EP0396511A2

EP0396511A2 - Apparatus for replacing fabric pieces in textile spreading machines

Info

Publication number: EP0396511A2
Application number: EP90830164A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Franco Giachetti
Original assignee: IMA Industria Macchine Automatiche SpA
Current assignee: IMA Industria Macchine Automatiche SpA
Priority date: 1989-05-04
Filing date: 1990-04-12
Publication date: 1990-11-07
Also published as: JPH02293464A; IT8920371A0; IT1229334B; EP0396511A3

Abstract

An apparatus for replacing fabric pieces in textile spreading machines comprises two pairs of motor driven carriages mounted on vertical shoulders (1) and driven by timed reciprocating movements along paths converging toward a piece supporting member (3) of the spreading machine,the carriages bearing each a slide (2, 2') about the pheriphery of which a chain is slidably driven including means for restraining the mandrel (9, 10) of a fabric piece to be loaded or unloaded on/from the supporting member (3) of the spreading machine thereon the piece bearing mandrel can be restrained between roller pairs (4, 4') mounted on supporting plates (5) which are pivoted at one end thereof and supported,at the other end thereof, by articulated arm.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an apparatus for replacing fabric pieces in textile spreading machines.
As is known cloth fabrics for preparing cloth articles are usually spread,before a cutting step, in superimposed layers so as to form the so called "matress".
In order to carry out this preliminary operation there are conventionally used spreading machines which comprise a rotary turret which is also longitudinally driven along a spreading table thereon the fabric piece is to be spread.
After having formed the matress,the exhausted fabric piece must be replaced by another piece,for preparing a new matress.
At present the fabric piece replacing operation is usually carried out by piece replacing apparatus which,however,operate in a semi-automatic way,and are controlled by an operator,which results in a comparatively long replacing time negatively affecting the cost of the finished product.
Moreover the operator is frequently subjected to dangerous operating conditions,which are directly related to the piece manual replacing operations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the main object of the present invention is to overcome the above mentioned drawbacks, by providing an apparatus for replacing fabric pieces, adapted to be associated with a textile spreading machine,and which operates in a fully automatic way.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a fabric piece replacing apparatus which operates in a very quick and reliable way.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a fabric piece replacing apparatus which is very simple construction-wise.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the above mentioned objects,as well as yet other objects,which will become more apparent hereinafter,are achieved by an apparatus for replacing fabric pieces in textile spreading machines characterized in that said apparatus comprises two pairs of driven carriages,mounted on vertical shoulders to be reciprocated in timed way along converging paths,said carriages bearing each a slide along the perimeter of which a chain is slidably driven,said chain being provided with restraining means for restraining a fabric piece mandrel to be unloaded or loaded from/on a piece supporting member of a spreading machine,said piece supporting member including restraining rollers for restraining by pairs said piece mandrel,said restraining rollers being mounted on supporting plates pivoted each at a respective end thereof and having another end thereof supported by articulated arms.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof which is illustrated,by way of an indicative but not limitative example,in the figures of the accompanying drawings,where:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic view showing the main operating components of the apparatus according to the present invention,during the operating step in which the piece supporting member is moved toward the apparatus;
FIGURES 2,3 and 4 show the unloading steps of a piece mandrel from the piece supporting member of the spreading machine the spreading machine and the loading steps for loading a new piece mandrel on said piece supporting member.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings,the apparatus for automatically replacing fabric pieces,adapted to be associated with fabric piece spreading machines,according to the present invention,comprises two driven carriage pairs (which have not been specifically shown),mounted on vertical shoulders 1 and reciprocated in a timed way along converging paths.
Each of said carriage pair supports corresponding slides,respectively top slides 2 and bottom slides 2′, along the perimeter of which is slidably driven a chain provided with means for restraining the mandrel of a fabric piece to be unloaded from or loaded on a supporting member 3 of the spreading machine.
More specifically, the piece mandrel is restrained on said supporting member by means of adjoining roller pairs 4 and 4′ which are rotatively mounted on corresponding supporting plates 5.
The supporting plates 5,in turn,are pivoted, together with the rollers 4,to the shoulders of said piece supporting member and are supported,at their opposite ends,by arms 6 which are resiliently biassed so as to assume, in the absence of side stresses,a substantially vertical attitude (figures 1,3 and 4).
In this connection it should be pointed out that on the front portion(with respect to its translation movement) of the piece supporting member of the spreading machine there is arranged a cam 7,whereas,on the front portion of one of the shoulders 1 there is provided, at a corresponding position,a microswitch 8 adapted to cause a programmed operating cycle to start.
During the operation of the apparatus,as the piece mandrel 9 is to be discharged from the piece supporting member 3 of the spreading machine,said piece supporting member is displaced toward the replacing apparatus so as to engage by its cam 7 the microswitch 8.
As the microswitch 8 is closed,an operating programmed cycle is started,to displace toward the piece supporting member 3 the bottom slides 3,so as to cause said bottom slides to engage,by a respective inner ridge thereof,the arms 6 to tilt said arms downward and cause the mandrel 9 to be discharged on said slides (see figures 2 and 3).
Then,the bottom slides will be withdrawn, so as to allow the plates 5 to assume again their vertical attitude (figure 3),whereas the top slides 2 move toward the piece supporting member of the spreading machine (figure 4),to cause a new piece mandrel 10 to be released between the rollers 4 and 4′ of said piece supporting member.
As the top slides are driven they will engage,by a respective ridge 11,a second microswitch 12 which causes the operating cycle to end.
From the above disclosure it should be apparent that the disclosed apparatus fully achieves the above mentioned objects.
While the invention has been illustrated and disclosed with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof,it should be apparent that the disclosed embodiment is susceptible to several modifications and variations all of which will come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1- An apparatus for replacing fabric pieces in textile spreading machines,characterized in that said apparatus comprises two pairs of driven carriages, mounted on vertical shoulders to be reciprocated in a timed way along converging paths,said carriages bearing each a slide along the perimeter of which a chain is slidably driven,said chain being provided with restraining means for restraining a fabric piece mandrel to be unloaded from/loaded on a piece supporting member of a spreading machine,said piece supporting member including restraining rollers for restraining by pairs said piece mandrel,said restraining rollers being mounted on supporting plates pivoted each at a respective end thereof and having another end thereof supported by articulated arms.

2- An apparatus according to claim 1,characterized in that said plates support rotatably said rollers and are pivoted, together with one of said rollers, to shoulders of said piece supporting member,said plates being supported by resiliently biassed arms adapted to assume, in the absence of side stresses,a substantially vertical attitude.

3- An apparatus according to claim 1,characterized in that said piece supporting member comprises a front cam and a microswitch adapted to be actuated for starting a programmed operating cycle.

4- An apparatus according to claim 3,characterized in that as said microswitch is closed bottom slides are driven toward said piece supporting member so as to cause said bottom slides to engage said roller supporting arms to tilt said arms downward.

5- An apparatus according to claim 1,characterized in that said apparatus is so designed that,as said bottom slides are withdrawn,said plates are brought again to their vertical attitude,whereas top slides in said apparatus move toward said piece supporting member so as to release a new piece mandrel between said rollers.