Abstract:
A robotic zipper system for joining and separating zipper halves of a zipper tape. A chassis retains an actuator that drives a zipper slide geometry along the zipper tape to join or separate the zipper tape. A sensor can determine zipper slide position, and a control module can provide an electrical signal to the motor to move in forward or reverse. The actuator can have a motor that drives a gear system that mechanically engages zipper teeth. Teeth of the gear system can be out of phase to mesh with alternating gaps between the zipper teeth. The actuator can be removable relative to a zipper slide. Zipper slide geometry could be integrated into the chassis, such as in the form of a channel, potentially with a central post. A sensor could be positioned to detect the presence or absence of zipper teeth through an opening in a base plate.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/880,926, filed Sep. 22, 2013, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to a robotic zipper for fabric joining, which may alternatively be referred to as an electric-mechanical machine guided by electronic circuitry and computer programming. Stated more particularly, disclosed herein is a continuous closure for fabric edge joining and augmented with robotic attributes including sensing, actuation and computation to create a programmable zipper closure. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Gideon Sundback, an early designer of the modern zipper obtained a U.S. Pat. No. 1,219,881 for the ‘Separable Fastener’. In 1923 the name was rebranded as the “zipper” by the B.F. Goodrich Company which integrated the zipper into rubber boots and tobacco bags. In the 1930s the zipper was popularized in the fashion industry for closures in garments, handbags and other textile items. Now there are many different zipper types including zippers that use molded plastic teeth, metal teeth, plastic coil teeth and zippers that are sealed to be waterproofed among others. Zippers for clothing continue to improve beyond the prior art and more recently also offer a means to electrically connect to electronics and digital devices. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,327 issued to Leonard et al describes a zip fastener for a garment that positions a pair of electrical conductors on a zipper in order to cause a zip opening to signal an electronic circuit and emit a warning signal. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,596,955 issued to Eves et al. describes a zipper fastener comprising conductive thread or conductive ink to establish an electrical connection between adjoining teeth. The moving zipper fastener increases or decreases the electrical resistance along the path so that the zip fastener behaves as a potentiometer that can then be used to modify the volume of a built in audio system in a garment. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 7,304,600 issued to Nehls et al. describes a zipper operated remote controller for garments that can be used to transmit command signals to a Bluetooth™ enabled device such as a cell phone or television. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 7,320,158 issued to Deto et al. describes a magnetic fastener comprising a pair of fastener tapes and two rows of magnetic elements, so that the magnetic elements are joined together via magnetism. The fastener can be used as a closure for the front of a garment. 
     One can appreciate that in an electronic and digital age that the prior art seek to electrically connect a garment with an electronic device however they fail to improve on the basic rudimentary function of the zipper for the persons using them. Zippers can be notoriously difficult to manipulate for persons with a limited dexterity in the fingers or a handicap. Zippers are much easier to zip with a two handed motion and when there is not too much force needed for the action of zipping or unzipping. Also, the placement of the zippers on the body can also affect the degree of ease in their manipulation. For example, zippers placed at the back of a dress or the back of a boot can be difficult to use and can require assistance from other persons. Similarly, some extreme applications where gas tight zippers are used such as in chemical and biological hazmat suit zippers can be extremely difficult to operate with the force required to open and close them. Additionally, zippers used in large structures such as tents and long cables can be burdensome to reach and arduous to control. In light of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that there is a need for a zipper to be automated and controlled more easily for persons of limited dexterity and in clothing such as the back of a dress, chemical and biological hazmat suits and large structures such as tents. An automated zipper including sensing and computation would add significant improvements over the prior art. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is thus founded on the basic principle of incorporating a methods and apparatus for robotic zipper is for providing actuation to fabric joining for persons with limited dexterity and limited abilities as well as in applications where any number of clothing systems incorporating actuated fabric joining would be useful as in the case of donning and doffing full body chemical and biological suits, space suits or zippers in hard to reach areas such as the back of the body or hard to reach areas in large tent structures. The present invention comprises a chassis and an actuator that drives a zipper slide along a zipper tape and thus joining or separating the zipper as it moves. 
     A related object of the invention is to provide the actuated zipper slider the means to determine the location and position of the zipper slider on the zipper tape and a means for a processor to electrically signal the motor to move in a forward or reverse direction. The actuated zipper would enable persons of limited dexterity and limited abilities to have a means to control the position of the actuated zipper on the body and would also be useful and comfortable in everyday life in the assistance of donning and doffing clothing. 
     Another object of the embodiment of the invention is to provide an actuated zipper slider with a motor and gear box that is also mechanically coupled with the zipper teeth. In one preferred embodiment the zipper slider can be attached to a traditional off-the-shelf market bought zipper. However, in yet another embodiment the zipper teeth can be mechanically enhanced to couple exactly with the gears of the actuated zipper and thereby increase the reliability of the coupling to the zipper teeth in order to prevent the slider from running off the zipper track. Additionally, the reliable coupling of the zipper teeth also increases the efficiency of the motor in providing the appropriate amount of torque forces that the actuated zipper can manage. 
     A related object of embodiments of the invention is wherein the mechanical coupling with the zipper teeth is coupled with a gear system that has two sets of teeth that are out of phase with each other and mesh with the alternating gaps between the zipper teeth. 
     A further object of the invention, in particular embodiments, wherein a zipper slider geometry is designed to merge fabric edges with zipper teeth together and is integrated into the chassis. 
     Yet another object of embodiments of the invention is wherein the bottom plate of the chassis provides a means to physically support the mechanical coupling of the gear and zipper teeth and additionally has a channel in which to guide the merged zipper teeth in or out of the zipper head geometry for merging or separating. 
     A still further object of the embodiments of the invention is wherein the motor and gearbox selectively allow a back-drivable transmission or manual operation. 
     Yet another object of the embodiment of the invention is wherein the zipper head includes a circuit for electrical/wireless communication with other devices and the internet. 
     Further embodiments of the invention can assist in the usefulness of the invention for everyday use by incorporating a power source for the motor, visual light indicators on the chassis for visibility and wearer feedback as well as indicators that are sensitive to sound and the sense of touch or gesture. 
     These and further objects and advantages of the present invention will become obvious not only to one who reviews the present specification and drawings but also to those who have an opportunity to experience an embodiment of a methods and apparatus for robotic zipper as disclosed herein. However, it will be appreciated that, although the accomplishment of each of the foregoing objects in a single embodiment of the invention may be possible and indeed preferred, not all embodiments will seek or need to accomplish each and every potential advantage and function. Nonetheless, all such embodiments should be considered within the scope of the present invention. 
     In carrying forth the objects of the invention, embodiments of the robotic zipper system can provide, among other things, actuation to join materials for persons with limited dexterity and limited abilities. By way of further example and not limitation, embodiments of the robotic zipper system also have application where any number of clothing systems incorporating actuated fabric joining would be useful, such as in the case of donning and doffing chemical and biological suits, space suits, or zippers in hard to reach areas as with the back of the body or hard to reach areas in large tent structures. 
     One embodiment of the robotic zipper system can join and separate zipper halves of a zipper tape with a zipper slide geometry and can be founded on a chassis. An actuator can be retained by the chassis. The actuator can drive the zipper slide geometry along the zipper tape thereby to join or separate the zipper tape, such as depending on the direction of travel of the zipper slide geometry. 
     In certain practices of the invention, a sensor can be provided for determining a position of the zipper slide geometry along the zipper tape. While other sensors will be obvious to one skilled in the art after reading this disclosure and are within the scope of the invention except as it might be expressly limited by the claims, one such sensor can achieve position detection by detecting the presence or absence of zipper teeth. 
     The actuator could, for example, include a motor and a gear system. A control module could provide an electrical signal to the motor to move in a forward direction to join the zipper halves of the zipper tape or a reverse direction to separate the zipper halves of the zipper tape. Moreover, electronic circuitry could be operative as a communication module for exchanging data. 
     The robotic zipper system can operate in relation to multiple types of zipper tapes, including zipper tapes with zipper teeth. Again, the actuator could have a motor and a gear system with the motor being operative to drive the gear system and the gear system mechanically engaging the zipper teeth. Embodiments of the robotic zipper system are contemplated wherein the gear system that has two sets of teeth that are out of phase with each other and that mesh with alternating gaps between the zipper teeth. For example, the gear system could mechanically engages the zipper teeth via friction with a wheel/roller that uses surface friction to engage the zipper tape. 
     Manifestations of the robotic zipper system are possible wherein the zipper slider geometry is retained by the zipper tape, such as with a traditional zipper. Also within the scope of the invention, the zipper slider geometry could be integrated into the chassis. For example, where the zipper halves have zipper teeth, the chassis can have a bottom plate with a channel forming the zipper slider geometry. In such embodiments, the channel can guide the zipper teeth into and out of the zipper slider geometry for joining or separating the zipper tape. The zipper slider geometry could have a central post, which could have a hollow conduit. The bottom plate can further provide physical support for mechanical engagement of the gear system and the zipper teeth. It is further contemplated that the motor and gear system can selectively switch a back-drivable transmission for manual operation. 
     Where the chassis has a base plate, an opening can be incorporated into the base plate to provide an unobstructed view of the presence or absence of zipper teeth. With that, a sensor can be positioned to detect the presence or absence of zipper teeth through the opening in the base plate. 
     Robotic zipper systems are disclosed wherein the actuator comprises a motor and an electronic circuit for motor control module retained by the chassis. The electronic circuit can have a communication module for sending and receiving electronic signals and data. It is further disclosed that the actuator can comprise a motor and a power source in the form of a battery for supplying electric power to the motor. 
     Even further, it is contemplated that visual indicators could be located on the chassis. The robotic zipper system could, in particular embodiments, include a sonic indicator and, additionally or alternatively, a touch sensor. 
     The actuator could be removable from the zipper tape. For example, the actuator could be removable from the zipper slider. 
     One will appreciate that the foregoing discussion broadly outlines the more important goals and features of the invention to enable a better understanding of the detailed description that follows and to instill a better appreciation of the inventor&#39;s contribution to the art. Before any particular embodiment or aspect thereof is explained in detail, it must be made clear that the following details of construction and illustrations of inventive concepts are mere examples of the many possible manifestations of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the robotic zipper system according to the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view with the upper chassis removed to reveal the internal split gear and zipper teeth coupling; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the robotic zipper system revealing several components that are either inside the chassis or which otherwise would be hidden; 
         FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the robotic zipper illustrating an opening in the upper chassis for a sensor to monitor the zipper teeth as they pass through the channel below; and 
         FIG. 5  is a top plan view of the lower chassis illustrating the channel that the zipper teeth an opening in the chassis for a sensor to monitor the zipper teeth as the pass through the chassis. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     As is the case with many inventions, the present invention for a robotic zipper is subject to a wide variety of embodiments. However, to ensure that one skilled in the art will fully understand and, in appropriate cases, be able to practice the present invention, certain preferred embodiments of the broader invention revealed herein are described below and shown in the accompanying drawings. 
     Pursuant to the invention, a robotic zipper system can be embodied in relation to a zipper or a continuous closure for joining edges, such as but not limited to edges of fabric, that can be augmented with robotic attributes, such as sensing, actuation and computation, to create a programmable robotic zipper closure. With this in mind and looking more particularly to the accompanying figures, a first preferred embodiment of the present invention for a robotic zipper system is indicated generally at  10  in  FIG. 1  and in an exploded view in  FIG. 3 . There, one sees that the robot zipper  10  can have a chassis  12  further divided into a chassis top half  12 A and a chassis bottom half  12 B, which contains a zipper slider  14 , and motor  16  which is in mechanical coupling with a gear box  18 . The gear box  18  is in mechanical coupling with a split gear  20  and thus can turn it in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. 
     In  FIG. 2  one can see the split spur gear  20  consists of two sets of teeth that are out of phase but physically connected with each other and therefore moving in unison. In another embodiment this could be represented with two separate gears not physically connected but still moving in unison but with the gear teeth still positioned out of phase. When one looks at the joined zipper teeth  19  one can observe the alternating gaps  11  on either side of the zipper halves. The out of phase teeth mesh with the alternating gaps  11  between the zipper teeth  19  and is therefore in mechanical coupling with the zipper teeth  19 . This configuration allows the torque/force generated by the motor  16  to transmit through the gearbox  18 , into the split spur gear  20  and then finally to the zipper teeth  19 , thus advancing or retracting the robot zipper  10  in a linear motion along the zipper tape while simultaneously joining or separating the two edges with zipper teeth. The actuation is similar in nature to a rack and pinion gear assembly with the zipper tape  17  acting as the rack component and the split gear  20  acting as the pinion. In another practice of the invention the split gear could take on the form of a rubber roller with no gear teeth but instead rely on friction coupling between the roller&#39;s rubber gripping surface and the surface of the joined zipper teeth. Still further, in certain embodiments both the split gear coupling and friction coupling could be used together. 
     The zipper teeth  19  are shaped in a manner which allows them to interlock with each other and are attached in a manner to the zipper tape  17  which is generally a fabric or textile material. The zipper tape  17  is essentially two halves, a left half  17 A and a right half  17 B, that are joined to form the closure. As shown in  FIGS. 3, 4 and 5  the zipper slider  14  has an internal Y-shaped channel zipper slide geometry which merges the two halves of the zipper tape into one. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the zipper slider  14  has an internal zipper slide geometry that generally has two channels entering at an approximate 45 degree angle to each other forming a V-shape which the merge into one single channel, thus forming what could generally be referred to as a Y-shaped channel. This configuration allows for the joining or separating of the two zipper tape  17  halves by having each individual zipper tape  17  half guided through the angled V-shape channels which then join the two halves together when they are forced into the merged single channel of the Y-shape. The chassis bottom half  12 B has a triangular wedge shaped post  13  that acts as part of the Y-shaped channel and the zipper slide geometry which joins or separates the zipper. In addition, the post  13  also acts as the mechanical support joining the chassis top half  12 A and the chassis bottom half  12 B. The post  13  has a hollowed out conduit  15  running through it providing an unobstructed path between the chassis top half  12 A and the chassis bottom half  12 B which would advantageously allow for electrical wires or other components to pass through. 
     The chassis  12  should be constructed of a rigid material, such as aluminum, to adequately support the other components although other suitable materials could be used. As shown in  FIG. 3  in the preferred embodiment the chassis  12  is divided into a chassis top half  12 A and a chassis bottom half  12 B which in some instances makes it easier to assemble. The gear box  18  could consist of any arrangement of gears and mechanical components to achieve the desired output torque. The split spur gear  20  is fastened to the gear box  18  on one side via a servo hub  23  and on the other side to the chassis  12  via an axle  21 . The axle  21  is a rod which passes through a hole in the chassis  12  and through the center of the split spur gear  20 . 
     Looking to  FIG. 4  the robotic zipper system  10  is shown to have a chassis bottom half  12 B with a lower plate portion  28  which has a recessed extended channel  30  that assists in guiding the joined zipper into or out of the zipper slider  14 . The lower plate portion  28  of the chassis bottom half  12 B should be of a rigid enough material, of, for example in this instance, aluminum, to offer support to the zipper teeth  19  as the split gear  20  will generate a certain amount of downward force as the gear teeth interface with the zipper teeth  19 . 
     As seen, for instance, in  FIG. 5  the chassis  12  in the chassis top half  12 A has an opening  34  in which an optical sensor  26 , indicated in  FIG. 3 , can be located to have a clear unobstructed view of the zipper teeth  19  as they pass through the zipper slider  14 . In the preferred embodiment the optical sensor  26  is a reflective type photointerrupter sensor that could detect the reflected light from the surface of the zipper teeth  19  and distinguish the less light reflected from the fabric located in the alternating gaps  11  between the individual zipper teeth. In this manner the system can count the zipper teeth  19  as they pass through the chassis  12  in order to estimate the position of the robot zipper  10  along the zipper tape  17 . Yet other embodiments of the invention might have an optical encoder on the shaft of the motor, split gear or other rotating component in the driving system to estimate position. While the optical sensor  26  in the preferred embodiment is being used to estimate position, other sensors could be utilized to examine the zipper teeth and the joining of the zipper teeth. For example an image sensor could inspect the zipper teeth for any faults in the joining or a gas sensor could be used to detect particular gases escaping from a sealed zipper. 
     As seen in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 3  the preferred embodiment of the robot zipper  10  also comprises electronic circuitry  22 , optical sensor  26  and a rechargeable battery  24  for powering both the motor  16  and the electronic circuitry  22  while electrical wires are not depicted in the figures for simplicity, these components would be in electrical connection with each other. The electronic circuitry  22  include a variety of electronic components for numerous computational needs and applications comprising a main control module, a communication module, and a sensor module. However in this preferred embodiment of the robotic zipper system  10 , the main control module will process the input and output of the combination of the optical sensor  26  and motor  16  to create a servomechanism in order to provide controlled operation of mechanical position, speed or other parameters through the use of feedback. Since the zipper teeth themselves represented a binary pattern i.e. zipper tooth-no zipper tooth-zipper tooth, optically detecting this patter can be utilized to count zipper teeth and therefore gauge position and speed of the robot zipper. In this embodiment, infrared subminiature reflective type photointerrupters were mounted within the zipper slide in order to detect the edges of the passing zipper teeth, as the surface of the zipper teeth reflects more light than the fabric of the zipper tape  17 . This can be achieved in a variety of ways for example a microprocessor receiving signals from the optical sensor  26  which then can send a signal to an H-Bridge motor controller circuit which could control the direction of the motor  16 . The electronic circuitry  22  could of course perform other functions such as the operation of lights  36  to provide visual indication or visual feedback to people or provide the ability for the robot zipper to utilize input based on a touch sensor  38 . As seen in  FIG. 3  the touch sensor  38  is located on the electronic circuit board but could be mounted anywhere on the chassis. In one preferred embodiment, the robot zipper would in totality be a fully programmable system, comprising a main control module, a communication module, and a sensor module. Although one could envision these modules being physically distributed as well but still constituting a complete robotic system. 
     With certain details and embodiments of the present invention for a robotic zipper system disclosed, it will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that numerous changes and additions could be made thereto without deviating from the spirit or scope of the invention. This is particularly true when one bears in mind that the presently preferred embodiments merely exemplify the broader invention revealed herein. Accordingly, it will be clear that those with major features of the invention in mind could craft embodiments that incorporate those major features while not incorporating all of the features included in the preferred embodiments. 
     Therefore, the following claims shall define the scope of protection to be afforded to the inventor. Those claims shall be deemed to include equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention. It must be further noted that a plurality of the following claims may express certain elements as means for performing a specific function, at times without the recital of structure or material. As the law demands, any such claims shall be construed to cover not only the corresponding structure and material expressly described in this specification but also all equivalents thereof.