Classifications

• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D05—SEWING; EMBROIDERING; TUFTING
  • D05B—SEWING
  • D05B33/00—Devices incorporated in sewing machines for supplying or removing the work
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D05—SEWING; EMBROIDERING; TUFTING
  • D05B—SEWING
  • D05B23/00—Sewing apparatus or machines not otherwise provided for
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D05—SEWING; EMBROIDERING; TUFTING
  • D05B—SEWING
  • D05B23/00—Sewing apparatus or machines not otherwise provided for
  • D05B23/007—Sewing units for assembling parts of knitted panties or closing the stocking toe part
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D05—SEWING; EMBROIDERING; TUFTING
  • D05B—SEWING
  • D05B5/00—Sewing machines for temporarily connecting articles, e.g. pairs of socks
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • D06H—MARKING, INSPECTING, SEAMING OR SEVERING TEXTILE MATERIALS
  • D06H3/00—Inspecting textile materials
  • D06H3/16—Inspecting hosiery or other tubular fabric; Inspecting in combination with turning inside-out, classifying, or other handling

Definitions

• the present invention relates to methods and devices for handling tubular knitted articles, in particular, although not exclusively, stockings and socks.
• the present invention relates to methods and devices which have the function of correctly orienting tubular articles picked up from a container in which they are placed randomly. State of the art
• semi-finished tubular knitted articles are usually produced by either single or double cylinder circular knitting machines.
• the semi-finished article delivered from the circular machine has an elastic band at one end and an open toe at the opposite end.
• the open toe must be sewn or linked to form the closed toe of the finished tubular article.
• closing of the toe is performed using devices combined with the needles of the cylinder and/or of the dial of the machine. Nonetheless, this requires a specifically designed knitting machine, or a modification to existing machines.
• Machines have also been designed to allow these operations to be performed automatically.
• US-A-5040475 describes complex machinery that picks up individual tubular articles from a container in which they have been placed randomly.
• detection means By feeding the article along a specific processing path, detection means first detect the orientation of the tubular article along the feed path, recognizing whether the toe or the elastic band of the article is the leading end. After this has been detected, the tubular article is placed in an intermediate station, from which it is delivered in one direction or in the opposite direction according to the orientation with which it entered the station.
• the tubular article when exiting the intermediate station the tubular article is always facing in the same direction (i.e. always with the toe being the leading end, or always with the elastic band being the leading end) to be then spread longitudinally and inserted over a transport tube which transfers the tubular article towards a sewing machine.
• This machinery is extremely complex and not very reliable.
• JP-A-7468502 and JP-A-1272801 describe other appliances for handling tubular articles such as stockings or socks for the purpose of suitable orientation thereof.
• US-A-6719577 describes a device, which longitudinally orients individual tubular articles collected from a container, in which they are placed randomly.
• EP-A-1221502 describes a device in which individual socks or other tubular articles are picked up from a container in which they are placed randomly and are then oriented so that they are always positioned with one of their ends facing forwards by means of a specific pneumatic path and using detection systems capable of distinguishing the elastic band from the toe of the article through different characteristics of elasticity of the fabric.
• US-A-5769286 describes a spreading device for longitudinally spreading socks or other tubular knitted articles.
• EP-A-178143 describes a further system for detecting the orientation of a tubular textile article by distinguishing between the elastic band and the toe.
• US-A-551 1501 describes complex machinery, which picks up individual tubular articles from a container in which they are placed randomly and separates them, placing each tubular article in a respective container of a smaller size. Subsequently, each article is picked up from the respective smaller container and fed to a specific pneumatic path inside which the tubular article is oriented so that it is delivered from the pneumatic path always with the same orientation.
• US-A-5884822 describes a further device and method for picking up individual tubular articles from a container.
• US-A-5992712 describes yet a further device for picking up individual tubular knitted articles and orienting them appropriately. Similar problems regarding the orientation of tubular articles can be found when feeding stockings or socks to a pressing machine. For example, in the production of women's stockings, the problem exists of inserting each stocking, with the toe already sewn, over a pressing template and for this purpose the individual stockings must be picked up from a container in which they are placed randomly to be inserted over the form. Objects and summary of the invention
• the object of the present invention is to provide a particularly simple, efficient and reliable device to perform orientation of tubular knitted articles, in particular, although not exclusively, stockings and socks, picked up from a container in which they are placed randomly, to be subsequently fed with the correct orientation towards machines, devices or instruments which perform the subsequent processing on said articles, for example and in particular (although not exclusively) sewing or linking of the toe, pressing or the like.
• the object of the present invention is to provide a simple and effective method for correct orientation of tubular knitted articles, such as stockings and socks, picked up individually from a container in which they are placed randomly.
• a first aspect of the present invention relates to a device for handling tubular knitted articles having a first end and a second end comprising in combination:
• detection means to determine the orientation of the first and of the second end of the tubular article, said first and second pick-up member being controlled to alternatively engage the tubular article according to the orientation of the tubular article detected by said detection means.
• the pick-up members are arranged and designed to engage each tubular article at the level of the first end of the tubular article, typically the elastic band, and to open it. It would also be possible for the pick-up members to be designed to engage the other end, i.e. the toe. The choice depends on the handling operations that must be performed on the tubular article in the subsequent processing steps.
• the edge at which the article is to be engaged is typically elastic when the article is a sock, but it must be understood that this edge could also be non-elastic, for example in the case of women's stockings or components of pantyhose.
• the opposite end can be an open toe, when the function of the device is to feed (with the correct orientation) the articles to sewing or linking means.
• this second end could be a closed toe (sewn or (inked), for example when the article is handled to be sent for pressing operations.
• the device according to the invention is useful each time tubular articles having two structurally different ends are required to be fed in a predetermined direction to members, means, devices or machinery for further processing, said articles being picked up from a container in which they are placed randomly or in any case fed to the device with a random and undefined orientation.
• the device according to the invention includes an intermediate station, in which the tubular articles are positioned individually and in sequence in a substantially spread position, with the first and the second end approximately aligned with each other according to the longitudinal extension of the tubular article, said first and said second pick-up member being associated with said intermediate station.
• the detection means can in this case be advantageously arranged and designed to determine the orientation of the first and of the second end of the tubular article when it is in said intermediate station.
• the detection means are arranged and produced to detect whether said first end of the tubular article located in the intermediate station is positioned in proximity to the first or second pick-up member. Moreover, the pick-up members are controlled so that the tubular article is engaged at its first end by the first or second pick-up member at the level of which said first end is positioned.
• the detection means are optical means, capable of distinguishing and discerning the two ends of the tubular article from each other on the basis of the shape of the end.
• the detection means can use a camera interfaced with an electronic processor, or in any case a control unit, equipped with image processing software.
• the detection means can include an arrangement of photocells, such as a linear matrix or array, to identify the form of the end of the article which is interposed between the emitters and receivers of the photocells. Detection can be performed with the article at a standstill or with the article moving, on the basis of the sequence with which the photocells are intercepted by the article, said sequence being determined by the form of the article.
• a linear matrix i.e.
• a linear array of photocells can be provided, controlled by specific software capable of identifying with which temporal sequence the photocells are obscured when the article is gradually carried over them.
• This temporal sequence in fact depends on the shape, or form, of the contour of the article which in turn differs between edge and toe.
• the device according to the present invention can still be used with detection means which make use of the aforesaid measures to allow recognition of the two ends.
• a spreading device can be provided to longitudinally spread said tubular articles and longitudinally align the first and the second end of the articles.
• the two pick-up members can be associated with the two ends of the spreading device.
• the spreading device has an inlet for the tubular articles at one of its longitudinal ends and an outlet for the spread articles, which can appropriately be positioned on the side, so that the individual spread articles are delivered in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which they were inserted in the spreading member.
• the delivery direction of the tubular article from the spreading member is independent from the orientation of the article, which has not yet been identified.
• the articles can advantageously be inserted in the spreading member by means of a pneumatic transport duct.
• a conveyor belt is combined with the spreading device to remove the individual tubular articles from said spreading device. This can define the base of an inner volume of said spreading device, the tubular articles being inserted in said inner volume.
• each of the pick-up members has opposed engaging elements designed and controlled to engage and move opposite edges of textile material forming a corresponding end of the tubular article away from each other, to open said end.
• a respective transfer device is associated with each pick-up member, arranged and designed to transfer a tubular article engaged by the respective pick-up member towards further manipulator members.
• These further manipulator members are designed and arranged to position each tubular article on a tubular transport member, either directly or after it has passed over a tubular reversing member.
• the manipulator members can include a gripper which receives the tubular articles from one or other of said transfer devices.
• the transfer devices can each include a stretching member designed and arranged to be inserted into the open end of the tubular article, supported by a transfer member which moves the stretching member transferring it towards other manipulator members.
• each stretching member is supported by a respective slide actuated with translational motion, forming part of a respective transfer device.
• the invention also relates to a device for handling tubular knitted articles having a first end and a second end, comprising: an operating position; associated with the operating position, a first pick-up member and a second pickup member for tubular articles which can be actuated alternatively to engage one or other of the two ends of the tubular articles.
• the device can advantageously include detection means to determine the orientation of the first and of the second end of the tubular article, said first pick- up member and said second pick-up member being controlled to engage the tubular article alternatively, according to the orientation of the tubular article detected by said detection means, so that each tubular article is engaged always at the first end notwithstanding its orientation in the operating position.
• the detection means can be arranged and designed to determine the orientation of the tubular article when it is in the operating position.
• a control unit can be provided, programmed to receive information from said detection means and to control actuation of one or other of said first pick-up member and of said second pick-up member according to the information received from said detection means.
• the invention concerns a method for handling tubular articles with a first end and a second end, comprising the steps of:
• the method can include the following steps:
• the first end of the tubular article is engaged and opened by the respective pick-up member.
• the invention relates to a method for handling tubular articles with a first end and a second end, comprising the steps of:
• the method can also include the steps of:
• the method also includes the steps of:
• Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the container for the tubular knitted articles and of the means which pick up individual articles from the container to send them along a pneumatic path;
• Figures 2 and 3 show perspective views of means and devices to perform orientation of the tubular articles
• Figure 4 shows a plan view of the device in Figures 2 and 3;
• Figure 5 shows a side view according to V-V in Figure 4.
• Figure 6 shows a perspective view of the lower part of the devices in Figures 2 and 3 with parts removed;
• Figure 7 shows a perspective view of the spreading device of the tubular articles;
• Figures 8 and 9 show perspective views according to different angles and in different positions of the various members of the transfer devices of the tubular articles and of the gripper which inserts the appropriately oriented tubular articles over the transport tube;
• Figure 10 shows a longitudinal section of the spreading member
• Figure 1 1 shows an enlargement of a detail in Figure 10
• Figures 12 to 15 show a operating sequence of the spreading device; and Figures 16 to 20 show an operating sequence, with which one of the transfer devices transfers the tubular article to the gripper to allow subsequent transfer to the tubular transport or reversing member.
• Figures 12 to 15 show a operating sequence of the spreading device; and Figures 16 to 20 show an operating sequence, with which one of the transfer devices transfers the tubular article to the gripper to allow subsequent transfer to the tubular transport or reversing member.
• a device incorporating the present invention and which has the function of loading socks provided with an elastic band and an open toe onto a transport tube to convey the individual socks to a sewing machine is described below.
• Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the container in which the tubular articles are placed randomly to be subsequently picked up, the pick-up means and the beginning of the pneumatic transport path with which the individual tubular articles are sent to the devices provided for their orientation.
• the number 3 indicates a container which receives randomly arranged tubular articles which can, for example, come from a series of circular knitting machines. The container 3 can rotate according to the arrow f3 about a vertical axis by means of a motor, not shown.
• the number 5 generically indicates a pick-up device, of known type, which moves vertically according to the double arrow f5 along a vertical guide, at the level of which the inlet 7A of a pneumatic transport duct 7 is positioned.
• the individual tubular articles picked up by the pick-up device 5 are sucked with random orientation through the inlet 7A into the suction duct 7.
• the latter extends to a spreading member which is positioned in a subsequent station of the device, illustrated in detail with reference to the subsequent figures.
• a pneumatic return duct 11 Connected to the pneumatic transport duct 7 is a pneumatic return duct 11 , which transfers, through an unloading device 13, any tubular articles which cannot be further handled, for example, when the pick-up device 5 due to an operating error picks up two tubular knitted articles simultaneously and feeds them to the pneumatic transport duct 7.
• the numbers 105 and 111 indicate gate valves or valves used to open and close the individual branches of the pneumatic paths, and in particular the pneumatic duct 7 and the pneumatic return duct 11.
• the number 103 indicates a connection with a suction line, not shown, for example connected to a suction fan.
• the number 21 indicates as a whole the assembly of the machines, devices and equipment required to orient the tubular articles and transfer them to a tubular transport member 23 or to a tubular reversing member 25.
• the tubular transport member 23 can be part of a more complex machine, optionally with several stations, used to transfer the tubular knitted article to a sewing or linking machine.
• the machine incorporating the transport member 23 and the sewing machine do not form the object of the present invention and, therefore, are not represented.
• the tubular reversing member 25 is employed, as will be more apparent below, when the individual tubular articles fed to the assembly of equipment 21 must be reversed to turn the finished tubular article inside out.
• the number 7B indicates the end of the pneumatic transport duct 7, opposite the inlet 7A ( Figure 1 ).
• the end section 7B is represented with a rectangular shape, but this is not strictly essential.
• the end 7B of the transport duct 7 terminates at a first end of a spreading device indicated as a whole with 27, inside which each tubular article fed through the pneumatic duct 7 is spread to position the first end (e.g. the elastic band) and the second end (e.g. the toe to be closed) of the tubular article aligned according to the longitudinal extension of the tubular article.
• the internal structure of the spreading device 27 and its operating modes will be described in greater detail with reference to Figures 10 to 15. For the moment it is sufficient to point out that the individual tubular articles inserted onto the spreading device 27 each time with a random orientation (i.e. with the first end or the second end being the leading end with respect to the direction of - 12 -
• a system capable of recognizing the presence of conductive materials, such as a metal thread, inserted in the band surrounding the toe of the tubular article to be closed, couid be provided as detection means.
• detection means could be provided which are based on recognition and discernment of the two ends of the tubular article through characteristics of elasticity, thickness, or of another nature, of said article.
• the detection means can be single or double, i.e. present on only one side or on both sides of the conveyor belt 29, although to economize it would be preferably for them to be provided only on one side.
• tubular knitted article which is delivered from the side of spreading device 27, is positioned on the conveyor belt 29, it must be translated longitudinally to be taken with one of its ends, which has yet to be determined whether it is the toe or the elastic edge, to the level of the detection means 41.
• the transverse conveyor belt 33 positioned over the conveyor belt 29 has the function of translating the tubular article parallel to its longitudinal extension, according to the arrow f33, to take the end closest to the detection means 41 and under said means.
• the surface of the conveyor belt 29 has a coefficient of friction at least slightly lower than the coefficient of friction of the conveyor belt 33, so that when the conveyor belt 33 is taken with its lower branch to press against the tubular article which is located on the conveyor belt 29, the movement imparted by the motor 35 to the conveyor belt 33 causes the tubular article to slide on the upper surface of the conveyor belt 29 until it is under the detection means 41 ,
• a load-bearing structure 31 which also supports the spreading device 27 and the conveyor belt 29, supports a second conveyor belt 33 provided with a movement according to the double arrow f33 in a direction oriented substantially through 90° with respect to the direction f29 of the movement of the conveyor belt 29.
• the motor 35 ( Figures 2 to 4) provides the movement for the conveyor belt 33.
• the conveyor belt 33 is supported by side elements 37, to which the motor 35 is also fastened, which can move towards and away from each other with respect to the conveyor belt 29 below moving in the direction of the double arrow f37 for the purposes described below.
• the lifting and lowering movement of the side elements 37 is provided by an actuator 39 ( Figure 3) of pneumatic, hydraulic or similar type,
• the detection means include a camera 41 (represented schematically only in Figure 4) or another suitable viewing system which, for reasons of economy, is provided only on one side of the conveyor belt 29, but could also be provided on the opposite side. Instead of a viewing system, such as a camera 41 or the like, the detection means could be of another kind.
• the detection means could, for example, include photocells or the like.
• this solution has the drawback of increasing the production cost of the articles, As mentioned, the purpose of these detection means 41 is to recognize whether the end of the tubular article positioned under them is the first end (e.g. the elastic band) or the second end (e.g. the toe), in order to communicate the effective orientation of the tubular article on the conveyor belt 29 to a central control unit (indicated schematically with 42 in Figure 4),
• two groups of essentially symmetrical members 51 A and 51 B are arranged at the two sides of the conveyor belt 29, which are used to open and stretch the end of the tubular article to be subsequently inserted over one or over the other of the tubular members 23, 25.
• These groups 51 A, 51 B include pick-up and transfer members for the tubular articles.
• the one of said group or pick-up members 51A, 51 B is actuated, at the level of which the end of the tubular article is positioned, which is to be opened and inserted over one or other of the members 23, 25.
• the members and the mechanisms forming the two symmetrical groups 51A, 51 B are indicated with the same reference numbers followed by the letters A or B.
• Each of the groups 51A, 51 B firstly has a fixed suction surface 53A, 53B provided on a flat sliding surface 55A, 55B positioned along the side of the conveyor belt 29.
• a respective pick-up means 57A, 57B Arranged over the suction surface 53B is a respective pick-up means 57A, 57B provided with a vertical movement imparted by an actuator 59A, 59B.
• the pick-up means 57A, 57B can thus move towards the corresponding suction surface 53A, 53B and away therefrom.
• the suction surface 53A, 53B and the corresponding pick-up means 57A, 57B with its actuator 59A, 59B form means to alternatively engage the elastic band, i.e. the first end of the tubular article which is brought over the suction surface 53A or 53B to open said end.
• Each group 51 A, 51 B also includes a stretching device, composed in this embodiment of a pair of fingers 61 A or 61 B,
• the fingers 61 A, 61 B are represented in the two different positions, vertical and horizontal respectively, which the fingers take during the operating cycle as will be explained in greater detail below.
• These fingers are in turn supported by respective transfer devices, which transfer the articles engaged by the stretching devices composed of the fingers 61 A, 61 B towards further handling means, as will be described below.
• Figure 8 shows the fingers 61 A and 61 B in various possible positions. More specifically, the fingers 61A are represented in Figure 8 in their vertical position, while the fingers 61 B are represented in the horizontal and vertical arrangements, in two distinct positions the pair of fingers can take along the front of the conveyor belt 29 to pick up the individual article and transfer it towards a gripper, described below, which inserts the article over one or other of the tubular members 23 and 25.
• the two fingers 61 A, 61 B of each pair can be moved towards and away from each other by means of a piston-cylinder actuator 63A, 63B.
• the pair of fingers, with the respective actuator 61 A, 63A or 61 B, 63B, are supported on a support 65A or 65B movable vertically according to the double arrow f65 controlled by an actuator 67A or 67B (see in particular Figures 5 and 6).
• the piston-cylinder actuator 67A or 67B is supported by a slider 69A, 69B. Integral with the slider is a rack 71 A or 71 B, meshing with which is a pinion 73A, or 73B, keyed on a shaft 75A or 75B, attached to the opposite end of which are the fingers 61 A, 61 B with the respective actuator 63A, 63B which moves them towards and away from each other, With this arrangement, a vertical lifting and lower movement of the support 65B or 65A controlled by the actuator 67B or 67A, besides a lifting and lowering movement of the respective fingers 61 B, 61 A, also causes rotation of the fingers about the axis of the corresponding shaft 75B, 75A.
• the two sliders 69A and 69B are supported (see in particular Figure 6) by respective slides 77A, 77B,
• the two slides 77A 1 77B move slidingly along a common guide 79 and their movement is controlled by two parallel threaded bars 81 A and 81 B made to rotate by respective motors 83A, 83B.
• the threaded bars 81 A, 81 B engage in female screws 85A 1 85B integral with the slides 77A, 77B.
• the motors 83A, 83B therefore cause movement of one or other of the stretching devices composed of the pairs of fingers 61A, 61 B according to the double arrow f61 ( Figure 6).
• the slides and sliders form the transfer devices or means which support the pairs of fingers towards the central zone of the device where they transfer the tubular articles to a gripper described below, which then inserts them over one or other of the tubular members 23, 25.
• Each slide 77A, 77B in turn supports a guide 87A, 87B on which the respective slider 69A, 69B slides.
• This slider is provided with a movement according to the double arrow f69 in a direction orthogonal to the direction of the guide 79.
• This movement according to the arrow f69 is imparted to one or other of the two sliders 69A, 69B by a cam and tappet mechanism.
• This mechanism has a track which forms a cam profile 91 , inside which two idle pins 93A 1 93B, integral with respective sliders 69A, 69B, engage.
• the profile of the channel 91 is substantially symmetrical with respect to a vertical median plane and is configured so that a translational movement of one or other of the sliders 69A, 69B with their respective slides 77A, 77B in the direction of the arrow f61 from the position farthest from the median plane to the position closest to the median plane of the device causes the slider 69A, or 69B to move away with respect to the position of the spreading device 27.
• the pair of fingers 61A with the respective members supporting them are represented in two distinct positions, respectively the external side position (on the right in figure 6), and the intermediate or internal position (central in Figure 6).
• the fingers 61 B with the respective members which support and move them are in their external side position.
• Figure 7, 10 and 11 show in greater detail the configuration of the spreading device 27.
• the box structure 150 includes a box structure 150 with a rectangular section, connected to which are the end 7B of the pneumatic transport duct 7 and a suction mouth 151.
• the box structure 150 has a side panel 153 attached to a piston-cylinder actuator 155 supported by the upper horizontal wall of the box structure 150, The actuator 155 can control a lifting and lowering movement of the side panel 153 to open and close the box structure 150.
• the conveyor belt 29, runs along the bottom of the box structure 150, in substance defining the lower surface of the compartment or inner volume with rectangular section of the spreading device 27.
• the lifting movement of the side panel 153 allows the tubular article inside the spreading device 27 to be delivered from the side and transferred out of the spreading device by the conveyor belt 29.
• the spreading device has movable pressers 161 actuated by actuators 163 (five in number in the example shown) which have the dual function, described in greater detail below with reference to an operating sequence, of reducing the cross section of the compartment or inner volume of the spreading device 27, reducing the vertical dimension, during the spreading step of the tubular article, and of allowing complete and correct spreading of said article also at its end which is inserted into the spreading device 27 first.
• a screen 165 is arranged between the inside of the spreading device 27 and the suction mouth 151 to prevent the tubular articles penetrating the spreading device 27 from being sucked inside the suction mouth 151.
• the screen 165 is arranged inclined to define a substantially cuneiform volume, arranged at the narrow end of which is a retention member 167, controlled by a piston-cylinder actuator 169 ( Figure 1 1), provided to retain the end of the tubular article orientated forward with respect to the direction of insertion of the tubular article in the spreading device 27. Due to the configuration of the device, the retention member 167 engages one article at a time.
• the device 27 also functions as a separator and not just as a spreading device.
• the screen 165 can be arranged on a surface approximately orthogonal to the direction from which the tubular articles are fed and the retention member can, for example, be composed of a gripper.
• the box structure 150 is supported slidingly in the direction of the double arrow f150 to perform a transverse movement with respect to the direction of movement f29 of the conveyor belt 29.
• This transverse movement according to f150 of the box structure 150 of the spreading device 27 is imparted by a piston- cylinder actuator 171 and its purpose will be described with reference to an operating sequence of the machine.
• tubular members 23 and 25 Arranged in an intermediate position along the front of the conveyor belt 29 are the tubular members 23 and 25, the latter supported by a fixed structure 26, while the tubular member 23 is attached, for example, to a conveyor, not shown, of a machine which loads the tubular articles onto the sewing or linking machine.
• a gripper At the level of the tubular members 23, 25 (which are superimposed and substantially coaxial with each other), is a gripper, indicated as a whole with 180, the function of which is to receive the individual tubular articles picked up from the pair of fingers 61 A or 61 B, stretch the elastic band and insert it alternatively over the upper tubular member 25 or over the lower tubular member 23.
• the gripper 180 has a rotational movement through 180° around a vertical axis, imparted by means of a piston-cylinder actuator 183 supported by a slide 185 which also supports the gripper assembly 180.
• the piston-cylinder actuator 183 controls a rack 187 (see in particular Figure 16), meshing with which is a pinion (not visible) integral with a shaft which supports the gripper 180.
• the linear movement of the piston-cylinder actuator 183 thereby causes rotation of the entire gripper assembly 180 through 180° about the axis A-A ( Figure 9), The purpose of this rotation is to allow the gripper to transfer the tubular article engaged by it (in the manner to be described below) alternatively to the tubular member 25 or to the tubular member 23.
• the slide 185 is provided with a vertical movement according to the double arrow f185 along a vertical guide 188.
• the vertical movement is obtained by means of a transmission belt 189 and a motor 190 arranged at the upper end of the guide 188.
• the movement according to the double arrow f185 allows the gripper to transfer the tubular article to the corresponding end of the tubular member 25 or 23.
• the gripper 180 is composed of two flat jaws 201 supported by brackets
• the two jaws 201 each cooperate externally with a pair of bars 205 which, as shall be apparent below, are used to block the elastic band of the tubular article on the jaws 201.
• the movement of the jaws 201 towards and away from each other is controlled by two piston-cylinder actuators 207, 209. Operation of the entire machine described above is illustrated with specific reference to Figures 12 to 20, in which Figures 12 to 15 show in particular the operating functions of the spreading device 27, while Figures 16 to 20 show the methods with which a tubular article, spread in the spreading device 27 and the orientation of which has been recognized, is loaded on one or other of the tubular members 23, 25.
• the various members and actuators of the device are controlled, to perform the operations described below, by a microprocessor or by a programmable unit indicated schematically with 2 only in Figure 4 and connected to the various actuators, encoders and other means, not described and known, employed on the device to control the various movements,
• An individual tubular article M is picked up by the pick-up device from the rotating container 1 and sucked inside the pneumatic transport tube 7, which leads to in the inner compartment of the spreading device 27.
• the suction that transports the tubular article from the inlet 7A of the pneumatic duct 7 inside the spreading device 27 is applied through the suction mouth 151.
• the tubular article M is in the spread position inside the volume of the spreading device 27. If two tubular articles are fed inside the spreading device 27 by error, the second tubular article will not be engaged by the retention member 167, thanks to the particularly narrow configuration of the end zone of the cuneiform volume defined by the screen 165 and will therefore be unloaded through the device 13 and the unloading duct 1 1 into the container 1 through inversion of suction. In fact, in this step suction inside the spreading device 27, a portion of the duct 7 and the pneumatic duct 11 is produced through the suction mouth 103, the gate valve 111 being open and the gate valve 105 being closed.
• the box structure of the spreading device is translated to the left (in the figure) by means of the piston-cylinder actuator 171 to take the position in Figure 14.
• the tubular article M is practically positioned entirely over the conveyor belt 29 which defines the base of the inner compartment of the spreading device 27.
• the presser 161 which is closest to the end of the article M that entered the inner compartment of the spreading device 27 last is lowered to press the article M against the conveyor belt 29 below.
• the box structure 150 of the spreading device 27 can be translated again from left to right (in the figure) by the actuator 171 to be returned to the position in Figure 15.
• suction can also be actuated again through the suction mouth 151 to correctly spread the end of the tubular article M which was previously engaged by the retention member 167 and which may not be perfectly aligned with respect to the longitudinal extension of the article M.
• the side panel 153 of the box structure 150 of the spreading device 27 is lifted by the actuator 155 and the conveyor belt 29 is actuated to transfer the spread tubular article out of the inner compartment of the spreading device 27.
• the tubular article M is translated in a transverse direction with respect to the direction of feed of the conveyor belt 29, by means of the conveyor belt 33 until its end which entered the spreading device 27 last is under the camera 41 or other detection means arranged on one of the two sides of the conveyor belt 29.
• the camera is capable of distinguishing whether the end of the article under it (i.e. the end which entered the spreading device 27 last) is the toe or the elastic band of said article, i.e. if it is the second or the first end of the article.
• the unit 28 controls the subsequent movement of the conveyor belts 33 and 29, which is coordinated to take the tubular article M with its elastic edge at the level of the pick-up means and in particular with its elastic band resting on the suction surface 53A or 53B.
• the tubular article M is in this way transferred from one or other of the symmetrica! groups 51 A, 51 B according to the position of the elastic band, which is random as the tubular article is picked up from the container 1 in a random position.
• Figure 16 shows the subsequent step in which the tubular article M has already been positioned with the coordinated movement of the conveyor belts 29, 33, with its elastic band B at the level of the group 51A.
• the tubular article M entered the spreading device 27 with its elastic band facing forward and with the toe P representing the second end of the tubular article downstream of the elastic band B with respect to the direction of feed of the tubular article M inside the pneumatic transport duct 7.
• the tubular article M had entered the suction duct 7 with the opposite orientation, i.e. with the elastic edge B at the back and the toe P at the front, it would have been transferred with the elastic band B at the level of the group 51 B. In the example illustrated the subsequent steps will be performed on the elastic band B by the group 51A. If the tubular article M had been facing in the opposite direction the group 51 B would have been used instead, to perform the subsequent operations.
• the tubular article M is engaged by the pick-up means 53A, 57A, which move reciprocally towards each other with the elastic band B of the article interposed therebetween.
• the opposed edges forming the elastic band B of the article are slightly distanced.
• the fingers 61A 1 which in Figure 16 are shown parted, are moved towards each other and inserted inside the open elastic band B. Subsequently, the fingers are parted to stretch the band B elastically.
• the jaws 201 of the gripper 180 can open to stretch the elastic band B of the article M until it has a quadrangular cross section as shown in Figure 20.
• the end of the tubular article M composed of the elastic band B is in this way enlarged to a sufficient extent to allow the gripper 180 to transfer the tubular article onto one or other of the two tubular members 23 or 25.
• the overturning movement through 180 degrees which the gripper 180 can perform by means of the actuator 183 allows the mouth of the tubular article to be positioned facing the lower tubular member 23 (position in Figure 20) or facing the upper tubular member 25.
• the tubular article M When the tubular article M is fed from a double cylinder circular knitting machine it is already reversed, i.e. with its inner surface facing outwards, In this case the tubular article M is inserted directly onto the lower tubular transport member 23. If 1 on the other hand, the tubular article M is fed from a single cylinder circular machine, it must be reversed to take the surface normally on the inside to the outside before it is sewn.
• the gripper 180 rotates through 180° about the horizontal axis to insert the elastic edge B of the article over the upper tubular reversing member 25, which in a known way reverses the tubular article by means of additional members, not shown, The reversed tubular article is then transferred to the lower tubular transport member 23.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Materials Engineering (AREA)
• Sewing Machines And Sewing (AREA)
• Treatment Of Fiber Materials (AREA)
• Knitting Machines (AREA)

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Citations (5)

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• 2005
  • 2005-08-19 WO PCT/IT2005/000496 patent/WO2007020667A1/en active Application Filing
• 2006
  • 2006-03-24 US US11/913,207 patent/US20090049867A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2006-03-24 KR KR1020087006636A patent/KR20080044885A/ko not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2006-03-24 CA CA002617303A patent/CA2617303A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2006-03-24 CN CNA2006800302274A patent/CN101243223A/zh active Pending
  • 2006-03-24 EP EP06728510A patent/EP1915478A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2006-03-24 WO PCT/IT2006/000191 patent/WO2007020669A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2006-03-24 BR BRPI0615176-0A patent/BRPI0615176A2/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2006-03-24 JP JP2008526615A patent/JP2009504931A/ja active Pending
  • 2006-03-24 MX MX2008002350A patent/MX2008002350A/es unknown
  • 2006-03-24 RU RU2008110469/12A patent/RU2008110469A/ru not_active Application Discontinuation

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