Apparatus for applying a sheet which is to be ironed in the inserting pincers of an inserting machine

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for applying a sheet which is to be ironed in the inserting pincers of an inserting machine, characterized in that it is equipped with a series of first means for passing the sheet supplied in an arbitrary position with a corner to a series of second means which bring the sheet within the reach of said inserting pincers, which second means pass the gripped sheet in the desired position with an edge to the inserting pincers of the inserting machine.

Description: This invention relates to an apparatus for applying a sheet which is to be ironed in the inserting pincers of an inserting machine. By "inserting machine" is meant an apparatus which receives the sheet which is to be ironed and which délivers it in the right position to the ironing roller of an ironing machine. Such an inserting machine is described in Belgian patent 905,687 in the name of the applicant. Up to now, this was done manually and an object of the invention is therefore to do this entirely mechanically, like e.g. in EP 0 751 251 where a spreading apparatus has been proposed in which one corner portion of a square cloth and another corner portion thereof diagonally opposite are gripped and hung so that the square cloth is in the shape of an inverted pyramid, the resultant square cloth which has non-twisted straight edges being gripped at an arbitrary corner portion thereof and one point, which is a predetermined distance away from this corner portion, of one edge of the cloth or a corner portion adjacent to the first-mentioned corner portion, whereby the square cloth is then spread. The apparatus according to the characterizing portion of claim 1 enables insertion of the sheet at a high rhythm and with technically reliable structures. The embodiments are described in the dependent claims. Other details and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of an apparatus for applying a sheet which is to be ironed to the inserting pincers of an inserting machine. This description is only given by way of example and does not limit the invention. The reference numerals relate to the figures appended hereto. Figure 1 subdivided in Fig. 1a, 1b, and 1c is according to a persoective view a schematic reproduction of the apparatus according to the invention. Figures 2 to 17 show, also schematically, the different successive states of the apparatus between the catching of the supplied sheet and the handing over of a corner of this sheet to the inserting pincers of an inserting machine. The apparatus according to the invention consists of a vertical frame 1 along which a first pair of pincers 2 can be moved up and down by means of an electric motor 3 and this through the intermediary of a chain 4. A movable arm 5 is mounted with respect to the vertical frame 1, which arm may turn at the top with respect to the vertical frame 1. Along the movable arm 5 a grip 6 can be moved up and down. This up and downward movement of the grip 6 is controlled by a motor 7 which controls the reciprocating displacement of a chain which has not been shown in the figures. The grip 6 is mounted on a carriage 8 and comprises two rods 9, provided with fingers 10, which are rotatable around a horizontal geometric axis. The function of such a grip is made clear further with reference to Figures 4 - 8. As soon as a sheet 11 has been supplied by a first conveyor belt 12, the first pair of pincers 2 goes down until it can catch the sheet 11. It has to be noted that, whatever may be the place were the sheet is caught, there will always be one of the four corners thereof in the lowermost position shown in Figure 3. This position is detected by a photo-electric cell 13. The grip 6 goes down along the movable arm 5 which is, at this moment, in the vertical position. The two rods 9 of the grip 6 slide along the pair of pincers 2. In its lowermost position, which is determined by the photo-electric cell 13, the grip 6 is rotated so that the lower corner 11' of the sheet 11, which is kept clamped between the rods 9 with fingers 10, is directed upwards (Figure 5). The rotation, in both directions, of the grip 6 is controlled by pneumatic cylinders 14 and 15. After this rotation of the grip 6, the movable arm 5 is turned over a small angle and the sheet is released at the top by the pair of pincers 2 (Figure 6). Turning of the arm 5 is caused by the action of a cylinder 16 (Figures 6, 7 and 8). The sheet drops down partially onto the conveyor belt 12 and is caught now by a third pair of pincers, 17, opening and closing of which is controlled by cylinder 18. The pair of pincers 17 is mounted on a turning lever 19, the up and downward movement of which is controlled by pneumatic cylinder 20. It is to be noted that the pair of pincers 17 and the elements pertaining thereto are mounted on a frame which has not been shown and which goes up and down. One will also notice that the views according to Figures 9 - 17 are rotated 90° with respect to the view according to Figures 2 - 8. The sheet is now hanging in a position wherein it is caught by a fourth pair of pincers, 21, which is mounted on a turning arm 22 which is itself under the control of a pneumatic cylinder 23. Opening and closing of the pair of pincers 21 is controlled by the photo-electric cell 24'. The vertical position of the edge 11" of the sheet 11 is controlled by two photo-electric cells 24 and 25 (Figure 10). Indeed, these photo-electric cells 24 and 25 influence the stroke of the pneumatic cylinder 23. A pair of pincers 26 grips the lateral edge 11'' of the sheet 11 as soon as it arrives in its correct vertical position (Figures 11 and 12). In this position, the sheet is caught between the pairs of pincers 17 and 21. During the next step, the pair of pincers 21 is going to release the sheet while the arm 22 with the pair of pincers 21 turns over 90° so that a portion of the sheet 11 is now nicely stretched between the pairs of pincers 17 and 26 (Figure 13). The right position of the pair of pincers 26 is determined by the cylinder 27 while the position in height of the cylinder 27 is set by the cylinder 28. When arriving in the position according to Figure 9, the sheets rests at the bottom on a conveyor belt 12', the traveling direction of which is shown by the arrow from this figure. The displacement of the conveyor belt 12' is restricted in time and continues until the grip 8 is entirely released. The next phases concern the last steps wherein the corner of the sheet 11, selected during the previous phases, arrives at the inserting machine. A pair of pincers 29 with an oblique course is brought, by means of the pneumatic cylinder 30, up to the level of the vertical edge 40 of the sheet (Figure 14). The pair of pincers 29 catches the vertical edge of the sheet which remains caught by the pair of pincers 17. While the pair of pincers 26, with cylinder 27, releases the sheet, the pair of pincers 29 is pulled up by cylinder 30 until a horizontal position of the sheet is achieved. The horizontality of the edge of the sheet is checked by means of two photo-electric cells 31 and 32. In this position, the sheet is gripped by two pairs of pincers 33 and the pair of pincers 17 is opened. The pairs of pincers 33 pertain to a turning frame 34 which hinges in point 35 and the movements of which are controlled by cylinders 36. Cylinders 37 close and open the pairs of pincers 33. Both pairs of pincers 33 act simultaneously (side views 16 and 17 showing only one of these pairs of pincers). The pairs of pincers 33 which are actuated by the cylinders 37 feed the edge of the sheet in the pincers 38 of the inserting machine 39, the working of which is described in the earlier mentioned Belgian patent 905,687 in the name of the applicant.

Claims: An apparatus for applying a sheet (11) which is to be ironed in the inserting pincers (38) of an inserting machine (39), said apparatus comprising first means (1,2,3,4) for catching a sheet supplied to the apparatus in an arbitrary position, second means (5,6,7,8,9,10,13,14,15) for localising and catching a first corner of said sheet, third means (12,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26) for localising a second corner of the sheet diagonally opposed to said first corner, fourth means (27,28,29,30,31,32) for localising and catching an edge of the sheet comprising said first corner and fifth means (33,34,35,36,37) for bringing the sheet with this edge to said inserting pincers (38), characterized in that said fourth means are arranged for localising said edge of the sheet while said second corner is disposed below said first corner. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said first means comprise a vertical frame (1) along which a first pair of pincers (2) can be moved up and down in order to grip the sheet (11) supplied by a conveyor belt (12) and to bring it in a first upper position, in that said second means comprise an arm (5) which can turn with respect to this vertical frame (1) in a vertical plane and along which a first grip (6) with rotatable fingers (10) is displaced up and down in order to grip the sheet gripped by the first pair of pincers and to keep it clamped between said fingers, in that said third means comprise a second pair of pincers (17) mounted on a lever (19) which can be displaced up and downwards and which can be turned in order to grip the end of the sheet caught by said grip (6) and to bring it to an upper position and a conveyor belt (12) for displacing the sheet caught by said grip (6) and released by the first pair of pincers (2) over a certain distance. An apparatus according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that said third means further comprise a third pair of pincers (21) mounted on a hinging lever (22) for keeping the sheet with one of its edges stretched between said grip (6) and this third pair of pincers, photo-electric cells (24, 25) which assure the verticality of the sheet suspended from said third pair of pincers (21) by acting on a fourth pair of pincers (26), in that said fourth means comprise a fifth pair of pincers (29) which catches the edge of the sheet which is kept stretched between the above-intended pair of pincers (17) and said pair of pincers (29), two photo-electric cells (31, 32) which assure the horizontality of said edge, and in that said fifth means comprise a set of two pairs of pincers (33) which pertain to a turning frame (34) and which pass the edge of the sheet to the pairs of pincers (38) of an inserting machine (39).

Inventors: LAPAUW DOMINIQUE, LAPAUW YVES, LAPAUW, DOMINIQUE, LAPAUW, YVES
Applicants: LAPAUW DOMINIQUE, LAPAUW YVES, LAPAUW, DOMINIQUE, LAPAUW, YVES
Application year: 1997
Main classification: D06F67
IPC codes: D06F95, D06F67