JP7470498B2 - Sewing System - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sewing system that sews cut fabric.

So-called electronic cycle sewing machines reduce the burden on the operator by automatically sewing by feeding the fabric holding frame according to a preset sewing pattern when the fabric is placed in the fabric holding frame (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2017-6590 A

However, while the sewing machine in Patent Document 1 aims to reduce the burden on the worker during sewing work, sewing work is only a part of the manufacturing process, and the worker still has to engage in many other tasks, so the reduction in the worker's workload is not sufficient.

The purpose of this invention is to further reduce the workload of workers.

The present invention relates to a sewing system comprising:
a conveying device that picks up the parts cut from the sheet material by the cutting device and conveys them to a sewing template;
a sewing machine that holds the template and sews on the part,
The conveying device also picks up the part that has been sewn from the template and transports it to a specified destination.

Further, the present invention provides the sewing system,
a relay terminal that acquires a part or all of the cutting data from the cutting device and transmits information that identifies the part based on the cutting data to the conveying device;
The transport device may have a pickup device having a plurality of pickup heads scattered on the same plane, and may select a portion of the plurality of pickup heads based on information identifying the part to pick up the part.

Further, the present invention provides the sewing system,
The pickup device includes:
a first frame and a second frame for supporting the pickup head;
an expansion and contraction mechanism capable of adjusting the distance between the first frame and the second frame,
The interval between the first frame and the second frame may be adjusted in accordance with the information for identifying the part.

Further, the present invention provides the sewing system,
a flow rate sensor for detecting an air flow rate that generates a suction force is provided on each of the plurality of pickup heads;
The transport device may determine whether or not there is a transport failure of the part relative to the template based on the flow rate detected by the flow rate sensor.

Further, the present invention provides the sewing system,
The template includes a storage unit that stores information for identifying a sewing pattern,
The transport device may include a determination result recording unit that records a determination result of a transport failure in the memory unit of the template when a transport failure of the part relative to the template is determined.

Further, the present invention provides the sewing system,
a transfer mechanism including a work position where the parts are arranged on the template , a return position where the template is returned from the sewing machine after sewing is completed, a supply position where the template is supplied to the sewing machine, and a discharge position where the parts are discharged from the template , the transfer mechanism including a first transfer unit that transfers the template from the work position to the supply position, a second transfer unit that transfers the template from the return position to the discharge position, and a third transfer unit that transfers the template from the discharge position to the work position ,
A template may be arranged at each of the working position, the supply position, the return position and the unloading position.
In this case, the working position and the unloading position may be arranged on the transfer mechanism side in the arrangement direction of the transfer mechanism and the sewing machine relative to the supply position, and the working position and the unloading position may be arranged in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the transfer mechanism and the sewing machine.

Further, the present invention provides the sewing system,
The template includes a lower plate and a presser plate supported on the lower plate so as to be capable of rising and falling relative to the lower plate,
The transfer mechanism may include a lying-down bar that abuts against and knocks down the pressing plate in a state in which the pressing plate is in a raised or lowered state due to the raising and lowering rotation when the transfer mechanism is transferred from the working position to the supply position.

Further, the present invention provides the sewing system,
The transport device may include an inversion device that inverts the parts.

This invention makes it possible to further reduce the workload of workers.

1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a sewing system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the sheet material after a cut has been made. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a pickup device. FIG. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing the flow of various data and various commands in each component of the sewing system. FIG.

[Overall configuration of the sewing system]
A sewing system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the sewing system 100, and Fig. 2 is a plan view.
The sewing system 100 includes a conveying device 30 that picks up the parts P to be sewn from the sheet material S that has been cut by the cutting device 20 and conveys them to a sewing template 70, a sewing machine 60 that holds the template 70 and sews the parts P, and a relay terminal 80 (not shown in FIG. 1) that coordinates the above-mentioned components.
The cutting device 20, the conveying device 30 and the sewing machine 60 are arranged in a row in the horizontal direction, with the row direction being the Y-axis direction, the horizontal direction perpendicular to the Y-axis direction being the X-axis direction, and the vertical direction being the Z-axis direction.

In addition, when it is necessary to distinguish between parts P according to their size or shape, the parts P will be given individual reference symbols such as P1, P2, P3, ..., but when there is no particular need to distinguish between them, the common reference symbol P will be used.
In addition, the sewing system 100 of this embodiment illustrates an example in which pairs of parts P of various sizes are sewn together to form new parts, but the present invention is not limited to this and can perform any type of sewing work in which the sewn material is sewn after cutting.

[Cutting device]
The cutting device 20 comprises a cutting stage 21 on which the sheet material S to be cut is placed, a work stage 22 on which the parts P are picked up from the sheet material S which has been cut, a cutting head 23 equipped with a scalpel for cutting, a moving mechanism 24 which moves the cutting head 23 arbitrarily along the X-Y plane, and a control unit 25 (see Figure 10) which controls each part of the cutting device 20.

The cutting stage 21 and the working stage 22 both have flat upper surfaces and are set at the same height.
The upper surfaces of the cutting stage 21 and the working stage 22 are formed by the transport belts of a belt conveyor mechanism, and both can transport the sheet material S placed on their upper surfaces along the Y-axis direction. This makes it possible to transport the sheet material S placed on the upper surface of the cutting stage 21 so as to hand it over from the cutting stage 21 to the working stage 22 by driving the belt on the upper surface of the cutting stage 21 and the belt on the upper surface of the working stage 22 at the same speed.

The cutting head 23 supports a knife (not shown) facing downward, and can cut the sheet material S along the direction of movement.
The moving mechanism 24 includes a rail 241 that supports the cutting head 23 so that it can move along the X-axis direction, an X-axis motor (not shown) that serves as a driving source for moving the cutting head 23 on the rail 241 in the X-axis direction, and a Y-axis motor (not shown) that serves as a driving source for moving the cutting head 23 in the Y-axis direction.

The X-axis motor applies movement along the X-axis direction to the head 23 via a linear motion mechanism, such as a ball screw mechanism or a belt mechanism, built into the rail 241 .
The Y-axis motor applies a movement motion along the Y-axis direction to the rail 241 via a linear motion mechanism, such as a ball screw mechanism or a belt mechanism, built into the cutting stage 21 .

The control unit 25 of the cutting device 20 obtains cutting data including information such as the arrangement, size, shape, orientation, etc. of multiple parts P to be formed on the sheet material S from an external CAD (computer-aided design) system, converts it into cutting control information for controlling the moving mechanism 24, and controls the operation of the moving mechanism 24.
In addition, the control unit 25 of the cutting device 20 is connected to the relay terminal 80 via a communication cable, and transmits part information (information identifying parts) including the arrangement, size, shape, orientation, etc. of the multiple parts P to be formed on the sheet material S contained in the acquired cutting data to the relay terminal 80.
The motors that drive the belt conveyor mechanisms of the cutting stage 21 and the working stage 22 have their operating amounts detected by encoders, and these are input to the control unit 25 .

[sewing machine]
The sewing machine 60 is a so-called electronic cycle sewing machine, and is equipped with a main body 61 that performs sewing by up and down movement of a sewing needle, a moving mechanism 62 that holds the above-mentioned template 70 and moves and positions it arbitrarily along the XY plane, a work table 63, and a controller 64 (see Figure 10) that controls the sewing machine 60.
The main body 61 has the same configuration as that of a well-known sewing machine, including a needle up-down movement mechanism, a shuttle mechanism, etc.
The upper surface of the work table 63 is horizontal along the XY plane, and sewing of the parts P is carried out on the upper surface.

The movement mechanism 62 includes a holding section that detachably holds the template 70, an X-axis motor that serves as a movement drive source for the holding section in the X-axis direction, and a Y-axis motor that serves as a movement drive source for the holding section in the Y-axis direction.
The X-axis motor applies a movement motion along the X-axis direction to the holding portion and the template 70 via a linear motion mechanism such as a ball screw mechanism or a belt mechanism.
The Y-axis motor applies a movement motion along the Y-axis direction to the holding portion and the template 70 via a linear motion mechanism such as a ball screw mechanism or a belt mechanism.
The holding portion allows the template 70 to be attached and detached by inserting and removing a connecting pin, which can be advanced and retreated by an actuator such as an air cylinder or a solenoid, into and from a connecting hole provided in the template 70.

The controller 64 stores a plurality of sewing pattern data corresponding to a plurality of types of templates 70, and controls the operation of the moving mechanism 62 in accordance with the sewing pattern data.
Further, at a corner of the workbench 63, a tag reader/writer 65 (see FIG. 9) is provided as a recording unit that reads and writes data from an IC tag 73 of a template 70, which will be described later.

Sheet Material and Templates
As described above, the sheet material S is cut in accordance with the cutting control information based on the CAD data. Figure 3 is a plan view of the sheet material S after cutting.
Here, a case where a plurality of parts P1 to P12 are cut out from one sheet material S will be illustrated.
The parts P1 and P2 form a pair, and are sewn together to be attached to each other, as are the parts P3 and P4, and the parts P5 and P6.
Moreover, the parts P7 to P12 have the same relationship as the parts P1 to P6, and the parts P1 to P6 are set to L size (large size), and the parts P7 to P12 are set to S size (small size).
The positions of the parts P1 to P12 relative to the sheet material S are all determined by CAD data.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the template 70, and FIG.
The template 70 includes a lower plate 71 on which a part P to be sewn is placed, and a presser plate 72 supported so as to be able to rise and fall relative to the lower plate 71, and is structured to clamp and hold the part P when the presser plate 72 falls to become parallel to the lower plate 71. In addition, in the state in which the part P is being held, openings 711-713 (721-723) corresponding to the sewing pattern are formed in both the lower plate 71 and the presser plate 72 in an overlapping arrangement, so that the vicinity of the needle drop position can be pressed during sewing.

A plurality of types of templates 70 are prepared corresponding to a plurality of types of sewing pattern data. Here, an example is shown in which two templates 70 are used corresponding to sewing pattern data in which large size parts P1 and P2, parts P3 and P4, and parts P5 and P6 are arranged at specified positions and sewn together, and sewing pattern data in which small size parts P7 and P8, parts P9 and P10, and parts P11 and P12 are arranged at specified positions and sewn together.
Since the template 70 is designed to correspond to individual sewing pattern data in this manner, as shown in FIG. 4, the template 70 is equipped with an IC tag 73 as a memory unit, such as an RFID (radio frequency identifier), in which data indicating an identification ID, a pattern data number, etc. (information for identifying a sewing pattern) for identifying the sewing pattern data to which the template 70 corresponds are stored.

The conveying device 30 positions the L-size parts P1 and P2 (or P7 and P8) in an overlapping manner at the opening 711 of the lower plate 71, positions the L-size parts P3 and P4 (or P9 and P10) in an overlapping manner at the opening 712, and positions the L-size parts P5 and P6 (or P11 and P12) in an overlapping manner at the opening 713, relative to the template 70 placed at the working position D1 described below.

[Transportation device]
The conveying device 30 includes a pickup device 40 that picks up the part P from the cutting device 20, an inversion device 35 that inverts the part P, a transport mechanism 50 that transports each template 70, and a controller 31 that controls each component of the conveying device 30.

[Transportation device: Pick-up device]
The pickup device 40 is disposed between the cutting device 20 and the transport mechanism 50 in the Y-axis direction.
The pickup device 40 has a structure of a SCARA type robot including a base 41 serving as a foundation, a first arm 42 supported on the base 41 so as to be rotatable about the Z axis, a second arm 43 supported by the first arm 42 so as to be rotatable about the Z axis, and a tip tool 44 supported by the second arm 43 so as to be movable up and down along the Z axis direction and rotatable about the Z axis. Note that the pickup device 40 is not limited to a SCARA type, and may be a robot of another type such as an articulated type or an XYZ linear motion type.

The pickup device 40, with the above configuration, can position the tip tool 44 at any position and any height within the movable area R in a plan view, and can orient it at any angle around the Z axis.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the tip tool 44, and FIG.
As shown in the figure, the tip tool 44 includes a frame 441 and a plurality of pick-up heads 442 provided downward from the frame 441 .
In the frame 441, four pickup heads 442 are supported on each of a first frame 441a and a second frame 441b formed symmetrically about the X-axis direction in a plan view, and two pickup heads 442 are supported in the center in the X-axis direction. These ten pickup heads 442 can be rotated around the Z-axis centered on the center of gravity of the frame 441. In the above description and in FIG. 6, the arrangement of each component of the tip tool 44 has been described based on the X-axis direction for the sake of convenience, but this is not limited to the case of rotation around the Z-axis.

Each pickup head 442 is made of a suction nozzle connected by a hose to a negative pressure source 443 such as a pump or ejector, and picks up the part P by contacting and sucking it at the tip. Note that the pickup head 442 is not limited to a contact suction type, but may be a non-contact suction type that blows air outward in the radial direction to generate negative pressure in the center, or any type of pickup head suitable for the material of the part P, such as a gripping type or a needle piercing type, can be used.

Each pickup head 442 is provided with an electromagnetic valve 444, and can individually stop the suction state. The electromagnetic valve 444 of each pickup head 442 is controlled by the controller 31.
Further, each pickup head 442 is provided with a flow rate sensor 445, which can individually detect the intake flow rate in each pickup head 442. A detection signal from each flow rate sensor 445 is input to the controller 31.

When the tip tool 44 picks up each of the parts P1 to P12, the controller 31 controls each solenoid valve 444 so that only some of the pickup heads 442 that are in positions where they can be picked up according to the shape of the part are in a pickup-enabled state. This stops pickup of some of the pickup heads 442 that are not attached to the part P, allowing efficient pickup by only the necessary pickup heads 442.
The determination of which of the ten pick-up heads 442 is in a position capable of adsorbing a part according to its shape may be made by the controller 31 comparing the arrangement of each pick-up head 442 with the shape and size of the part P contained in the part information acquired by the controller 31 from the relay terminal 80, or by storing correspondence table data in advance that defines the pick-up head 442 to be used for each of the parts P1 to P12 and making the determination by referring to this.
In addition, a driving source such as air cylinders 446, 447 (or a motor, etc.) may be provided between the first frame 441a and the second frame 441b, and an expansion mechanism may be provided that can adjust the distance between the first frame 441a and the second frame 441b in a stepwise or arbitrary manner, so that the frame 441 can be changed to an optimal size to match the shape and size of the part P included in the part information.

[Transportation device: Reversal device]
FIG. 8 is a plan view of the reversing device 35. As shown in FIG.
The reversing device 35 is disposed between the cutting device 20 and the transport mechanism 50 in the Y-axis direction and next to the pickup device 40 in the X-axis direction.
As described above, the parts P1 to P12 are sewn together in pairs while being stacked on top of each other. On the other hand, the sheet material S has a fixed front and back side, and needs to be sewn so that the back side does not appear in a visible position in the final finished product.
For this reason, the pair of parts P must be glued together and sewn together so that their back surfaces face each other.

Immediately after each of the parts P1 to P12 is cut from the sheet material S, all of the parts P1 to P12 have their front surface (or back surface) facing upward.
Therefore, when one of the pairs of parts P2, P4, P6, P8, P10, and P12 is transported from the cutting device 20 to the template 70, the sheet material S is turned over via the turning device 35 on the way thereto.

As shown in Figure 8, the inversion device 35 includes a first suction plate 36 arranged upstream in the transport direction of the part P, a second suction plate 37 arranged downstream in the transport direction of the part P, and a rotation motor 38 that rotates the first suction plate 36 in an inverted manner.
The first suction plate 36 and the second suction plate 37 are rectangular and of the same size, and are connected by a hinge 39 that is rotatable around the X axis.

In addition, the suction surface 361 of the first suction plate 36 and the suction surface 371 of the second suction plate 37 are both dotted with suction ports 362, 372 for suctioning the parts P.
Each suction port 362 of the first suction plate 36 is connected to a pump or an ejector serving as a suction source via an electromagnetic valve, and all of the suction ports 362 can be switched collectively between a suction state and a suction stop state.
Each suction port 372 of the second suction plate 37 is also connected to a pump or an ejector serving as a suction source via an electromagnetic valve, and all of the suction ports 372 can be switched collectively between a suction state and a suction stop state.
The solenoid valve of the first suction plate 36 and the solenoid valve of the second suction plate 37 are each individually controlled by the controller 31 .

Then, the rotation motor 38 rotates the first suction plate 36 via the hinge 39, and can switch between a standby state in which the suction surface 361 of the first suction plate 36 and the suction surface 371 of the second suction plate 37 face upward, and an inverted state in which the suction surface 361 of the first suction plate 36 and the suction surface 371 of the second suction plate 37 face closely opposite each other.

The controller 31 puts the reversing device 35 into a standby state, and causes only the suction port 362 of the first suction plate 36 to be in a suction state using the electromagnetic valve of the first suction plate 36 to suction the part P.
Then, the first suction plate 36 is rotated by the rotation motor 38 to an inverted state, and then the suction port 362 of the first suction plate 36 is put into a suction stop state, and the suction port 372 of the second suction plate 37 is put into a suction state. Furthermore, the first suction plate 36 is rotated back to the standby state, whereby the part P, which is upside down, is sucked and held by the suction surface of the second suction plate 37. In this state, the solenoid valve of the second suction plate 37 is switched to a suction stop state, causing the pickup device 40 to pick up the inverted part P.

[Transportation device: Transfer mechanism]
FIG. 9 is a plan view of the transfer mechanism 50. As shown in FIG.
The transfer mechanism 50 transfers the template 70 in sequence to a work position D1 where the pickup device 40 places a part P on the template 70, a supply position D2 where the template 70 is supplied to the sewing machine 60, a return position D3 where the template 70 is returned from the sewing machine 60 after sewing is completed, and an unloading position D4 where the part P is unloaded from the template 70.

The transport mechanism 50 includes a mounting table 51 on which the template 70 is placed, a first transport unit 52 that transports the template 70 from the work position D1 to the supply position D2, a second transport unit 53 that transports the template 70 from the return position D3 to the unloading position D4, a third transport unit 54 that transports the template 70 from the unloading position D4 to the work position D1, and a tag reader/writer 55 as a judgment result recording unit that reads and writes data to the IC tag 73 of the template 70 located at the work position D1.

The mounting table 51 has a mounting surface along the X-Y plane, and on the mounting surface, a work position D1 and a carry-out position D4 are set adjacent to one end side in the Y axis direction (the cutting device 20 side) in the X axis direction. Also, a supply position D2 and a return position D3 are set adjacent to one end side in the Y axis direction (the sewing machine 60 side) on the mounting surface of the mounting table 51 in the X axis direction.
In addition, the work position D1 and the supply position D2 are adjacent to each other in the Y-axis direction, and the return position D3 and the unloading position D4 are adjacent to each other in the Y-axis direction.
The working position D1 and the unloading position D4 are located within the movable area R of the pickup device 40 described above.

The first transport section 52 is provided on the mounting table 51 and has a connecting pin that can appear and disappear from the mounting surface, and a pulling mechanism that pulls the template 70 toward the sewing machine 60 in the Y-axis direction via the connecting pin.
The connecting pin can be inserted into a receiving hole (not shown) formed in the lower plate 71 of the template 70, and is extended and retracted by an actuator such as an air cylinder or a solenoid.
The traction mechanism applies a traction motion in the Y-axis direction to the connecting pin by using a ball screw mechanism or a belt mechanism.
In addition, a sensor 513 is provided on the line of the first transport section 52 to monitor whether the template 70 has been transported correctly. After the sensor 513 detects that the transport of the template 70 has been completed, a positioning pin 514 is inserted into the positioning hole of the template 70 to accurately position the transported template 70.

The second transfer unit 53 is provided on the mounting table 51 and has a connecting pin that can appear and disappear from the mounting surface, and a traction mechanism that traction the template 70 toward the cutting device 20 in the Y-axis direction via the connecting pin. The specific configuration of the connecting pin and the traction mechanism is the same as that of the first transfer unit 52.

The third transport unit 54 is provided on the mounting table 51 and has a connecting pin that can appear and disappear from the mounting surface, and a traction mechanism that traction the template 70 along the X-axis direction via the connecting pin. The specific configurations of the connecting pin and the traction mechanism are almost the same as those of the first transport unit 52. However, the traction direction of the traction mechanism is oriented in the X-axis direction.
The template 70 is moved from the supply position D2 to the return position D3 by the movement mechanism 62 of the sewing machine 60.
In addition, the third transfer section 54 is also provided with a sensor 515 for monitoring whether the template 70 has been transferred correctly along the line, and after the sensor 515 detects that the transfer of the template 70 has been completed, the transferred template 70 is accurately positioned by inserting a positioning pin 516 into the positioning hole of the template 70.

As described above, the template 70 has the pressing plate 72 that can be raised and lowered and rotated relative to the lower plate 71 .
At the discharge position D4 on the mounting table 51 of the transfer mechanism 50, a push-up bar 512 is provided which pushes up the retaining pressure plate 72 in the held state through a through hole (not shown) provided in the lower plate 71 to raise and lower the retaining pressure plate 72.
This push-up bar 512 can be extended and retracted from the mounting surface of the mounting table 51 by an actuator such as a motor, air cylinder, or solenoid, and quickly pushes up the pressure plate 72 of the template 70 that has been transferred from the return position D3 to the discharge position D4 by the second transfer section 53.
The push-up bars 512 are provided at both ends of the template 70 in the X-axis direction.

A lying bar 511 is provided along the X-axis direction near the sewing machine side end in the Y-axis direction of the work position D1 and the discharge position D4 of the mounting table 51.
The lying-down bar 511 is located slightly higher than the thickness of the template 70 when the pressure plate 72 is in the pressing state, and is located slightly closer to the sewing machine 60 in the Y-axis direction than the push-up bar 512 described above.
As shown in Figure 5, when the template 70 with the pressure plate 72 in a raised (open) state at the work position D1 is transported to the supply position D2, the pressure plate 72 is pushed down by the prone bar 511, so that it can hold the part P.
When the template 70 is transferred from the unloading position D4 to the returning position D3, the pressing plate 72 of the template 70 is in a closed state, so that the template 70 passes through without interfering with the prone bar 511.
Furthermore, the lying bar 511 is disposed so that when the presser plate 72 is pushed up by the push-up bar 512 at the discharge position D4, the presser plate 72 is inclined toward the sewing machine 60 so as to lean against the lying bar 511. This allows the presser plate 72 to maintain an upright state.

In addition, adjacent to the discharge position D4, on the cutting device 20 side in the Y-axis direction, an autonomous transport vehicle 101 is waiting to transport the parts P after sewing to the sewing device or sewing system of the next process. The autonomous transport vehicle 101 can load the parts P after sewing on its upper loading surface, and when a certain amount is reached, it starts traveling autonomously to transport the parts P after sewing to the destination. In addition, when transportation is completed, it autonomously returns to the waiting position next to the discharge position D4.
In addition, a stacker device carried by a worker may be placed at the waiting position next to the unloading position D4, instead of the transportation autonomous mobile body 101.

[Relay terminal]
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the flow of various data and various commands in each component of the sewing system 100.
The relay terminal 80 is composed of an information processing terminal such as a personal computer, and is connected in a state in which data communication is possible with the control unit 25 of the cutting device 20 and the controller 31 of the conveying device 30. Specifically, it is connected to these devices by a communication cable, but they may also be connected by wireless communication.
The relay terminal 80 is also connected via a network line to a production control server 300 that controls production control information for external sewing operations.

[Sewing operation of the sewing system]
The flow of the overall processing of the sewing system 100 during sewing, including the processing performed by the relay terminal 80, will be described.
First, cutting data for executing cutting is input from the CAD system 200 to the control unit 25 of the cutting device 20 .
Then, the control unit 25 of the cutting device 20 generates cutting control information from the cutting data and transmits part information (information that identifies the parts) including the arrangement, size, shape, orientation, etc. of the multiple parts P to be formed on the sheet material S contained in the cutting data to the relay terminal 80.
In addition, the control unit 25 periodically transmits operation information indicating the operating status of the cutting device 20, such as cutting in progress, cutting completed, or standby, to the relay terminal 80.

In response to this, the relay terminal 80 compares the current operating status obtained from the operation information of the transport device 30 and notifies the cutting device 20 of permission to start the cutting operation or a command to stop it.
Then, when permission to start the cutting operation is obtained, the control unit 25 of the cutting device 20 executes the cutting operation of the sheet material S in accordance with the cutting control information.
The cutting device 20 controls the moving mechanism 24 in the cutting stage 21 to perform cutting in a pattern defined in the cutting data with the cutting head 23. Then, the cutting stage 21 and the belt conveyor mechanism of the working stage 22 cooperate to transport the cut sheet material S to a predetermined position on the working stage 22.

On the other hand, the relay terminal 80 transmits the operation status of the cutting device 20 to the production control server 300 based on the operation information acquired from the cutting device 20. The production control server 300 records the sewing performance and progress status of the sewing system 100, and records the progress status based on the operation information of the cutting device 20.
Furthermore, the relay terminal 80 notifies the conveying device 50 of a command to permit the start of the conveying operation or to stop the conveying operation in accordance with the operation information acquired from the cutting device 20. For example, when the operation information from the cutting device 20 indicates the completion of the cutting process (completion of the conveying of the sheet material S to the work stage 22), the relay terminal 80 notifies the conveying device 50 of a command to permit the start of the conveying operation.
The relay terminal 80 also calculates the location of each part P in the coordinate system of the pickup device 40 from information such as the location, size, shape, and orientation of each part P developed by the cutting process of the sheet material S at a predetermined position on the work stage 22 from the part information acquired from the cutting device 20. It also calculates the position of the center of gravity of each part P. Then, it transmits these pickup coordinates and part information to the controller 31 of the transport device 30.

The controller 31 of the transport device 30 receives a command to permit the start of the transport operation, part information, and the pickup coordinates of the part from the relay terminal 80. Also, the pickup coordinates may be calculated by the controller 31 instead of the relay device 80.

For example, when the parts P1 to P12 are cut into the sheet material S as shown in FIG. 3, the parts P1 to P12 are picked up.
A pickup head 442 to be used is selected for each of the parts P1 to P12, and only the selected pickup head 442 is put into a suction state via an electromagnetic valve 444.
Then, the center of gravity of a figure connecting the selected multiple pickup heads 442 is obtained, and the tip tool 44 is positioned so that the center of gravity coincides with the center of gravity of the part P to be picked up, and pickup is performed.

The part information records which of parts P1 to P12 is the target of the inversion operation. Based on this, the controller 31 of the transport device 30 determines whether the picked-up part P is the target of inversion, and if it is not the target of inversion, it transports it directly to the template 70 waiting at the work position D1 of the transfer device 50.

Furthermore, if the picked up part P is to be inverted, the part P is transported to the suction surface 361 of the first suction plate 36 of the inversion device 35 .
In the reversing device 35, only the suction port 362 of the suction surface 361 of the first suction plate 36 is in a suction state in advance, and the transferred part P leaves the tip tool 44 and is sucked.
Then, under the control of the controller 31, the inversion device 35 rotates the first suction plate 36 into an inverted state using the rotation motor 38, putting the suction port 362 of the first suction plate 36 into a non-suction state and the suction port 372 of the second suction plate 37 into a suction state.
Furthermore, by rotating the first suction plate 36 back to the standby state, the part P, which is upside down, is sucked and held on the suction surface of the second suction plate 37. In this state, the solenoid valve of the second suction plate 37 is switched to a suction stop state.
At this time, the position of the part P moves within the coordinate system of the pickup device 40 and its orientation is also reversed, but because the position of the rotation axis of the first suction plate 36 of the inversion device 35 is known, the position and shape that are symmetrical with respect to that rotation axis can be calculated.
Therefore, based on the obtained position and the shape of the inverted part P, the pick-up head 442 is selected and the tip tool 44 is positioned again, and the part P is picked up again.
The part P is then transported to the template 70 waiting at the work position D1 of the transfer device 50.

In the pickup device 40 , the intake air flow rate of each of the selected pickup heads 442 is detected individually by the flow rate sensor 445 .
When the PGH 442 properly picks up the part P, the detected flow rate is reduced to a certain extent, but when the part P is not picked up, the detected flow rate of all the selected PGHs 442 is not reduced. Also, when the part P is not properly oriented, the detected flow rate of some of the selected PGHs 442 is not reduced.
Therefore, the controller 31 periodically judges whether or not there is a transport failure during pick-up by the pickup device 40, and if a transport failure is judged, notifies the relay terminal 80 of the transport error. In addition, the tag reader/writer 55 records the occurrence of the transport failure in the IC tag 73 of the template 70 waiting at the work position D1.

In response to this, the relay terminal 80 that received the transport error transmits a notification that a transport failure has occurred to the production management server 300. The production management server 300 records that a transport failure has occurred in the template 70 currently being picked up.

When the controller 31 acquires part information from the relay terminal 80, the controller 31 refers to table data that indicates the correspondence between the parts included in the part information held by the controller 31 and the template 70. For example, the part information records that L-size parts P1 to P6 and S-size parts P7 to P12 are formed on the sheet material S, and that the parts will be sewn in the order of L-size and S-size.

Therefore, the table data records that template 70 corresponding to L-size parts P1 to P6 and template 70 corresponding to S-size parts P7 to P12 should be used, and that template 70 of L-size should be used first.
Therefore, when the pickup device 40 starts the setting operation of the part P, first, it is determined whether or not an L-size template 70 is placed at the work position D1 by reading the IC tag 73 of the template 70 with the tag reader/writer 55.
Furthermore, when all of the L-size parts P1 to P6 have been set and the setting operation for the parts P7 to P12 is to begin, it is determined whether or not the template 70 corresponding to the S-size is placed at the work position D1.

Then, when the part P to be sewn matches the template 70 at the work position D1 based on the part information, the current arrangement of the template 70 is maintained.
If they do not match, the first conveying unit 52, the sewing machine 60, the second conveying unit 53 and the third conveying unit 54 are operated to convey the template 70 at the work position D1 to the discharge position D4 without sewing.
In addition, the next template 70 that was in the carry-out position D4 is transferred to the working position D1, and a control is executed to place the appropriate template 70 at the working position D1.

The controller 31 also holds in advance positioning information such as the placement and orientation of each part P for the L-size template 70 and the S-size template 70, which enables the pickup device 40 to position and place each part P1 to P12 in the appropriate target position on the appropriate template 70.

When all parts P to be placed on the template 70 at the work position D1 have been set, the template 70 is transferred to the supply position D2 by the first transfer unit 52. With this movement, the pressing plate 72 of the template 70, which is in an upright position, is lowered by the lying-down bar 511, and the template 70 is placed in a pressing state.

In addition, the template 70 that was in the unloading position D4 is transferred by the third transfer unit 54 to the working position D1.
Since the sheet material S on the work stage 22 has L-size parts P1 to P6 and S-size parts P7 to P12 formed thereon, when the L-size parts P1 to P6 are set on the preceding template 70, while the sewing machine 60 is sewing the L-size parts P1 to P6, the pickup device 40 continues to perform the operation of setting the parts P7 to P12 on the S-size template 70 that has been transferred to the work position D1.

During the transport operation of the transport device 30 described above, the controller 31 periodically transmits operation information indicating the operating status of the pickup device 40, the inversion device 35, and the transfer mechanism 50, such as operating, operation completed, waiting, etc., to the relay terminal 80.
In response to this, the relay terminal 80 transmits the operation status of the transport device 30 to the production management server 300 based on the operation information acquired from the transport device 30. The production management server 300 records the progress status based on the operation information of the transport device 30.

Meanwhile, the sewing machine 60 waits in a position where the holding portion of the moving mechanism 62 can hold the template 70 at the supply position D2, and when the template 70 is transferred to the supply position D2 by the transport mechanism 50, it quickly holds it.
The arrival of the template 70 at the supply position D2 may be recognized by receiving a notification from the controller 31 via a communication cable connecting the controller 31 of the conveying device 30 and the controller 64 of the sewing machine 60, or may be recognized by the tag reader/writer 65 of the sewing machine 60 detecting the IC tag 73 of the template 70. Also, the sewing machine 60 may be configured to have a dedicated sensor for detecting the template 70 at the supply position D2.

Then, when the holding portion of the moving mechanism 62 holds the template 70 at the supply position D2, the tag reader/writer 65 reads information identifying the sewing pattern, such as the pattern number, recorded on the IC tag 73 of the template 70.
In this way, the sewing pattern data to be sewn is specified, and the controller 64 controls the main body 61 and the moving mechanism 62 to sew together each part P in accordance with the sewing pattern. Then, when sewing of all parts P of the template 70 is completed, the template 70 is moved to the return position D3, and the holding state of the template 70 in the holding section is released.

In addition, if the controller 64 reads the IC tag 73 of the template 70 and records that a transport failure has occurred, it does not perform sewing, but moves the template 70 to the return position D3 and releases the template 70 from the holding section.

During the sewing operation of the sewing machine 60 described above, the controller 64 periodically transmits operation information indicating the operation status, such as operating, operation completed, standby, etc., to the controller 31 of the conveying device 30. The controller 31 of the conveying device 30 also transmits operation information of the sewing machine 60 when periodically transmitting its own operation information to the relay terminal 80.
In response to this, relay terminal 80 transmits the operation status of sewing machine 60 to production management server 300 based on the operation information of sewing machine 60 acquired from conveying device 30. Production management server 300 records the progress status based on the operation information of sewing machine 60.

When the template 70 is transported to the return position D3, the second transport unit 53 of the transport mechanism 50 quickly holds it.
In addition, the arrival of the template 70 at the return position D3 may be recognized by receiving a notification from the controller 64 via a communication cable connecting the controller 31 of the conveying device 30 and the controller 64 of the sewing machine 60, or the transport mechanism 50 may have a dedicated sensor for detecting the template 70 at the return position D3.

Then, the template 70 at the return position D3 is transferred from the return position D3 to the discharge position D4 by the second transfer section 53. Then, at the discharge position D4, the push-up bar 512 is actuated, and the pressing plate 72 of the template 70 is raised and lowered. As a result, each pair of sewn parts P is released from the pressed state.

As described above, the controller 31 holds in advance positioning information such as the arrangement and orientation of each part P on the template 70, and also holds position information for the ejection position D4, so it is possible to select the pickup head 442 of the pickup device 40 for each part P and position the tip tool 44.
In addition, since the controller 31 already has position information for the waiting position within the movable area R of the transport autonomous vehicle 101, the controller 31 controls the pickup device 40 to place each part P of the template 70 on the upper mounting surface of the transport autonomous vehicle 101 and perform the removal operation.

When all the parts P of the template 70 have been carried out, the controller 31 requests permission for the transfer operation of the template 70 from the carry-out position D4 to the working position D1.
In response to this, the relay terminal 80 compares the current operating status obtained from the operation information of the conveying device 30 to determine whether other templates 70 are present at the work position D1, and depending on the determination result, issues a command to allow or stop the transport operation from the unloading position D4 to the work position D1.
Then, when permission for the transfer operation of the template 70 from the unloading position D4 to the working position D1 is obtained, the controller 31 executes the transfer operation.

The above-mentioned processes and operations are repeated for each sheet of material S.

Technical Effects of the Invention Embodiments
As described above, the sewing system 100 includes a conveying device 30 that picks up the parts P that have been cut from the sheet material S by the cutting device 20 and conveys them to a sewing template 70, and a sewing machine 60 that holds the template 70 and sews the parts P.
The conveying device 30 is also configured to pick up the part P that has been sewn from the template 70 and transport it to the upper loading surface of the transport autonomous vehicle 101, which is the specified removal position.
Therefore, in the sewing system 100, many of the work processes, from loading the parts P from the cutting device 20, sewing them, and unloading them, can be carried out autonomously, making it possible to dramatically reduce the workload of the workers.

The sewing system 100 also includes a relay terminal 80 which acquires some or all of the cutting data from the cutting device 20 and sends part information based on the cutting data to the conveying device 30, and the conveying device 30 controls the operation of selecting a portion from among the multiple pickup heads 442 based on the part information and picking up the parts P.
Therefore, the pickup device 40 can perform an efficient pickup operation without operating unnecessary pickup heads 442.

In addition, the pickup device 40 is provided with a flow sensor 445 that detects the air flow rate that generates suction force in the multiple pickup heads 442, and the transport device 30 determines whether or not there is a problem with the transport of the part P to the template 70 based on the flow rate detected by the flow sensor 445.
Therefore, it is possible to detect the occurrence of a transport failure during the pick-up operation, and the inspection process can be omitted, making it possible to realize efficient and rapid sewing.

The template 70 also has an IC tag 73 that stores information identifying the sewing pattern, such as a pattern number, and the conveying device 30 has a tag reader/writer 55 that records the result of the conveying failure determination in the IC tag 73 of the template 70 if it is determined that there is a conveying failure of the part P for the template 70.
Therefore, since the occurrence of a transport problem can be obtained directly from the template 70, even if there is a time lag between the detection of the transport problem and the start of sewing on the template 70, the template 70 containing the part P with the transport problem can be more reliably identified, and the mixing of defective products due to transport problems can be suppressed, making it possible to achieve highly reliable sewing.

The transport mechanism 50 also includes a work position D1 where parts P are placed on the template 70, a supply position D2 where the template 70 is supplied to the sewing machine 60, a return position D3 where the template 70 is returned from the sewing machine 60 after sewing is completed, and an unloading position D4 where the parts P are unloaded from the template 70.
Therefore, by arranging a plurality of templates 70 at any of the positions D1 to D4, different operations can be performed on the respective templates 70, thereby enabling more efficient sewing operations to be achieved.

The transfer mechanism 50 also includes a lying bar 511 that abuts against and knocks down the raised pressure plate 72 when the template 70 is transferred from the working position D1 to the supply position D2. This allows the pressure plate 72 to be knocked down by the transfer operation of the template 70, eliminating the need for a dedicated actuator and enabling a reduction in the number of parts and simplified control.

The conveying device 30 is also equipped with a reversing device 35 that reverses the front and back of the parts P. When it is necessary to reverse some of the multiple parts P that have been cut out at once from the sheet material S, this can be done automatically, further reducing the workload of the worker.

Furthermore, in the sewing system 100, the conveying device 30 has a plurality of templates 70 corresponding to different sewing patterns, and supplies the sewing machine 60 with a template corresponding to the part information notified from the relay terminal 80.
As a result, it is possible to avoid misalignment between the parts P supplied by the conveying device 30 and the template 70, dramatically reducing the workload of the worker and making it possible to avoid poor sewing and achieve highly reliable sewing.

In addition, the template 70 is equipped with an IC tag 73 that stores information that identifies the sewing pattern, and the sewing machine sews according to the sewing pattern identified by the information recorded in the IC tag 73, making it possible to avoid sewing defects and achieve even more reliable sewing.

[others]
The transport mechanism 50 is configured to have a working position D1, a supply position D2 where the template 70 is supplied to the sewing machine 60, a return position D3 where the template 70 is returned from the sewing machine 60 after sewing is completed, and an unloading position D4 where the part P is unloaded from the template 70; however, it is possible to omit the return position D3 by making the supply position D2 and the return position D3 a common position.
Moreover, the number of positions at which the templates 70 are arranged may be increased. In this case, it becomes possible to use a larger number of templates 70.

20 Cutting device 21 Cutting stage 22 Working stage 25 Control unit 30 Conveying device 31 Controller 35 Reversing device 40 Pickup device 44 Tip tool 442 Pickup head 445 Flow sensor 50 Transport mechanism 511 Prone bar 512 Push-up bar 52 First transport section 53 Second transport section 54 Third transport section 55 Tag reader/writer (determination result recording section)
60 Sewing machine 64 Controller 65 Tag reader/writer (recording unit)
70 Template 71 Lower plate 72 Pressing plate 73 IC tag (storage unit)
80 Relay terminal 100 Sewing system 200 CAD system 300 Production management server D1 Work position D2 Supply position D3 Return position D4 Carry-out position P Parts P1 to P12 Parts R Movable area S Sheet material

Claims (7)

a conveying device that picks up the parts cut from the sheet material by the cutting device and conveys them to a sewing template;
a sewing machine that holds the template and sews on the part,
The conveying device also picks up the part that has been sewn from the template and conveys it to a specified destination.
a relay terminal that acquires a part or all of the cutting data from the cutting device and transmits information that identifies the part based on the cutting data to the conveying device;
the transport device has a pickup device having a plurality of pickup heads scattered on the same plane, and selects a portion of the plurality of pickup heads based on information identifying the part, and picks up the part;
The pickup device includes:
a first frame and a second frame for supporting the pickup head;
an expansion and contraction mechanism capable of adjusting the distance between the first frame and the second frame,
A sewing system comprising: a sewing machine that adjusts a distance between a first frame and a second frame in accordance with information identifying the part. The sewing system according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a work position where the parts are placed on the template, a supply position where the template is supplied to the sewing machine, and an unloading position where the parts are unloaded from the template, and is provided with a transfer mechanism that transfers multiple templates to any of these positions. a conveying device that picks up the parts cut from the sheet material by the cutting device and conveys them to a sewing template;
a sewing machine that holds the template and sews on the part,
The conveying device also picks up the part that has been sewn from the template and conveys it to a specified destination.
a transfer mechanism including a work position where the parts are arranged on the template , a return position where the template is returned from the sewing machine after sewing is completed, a supply position where the template is supplied to the sewing machine, and a discharge position where the parts are discharged from the template , the transfer mechanism including a first transfer unit that transfers the template from the work position to the supply position, a second transfer unit that transfers the template from the return position to the discharge position, and a third transfer unit that transfers the template from the discharge position to the work position ,
One template can be placed at each of the work position, the supply position, the return position, and the unloading position;
the working position and the discharge position are disposed on the side of the transfer mechanism in a direction in which the transfer mechanism and the sewing machine are arranged relative to the supply position, and the working position and the discharge position are disposed in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the transfer mechanism and the sewing machine are arranged ,
a relay terminal that acquires a part or all of the cutting data from the cutting device and transmits information that identifies the part based on the cutting data to the conveying device;
the transport device has a pickup device having a plurality of pickup heads scattered on the same plane, and selects a portion of the plurality of pickup heads based on information identifying the part, and picks up the part;
The pickup device includes:
a first frame and a second frame for supporting the pickup head;
an expansion and contraction mechanism capable of adjusting the distance between the first frame and the second frame,
A sewing system comprising: a sewing machine that adjusts a distance between a first frame and a second frame in accordance with information identifying the part . a flow rate sensor for detecting an air flow rate that generates a suction force is provided on each of the plurality of pickup heads;
4. The sewing system according to claim 1, 2 or 3 , wherein the conveying device determines whether or not there is a conveying failure of the part relative to the template based on the flow rate detected by the flow rate sensor. The template includes a storage unit that stores information for identifying a sewing pattern,
The sewing system according to claim 4 , wherein the conveying device further comprises a determination result recording unit configured to record a determination result of the conveying failure in the memory unit of the template when it is determined that the conveying failure of the part with respect to the template has occurred. The template includes a lower plate and a presser plate supported on the lower plate so as to be capable of rising and falling relative to the lower plate,
The sewing system according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the transfer mechanism includes a lying-down bar that abuts against and knocks down the presser plate in a raised or lowered state due to the raising and lowering rotation when the transfer mechanism is transferred from the working position to the supply position . The sewing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the conveying device includes an inversion device that inverts the parts upside down.

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