Abstract:
The present invention relates to an apparatus for feeding rhinestones. An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for feeding rhinestones, which costs low with simple elements and structures and remarkably speeds work up with less possibility of operation errors. To this end, the apparatus for feeding rhinestones includes: a main body; a dispenser which is supported on the main body, includes a flat bottom surface and a discharging skirt, is driven to move the discharging skirt for discharging within a plane including the bottom surface along a tangential direction of the discharging skirt, and includes a guide groove on the bottom surface in an acute direction to a moving direction the discharging skirt from the discharging skirt, in which a width of the guide groove is larger than a diameter of the adhesive flat surface of the rhinestone and a depth of the guide groove is smaller than a height of the protruding end portion; a rhinestone feeder which presses and feeds the rhinestones toward the bottom surface of the dispenser; and a driver which drives the dispenser.

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This is a continuation of pending International Patent Application PCT/KR2015/000736 filed on Jan. 23, 2015, which designates the United States and claims priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2014-0008101 filed on Jan. 23, 2014, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to an apparatus for feeding rhinestones. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    A rhinestone, which is a fake jewel to be attached to clothes or the like textile for decorations, includes an adhesive flat surface forming an adhesive surface against the surface of the textile, and a protruding end portion formed at an opposite side to the adhesive flat surface and having a relatively narrow surface. To attach the rhinestones to clothes and accessories in a predetermined decorative pattern, a plurality of rhinestones are first attached to an adhesive sheet along the pattern and then transferred to a surface of a target object by applying heat thereto. At this time, the protruding end portion of the rhinestone is attached to the adhesive sheet, and glue to be melt by heat to have adhesive strength is previously applied to the adhesive flat surface of the rhinestone. 
         [0004]    Conventionally, work of patterning and attaching the rhinestones on to the adhesive sheet has been generally undertaken by man. Thus, there have been many attempts to automate this work. The conventional automation system employs a method of first picking up the rhinestone at the side of the protruding end portion by an air suction device, picking up the rhinestone at the side of the adhesive flat surface while being transferred to another air suction device, and attaching the rhinestone to the adhesive sheet. This method is actually unavoidable since the adhesive flat surface having a wide surface tends to face downward but the protruding end portion having the narrow surface tends to face upward in terms of the shape of the rhinestones. 
         [0005]    Therefore, a conventional automated apparatus for feeding the rhinestones needs a wide space since a moving line of pick-up and transfer is long, has a complicated structure and costs high since it does an elaborate work, and speeds work down with operation errors and frequent troubles. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for feeding rhinestones, which costs low with simple elements and structures and remarkably speeds work up with less possibility of operation errors. 
         [0007]    The foregoing aspects are achieved by providing an apparatus for feeding rhinestones, including: a main body; a dispenser which is supported on the main body, includes a flat bottom surface and a discharging skirt, is driven to move the discharging skirt for discharging within a plane including the bottom surface along a tangential direction of the discharging skirt, and includes a guide groove on the bottom surface in an acute direction to a moving direction the discharging skirt from the discharging skirt, in which a width of the guide groove is larger than a diameter of the adhesive flat surface of the rhinestone and a depth of the guide groove is smaller than a height of the protruding end portion; a rhinestone feeder which presses and feeds the rhinestones toward the bottom surface of the dispenser; and a driver which drives the dispenser. 
         [0008]    Here, the discharging skirt may be circular, and the dispenser may rotate with respects to a center axis of the discharging skirt, thereby improving efficiency and accuracy in successively feeding the rhinestones as the dispenser moves. 
         [0009]    Further, the main body may include a discharge preventing wall adjacent to the discharging skirt and preventing the rhinestones from being discharged, and the discharge preventing wall may include at least one discharging portion for allowing the rhinestone to be discharged through the discharging skirt along the guide groove, thereby discharging the rhinestones to a certain region with a simple structure. 
         [0010]    Further, the discharging portion may include a receiver to receive a rhinestone discharged from the dispenser, thereby advantageously processing the rhinestone discharged from the dispenser. 
         [0011]    Here, the receiver may include a guide tube to guide the rhinestone to move down, thereby preventing the rhinestone from being shaken and turned over when it moves down. 
         [0012]    In addition, the receiver may include a suction nozzle tube for catching the rhinestone from above, a compressor for sucking air through the suction nozzle tube, and a nozzle tube moving portion to move the suction nozzle tube, thereby effectively dealing with the rhinestone fed from the dispenser. 
         [0013]    The apparatus for feeding rhinestones according to the present invention costs low since its elements and structures are simplified, and remarkably speeds work up since possibility of operation errors is low and there is no need of using a plurality of air suction devices to turn over the rhinestones. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an apparatus for feeding rhinestones according to the present invention, 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of showing that a main body and a rotary body are disassembled, 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a cross-section view taken along line III-III of  FIG. 1 , 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a cross-section view taken along line IV-IV of  FIG. 3 , 
           [0018]      FIGS. 5(A) and 5(B)  are cross-section views taken along line V-V of  FIG. 4 , 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  illustrates another embodiment of a discharge preventing wall based on the cross section taken along line VI-VI of  FIG. 4 , 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  illustrates a rhinestone dispenser according to another embodiment, and 
           [0021]      FIGS. 8(A) and 8(B)  illustrate a rhinestone receiver according to another embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0022]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an apparatus for feeding rhinestones according to the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the apparatus for feeding rhinestones includes a main body  100  having a cylindrical shape, and a rotary body  300  having a cylindrical shape and coaxially inserted in the main body  100 . In addition, a bearing  200  is provided in between the main body  100  and the rotary body  300  so that the rotary body  300  can rotate against the main body  100 . The rotary body  300  rotates with respect to an axial line of a height direction. 
         [0023]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of showing that the main body  100  and the rotary body  300  are separated from each other. In  FIG. 2 , the bearing  200  is not illustrated. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the main body  100  is shaped like a cylinder having a lateral wall  110  and a bottom  130 , and is also shaped like a container opened upward. Further, a diffusing guide  135  protrudes in the height direction on a center portion of the bottom  130 , and guides many rhinestones accommodated in the main body  100  to be diffused toward an outer edge region. 
         [0024]    In a middle end portion of the lateral wall  110 , a projection rib  120  protrudes inward in a radial direction and makes the bearing  200  be stably settled. The bearing  200  is supported on the projection rib  120 . The projection rib  120  is formed with a pinion receiver  121  at a certain portion to receive a pinion  450 . The pinion  450  is received in the pinion receiver  121  and rotatable with respect to the axial direction in the height direction. Further, the pinion  450  is connected to and driven by a motor  410  installed at an upper portion of the main body. 
         [0025]    The rotary body  300  includes a cylindrical portion  350  having a cylindrical shape, a gear  330  extended from a lower portion of the cylindrical portion  350  outward in the radial direction, and the dispenser  310  extended from a lower portion of the gear  330  outward in the radial direction. The rotary body  300  is shaped like a tube, an inside of which communicates along the height direction, and is coaxially accommodated in the main body  100  and rotatable against the stationary main body  100  with respect to the axial line of the height direction. In order to insert the rotary body  300  in the main body  100 , an upper portion of the lateral wall  110  including the projection rib  120  is separable from a lower portion of the main body  100 . 
         [0026]      FIG. 2  includes a perspective view showing a bottom surface of the rotary body  300 . As shown therein, the bottom surface of the dispenser  310  is flat and a discharging skirt is shaped like a circle. Further, a plurality of guide grooves  311  are formed on the bottom surface from the discharging skirt in an acute direction to a moving direction of the discharging skirt.  FIG. 2  shows the guide grooves  311  of when the dispenser  310  rotates counterclockwise. 
         [0027]    Further, the rotary body  300  has an inclined portion  305  inclined outward along a region which extends from the inside of the cylindrical portion  350  to the bottom surface of the dispenser  310 . Therefore, the rhinestones accommodated in the rotary body  300  can naturally flow toward the bottom surface of the dispenser  310  as the rotary body  300  rotates. Further, the inclined portion  305  includes an agitating projection  307  for more actively moving the rhinestones. 
         [0028]      FIG. 3  is a cross-section view taken along line III-III of  FIG. 1 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the rotary body  300  is rotatably supported on the main body  100  by the bearing  200  installed on the projection rib  120 . Further, an outer diameter of the dispenser  310  is arranged leaving a little space from an inner diameter of the lateral wall  110 . Further, a top surface of the dispenser  310  is arranged leaving a little space from a bottom surface of the projection rib  120 . 
         [0029]    The gear  330  is positioned in the height direction corresponding to the position of the projection rib  120 , and engaged with the pinion  450  accommodated in the pinion receiver  121 . The pinion  450  is connected to the driving motor  410  by a driving shaft  430  extended in the height direction, and is driven to rotate by the driving motor  410 . 
         [0030]    The dispenser  310  is placed under the projection rib  120 , and spaced apart at a predetermined distance from the bottom  130 . The outer side of the discharging skirt in the radial direction is mostly surrounded with the lateral wall  110 , leaving a little gap therebetween. However, a certain portion of the lateral wall  110  is partially opened. In other words, the lateral wall  110  includes a discharge preventing wall  117  adjacent to the discharging skirt and preventing the rhinestones from being discharged from the guide grooves  311 , and a discharging portion  115  spaced apart at a predetermined distance from the discharging skirt and formed outward in the radial direction so that the rhinestone  500  can be discharged from the guide groove  311 . The discharging portion  115  receives the rhinestone  500  discharged from the guide groove  311 . 
         [0031]    Thus, the rhinestones  500  received in the guide grooves  311  are prevented by the discharge preventing wall  117  from being separated from the guide grooves  311  while rotating, and discharged at a predetermined position, i.e. at only the discharging portion  115 . 
         [0032]    In this embodiment, the lateral wall  110  serves as the discharge preventing wall  117  and the discharging portion  115 , but not limited thereto. Alternatively, elements serving as the discharge preventing wall  117  and the discharging portion  115  may be additionally provided under the projection rib  120  by increasing the diameter of the main body  100 . 
         [0033]    The rhinestones  500  discharged from the dispenser  310  to the discharging portion  115  are received in a receiver. The receiver includes a guide tube  145  provided below the discharging portion  115 , and a suction nozzle tube  141  placed above the discharging portion  115 . 
         [0034]    The guide tube  145  is shaped like a pipe extended in the height direction, placed below the discharging portion  115 , and supported on the main body  100 . The guide tube  145  is extended downward and communicates with the outside under the main body  100 . The guide tube  145  has an inner diameter larger than the diameter of the rhinestone  500 . For example, the guide tube  145  has an inner diameter larger by 1.1 times to 1.2 times than the diameter of the rhinestone  500 . 
         [0035]    The suction nozzle tube  141  is shaped like a pipe extended in the height direction, placed above the discharging portion  115 , and supported on a nozzle tube moving portion (not shown). The suction nozzle tube  141  may move up and down in height direction by the nozzle tube moving portion. The suction nozzle tube  141  has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the rhinestone. A compressor  143  for sucking air through the suction nozzle tube  141  is provided in an upper end portion of the suction nozzle tube  141 , and thus an air-sucking state at a lower end portion of the suction nozzle tube  141  is maintained by the compressor  143 . 
         [0036]    The suction nozzle tube  141  moves between a standby position at which the lower end portion thereof is placed above the rhinestone fed from the guide groove  311 , and an attaching position at which the rhinestone sucked at the standby position is attached to the adhesive sheet placed under the main body  100 . 
         [0037]    With this structure, a lot of rhinestones are supplied to the main body  100  through the inside of the rotary body  300 , and thus accommodated up to ‘R’ of the cylindrical portion  350  as well as the inside of the main body  100 . In this way, many rhinestones R are accommodated higher than the height of the dispenser  310  and press the bottom surface of the dispenser  310 . 
         [0038]    If the rhinestones  500  are filled higher than the bottom surface of the dispenser  310 , the rhinestones  500  positioned higher than the bottom surface of the dispenser  310  tend to move downward by their own weight and thus the rhinestones placed beneath the dispenser  310  press the bottom surface of the dispenser  310 . Further, spaces caused as the rhinestones  500  are discharged by rotation of the dispenser  310  are filled with the rhinestones  500  by the weight of the rhinestones  500  positioned higher than the bottom surface of the dispenser  310 . Thus, the bottom surface of the dispenser  310  is continuously pressed by the rhinestones. 
         [0039]    Here, the rhinestones  500  may be compared to very small sands in light of the present feeding apparatus. Thinking this way, it will be easy to understand a principle that the rhinestones press the bottom surface. 
         [0040]    By the way, the bottom  130  may have a structure of moving up and down to press the rhinestones  500  against the bottom surface of the dispenser  310 . Besides, such a contrived structure may be replaced by preparing a separate element on the outer side of the lateral wall  110  in the radial direction and connecting it with the inside of the main body  100  in order to continuously feed the rhinestones  500 . 
         [0041]    In such a state that the rhinestones are pressing the bottom surface of the dispenser  310 , the dispenser  310  is driven by the driving motor  410  to rotate with respect to the axial line of the height direction. As the dispenser  310  rotates, the rhinestones received in the guide grooves  311  are fed in sequence to the discharging portion  115 . This will be described in detail with reference to  FIG. 4 . 
         [0042]      FIG. 4  is a cross-section view taken along line IV-IV of  FIG. 3 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the dispenser  310  is shaped like a ring, and has the flat bottom surface and a circular edge, i.e. the discharging skirt. On the bottom surface of the dispenser  310 , a plurality of guide grooves  311  are formed from the discharging skirt at predetermined intervals in an acute direction to a counterclockwise rotational moving direction of the discharging skirt. 
         [0043]    The discharging skirt rotationally moves within a plane including the bottom surface along a tangential direction as the rotary body  300  rotates. Then, the rhinestones  500  pressing the bottom surface move by friction with the bottom surface and naturally enter the guide grooves  311 . The rhinestones  500  received in the guide grooves  311  are also rotationally moved along the rotational movement of the dispenser  310 . Further, the rhinestone  500  in the guide groove  311  is discharged to the discharging portion  115  by centrifugal force and inertial force when it approaches the discharging portion  115 . 
         [0044]    The rhinestone  500  discharged to the discharging portion  115  is caught by the end portion of the suction nozzle tube  141  by the suction of the suction nozzle tube  141  placed above the rhinestone  500 . Further, the suction nozzle tube  141  moves up and down to pass through the guide tube  145 , so that the rhinestone can be adhered to an adhesive sheet (not shown) placed under the main body  100 . 
         [0045]      FIGS. 5(A) and 5(B)  are cross-section views taken along line V-V of  FIG. 4 .  FIGS. 5(A) and 5(B)  show that the rhinestones  500  are stably and unstably received in the guide grooves  311 , respectively. The rhinestone  500  includes an adhesive flat portion  510 , and a protruding end portion  530  formed at an opposite side to the adhesive flat portion  510 . The adhesive flat portion  510  has an adhesive flat surface at a free end side thereof, and glue to be melt by heat is applied to the adhesive flat surface. 
         [0046]    As shown in  FIGS. 5(A) and 5(B) , the width D of the guide groove  311  is larger than the diameter d of the adhesive flat portion  510  of the rhinestones  500 , and the depth H of the guide groove  311  is smaller than the height h 1  from the adhesive flat portion  510  of the rhinestone  500  to the protruding end portion  530 . At this time, the width D of the guide groove  311  may be larger by 0.1 to 0.3 times than the diameter d of the adhesive flat portion  510 , and the depth H of the guide groove  311  may be about 60˜70% of the height of the rhinestone  500  or approximate the height h 2  of the protruding end portion  530 . 
         [0047]    With this structure, the rhinestone  500  may be stably accommodated in the guide groove  311  with its adhesive flat surface facing upward as shown in  FIG. 5(A) , or may be unstably accommodated in the guide groove  311  with its protruding end portion  530  facing upward as shown in  FIG. 5  (B). 
         [0048]    Thus, the rhinestones  500 , of which the protruding end portions  530  face upward as shown in  FIG. 5(B) , are separated from the guide grooves  311  by friction with many rhinestones  500  pressing the bottom surface of the dispenser  310  as the dispenser  310  rotates, whereas the rhinestones  500 , of which the adhesive flat surface face upward as shown in  FIG. 5(A) , are not separated from the guide grooves  311  regardless of the friction with many rhinestones  500  since they are stably received in the guide grooves  311 . 
         [0049]      FIG. 6  illustrates another embodiment of a discharge preventing wall  117  based on the cross section taken along line VI-VI of  FIG. 4 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , the discharge preventing wall  117  may be formed with an inward taper  118  for assisting the outermostly arranged rhinestones to be more stably seated among the rhinestones received in the guide grooves  311 . The inward taper  118  is placed on a level with the guide groove  311 , and protrudes inwardly at an angle similar to the inclined angle of the protruding end portion  530  of the rhinestone  500  received in the guide groove  311 . The inward taper  118  prevents the rhinestone  500  from being separated from the guide groove  311  even though the rhinestone  500  previously received in the guide groove  311  collide with another rhinestone  500  thereunder. 
         [0050]      FIG. 7  illustrates a rhinestone dispenser  310  according to another embodiment. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the discharge skirt  310  may be not circularly but straightly formed and reciprocate left and right. Referring to  FIG. 7 , when the dispenser  310  moves rightward, the guide grooves  311  has an acute angle to the moving direction and therefore the rhinestone  500  is discharged to the discharging portion  115  by friction with other rhinestones  500 , inertial force, etc. On the other hand, when the dispenser  310  moves leftward, the rhinestones  500  are received in the guide grooves  311  or not discharged since they move in a depth direction of the guide grooves  311 . 
         [0051]      FIGS. 8(A) and 8(B)  illustrate an apparatus for feeding rhinestones according to another embodiment.  FIG. 8(A)  shows that the main body  100  is formed with a plurality of discharging portions  115 . Thus, receivers  140  are respectively provided in the discharging portions  115  and a plurality of works may be performed at the same time. Here, the receiver  140  may include a suction nozzle tube  141  and/or a guide tube  145 . 
         [0052]    The receiver  140  may have a groove  147  instead of the guide tube  145  so that the rhinestone  500  can be seated on the groove  147  as shown in  FIG. 8(B) . The rhinestone  500  seated on the groove  147  is caught by the suction nozzle tube  141  and moved vertically, moved horizontally and moved vertically so that the protruding end portion  530  of the rhinestone  500  can be attached to an adhesive sheet (not shown) placed under the main body  100 . Further, the suction nozzle tube  141  may catch, move up and down, and rotate the rhinestone  500  to thereby attach the rhinestones to a wall.