Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~60Z;~;
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a method of and an
apparatus for removing from a slide fastener stringer a
plurality of discrete coupling elements such for example of
die-cast coupling elements of metal or injection-molded
coupling elements of synthetic resin, and more particularly
to a method of and an apparatus for removing slide fastener
coupling elements as they are erected and pressed
vertically between punch dies and a punch or a punch guide.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Slide fasteners are generally manufactured by
successively attaching coupling elements to a stringer tape
through a die-casting or injection-molding process to
produce an elongate slide fastener stringerl removing a
prescribed number of attached coupling elements from the
slide fastener stringer to form an element-free space, and
cutting off the stringer tape across the element-free space
to provide a slide fastener length. It is general practice
in the art to shorten a finished slide fastener of
predetermined length in order to meet the dimensions of a
textile article to which the slide fastener is to be
stitched. To reduce the length of the finished slide
fastener, it is necessary to remove a certain number of
coupling elements from an end of the slide fastener.
Conventional apparatus for removing coupling elements
include an apparatus for cutting off the heads of the
- '1 -
~a23~
coupling elements and then forcibly removing the legs
thereof off the slide fastener tape and an apparatus for
pressing the legs of the coupling elements to a flattened
configuration and thereafter pulling the slide fastener
tape from the flattened legs. However, since these known
apparatus forcibly remove the legs of the coupling elements
from the slide fastener tape, the tape is liable to be
damaged, and the coupling elements or their legs may not be
removed thoroughly.
To eliminate the above prior drawbacks, there have
been devised apparatus for gripping a slide fastener tape
with a pair of dies so that the coupling elements are
erected, pressing some of the coupling element~ and
splitting them vertically with a punch and the dies, and
thereafter knocking the split coupling elements off the
tape. Examples of such apparatus are disclosed in Japanese
Patent Publications Nos. 57-61406, 57-61407, and 58-20783.
The disclosed apparatus require a support for keeping the
coupling elements erected in upstanding condition, the
support including sharp upper ends of the dies for contact
with portions of coupling element legs on the slide
fastener tape. The desired coupling elements are split
into two halves by the punch moved downwardly to thrust
into the coupling elements, from their heads to legs. If
the apparatus had no such support, then the coupling
elements would tend to be tilted with respect to the slide
fastener tape. With the coupling elements to be removed
.11 ~6~
being tilted, they would not be split apart by the lowering
punch, and could not be removed from the tape.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a
method of and an apparatus for reliably keeping coupling
elements erected and removing the coupling elements from
the slide fastener tape.
According to the present invention, certain coupling
elements are removed from a slide fastener stringer by
holding a slide fastener stringer tape in a substantially
vertical plane with coupling elements having legs mounted
on the stringer tape and coupling heads directed
downwardly, gripping the coupling elements vertically
between the legs and the coupling heads, and spreading the
legs apart from each other out of engagement with the
stringer tape. At the same time that the legs of the
coupling elements are spread apart, the coupling elements
may be split apart into scraps.
Many other advantages and features of the present
invention will become manifest to those versed in the art
upon making reference to the detailed description and the
accompanying sheets of drawings in which preferred
structural embodiments incorporating the principles of the
present invention are shown by way of illustrative example.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of an apparatus
for removing coupling elements according to the present
~26~2~6
invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus illustrated in
FIG. l;
FIG. 3 is a plan view, partly in cross section, of an
~pstream stop mechanism and a seam detector mechanism;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV
- IV of FIG. 2;
FIG. S is a cross-sectional view taken along line V -
V of FIG. 4;
FIGS. 6A, 6B, 7A, 7B, 8A, 8B, 9A, and 9B are cross-
sectional views illustrative of successive steps of
operation of the apparatus; and
` FIGS. 10A, 10B, llA, llB, 12A, 12B, 13A, and 13B are
cross-sectional view showing successive steps of operation
of an apparatus according to another embodiment of the
present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Like or corresponding parts are denoted by same
reference characters throughout several views.
As shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, an apparatus 10 for
removing coupling elements according to the present
invention generally comprises a pair of posture control
mechanisms 11 for controlling the posture of elongate slide
fastener stringers S fed parallel to each other, a pair of
seam detectors 12 for detecting any joint or seam in the
stringers S, a pair of upstream stop mechanisms 13 for
forcibly stopping the stringers S when coupling elements E
.
~6(~Z3~
are to be removed therefrom, a pair of element remover
mechanisms 14 for removing the coupling elements E with
punch dies and punches or punch guides, a pair of coupling
element detectors 15 for counting coupling elements E as
they pass therethrough, a pair of downstream stop
mechanisms 16 for forcibly stopping the stringers S in
synchronism with the upstream stop mechanisms 13, and a
pair of main feed mechanisms 17 for feeding the stringers
S. The paired fastener stringers S are fed by the main
feed mechanisms 17 respectively along feed paths P through
the various components referred to above of the apparatus
10. Coupling elements can be removed from the stringers S
by the element remover mechanisms 14 while the stringers S
are being forcibly stopped in the feed paths P by the stop
mechanisms 13, 16.
Each of the stringers S is composed of a slide
fastener stringer tape T and discrete coupl.ing elements E
injection-molded or die-cast on a longitudinal beaded edge
B (FIG. 6B) of the stringer tape T. The stringers S are
discharged by the main feed mechanisms 17 from an
injection-molding or die-casting machine or from storage
units. Each of the posture control mechanisms 11 operates
to orient the stringer S from a horizontal posture into a
vertical posture with the coupling elements E directed
downwardly. The posture control mechanism 11 comprises a
pair of guide rollers 20, 22 having their axes lying
perpendicularly to each other. The guide rollers 20 of the
-- 5
~26vz36
posture control mechanisms 11 are rotatably supported on a
support 21 mounted on a base 19 and have coaxial horizontal
axes. The guide roller 21 comprises a conical roller
rotatably supported on an L-shaped arm 23 attached to the
support 21 with a larger-diameter end of the gulde roller
21 being positioned downwardly. The guide roller 22 has
its axis directed vertically and is located downstream of
the guide roller 20 in each of the feed paths P. The guide
roller 20 guides the stringer S in a horizontal plane,
while the guide roller 22 guides the stringer S to travel
in a substantially vertical plane along the feed path P
with the coupling elements E positioned downwardly.
The seam detectors 12 are located downstream of the
posture control mechanisms 11, respectively. The seam
detectors 12 are of the same construction, and one of the
seam detectors 12 is illustrated in FIG. 3. The seam
detector 12 comprises a pair of photosensors 24, 25 for
detecting a metal tape applied to a seam or joint between
elongate stringers S, and a pair of support members 26, 27
supporting the photosensors 24, 25, respectively. The
support members 26, 27 are mounted in spaced relation on a
support arm 28 fixed to the base 19, there being a vertical
guide space or slot 29 defined between the support members
26, 27 for passage therethrough of the stringer S from the
posture control mechanism 11. The photosensor 24 is
mounted on the support member 26, while the photosensor 25
is mounted on the support member 27 in confronting relation
-- 6
to the photosensor 24 across the guide space 29. The
photosensors 24, 25 are electrically connected by
conductors 30, 31, respectively, to an electric control
circuit (not shown). Each of the photosensors 24, 25
comprises a light-emitting element such as a light-emitting
diode and a photodetector such as a phototransistor. A
beam of light emitted from the light-emitting element is
directed toward the guide space 29. A beam of light
reflected from the tape T of the stringer S moving through
the guide space 29 is sensed by the photodetector.
When there is no stringer S present in the guide
space 29, an increased quantity of light is transmitted
from the photosensor 24 to the opposite photosensor 25 and
vice versa in each of the seam detectors 12. When a metal
tape on any seam between the stringers S is present in the
guide space 29, a greater quantity of light is reflected by
the metal tape than by the tape T and received by each of
the photosensors 24, 25. Therefore, an increased signal
output from each of the photosensors 24, 25 is indicative
of the absence of any stringer tape T in the guide space 29
or the presence of a metal tape attached across a seam
between stringers S. Since the photosensors 24, 25 are
disposed one on each side of the guide space 29, a metal
tape on any side of the stringer S can be detected.
The upstream stop mechanisms 13 are of the mirror
image of each other, and one of the upstream stop
mechanisms 13 is shown in FIG. 3. The upstream stop
mechanism 13 comprises a pair of guide blocks 32, 33
mounted on the support arm 28 and defining a vertical guide
space or slot 34 therebetween which is aligned wi.th the
gudie space 29 in the seam detector 12 along the feed path
P. A pneumatic cylinder 35 is bolted to the guide block 32
and has a piston rod 36 supporting a pusher 38 on a distal
end thereof. The piston rod 36 is axially slidably
disposed in a hole 37 defined in the guide block 32 and
e~tends toward the guide block 33. The pusher 38 is
disposed in confronting relation to the guide block 33
across the guide space 34 or the feed path P. When the
pneumatic cylinder 35 is inoperative, the pusher 38 remains
retracted from the gudie space 34. When the pneumatic
cylinder 35 is actuated, the pusher 38 is projected into
the guide space 34 toward the guide block 33, pressing the
coupling elements E of the stringer S against the guide
block 33 for forcibly stopping the stringer S in the feed
path P.
Each upstream stop mechanism 13 is associated with a
tensioning mechanism 40 composed of a pneumatic cylinder 41
mounted by a support member 42 on the guide block 32 and
having a piston rod 43, and a pusher 44 mounted on a distal
end of the piston rod 43. The pneumatic cylinder 41 is
normally kept inoperative to retract the pusher 44 out of
the feed path P. When the pneumatic cylinder 41 is
operated, the pusher 44 is projected across the feed path P
to push the stringer S, thus giving a back tension to the
~6~Z;~
stringer S. The pneumatic cylinder 41 is actuated after
the pneumatic cylinder 35 of the stop mechanism 13 has been
actuated.
As shown in FIG. 4, the element remover mechanisms 14
are of the same arrangement. A central support post 45 is
vertically mounted on the base 19 and supports on its upper
end a horizontal support plate 46. Each of the element
remover mechanisms 14 includes a pair of guide walls 47, 48
mounted on the base 19, a pair of punch dies 50, 51
pivotably mounted by pins 52, 53 on a lower side of the
horizontal support plate 46, a plate-shaped punch 54
disposed below the punch dies 50, 51, and a pair of punch
guides 55, 56 disposed one on each side of the punch 54 and
slidably guided by the guide walls 47, 48 within a cavity
57 defined jointly by and between the guide walls 47, 48.
Each of the punch dies 50, 51 is of an L-shaped cross
section composed of a vertical member 58 and a horizontal
member 59. The vertical members 58 of the punch dies 50,
51 extend substantially parallel to each other. The
vertical members 58 have confronting vertical flat surfaces
jointly defining a vertical slot 49 therebetween and having
lower ends 63 tapered toward the vertical flat surfaces of
the vertical members 58. The horizontal members 59 extend
parallel to the feed path P and are pivotably mounted by
pins 52, 53, respectively, on the lower side of the support
plate 46. The horizontal members 59 have upper surfaces 62
tapered downwardly and are urged by compression coil
,9
23~
springs 60, 61 to angularly move the vertical members 58 in
a direction to bring the lower ends 63 toward each other.
A pneumatic cylinder 64 is mounted on the horizontal
support plate 46 and has a Vertical piston rod 65
supporting a pusher 66 on its lower end. The pneumatic
cylinder 64 is normally inoperative to retract the piston
rod 65 for keeping the vertical flat surfaces of the
vertical members 58 in parallel relation, thus defining a
passage for the tape T. When the pneumatic cylinder 64 is
actuated, the piston rod 65 is extended to cause the pusher
66 to push the punch dies 50, 51 downwardly about the pins
52, 53 for moving the lower ends 63 apart from each other.
The punch 54 is vertically mounted on an upper end of
a support base 67 connected to a piston rod of a pneumatic
cylinder 68, the punch 54 extending longitudinally along
the stringer S. The punch 54 has a sharp pointed upper end
80, as shown in FIG. 6B, positioned downwardly of the lower
ends 63 of the vertical members 58 of the punch dies 50,
51. The punch 54 is normally urged to move downwardly by
compression coil springs 69, 70 acting between the punch
guides 55, 56 and the support base 67. The upper edge of
the sharp upper end 80 of the punch 54 is normally held in
horizontal alignment with the upper edges of narrower upper
ends 71, 72 of the punch guides 55, 56.
The punch guides 55, 56 are fixed to a pair of
respective vertically movable members 73, 74. The upper
ends 71, 72 of the punch guides 55, 56 are disposed in
-- 10 --
~26C~23~
vertically confronting relation respectively to the lower
ends 63, 63 of the vertical members 58, 58 of the punch
dies 50, 51. The vertically movable members 73, 74 are
integrally joined with each other across upstream and
downstream ends of the support base 67, and are coupled to
a piston rod 110 (EIG. 5) of a pneumatic cylinder 111. The
vertically movable members 73, 74 are normally urged to
move downwardly by compression coil springs 75, 76 acting
between the guide walls 47, 48 and the vertically movable
members 73, 74, defining a passage 112 for the coupling
elements E between the upper ends 71, 72 of the punch
guides 55, 56 and the lower ends 63, 63 of the punch dies
50, 51. When the pneumatic cylinder 111 is actuated, the
punch guides 55, 56 are moved upwardly relatively to the
punch 54 to cause the upper ends 71, 72 thereof to press
legs of the coupling elements E against the lower ends 63,
63 of the punch dies 50, 51.
The guide walls 47, 48 face each other across the
cavity 57 and include upper flanges 77, 78 extending toward
each other above the punch 54 and the punch guides 55, 56.
The upper flanges 77, 78 double as covers for preventing
removed coupling elements E from being scattered around.
The upper flanges 77, 78 jointly define a slot 79 extending
in the logitudinal direction of the punch 54 and the punch
dies 50, 51. The guide walls 47, 48 have confronting inner
guide surfaces for guiding vertical movement of the punch
guides 55, 56.
-- 11 --
As illustrated in FIG. 5, support walls 81, 82 are
fixedly mounted on the base l9 upstream and downstream
respectivey of the punch 54 and the punch guides 55, 56.
The support walls 81, 82 have horizontal holes 83, 84,
respectively, extending in a direction parallel to the feed
path P and accommodating tiltable members 85, 86
respectively therein. The tiltable members 85, 86 extend
longitudinally through the holes 83, 84 and are pivotably
supported by pins 87, 88 on the support walls 81, 82, the
tiltable members 85, 86 having upwardly extending fingers
89, 90, respectively on ends thereof. The other ends of
the tiltable members 85, 86 are coupled to piston rods 93,
94, respectively, of pneumatic cylinders 91, 92 mounted on
the base l9. Normally, the pneumatic cylinders 91, 92
remain inoperative to retract the fingers 89, 90 downwardly
out of the passage for the coupling elements E. When the
pneumatic cylinders 91, 92 are actuated, the piston rods
93, 94 are retracted to project the fingers 89, 90 into the
pasasge for the coupling elements E so as to fit between
adjacent coupling elements E, thus positioning the coupling
elements E with respect to the punch dies 50, 51 and the
punch 54.
As shown in FIG. 2, each of the coupling element
detectors 15 comprises a limit switch 95 having an actuator
96, and a roller 97 rotatably mounted on the actuator 96
and normally projecting into the passage for the coupling
elements E to press them against a bearing plate 98. Each
~602;3~
time the roller 52 is retracted by the coupling elements E
as the stringer S is transported, the limit switch 95 is
actuated to thereby detect the coupling elements E. A
signal from the limit switch 95 is sent to a counter
circuit for counting the coupling elements E moving past
the coupling element detector 15. The bearing plate 98 is
attached to a support arm 99 mounted on the base 19.
Each of the downstream stop mechanisms 16 is of
substantially the same construction as that of the upstream
stop mechanism 12 except that the downstream stop mechanism
16 is mounted on the support arm 99 and has a support arm
103 on which the coupling element detector 15 is supported.
The downstream stop mechanism 16 is composed of a pair of
guide blocks 100, 101 defining a guide space 62 for passage
of the stringer S, a pneumatic cylinder 104, and a pusher
106 mounted on a piston rod 105 of the pneumatic cylinder
104.
Each of the main feed mechanisms 17 has a drive
roller 107 operatively coupled to a common drive source 108
such as a motor, and a pinch roller 109 for pressing the
stringer S against the driver roller 107, the driver roller
107 and the pinch roller 109 having vertical axes. The
driver roller 107 comprises a friction roller for normally
frictionally engaging the stringer S to feed the same.
When the stop mechanisms 13, 16 are operated to stop the
stringer S, the drive roller 107 continues to rotate and
slips on the stringer S.
,
- 13 -
~L2~236
Operation of the apparatus 10 thus constructed will
be described. While the stringers S are being fed along,
the pushers 35, 106 of the upstream and downstream stop
mechanisms 12, 16 are retracted out of the passages for the
coupling elements E. The stringers S, with the coupling
elements E directed downwardly, are independently driven by
the main feed mecahnisms 17 to move along the feed paths P
through the seam detectors 12, the upstream stop mechanisms
13, the element remover mechanisms 14, the coupling element
detectors 15, and the downstream stop mechanisms 16. While
the stringers S are being thus fed along, the coupling
element detectors 15 detect the coupling elements E of the
stringers S, and apply detected signals to the counter
circuits for counting the coupling elements E having moved
past the coupling element detectors 15. As shown in FIGS.
6A and 6B, the stringer tape T is moved along between the
punch dies 58 with the coupling elements E oriented
downwardly and fed along between the punch 54 and the punch
dies 58.
When a prescribed number of coupling elements E have
moved past each of the coupling element detectors 15, the
pneumatic cylinders 35, 104 of the upstream and downstream
stop mechanisms 13, 16 are actuated to press the coupling
elements E against the guide blocks 33, 100 to forcibly
stop the stringer S. The friction drive roller 107 is then
caused to rotate and slip with respect to the stringer S.
By thus operating the stop mechanisms 13, 16 in response to
- 14 -
the detection of a predetermined number of coupling
elements E by the coupling element detector 15, the
interval of feed of the stringer S can be more accurately
equalized to:
The pitch of coupling elements E x the number of
coupling element E
than by actuating the stop mechanisms 13, 16 based on the
number of r.p.m. of the driver roller 107 or the time in
which the drive roller 107 rotates. The actuation of the
stop mechanisms 13, 16 through independent detection of the
coupling elements E of the stringers S is effective in
eliminating any unwanted difference between the rates at
which the stringers S are fed along by the main feed
mechanisms 17.
When the pneumatic cylinder 41 of each tensioning
mechanism 40 is actuated, the pusher 44 is projected to a
position indicated by the dotted lines in FIG. 3. The
stringer S is therefore laterally displaced while it is
being gripped in positions upstream and downstream of the
element remover mechanism 14, so that the stringer S is
subjected to a back tension. The tensioned stringer S is
stretched or kept taut in the element remover mechanism 14
even when the stringer S is loosened between the upstream
and downstream stop mechanisms 13, 16. The tape T and the
coupling elements E are properly positioned as shown in
FIGS. 6A and 6B.
The pneumatic cylinders 91 of the element remover
236
mechanism 14 are actuated to project the fingers 89, 90 of
the tiltable members 85, 86 into the passage for the
coupling elements E to engage coupling elements, whereupon
coupling elements E to be removed are securely positioned
bewteen the punch 54 and the punch dies 58.
After the pneumatic cylinders 91, 92 have been
actuated, the pneumatic cylinders 68, 111 are actuated to
raise the punch 54 and the punch guides 55, 56, and then
the pneumatic cylinder 64 is actuated to lower and move the
punch dies 50, 51 apart for vertically splitting the
coupling elements E for removal.
More specifically, the punch 54 is first raised as
shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B to cause the sharp upper end 80
thereof to thrust into the coupling heads of the coupling
elements E while pressing the ends of the legs of the
coupling elements E against the end surfaces of the lower
ends 63 of the punch dies 58. Since the coupling elements
E are directed downwardly, the sharp end 80 of the punch 54
is forced reliably into biting engagement with central
postions of the coupling heads to start cracking the
coupling heads. Then, the punch dies 58 are lowered and
simultaneously the punch guides 55, 56 are lifted. The
coupling elements E are forcibly gripped by and between the
punch dies 58 and the punch guides 55, 56, and the lower
ends 63 of the punch dies 58 are spread open apart from
each other to split each coupling element E vertically into
halves or scraps as illustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8B. The
- I6 ~
36
split scraps E' then come off the longitudinal beaded edge
B of the tape T and fall along the punch guides 55, 56 into
a discharge chute 39 ( FIG . 1 ) .
After the desired coupling elements E have been
removed from the tape T, the pneumatic cylinders 64, 68,
and 111 are rendered inoperative to allow the punch dies
58, the punch 54, and the punch guides 55, 56 to return to
their starting or standby positions. Thereafter, the
pneumatic cylinders 35, 41, 104, and 91, 92 return to their
original positions to allow the stringer S to be fed again
by the main feed mechanisms 17. While the stringers S are
being fed along, the coupling elements E are detected by
the coupling element detectors 15, which apply detected
signals to the counter circuits to count coupling elements
E having moved past the coupling element detectors 15. The
counts in the counter circuits are cleared during operation
of the pneumatic cylinders 35, 104 of the stop mechanisms
13, 16.
FIGS. lOA, lOB through 13A, 13B illustrate
progressive steps of operation of an apparatus according to
another embodiment of the presnet invention. The apparatus
is substantially of the same arrangement as that of the
apparatus of the previous embodiment except that a punch
54a has a rounded upper end 80a for spreading the legs of
coupling elements E to remove them from the stringer tape
T. As shown in FIGS. lOA and lOB, the tape T is positioned
between the punch dies 50, 51 with the coupling elements E
3~i -
directed downwardly, and the rounded upper end 80a of the
punch 54a has an upper edge horizontally aligned with the
upper edges of the upper ends 71, 72 of the punch guides
55, 56. The punch 54 and the punch guides 55, 56 are moved
upwardly to press the coupling elements E against the lower
end surfaces of the lower ends 63 of the vertical punch die
members 53, as illustrated in FIGS. llA and llB. At this
time, the coupling elements E are oriented downwardly, and
stably gripped between the punch guides 55, 56 and the
punch dies 50, 51. As the punch 54a is lifted, its rounded
upper end 80a is pressed exactly against the central
portions of the coupling heads of the coupling elements E.
The punch dies 50, 51 are then pushed downwardly to
move their lower ends 63 apart from each other, as shown in
FIGS. 12A and 12B, for thereby forcibly spreading the legs
of the coupling elements E off the longitudinal beaded edge
B of the tape T. The deformed coupling èlements E which
have been removed from the tape T fall by gravity along the
punch guides 55, 56 and are discharged out of the
apparatus. Thereafter, the punch dies 50, 51, the punch
54a, and the punch guides 55, 56 are returned to the
positions of FIGS. 13A and 13B.
Although various minor modifications may be suggested
by those versed in the art, it should be understood that I
wish to embody within the scope of the patent warranted
hereon, all such embodiments as reasonably and properly
come within the scope of my contribution to the art.
- 18 -
