Patent GB-980034-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to programme-controlled sewing apparatus
IPC: D05B39/00
Filed: 1962-11-07
Abstract: 980,034. Sewing machines. G.M. PFAFF A.G. Nov. 7, 1962 [NOV. 7, 1961], No. 42015/62. Heading D1G. A sewing machine in which the formation of a predetermined sewing pattern is controlled by a perforated strip or other tape information storage device in combination with planetary gear adding mechanism, also comprises gear mechanism adapted to vary the proportions of the basic sewing pattern. The machine described is adapted to sew footwear parts in six different sizes, a choice of four different widths being provided for each size. The upper arm 2 of a sewing machine 1 is formed with a slot 4 to accommodate the longitudinal and transverse movements of a rack 5 carrying a slide 6 to which is releasably securable a work-holder 8 supporting a pair of oppositelyhanded workpieces 7 and being slidably supported on a table 10. The work-holders 8 are initially stacked in a container 15, the lowest work-holder being released successively by means 17 actuated by a solenoid 16, the work-holder falling upon the table 10 and being conveyed to the slide 6 by means of a chain 21. A perforated strip 24 is driven by an intermittently-moved roller 23 mounted in the upper part of the machine standard. An electric motor is coupled by a belt 114 to a shaft 112 which is in turn coupled by a chain 111 to the machine arm shaft 35.  The strip 24 has 17 rows of perforations, eight of which are adapted to co-operate with four pairs of pins 41, 41a carried by respective pairs of levers 39, 39a fulcrumed on a shaft 37, and the alternate eight of which are adapted to co-operate with four pairs of pins 42, 42a carried by respective pairs of levers 40, 40a. The levers 39, 39a control the driving of respective planetary gear units By1 to By4 which are serially connected for rotating a shaft 75 to effect successive movements of the slide 6 in the Y direction. The levers 40, 40a control the driving of respective planetary gear units Bx1 to Bx4 which are serially connected for rotating a shaft to effect the successive movements of the slide 6 in the X direction. The curved ends of the levers 39, 39a are biased by springs 47 into engagement with a shaft 45 to which oscillatory movement, about shaft 37, is imparted by a pitman 48 actuated by an eccentric 50 on a shaft 34 rigid with the arm shaft 35. The upright arms of bell crank levers 53, 53a, pivoted on a shaft 54, are formed with notches 59, 59a biased by springs 63 into engagement with a shaft 61, one end of which is connected to an arm 65 pivoted on shaft 54 and having a forked end embracing a triangular cam 67 on shaft 34, the other end of shaft 61 being connected to an arm 68 pivoted on shaft 54. The other arms of levers 53, 53a have slots 69, 69a engaging pins 71, 71a on respective toothed pawls 73, 73a adapted to co-operate with the external teeth 69 of a planetary unit By. Pawl 73 is pivoted on a pin 72 on one arm of a bell crank lever 74, the other arm of which is connected to a pitman 76 actuated by an eccentric 78 on a rotary shaft 77 driven by gearing from shaft 34. Pawl 73a is pivoted on a pin 79 on one arm of a bell crank lever 80, the other arm of which is connected to a pitman 76a actuated by an eccentric 78a on shaft 77. The arrangement is thereby such that all the pins 41, 41a are moved simultaneously into engagement with the strip 24 by the oscillating shaft 45. If, as shown in Fig. 3, a pin 41 engages an unperforated part of strip 24, a lug 58 on the upper end of lever 53 passes over a lug 56 on lever 39, and pin 71 is depressed, during one half of an oscillation of lever 53, to engage pawl 73 with the teeth 89 for driving the unit By. If, as shown, 41a enters a perforation, a lug 58a on lever 53a engages a lug 56a on lever 39a, a pin 71a holds pawl 73a out of engagement with the teeth 89. During the return movement of the levers 53, 53a, a cam 105 on shaft 77 engages a follower roller 106 on one end of a lever 107 to engage teeth 110 on the other end with the teeth 98 for preventing movement of the unit By. A bell crank lever 85, pivoted on shaft 54 between the levers 53, 53a, has a notch 86 engaged with a spring 63 with the oscillating shaft 61. The arrangement is such that the upper end of lever 58 engages an abutment 88 on the lever 39, the pin 41 of which has not entered a perforation, to prevent a full oscillation of lever 85. If both pins 41, 41a enter perforations to prevent driving of the unit By, lever 85 oscillates freely to engage a tooth 87 thereo with the unit By to adjust the latter. Each unit B similarly actuated. The units Bx are similary controlled by the levers 40, 40a. The seventeenth row of holes in strip 24 is associated with a lever 40 controlling the driving of a gear 251, Fig. 2, externally identical with the units Bx and mounted coaxially therewith on a shaft 250 coupled by a chain to a rotary cam 36 (not shown) adapted to control the sequence of operations of the machine. The units By drive a gear 120 meshing with a gear 122 on a shaft 124. A gear 125 on the latter is connected via a gear 126 to a gear 128 rotatable and axially slidable on a shaft 127. A gear 126 on shaft 124 meshes with a gear 129 rigid with gear 128. Gears 128, 129 are connected by an arm 165 to a member 176 which is slidable on a shaft 166 andwhich carries a pin 177 engaged in a peripheral cam slot 1690 formedina cam disc 169, rigidwitha a shaft 168. Agear 205, splinedto shaft 168, is linked to the armature of a solenoid 207, energization of which engages gear 205 with a continuously rotating gear 209, coupled via gears 202, 227, 229 to shaft 112, for rotating shaft 168. Cam slot 169a is so arranged that arm 165 is shifted alternately left and right after each succeeding 30 degrees of rotation of shaft 168. Gears 128 and 129 are thereby successively coupled, by respective coupling members 140, to shaft 127 for successively changing the direction in which the latter is driven by the units By. A pair of rigidly connected gears 130, 131 rotatable and slidable on shaft 127, mesh respectively with gears 141, 142 rigid with a hollow shaft 147, and are connected by an arm 165 to a member 176 having a pin 177 engaged in a cam slot 170a in a cam disc 170 rigid with shaft 168. Pairs of gears 132, 133 and 134, 135 similarly mesh with respective gears 143, 144, 145, 146, and are respectively associated with cam discs 171, 172. The cam slots in discs 170, 171, 172 are so arranged that the pairs of gears 130 to 135 are moved in succession to the left and to the right, whereby gears 130 to 135 are coupled in succession to shaft 147 after each successive 60 degrees of rotation of shaft 168. Shaft 147 is coupled via gearing 117, 118, 270, 271 to a shaft 272 rigid with a feed screw 148 cooperating with a yoke 149, carrying the slide 6, for moving the latter in the Y direction. Further cam discs 173, 174, 175 on shaft 168 are respectively associated with pairs of gears 157 and 158, 159 and 160, 161 and 162 rotatably and slidably mounted on a hollow shaft 163 coaxial with shaft 127. Gears 157 to 162 mesh with respective gears 151 to 156 on a shaft 150 which is coaxial with hollow shaft 147 and which is coupled via gears 115, 116 to a shaft 5a formed with longitudinal teeth engaging the rack 5, slidable in the yoke 149, for moving the slide 6 in the X direction. The arrangement is such that the gears 157 to 162 are coupled successively, by members 164, to shaft 163 on rotation of shaft 168, gears 141 and 151 being coupled simultaneously to their respective shafts, and the gears 142 to 146 and 152 to 156 being likewise coupled simultaneously to their respective shafts. The arrangement enables the drive movements derived from the units By to the feed screw 148 via any one of six different gear ratios, with each of which is associated a fixed basic gear ratio in the drive from the units Bx to the feed gear 5a. The machine is also arranged to enable the drive from the units Bx to the shaft 163 to be transmitted via any one of four different gear ratios. The driving movements from the units Bx are conveyed via gears 121 and 196 to a shaft 199 carrying a gear 198 meshing with a gear 200, and a gear 197 coupled to a gear 201 via a gear 203. Gears 200, 201 are rotatable and slidable together on a shaft 187, and are associated with a cam 204 on a shaft 193. Pairs of gears 188, 189 and 190, 191, which are rotatable and slidable together on shaft 187, are respectively associated with cam discs 194, 195 on shaft 193. Gears 188 to 191 mesh respectively with gears 182 to 185 on a shaft 186 coupled via gears 181,180 to the shaft 162. Shaft 193 is coupled, via a gear 206, to a continuously rotating gear 210 upon energization of a solenoid 208. The cam discs 194, 195 are so arranged that the gears 188 to 191 are coupled to the respective gears 182 to 185 in succession after each 90 degrees of rotation of shaft 193. Cam 204 is so arranged that gears 200, 201 are coupled in succession to gears 198 and 197 after each 45 degrees of rotation of shaft 193. Each work-holder 8 carries a lever 230, one arm of which carries a work-sensing pin 230a, and the other arm of which is pivoted to a slide 231. A lever 232, also pivoted to a slide 231, has pivoted thereto a lever 234, one arm of which carries a work-sensing pin 235 and the other arm of which is pivoted to a plate 236 slidably mounted on slide 231. A lug 231a on slide 231 is so positioned by lever 230, that when holder 8 is mounted in the container 15, lug 231a is immediately above one of a series of six switches G1 to G6 in accordance with one of the six sizes G1 to G6 of workpieces corresponding to the gears 141 to 146. A lug 236a on plate 236 is so positioned by lever 234 in accordance with that one of the four widths corresponding to the size sensed by lever 230 and corresponding to one of the gears 182 to 185, as to be immediately above one of a series of switches W. Since each switch W must control each of the four possible