GB1151713A - Improved Automatic Sewing Apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

1,151,713. Feeding and delivering sheets; stacking fabrics. H. JACOBS, H. BARON, and E. WINSTON. 28 June, 1966 [29 June, 1966], No. 28870/66. Headings B8C and B8R. [Also in Divisions B5, D1 and E2] Apparatus for automatically feeding workpieces to the sewing station of an automatic sewing assembly comprises a reciprocable feeding-foot having vacuum means associated therewith and being provided with workengaging adhesive means. As shown, the assembly comprises a feeding station 12, a sewing station 14, a cutting station 16 and a stacking station 18, each station comprising an independent frame mounted on wheels, and the frames being releasably secured together. In feeding station 12, a stack of workpieces 26 is supported on a counterweighted platform 28. A fixed rod 34, positioned horizontally above the workpieces, carries at one end a bar 44 resiliently engaging the straight edges of the workpieces. A bar 42, adjustably secured to the other end of bar 44, supports horizontal rods 50, the inner ends of which carry respective resilient fingers 52 engaging irregularly shaped edges of the workpieces. Air-operated means 150 rocks a crank 156 back and forth through 180 degrees. A link 170 connects crank 156 to a two-armed lever 176. One arm of the latter is coupled by a link 180 to a train of gears 182, 184, 186 adapted, on forward rocking of lever 176, to raise platform 28 for maintaining the workpieces at a constant level. The other arm of lever 176 is connected by a link 192 to a pivoted cam-plate 198 co-operating with a follower 208 on a crank arm 206 of a shaft 104 for rocking the latter. Arms 148, rigid with shaft 104, loosely embrace a shaft 74 carrying an arm 212 having a follower 214 co-operating with a fixed cam-plate 210. A casing 84, rigid with shaft 74, is coupled by shafts 90, 92 with a casing 72 which extends into a work-feeding foot 70. Adhesive tape (76) extends from a supply reel (86), journalled on shaft 90 in casing 72, to a take-up reel (88) on shaft 92, the tape being led by rollers to pass horizontally across the open lower end of foot 70. The arrangement is such that when shaft 104 is rocked, follower 214 initially engages a vertical portion of cam 210 to raise foot 70 from a position in which tape (76) is engaged with the uppermost workpiece 26, whereby the latter is also raised. Follower 214 then engages a horizontal portion of cam 210, whereby shaft 74 and foot 70 swing clockwise to present the raised workpiece to the nip of feeding rollers (78), (80). Suction is applied to the uppermost workpiece via a duet (82), rigid with foot 70, immediately after the latter commences to rise, and is discontinued immediately before the workpiece is seized by the rollers (78), (80). When foot 70 approaches its lowermost position, a pin 106, rigid with shaft 104, enters an aperture in casing 84 to engage a pivoted pawl 118 for shifting the latter into engagement with a ratchet wheel 120, whereby take-up reel (88) is rotated. Pin 108 also engages pawl 118 when foot 70 rocks forward from its fully raised position. An indicator lamp lights when reel (88) is full. If two workpieces are simultaneously fed between rollers (78), (80) a blade (230) is displaced to actuate a microswitch, whereby a solenoid (240) is energized to tilt a pivoted plate (232) into the path of the advancing workpieces to deflect these downwardly out of the machine. A workpiece on passing between rollers (78), (80) interrupts a beam of light to a photo-cell (248), whereby foot 70 is retained in its raised and forward position until the beam of light is restored, when foot 70 descends on to the stack of workpieces. If foot 70 fails to deliver a workpiece a predetermined number of times in succession, circuitry associated with photocell (248) immobilizes foot 70 and lights a warning lamp. A workpiece after passing plate (232) is received by the upper runs of endless feed belts 256 supported by rollers 266, 268 driven by a belt 270 from a motor 272, the straight edge of the workpiece being folded upon itself by means 262, 280, 298, 306 (see Division B5). A spring-biased roller 332, cooperating with roller 268, transfers the workpiece to the sewing station 14. The folded edge is sewn at station 14 (see Division D1) by a sewing machine 316. A secondary sewing machine, such as a button or buttonhole sewing machine, may follow the primary sewing machine 316. On leaving the sewing station the workpiece passes to station 16 between rollers 404, 406 to engage the upper runs of endless feed belts 408 supported by rollers 404, 410 and driven via a chain 424 by a motor 430. On completion of sewing at station 14, drive to belts 408 is stopped and an air cylinder 508 is energized for traversing a motor 412, driving a cutter disc 490, in a guideway 498 transversely of the belts 408. The workpiece on leaving the belts 408 passes to station 18 between rollers 538, (540), and is engaged by an endless belt 544 carried by rollers 538, 614 and 616, roller 538 being driven by gearing from roller 410. The workpiece is carried downwardly by belt 544 along a tray 542, slidable in a guideway 548, until the passage of light to a photo-cell 546 is obstructed. An air cylinder 550 is then energized to extend and retract its piston. A rack 560 on the latter is coupled by gearing to a rack 581 on tray 542, which thereby first moves to the right to deposit the workpiece upon a stack carried by a counterweighted platform 482, and then returns to its initial position. A frame 582, suspended from tray 542 by pivotal links 584, carries rollers 586 which bear upon and compress the stack of workpieces. When tray 542 moves rightwards, a link 584 rides over a bar 598 on guideway 548 to raise carriage 582, the latter thereby descending with momentum upon the stack when tray 542 moves leftwards. Photocell 546 is mounted on a carriage 602 movable from a right-hand position, when a bundle 478 of workpieces is stacked, to a left-hand position for stacking a bundle 480. The number of workpieces in a bundle is determined by a counter controlling the means for moving carriage 602. Platform 482 is lowered each time a workpiece is laid thereon by mechanism actuated by gearing 470 to 476 coupled by a link 456, crank arm 460 and link 466 to a crank disc 454 driven via chains 424, 438, 446 by motor 430. Stations 10, 14 and 16 are releasably secured together by mechanical means. Station 18 is releasably secured to station 16 by magnet means, and separation of station 18 from station 16 actuates a microswitch, carried by the latter, to immobilize the apparatus.