A METHOD TO TRANSFER CLOTH TO A CLOTH FOLDING TABLE AND A DEVICE FOR PERFORMING THE METHOD

Abstract: A method for transferring fabric, e.g. knitted fabric, from a stock e.g. a roll, a staple or the like by means of a cloth folding machine in a tension-free condition upon a folding table (12). The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method and a cloth folding machine, which make it possible to effect the tension-free transfer of fabric to a folding table. This task has been solved in that the fabric (20) is fed from the stock via a feed roller (17) and is laid down concurrently with the feed upon a mobile supporting surface (31), which is moved a distance corresponding to the length of the desired piece of fabric. The fabric (20) thus fed is severed, and that the mobile supporting surface (31) during the feed of the piece of fabric lays down the piece of fabric upon the folding table (12) concurrently with the extension of the supporting surface (31) under the piece of fabric successively being reduced until the entire piece of fabric has been transferred to the folding table.

Description: A Method to Transfer Cloth to a Cloth Folding Table and a Device for Performing the Method. The pres ent invention refers to a method for tran s ferring fabric , e . g . knitted f abric , from a stock e . g . a roll , a s taple or the like by mea ns of a cloth fold ing machine in a tension- free condition to a folding ta ble . The invention also rela tes to a cloth fold ing mach ine for tens ion- f ree tra ns fer of s aid f a bric to the fold ing ta ble . BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Laying of fabrics, particularly knitted fabrics, which are soft and extensible and at handling lack steadiness, i.e. they are flimsy generally spoken, upon a folding table, for further treatment, e.g. cutting out or punching out a complete stack of fabric pieces, is a time-wasting job as the laying must be effected completely tension-free. The fabric furthermore must be straightened along at least one logitudinal side edge, without tensile stresses thereby occuring in the fabric. THE PURPOSE AND MOST ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF THE INVENTION The pourpose of the present invention is to provide a method and a cloth folding machine, which make it possible to effect the tension-free transfer of fabric to a folding table. Another purpose is to effect this without any manual work and with a reliable and a structurally uncomplicated construction. These tasks have been solved thereby that the fabric is fed from the stock via a feed roller and is laid down concurrently with the feed upon a mobile supporting surface, which is moved a distance corresponding to the length of the desired piece of fabric, that the fabric thus fed is severed, and that the mobile supporting surface during the feed of the piece of fabric lays down the piece of fabric upon the folding table concurrently with the extension of the supporting surface under the piece of fabric successively being reduced until the entire piece of fabric has been transfered to the folding table. The fundamental features of the cloth folding machine are apparent from claim 6. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be further described hereinafter with reference to the drawings which show an embodiment. Figure 1 shows a side elevation of the frame portion of the cloth folding machine. Figure 2 shows a side elevation of the carriage of the cloth folding machine. Figure 3 shows in bigger scale a section through the seizing members and smoothing means of the carriage. Figures 4 - 10 show diagrammatic side elevations of cloth folding machines during different stages of the transfer. DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT The cloth folding machine according ' to the invention comprises a frame 11 , a folding table 12 and a carriage 14 displaceably arranged in guides 13 along the folding table. The frame 11 is arranged upon a table 15, which is vertically adjustable relative to the folding table by means of adjustment devices 16 acting upon the table legs. The frame 11 supports a feed roller 17, which is driven by a not further shown motor. The feed roller is located in such a manner in the frame that its forward portion is situated outside the frame thus that the forward end 19 of a fabric 20 can hang freely down in front of the frame, such as shown in figure 1. The fabric 20 comes from a stock ( not shown) , which can be a roll, a staple of cloth or the like. The frame 11 is provided with guides 21 in which a carriage 22 is displaceably arranged, and which carriage supports a motor-driven roller 23. At the frame there is furthermore arranged a cutting device 24, which by means of an adjustment device 25 can be pivoted from an inactive position to the active position shown in figure 1. At the frame there is furthermore provided at least one not further shown fabric holding-down rail, which clamps the fabric against the frame by means of e.g. pulling magnets, when the fabric shall be severed by means of the cutting device 24. Just above the roller 23 is provided a sensor 26, which optically senses the arc-shaped slacking of the fabric 20. The feed roller 17 is axially displaceable by means of a not further shown electric shifting motor, which is controlled by photo-electric cells, which sense one side edge of the fabric with regard to its straightness or any deviations resp. , which can be compensated by axially displacing the felt-coated feed roller 17 to a corresponding extent. The carriage 14, shown in figure 2 is driven by a motor 27 via the transmission 28. On the side of the carriage facing the frame 11 there is provided brackets 29, which support a motor- driven roller 30. A flexible sheet material 31 is attached to this roller and it serves as a supporting surface for the fabric 20 and has its opposite end fixedly connected to the roller 23 at the frame 11. βehind the roller 30 the carriage 14 is equipped with a seizing member 32 incorporating two jaws 33 and 34 intended to receive and hold the forward edge 19 of the fabric. The seizing member 32 is operated via a slewing bracket 35 by an adjusting device 36, which in one, its retracted, end position closes the jaws 33,34 and in which position a rail 37 carried by the slewing brackets 35 is in an inactive position adjacent and below the roller 30, whereas the slewing brackets 35 and the rail 37 in the extended end position of the adjusting device occupy the position intimated with dash-anddot lines in figure 3, in which position the rail is active as a smoothing rail. The carriage 14 is furthermore equipped with a device 38 for vertical adjustment connected to a retainer 39 at which said roller 30 with its brackets 29 and the seizing member 32 with the smoothing rail and the associated driving device are attached, and which together can be successively raised in a direction away from the folding table 12. FUNCTION DESCRIPTION The fabric 20 is fed from a roll of fabric by the feed roller 17 towards the folding table 12, thus that the end of the fabric will hang straight down from the roller. The carriage 14 has been driven up to its initial position immediately adjacent the frame 11, in which position the seizing member 32 with its opened jaws 33,34 is located just in front of the fabric end edge 19. At a continued advance of the fabric effected by the feed roller the end edge will be caught by the seizing member 32. In the seizing member there is arranged a sensing member (not shown) , which senses when the fabric edge has entered the seizing member and which gives an impulse for closing the jaws. In connection to the advance of the fabric from the roller 18 a side edge guiding is also effected and if the side edge of the fabric should deviate from a straight track, then the feed roller makes an axial compensation movement. As soon as the seizing member has closed about the end edge 19 of the fabric, the motor 27 of the carriage receives a starting pulse, which results in the carriage being displaced in a direction away from the frame 11. A sensor 26 senses optically the arc-shaped slacking 40 of the fabric, and if this deviates from a pre-set value, the feed roller is started, which concurrently with- the displacement of the carriage 14 feeds so much of the fabric that this during the entire pulling out stage will rest tension-free on the flexible sheet material 31 serving as supporting surface. When the fabric corresponding to the desired length of the fabric has been fed out, then the carriage is automatically stopped and the cutting device 24 operates, at the same time as at least one holding-down rail (not shown) clamps the fabric against the frame. The ' cutting device severes the fabric, and, as shown in figure 7, the severed fabric end 41 thereby will fall freely over the roller 23. The carriage continues a short further distance, thus that the end 41 of S the piece of fabric will be located upon the flexible sheet material 31. During the entire pulling out operation flexible sheet material 31 has been wound of from the roller 23 at such pace that the flexible sheet material has been kept stretched. The roller 30 on the other hand has not rotated. After completed pulling out of the piece of fabric 20 the laying procedure is started, whereby the carriage 14 and the roller 30 simultaneously are begun to be displaced towards the frame 11. This means that the roller 30 begins the movement to wind up the flexible sheet material 31 , whereby the piece of fabric 20 is laid down on the folding table 12 concurrently with said displacement movement, see figure 8. Towards the end of the carriage movement the adjusting member 36 operates and pivots the rail 37 to active position, such as shown in figure 9. At a continued movement of the carriage the rollers 23 and 30 finally will occupy their initial position, shown in figure 10, whereby also the piece of fabric 20 has been entirely laid down on the folding table. During the last part. of the carriage movement the rail 37 in its active position between the fabric 20 and the folding table 12 has acted as a smoothing member, whereby also the last piece of fabric will lay quite smoothed and tension-free on the table. With the carriage 14 in its initial position the adjusting member 36 again operates and locates the smoothing rail 37 in its parking position at the same time as the jaws 33,34 of the seizing member 32 are opened thus that a new laying cycle can be started. This is started in that the entire frame 11 as well as the retainer 39 on the carriage 14 is elevated a distance corresponding to the thickness of a piece of fabric placed on the table. By means of a not further shown counter this procedure is repeated as many times as required till a desired number of pieces of fabric has been stacked upon each other . The invention is not limited to the embodiment shown but a plurality of variations are possible within the scope of the claims .

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A method for transferring fabric, e.g. knitted fabric, from a stock e.g. a roll, a staple or the like .by means of a cloth folding machine in a tension-free condition to a folding table (12) , c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that the fabric (20) is fed from the stock via a feed roller (17) and is laid down concurrently with the feed upon a mobile supporting surface (31) , which is moved a distance corresponding to the length of the desired piece of fabric, that the fabric (20) thus fed is severed, and that the mobile supporting surface (31) during the feed of the piece of fabric lays down the piece of fabric upon the folding table (12) concurrently with the extension of the supporting surface (31) under the piece of fabric successively being reduced until the entire piece of fabric has been transferred to the folding table. 2. A method as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that the speed of the feed roller (17) is controlled in dependency of the arc-shaped slacking of the fabric between the feed roller and the supporting surface (31). 3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that one longitudinal side of the fabric (20) during transport from the stock to the supporting surface (31) is sensed by a sensor, which by means of control means adjust the axial displacement of the feed roller (17) , for compensating out-off-straightness in the fabric. 4. A method as claimed in claim 1 , c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that the mobile supporting surface (31) during feed of the fabric ( 20 ) is reeled up on or off rollers (23,30) provided one at each end of the supporting surface. 5. A method as claimed in one or more of the preceeding claims , c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that at least towards the end of the laying of the fabric upon the folding table (12) the fabric is smoothed by means of a rail (37) moved between the fabric and the folding table. 6. A cloth folding machine for tension-free transfer of fabric from a stock to a folding table as claimed in claim 1 , c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that it incorporates a feed roller (17) for feeding the fabric to a mobile supporting surface (31 ) consisting of a flexible sheet material or the like, the two ends of which are attached to one driveable roller (23,30) each, that the flexible sheet material (31) can be wound off from or wound up on said rollers, and that one of the rollers (30) is provided upon a carriage (14) , which is movable above the folding table (12) along guides . 7. A folding table as claimed in claim 6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that the second roller (23) for the supporting surface (31 ) is provided at a frame (11) supporting the feed roller (17) , that the second roller (23) is movable to a limited extent in the direction of movement of the first roller (30) , from a position essentially outside the feed roller (17) to a position essentially inside said feed roller. 8. A folding table as claimed in claim 6 or 7 , c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that at the carriage (14) inside the first roller (30) there is provided a seizing member (32) , which in one end position of the carriage adjacent the frame (11 ) is situated just in front of the fabric end edge (19) hanging down from the feed roller (17) , said seizing member being adapted to seize and hold said fabric end edge. 9. A folding table as claimed in claim 8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that at the carriage (14) between the first roller (30) and the seizing member (32) is pivotably supported a smoothing rail (37), which is pivotable from an inactive position beside the roller to an active position below the fabric. 10. A folding table as claimed in one or more of claims 6 to 9, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that the frame (11) and also the first roller (30), the seizing member (32) and the smoothing rail (37) are vertically adjustable relative to the folding table (12).

Inventors: JOHANSSON HANS, JOHANSSON, HANS
Applicants: BLOMS KONFEKTIONSMASKINER AB
Application year: 1986
Main classification: B65H45
IPC codes: B65H45