Control device for controlling the application of a gusset to a tubular article

Control device for use with a carrousel-type machine for applying a gusset to a pantyhose article. The control device senses the presence of the pantyhose article on a support and then transfers the gusset to the pantyhose article when it is on the support. A photocell reader is also provided to control the sewing of the gusset to the pantyhose article and assure that sewing takes place over an angle greater than 360.degree..

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to a control device for controlling the application 
of a gusset to a tubular article. 
More particularly, the present invention is concerned with a carrousel-type 
machine for applying a gusset or patch to a tubular article, such as a 
pantyhose for women, and in particular to operational control devices for 
a carrousel-type machine. 
The invention is primarily concerned with a control device for controlling 
the feeding of a gusset to the article and checking the presence of the 
article so that sewing takes place at the sewing station only when the 
gusset and article are present. 
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
This invention is related to my co-pending U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 
107,426 filed on Dec. 26, 1979, and Application Ser. No. 362,974 filed 
Mar. 29, 1982. 
Reference is also made to my co-pending application Ser. No. 055,261 filed 
July 6, 1979, and Application Ser. No. 218,911, filed Dec. 22, 1980, now 
Patent No. 4,413,575. All of the aforesaid applications are incorporated 
herein by reference. 
My co-pending application Ser. No. 107,426, discloses a machine for 
attaching a gusset to pantyhose or ladies's tights, which includes a 
hollow frusto-conical support adapted to hold and stretch the non-sewn 
crotch region while the rest of the article is retained in an inside-out 
attitude inside the support. Below this support, a plate is adapted to 
bring the gusset opposite the unsewn edge of the article, after which a 
mechanical cloth cutter trims the cloth of the manufactured article and of 
the gusset so as to remove parts projecting from the sewing line, all 
during a complete rotation of the support (i.e. a line along which a seam 
is sewn or is to be sewn to stitch the gusset to the remainder of the 
garment). 
My co-pending application Ser. No. 218,911 is concerned with a device for 
trimming an edge of a tubular article to form a portion of a pantyhose 
prior to the sewing of the gusset. A support is provided which is 
rotatable about its vertically disposed central axis and cooperates with a 
mask supported independently of the support and normally stationary. The 
mask has slots with which trimmers in the form of electrical heating 
elements cooperate. Each of the trimmers are movable independently of the 
other relative to the mask. The support is rotated relative to the mask 
and one of the trimmers penetrates and cuts the cloth by heat action and 
enters one of the slots in the mask so that during continued rotation of 
the support an edge of the article is trimmed from the remainder by the 
aforesaid trimmers to remain engaged about the support as an annular band. 
Rotation of the support is then stopped and the other trimmer is extended 
towards the mask to penetrate the annular band and enter the other slot to 
sever the annular band by heat action and convert the band into an 
elongate ribbon which is then drawn off into a suction duct having a mouth 
mounted for movement with the other trimmer. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
The inventor of the subject matter of the present invention has provided a 
carrousel-type machine for applying a gusset to pantyhose, in particular 
women's pantyhose. 
In one such apparatus which forms the subject matter of U.S. Patent 
Application Ser. No. 055,261, filed July 6, 1979 and Ser. No. 218,911, 
filed Dec. 22, 1980, there is disclosed an apparatus which includes a 
first station which is provided for the positioning of a pantyhose article 
without a gusset under tension by stretching of the edge of an unsewn zone 
to receive the gussets on an annular support, a second station is provided 
for pneumatically turning over of the article inside the support, a third 
station is provided for placing the patch or gusset in position underlying 
the stretched edge of the article, a fourth station is provided for 
smoothing of the patch or gusset and of the stretched edge of the article 
and cutting of the portions of fabric exceeding the sewing line; and a 
fifth station is provided for sewing the patch or gusset to the article. 
At the third station, there is provided a device for the formation of 
gussets or patches from a continuous band. The gusset formation device is 
always in operation and the device to place a gusset on the support 
pantyhose for the article is always in operation regardless of whether or 
not the support is provided with the pantyhose article, so that in the 
absence of the pantyhose article, the patch or gusset is fed even though 
there is no pantyhose article and hence not utilized and is wasted. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a control device for 
controlling the application of a gusset or patch to a pantyhose article. 
Another object of the invention is to prevent the wastage of gusset 
material in the aforedescribed carrousel-type of machine and to operate 
the control of the rotation gusset or of the patch together with the 
article, in a smoothing station, through an angle greater than 360.degree. 
so that the front side of the gusset or patch will, in the next sewing 
station, be in a different position from that of arrival in the smoothing 
station and therefore more suitable for the start of sewing with a patch 
of square form. 
The rotation is preferably 360.degree.+180.degree. ; and with a gusset or 
patch of polygonal form of n sides the angle of rotation will preferably 
be 360.degree.+360.degree./n. Rotation for over 360.degree. is preferred 
to effect a trimming of the pantyhose when making a cold cut with 
mechanical means. Further, the control of the rotation of the article and 
of the patch, at the sewing station, through an angle greater than 
360.degree. may be made to assure a continuous sewing along the entire 
perimeter edge or boundary of the article. 
These results are achieved in accordance with the teachings of the 
invention by providing the machine, at the smoothing station or at a 
preceding station, with a device capable of revealing or indicating the 
presence of the article and with the further function of allowing the 
pincer to transfer the gusset or patch onto the gusset- or patch-carrying 
plate under the pantyhose article only when the article is present. 
Further, at the smoothing and sewing stations, respectively, there is 
provided a device capable of controlling the rotation to which the support 
of the article is subjected in the smoothing phase and in the sewing 
phase, respectively, and with the further function of controlling the 
stopping of the support upon completion of angular rotation corresponding 
to that pre-established and stored in the memory of the device in 
accordance with the outer configurations of the gusset. 
A feature of the present invention is that the band of fabric for the 
formation of the gussets or patches is used completely and hence without 
any waste. Another feature of the invention is that the sewing of the 
patch or gusset is without defects, uninterrupted and continuous over the 
entire perimeter edge of the article. Moreover, another feature is that 
the sewing of the patch or gusset is executed and carried out exactly the 
same for all articles. 
To these ends, the present invention consists in the provision of a control 
device for a carrousel-type machine for applying a gusset to a pantyhose 
article, the machine having a rotatable support adapted for having a 
pantyhose article applied thereto and the control device comprises means 
for verifying the presence or absence of the pantyhose article on the 
support; and means for reading a cylindrical, uniform graduation integral 
with the support. 
The verifying means is provided at a gusset feeding station of the machine. 
Alternatively, the verifying means can be provided at a station preceding 
the gusset feeding station of the machine. The verifying means, which is a 
photocell, controls a pincer of the carrousel-type machine for 
transferring the gusset only when the article is present on the support. 
The cylindrical uniform graduation integral with the support includes 
several equal, equidistant divisions on a cylindrical collar secured on 
the support for identification by the reading means. The reading means 
which is an electronic reader is provided at a smoothing station and a 
sewing station of the machine. 
The plurality equidistant divisions is provided on the rotatable support, 
and the reading includes an electronic reader having a memory for 
comparing the number of equidistant divisions through which the rotatable 
support rotates and means for stopping rotations of the rotatable support 
when the angular rotations thereof exceed 360.degree., and corresponding 
to the number of divisions of the memory. 
Accordingly, with the present invention, the gusset is applied to the 
article or woman's pantyhose, at the gusset applying station only if the 
article is present on the respective support. For this purpose, a device 
such as a photocell is used for checking the presence of the pantyhose so 
that the feeding of the gusset only takes place when the pantyhose article 
is present. 
For the purpose of rotating the gusset and the article, in the 
corresponding smoothing station, by an angle greater than the round angle 
so that the side of the gusset will, in the next sewing station, be in a 
different position from that of its arrival at the smoothing station, a 
control is used to control the rotation of the support for the article. 
The control device is a reading device which is capable of reading uniform 
cylindrical graduation and is provided with a programmed memory which 
causes the rotation of the support to be stopped after the completion of a 
rotation corresponding to the graduation stored in memory. The article 
support is provided with graduations which is read by the reading device, 
and after the pre-determined number of graduations stored in the memory, 
the article support is stopped from rotating. 
In order to rotate the gusset and the article, in the corresponding sewing 
station, by an angle greater than the round angle so that the stitching 
will be executed on the entire edge of the article without interruption, a 
control device equal to the aforesaid is used in the smoothing station. 
Other objects, advantages and the nature of the invention will become 
readily apparent from the detailed description of the invention taken in 
connection with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring now more particularly to the drawings which illustrate the 
presently preferred mode of carrying out the invention, and in particular 
to FIG. 1 which illustrates a sensing control device 10 for sensing the 
presence of a gusset or patch 12 in the gusset feeding phase. A roll of 
gusset material 51 is provided for supplying patch 12 which is cut from a 
band 52 extending from roll 51 and fed by conventional conveyor means 20 
to pantyhose article support 2 for holding thereto the pantyhose article 
3. 
The control device 10 includes a photocell 101 whose purpose is to sense 
the presence of article 3 on support 2. Pincer 63 is provided to transfer 
gusset 12 after it has been severed from band 52 by a conventional cutting 
device 53 to a plate 11 in juxtaposition to article 3. 
Pincer 63 is operatively controlled by photocell 101 to transfer gusset 12 
to plate 11 only when photocell 101 indicates the presence of article 3 on 
support 2. 
Referring now more particularly to FIG. 2 which illustrates an angular 
rotation control device 30 for controlling the angular rotation of support 
2. Angular rotation control device 30 includes a graduated collar 102 
secured to or mounted onto support 2 and a reading device 104. 
Graduated collar 102 is generally cylindrically-shaped and surrounds 
article support 2 and is provided with several equal, rectilinear and 
equidistant divisions or graduations 103 all of which are parallel to the 
longitudinal axis of support 2 for article 3. Reading device 104 includes 
a conventional electronic detector or reader for reading graduations 103. 
Reading device 104 also includes a memory suitably arranged to read a 
predetermined number of divisions or graduations 103 and includes 
conventional means to control and command the stopping of the rotation of 
support 2 as soon as support 2 is rotated through an angle greater than 
360.degree. past the front of reading device 104 which corresponds to the 
number of graduations stored in the memory of device 104. 
OPERATION OF THE INVENTION 
The photocell 101 verifies the presence or absence of the article 3 on the 
respective support 2 and electronic device 104 reads the cylindrical, 
uniform graduation integral with the support 2. The photocell 101 is 
provided at the gusset-feeding station or at another preceding station. 
The photocell controls means suitable for allowing the active course or 
stroke of pincer which transfers the gusset 12 only when the article 3 is 
present on support 2. The graduations on support 2 consist of several 
equal, equidistant divisions 103 on cylindrical collar 102 which is 
secured on the support 2 for identification by reading device 104. 
The reading device 104 is provided with a memory which is capable of 
comparing the number of divisions 103 by which the support 2 rotates and 
to cause the stoppage of support 2 upon completion of an angular rotation 
corresponding to the number of divisions of the memory which is greater 
than an angle of 360.degree.. The reading device 103 is provided at the 
smoothing station and the sewing station. 
While there has been shown and described what is considered to be the 
preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled 
in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein 
without departing from the scope of invention.