GB2035398A - A process and machine for automatically sewing reinforcements in garments - Google Patents

Abstract

A process for sewing reinforcements in garments comprises the steps of: holding a garment (1) by means of suction applied independently at a central region (3, 13) and at an annular region, such that the area to be reinforced and the reinforcement being held at the annular region; placing said area of the garment (1) and the reinforcement piece (6) on a sewing platform (8) and applying pressure; removing said suction applied at the annular region and stretching and locating the edges by means of both an air stream (9) and suction and producing relative displacement between said edges (7, 5) and sewing means (11) and simultaneously operating the sewing means (11) to sew the reinforcement piece (6) in the garment (1). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A process and machine for automatically sewing reinforcements in garments This invention relates to a process and machine for automatically sewing reinforcements in garments.

Such garments could be knitted garments of the type known as "panty hose" or "leotards", which are assemblies of knitted material comprising a body piece designed to fit the lower part of the abdomen of the wearer with completely closed extensions, in the shape of legs, which are designed to fit the legs of the wearer. In such garments it is necessary to fit a gusset to strengthen the area immediately joining the two pieces covering the legs and the area of the part covering the body itself.To do this, various methods have been used, traditionally being mainly manual in view of the requirement to turn the garment inside out so as to make the stitching area accessible, ensuring that the seam tape remains on the inside of the garment, and also because of the complex shape of the stitching area and the necessi ty of providing the garment in its final finished shape, all making automation very difficult.

According to one aspect of this invention there is provided a process for automatically sewing rein forcements in garments, the process comprising the steps of: holding a garment to be reinforced, by means of suction applied independently at a central region of a passageway and at an annular region of the passageway between said central region and the periphery of the passageway, the garment being held in a substantially vertical and inverted manner such that an area of the garment to be reinforced is presented at a mouth of the passageway, the edges of this area being held by suction applied at the annular region, applying a reinforcement piece to said area of the garment such that the edges of the reinforcement piece are substantially coincident with the edges of said area and such that the reinforcement piece is held by said suction applied at the annular region, placing said area of the garment and the reinforce ment piece on a sewing platform and applying pressure to said area of the garment and the reinforcement, removing said suction applied at the annular region and stretching and locating the edges of both the reinforcement piece and said area on the plat form by means of both an air stream directed substantially at said edges and suction applied to said edges, and producing relative displacement between said edges and sewing means and simultaneously oper ating the sewing means to sew the reinforcement piece in the garment.

The process could further comprise the steps of I cutting off any surplus from said edges and remov ing such surplus pneumatically.

Also, the process could further comprise the steps of removing said pressure applied to said area of the garment and the reinforcement piece, once the reinforcement piece has been sewn in the garment, and removing the finished garment from the sewing platform pneumatically.

Said relative displacement between said edges and the sewing means could be produced by rotating the passageway about its vertical axis of symmetry together with the garment and the reinforcement piece.

The reinforcement piece is preferably applied to said area of the garment in a substantially flat and stretched form.

According to another aspect of this invention, there is provided a machine for use in automatically sewing reinforcements in garments, according to the process described above, the machine comprising: a support structure, at least one working unit arranged on the support structure, the working unit comprising inner and outer substantially vertical, concentric tubes which form said passageway, the inner tube defining said central region and the region between the inner and outer tubes defining said annular region, and suction means, for providing said independent suction at the central and annular regions, and drive means, for producing both independent rotation of the working unit about its vertical axis of symmetry and independent, stepwise rotation of the support structure.

Preferably, the inner and outer tubes are arranged such that, in use, suction applied at the annular region acts in a direction which is inclined with respect to the direction of suction applied at the central region, such that said edges of said area and the reinforcement piece are held on the exterior of the outer tube.

The lower portions of the inner and outer tubes are preferably flared. Also, a flexible, annular member could be arranged at the lower ends of the inner and outer tubes, for contacting said sewing platform.

Said region between the inner and outer tubes which defines said annular region is preferably in connection with a plurality of openings in a lower portion of the outer tube.

The drive means is preferably programmed to rotate the working unit to facilitate said application of pressure to said area of the garment and to the reinforcement.

The machine could further comprise first and second air outlets, for producing said air stream directed substantially at said edges, and further suction means, for producing said suction applied to said edges.

Also, the machine could further comprise sewing means, including a sewing needle, for sewing the reinforcement piece in the garment. In this case, the first air outlet could be located adjacent to the exterior of the outer tube and the second air outlet could be located adjacent to the sewing needle.

Said first and second air outlets are preferably inclined with respect to the horizontal to facilitate said stretching of the edges of both the reinforcement piece and said area of the garment.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a cross-section of a double suction head of a machine according to the invention, showing the positioning of a garment which is to be reinforced, Figure 2 shows a schematic representation of a cross-section simiiar to that shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 shows a schematic representation of a cross-section similar to those shown in Figures 1 and 2, showing the relative positioning of a lower reinforcement piece, Figure 4shows a schematic representation of the cross-section shown in Figure 3, showing the reinforcement piece located on the garment to be reinforced by means of pneumatic holding of the assembly by its edges, Figure 5shows a schematic representation of part of a machine according to the invention, including the double suction head shown in Figures 1 to 4, showing a phase at which the edges of the assembly are released for sewing and pick-up of the surplus, Figure 6 shows a perspective view of a machine according to the invention, showing two of the working units thereof, and Figures 7 and 8 are perspective views of part of the machine shown in Figure 6, showing a phase of sewing and trimming of a reinforcement gusset.

Referring to the drawings, in a first phase of a process in which a garment 1 is to be reinforced, its lower, open end 2 (the front and rear seams of the garment 1 having already been sewn, leaving its central void unsewn) - which coincides with the area which has to be reinforced - is held vertically in an inverted position inside a tubular body 3 by means of suction. After inverting the garment 1, suction is stopped and it is held by its own friction inside the body 3. Suction is subsequently produced in an auxiliary, annular suction zone 4 adjacent to the periphery of the lower mouth of the tubular body 3, which suction causes an edge 5 of the garment 1 to be held to the annular suction zone 4, as shown in Figure 2.

Next, an annular reinforcement piece 6, comprising a strip or sheet of knitted material, for example, is positioned, being laid out flat and presented to the lower mouth of the tubular body 3, and is held such that its edge 7 is applied to the edge 5 of the garment 1 and remains held pneumatically by means of sources operating in the annular suction zone 4 (see Figures 3 and 4).

The operation described above is followed by a phase of transfer of the resulting assembly of the garment 1 and reinforcement 6 to a sewing head, the application being by means of a stage in which a carrying head exerts a pressing operation on the garment 1 and the reinforcement 6, after which the suction in the annular suction zone 4 terminates, leaving the assembly of the two edges 5 and 7 free (see Figure 5). The application of both edges 5 and 7, already coincident, on a platform comprising a flat area (table) 8 of a sewing head is carried out using pneumatic means by air streams 9 directed from various tubes (outlets) 10 arranged axially in a peripheral region outside the lower mouth of the tubular body 3, thus allowing the operation of the sewing head which operates a needle 11.Simultaneously, another tube 13 directs a jet of air twards the periphery, somewhat inclined towards the outside thereof and tending to situate the garment under the needle 11 of the sewing head. Simul taneouslywith the lowering of the edges 5 and 7 to be sewn on to the table 8 and the operation of the sewing head, the carrying head is rotated about a vertical axis of symmetry and also the surplus, which is cut off by means of a conventional type of scissor, is pneumatically picked-up. This pick-up operation can be by means of a suction tube 12 which stretches the material, forming a type of a so-called pneumatic (pressure) pad.

By means of the group of operations herein described it is possible to carry out the complete sewing of a reinforcement piece 6 to a garment 1 of the "panty hose" type, for example. The only manual operation invoived is the positioning of the garment 1 in the interior of the tubular body 3, allowing subsequent operations to be automatic, given that the reinforcement 6 is also applied automatically to the lower mouth of the tubular body 3, coincident with the open part of the garment 1.

The machine is designed to allow the holding of the garment 1 to be sewn in a vertical and inverted position such that its lower opening 2 (Figure 1) coincides with the mouth of a suction unit comprising the (internal) tubular body 3 and a further (external) concentric tubular body 13 which are provided with lower, flared zones 14 and 15 respectively, preferably of a conical, truncated pyramidal, or similar shape. Thus, a principal central suction opening is established and also the annular, peripheral suction zone 4 which is adjacent to the principal central suction opening, but which does not coincide with the plane of the mouth of the suction unit but instead is orientated towards the upper part of the suction unit.Thus, the edge 5 of the lower opening of the garment 1 can coincide after its rebuttal with the annular suction zone 4, for which the machine has the ability to produce, in a differential and programmed manner, a suction, either inside the tubular body 3 of inside the tubular body 13, that is to say in the annular gap between the tubular bodes 3 and 13.

The lower annular separation between the tubular bodies 3 and 13, in enlarged areas 14 and 15 respectively, is partially ciosed by means of a flexible, annular flange 16 which is designed to permit a better fitting of the suction head assembly to the surface of the sewing head.

As can be seen from Figure 2, once the suction in the interior of the tubular body 13 is in operation, the edge 5 remains directed upwards covering the periphery of the flexible flange 16 and resting against the annular suction zone 4.

The machine is provided with means (notshorin; for applying the reinforcement piece 6 in a fiat and stretched form, to the aperture of the suction head.

The edge 7 of the reinforcement piece 6 is also directed upwards and is coincident with the edge 5 of the garment 1, as may be seen in Figure 4.

The machine is also provided with means for displacing the suction head described above towards the sewing head, comprising the flat area 8 and a conventional sewing mechanism which oper ates the needle 11. The outlets 10 are arranged to blow the stream of air 9 such that it holds the edges 5 and 7 on to the flat area 8. Another outlet 17 (see Figure 5) sends a somewhat inclined stream of air in such a way as to direct the edge 5 of the garment 1 and the reinforcement piece 6 under the needle 11, operating as a pneumatic pressure pad. A suction mouth 12 of substantial width and having an arcuate edge keeps the fabric stretched, assisting in the function of pressing the fabric, and also collects the cut-off.

The manner of operation of the machine is based on, as already described, the fact that in the sewing head the suction ceases inside the annular space between the tubular bodies 3 and 13, initiating the air stream 9 across the outlets 10 whose ends are adjacent to the flared zone 15, releasing both edges 5 and 7 of the garment 1 and of the reinforcement piece 6 respectively, which are then applied to the flat area 8 in the correct position for sewing with the help of the pneumatic pressure arising from the outlets 17 and 12; the surplus, cut off by the scissors (not shown) is sucked up by outlet 12 (see Figure 7).

Simultaneously, the suction head is rotated about its vertical axis of symmetry (as indicated by the arrow in Figure 6). During this series of actions of stitching, both the garment 1 and the reinforcement piece 6 remain positioned on the flat area 8 by the action of a vertical displacement of the entire unit, directly transferring pressure onto the flat area 8 by means of the flexible flange 16.

The stages of suction of the tubular body 3 and the tubular body 13, as well as the rotation of the machine and the pressure action, take place automatically and are controlled by a programmed system operating on the mechanical and pneumatic parts of the machine.

The annular suction zone 4 comprises a set of orifices in the lower edge of the flared zone 15, or in its proximity.

Referring to Figure 6, the machine is completed by its supporting framework in which are arranged its various working units, for example, working units 18 and 19, of varying number, preferably three or four units. The machine is fitted with actuator means, as already described, which is suitably programmed for the rotational movement of the different working units, passing them successively through various work stations and suchlike, and actuating an axial displacement of each of the working units for the purpose of pressing at the sewing station and also to connect with the sources of suction and control thereof, both in relation to the main suction and to the suction in the annular zone 4.

The process and machine described achieve a lowering of operational costs, when compared with manual sewing methods, as well as uniform quality in the fitting of the reinforcements. manual intervention being reduced to a minini:!m (i=e. e Do-iFion- ing of the garment to be sewn in the r rst phase of the process and later the positioning of the reinforcement piece in the second phase thereof).

Claims (17)

1. A process for automatically sewing reinforcements in garments, the process comprising the steps of: holding a garment to be reinforced, by means of suction applied independently at a central region of a passageway and at an annular region of the passageway between said central region and the periphery of the passageway, the garment being held in a substantially vertical and inverted manner such that an area of the garment to be reinforced is presented art a mouth of the passageway, the edges of this area being held by suction applied at the annular region; applying a reinforcement piece to said area of the garment such that the edges of the reinforcement piece are substantially coincident with the edges of said area and such that the reinforcement piece is held by said suction applied at the annular region;; placing said area of the garment and the reinforcement piece on a sewing platform and applying pressure to said area of the garment and the reinforcement; removing said suction applied at the annular region and stretching and locating the edges of both the reinforcement piece and said area on the plar- form by means of both an air stream directed substantially at said edges and suction applied to said edges; and producing relative displacement between said edges and sewing means and simultaneously operating the sewing means to sew the reinforcement piece in the garment.

2. A process according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of cutting off any surplus from said edges and removing such surplus pneumatically.

3. A process according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising the steps of removing said pressure applied to said area of the garment and the reinforcement piece, once the reinforcement piece has been sewn in the garment, and removing the finished garment from the sewing platform pneumatically.

4. A process according to any preceding claim, wherein said relative displacement between said edges and the sewing means is produced by rotating the passageway about its vertical axis of symmetry together with the garment and the reinforcement piece.

5. A process according to any preceding claim, wherein the reinforcement piece is applied to said area of the garment in a substantially flat and stretched form.

6. A machine for use in automatically sewing reinforcements in garments, according to the p-o cess claimed in claim 1, the machine comprisi a support structure; at least oate working unitarrarried o.- he structu > -e, i:? woriting unitcoflp;:..ing inns: and outer sui;s'sntially vertical, concentrir 1-ihos which form sa -assageway. the inner tube defining said central region and the region between the inner and outer tubes defining said annular region, and suction means, for providing said independent suction & the central and annular regions; and drive means, for producing both independent rotation of the working unit about its vertical axis of symmetry and independent, stepwise rotation of the support structure.

7. A machine according to claim 6, wherein the inner and outer tubes are arranged such that, in use, suction applied at the annular region acts in a direction which is inclined with respect to the direction of suction applied at the central region, such that said edges of said area and the reinforcement piece are held on the exterior of the outer tube.

8. A machine according to claim 6 or 7, wherein lower portions of the inner and outer tubes are flared.

9. A machine according to any of claims 6 to 8, wherein there is provided a flexible, annular member arranged at the lower ends of the inner and outer tubes, for contacting said sewing platform.

10. A machine according to any of claims 6to 9, wherein said region between the inner and outer tubes which defines said annular region is in connection with a plurality of openings in a lower portion of the outer tube.

11. A machine according to any of claims 6 to 10, wherein the drive means is programmed to rotate the working unit to facilitate said application of pressure to said area of the garment and to the reinforcement.

12. A machine according to any of claims 6 to 11, further comprising first and second air outlets, for producing said air stream directed substantially at said edges, and further suction means, for producing said suction applied to said edges.

13. A machine according to any of claims 6 to 12, further comprising sewing means, including a sewing needle, for sewing the reinforcement piece in the garment.

14. A machine according to claim 13, as dependent on claim 12, wherein the first air outlet is located adjacent to the exterior of the outer tube and the second air outlet is located adjacent to the sewing needle.

15. A machine according to any of claims 12 to 14, wherein the first and second air outlets are inclined with respect to the horizontal to facilitate said stretching of the edges of both the reinforcement piece and said area of the garment.

16. A process for automatically sewing reinforcements in garments substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

17. A machine for automatically sewing reinforcements in garments substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.