Patent ID: 6148504
Filing Date: 2000-11-21
Classification: G05B,Y10S,Y10T

Abstract:
An attaching apparatus for attaching first and second mating fastener elements to material at a setting station including:support means and ram means at the setting station;first disposing means for disposing a first fastener element at the setting station in a specific orientation for engagement by one of said support means and said ram means;second disposing means for disposing a second fastener element at the setting station in a specific orientation for engagement by the other of said support means and said ram means;moving means for creating relative movement between said support means and said ram means to attach the first fastener element and the second fastener element to each other at the setting station;activation control means for controlling movement of each of said ram means and said support means by said moving means during a cycle of operation of said attaching apparatus;and control preventing means for preventing said moving means from moving said ram means into an area in which an extremity of an operator of said attaching apparatus will be struck by said ram means when the operator has an extremity in the area in which the extremity will be struck by said ram means during movement of said ram means including:vertically movable engaging means for engaging an operator's extremity when the extremity is disposed in the area in which the extremity will be struck by said ram means during movement of said ram means;causing means for causing movement of said vertically movable engaging means away from its home position at the start of each cycle of operation of said attaching apparatus to a detecting position to detect whether an extremity of the operator is in the area in which the extremity will be struck by said ram means during movement of said ram means;return means for returning said vertically movable engaging means to its home position in which said vertically movable engaging means will not engage an operator's extremity when the extremity is disposed in the area in which the extremity will be struck by said ram means during movement of said ram means;first preventing means for preventing said moving means from moving said ram means into the area in which the extremity will be struck by said ram means if said vertically movable engaging means engages an extremity of the operator in the area in which the extremity will be struck by said ram means during movement of said ram means;and rendering means for rendering said first preventing means ineffective only after said first preventing means is effective to stop the cycle of operation before it is completed until said vertically movable engaging means is returned to its home position by said return means and another cycle of operation is started and said vertically movable engaging means does not engage an extremity of the operator in the area in which the extremity will be struck by said ram means during movement of said ram means.