EP0189352B1 - Gripper assembly for textiles or the like - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a gripper which is particularly applicable to a destacking device and capable of removing ply after ply, from a textile mattress or similar stacking.

This gripper, like that described in FR-A-2,523,560 comprises a clamp and means for opening and closing this clamp.

The clamp claimed in this patent comprises: a fixed central part provided laterally and on each side with an elastic part, two branches crossing to form the gripping spout, each of the branches, preferably in the extension of the elastic part being provided a touch.

The opening-closing means of this clamp consist of two fingers (one per branch) movable vertically and being able to come periodically, in their low position, to apply on said keys in order to deform the elastic parts and modify the crossing of the constituent parts of the beak.

The present invention provides another type of clamp and other means controlling its opening and closing.

The clamp consists of a chassis movable in height, integral with the rod of a jack, two axes journalling in bearings fixed to this chassis, two jaws having angular movements controlled by these axes.

The operating means are two sets of crossed rods, the lower ends of which are each fixed to one of said axes and the upper ends articulated on fixed points of the gripper, for example a plate.

The actuating cylinder by spreading or bringing the movable frame closer to this plate, modifies the crossing of the rods which makes the axes rotate and consequently makes the jaws open or close.

• - la figure 1 représente, en élévation, le préhenseur objet de l'invention en position fermée ;
• - la figure 2 est une vue identique du même préhenseur mais en position d'ouverture.

Other features and advantages will appear on reading the description and the claims which follow, made with reference to the drawings in which:

• - Figure 1 shows, in elevation, the gripper object of the invention in the closed position;
• - Figure 2 is an identical view of the same gripper but in the open position.

As can be seen in these figures, the gripper PH comprises a vertically fixed part constituted by the fixed plate PF of which is integral, on the one hand a jack VR1 and on the other hand by means of spacers such as ET and a second fixed stage PFS.

From the end of the TV rod of the piston VR1 is fixed a mobile chassis CM carrying two axes AX1, AX2 journalling in bearings PA fixed to this chassis. Each lever (AX1 or AX2) is joined to a lever LV1 (or LV2) fixed perpendicularly to a jaw M1 (or M2).

An axis TG1 (or TG2), the other end of which is articulated on the fixed plate PFS, is also angularly integral with each axis A1 (or A2).

The rods TG1 and TG2 intersect, the angle of their virtual point of entablature can vary according to the distance from the chassis CM to the plate PFS.

The articulation of each rod on the latter is constituted by stud PO rotating relative to the fixed part, depending on the variation of the angle, made by the rod with the plate.

Advantageously, the jaws (M1 and M2) are produced by parts whose opposite profiles are toothed.

To pass from the open position (Fig. 2) to the closed and therefore gripping position (Fig. 1), the TV rod comes out of the jack VR1, a movement which separates the chassis CM from the fixed plate PFS and therefore modifies the angle of the virtual entablature of the rods TG1-TG2.

The modification of this angle is only possible by the fact that the ends of these rods are articulated on the one hand on the fixed plate PFS and on the other hand on the frame CM, the angular modification of each rod occurring by a rotation of the studs PO and the axes AX1 (AX2). It is the rotation of these axes which produces the angular displacement of the jaws, the rods TG1-TG2 sliding in the studs PO.

This new gripper can be incorporated into a destacker device like that described in FR-A-2 523 560.

It has advantages over known grippers and in particular over the elastic gripper, object of this patent, in particular because it practically no longer pucks the textile ply at the time of gripping, thus avoiding an untimely displacement of the following ply.

Claims (2)

1. Gripper assembly (PH) for a textile machine, comprising a clamp (P) formed from two movable clamping jaws (M1-M2) which are displaced in angular movements, characterized in that, on the one hand, these clamping jaws (M1-M2) rotate together with two shafts (AX1-AX2) swivelling in bearings (PA) borne by a frame (CM) which is integral with the rod (TV) of a jack (VR1), and in that, on the other hand, these shafts are made to rotate by the angular displacement of an operating element (TG1-TG2) connecting each shaft (AX1-AX2) to a fixed plate (PFS).

2. Gripper assembly according to Claim 1, characterized in that these operating elements (TG1-TG2) are two crossed rods of which the lower end is fixed to the corresponding shaft (AX1-AX2) and the upper end is held by a rotating pin (PO) borne by the fixed plate (PFS), in which pin the corresponding rod slides.

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