piece of work onto the work holder and to unload a previously sewn piece of work from the work holder at said first home position, said work holder being movable for stitching of the work along said predetermined stitching line and upon completion of stitching being movable to its second home posi-tion and said second transfer member being operable to load a sec-ond piece of work to be sewn on the work holder and to remove the completed first piece of work from the work holder at said second home position.
6. A loader-unloader as set forth in claim 3 wherein said transfer means comprises a table, and said means for moving said transfer means includes means for supporting said table adja-cent said home position and for moving said table from a retracted position in which the table is clear of said work holder, and in which work to be sewn may be placed on said table in said prede-termined position, to a load position in which the work to be sewn is positioned for being held by said work holder, and for then re-turninq said table to its retracted position thereby simultaneously to deposit work from the table on the work holder in a predetermined sewing position relative to the work holder and to unload previous-ly sewn work from the work holder.
7. A loader-unloader as set forth in claim 6 wherein said work holder comprises clamping means having an open position for receiving work and a closed position in which work is clamped in said sewing position, said clamping means being movable from its open position toward its closed position and when said work holder is in its home position and when said table is in its load position thereby to engage work carried by the table and to hold it relative to the work holder in its sewing position as the table returns to its retracted position.
8. A loader-unloader as set forth in claim 7 further comprising means on said table for engaging said previously sewn work on said work holder for removing it from the work holder as said table returns to its retracted position.
9. A loader-unloader as set forth in claim 8 further comprising means for conveying away completed work removed from the work holder.
10. A loader-unloader as set forth in claim 8 wherein said table when in its load position is movable downwardly thereby to engage previously sewn work on the work holder and to remove said previously sewn work from the work holder upon movement of the table from its load position to its retracted position.
11. A loader-unloader as set forth in claim 10 wherein said clamping means is engageable with work carried by said table with said table to tilt said table downwardly when said table is in its load position upon movement of said clamping means from its open position toward its closed position, whereby upon movement of the table from its load to its retracted position the work to be sewn is held relative to the work holder by said clamping means and, after movement of the table clear of the work holder, is held clamped in its sewing position on the work holder.
12. A loader-unloader as set forth in claim 6 wherein said work locating means comprises at least one stop projecting up above the surface of the table when the latter is in its re-tracted position for locating the work on the table in said pre-determined position, said stop being clear of said table when the table is in its load position thereby to permit the work to be sewn to be deposited on said work holder.
13. A loader-unloader as set forth in claim 12 further comprising means for effecting movement of said stop and table relative to one another between a locating position in which said stop extends up above the upper surface of said table when the latter is in its retracted position thereby to locate work to be sewn in said predetermined position and a retracted position in which the stop is clear of said workpiece.
14. A loader-unloader as set forth in claim 12 wherein said stop is adjustable relative to the retracted position of the table to vary the predetermined position of the work on the table and to accommodate pieces of work of various sizes and shapes.
15. A loader-unloader as set forth in claim 6 wherein said means for holding said work on said transfer means comprises at least one clamp carried by said table movable relative to the table between an unclamped position in which it is clear of the workpiece to be sewn when the work is in its stated predetermined position on the table and a clamped position in which it is en-gageable with the work to hold the latter in its stated prede-termined position on the table as the table is moved from its retracted position to its load position.
16. A loader-unloader as set forth in claim 3 wherein said transfer means comprises a table on which said work is po-sitioned and said means for moving the transfer means comprises means for supporting the table adjacent said work holder when the latter is in home position and for moving said table between a retracted position in which said table is clear of said work holder and a load position in which said work on said table is in position for depositing said work on said work holder.
17. A work holder as set forth in claim 16 wherein said moving means further comprises power operated means actuable for effecting generally translational movement of said table be-tween its retracted and load positions.
18. A loader-unloader as set forth in claim 17 wherein said means for supporting the table comprises a frame, means car-ried by the frame for guiding said table between its retracted and load position, and wherein said moving means further comprises linkage means interconnecting said power operated means to said table thereby to effect translational movement of the table upon actuation of said power operated means.
19. A loader-unloader as set forth in claim 17 wherein said guide means comprises a guide bar carried by the frame and extending generally parallel to the direction of movement of the table between its starting and load position and a slider carried by the table slidable along said guide bar.
20. A loader-unloader as set forth in claim 19 wherein said power operated means comprises a fluid power unit intercon-nected between said frame and said linkage means actuable to ef-fect movement of the table between its retracted and loading position.
21. A loader-unloader as set forth in claim 16 wherein one end of said table adjacent said work holder is tiltable down-wardly when the table is in its load position from a raised posi-tion in which said one end of the table is clear of previously sewn work supported on the work holder and a lowered position in which said one end of the table is engageable with said previously sewn work whereby upon movement of the table from its load posi-tion to its starting position said previously sewn work is re-moved from the work holder.
22. A loader-unloader as set forth in claim 21 wherein said table includes means on the bottom thereof at its said one end for engaging said previously sewn work.
23. A loader-unloader as set forth in claim 1 wherein said work holder comprises a platform for supporting the work and a clamp movable between a raised open position and a lowered closed position for clamping work on the platform with the margin of the work clear for being sewn, said platform and clamp being movable relative to the sewing machine from the home position in which work held by the work holder is clear of said needle and in which work may be loaded on and unloaded from the work holder for stitch-ing said work along said predetermined stitching line, work posi-tioned on the transfer means being transferrable onto said plat-form when the platform is in its home position, said transfer means comprising a table and means for moving the table from a retracted position in which the table is clear of said work holder and in which work to be sewn may be placed on the table in a predetermined position, to a load position in which work is positioned for being loaded on said platform, and for then returning said table to its retracted position thereby simultaneously to deposit work from the table on the platform in a predetermined sewing position relative to the platform and to unload previously sewn work from the plat-form, said table being movable over said platform as said table moves between its retracted and load position, said clamp being movable from its open position toward its closed position for en-gagement with the work carried by the table and with the table to tilt the table downwardly when the table is in its load posi-tion thereby to cause said table to engage previously sewn work on said platform, whereby upon movement of the table from its load to its retracted position the work to be sewn is held relative to the platform by said clamp and said previously sewn work is re-moved from the platform and, after movement of the tray clear of the platform, the work to be sewn is held clamped in its sewing position on the platform, said loader-unloader further comprising means for conveying away completed work removed from the platform.
24. A loader-unloader as set forth in claim 1 wherein the work holder comprises a platform and means for clamping work on the platform, and the transfer means comprises a table movable between a retracted position and a load position relative to the work holder, said table being adapted for placement of work thereon when in its retracted position and for bringing the work to the work holder when moved to its load position, said clamping means being engageable with the work on the table when the table is moved to its load position to cause the work to be deposited on the plat-form as the table moves back to its retracted position, and means on the table engageable with previously sewn work on the platform as the table moves back to its retracted position to move said previously sewn work off the platform.
25. A loader-unloader as set forth in claim 24 wherein the clamping means is mounted for movement from a raised position relative to the platform down toward the platform, the table, in its load position, extending over previously sewn work on the plat-form and underneath the clamping means, the clamping means being engageable with the work on the table as the table moves back to its retracted position to hold the work while the table moves out from under the work, and said apparatus having means mounting the table for downward movement by the clamping means for engagement of said means on the table with the previously sewn work to move said previously sewn work off the platform as the table moves back to its retracted position.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US422682A US3878801A (en) | 1973-12-07 | 1973-12-07 | Loader-unloader for automatic sewing apparatus |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1038698A true CA1038698A (en) | 1978-09-19 |
Family
ID=23675912
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA213,796A Expired CA1038698A (en) | 1973-12-07 | 1974-11-15 | Loader-unloader for automatic sewing apparatus |
Country Status (7)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US3878801A (en) |
| JP (1) | JPS5621432B2 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1038698A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE2456789C2 (en) |
| ES (1) | ES432708A1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB1481208A (en) |
| IT (1) | IT1026701B (en) |
Families Citing this family (17)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IT1051000B (en) * | 1975-10-03 | 1981-03-20 | Necchi Spa | PROTECTION FLAP INSERTING DEVICE APPLIED TO SEWING MACHINES FOR THE EXECUTION OF THE TUBULAR POCKETS |
| US4044698A (en) * | 1976-07-16 | 1977-08-30 | Stahl-Urban Company | Apparatus for joining plies of material such as textile fabric |
| IT1088264B (en) * | 1976-11-03 | 1985-06-10 | Duerkoppwerke | PROCEDURE TO CONSECUTIVELY PRODUCE A CERTAIN NUMBER OF SEWING GROUPS IN A JOB, AND SEWING GROUP TO IMPLEMENT THE PROCEDURE |
| DE2656720C2 (en) * | 1976-12-15 | 1982-11-11 | Velva AG, Locarno-Muralto | Device on a sewing machine for placing on a plate or the like from an insertion station onto a workpiece that is in a waiting position |
| US4171671A (en) * | 1978-01-09 | 1979-10-23 | Usm Corporation | Automatic stitching apparatus |
| IT1138809B (en) * | 1981-06-23 | 1986-09-17 | Rockwell Rimoldi Spa | WITHDRAWAL GROUP WITH AT LEAST ONE HEAD OF TAKING STACKED PIECE COLLECTORS |
| US4503789A (en) * | 1983-04-20 | 1985-03-12 | Kochs Adler Ag | Automatic sewing machines |
| US4540111A (en) * | 1983-06-30 | 1985-09-10 | Volker Schmidt | Article transport apparatus |
| DE3413006A1 (en) * | 1984-04-06 | 1985-10-17 | BTF-Textilwerke GmbH & Co KG, 2820 Bremen | DEVICE FOR TUBING, CHAINING OD. DGL. OF TEXTILE WORKPIECES, LIKE MATTEN OD. DGL. |
| DE3709232A1 (en) * | 1987-03-20 | 1988-10-06 | Kochs Adler Ag | FOLDING DEVICE FOR A SEWING MACHINE |
| US4869185A (en) * | 1987-03-20 | 1989-09-26 | Kochs Adler Aktiengesellschaft | Folding device for an automatic sewing machine |
| DE3709264C2 (en) * | 1987-03-20 | 1995-11-16 | Duerkopp Adler Ag | Sewing machine |
| DE4004231A1 (en) * | 1990-02-12 | 1991-08-14 | Msi Naehautomaten Entwicklungs | Fabric workpiece movement - has pivot bearing on a guide arm fixed to a further guide arm to give sliding on two axes with workpiece rotation |
| DE4124882C2 (en) * | 1991-07-26 | 1993-11-18 | Reffelmann & Belz Gmbh | Sewing unit |
| US5341755A (en) * | 1993-04-23 | 1994-08-30 | Tachi-S Co., Ltd. | Automated multiple-needle sewing machine |
| DE19628352A1 (en) * | 1996-07-13 | 1998-03-12 | Schips Ag | Feeder arm for automatic feeding of sewing machine |
| CN115182106B (en) * | 2022-07-08 | 2023-12-26 | 海宁市现代汽车座套有限公司 | Stitching device and stitching method for automobile seat protective sleeve |
Family Cites Families (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3116705A (en) * | 1961-02-13 | 1964-01-07 | Union Special Machine Co | Automatic control of sewing machine and accessory devices |
| US3382825A (en) * | 1965-10-20 | 1968-05-14 | James Cash Machine | Quilting apparatus holder interchanging means |
| US3793968A (en) * | 1970-01-26 | 1974-02-26 | Farah Mfg Co Inc | Fabric, joining and sewing device |
| US3769924A (en) * | 1972-03-10 | 1973-11-06 | W Rogers | Profile sewing apparatus |
| US3771477A (en) * | 1972-03-16 | 1973-11-13 | Kellwood Co | Punch-tape-controlled sewing apparatus |
| IT957391B (en) * | 1972-04-14 | 1973-10-10 | Necchi Spa | AUTOMATIC EQUIPMENT FOR SEWING POCKETS ON CLOTHING |
| DE2222846C3 (en) * | 1972-05-10 | 1978-08-24 | Kochs Adler Ag, 4800 Bielefeld | Sewing equipment |
-
1973
- 1973-12-07 US US422682A patent/US3878801A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1974
- 1974-11-15 CA CA213,796A patent/CA1038698A/en not_active Expired
- 1974-11-26 GB GB51204/74A patent/GB1481208A/en not_active Expired
- 1974-11-30 DE DE2456789A patent/DE2456789C2/en not_active Expired
- 1974-12-02 IT IT30066/74A patent/IT1026701B/en active
- 1974-12-07 JP JP14110474A patent/JPS5621432B2/ja not_active Expired
- 1974-12-07 ES ES432708A patent/ES432708A1/en not_active Expired
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB1481208A (en) | 1977-07-27 |
| US3878801A (en) | 1975-04-22 |
| DE2456789A1 (en) | 1975-06-12 |
| IT1026701B (en) | 1978-10-20 |
| DE2456789C2 (en) | 1983-11-10 |
| JPS5621432B2 (en) | 1981-05-19 |
| ES432708A1 (en) | 1976-12-01 |
| JPS5091453A (en) | 1975-07-22 |
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