Separating and feeding garment parts

• US 5,039,078 A
• Filed: 10/02/1989
• Issued: 08/13/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Levi Strauss & Company
• Original Assignee: Levi Strauss & Company
• Inventors: Croyle, Gene, Blessing, Hubert
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHACHER, RICHARD
• Application Number:
  US07/415,903
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 271/18.3, 271/34, 271/150, 271/151, 271/167, 271/168, 271/104, 271/111, 271/1
• US Class Current: 271/1
• CPC Class Codes: A41H 43/0228 Separating from piles
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/22 by needles or the like engaging the articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/54 Pressing or holding devices

Abstract

Apparatus for the seriatim separation and feeding of garment parts from a shingled stack of the parts to a predetermined destination. Comprising the apparatus is a movable hold down mechanism for engaging the trailing edge of the second part in the stack and a picker head for engaging the leading edge of the first part in the shingled stack and removing it from the stack. Mechanisms are provided for accurately determining the location of the trailing edge of the second part in the stack and moving the hold down mechanism into position to accurately engage the trailing edge of the second part in the stack. Following separation, the separated part is transferred to a second location at which the head is withdrawn from the transferred part.

Claims

1. Apparatus for the seriatim removal of parts of garment material from a shingled stack of the parts and feeding the removed parts to a predetermined destination, said shingled stack having a top part, a second part beneath the top part, and remaining parts beneath the second part, each part in the stack having a top portion, a bottom portion, a leading edge portion and a trailing edge portion, said apparatus comprising:

a support surface for supporting at least a portion of the stack including the parts to be removed from the stack at a predetermined position on said support surface;

hold down means for engaging and holding the trailing edge portion of the second part while the top part is being removed;

a means for engaging the leading edge portion of the top part for removing it from the second and remaining parts in the stack; and

,

a means for determining the approximate position of the trailing edge portion of the second part and adjusting the hold down means to engage only the trailing edge portion of the second part.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 including conveyor means for advancing the stack parts from a source of the parts to said support surface in a shingled and stacked relation.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said hold down means includes a plurality of spaced apart plunger means supported extending substantially upright above and substantially perpendicular to the trailing edge portion of the second part in the vicinity of the support surface and operable between a first position disengaged from the second part and a second position engaging the trailing edge portion of the second part, and a means for actuating said plunger means between said first and second positions.

4. Apparatus for the seriatim removal of parts of garment material from a shingled stack of the parts to a predetermined destination, said shingled stack having a top part, a second part and remaining parts beneath the top part, each part in the stack having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a top surface and a bottom surface and arranged in a shingled fashion in the stack such that the leading edge of each part in the stack extends beyond the leading edge of any underlying part in the stack, said apparatus comprising:

a support surface for supporting at least the top part and some of the remaining parts in the stack as the stack is advanced toward a predetermined position for separation;

an engagement means suspended above the support surface and operable for engaging the leading edge of the top part, moving the top part from the stack to the predetermined destination, disengaging itself from the leading edge of the top part, and returning to the predetermined location for removing the next top part in the stack; and

,

a hold down means suspended above the support surface and movable for engaging the trailing edge of the second part during separation of the top part from the remaining parts in the stack.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 additionally including a means for determining the approximate location of the trailing edge of the second part and a means for moving the hold down means as necessary for engaging said trailing edge of said second part.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 in which the means for determining the approximate location of the trailing edge of the second part includes an optical detector which determines the location of the leading edge of said first part.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 in which said means for moving the hold down means includes a stepper motor operatively attached to move the hold down means in response to the means for determining the location of the trailing edge of the second part.

8. The apparatus of claim 4 in which said engagement means includes at least one picker head for engaging the leading edge of the top part and an actuating means for moving the picker array into engagement with the top part and for removing the top part from the remaining parts in the stack to the predetermined destination.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 in which said picker head has a plurality of downwardly extending needle points for engaging the leading edge of the top part.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 in which said picker head has a vacuum outlet for engaging the leading edge of the top part using vacuum.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 in which the leading edges of said parts of said shingled stack are hemmed and in which said picker head has a knife-like perpendicular point for engaging the hemmed portion of the leading edge of said top part.

12. The apparatus of claim 4 in which the hold down means includes a plurality of plunger means supported substantially upright and perpendicular to the top surface of the second part at the trailing edge thereof and operable between a first position disengaged from the second part to permit the stack to advance unimpeded to the predetermined position and a second position engaging the trailing edge of the second part.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 in which the hold down means engages the trailing edge of the second part by applying a clamping force thereto.