US3783809A

US3783809A - Apparatus for producing stitching patterns with sewing machine removing means

Info

Publication number: US3783809A
Application number: US00253965A
Authority: US
Inventors: N Marforio
Original assignee: Virginio Rimoldi and Co SpA
Current assignee: Virginio Rimoldi and Co SpA
Priority date: 1971-06-18
Filing date: 1972-05-17
Publication date: 1974-01-08
Anticipated expiration: 1991-01-08
Also published as: DE2229001B2; ES403975A1; GB1371669A; DE2229001A1; DE2229001C3; FR2142528A5; JPS5341576B1

Abstract

This invention relates to an apparatus for producing stitching patterns on fabric workpieces in which a sewing machine is mounted with its working face in the same plane as the supporting face of a table on which the fabric to be stitched is located. The sewing machine is contained or mounted on a frame in such a way that it can be moved laterally with respect to the surface of the table from an inner position where it can cooperate with the surface of the supporting table and an outer position where it is located or positioned completely outside of the confines of the supporting structure. The movement of the sewing machine between one position and the other can be effected by any suitable means such as hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders or by reversible electric motor if desired. Also included is a safety inner lock system that prevents the sewing machine from becoming automatically operated when it is located in a position outside the supporting frame.

Description

United States Patent [191 REMOVING MEANS [22] Filed Inventor:

Assignee:

Nel'ino Marforio, Milan, Italy S.p.A. Virginio Rimoldi & C., Milan,

Italy May 17, 1972 App]. No.: 253,965

Foreign Application Priority Data June 18, 1971 Italy 26013 A/7l References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Popkin ll2/l2l.l4

Weis ll2/12l l4 Kalning et al.. ll2/l2l.l4 X

Whitehead l12/l2l.l4 Cash, Jr. 1l2/l2l.l4

Marforio Jan. 8, 1974 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING STITCHING 3,395,658 8/1968 Lee et 111 112/121.14 PATTERNS wrm s wm MACHINE 3.450.080 6/1969 Klose 112/2 X Primary Examiner-Werner H. Schroeder [57] ABSTRACT This invention relates to an apparatus for producing stitching patterns on fabric workpieces in which a sewing machine is mounted with its working face in the same plane as the supporting face of a table on which the fabric to be stitched is located. The sewing machine is contained or mounted on a frame in such a way that it can be moved laterally with respect to the surface of the table from an inner position where it can cooperate with the surface of the supporting table and an outer position where it is located or positioned completely outside of the confines of the supporting structure. The movement of the sewing machine between one position and the other can be effected by any suitable means such as hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders or by reversible electric motor if desired. Also included is a safety inner lock system that prevents the sewing machine from becoming automatically operated when it is located in a position outside the supporting frame.

5 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJAN 8 I974 SHEEI 1 [1F 2 1 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING STITCHING PATTERNS WITH SEWING MACHINE REMOVING MEANS The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing stitching patterns with sewing machine removing means and in particular the result we want to accomplish is that of carrying out the operations of threading. replacement of needles and everyday maintenance of the sewing means on the sewing machine in the shortest time possible.

Up to now apparatuses of the kind, in which the workpieces or fabrics were moved on the work supporting surface along predetermined paths and in which the sewing machine was designedto be inserted into the said supporting surface and in a line with it,

, have shown troubles as to the threading operation and the everyday maintenance because of the limited accessibility to the partsof the said machine due to the position of the said machine which was fixed to the work supporting surface.

In these well known apparatuses the accessibility to the bottom sewing means was possible only-if a part of the work supporting surface near the said machine was removed.

The aim of the present invention instead is to design an apparatus of the kind mentioned with easieraccessibility to the bottom sewing parts of the sewing machine without the need to remove or at least change the work supporting surface near the'base of the said sewing machine.

The solution of this technical problem consists in designing an apparatus for producing stitching patterns in which there are means to move the machine out of its work position or station. The said means comprises a special pneumatic or similar control and a safety device connected with the starting of the machine to stop it just after the machine starts its move away from the said work position.

Further aims and characteristics of the present inven I With reference to FIG. 1, the apparatusfor producing stitching patterns includes a supporting structure or frame 1 which includes a work supporting surface 2. It is on surface 2 that, at each working cycle, the workpiece or fabric is made to slide by means of a clamp 3 which is fixed to a drivingcarriage 4. The driving carriage 4 is mounted and can slide on a rectlinear guide, 5 for movement from a loading station to the unloading station. During this movement, the fabric or workpiece passes the sewing station where there is located a sewing machine 6. Movement of carriage 4 is effected by means of a driving device, such as a chain 7, which is driven by a motor 8 and is fixed to the said carriage 4 by means of a special coupling 9 operated by a control 10.

The clamp 3 is mounted on the carriage 4 by means of telecopic-like devices 11 suitable to impart those' movements which are given to-the clamp 3 by a suitable guiding element 12 guiding element l2reproducing the contour of the seam to be obtained. The carriage 4 during its longitudinal movements from one station to the other carries the clamp 3 near the sewing machine 6 where the guiding element 12 engages with a locator 13 which is fixed to the said machine and whose function is to give lateral movement to the clamp 3, according to the contour of the guiding element 12. The seam obtained by the combined movement given to the clamp 3 is in line with the guiding element 12.

Furthermore the sewing machine is fitted with a sensing element 14 made up in particular of a photocell which tells the presence or the absence of the workpiece or fabric near the needle 15 of the said machine. The said sensing element 14 is connected with the driving means 16of the saidmachine which are formed by an electric motor 17 fitted with a pulley 18linked-by means of a driving belt 19 with the handwheel 20 of the said machine. Underneath the motor 17 is hinged with a pin 21 to a bracket 22 fastened by standards23 on a supporting plate 24 on which the said machine 6 is placed by means of shock absorbers 25.

The motor 17 is also fitted with the usual couplingluncoupling lever 26 which is lowered when the machine has to work, while it is left free to come up when the machine 'must be stopped. The working movements of the said lever can be imparted by any kind of electromagnetic or pneumatic device (not shown) provided it is suitably connected with the above mentioned sensing element 14. The relation existing between the workpiece when near the needle 15 and the driving means 16 is of a kind that when the initial part of the said workpiece being held by the clamp 3 comes to correspond to the position of the sensing element 14, the latter, being triggered, excites the mentioned electromagnetic or pneumatic means, which in turn lowers the lever 26 with the consequent coupling of the machine 6. Viceversa, when the back part of the said workpiece moves away from thesensitive element 14. at the end of the seam, the latter stops the machine. The supporting plate 24 is mounted on the supporting bracket 1 at such a height that the functional fabric supporting top 27 of the machine base 6 is exactly in line with the work supporting surface 2 of the said supporting bracket.

The said supporting plate 24 is also fitted with a pair of wheels or rollers 28 running in a rail 29 fixed to the supporting bracket 1. Underneath the said plate 24 there are positioned means 30 suitable to move the sewing machine 6 from .its work position. The said means 30 can be any suitable type of reciprocable driving mechanism but for convenience are here described as being formed by a cylinder 31 fixed to the said bracket and a sliding piston 32 fixed to an angle bar 33 which is on its turn fixed to the plate 24. The cylinder 31 is linked by means of two

ducts

34 and 35 with a pneumatic control 36 made up of a valve 37 linked on its turn with a usual feeding system for the compressed air 38 and'a usual lever which can be manually operated and is designed to change the inner position of the said valve in order to exchange the connection of the said system with the duct 34 or the duct 35. The connection of the cylinder 31 with the system'38 is normally realized through the duct 34 so that the piston 32 is quite in a retracted position, that is, pressed against the left part of the cylinder 31. in this position of the piston 32, the sewing machine is held in a work position and is incontact with the work supporting surface 2. If we operate the lever 39 counterbalancing the action of a returning spring 40 the valve 37 sends air into the cylinder 31 through the duct 35 which makes this air flow on to the piston 32 on the side opposite to the previous one, and at the same time it discharges to the atmosphere the air already contained in the said cylinder through the duct 34 and an adjustable discharging valve 41. The said adjustable valve 41 can regulate the speed of the machine moving away. The piston 32 is driven to the right together with the plate 24 which runs in the rail 29 thus causing the moving of the machine from the said work supporting surface 2. In order to avoid that the manual operations carried out on the sewing means can interfere with the sensing element 14 and therefore start the machine when it is not in the work position, there is designed a safety device, for example a micro-switch 42 fixed, to the plate 24 and suitably inserted in the control circuit (not shown) connecting the sensitive element 14 with the coupling/uncoupling lever 26 of the electric motor 17. More exactly, when the sewing machine 6 is in the position shown in the figure, the micro-switch 42 is pressed against a standard of the bracket 1 and therefore it is closed so that the positions of the workpiece can positively activate the sensitive element 14 and thus start or stop the working of the machine; viceversa, as soon as the machine is moved away from its working position (to the right), the micro-switch 42 being not pressed any more against the mentioned standard of the bracket 1 opens and thus interrupts the connection between the sensitive element 14 and the driving means connected with the lever 26.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for producing stitching patterns on fabric workpieces including a supporting frame having a work surface on which the workpieces are disposed and a sewing machine having a functional fabric supporting top for stitching the workpieces as they are moved past the sewing machine, the combination comprising:

a. drive means for operating said sewing machine,

b. means slidably supporting said sewing machine on said supporting frame for movement between a fixed operating position where its fabric supporting top is positioned in an inner position to cooperate with the work surface of said support frame and a position where said sewing machine is located in an outer position substantially removed from said supporting frame,

c. means separate from said drive means for moving said sewing machine between said inner and outer position when desired, said moving means being actuated independently from said driving means,

d. means preventing the actuation of said driving means as soon as said sewing machine begins to move forward toward its outermost position from its innermost position.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said slidable supporting means includes a pair of supporting rails extending generally transversely to the direction of workpiece travel and rollers which ride in said rails to provide for movement of said machine between said inner and said outer positions.

3. An apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said moving means comprises a pneumatic cylinder.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein control means are provided which are operably connected to said pneumatic cylinder to cause it to move in one direction or the other.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said means preventing operation of said sewing machine when it is in its outermost position is a microswitch.

Claims

1. In an apparatus for producing stitching patterns on fabric workpieces including a supporting frame having a work surface on which the workpieces are disposed and a sewing machine having a functional fabric supporting top for stitching the workpieces as they are moved past the sewing machine, the combination comprising: a. drive means for operating said sewing machine, b. means slidably supporting said sewing machine on said supporting frame for movement between a fixed operating position where its fabric supporting top is positioned in an inner position to cooperate with the work surface of said support frame and a position where said sewing machine is located in an outer position substantially removed from said supporting frame, c. means separate from said drive means for moving said sewing machine between said inner and outer position when desired, said moving means being actuated independently from said driving means, d. means preventing the actuation of said driving means as soon as said sewing machine begins to move forward toward its outermost position from its innermost position.