JP3344599B2 - How to spread square cloth - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for developing, after washing and dewatering, relatively small square pieces of cloth such as piled towels, napkins and tablecloths one by one.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a rectangular piece of cloth is washed, dehydrated, and then placed in a pile at a placing place. Flexible objects such as rectangular cloth pieces are difficult to align automatically with a machine.Therefore, the placed rectangular cloth pieces are manually taken out, unfolded, folded, ironed or packaged. Had been sent.

As a method of automatically expanding a rectangular cloth piece, a method of hanging a cloth, detecting a hanging corner portion with a sensor, and holding the hanging corner with a chuck is used. (See, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-34262).

[0004]

The method of picking up a stack of square pieces of cloth one by one and deploying the pieces by hand requires a lot of human labor, and the worker is also exposed to a bad environment of high temperature and high humidity. The long-term work of repetition of simple labor in Japan reduced the willingness to work, resulting in inefficiency and, as a result, increased costs. Therefore, development of a method for automating this process has been desired.

Therefore, an apparatus and a method for automating the development of a rectangular cloth piece have been invented. However, in a conventional automated method for developing a rectangular cloth piece, a corner portion is sensed in a state where the rectangular cloth piece hangs down. In this case, it is difficult to accurately grasp the corners of the rectangular piece of cloth because the corners of the rectangular pieces swing, and this is an inefficient deployment method. Further, the conventional automated method for developing a rectangular cloth piece is applied to a relatively large rectangular cloth piece. (Eg 5-3
No. 4,262, the means for gripping the corners).

The present invention provides a method for resolving the above-mentioned problems by gripping a corner portion of a relatively small rectangular cloth piece such as a towel, a napkin, a table cloth and the like by a stable method and efficiently and automatically developing it. It is intended to be.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a first invention is a first step of picking up a pile of square pieces of cloth by a first chuck.

[0008] A second step in which a fixed lower portion of the first chuck of the rectangular cloth piece which has been grabbed and hung down is pushed between the upper and lower rollers by a push plate in front of the upper and lower rollers, and the upper and lower rollers are bitten.

The rectangular cloth piece is removed from the first chuck, and the rectangular cloth piece is fed backward by rotating the upper and lower rollers while biting the rectangular cloth piece by the upper and lower rollers. When one corner of the rectangular piece of cloth moves to the front of the upper and lower rollers, the rotation of the upper and lower rollers is stopped, and one corner of the rectangular piece of cloth is moved to the second position.
The third step of gripping with a chuck.

A diagonal portion of a rectangular cloth piece which moves to the rear surface of the upper and lower rollers by rotating the upper and lower rollers in reverse (refers to another corner part opposite to one corner part of the rectangular cloth piece) The fourth step of holding with three chucks.

The upper and lower rollers are opened, the second and third chucks are moved to remove the rectangular cloth piece from the roller, and the chuck holding the diagonal portion of the rectangular cloth piece is moved horizontally to remove the rectangular cloth piece. Fifth step in which pieces are stretched.

[0012] Two free corners of the rectangular cloth piece hang downward. A sixth step in which the two free corners are respectively suctioned and opened by a suction device.

[0013] A seventh step of placing the folded two-way mounting table between the opened rectangular cloth pieces so as to overlap the folding line of the rectangular cloth pieces and straddling the mounting table.

[0014] The blown air is blown beneath the folded portion of the rectangular cloth piece, the gripper gripped is removed, the rectangular cloth piece is placed on the mounting table, the folded mounting table is spread, and the rectangular cloth piece is placed on the mounting table. A method for developing a rectangular cloth piece, comprising an eighth step of developing the cloth.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
Inserting a pair of left and right coaxial developing rollers capable of normal and reverse rotation between the rectangular cloth pieces opened in the sixth step of the first invention so that the folding roller axis and the folding line of the rectangular cloth pieces overlap,
A seventh step of removing the second and third chucks and straddling the rectangular cloth on the developing roller.

An eighth step in which the left and right developing rollers are respectively rotated in reverse to make one side of the rectangular cloth horizontal, and thereafter, the rectangular cloth is sent out and expanded on a conveyor. How to deploy square cloth pieces.

[0017]

[Function] When an arbitrary point on the dehydrated rectangular cloth piece is grasped,
The rectangular cloth hangs down due to its gravity. As long as the square piece does not grasp the center, the lowermost end of the hanging square piece is one of the four corners.
Therefore, when the lowermost portion is grasped, one of the four corners of the rectangular cloth piece is grasped.

Next, when an arbitrary point is released, the rectangular piece of cloth falls down due to the gravity of the rectangular piece, and the diagonal of the gripped corner becomes the lowermost end. When the lowermost end is grasped, two corners symmetrical with respect to the center point of the rectangular cloth piece among the four corners of the rectangular cloth piece are grasped.

When the two corners are stretched horizontally, the two corners, which are symmetrical with respect to the center point of the other square-shaped cloth piece, hang down, and the square-shaped cloth piece becomes triangular with the diagonal line upward. It will be folded into two.

Then, each of the hanging corners of the rectangular cloth piece is widened, and the folded mounting table is inserted between them, and the folding line of the mounting table is aligned with the folding line of the rectangular cloth piece. In order to loosen the twist caused by gripping the corners of the rectangular cloth piece, release the grip of the rectangular cloth piece while blowing air upward from the folding line of the mounting table to the folding line of the rectangular piece. The cloth piece is placed so as to straddle the mounting table.

After that, the square cloth is spread on the mounting table by opening the folding of the mounting table.

On the other hand, as another method of developing a rectangular cloth piece,
At the time when each of the hanging corners of the rectangular cloth piece is expanded, a pair of rotatable coaxial right and left developing rollers are inserted between the spreads, and the rectangular cloth piece is straddled on the developing roller. And

When the left and right developing rollers are rotated, for example, in opposite directions to each other, the hanging corners move upward, the corners on the developing roller move downward, and finally the adjacent corners come to a horizontal position. This also means that one side of the rectangular cloth piece sharing the adjacent corner is horizontal. When the one side becomes horizontal, the rotation of the developing roller is stopped.

Next, while spreading the rectangular cloth piece in the lateral direction,
By rotating the left and right developing rollers in the same direction and sending out the rectangular cloth, and receiving the rectangular cloth on a conveyor or the like, the rectangular cloth is expanded on the conveyor.

[0025]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, an adsorption chuck or tongs which moves vertically from above a pile of square fabric pieces 1 after dehydration via a support 2 in FIG. A single piece of rectangular cloth is taken out by the first chuck 3 made of a material such as the above, and is moved upward in a state where the rectangular cloth is suspended on the first chuck 3 in FIG.
When the rectangular cloth piece 1 hung on the first check 3 comes to the position where the upper and lower rollers of the pair of upper and lower biting rollers 4 are aligned, the rectangular cloth piece is pushed from the lateral direction by, for example, the push plate 5. , At the same time upper and lower rollers 4
Is rotated so that the rectangular cloth piece 1 is bitten by the upper and lower rollers 4. When the first chuck 3 is released, the lower end of the rectangular cloth piece 1 hangs below the front surface of the upper and lower rollers 4.

In FIG. 3, the rectangular cloth 1 is fed backward by the rotation of the upper and lower rollers 4, and one corner of the rectangular cloth 1 located at the lowermost end on the front of the upper and lower rollers is formed on the front of the upper and lower rollers 4. Appears at the bite. Therefore, the rotation of the upper and lower rollers 4 is stopped, and the second chuck 6 is moved to the front of the upper and lower rollers 4 from the lateral side of the front of the upper and lower rollers 4 so that one corner of the square cloth piece 1 on the front of the upper and lower rollers 4 is moved. The part is gripped by the second chuck 6. At this time, the lowermost end of the rectangular cloth piece 1 hanging down on the rear surface of the upper and lower rollers 4 is a diagonal part.

In FIG. 4, when the upper and lower rollers 4 are rotated in the reverse direction to send the rectangular cloth piece 1 in front of the upper and lower rollers 4, the diagonal portion at the lowermost end of the rectangular cloth piece 1 becomes the rear surface of the upper and lower rollers 4. Appears at the matching position. At this time, the upper and lower rollers 4 are stopped, and the third chuck 7 is moved from the lateral direction on the rear surface of the upper and lower rollers 4 to grip a corner on the rear surface of the upper and lower rollers 4.

In FIG. 5, the upper and lower rollers 4 are moved up and down to release the bite of the rectangular cloth piece 1 and
Is suspended with one corner and the diagonal gripped,
In FIG. 6, the chuck holding the two corners of the rectangular cloth piece 1 is moved horizontally to extend the rectangular cloth piece 1. At this time, the square piece of cloth has two free corners hanging down.

In FIG. 7, a suction device 8 provided with two free hanging corners of a rectangular cloth piece 1 on each surface side,
9 to both sides to open.

In FIG. 8, the mounting table 10 folded from below on the opened rectangular cloth piece 1 is folded up so that the folding line of the rectangular cloth piece 1 and the folding line of the mounting table 10 overlap. Put in. Thereafter, in FIG. 9, the square cloth piece 1 is blown by the blow nozzle 11 provided above the folded portion of the mounting table 10.
The suction devices 8 and 9 are stopped while spraying air toward the folded portion of, and then, in FIG. 10, the second and third chucks 6 and 7 holding both corners of the rectangular cloth piece 1 are opened, The rectangular cloth piece 1 is placed on the mounting table 10 so as to straddle the same.

In FIG. 11, when the folded mounting table 10 is opened, the rectangular cloth piece 1 is unfolded on the mounting table 10. Thereafter, the rectangular cloth piece 1 is picked up by the chuck at adjacent corners and placed on the belt conveyor.

[0032]

Embodiment 2 Next, the embodiment shown in FIGS. 12 to 15 will be described. As shown in FIG. 12, the left and right sides of the rectangular cloth piece 1 opened by sucking the two free corners hanging down in the first embodiment by the suction devices 8 and 9 provided on the respective surfaces, respectively, as shown in FIG. A pair of unfolding rollers 12 and 13 that can freely rotate alone are unfolded.
Is placed so that the folding line of the rectangular cloth piece 1 overlaps with the axis of the rectangular cloth piece 1, and the rectangular cloth piece 1 is put on the developing rollers 12 and 13 so as to straddle the same. The deployment roller has a cylindrical or conical shape. After that, the suction devices 8 and 9 are stopped, and then the second and third chucks 6 and 7 holding both corners of the rectangular cloth piece 1 are opened.

In FIG. 13, the rectangular cloth piece 1 is placed on the developing rollers 12, 13 with the base of the triangle facing up. Therefore, in FIG. 14, when the left and right developing rollers 12 and 13 are rotated, for example, in opposite directions to each other,
The hanging free corners of the rectangular cloth piece 1 are wound up, and one corner or a diagonal corner on the unfolding rollers 12 and 13 hangs down.

In FIG. 15, when the corners adjacent to each other become horizontal, the developing rollers 12, 13 are stopped by detecting, for example, with a photoelectric sensor 15, and then the developing rollers 12, 13 are moved in the same direction. The rectangular cloth piece 1 is sent out and received by, for example, a conveyor, so that the rectangular cloth piece 1 is developed on the conveyor.

[0035]

Since the present invention is configured as described above, it has the following effects.

Since the corners of the rectangular piece of cloth are gripped in the vicinity of the corners by the upper and lower rollers, the corners remain stationary without swinging and can be stably gripped. The efficiency has improved.

By automation, work in a bad environment can be eliminated, and the work of spreading relatively small rectangular pieces of cloth, such as towels, napkins, table cloths, etc. can be performed continuously, quickly and efficiently, and can be performed manually. Since it is not available, washing and processing of square cloth pieces can be performed under aseptic conditions.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual view showing an embodiment at a place where square cloth pieces are collected.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment at a position where a rectangular cloth piece can be bitten by upper and lower rollers.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment at a position where a rectangular cloth piece is gripped by a second chuck.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment at a position where a rectangular piece of cloth is gripped by a third chuck.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual view showing an embodiment at a position where a rectangular cloth piece is removed from upper and lower rollers.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment at a position where a rectangular piece of cloth is gripped and stretched.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment at a position where a hanging corner of a rectangular cloth piece is widened.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment at a position where a plate is put in a spread portion of a rectangular cloth piece.

FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment at the time when a rectangular piece of cloth is placed on a plate.

FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment at a position where a rectangular cloth piece is placed on a plate.

FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment at a position where a rectangular cloth piece is placed on an expanded plate.

FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment at a position where a developing roller is put in a spread portion of a rectangular cloth piece.

FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment at a position where a rectangular cloth piece is placed on a developing roller.

FIG. 14 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment at the time when a rectangular cloth piece is moved by rotation of left and right developing rollers.

FIG. 15 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment at a position where one side of a rectangular cloth piece is horizontal.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Square-shaped cloth 2 Prop 3 First chuck 4 Upper and lower roller 5 Push plate 6 Second chuck 7 Third chuck 8, 9 Suction device 10 Mounting table 11 Blow nozzle 12 Right deployment roller 13 Left deployment roller 14 Drive motor 15 Photoelectric sensor

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. An arbitrary one corner of a square-shaped cloth piece (1) and two free corners which are stretched by grasping and stretching a diagonal thereof, and then hanging down. The two free corners are spread outward to form a space, and then the entire square fabric piece (1) is spread out from below and flattened in the space formed. How to deploy shaped cloth pieces. 2. A means for grasping and extending any one corner of a square cloth piece (1) and a diagonal part thereof, and converting the square cloth piece (1) into a square cloth piece. A first step of gripping an arbitrary part of (1), a second step of biting the grabbed and hanging rectangular piece of cloth (1) with the upper and lower rollers (4), and rotating the upper and lower rollers (4) to rotate the roller front surface The third step of gripping one corner of the rectangular cloth piece (1) that appears on the surface, the third step of reversing the upper and lower rollers (4) and gripping the diagonal part of the rectangular cloth piece (1) that appears on the rear surface of the roller. Four steps, and opening and closing the upper and lower rollers (4) and applying the rectangular cloth piece (1) to the upper and lower rollers (4)
The method according to claim 1, further comprising a fifth step of extending at a position deviated from the rectangular cloth piece. 3. The rectangular cloth piece (1) may be pushed and spread flat from below so that the folding line of the rectangular cloth piece overlaps the folding line of the foldable mounting table (10). After placing the shaped cloth piece (1) over the mounting table (10), the grip of the rectangular shaped cloth piece (1) is released, and then the mounting table (10).
Claim 1 or Claim 2 which is performed by spreading
A method for developing the described square cloth piece. 4. A pair of left and right rotatable coaxial developing rollers (12, 13) is provided in a space formed by expanding two hanging free corners of a rectangular cloth piece (1) outward. Put the square cloth piece (1) into the developing roller (12, 13).
3. An arbitrary side of the rectangular cloth piece (1) is made horizontal by rotating the developing rollers (12, 13) freely, respectively, after that, the developing roller (12, 13) is freely rotated. How to deploy square cloth pieces.