Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~33~
The present invention relates to a method of and an
apparatus for sewing a slide fastener to a pair of fabric
pieces, e.g. of a curtain, a tent or a lady's dress.
Prior art and the invention will be described with
reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a concealed
slide fastener;
FIG. 2 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken
along line II-II of FIG. l;
FIG. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view of a pair
of uncoupled and unfolded fastener stringers, illustrating
the manner in which the two stringers are sewn ~o a pair of
fabric piecesr respectively, on a sewing machine;
FIG. 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the
opposed stringers sewn to the respective fabric pieces and
coupled together by a slider;
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the
concealed slide fastener sewn to the fabric pieces, with
the opposed stringers uncoupled;
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the sewn
slide fastener closed by the slider;
FIGS. 7 and 8 are views similar to FIGS. 5 and 6,
respectively, illustrating the prior problem;
FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of a sewing
apparat~s embodying the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view, with parts omitted, of
the apparatus;
,7
3~533~8
FIG. 11 is a side elevational view, with parts
omitted, of the apparatus, showing a slider-moving unit in
detail;
FIG. 12 is a fragmentary side elevational view, on a
reduced scale, of FIG. 11;
FIG. 13 is a view similar to FIG. 12, illustrating
the operations of a gripping mechanism and a stacker;
FIG. 14 is an enlarged perspective view, with parts
omitted, of the slider-moving unit;
FIGS. 15 to 17 are side elevational views of FIG. 14,
illustrating the operation of the slider-moving unit;
FIGS. 18A and 18B are cross-sectional views
illustrating the operation of a brake;
FIG. l9A to l9F are plan views of the concealed slide
fastener, each illustrating a respective one of successive
steps of the present sewing method;
FIGS. 20A to 20G are side elevational views
corresponding to FIGS. l9A to l9F, illustrating a sequence
of steps of operation of the apparatus;
FIG. 21 is a fragmentary plan view of the concealed
slide fastener sewn to the fabric pieces, with the opposed
stringers uncoupled;
FIG. 22 is an enlarged perspective view of FIG. 21;
FIG. 23 is a frasmentary plan view of the concealed
slide fastener of FIG. 21, showing the slide fastener fully
closed;
FIGS. 24A - 24D are plan views of a non-concealed, or
exposed, slide fastener inllustrating successive steps of
the present sewing method;
~ ~ 3~ ~
FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view taken along line
XXV - XXV of FIG.24;
FIG. 26 is a view similar ~o FIG. 11, showing a
modified slider-moving unit;
FIG. 27 is an enlarged plan view of the modified
slider-moving unit;
FIG. 28 is an enlarged perspective view, with parts
broken away, of the modified slider-moving unit;
FIGS. 29A to 29C are side elevational view with parts
broken away, illustrating the operation of the modified
slider-moving unit;
FIGS. 30A to 30C are cross-sectional view similar to
FIGS. 18A and 18B, illustrating the operation of a modified
brake; and
FIGS. 31A to 31E are side elevational views similar
to FIGS. 20A to 20G, i.llustrating the sequence of steps of
operation of the apparatus with the modified slider-moving
unit.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the accompanying
drawings, a concealed slide fastener 1 comprises a pair of
fastener stringers 4, 4, each stringer including a stringer
tape 2 having an inner longitudinal edge folded on itself
supporting a row of coupling elements 3 attached to the
tape edge. The opposed rows of coupling elements 3, 3 are
brought into and out of intermeshing engagemen' by a slider
5 which is slidably mounted on the rows of coupling
elements 3, 3. The slider 5 has a slider body disposed on
~3~
the coupling element side of the concealed slide fastener 1
and a pull tab 6 by pivotally connected to the slider body
and projecting therefrom through a seam-like junction
between the folded edges of the opposed stringer tapes 2,
2.
Conventionally, for attaching the concealed slide
fastener 1 to a pair of fabric pieces 7, 7 ~FIG. 3), e.g.
of a curtain, a tent or a lady's dress, on a sewing
machine, the slider 5 is moved on the rows of coupling
elements 3, 3 ~o a bottom end stop (not shown~ to uncouple
41e opposed stringers 4, 4 except at their bottom end
portions. The uncoupled stringers 4, 4 are simultaneously
sewn to the respective fabric pieces 7, 7 with sewn
stitches 12, 12 along a pair of folding line of the
respective stringer tapes 2, 2, as shown in FIG. 3. At
that time, the folded tape edge of each stringer 4 is
unfolded until the coupling elements 3 are erected with
their head portions 10 directed downwardly, and the
coupling elements 3 and the element-supporting tape edge of
each stringer 4 are slidably received in a respective one
of a pair of parallel downwardly opening grooves 8, 8 in a
presser foot 9 of the sewing machine. A pair of parallel
sewing needles 11,11 are reciprocable through a pair of
vertical holes in the presser foot 9. Also, during this
sewing, the two stringers 4, 4 are superimposed over the
respective fabric pieces 7, 7 in such a manner that
initially-outer (as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2) longitudinal
edges of the opposed stringer tapes 2, 2 are directed
inwardly, i.e. toward each other.
~5~3~i9~3
This sewing operation continues until the sewn
stitches 12, 12 reach a position immediately short of the
slider 5 disposed adjacent to the bottom end stop (not
shown) of the slide fastener 1. As a result, the two
stringers 4, 4 have been sewn to the respective fabric
pieces 7, 7, leaving the lower end portions of the
stringers 4, 4 not sewn and hence floating from the fabric
pieces 7, 7.
As shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, the sewn fabric pieces
7, 7 are folded back on itself about the sewn stitches 12,
12 as the two stringers 4, 4 are progressively coupled
together by moving the slider 5 from the bottom end stop
(not shown) to a pair of top end stops (not shown) to close
the concealed slide fastener 1. At that time, in order for
their correct coupling, the two stringers 4, 4 need to
assume proper twisted positions that are in mirror symmetry
(FIG. 5).
Practically, however, because the lower end portion
of the sewn slide fastener 1 is not sewn and hence floating
from the fabric pieces 7, 7, the opposed stringers 4, 4
would tend to assume an improper twisted position that is
not in mirror symmetry (FIG. 7), thus causing portions of
the fabric pieces 7, 7 to bulge inwardly between the two
stringers 4, 4 (FIG. 8). The bulged portions of the fabric
pieces 7, 7 can be easily caught by the slider 5 during the
coupling of the two stringers 4, 4; in such occurrence, the
coupling of the stringers 4, 4 must be restarted after
-
~.a,,~" ~ 33~3B
removing the caught fabric pieces 7, 7 from the slider 5,
which is laborious and time-consuming, and annoying.
Accordingly, this conventional method causes problems
in the case where a plurality of the concealed slide
fasteners 1 are successively sewn to successive pairs of
the fabric pieces 7, 7 and in which the sewn concealed
slide fasteners 1 are temporarily stacked and are then
supplied one after another to a finishing station where the
opposed stringers 4, 4 of each concealed ~slide fastener 1
are coupled by moving the slider 5.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a
method and apparatus for sewing a slide fastener to a pair
of fabric pieces, in which a pair of opposed fastener
stringers with the fabric pieces sewn thereto can be
coupled together smoothly and quickly without occurrence of
any objectionable inward bulge of the fabric pieces between
the opposed stringers.
Another object of the present invention is to provide
a method and apparatus for sewing a plurality of slide
fasteners one after another to successive pairs of fabric
pieces, in which a pair of opposed fastener strinsers of
the individual slide fastener with the fabric pieces sewn
thereto can be coupled together smoothly and quickly
without occurrence of any objectionable inward bulge of the
fabric pieces between the opposed stringers.
3~
Other objects, features and additional advantages of
the present invention will become manifest to those versed
in the art upon making reference to the detailed
description and the accompanying drawings in which two
preferred embodiments incorporating the principles of the
present invention are shown by way of illustrative example.
FIGS. 9 through 13 show an apparatus for sewing a
concealed slide fastener 1 to a pair of fabric pieces 7, 7.
As shown in FIG. 9, the apparatus generally comprises
a table 13, a sewinq machine 15 mounted centrally on the
table 13 and defining a sewing station 14, a fabric guide
16 supported on the table 13 upstream of the sewing station
14, a slide-fastener guide 17 supported on the table 13 and
disposed above the fabric guide 16, a gripper mechanism 18
mounted on the table downstream of the sewing station 14
for horizontal linear movement, a stacker 19 disposed
beneath the gripper mechanism 18, a sewn-product guide 20
disposed downstream of the sewing station 14 for vertical
movement, and a slider-moving unit 21 (FIGS. 10 and 11)
33~
disposed beneath the sewn-product guide 20 for horizontal
linear movement.
The sewing machine 15 may be a conventional type on
the market. It includes a presser foot 9, a pair of feed
dog (not shown), and a pair of sewing needles 11, 11. As
shown in FIG. 3, the presser foot 9 has in its bottom
surface a pair of parallel grooves 8, 8, each receptive o~
an inner longitudinal edqe of the respective stringer tape
2 together with a row of coupling elements 3 attached
thereto. Upon depression of a start button (not shown),
the presser foot 9 is lowered and then the sewing of the
concealed slide fastener 1 and the fabric pieces 7, 7 in
"lock stitch" takes place. This lock-stitch sewing is
followed by back-tucking, cutting the sewing threads and
raising of the presser foot 9 in this order. The details
of the sewing machine 15 itself are not pertinent here and
its detailed description is omitted for clarity.
As better shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the fabric guide
16 includes a pair of transparent horizontal guide plates
22, 22 spaced from the upper surface of the table 13 by a
gap substantially equal to the thickness of the individual
fabric piece 7, and a pair oE guide rods 23, 23 mounted on
the front or upstream side of the table 13. The pair of
convergent guide rods 23, 23 lie in a horizontal plane
substantially coplanar to the upper surface of the table
13. As the pair of fabric pieces 7, 7 are supplied to the
sewing station 14, each fabric piece 7 is supported on the
3~
respective guide rod 23 and is then introduced into the gap
between the corresponding guide plate 22 and the table 13.
As shown in FIGS. 9, 10, 12 and 13, the
slide-fastener guide 17 includes an elongated flanged
guiding plate 24 sloping downwardly toward the sewing
station 14 and an elongated flanged auxiliary guiding plate
2B disposed upstream of the guiding plate 24 and sloping
upwardly toward the guiding plate 24, for guiding the
uncoupled stringers 4, 4 over the two guiding plates 24,
28.
As shown in FIG. 10, the slide-fastener guide 17 also
includes a pair of spaced track bodies 25, 25 mounted on
the guiding plate 24 at one end thereof adjacent to the
sewing station 14 for guiding the respective coupling
element rows 3, 3 in such a manner that each coupling
element row 3 assumes an erected position. A slider
detector 26 is mounted on the guiding plate 24 and is
pivotable vertically between the two track bodies 25, 25
when the slider 5 on the concealed slide fastener 1 passes
through the space between the two track bodies 25, 25. The
detector 26 is associated with a microswitch 27 which is
operative, in response to the pivo~al movement of the
detector 26, to terminate the advance of the slide fastener
1.
The purposes of the gripper mechanism 18 are to keep
the tension of both the slide fastener 1 and the fabric
pieces 7, 7 to a constant degree during the sewing, thus
~533~
not only causing a uniform rate of sewing but making the
sewn stitches 12, 12 aligned with the respective folding
lines of the opposed stringers 4, 4. The gripper mechanism
18 also serves to quickly discharge the sewn product, i.e.
the slide fastener 1 with the fabric pieces sewn thereto.
As shown in FIGS. 9, 11, 12 and 13, the gripper
mechanism 18 includes a pair of laterally spaced grippers
29, 29, each gripper 29 being composed of an upper grip
member 33 and a lower grip member 30. The lower grip
member 30 is secured to a horizontal connector 31 in the
form of a rod ana is disposed slightly above the upper
surface of the table 13. The upper grip member 33 is
pivotally connected to the connector 31 near the do~nstream
end of the lower grip member 30 by a pin 32. The upper
grip member 33 is also connected to an air cylinder 36 via
a link 34 which is connected to a piston rod 35 of the air
cylinder 36. Such two air cylinders 36,36 are pivotally
mounted on the connector 31 remotely from the grippers 29,
29. Upon energization or de-energization of the two air
cylinders 36, 36, each piston rod 35 projects or is
retracted to close or open the respective gripper 29.
~ ixed to the downstream side of the sewing machine 15
is a holder 37 from which a guide rail 38 extends
horizontally in the direction of discharging the sewn
product. A free end of the guide rail 38 is fixed to a
bracket 40 supported by a hanger rod 39. A slide 41 is
slidably mounted on the guide rail 38. As better shown in
-- 10 --
33~?~
FIGS. 12 and 13, an endless belt 44 is wound about a pair
of pulleys 42, 43 rotatably mounted on the holder 37 and
the bracket 40, respectively, the endless belt 44 being
fixed to the slide 41. The pulley 42 is connected to a
servo motor (not shown) which drives the slide 41
selectively forwardly (downstream) and backwardly
(upstream) and which chanqes the rate of movement of the
slide 41 depending on the load. The downstream end of the
connector 31 of the gripper mechanism 18 is integrally
connected to a transverse sha~t 45 rotatably supported by
the slide 41.
The backward or upstream movement of the slide 41 is
limited by a stop (not shown) projecting therefrom and
engageable with the holder 37; thus the backward movement
of the two grippers 29, 29 terminates in a retracted
position close to the sewing station 1~. The forward or
downstream movement of the slide 41 is limited by a contact
member 48 extending therefrom and engageable with an
actuator of a microswitch 47 which is adjustably mounted on
a support rod 46 extending between the holder 37 and the
bracket 40 in parallel relationship to the guide rail 38.
Upo~ its act~atio~, the microswitch 47 produces a
signal to stop the rotation of the non-illustrated servo
motor, thus terminating the forward movement of the slide
41. As a result, the forward movement of the two grippers
29, 29 terminates in an advanced position, which is
adjustable by changing the position of the microswitch 47
3i3~3
on the support rod 46.
The transverse shaft 45 is operatively connected to a
drive, such as a motor or an air cylinder, for turning the
transverse shaft 45 through a predeterminea angle. In
response to clockwise (FIGS. 12, and 13) turning of the
transverse shaft 45, the connector 31 of the gripper
mechanism 18 is angularly movable about the transverse
shaft 45 in the direction of an arrow b from the position
(horizontal) of FIG. 12 to the position (vertical in this
embodiment) of FIG. 13. This arrangement is particularly
use~ul when a relatively long sewn product 49 is to be
discharged without elongating the guide rail 38.
As shown in FIGS. 9, 10, 12 and 13, the stacker 19 is
disposed beneath the gripper mechanism 18 for receiving the
successive sewn products 43 (released Erom the gripping
mechanism 18 as described below) one over another and for
discharging a stack of the sewn products 49 out of the
apparatus when the stack reaches a predetermined amount.
The stacker 19 includes a generally T-shaped hanger
having a horizontal pipe 50 connected to an upper end of an
arm 51 pivotally mounted on a base beneath the table 13.
~n air cylinder 52 is pivotally supported by the base, and
a piston rod 53 of the air cylinder 52 is pivotally
connected to the arm 51 at a midportion thereof. In timed
relation to the forward movement of the two grippers 29,
29, the piston rod 53 of the air cylinder 52 projects to
cause the stacker 19 to pivotally move in the direction of
33~3~
an arrow d in FIG. 13 from a retracted position (solid
lines) to an advanced position (dash-and-dot lines) where
the sewn product 49 released from the gr.ippers 29, 29 is
received on the trans~erse pipe 50. Th~reafter, when the
piston rod 53 of the air cylinder 52 is retracted, the
stacker 19 is returned in the direction of an arrow e in
FIG. 13 to its original or retracted position, with the
sewn product 49 hanging on the transverse pipe 50.
As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the sewn-product guide
20 is disposed downstream of the sewn station 14 and is
vertically movable in the directions of arrows f and g by
means of an air cylinder 54 supported by the hoider 37.
The sewn-product guide 20, as shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B,
has a downwardly opening guide channel 55. When the sewn
product 49 is pulled forwardly by the gripper mechanism 18,
the sewn-product guide 20 is lowered from the
dash-and-dot-line position to the solid-line position in
FIG. 18A and the slide 5 (disposed at the lower end portion
of the sewn product 49) is guided along the guide channel
55 of the guide to the slider-moving unit 21. While the
slide fastener 1 is being sewn to the pair of fabric pieces
7, 7, the guide 20 is in raised position, as shown in FIG.
10, so as not to obstruct the movement of the gripper
mechanism 18.
The slider-moving unit 21, as shown in FIGS. 10 and
11, is disposed immediately downstream of the sewn-product
guide 20 for linear movement to move the slider 5 from the
- 13 -
~ ~3 3 ~
bottom end stop (not shown) of the sewn slide fastener 1
toward the top end stops (not shown) to couple the opposed
stringers 4, 4 through a predetermined length. As a
result, the slider 5 has been moved to the region where the
slide fastener 1 is sewn to the fabric pieces 7, 7.
The thus partly closed product 49 is discharged out
of the apparatus, and then the slider 5 can be moved all
the way to the top end stops of the slide fastener 1
smoothly to provide a fully closed concealed slide fastener
1 sewn to a pair of fabric pieces 7, 7.
As better shown in FIGS~ 14 to 17, the slider-moving
unit 21 includes a slider catch 56 of a generally C-shape
opening backwardly for receiving the slider 5, and a
retainer 57 pivotally mounted on a lower portion of the
catch 56 for retaining the slider 5 in the catch 56. The
catch 56 has a support rod 58 extending su~stantially
downwardly (FIGS. 14, 16, and 17) from the lower portion of
the catch 56 at an angle thereto and terminating in an
block on which an air cylinder 59 is pivotally mounted, a
piston rod 60 of the air cylinder 59 being pivotally
connected to the retainer 57. As the piston rod 60 of the
air cylinder 59 proiects (FlG, 17), the retainer 57 is
pivotally moved counterclockwise from the piston of FIG. 16
to the position of FIG. 17 to push the slider body 5
against the catch 56, thus preventing the slider body 5
from being removed from the catch 56. On the contrary, as
the piston rod 60 of the air cylinder 59 is retracted (FIG.
- 14 -
~;339~
16~, the retainer 57 is pivotally moved clockwise from the
position of FIG. 17 to the position of FIG. 16 so that the
slider 5 can be removed from the catch 56.
As shown in FIG. 11, a slide 62 is slidably mounted
on a pair of parallel horizontal guide rails 61, 61 which
is supported by the base (of the apparatus) beneath the
table 13. An endless belt 66 is wound around a pair of
small-sized upper pulleys 63, 64 and a large-sized lower
pulley 65 (all of the pulleys is rotatable on the base) and
is fixed to the slide 62. ~he two small-sized pulleys 63,
64 are disposed between the two guide rails 61, 61 and are
spaced away from each other along the guide rails 61, while
the large~sized pulley 65 is disposed below the guide rails
61.
The large-sized pulley 65 has a coaxial pinion 70
meshing with a rack 68 formed on a piston rod 69 of an air
cylinder 67 which is pivotally supported by the base. As
the pinion 70 and thus the large-sized pulley 65 is rotated
counterclockwise :in response to extension of the racked
piston rod 69 of the air cylinder 57, the slider 62 is
moved forwardly leftwardly away from the sewing station 14
along the g~ide rails 61, 6i. Re~ersely, as the
large-sized pulley 65 is rotated clockwise in response to
shrinking of the racked piston rod 69 of the air cylinder
67, the slider 62 is then moved backwardly, i.e.
rightwardly toward the sewing station 14 along the guide
rails 61, 61.
~3~
The slider ~atch 56 is pivotally mounted on the slide
62 and is reciprocable, in response to the reciprocating
movement of the slide 62~ for pulling the slider 5
forwardly along the opposed stringers ~, 4 ~o close the
sewn slide fastener 1 while the opposite end portions of
the slide fastener 1 is held in position in a manner
described below.
The slide 62 has a pair of parallel support rods 71,
71 extending downwardly from a lower end portion of the
slide 62 and interconnected at their lower ends by a
hori~ontal connector 72. An air cylinder 73 is pivotally
supported centrally on the horizontal connector 72, and a
piston rod 74 of the air cylinder 73 is pivotally connected
to the slider catch 56. As the piston rod 74 of the air
cylinder 73 is retracted (FIG. 15), the catch 56 is
pivotally moved counterclockwise from the position of FIG.
16 to the position of FIG. 15 below the table 13 so as not
to impede not only the movement of the gripper mechanism 18
but the discharging of the swen-product 49. Reversely, as
the piston rod 74 of the air cylinder 73 is extended, the
catch 56 is pivotally moved clockwise from the position of
FIG. 15 to the position of FIGS. 16 and 17 to project above
the upper surface of the table 13. The slider 5 is
received in the catch 56 (FIG. 16) and is then retained
therein by the retainer 57 (FIG. 17), whereupon the forward
or downstream movement of the catch 56 is started.
As shown in FIG. 11, the brake 75 is supported on the
- 16 -
;~2~;33~
pair of guide rails 61, 61 at a fixed position adjacent to
their upstream ends for temporarily stop the forward
movement of the sewn product 49 to thereby facilitate the
forward movement of the slider 5 on the sewn slide fastener
1 by the slider-~oving unit 21.
As better shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B, the brake 75
includes a bracket 76 fixed to the guide rails 61, 61, an
air cylinder 77 supported by the bracket 76, and a pressing
member 79, in the form of a thin plate (FIGS. 20A to 20G),
to which a piston rod 78 of the air cylinder 77 is
connected. As the piston rod 78 of the air cylinder 77 is
extended, the pressing member 79 is raised in the direction
of an arrow h from the position of FIG. 18A to the position
of FIG. 18B for pressing the bottom end portion of the
slide fastener 1 (of the sewn product 49) against the lower
surface of the product guide 20. To the contrary, as the
piston rod 78 of the air cylinder 77 is retracted, the
pressing member 79 is returned to its original or lowered
position (FIG. 18A) for releasing the sewn product 49.
'`? The manner in which a concealed slide fastener 1 is
sewn to a pair of fabric fieces 7, 7 on the apparatus of
FIGS. 9 - 17 and 18A - 18B will be described hereinbelow in
connection with FIGS. 19A - l9F and 20A - 20G.
As shown in FIG. 19A, before the start of sewing
work, a pair of fabric pieces 7, 7 is introduced into the
sewing station 14 (only the two sewing needles 11, 11 are
illustrated in FIGS. l9A - l9F~, while a concealed slide
fastener 1 is fully opened by moving the slider 5 and then
the incoupled s~ringers 4, 4 are turned upside down through
the entire length of the slide fastener 1 except the bottom
end portion the~eof. ~hus the two t~rned stringers 4, 4
assume twisted positions in mirror symmetry. The concealed
slide fastener 1 is introduced into the sewing station 14,
with the opposed stringers 4, 4 superimposed over the
respective fabric pieces 7, 7.
More specifically, in introducing the fabric pieces
7, 7 into the sewing station 1~, each fabric piece 7 passes
over the respective guide rod 23 and then through the gap
between the corresponding guide plate 22 and the upper
surface of the table 13, as shown in FIG. 9. On the other
hand, the concealed slide fastener 1 is opened manual]y and
is then placed over the guide plate 24 while turing the
uncoupled stringers 4, 4 upside down, as shown in FIG. 9.
Then the leading end portion of each stringer 4 is
introduced into the sewing station 14 via the respective
track body 25. In the sewing station 14, the leading end
portion of each stringer 4 is superimposed over the
respective fabric piece 7 in such a manner that the
coupling elements 3 are erected with the head portions 1
directed downwardly. At that time, as shown in FIG. 11,
the gripper mechanism 18 is diposed at a position near the
presser foot 9 in the sewing station 14, with each gripper
29 open. And the sewn-product guide 20 is in raised
position so as not to interfere with the gripper mechanism
- la -
~f~ ~3~
18, as shown in FIG. 11. The slide-moving unit 21 is in
retracted position near the sewing station 14, the slider
catch 56 being r~tracted below the table 13. The bra~e 75
is also lowered or retracted ~elow the table 13.
When a start button (not shown) is depressed, the
presser foot 9 and the sewing needles 11, 11 are lowered to
start sewing ~ork. As the sewing work progresses, both the
leading end portion of each fabric piece 7 and the leading
end portion of the corresponding stringer 4 are advanced
between the upper and lower grip members 33, 30 of the
respective gripper 29, as shown in FIG. 9B. The arrival of
the leading ends of the fabric pieces 7, 7 and the
stringers 4, 4 is detected by a photosensor (not shown)
disposed at a suitable position in the sewing station 14.
The photosensor is responsive to this arrival to issue a
command signal to the air cylinder 36, whereupon the piston
rod 35 is extended to cause each gripper 29 to grip the
superimposed end portions of the respective fabric piece 7
and the corresponding stringer 4, as shown in FIG. 20A.
The grippers 29 pull the sewn product 49 forwardly to
discharge the same from the sewing station 14 under a
constant tension smaller than the tension under which the
sewn product 49 is advanced by the feed dog (not shown) of
the sewing machine 15. This discharging tension is
virtually automatically controled by the non-illustrated
servo motor that is the drive source for moving the slider
41 of the gripper mechanism 18.
1 9
~ ~3 ~ ~
When the grippers ~9, 29, as the sewing work further
progresses, are removed from the region where both the
sewn-product guide 20 and the slider-moving unit 21 are
aisposed, the sewn-pruduct guide 20 is lowerea and the
slider catch 56 of the slider-moving unit 21 projects above
the upper surface of the table 13, as shown in FIGS. 20B
and 20C.
Subsequently, when the slider 5 disposed at the
bottom end portion of the slide fastener 1 arrives at the
slider detector 26, the detector 26 is pivotally moved
upwardly to actuate the microswitch 27 associated
therewith, whereupon the microswitch 27 issues a command
signal to the sewing machine 15 to start back-trucking.
The sewing threads are cut and the presser foot 9 is then
raised to terminate the operation of the sewing machine 15.
As shown in FIG. l9C, the sewn stitches 12 extend from the
leading end of the slide Eastener 1 and terminates
immediately short of the slider 5 disposed at the bottom
end portion of the slide fastener 1, thus leaving the
bottom end portions of the opposed stringers 4, 4 not sewn
and hence floating from the fabric pieces 7, 7.
After the sewing operation of the sewing machine 1 is
stopped, the gripper mechanism 18 is continued to discilarge
the sewn product 49 that has been removed from the sweing
station 14.
With continued discharging of the sewn product 49 by
the gripper mechanism 18, the buttom end portion of the
- 20 -
~3~
sewn slide fastener 1, including the slider 5, is
introduced into the sewn-product guide 20. Then the slider
5 of the sewn slide fastener 1 is blocked or caught by the
slider catch 56 of the slider-moving unit 21, as shown in
FIG. 20D. This blocking is detected by a photosensor (not
shown) which then issues a command signal to energize the
air cylinder 59, (FIGS. 16 and 17), causing the retainer 57
to pinot to keep the slider body 5 in the catch 56.
Upon receipt of the slider 5 in the catch 56, the
forward movement of the gripper mechanism 18 is stopped and
the operation of the brake 75 is started. Thus the leading
end of the sewn product 49 is held in position by the
grippers 29, 29, and the trailing end of the slide fastener
1 (of the sewn product 49) is held in position by the brake
75, giving the concealed slide fastener 1 a constant
tension.
While the sewn product 49 is thus kept from moving,
as shown in FIGS. l9E and 20E, the slider-movin~ unit 21 is
moved forwardly by the action of the air cyliner 67 (FIG.
11) to pull the slider 5 along the uncoupled stringers 4, 4
to partly close the sewn slide fastener 1. This pulling is
continued until the slider 5 is moved into the region where
each stringer 4 and the corresponding fabric piece 7 are
sewn. Then, as shown in FIG. 20F, the retainer 57 is
returned to its original or retracted position to release
the slider 5 and the slider catch 56 is retracted below the
table 13, during which time the brake 75 is continued to be
3~B
operative.
Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. l9F and 20G, the brake
75 is rendered inoperative to release the trailing end of
the sewn product 49, while the gripper mechanism 18 is
continued to dischange the sewn product 49. More
speci~ically, in discharging the sewn product 49, w~en the
contact member 48 on the slide 41 of the gripper mechanism
18 hits the actuator of the microswitch 47, a command
signal is issued from the switch 47 to stop the
non-illustrated servo motor which is a drive for the
endless belt 44. The discharging of the sewn product 49 of
the gripper mechanism 18 is terminated. Then the connector
31 is pivotally moved on the slide 41 to direct downwardly,
during which time the stacker 19 is pivotally moved, by the
action of the air cyliner 52, forwardly of the base beneath
the table 13, as shown in FIG. 13. The grippers 29 at the
end portion of the connector 31 is opened to release the
sewn product 49, which thus falls onto the transverse pipe
50 of the stacker 19. The stacker 19 and the gripper
mechanism 18 are returned to their original or upstream
positions. The slider-moving unit 21 is also returned to
its original or upstrearn position near the sewing statiorn
14, during which time the slide-moving unit 21 remains
retracted below the table 13. And the product guide 20 is
returned to it raised position. Now the apparatus is in
condition for start of the n~xt cycle of the sewing
operation, and a single cycle has been completed.
- 22 -
FIGS. 21 and 22 show the sewn product including the
concealed slide fastener 1 sewn to the pair of fabric
pieces 7, 7 according to the present invention. In this
sewn product, the opposed coupling element rows 3, 3 can be
coupled smoothl~ and guickly by manually moving the slider
5 toward the top end stops (not shown), as shown in FIG.
23, during which time the opposed stringer 4, 4 are
progressively turned back in mirror symmetry.
In the sewn product obtained by the present method,
since the slider is disposed into the region where each
concealed fastener stringer and the corresponding fabric
piece are sewn, smooth an~ quick coupling of the opposed
stringers can be achieved simply by manually pulling the
slider. Accordingly, the present method is particularly
useful for the case in which a plurality of concealed slide
fasteners are sewn to successive pairs of the fabric pieces
and in which the sewn products are temporarily stacked and
then supplied one after another to a finishing station
where the opposed fastener stringers of each concealed
slide fastener are coupled by manually moving the slider.
With the apparatus constructed according to the
present invention, partly because the slider-moving unit i5
retractable below the upper surface of the table so as not
to interfere with the gripper mechanism, it is possible to
sew a plurality of concealed slide fasteners successively
to successive pairs of fabric pieces without impeding the
sewing and discharging operations, causing an improved rate
- 23 -
9~
oE production.
The apparatus of the invention is especially useful
in the sewing of concealed slide fasteners, as described
above. However, it is clear that exposea slide fasteners
may as well be sewn with the apparatus of the invention.
Such assembly is illustrated in FIGS. 24A - 24E. As there
shown, tapes 2',2' of stringers 4',4' are aligned for
sewing along stich lines 12',12' located further from the
coupling element rows 3',3', then in the concealed slide
fasteners embodiment of FIGS. l9A - l9F. An exposed type
fastener is employed, so that coupling element rows 3' face
downwardly, toward the fabric 7',7' in the initial setup
shown in FIG. 24A. As a result, when the sewing is
completed the fabric 7',7' does not meet, leaving the
coupling element rows and tapes exposed as shown in FIGS.
24D and 24E. The apparatus and method are in other
respects the same, providing a substantially improved, more
rapid system for fastener sewing and assembly.
FIGS. 26 - 28 illustrate a modified slider-moving
unit 21' having an alternative slider holding mechanism.
As better shown in FIGS. 27, 28 and 29A - 29C, the
slider-holding mechanism includes a slider catch 56' for
receiving the slider 5, and a retainer 57' for retaining
the slider 5 in the catch 56'. The slider catch 56' is
mounted on a piston rod 74' of a first vertical air
cylinder 73' fixedly secured to a lower portion o~ a slide
62', while the retainer 57' is mounted on a piston rod 60'
-- 2~ --
339~
of a second vertical air cylinder 59' fixedly secured to a
lower portion of the catch 56'. The slide 62' is slidably
mounted on a pair of vertically spaced horizontal guide
rails 61',61' which is supported by the base (of the
apparatus) beneath the table 13.
As the piston rod 741 of the first cylinder 73' is
extended, the catch 56' is moved upwaraly on the slide 62'
from the position of FIG. 29A to the position of FIG. 29B
to receive the slider 5. At that time the second air
cylinder 59', with its piston rod 60' and hence the
retainer 57' retracted, is moved upwardly along with the
catch 56'. Then as the piston rod 60' of the second air
cylinder 59' is extended, the retainer 57' is raised from
the position of FIG. 29~ to the position of FIG. 29C to
press the slider 5 against the catch 56', thus preventing
the slider 5 from being removed from the catch 56'.
As shown in FIG. 26, an endless belt 66' is wound
around a pair of small-sized upper pulleys 63', 64' a~d a
large-sized lower pulley 65' and is fixedly secured to the
slide 62', all the pulleys 63', 64', 65' being rotatable on
the base of the apparatus. The two small-sized pulleys
63', 64' and disposed between the two guide rails 61', 61'
and are spaced away from each other along the guide rails
61', 61', while the large-sized pulley 65' is disposed
~elow the guide rails 61',61'.
The larqe-sized pulley 65' is operatively connected
to a drive 76', such as a rotary actuator, for rotation in
- 25 -
3 ~ 9 ~
opposite directions. As the large-sized pulley 65' is
driven by the drive 67' for counterclockwise rotation, the
slide 62' is moved forwardly (leftwardly) away from the
sewing station 14 along the guide rails 61',61'.
Reversely, as the large-sized pulley 6~' is rotated
clockwise, the slide 62' is then moved backwardly
(rightwardly) toward the sewing station 14 along the ~uide
rails 61',61'.
The slider catch 56', along with the retainer 57', is
reciprocable, in response to the reciprocating movement of
the slide 62', for pulling the slider 5 forwardly along the
opposed stringers 4, 4 to close the slide fastener 1 of the
sewn product 49 while the opposite ends of the slide
fastener 1 is held in position in a manner described below
As the piston rod 74' of the first air cylinder 73'
is retracted, the catch 56' is moved downwardly from the
position of FIG. 29C to the position of FIG. 29A below the
table 13 so as not to impede not only the movement of
gripper mechanism 18 but the discharging of the sewn
product 49. Reversely, as the piston rod 74' of the first
air cylinder 73' is extended, the catch 56' is moved
upwardly from the position of FIG. 29A to the position of
FIG. 29B to project above the top surface of the table 13.
The slider 5 is recei.ved in the catch 56' and is then
retained therein by the retainer 57' (FIG. 29C), whereupon
the forward (leftward) movement of the catch 56' is
started.
~ 26 -
33~
As shown in FIGS. 26 - 28, the slider-moving unit 21
also includes a brake 75' supported on the guide rails
61',61' at a fixed position adjacent to their upstream ends
to temporarily stop the forward movement of the sewn
product 49 to thereby facilitate the forward movement of
the slider 5 on the slide fastener 1 by the slider-holding
mechanism, namely, the catch 56' and the retainer 57'.
As shown in FIGS. 26 - 28 and 30A - 30C, the brake
75' includes a bracket 76' fixed to the guide rails 61',
61', a third vertical air cylinder 77' supported by the
bracket 76', and a pressing member 79' mounted on a piston
rod 78' of the third air cylinder 77'. As the piston rod
78' of the third air cylinder 77' is extended, the pressins
member 79' is raised in the direction of an arrow h' from
the position oE FIGS. 30A and 30B ~o the position of FIG.
30C for pressing the bottom end portion of the slide
fastener 1 against the lower surface of the sewn-product
guide 20'. Reversely, as the piston rod 78' of the third
air cylinder 77' is retracted, the pressing member 79' is
returned to its original or lowered position (FIG. 30A) for
releasing the sewn product 49.
The manner in which an ordinary slide fastener 1 is
sewn to a pair of fabric pieces 7,7 on the apparatus of
FIGS. 9 - 13, 26 - 28, 29A - 29C and 30A - 30C will be
described hereinbelow in connection with FIGS. 31A - 31E.
Before starting the sewing work, a pair of fabric
pieces 7,7 is introduced into the sewing station 14, and a
3~3B
slide fastener 1 is fully opened by moving the slider 5 and
then the uncoupled stringers 4,4 are turned upside down
through the entire length of the slide fastener 1 except
the bottom end portion thereof. Thus the two turned
stringers 4,4 assume twisted positions in mirror symmetry.
The slide fastener 1 is introduced into the sewing station
14, with the opposed stringers 4,4 superimposed over the
respective fabric pieces 7,7.
More specifically, in introducing the fabric pieces
7,7 into the sewing station 14, each fabric piece 7 passes
over the respective guide rod 23 and then through the gap
between the corresponding guide plate 22 and the upper
surface of the table 13. On the other hand, the slide
fastener 1 is opened manually and is then placed over the
guide plate 24 while turning the uncoupled stringers 4,4
upside down. Then the leading end portion of each stringer
4 is introduced into the sewing station 14 via the
respective track body 25. In the sewing station 14, the
leading end portion of each stringer 4 is superimposed over
the respective fabric piece 7 in such a manner that the
coupling elements 3 are erected with the head portions 10
directed downwardly. At that time, as shown in FIG. 26,
the gripper mechanism 18 is disposed at a position near the
presser foot 9 in the sewing station 14, with each gripper
29 open. The sewn-product guide 20' is in raised p~sition
so as not to interfere with the gripper mechanism 18, as
shown in FIG. 26. The slide-moving unit 21' is in
- 28 -
3~B
retracted position near the sewing station 14, the slider
catch 56' being retracted below the table 13.
When a start button (not shown) is depressed/ the
presser foot 9 and the sewing needles 11,11 are lowered to
start sewing work. As ~he sewing wor~ progresses, both the
leading end portion of each fabric piece 7 and the leaaing
end portion of the corresponding stringer 4 are advanced
between the upper and lower grip members 33, 30 of the
respective gripper 29. The arrival of the leading ends of
the fabric pieces 7,7 and the stringers 4,4 is detected by
a photosensor (not shown) disposed at a suitable position
in the sewing station 14. The photosensor is responsive to
this arrival to issue a command signal to the air cylinder
36, whereupon the piston rod 35 is extended to cause each
gripper 29 to grip the superimposed end portions of the
respective fabric piece 7 and the corresponding stringer 4,
as shown in ~IG. 31A. The ~rippers 29 pull the sewn
product 49 forwardly to discharge the same from the sewing
station 14 under a constant tension smaller than the
tension under which the sewn product 49 is advanced by the
feed dog (not shown) of the sewing machine 15. This
discharging tension is automatically controlled by the
non-illustrated servo motor that is the drive source for
moving the slide 41 of the gripper mechanism 18.
When the grippers 29,29, as the sewing work further
progresses, are removed from the region where both the
sewn-product guide 2~' and the slider moving unit 21' are
- 29 -
~ ~33g~
located, the sewn-product guide 20' is lowered and the
slider catch 56' oE the slider moving unit 21' projects
above the upper surface of the table 13, as shown in FIG.
31B.
Subse~uently, when the slider 5 disposed at the
bottom end portion of the slide fastener 1 arrives at a
non-illustrated slider detectar mounted on the forwara end
of the slide fastener guide 17, the detector is pivotally
moved upwardly to actuate a microswitch (not shown)
associated therewith, whereupon the microswitch issues a
command signal to the sewing machine 15 to start
back-tucking. The sewing threads are cut and the presser
foot 9 is then raised to terminate the operation of the
sewing machine 15. As shown in FIGS. l9C and l9D, the sewn
stitches 12 extend from the leading end of the slide
fastener 1 and terminate just ~hort of the slider 5
disposed at the bottom end portion of the slide fastener 1,
thus leaving the bottom end portians of the opposed
stringers 4,4 not sewn, and hence floating, from the fabric
pieces 7,7.
After the sewing operation of the sewing machine 1 is
stopped, the gripper mechanism 18 continues to discharge
the sewn product 49 that has been removed from the sewing
station 14.
With continued discharging of the sewn product 49 by
the gripper mechanism 18, the bottom end portion of the
sewn slide fastener 1, including the slider 5, is
- 30 -
33~
introduced into the sewn-product gide 20'. Then the slider
5 of the sewn slide fastener 1 is blocked or caught by the
slider catch 56' of the slider-moving unit 21', as sh~wn in
FIG. 31C. This blocking is detected by a photosensor (not
shown) which then issues a command signal to energize the
second air cylinder 59' (FIGS. 2~B and 29C), causing the
retainer ~7` to raise to hold the slider ~dy 5 ayainst ~he
catch 56'.
Upon receipt of the slider 5 in the catch 56', the
forward movement of the gripper mechanism 18 is stopped and
the operation of the brake 75' is started. Thus the
leading end of the slide fastener 1 (of sewn product 49) is
held in position by the grippers 29,29 and the bottom end
portion of the slide fastener 1 (of the sewn product 49) is
held in position by the brake 75' (FIG. 30C), giving the
slide fastener 1 a constant tension.
While the sewn product 49 is thus kept from moving,
as shown in FIG. 31D, the slider-moving unit 21' is moved
fowardly by the action of the drive 67', (FIG. 26) to pull
the slider 5 along the uncoupled stringers 4,4 to partially
close the sewn slide fastener 1. This pulling continues
until the slider 5 is moved into the region where each
stringer 4 and the corresponding fabric piece 7 are sewn
together. Then the retainer 57' is returned to its
original or retracted position (phantom lines in FIG. 31D)
to release the slider 5 and the slider catch 56' is
retracted below the table 13 (FIG 31E), during which time
3~3~
the brake 75' continues to be operative.
Thereafter, as shown in F~G. 31E, the brake 75' is
rendered inoperative to release the trailing end of the
slide fastener 1 (the sewn product 49), while the gripper
mechanism 18 continues to discharge the sewn product 4g.
More specifically, in discharging the sewn product 49, when
the contact member 48 on the slide 41 of the gripper
mechanism 18 hits the actuator of the microswitch 47, a
command signal is issued from the switch 47 to stop the
servo motor driving the endless belt 44. The discharging
of the sewn product 49 of the gripper mechanism 18 is
terminated. Then the connector 31 is pivotally moved on
the slide 41 to direct downwardly, during which time the
stacker 19 is privotally mo~ed, by the action of the air
cylinder 52, forwardly of the base beneath the table 13, as
shown in FIG. 13. The grippers 29 at the end portion of
the connector 31 are opened to release the sewn product 49,
which thus falls onto the transverse pipe 50 of the stacker
19. The stacker 19 and the gripper mechanism 18 are
returned to their original or upstream positionsO The
slider-moving unit 21' is also returned to its original or
upstream position near the stations 14, during which time
to slider-moving unit 21' remains retracted below the table
13. The product guide 20' is returned to its raised
position. Thus a single cycle of the sewing operation has
been completed and now the apparatus is in conditions for
start of the next cycle of the sewing operation.
- 32 -
33~a
Since the slider-moving unit 21' is retractable below
the top surface of the table 13 so as not to interfere with
the gripper mechanism 18, it is possible to sew a plurality
of slide fasteners 1 successively to successive pairs of
fabric pieces 7,7 without impeding the sewing and
discharging operations.
A~ adva~tage of the slider-~oving ~nit 21' is that
because the slider catch 56' and the retainer 57' are moved
vertically, and an adequate horizontal stroke of the
slider-moving unit 21' can be achieved, thus causing an
improved rate of production. With this arranyement, the
slider-moving unit 21' is particularly useful in the case
where the sewn products 49 are relatively short, in which
case the horizontal stroke of the gripper mechanism 18 must
be short and the the slider catch 56' must start raising to
project into the patch of the sewn product 49 without delay
after the gripper mechanism 18 has passed over the catch
56'. Further, the slider-moving unit 21' is simple in
construction and hence inexpensive to manufacture.
Although various minor modifications may be suggested
by those versed in the art, it should be understood that we
wish to embody within the scope of the patent warranted
hereon, all such embodiments as reasonably and properly
come within the scope of our contribution to the art.
