CA1111872A - Method and apparatus for handling, positioning and assembling fabric plies - Google Patents

Abstract

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING, POSITIONING AND ASSEMBLING FABRIC PLIES
Abstract of the Disclosure The disclosure relates to new methods and means for re-moving fabric plies one at a time from a stack, transporting the individual plies to a secondary location, precisely orienting and aligning tie plies for a subsequent operation and, in some cases assembling one ply with another in preparation for a sewing oper-ation. In one of its advantageous forms, the equipment specifi-cally illustrated herein is especially useful for picking indi-vidual shirt cuff and liner plies from separate supply stacks, transporting them to a load station, and assembling the plies one on top of the other, in proper alignment and orientation for sewing. In a secondary mode, the equipment of the invention Day be used to transport individual fabric plies, such as entire short sleeve shirt sections, to a sewing or other processing station.

Incorporated in the comprehensive apparatus specifically disclosed are a plurality of inventive features in the form of significant sub-combinations capable of utilization in conjunction with other equipment and other processes.

Description

1~111372 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING, POSITIONING AND ASSEMBLING FABRIC PLIES

Related Applications This application is related to United States Patent No. 3,940,125, owned by the assignee of this invention. The before-mentioned Morton patent relates to method and apparatus for picking and transporting limp plies, and the subject matter of that patent is useful to great advantage in connection with the subject matter o the present application, althoug~ not necessarily essential thereto.

Back~round and Su~marY of the Invention ' ~ the mD~facture of wearing apparel, for exa~ple, ¦~ efforts 2re continually being made to introduce further auto-! mation into ,he manufacturing procedures, in order to minimize ¦, labor cost. One oi the areas that has proven particularly diffi- ¦
Il cult to auto~ate effectively has been the handling of limp fabric l~l between the initial cutting operation and the eventual sewing i" operation at another location. An important advance in this re-!11 spect is reflected in the before-mentioned Morton United States Il Patent ~L`70 . 3,940,125, which provides a simplified yet highly ef-¦I fective mechanism for removing fabric plies one at a time fro~ a Il stack of cut plies, for conveyance to a subsequent processing ~ll stage, such as a hemming operation. The inventions of the present ¦ application are related primarily to the handling and manipulation o~ the fabric plies subsequent to the removal thereof from the I stack of cut plies.

~ In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a novel and advantageous arrangement is provided for delivering fabric ! plies one at a time to a load station and orienting the plies ¦ precisely at such load station, for a subsequent processing ope~- ¦
' ation, such a~ hemming, or assembly with other plies of fabric.
I In this respect, the apparatus of the invention include a re-ciprocating shutter plate, which recei~es a fabric ply, removed from a stack thereof by an appropriate picking means, such as that of t~.e ~-Iorton United States Patent No. 3,94~,125 The I shutter plate, after thus receiving the fabric ply moves to the 3~ ~ 102d station p~sition, carrying the ply wi~h it. Bearing in mind !1 1 Ii 2 -(~

that the ply ~ay be poorly oriented in the first instance, because of irregularities in the ply stack, and/or that the relatively rapid ~ov2 ent of the shutter plate in transferring the ply to the loa~ position may slightly disturb the ply, novel provisions are made for eifecting precise alignment and orientation of the ply at the 102d station position, before advanci~g the ply to a ilfurther proc-_,ion operation. Pursuant to the invention, the leading edge o the fabric ply, resting on the advancing shutter llplate, is detected independ~ntly at widely spaced points by spaced~
'¦photocell detectors, which are positioned to intercept the ~eading edge of the fabric ply. Operating in conjunction with ~hese photocell sensors are individual ply retaining and hold-down 'elements, which respond instantly to interruptions of the photo-,lcell, to retain the ply in its th,n position. This action occurs ¦
iwhile the shutter plate is still in motion and, if the fabric ply is approaching the load station in a skewed condition, one of the sensors will be actuated prior to the other, so that one side of l¦the fabric ply is restrained, while the other is free to continue !
!i moving with the shutter plate. This causes the ply to swing l~around into a proper orientation, at which time the second photo-I!cell sensor is operated, and the fabric ply is restrained at two ¦ points and thereafter held in a precise, desired orientation.

1, In some cases, it is necessary or desirable to align the I,lfabric ply edgewise. In such cases, provision is made for bodil~ !
shifting the fabric ply in a lateral direction, after orientation and restraint of the fabric ply with reference to its front edge.
The mechznisms pro~ided for this purpose are simple, yet remar~-l,ably effective.
f.

Il - 3 - -In a typical production operation, fabric plies of various kinds and weights must be handled successfully if the system is to be universally applicable. Inasmuch as many of the fabric plies to be handled may be very limp and flimsy in nature, the orienting system of the invention includes provisions for sensing the leading edge of the ply but restraining the ply from a point near its trailing edge. This avoids buckling or wrinkling of a limp ply after the ply is restrained but while the shutter plate, on which the ply is supported, continues to move toward the load position.
According to one aspect of the invention, removal of the aligned and oriented ply, after delivery to the load station, is effected by restraining the ply and then withdrawing the shutter plate. For this purpose, the invention contemplates the utilization of a second set of ply restraining elements, engage-able with the oriented fabric ply near its leading edge area, and operative to retain the ply in position as the shutter plate is retracted away from the loa~ station. Thus, during the orient-ing phase, when the shutter plate is moving toward the load station, the fabric ply is engaged near its trailing edge, while during the unloading phase, when the shutter plate is retracting away from the load station, the fabric ply is engaged near its original leading edge (which is now the trailing edge in relation to the shutter plate motion). The arrangement is such that, under either condition, the motion of the shutter plate under the restrained fabric ply tends to maintain the ply in a flat condition.
In one particularly advantageous form of the invention, the system is utilized for the assembly of the components of a 1. ( ( !
l ~11872 , lined shirt sleeve cuff. In such case, provision is made for supporting se?arate stacks of liner plies and cuff plies in side by side relation. During each cycle of the mechanism, one liner i ply and one cuff ply are removed from their respective stacks by ,, the picki~g head apparatus and deposited side by side on a single,~
¦i, common reci~~ocating shutter plate. The shutter plate is then ! advanced to~v~d the load station and, upon reaching the load station, the individual liner and cuff plies are properly oriente~!
, on the shutter plate. The shutter plate is then withdrawn, while 1l the previously aligned plies are retained, thus causing the re-¦l spective plies to be deposite~ ~ide by side at the load station.
¦l In fhe contemplated arrangement, the load station includes a ! transversely movable index conveyor, which is arranged to convey , li a deposited liner ply over into a position underneath the deposit 1~ I position for a cuff ~1;. In a normal sequence of operation, a ¦ liner ply from one cycle of operation is brought into position ~o I receive on top of it a cuff ply from the next subsequent cycle ¦~ of operations. The assembled plies can then be transported by the index conveyor to a subsequent processing sequence includin~
~ folding a d hemming.

~ere the apparatus of the invention is to be used for ¦ the assem~ly of components of a lined cuff, the individual com-I ponents are arranged in se~arate supply stacks, each with an in- ', ,,1 dependently o~erated stack elevator means arranged to maintain - ', the stacks zt the right height for the pickin~ apparatus. In an ! alternative mode of operation, the equipment may be utilized for ¦', the h2ndlin~ of single, large ply, such as an entire sleeve for ¦', a short sleeve shirt. In suc~ cases, the ply stack may span both I
1' of two independen~ly ~perated elev2~0r pla~forms TIlese ?latforms, i , - 5 -- !

~1187Z

while o?erated i~de?endently, serve to keep adjacent portions of the sup~ly stac~ at a common level, for proper engagement by a plurallty of picking heads.
.~--i i ¦l It ~Jill be understood, of course, that the foregoing are i merely broaaly illustrative of the potential uses for the method ¦' and apparatus aspects of the inYention. For a more complete understanding of the invention and its many features and advan-,' tages, reference should be made to the follo~7ing detaiied des-ll cription of a preferred embodiment and to the accompanying draw-Il ings.
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I Description of the Drawings I
I Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of an apparatus ac-i cording to the invention, as set up specifically for the assembly ¦ of shirt cuff components in advance of a hemming operation.
i Fig. 2 is a back elevation of the a?paratus of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus of Fig 1.

Figs. 4-6 are fragmentary cross sectional views as taken generally on lines 4-4, 5-5 and 6-6 respectiv~ly of Fig. 3.
!l l Fig. 7 is a ~ront elevational view of the mechanism of Fig. 6.
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¦ Fig. ~ is a frag~entary cross sectional view as ta~er.
I generally on line 8-8 of Fig. 3, illustrating details o a pic~;ir.
3 0 , head mechanism 1~ !

1~11872 Fig, 9 is a t~p plan view of the picking unit of ~ig. 8. i . ' . .
~ igs. 10-13 are fragmentary sequential views illustrating the ma&ner Or operation of the picking unit of ~igsO 8 and 9.

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary cross sectional view as taken Il generally o~ llne 14-14 of Fig. 3, illustrating a ply orienting ¦ll mechanism acco-ding to the invention.

1~ .
10 ll Fig. 15 is a top plan vie~ of the ply orienting mecha-nism ~'f Fig. 14.

Fig. 16 is a cross sectional view as taken on line 16-16 ' I of Fig. 14.

~ ig. 17 is a cross sectional view as taken generally on line 17-17 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 18 is a fragmentary cross sectional view as taken 1I generally on line 18-18 of Fig. 17.
I
Fig. 19 is a fragmentary back ele~ational view of the ¦Ipieking unit of Figs. 8, 9.
¦I, Figs. 20-22 are sequential schema ic views illustrating the principles of operation OL the ply orienting mechanism of ~ig. 14.
I,. . I

I Figs 23-25 are sequential schematic views illustrating I~ the proeedure according to the invention for orienting and align-ing a ~abric ply in preparation for assembly with another ply.

_ 7 _ I

Figs. 26-28 are sequential schematic views illustrating the procedure according to the invention for assembling fabric components, such as a cuff and liner, in preparation for a hemming operation.
Fig. 29 is a simplified schematic representation illustrating the manner of using the apparatus of the invention for the delivery of a single, relatively large fabric ply in oriented and aligned relation.
Fig. 30 is a simplified graphic representation of velocity versus position of a shutter platen which is utilized in the apparatus of the invention for the transporting of fabric plies from a supply position to a load station.
Description of a Preferred Embodiment of the Invention Referring now to the drawings, and initially to Figs.
1-3 thereof, the illustrated form of equipment includes a main frame structure 40, which is arranged to mount a fabric supply section 41, a transport section 42 and a convey~r section 43.
In general terms, fabric plies are arranged in a stack or stacks in the supply section, are picked off the stacks one at a time and carried by the transport section 42 over to the conveyor section 43. After orienting, alignment and, where desired, assembling with other components, the transported plies are conveyed away by the conveyor section 43 for subsequent pro-cessing, as in a hemming operation. The specific form of the subsequent processing equipment is not germane to the present disclosure, and is not illustrated or described herein.

! ' ii ~ ( i 8~2 Fabric SU3P1~ Section The fabric supply section includes a pair of elevator platforms 44, 45, which are mounted on supporting rods 46, 47 andi stabilized by slideable guide rods 48. The supporting rods 46, !1 47 are e.~aged witn threaded shafts 49, 50 respectively, which are arran~e~ to be controllably rotated by motors 51, 52, through ' belts 53.

I The elevator platforms 44, 45 are arranged and intended l, to support individual stac~s of fabric plies of various sizes and ~i shapes. In the specific illustration of F~gs~ 1-3, ply stacks l~ are indicated as typical for shirt cuff assemblies, including an ¦1l outer cuff ply C and a liner L. Inasmuch as the size and shape l,l of the ply stac~s will vary, provision is made for adjustable ¦I confine~ent of ply stacks of various configurations. To this end, ¦l one or more vertical guide bars 54 are positioned between the jl elevator platforms 44, 45 and are arranged to extend upward along !I the end faces of the respective stacks of plies C and L.

! Along the front edges of the respective platforms are spaced pairs of normally fixed guide bars 55, typically arranged one pair in association with each of thP ~levator platforms. As reflected in Fig. 6, the front guide bars 55 are carried by mount Il ing bracl~ets 55 which are clamped to transverse frame me~bers 57 Il to accommoda~e lateral adjustment. A pair of rear guide bars 58 ', is associ2ted wiLh each platform to confine the back edges of the~
ply stack. The guidP bars 58 are mounted on the frame structure ~ 40 for fo~ard and rear~Jard adjustment~ The platforms 44, 45 i are provided with longitudinally elonvated slots ~9, enabling ~ tne ~ack guide bars to proJ ect upward throu~h the platforms 1~ 1 li .
g in any adjusted position. As will be apparent in Fig. 3, the for-ward guide bars 55 and the central guide bars 54 provides fixed reference surfaces for the inside edges and the front edges of the fabric ply stacks C, L. The back guide bars 58 are adjusted, according to the size of the plies, to confine the back edge of the stack. Generally, it is not necessary to confine the outer edges of the ply stacks, although additional guide bars could be provided for that purpose if desired.
For purposes to be described in greater detail, each of the forward guide bars 55, serves to mount a stack sensing and hold-down finger 60 (see Figs. 6, 7) which extends rearward from its mounting bracket 61 and has a downwardly extending projection 62 arranged to engage the top ply of the stack C at a point spaced somewhat inward from the forward edge 63 of the stack.
The hold-down function of the finger 60 will be described here-inafter with respect to the ply transport functions. In addition to its hold-down functions, however, the finger 60 serves to sense the level of the top ply 64 of the stack, causing the appropriate platform motor 51 or 52 to be energized for incre-mental upward movement of the platform 44 or 45, in response tothe ply stack level being lowered below a desired level.
With reference particularly to Figs. 6 and 7, a guide frame, comprising upper and lower clamping bars 65, 66 and a ver-tical member 67, is secured to the front guide bars 55. A rod 68 is slideably supported in the spaced clamping bars 65, 66 for limited vertical movement and carries at its upper end the bracket 61 securing the hold-down finger. Desirably, the ~ront guide bar 55 is slotted at 69 ~o receive the hold-down finger 60 and ' ~L~11872 accommo~a,e limited vertical movement thereof.

Secured to the slideable rod 68 is a guide bar 70, which is proviced at its forward end with a tongue 71 slideably received 1 in a vertical slot 72 in the frame bar 67. A sleeve 73 is sup-ported by .he gui~e mem~er 70 and carries a compressible spring ll 74 at its up?e- end.

'1 Secured to the lower clamping bar 66 is an air cylinder l' 75, the rod end 76 of which underlies the guide bar 70 and is ar-ranged to engage ~nd lift the guide bar when the cylinder 75 is I' actuated to extend. As ~Jill be further described, during each ¦ cycle of operations, when a ply of fabric is removed from the plyi Il stack, the rod 68 and hold-down finger are momentarily lifted b~
¦¦ actuation of the cylinder 75. Thus, air is introduced into the jl lower end of the cylinder, through a conduit 77, driving the rod ¦ 76 upward into engagement with the guide bar 70 and thereafter lifting the guide bar 70, t~e rod 68 and the hold-do~ finger 60 Il upward compressin~ ~he spring 74 until stopped by sleeve 73. When l~ air is later released from the cylinder 75, and it is retracted, ¦I the spring 74 acc~lerates the movemen~ of the rod 68 and hold-down finger downwar~, until the finger 60 contzcts the top of the ply Il stack.

i' !
' To sense the height of the ply stzck, a sensing device !
78, which ~2y be in the form of a photo transistor sensor, is arranged to coo~erate with an actuator element 79 extending from an adjusting screw 80 carried by the guide bar 7G. As succesCive plies 2re remo~ed from the ~tack, the hold-do~.~ finger 60, and 3~ I thereore the actuator element 79 will fall back to success~vely -lo;~er levels. ~en the beam of the photo transistor sensor 78 is uninterrup,ed, the elevator platform motors 51 or 52 will be ac-tuated th~ough appropriate control circuitry (not shown) to raise the plat~'or~ to 2 predeter,mined height. This enables the height -~ of upper layer of the ply stack t~ be maintained at all times wit~-¦, in a preZe_er~ned, limited range. Generally, although each of i' the front gui~e bars 55 is provided with a hold-down finger as-I sembly as des_-ibed, typically only one assembly of each pair needs ¦~ to be provided with a stack level sensor 78, 79. Nevertheless, ii it may be appropriate to provide each unit with a stack level ,j sensor, to facili~ate some of the alternat ~e uses of the equip-` .
I' ~ent, to be hereinafter described.
il ! .

¦¦ Transport Section I The ply transport section of the illustrated apparatus includes means for pic~;ing plies one at a ti~e from the respective I¦ stacks, depositing the plies on a transport shutter or platen, ¦l and moving the platen ,to the conveyor sectio~. The means for Il pic~ing the individual plies from the ply stacks are constructed J in substantial accordance of the teachings of the previously men-tioned Morton United States Patent ~o. 3,940,125, and are illus-trated particu~arly in Figs. 8-13 hereof.

, In general, the transport section of the illustrated ap-, paratus includes a structural frame 90 co~prisin~ spaced side rails 91, 92 and a forward end rail 93 (see Fig. 3). ~he trans- i ' port frGme 90 is mounted on the main frame structure 40 by ~eans ,~ such as a plurality o suppor~ posts 94. A picker head mounting 1 rod 95 is su~portPd ir. the side rails 91, 92 and extends trans-~'~ versely of the apparatus adjacent the forward edges of the ply I stack platorms 44, 45. The pic~er head shaft mounts for pivotal t372 movement a plurality of picker assemblies 96 (see Figs. 8, 9) of the general type disclosed and claimed in the Morton patent.
Pursuant to one aspect of this invention, the arrangement of such picker head assemblies 96 is such that two such picker head assemblies are provided for each of the fabric plies C, L. In this respect, it is generally contemplated that the uses for which the present apparatus is intended will involve the utiliza-tion of a plurality (typically two) of picker head assemblies to effect extraction of a ply from a ply stack. However, while certain aspects of the invention are directed to the utilization of multiple picker head assemblies, other features of the in-vention are not limited thereto, as will appear.
As reflected particularly in Figs. 8 and 9, the picker head assemblies include a pair of spaced, connected-together picker arms 97, 98,rctatably mounted by means of a bearing 99 on the picker shaft 95. Lever arms 100 extend upward from the picker arms and are connected through connecting rod assemblies 101 to rocker arms 102 secured to a common rock shaft 103. A
single rock shaft 103 is arranged for controlling all of a plurality of picker head assemblies 96 for simultaneous actuation.
In the illustrated form of the invention, the connecting rod assemblies 101 comprise a link 104 pivotally conne ted at 105 to a rocker arm 10~ and threadedly connected to a rod 106. The rod 106 is threadedly received in the link 104 and is arranged to be secured in a pre-adjusted position therein by means of a lock nut 107. The rod 106 is slideably received in a slide bear-ing 108, which in turn is pivotally connected to the lever arms 100 by means of a pivot pin 109. A collar 110 is fixed to the ;
~S 11872 outer end of the rod 106 and is urged against the outer face 111 of the slide bearing 108 by means of a compressible coil spring : 112 maintained in a desired pre-compression by means of adjust-able nuts 113, 114 engaging a threaded portion OL the connecting 1 rod 106.

l i In operation of the equipment, when it is desired to Ijl actuate the picker assemblies, the rock shaft 103 is rotated in ¦, clockwise direction, as viewed in ~ig. ~, this being accomplished I. by actuation of an air cy~inder 11~ (see Fig. 3) anchored at one l. end to the frame r~il 92 and at its other end to a crank arm 116 .I secpred to the rock shaft 103. When the rock shaft rotates clock i wise, as viewed in Fig. 8, connecting rods 106 drive the lever jl arms 100, pivoting the several picker assemblies 96 clockwise ~ about the common picker shafts 95. As the individual pic~er heads ¦ 117 contact and are resisted by the material of the ply stacks, ¦ further rotation of the picker assemblies 96 is resisted while continued movement of the connecting rod assemblies 101 is taken !! up by compression in the springs 112 and sliding of the rod 106 20 1I through the slide bearings 108. As will be appreciated, althoughl ¦ all of the several picker head assemblies are actuated in unison j ~,1 through the rock shaft 103, the operation of the individual pickeJ
I heads will be a function of the character of the ply stack direct I ly underneath, the level of the ply stacks, and of the pre-adjust ,. ment in the individual springs 112. In this respect, the separate stacks of plies C, L ~ay be at slightly different heights at any given time. ~Ioreover, within the same ply stacks, there may be height variations from one area to another, resulting from irreg-, ' ularities in the stack and/or variations in the character of the ¦
! fabric itself as with certain striped or patterned ~aterials, I
,. ~

for example.
As described in the Morton U.S. Patent No. 3,940,125, each picker assembly includes a picker head mechanism 117 compris-ing a toothed wheel assembly 118 journaled for rotation on a shaft 119 and r.otatable by a rack and pinion assembly 120, 121. When the picker assembly is lowered by operation of the rocker arm 103, the wheel is pressed downward against the fabric stack with a force proportional to the adjusted pre-compression adjustment of the spring 112, as will be understood.
In addition to the picker wheel assembly 118, the picker head assembly includes a shoe assembly 122 carried by levers 123, 124 pivoted on the wheel shaft 119. The shoe assembly includes a presser foot 125, which is pivoted at 126, being urged to pivot clockwise by a spring 127 (Figs. 10, 11). The entire shoe assembly 122 is urged to pivot counterclockwise by a torsion spring 128 the effective force of which is adjustable by a lever 129.
Limited, controlled rotation of the toothed wheel assembly 118 is effected by a double acting air cylinder 130, the rod 131 of which is connected to the rack 120. ~he rod 131 is normally held in an intermediate position, by means of~ a collar 132 and pre-compressed springs 133, 134~ The arrangement is such that, when the cylinder 130 is actuated to retract, the toothed wheel assembly is rotated counterclockwise through a predetermined arc of rotation, until the cylinder rod bottoms (or engages a stop). When the actuation of the cylinder is reversed, extending the rod, it moves through its neutral or rest position and extends further, such that the rotation in the clockwise direction is somewhat ( ~11872 .i greater than the rotztion in the counterclockwise direction, pro-viding reliable fabric castoff. When both ends of the cylinder are exh2usted, the rod returns to its neutral position, where the springs 133, 134 are balanced, such neutral position being a function o' ,he adiusted position of the collar 132.
'i, 1 1~ Eac~ o~' the picker assemblies 96 is designed to be ap-ll¦ proximately balanced about the axis of the shaft 95 to nullify the I' weight of the picking head on the stack. Since, in a practical ~ way, this is difficult to achieve with precision,,an individual ~I balance adjustment is provided for each picker unit, i.~ the form j i of,a torsion spring 135 (Fig. 19), one end 136 of which engages a ug 136a extending from one side of the picker assembly 96 and Il the other end 137 of which engages a lu~ 138 provided on a collar !i 139 adjustably secured to the picker shaft 95. The torsion spring ¦1 135 exerts a limited countercloc~wise rotational force on the ¦, picker assem~ly, to balance a slight normal bias to rotate clock-wise. An ideal balznce can be achieved by rotational adjustment ~¦ of the collar 139, such that the pressures applied by the picker ~¦ head unit 117 to the fabric piies are not affected by unbalanced ~I weight and can be precisely controlled by the pre-adiustment of ' the springs 112. The use of a torsion spring balance means is greatly superior to means such as a counterbalance weight, for ~ example, which would add undesirable rotational mass to the as-25 11 sembly, reducing speed andlor introducins an undesirably degree of bounce o' the picking head on ~he ply stac With reference to Figs. 9-13, a typical cycle of opera-tion of the picker unit 96 involves actuation of the rocker ar~
il i 1~3 to lower simuitaneously all o~ the picker heads. The toothed wheel asse~blies ~11 enga~e the upper plies and press upon them with a force determined by the preadjustment of the spring 112.
The presser foot 125 will be pressed against the adjacent surface of the ply as a function of the torque imposed by the spring 128.
In this respect, it will be noted that the several picker units, although actuated in unison by a single actuator 115, will act with independent, individually controlled effect upon the ply stacks, because each unit is separately adjustable with respect to its balance spring 135, wheel pressure spring 112 and foot pressure spring 128.
When the picker units are lowered, the hold-down finger 60 associated with each unit will have been lifted by actuation of its cylinder 75. The picker cylinder 130 is now actuated to retract, rotating the toothed wheel assembly 118 in a counter-clockwise direction and causing the upper ply to be buckled into a wave and the wave driven into an accumulation cavity 149. In this respect, the ply is stripped off of the wheel 118 by means of a stripper element 141 forming the upper portion of the accumulation cavity and having a portion which extends alongside the toothed wheel assembly, within its peripheral outlines.
As the picker wheel 118 rotates through a predetermined arc, with the presser foot 125 holding stationary the adjacent area of the upper ply, a predetermined wave of fabric is driven into the accumulation cavity, and the fabric is pinched or nipped between the wheel and a gripping surface 142 on the pivoted pres-ser foot. At this stage, the hold-down finger 60 is permitted to drop to its normal position, engaging and retaining the second ply. Desirably, the hold-down finger engages the ply primarily at a localized point 62. As explained in the before-mentioned 37~ ' ~orton pa.ent, the location of the limited point 62 is at a dis-tance from the forward edge of the ply stack less than the linear displace~ent of the upper ply, caused by rotation of ~he wheel 118, bu. greater than one half of that distance. This enables S ll the hol~-~o-.~ finger 60 to engage the second ply, even in cases where the second ply may be dragged along with the first as a re-¦' sult of end e~ge entangl~ment. In a practical form of the mech-~1 anism, the pressure point 62 may be of relatively small do~mward I
! projection (e g 0.020 of an inch or so~ but shou~d be sufficient-jl ly well defined to reliably restrain a connected second ply rrom 1, being taken away with the grirred up?er ply.
i'' After nipping of the upper fabric ply, as shown in Fig.
Il 11, and lowering of the hold-down finger 60, the picker assembiy 1 96 is raised by reverse rotation of the rocker shaft 103. ~his raises the forward edge of the ply, in the manner shown in Fig.
12, breaking it away from any edge entanglement with the second ' ply, held by the hold-down finger 60. In this respect, although ¦ the hold-down fingers are shown in Fig. 3 to be offset from the ¦ respective pic~er assemblies, for clarity of illustration, in ~c-tual operation it is intended that the hold-do~ finger assemblie~ ;
be substantially aligned in the longitudinal direction with the res?ective picker asse~blies, so that the holding action or re-straint of the hold-down elements is directly opposed to the lift!

2~ ing force ~r the associated picker head.
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i' As soon as the forward edge of the ply has been lifted by the picker head or heads 3 a shutter plate, to be described ,I further, is advanced in a rearward direction and lnterposed be-i tween the ~icker head assemblies and the ply stack. ~ile the . . .
., ;
lifted ply P remains grip?ed by the picker head, the shu,.e- p' a-e 150 moves to its rea-~7ard limit position, completely separating the ply from the stzc~ and causing the ply to rest on the upper , sur'ace OL the shutter. At that point, the picker cylinder 130 j l, is reversed, ro~ating the toothed wheel assembly 118 clockwise Il through a so~ewhat greater arc of rotation than during the pickup operation, to effect reliable castof' of the fabric and cause it to be deposited on the surface of the shutter 150.

Il . .
ll Because the fabric plies may be of relatively light ma-li terial, and of rel~tively broad expanse, it takes a finite time ¦l for the castoff portions of the fabric to fall by gravity onto the shutter plate 150. If the forward or transport motion of the I shutter is commenced too soon, friction bet~een the ply and the I shutter may be insufficient and move~ent of the fabric ply P along with the shutter may tend to be irregular. To ~inimize the e~tent ¦ o any necessary delay period between ca,stoff of the ply and for-¦ ward motion of the shutter plate 150, the transport section may ¦ include presser assemblies 160 associated with the picking assem-I blies. As reflected particularl~J in Figs. 3 and 5, the presser¦ assemblies include a transversely disposed presser bar 161 having resilient pads 162 a~ each end. The presser bar 161 is mounted on the rod of an air actuator 163, which may either bP double acting o~ single acting (down) and spring return~d. The presser ¦I cylinders 163 are mounted on b,ackets 164 secured to a trznsverse ~I rod 165 carried bv the frame rails 91, 92. The arrangement is ¦I such that the presser cylinders 16G m~.y be adjusted ~ransversely ' ¦1 on the bzr 165 and longitudinally on the brackets 164 for optimu~
l~, positioning relative to the respective sets of picking units.

3G j, I

;
Simultaneously or substantially simultaneously with the castoff motion of the picking units, the presser cylinders 160 are actua,ed ~omentarily to sharply drive down~Jard'the presser ?2ds 162. These serve momentarily to press the ply P aOainst the 1, upper surl~zce of the shutter plate 150, and experience has shown j'that this is generally adequate to establish sufficient friction il between the pla,e surface and the castoff fabric ply to enable 1,' the ply to be carried away by the shutter without excess slippage ilof the ply.

In a typical arrangement of apparatus according to the invlention, the fabric plies C, L may be of substantial width. I
In which case typically at least two picking units wi~l be utilizec Il for picking individual plies from the ply stack. In such cases, 1~ the presser assemblies 160 may be located between each pair of i picking units.
I . ,.

, Pursuant to one of the significant aspects of the inven-I tion, ~ ?air of fabric plies, C, ~, picked fro~ adjacent supply 1l stacks by respective pairs of picking units 96, are deposited on the transport snutter 150, which is then advanced in a forward direction to carry the plies to the conveyor section 43 of the e~uipment. By techni~ues to be described, the plies are manipu- ¦
ll~ lated while on the transport shutter 15~ to effect precise orien- i 2~ , tation and positioning of the plies. Uhile the plies are held I in their thus oriented and aligned positions, the transpor~ shutter i 150 is withdr~, effecting deposit of the plies onto an index conveyor. By properly timed and controlled movements of the con-,, ~eyor it is possible to effect precise assembly of a cuff ply C
~ ~n top of a 7iner ply L ~n the index c~nveyor. The asse~bled Il - 20 -parts may then be conveyed away for hemming or other processing.
As reflected particularly in Figs. 1-3, the transport shutter 150 may be in the form of a flat plate, of generally rectangular configuration. The dimensions of the shutter are such as to easily accommodate fabric plies of the largest size contemplated to be processed by the apparatus. As shown par-ticularly in Fig. 1, the transport frame 90 mounts a pair of spaced, longitudinally disposed guide rods 170 on which are received slide bearings 171 attached to the transport shutter 150. The gùide rods 170 are of adequate length to accommodate forward and rearward longitudinal movement of the transport shutter between the forward rearward limit positions indicated in Fig. 1. In the forward limit position, indicated in broken lines, the transport shutter overlies the index conveyor section 43, whereas in the retracted or rearward limit position, the trans-port shutter substantially overlies the elevator platforms 44, 45.
The rearward slide bearings are secured tc a pair of transport belts 173, trained about pulleys 174, 175. The forward pulleys 175 are mounted on a common shaft 176 journaled in the frame rails 91, ~2. One end of the shaft 176 extends through the frame rail 91 and mounts a pulley 177 driven by a motor 178 (Fig. 1) by means of a timing belt 179.
To advantage, the transport shutter drive motor 178 is a pulse-driven stepping motor, which is operated in accordance with a predetermined pulse sequence program for optimum average speed of travel. With reference to Fig. 30, for example, there is shown a typical graphic representation of shutter velocity versus shutter position, with the solid line representing the travel of the transport shutter in the feed direction (forward) and the broken line 7,~ ( I

represen,ing travel of the shutter in the retracting direction.
; Thus, after deposit on the shutter of the fa~ric plies, with the shutter in the load position, the shutter i~ accelerated, gradu-211y at ~irst 2nd then at a somewhat increasing rate, to its maxi-~5 '~ mum fo~z-d velocity. In a typical case, this maximum velocity 1, may be on the order of twenty-four inches per second, although that is not to be considered limiting of the invention. After j, the transport shutter has traversed about two thirds of its stroke!, Il it is rapidly decelerated, along a curve 180, to a min~mum speed 1l level reflected by the curve portion 181, which typically may be around six inches per second. The last twenty-five or so percent of shutter travel is at that low speed, and during that slow speed portion of the travel, the fabric plies are oriented in the manner I to be described.
1ll ~en reverse movement of the transport shutter 150 is commenced, the shutter is accelerated slowly as reflected by the ¦I curve portion 182, to its maximum speed, then driven at the maxi-¦l D speed until close t~ the load position, and then rapidly de~
¦¦ celerated along the curve portion 1~3 to zero speed at the load position. To advzntage, the speed control of the transport shutter , is effected by a pre-programmed sequence of timed pulses of the stepping motor 178. ~he particular program of pulsing the stepping motor is, specifically, not part of the present invention. How-, ever, for ~pti~um utilization of the advantages of the in~ention, , proper con~rol of the acceleration and decelerztion of ~he ~rans-I, port shutter by some appropriate means is highly desirable.

! Orientinc 2n~ nin~ Section '~ Pursuant to one of the signifi~ant fea~ures of the ~72 invention, fabric plies, after being picked one at a time from the ply stack and deposited on the transport shutter 150 are pre-cisely oriented and aligned with respect to a fixed reference, before being deposited on the conveyor section. In this respect, a typical stack of fabric plies, having been handled numerous times subsequent to initial cutting, has a certain randomness to the individual plies, such that even under perfect conditions of picking and depositing on the shutter plate, the individual plies would have different orientation and alignment on the shutter plate. In addition to that, particularly where the system is operated at maximum practical speeds, it is possible for some slippage or buckling of the ply to occur, particularly during rapid acceleration and/or deceleration of the shutter plate. In the system of the present invention, a unique and novel arrange-ment is provided for precisely orienting and aligning the individual plies at the conveyor section of the system, so that all variations occurring prior to that stage are isolated and eliminated. As reflected particularly in ~-gs. 1, 3, and 14-16, the apparatus of the invention includes an orienting section 190, including a pair of orienting stations 191 for each ply carried by the transport shutter 150. A supporting bar 192 is supported at each end in the frame rails 91, 92 and extends transversely across the apparatus, generally above the conveyor section 43. A plurality of the orientiny stations 191 are mounted on the supporting bar 192, at adjustably spaced locations across its width, so as to be appropriately aligned with fabric plies brought into the orienting area by the transport shutter 150.
~eferring now particularly to Figs. 14-16, each of the orienting stations 191 includes a mcunting plate 193 received over 1~11872 the supporting bar 192 and adjustably secured thereto by a set screw 1932 or similar device. The mounting plate 193 extends for-;
ward fro~ the bar 192 and carries a slide bloc~ 194 adjustably secured by bolts 195 in an elongated slot 1960 The slide block , 194 mounts a vertical extending support bracket 197 from which ~' ¦l extend a ~uide rod 198 and an adjusting screw 199. A pre-com-¦, pressed coil spring 200 is received on the adjusting screw 199 andbears rearwardly against a carrier bracket 201 mounting a photo-I cell detector 202. The photocell detector 202 may be of a con-, ventional, commercially available type, and is oriented to project, ii a light beam 203 ~ownward, to intercept the shutter plate 150, , when the latter is in a forward positionO The photocell detector 202 is arranged to receive reflected light from the surface of the' !I shutter plate 1~0, which is of one characteristic when reflecting ¦I directly from the shutter surface, and which is of a different characteristic when reflected from the surface of the fabric ply P
Accordingly, during the forward movement of the shutter plate 150 ¦ carrying a just-picked and deposited ply, the photocel~ detector 1 202 will signal the arrival, at the vertical axis of the light I beam 203, of the forward or leading edge 212 of the ply P.

I Precise location of the light beam axis 203 is effected -,b~J primary and secondary adjusting capabilities. First, an ap-l proximate adjustment is provided by slideably positioning the 1 mounting block 194 in the slotted opening 1960 After thus ap- ¦
proximately locating the block 194, the photocell sensor 202 may ,~
be adjusted with great precision by means of a thumb nut 204 moun-ted on the threaded rod 199. With the spring 200 acting on one I side, and the thumb nut 204 on the other, the photocell mounting 'bracket 201 may be precisely advanced or retracted in the longi- ¦

7~

or ~f f ect ing preC
~u ide rod 19 8 en9 9 f the ~ ight beam a pening in the br ket 201 during su be underStoo the 5lide bloCk 194 204. haVing a r t i ng arm 2 0 6 c ar ry rm 206 is àdiuStab Y d~ustable 5 Of a clampin9 5 f the arm, and the ecured to the arm downward clampin9 i 210 mounting a co ical orienting tiP

und er S tood, the P
of the output 5ha 207 or Shortenin~ th b~ket 206 ~ ~ ~ p ~ ~ is p c on i c a 1 t iP
d i ts 1 eading edge d of the or i enter there is a Secnd t ng 5~aft 2;4 t d haS a rOtarY Ope 215 ond orienting f ~ g untlng arm 1 secured to th 1 lY 1,- shaPed con f ig 1~ by ~ear'S sUCh a _ 25 ~

~1187Z
. . I
orienting finger 216, like the finger 207, carries at the end of . its downwardly extending arm 218 a conica~ly shaped retaining tip 219, formed of resilient material. The second or rearward orient-~
ing finger 216 is adjustably positioned in its mounting bracket ~ such tha., when it is actuated to its lowered position (Fig. 14) ¦ it w~ll co~act the fabric ply P adjacent to but forward of its 1~ trailing edg^ 220. In this respect, it is contemplated that the ¦l optimum location of the leading edge of the ply, when properly .
Illoriented, ~7ill rema~n reasonably constant. However, the location I of the trailing edge 220 will then be a function of the length i dimension of the ply (longitudinally of the machine). ~us, it '¦ is contemplated that the rearward orienting finger 216 may have to be adjusted for each different size of fabric ply; moreover, ¦la typical apparatus may desirably be provided with a plurality .of sets of rear orienting fi~gers 215, in order ~o accommodate ¦a wide range of sizes of fabric plies.

As will be explained further in connection ~Jith a des-¦lcription of the operation of the system as a whole, the forward ¦¦orienting fingers 207 are actuated at the time the transport shut.-¦lter 150 approaches its forward limit posi~ion, carrying a fabric ply. For each ply, there are provided a pair of orienting assem-blies 191, spaced relatively widely, so that the conical retainer ¦Itips 219 can engage the fabric ply at widely spaced points~ ad-i vantageously near its side edge extremitiesO As reflected in Figs' 23-25, when tne transport shutter 150 is advancing to its forward position, carrying with it an unoriented ply, the leading edge I
,l212 of the ply eventually will reach one of the light beams 203 . i llfrom one of a pair of photoccll scanners 202. Assuming the right 33 hand side of the ply l~ads the left hand side, as shown in Fig.

_ 26 -.j .

23, the ply leading ed~e will first be intercepted by the right . hand photocell beam 203a, changing the photocell output character-, istic and causing ;mmediate actuation of the rotary acting sole-roi~ 213. -~. s s~_~stantially instantly lowers the right side ¦l orienting fi~ger 216 and its conical tip 219a into contact with ' the fabric ply, adjacent the trailing edge 220O

I Pursuant to the invention, the position of original de- ¦
'Ip~sit of the fabric ply and the transport shutter 150, as effected lliby castoff from the picker units 96, is such that an unoriented j! ply will reliably be carried by the shutter at least up to the ~oint where the leading edge 212 of the ply is intercepted by thr photocell beams 203. Thus, in the condition of the apparatus in-Il dicated in Fig. 23, the transport shutter 150 is well back of its l¦ fo~ard limît position at the time that the right hand photocell ¦¦bea~ 203a is interrupted. At this ~o~ent, t~e fabric ply becomes ilrestrained in a limited area near its ri~ht hand, rear corner, ~¦by ~eans of a light, controlled pressure ap?lied by the tip of l¦the conical retaining element 219. Because of the continued for-1l ward motion of the transport shutter 150, the unrestrained por-Il,tions of the ply continue to move, and the p~y literally pivots ¦l about the lowered orienti~g retainer 219a~ As the ply pivots into~
a precise fo~7ard edge orientation, as reflected in Fi~. 24, the .~ left hand ph~tocell beam 203b is broken, the left hand r~ar rotar~7 , acting solenoid 213 is actuated and the left hand orienting re- I
tainer ele~ent 219b is instantly brought ~o-.~ward into contact ¦, with the ply in the region of its trailing edge. Even at this ¦, stage, there is typically at least soF~e additional forward over-I'travel ~ove~ent of the transport shutter 130, movin~ into its ll forward li~it posit;on. ~o~ever, the fabric ply remains fixed ~`
_ 27 -~1872 in its oriented position by the pressure of the retaining elements - 219a, 219b. During this final stage of shutter movement, the shutter simply slides underneath the stationary, oriented pl~J.

' In the con~emplated form of the apparatus, the forward 'i limit position of the shutter 150 is controlled by a photocell Il sensor 221 (~ig. 3) mounted on the frame rail 92 adjacent its ¦ fo~ard end. The sensor 221 is positioned over the top of the 1~ left side guide rod 170 for the transport shutter and is arranged 1, to sense the arrival of the front left slide bearing 171, attached ! to the shutter.
ll l The utilization of solenoid actuators for operating the llorienting fingers 216, 207 is particularly advantageous because lof the rapid and highly uniform response of a solenoid, as distin-guished from a fluid actuator, for exampleO Since the ply is in motion as it is being advanced by the transport shutter 1~0, it is particularly significant to have unifonm response times be-I tween interruption of the photocell beam 203 and engagement of ¦the ply by the associated rear orienter retaining elements 219.
Solenoid actuators are also advantageous in that the holding pressure applied by the conical retaining elements 219, 211 can be accurately controlled by regulating the applied voltage to the l~solenoid acti~ators To advantage, the rotary acting solenoids 2~ I may be Ledex rotary solenoids, Model No ~-1244-032, for example ,, !
i In order to remove the fabric ply from the transport shutter 150, the ply is held in its oriented position while the ''transport shutter is retracted back toward its load position. To 1, j this end, the forward set of orienting fingers 207 are lowered, ~o ( , . , by operation of the rotary acting solenoids 204, to brin~ the orienting restrainers 211a, 211b (Fig. 25) into contact with the ply near its leading edge. Desirably, the rearward orienting ~ f~ngers ~16 z~e elevzted at an appropriate time after lowering of 5 ,,the forw~-d orienting fingers, so that the fabric ply is engaged only near its leading edge 212. When the transport shutter 150 ¦lis then a~tuated to move in the return direction, the fabric p~y ¦iis held stationary while the shutter is retracted out from under ,lit. The ply retains its oriented position and is eventua~ly de-~,posited in such condition on an index conveyor, as will be des-¦I,cribed.
1' ~
In connection with the above, it is significant that, in ~ithe handling of limp materials, the ply be engaged near its trail-11 ing edge 220, when the transport shutter is moving forward, and ¦Inear its leading edge 212, when the transport shutter is being ¦retracted. The ply thus always tends to be in a state of tensi~n~
¦rather than compression, due to the friction of movement of the !shutter underneath the stationary ply. This assures that the ply ~is retained relatively flat, and is not caused to buckle by rela-¦¦tive movement of the transport shutter.

In some instances, and particularly where the operating procedures invol~e assembly of one fabric section on top of another, ,edgewise alignment of the ply may be re~uired. In the il~ustr~ted' system for the asse~ly of two plies, it is advantageous to achieve ¦'precise edge alignment of one of the plies, while it is still on ~,the transport shutter 150. Accurate edge alignment of the other ply can be achieved by manipulation of the index conveyor, as will, be described h~rein2fter.

( Pursuant to one aspect of the invention, in a system operating to effect simultaneous delivery of a pair of fabric plie~
for orientation, alignment and assembly, such as in a production operation ror the assembly and hemming of a lined shirt slçeve , cuff, it is suitable to effect controlled edge alignment of the '~cu~f ply C only, while the plies are retained on the transport shutter. As -~ill be further described, appropriate edge alignment ',I of the liner ply L can be effected indep~ndently on the index con-1, veyor facility. Referring now to Figs~ 24 and 25, at this stage `
1' of the process, the left hand end edge 222 of the cuff ply C is Il offset to the right of its desired alignment, as established by il a photocell sensor beam 223 from a photocell sensor 224 (Fig. 3). 'I
The sensor 224 is mounted on a bracket 225 capable of lateral ad- ¦
~Ijustment on a support 226 mounted on the frame rail 92. The ini-lltial adjustment of the photocell 223 is such that, when the trans-¦lport shutter 150 comes to rest in its forward position, with the Icuff ply C being held in properly aligned position by the rearward ¦orienting retainer elements 219, the end edge 222 of the ply will ,be S~2~ to the right ~f the sensor beam undel all normal corl-ditions of random ply location. Thus, under all normal operating conditions desired edge alignment can be achieved by shifting the fabric ply C to the left until its end edge is intercepted by the l',photocell beam 223.

~l ~dge alignment of the ply C advantageously is effected by first lo-~7ering the fo~Jard orienting ~in~ers 207, so that t~e ply is engaged not only by the back orienting retainers 219, but also by the for~7ard retainers 211. The ply C may no~7 be shifted !, ,bodily to the left~ without ch~nging its precise front edge orien-¦ tation, by ,'ne bodily shifting (to the left~ of the orienter l ( ( i su?port bar 192, phys cally sliding the ply C over the top surIace . of the stationary shutter plate 150, until the photocell beam 223 is intercepted It will be understood, of course, that the ad-jacent liner ply L is also being shifted to the left at this time, .. by reason of its engagement with its own set of orienting elements~
, However, s~ce desired end edge aligNment of the liner ply is ef- j ¦. fected in ~ subsequent operation, the lateral motion of the orien_ ted liner ply at this time is without consequence.

o l! To advantage, the necessary limited lateral motion of the orienter support bar 192 is effected by a friction ~rew mech-~nism, illustrated in Fig. 4. An electrically controlled drive motor 230 is mounted on the frame rail 91 and is connected through , a coupler 231 to the shaft 232 of a friction screw device 233.
I The friction screw device may be of a commercially avaiLable type, as for example furnished under the trade designation ~'Rohlix"
linear actuator, Model 2, by the Barry ~right Corporation, Water-to~ ,~ss. The operation of this mechanism is such that, when ~ the shaft 232 is rotated, a carriage mem~er 234, which is re-:.
Istrained against rota~ion by a lever 235, is advanced, as if by.
a screw thread, by ~eans of sets of angularly disposed friction I wheels 236. ~n the illustrated mechanism, the restraining lever .
¦, 23~ is connected to the orienter supporting bar lg2 such that, Iwhen the carriage 234 is actuated linearly, by rotation of the shaft 232, the support bar 192 is shifted transversely with re-¦ spec~ to the machine frame, carry-ng wi,h it all of the orien~er ~devices 191. In the system of the invenLion, after the transport ¦, ~hutter 150 has reached its forward positions, proper orienta~ion Il o the front edges of the plies is indicated. ~his can commence 2 control sequence to lower the forward orienting ringers and to :'. ( ( I

L872 ~
actuate the edge alignment ~otor 230 shifting all the orien~ing devices to the left. When the sensor beam 223 is interrupted, the motor 230 is stopped and is retained in its adjusted position.
It is returned bacl to its "nor~al" position at a later stage in the opera_ing cycle, after the fabric plies have been removed from 1~ the trans~c)rt shutter.

Conveyor Sect on !! Referring now to Figs. 17-22, the conveyor section 43 , of the apparatus is located generally in alignment with the for- !
il ward limit position of the transport shutt~-- 150 and includes an ! index conveyor section 240 and a process con~eyor section 241.
!1 The index conveyor section 240 directly underlies the forward Illimit position of the transport shutter and includes a plurality lof spaced conveyor belts 242 trained about pulley shafts 243, 244,i journaled in the machine frame. The pulley shafts are arranged to define a horizontal run for the index conveyor, directly under-¦
Ineath and closely spaced with respect to the shutter plate 150 ¦¦ (see Figs. 1~, 19). The shaft 244 has fixed t~ereto a pl-lraLity ¦¦of pulleys 245, supporting the index conveyor belts 242 at one ¦~end. The shaft 244 consti~utes the drive input shaft for the in-~dex conveyor, and is driven through a sprin~ coupling 246 and belt '247 by a sync.~ronous electric motor 248. Since the index conveyor ~ 243 is periodically stopped and s,arted up, the spring cou~ling ~ 246 is useful in providing for a degree of lost motion to acco~mo-date the rapid acceleration of the synchronous motor du~ing start-llup, while the mass of the index conveyo_ is being accelerated at `~a somewhat lo~er rate. g ~ Desir2bly, the process conveyor 241 consists of z plural-li ~
i' ~,. I

72 ,, ity of belts 249 trained about pulleys 250, which are carried on the index conve~ror dri~e shaft 244c The pulleys-250 are ar-ranged to idle on that shaft, so that the drive inpu~ to the pro-ceCs con-~evo. can be separately controlled.

A, the front side of the index conveyor 240, adjacent the forwardm~st conveyor ~elts 242, are gauge bar members 251, , 252, which are arran~ed for engagement with the leading edge areas 'i of the ~espective plies C, L, as deposited from the tr~nsport i shutter 150. The gauge bars 251, 252 are mounted for limited ad-lljustment in the front-to-back direction of the machine such that, I
when dealing with the simultaneous feeding of two plies, the gauge bars may be differentially adjusted if appropriate. A~ shown in Il ~igs. 18-22, the gauge bar 252 (which is identical in its function I with the neigli~oring gauge bar 251) is so adjusted as to provide j a vertical gauging surface 253 in.substantial alignment with the photocell beam 203, in this case for the liner ply (although the same principles will obtain for the cuff ply with slightly differ-er.t ~2U~ bar adjustm~nt). Thus, wher the fo~ard motion of the j transport shutter 150 is terminated, as reflected in Fig. 19 and ~j 20, the liner ply will be held by the respective sets of orienting fingers 207, 216 and retainer ele~ents 211, 219, with the leading edge 212 of the ply substantially directly above the vertical l~ gauging surface 253. As noted in Fig. 17, the gauge bar 252 ex-' tends longitudinally for a substantial dis~ance, so as to enable alignment of the gauge bar and the ply edge 212 over a sufficient distance to assure ~roper gauging and stability of the ply, 1 l~ith the ply L retained in i~s oriented position, the ~30 ¦ transport shutter 150 is moved in a retracting direction. Pursuar~
1 . , ~ 33 - ' to the invention, the leading edge 254 of ~he transport shutter is bevele~ at a rather shallow angle to a sharp tip 255 lorated at the level of the bottom surface 256 of the shutter plate, just ~
i sl~ghtly a~ve t'ne g2uge bar ~51. As the tapered leading portion ,-¦1 254 of the transport shutter passes underneath the retaining ele-¦I ment 211, the downward pressing action of the orienting finger will cause the retainer element 211 to follow along, down the in- ¦
~ clined surface 254 and eventually onto a flat upwardly facing sur-¦ face 25~ of the gauge bar. Ideally, there is relative minimum I spacing bet~7een the lower surface of the shutter and the upward~y '~
facing surface of the gauge bar, so that there is a min,mum dis- ¦
tance of free travel of the orienting retainer element 211 bet~ee the inclined surface 254 and the upwardly facing gauge bar surface 1257.' . I
I
As reflected in Fi~. 22, after t~e transport shutter 150 has been completely withdrawn beyond the orientin~ retainer ele-~ent 211, the latter serves to hold the leading edge area of the ~ $abric ply L on the gauge bar 251. With continued retracting ;
I movement, the transp~rt shutter 150 eventually completely clears-¦l out from underneath the liner ply L, allowing the fabric ply to !~ drop on to the spaced belts 242 of the index con~eyor. Signifi-can~ly, the precise orientation and aliO~nment of the ply leading 1~ edge 212 has been accurately retained throughout the retractin~
'¦ move~ent o, the transport shutter.
, As is ?articularly eviden- in Fig. 14, the pivot axis (shaft 205~ for the orienting fingers 2~7 is located well above Il and forward of the retaining tip 2~1. Accordingly, as the retain-1 ing tip is caused to move downwzr~ along the sloping surface 254 I( .
I _ _ 87z and on to the upwardly facing gauge surface 257, there is inhe~e..t-ly a slight fo~ar~ component of mo~rement to the retaining element 211 as it follows an arcuate path around the axis of the shaft 1 205, This s7ight fo~ward component serves advantageously to snUv the leading edge 212 of the ply against the vertical gauge surfacel 253 of the gauge bar. In general, experience indicates that the accuracy of orientation achieved by the orienting fingers alone ~' is adequate in most i~stan~es. However, the gauge bar 251, 252 I provide additional assurance of precision alignment and orienta- ¦
I tion, which is sometimes useful when the equipment is operating I at very high spee~
,1 il To special advantage, a vacuum box 259 is provided under l at least the forward section of the index conveyor 240. In the ~l illustrated arrangement, this encompasses the area of the first ¦¦ four belts. The vacuum box 259 includes a flat plate 260 which underlies the first four index conveyor belts 242 and is provided with elongated slots 261 extending along the opposite sides of I each belt. A plenum c~amber 262 communicates with the slots 261 and is arranged to be evacuated through a conduit 263 leading to a vacuum source (not shown). I~hen the equipment is in operation, Il the plenum cha~ber 262 is continuously evacuated, causing a con-¦~ stant inflow of air ~hrough the elongated slo~s 261 alongside the !, index conveyor belts 242. Accordingly, when a fabric ply is de- ¦
i posited on the index conveyor, by withdrar~al of the shutter plate 150, the p~y is dra~ downward against the flat plate 260, being thus maintained in substantially ~lat condition and urged into lj good friction contact with the index convPyor belts 242.

11 ~nen a liner ply L, being carried along the right hand , , ~ 35 -side of the transport shutter 150, is deposited on the belts of the index conveyor 240, the index conveyor is started by ener-gizing the motor 248, and the liner ply is conveyed transversely, being held firmly in flat condition and in its original orient-ation by the action of the air flow into the vacuum chamber 262.
Pursuant to one aspect of the invention, a photocell sensor 270 (see Fig. 17) is adjustably mounted on the machine frame, adjacent the left hand side of the index conveyor, so as to be intercepted by the left hand side edge 271 (Fig. 26) of a liner ply L being conveyed by the index conveyor 240. When the photocell sensor 270 intercepts the side edge of the liner ply, the index con-veyor is immediately brought to a stop, so that now the liner ply is oriented with both its leading edge and side edge precisely aligned by reference sensors. Thus, although the cuff ply C is edge-aligned while still on the transport shutter, the liner ply L is edge-aligned after it has been deposited on the index con-veyor 240.
Summary of Operation for Two P1Y ASSemb1Y
Operation of the apparatus according to the invention, to deliver aligned and assembled fabric plies, as for a lined shirt cuff, can be visualized by reference to Figs. 26-28. It is assumed, in Fig. 26 that a previous cycle of operation has been completed, and this will leave the system with an aligned and oriented liner ply L at the delivery end of the index conveyor 240. At the time of the forward motion of the t~ansport shutter 150, for the previous operating cycle, the rock shaft 103 has been operated to lower and then raise the several picking units 96.
One pair of the picking units will have engaged and lifted a cuff ply C, at spaced areas along its leading edg~, while another pair

3~ of picking units will have similarly engaged and lifted a single - ~6 -., .
liner ply L. Upon the retracting movement of the transport shut-, ter 150, to a position underneath the just-picked liner and cuff il ~
~I plies, the picking unlts execute a castoff of the plies, in the . , manner p.eviously described, and the presser units 160 momentarily l descend, The transport shutter 150 then advances with its unori-¦ ented, pl es C, L toward the discharge position, above the index I conveyor 240.
I !

I As the transport shutter 150 reaches its forward position>
!i reflected in Fig. 27, both the liner and the cuff plies will have been orien~ed and positioned &~ong tneir respective leading edges,~
by the spaced pairs of photocell sensor units 202, independently !
actuated in the m2nner heretofore described to stop first one I side and then the other of an oriented ply. As reflected in Fig.
¦ 27, the adjustment of the photocell sensors for the liner ply may and typically will be somewhat different than for the cuff ply C, reflecting the fact that the cuff ply is somewhat larger than the liner and is intended to overlap the latter when eventually I assembled therewith At this stage, edge alignment of the cuff ¦ ply is effected by bodily shifting to the left of the orienter ¦ support bar 192, until the ply edge 222 is detected by the photo-cell sensor 224. Although the liner ply L is laterally shifted during edge alignment of the cuff ply. ~nly edge a~ignment of ~,l the cuff ply is control~ed at this stage.
As reflected in Fig. 27, upon completion of the orienting , and edge alignment of the cuff ply C, the cuff ply C, while still ' on the transport shutter 150, will directly overlie, in proper 1~ alignment~ the prevlously oriented and edge-aligned liner ply L, which rema~ns on the index conveyor from the previous cycle. I

1~ - 37 -. !

( ~ 72 .
.
Accordingly, when the transport shutter 1~0 is now retracted (see Fig 28) to pic~ up the next pair of plies from the picking units 96, the aligned and oriented cuff ply C will be deposited onto ,! the index conveyor, directly on top of the liner ply L from the S , previous cvcle, and then the assembled plies will be held on the index conve~or by the action of the vacuum box arrangement. At the same ti~e, an oriented but non-edge-aligned liner ply L will ¦l be deposited from the shutter onto the right hand side of the in- ¦
! dex conveyor. At this stage, both the indeY~ conveyor 240 and the 1l~ production conveyor 241 are actuated, causing the assembled ply i stack C-L to be c~ ried a~Jay to the left, to be sewed, hemmed or otherwise processed. The just-deposited liner ply L is conveyed into space vacated by the ply assembly C-L, and is edge-aligned ~ by interception of its left side edge with the photocell 270 (seej I Fig. 26).

Summary of Operation for Single Ply Delivery l The apparatus specifieally illustrated herein, while in-¦tended primarily for the picking, dellvery and assembly of two Iplies of material, is al~ernatively useful for the delivery to a processing operation, such as hemming, of a single, relatively large ply of fabric. In the schematic illustration of Fig. 29, the equipment is set up for the handling of sleeve plies S for ishort sleeved shirts. The plies S are of substantial size, in llbotn lengtn and width dimensions. In particular, the plies S are of sufficient width to overlap both of the sup~ly elevator plat-forms 44, 45. Whereas the machine is e~uippe~ wi,h two sets of picking units 96 associated with each of the elevato~ platforms, llit is cor.templated that, for utilization with single, large plies, l~some o the picking units will be disabled. This may be convenien~-.

ly done by either disconnecting the operating rods 101 for the disabled units, so that those units are not lowered when their rock shaft 103 is actuated. Alternatively the disabled units may i be set u? to be lifted and lowered ~ith the operative units while 5 1I having their wheel-actuating cylinders 130 deactivated. In gen-1~ eral, although a particular ply S may be sufficiently wide to ac-il commodate three or even all four of the picking units, it is gener-i ally preferred to utilize the least necessary number. If neces-' sary, the location of the operative picking units may be adjusted ~l laterally on the support shafts 95, so that the picking units may I have an optimum location with respect to a~n-~ given fabric ply.
il The optimu~ location in any given instance can be a function o ~; both the dimensions Qf the ply and its physical characteristics, I and can be easily determined on an empirical basis.

¦ l~hen operating the system to deLiver large plies, extend-ing over both of the elevator platforms 44, 45, it is preferred that the elevation control for each of the platform~ be independ-~ ently controlled according to its own height sensor (Fig. 6) to , assure that the ply will have the proper level directly underneat~
the picking u~its in each instance. In some cases, this may re-quire the platfor~s 44, 45 to be on different levels to compensate for thick~less variations over the surfaces of the plies.

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As reflected in Fig. 29, when the equipment is set up for large ply operation, selected ones of the orienting assemblies 191 ar~ disablPd, and only two SUch assemblies are utilized in the orientation of the ply, one adjacent each side edge of the ply. If necessary, the orienting assemblies may be adjusted late~-I ally vn the support shaft 192, in order to achieve optim~m align-l ', , l ~ 7 ment of the orienters with respect to the fabric p~y S. In addi-tion, the rea~-Jard set of oriPnting fingers 216 (see Fig. 14) typ-ically will have to be exchanged for longer fingers (not specifi-'' c211y sh~ .), SO th2t the retainer elements 219 can engage the l, fabric ply near its trailing edge area during the ori~ntation of i the leading edge. In general, it is not necessary to change or adjust the fo~Jard set of orienting fingers 207, because the oriented location of the leading edge of the ply typically changes relatively little from one type of ply to another.
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Leading edge alignment and deposit of the large ply S
I is accomplished substantially in the s-7me manner as with the smal-i ¦I ler individual plies previously described. In general, when deal Il ing with a single ply, it is not necessary to effect side edg~
1 alignment prior to discharging the ply on to the production con-¦I veyor 241. However, if side edge alignment is necessary or de-¦¦ sirable in a given instance, it can be accomplished either on the transport shutter 150, by the procedure used with respect to the ! individual cuff plies C, or on the index conveyor 240> in the man ¦ ner utilized for the individual liner plies L.

j One of the signi~icant advantages of the invention is Ithe wide versatility of the equipment. Utilizing a plurality of ¦ picking units, in conjunction with a generally flat transport ~Ishutter, it is p~ssible to pick and deliver individual plies of a wide Jariety of sizes and shapes. In a machine inco~pora~ing several picking units, the individ77a~ un~ts may be adjustably positioned and selectively disabled s7lch thzt optimum positioning lof the pickup units is achievable wi~h a wide variety of sizes and shapes of fabric plies. With the system of the in~ention~ a ,

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` ~11872 pair of picking units functions to engage, at spaced areas, and to lif~ the forward edge area of a fabric ply. This enables a transport shutter plate to be inserted underneath the leading edge', separating the rest of the ply from the stack and providing the ! means for transporting the ply to a load station~
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Ano,h~r particularly i~portant advantage of the invention ,~ resides in th~ provision of arrangements for optically controlled ¦, orientation of the fabrie ply at the destination position~ With 1ll this arrangement, ply stacl~ variations, as well as any shiit in liply position occurring during tl.~e forward transport of -~e ply l,,on the shutter, are completely isolated, as the ply orientation does not occur until the ply reaches the discharge position, a~ ¦
~the load station. A combination of means for optically detecting !
,the leading edge of the ply and means for restraining the trailing edge of the ply, during the last stages of forward movement of llthe transport shutter, provides ~or the highly accurate alignment ,and orientation of a fabric ply, even of very limp and flimsy ma-¦iterial.
11, j Uith the system of the invention, a pair of plies for Illassembly m~y be separately pic~ed from individual stacks thereof ! and deposited for transport on a common shutter plate. When these I individual ~lies reach the load station, they are ind~vidually t 2~ ~ oriented and aligned for assembly. Pursuant to the invention, ! indi~idual adjustment of the align~ent and orientation o~ each ply is provided for, and prov sion is made for "fine tuning" ad-',~justment while the equipment is in operation. This enabLes the l machine oper~tor to observe the relative alignment of assembled plies. If ad3ustm~nts are needed, either in angular orientation, i. ~
~, front edge positioning, or side edge positioning, the necessary adjust~ents may be made by manipulation of manual adjusting screws to effect appropriate repositioning of the photocell sensors.
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,, When the equipment is set up for assembly of one fabric Il ply with ~n~ther, the use of a vacuum assisted index con~eyor is i ¦I particularly advantageous in providing for continued control of jl the previously aligned and oriented pliesO Thus, a liner ply, I deposited on the upstream side of the index conveyor, is gripped i, irm1y by the index conveyor belts while being held snugly there-, against in a flat condition by the vacuum d~tion. This enables ¦I precise aligr~ent of the end edge of the liner ply, by control ofi I the index conveyor movement. ~hen a previously aligned and ori-¦l ented cuff ply is deposited on the liner ply, the two parts are ¦ held in a precision-assembled relation, until the assembly is dis-charged from the index conveyor on to a production conveyor~ In accordance with known techniques, the production conveyor typi-cally includes opposed pairs of upper and lower belts, so that the assembled plies are held together un~il the sewing or other ~ joinin~ operation is complete.

The equipment specifically il~ustr2ted herein is partic-ularly advantageous for the production of short sleeved and long I
1, sleeved shirts, for example~ In general, there is a seasonal l~ character to the manufacture o~ long sleeved and short sleeved shirts, which the equipment of the prese~t apparatus can acrommo-date by its versatili~y. ~ring one season, the e~uipment may be utilized in the production of lined cuff assemblies for long I sleeved shirts. During the alterna~e sezsons, by means of an eas-l~ ily accomplished adjustment and alteration of the equipment, it ~ 1 187 ~
may be setup for the high speed feeding of short sleeve plies.
Thus, although the m~chine has certain highly specific capabili-ties, it is also sufficiently versatile that it may be maintained " in full production use for a wide variety of operations.
!~ i ¦i I, should be understood, of course, that the specific forms of the invention herein illustrated and described are in-j~ tended to be _epresentative only, as certain changes may be m~de ¦Itherein without departing from the clear teachings of the dis-11 closure. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following Il appended claims in determining _he full scope of the invention.

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Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

A method of delivering by a conveyor an oriented and aligned ply of limp material, said method being effected in the sequence of the steps of:
(a) advancing the ply along a first axis in a predetermined orientation;
(b) aligning the ply prior to depositing same onto the conveyor, said step of aligning being effected in the sequence of:
(i) aligning the leading edge of the ply with a first reference;
(ii) maintaining the alignment of the leading edge with said first reference while conveying the ply along a second axis generally parallel with but spaced from the axis of conveyance by said conveyor;
(iii) aligning a side edge of said ply with a second reference;
(c) depositing the thus oriented and aligned ply onto said conveyor; and (d) delivering the thus deposited ply by said conveyor to a predetermined location;
whereby the need for an alignment of said ply after the deposition thereof onto said conveyor to said predetermined location is eliminated.