JP7784153B2 - Cloth feeding device and cloth spreading device having the cloth feeding device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a fabric feeding device that supplies fabric to a fabric spreading device for spreading the fabric, and to a fabric spreading device having the fabric feeding device.

In the field commonly known as the linen supply industry, for example, cloths such as sheets, wrapping cloths, tablecloths, and duvet covers are collected from hotels, inns, and other users, washed, and then delivered to users again in a repeated cycle. In this cycle, the cloths are spread out by workers and fed into a cloth feeder for transport to the next process, where they are transported to a processing device such as an ironer, and then to a folding device that folds them into a predetermined shape according to the customer's request.

In the so-called feeding method for feeding fabrics to the fabric spreading device, an operator finds both ends of the fabric, holds the ends with a pair of clamps, and then spreads (spreads) the fabric. The spread fabric is then transported to the next process.

In this type of fabric spreading device, both corners of fabrics fed from a fabric feeding device are attached to a pair of spreading clamps, and the pair of spreading clamps spread the fabrics symmetrically to each other to spread them out. However, when the pair of spreading clamps are unable to hold both left and right corners of the fabric, the corners may droop. If the fabrics are transferred to a conveyor in this state, the corners of the fabrics may fold or wrinkle, and the wrinkles may remain in the fabrics during processing in a folding device in the next process, resulting in a decrease in quality.

To solve this problem, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-206777 discloses a fabric spreading device that includes a pair of tensioning chucks that grip both corners of one side of a piece of fabric and suspend the fabric, the pair of tensioning chucks widening the gap while gripping both corners of the one side of the fabric to perform a spreading operation to spread the fabric, and after the spreading operation, the pair of tensioning chucks further widening the gap while gripping both corners of the one side of the fabric to perform a shifting operation to shift the gripping position toward the end of the one side of the fabric.

As described above, the fabric spreading device described above uses a pair of clamps, which are a pair of spreading chucks, that shift the gripping position of the fabric toward the end of one side of the fabric. This allows the pair of clamps to grip both corners of the fabric, preventing the corners from folding. However, the amount of shift varies depending on the fabric, and the amount of shift may not match the preset amount, causing the fabric to fall off the clamps.

JP 2019-206777 A

The present invention has been made with the above points in mind, and its objective is to provide a fabric feeding device that securely grips the corners of fabrics without shifting the fabrics, and a fabric spreading device that has the fabric feeding device.

In order to solve the above problem, the cloth feeding device of the first aspect has a clamp portion that grips the corner of the cloth, and an intermediate holding portion that grips the corner from the clamp portion that grips the corner of the cloth, the clamp portion has a first claw portion and a first claw receiving portion that are arranged to be openable and closable to grip the corner, and the intermediate holding portion further has a pair of cloth clamping portions that open and close to clamp the cloth, the pair of cloth clamping portions have a first pressing member that clamps the cloth, and when the cloth is transferred from the clamp portion to the intermediate holding portion, the first pressing member of the pair of cloth clamping portions grips the corner of the cloth that protrudes from the first claw portion and the first claw receiving portion.

A cloth feeding device according to a second aspect has a clamping section for gripping a corner of a cloth, and an intermediate holding section for gripping the corner of the cloth from the clamping section that has gripped the corner, the clamping section being arranged so as to be able to open and close in order to grip the corner, and having a first claw section and a first claw receiving section, and an openable and closable second claw section and second claw receiving section that are arranged at a predetermined interval from the first claw section and the first claw receiving section, the intermediate holding section further having a pair of cloth clamping sections that open and close to sandwich the cloth, the pair of cloth clamping sections clamping the cloth When the fabric is transferred from the clamping section to the intermediate holding section, the second pressing member and the third pressing member in the pair of fabric clamping sections grip the fabric arranged at a predetermined distance between the first claw section and the first claw receiving section and the second claw section and the second receiving section, and the first pressing member in the pair of fabric clamping sections grips the corners of the fabric that protrude from the first claw section and the first claw receiving section.

In addition, the third aspect of the cloth feeding device is the same as the second aspect, in that the first pressing member, the second pressing member, and the third pressing member in the pair of cloth clamping portions are each arranged so as to have a predetermined second distance therebetween.

In addition, the cloth feeding device of a fourth aspect is the cloth feeding device of the first aspect, wherein the intermediate holding portion has a suction portion that sucks in a corner of the cloth that protrudes from the first claw portion.

A cloth spreading device according to a fifth aspect has a clamping section for gripping a corner of a cloth, and an intermediate holding section for gripping the corner from the clamping section that has gripped the corner of the cloth, the clamping section having a first claw section and a first claw receiving section that are arranged to be openable and closable to grip the corner, and a second claw section and a second claw receiving section that are openable and closable and arranged at a predetermined distance from the first claw section and the first claw receiving section, the intermediate holding section further having a pair of cloth clamping sections that open and close to sandwich the cloth, the pair of cloth clamping sections each having a first pressing member that clamps the cloth, a second pressing member that clamps the cloth, and a third pressing member that clamps the cloth, When the fabric is handed over from the clamp section to the intermediate holding section, the second pressing member and the third pressing member in the pair of fabric clamping sections grip the fabric arranged at a predetermined distance between the first claw section and the first claw receiving section and the second claw section and the second receiving section, and the first pressing member in the pair of fabric clamping sections grips the corners of the fabric that protrude from the first claw section and the first claw receiving section, and when the fabric is handed over from the fabric clamping section to the spreading clamp, the spreading clamp clamps the fabric arranged at a predetermined second distance between the first pressing member, the second pressing member and the third pressing member.

A sixth aspect of the present invention provides a cloth spreading device according to the fifth aspect, wherein the intermediate holding portion has a suction portion that sucks in a corner of the cloth that protrudes from the one claw portion and the first claw receiving portion.

Because the present invention is configured and operates as described above, it is possible to provide a fabric feeding device that securely grips the corners of fabrics without shifting the fabrics, and a fabric spreading device that has the fabric feeding device.

1A is a front view of a cloth spreading device having a cloth feeding device, and FIG. 1A is a schematic side view of a cloth spreading device having a cloth inserting device, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged schematic view of A. A is a side view of the clamp unit in an open state. B is a rear view of A. C is a side view of the clamp unit in a closed state. D is a rear view of C. E is a side view of the clamp unit in a fully open state. F is a rear view of E. 1A is a side view of a pair of fabric clamping parts in the intermediate holding part in an open state; B is a plan view of A; C is a rear view of A; D is a side view of a pair of fabric clamping parts in the intermediate holding part in a closed state; E is a plan view of D; and F is a rear view of D. 1A is a schematic side view of the cloth feeding device with the clamp unit and the drive unit moved downward, and FIG. 1B is a schematic side view of the cloth feeding device with the clamp unit and the drive unit moved upward. 1A is a front view of the clamp unit in a standby state at the initial position, and FIG. 1B is a side view of the clamp unit in the state of A. 1A is a front view of the state in which, when the fabric spreading device is started, the intermediate holding unit is rotated by the rotary cylinder, and the pair of fabric clamping units are opened. 1A is a front view of a state in which a right corner of a piece of cloth is attached to a clamp portion of the cloth feeding device, and FIG. 1B is a side view of the state in A. A is a side view of the intermediate holding part in the state of Figure 8. B is a plan view of the intermediate holding part in the state of A. C is a rear view of the intermediate holding part in the state of A. D is a side view of the clamp part in the state of Figure 8. E is a plan view of the clamp part in the state of D. F is a rear view of the clamp part in the state of D. 1A is a front view showing a state in which the clamping unit lifts the fabric, and FIG. 1B is a side view showing the state in A. A is a side view of the intermediate holding part in the state of Figure 10. B is a plan view of the intermediate holding part in the state of A. C is a rear view of the intermediate holding part in the state of A. D is a side view of the clamp part in the state of Figure 7. E is a conceptual plan view of the clamp part in the state of D. F is a rear view of the clamp part in the state of D. 1A is a front view of the state in which the clamping unit is raised until the cloth is handed over and the sensor reacts, and FIG. 1B is a side view of the state in A. 13A is a side view of the clamping portion and intermediate holding portion in the state of Fig. 12. B is a plan view of the clamping portion and intermediate holding portion in the state of A. C is a rear view of the clamping portion and intermediate holding portion in the state of A. 1A is a front view of the state in which the clamping portion holds the cloth while the suction portion sucks the corner of the cloth, and FIG. 1B is a side view of the state in A. 14A is a side view of the clamp unit and intermediate holding unit in the state of FIG. 14B. B is a plan view of the clamp unit and intermediate holding unit in the state of A. C is a rear view of the clamp unit and intermediate holding unit in the state of A. 1A is a front view of the state in which the fabric clamping portion holds a corner of the fabric, and FIG. 1B is a side view of the state in A. 16A is a side view of the clamp unit and intermediate holding unit in the state of FIG. 16B, B is a plan view of the clamp unit and intermediate holding unit in the state of A, and C is a rear view of the clamp unit and intermediate holding unit in the state of A. 1A is a front view showing a state in which the fabric clamping portion holds a corner of the fabric while the clamping portion is fully opened, and FIG. 19A is a side view of the clamp unit and intermediate holding unit in the state of Fig. 18. B is a plan view of the clamp unit and intermediate holding unit in the state of A. C is a rear view of the clamp unit and intermediate holding unit in the state of A. 1A is a front view of the state in which the clamping unit is fully opened and the fabric clamping unit is rotated backward while holding a corner of the fabric, and FIG. 1B is a side view of the state in A. 21A is a side view of the clamping portion and intermediate holding portion in the state of Fig. 20. B is a plan view of the clamping portion and intermediate holding portion in the state of A. C is a rear view of the clamping portion and intermediate holding portion in the state of A. 1A is a front view showing a state in which the clamping unit is closed and the cloth attached to the cloth clamping unit is moved to a buffer position, and FIG. 1B is a side view of the state in A. 23A is a side view of the clamp unit and intermediate holding unit in the state of Fig. 22. B is a plan view of the clamp unit and intermediate holding unit in the state of A. C is a rear view of the clamp unit and intermediate holding unit in the state of A. 1A is a front view of the state in which the cloth attached to the cloth clamping section has been moved to a buffer position, and FIG. 1B is a side view of the state in A. 25A is a side view of the intermediate holding part and the expansion clamp in the state of Figure 24. B is a plan view of the intermediate holding part and the expansion clamp in the state of A. C is a front view of the intermediate holding part and the expansion clamp in the state of A. 1A is a front view showing a state in which cloth is about to be transferred from the cloth clamping portion to the spreading clamp, and FIG. 1B is a side view of the state in A. 27A is a side view of the intermediate holding part and the expansion clamp in the state of Fig. 26. B is a plan view of the intermediate holding part and the expansion clamp in the state of A. C is a front view of the intermediate holding part and the expansion clamp in the state of A. 1A is a front view of a state in which the cloth has been transferred from the cloth clamping unit to the spreading clamp, and FIG. 1B is a side view of the state in A. 29A is a side view of the intermediate holding part and the expansion clamp in the state of Fig. 28. B is a plan view of the intermediate holding part and the expansion clamp in the state of A. C is a front view of the intermediate holding part and the expansion clamp in the state of A. 1A is a front view of the spreading clamp when spreading the fabric, and FIG. 1B is a side view of the spreading clamp when spreading the fabric. 30A is a side view of the intermediate holding part and the expansion clamp in the state of Fig. 30. B is a plan view of the intermediate holding part and the expansion clamp in the state of A. C is a front view of the intermediate holding part and the expansion clamp in the state of A. 1A is a front view of the device holding eight pieces of fabric, and FIG. 1B is a side view of the device in the state of FIG.

Hereinafter, a cloth feeding device 10 and a cloth spreading device 500 having the cloth feeding device 10 will be described with reference to the illustrated embodiment. The cloth spreading device 500 of this embodiment spreads washed cloths W such as sheets, wrapping cloths, tablecloths, duvet covers, etc. to the left and right and transports them to the next process, and the cloth feeding device 10 delivers the cloths W to a pair of left and right spreading clamps 510, 510 in the cloth spreading device 500 for spreading the cloths W to the left and right. Thereafter, the cloths W spread by the pair of left and right spreading clamps 510, 510 are transported to the next process by a conveyor 540.

The fabric spreading device 500 of this embodiment has four fabric feeding devices 10, and an operator (not shown) can attach fabrics W to each of the fabric feeding devices 10. The fabric spreading device 500 of this embodiment also has two pairs of left and right spreading clamps 510, 510, and can receive fabrics W from the four fabric feeding devices 10 in order or randomly.

The fabric feeding device 10 has a pair of left and right clamping sections 20, 20 for attaching fabric W, and a pair of left and right intermediate holding sections 100, 100. The fabric feeding device 10 also has feeding sensors 25, 25 for detecting that the fabric W has been attached to the clamping sections 20. The fabric feeding device 10 also has LED lights 26, 26 that emit light to notify an operator (not shown) that the fabric W has been attached by the feeding sensors 25, 25.

The pair of left and right clamping units 20, 20 are raised by driving units 24, 24, and can be lowered after transferring the fabric W to the pair of left and right intermediate holding units 100, 100. The driving units 24 are preferably, for example, electric actuators. The electric actuators can also be replaced with pneumatic devices and linear guides.

The pair of left and right clamping parts 20, 20 can move up and down independently. The pair of left and right clamping parts 20, 20 are symmetrical, and therefore, the right clamping part 20 will be described in particular, and the description of the left clamping part 20 may be omitted.

Next, the configuration and operation of the right clamp unit 20, as viewed from the front, will be described. The clamp unit 20 includes an openable/closable first claw portion 21a and a first claw receiving portion 21b, an openable/closable second claw portion 22a and a second claw receiving portion 22b, and a dual cylinder 23 that drives the first claw portion 21a, the first claw receiving portion 21b, and the second claw portion 22a and the second claw receiving portion 22b to open and close. The first claw portion 21a and the second claw portion 22a are arranged with a predetermined distance H between them. The first claw receiving portion 21b and the second claw receiving portion 22b are also arranged with a predetermined distance H between them. The first claw portion 21a and the second claw portion 22a are integrally formed with the main body of the clamp unit 20. In this manner, the first claw portion 21a and the first claw receiving portion 21b that receives it can grip the fabric W. Similarly, the second claw portion 22a and the second claw receiving portion 22b that receives it can grip the fabric W. In this embodiment, the predetermined distance H is preferably 107 mm, but is not limited to this.

The clamp unit 20 is also moved up and down by a drive unit 24. As described above, the drive unit 24 is preferably an actuator. In this manner, the pair of clamp units 20, 20 can be independently driven by the drive units 24, 24, respectively. This will be described in more detail below.

The intermediate holding unit 100 also has a pair of fabric clamping units 110, 110 that open and close to sandwich the fabric W. The intermediate holding unit 100 also has a transfer cylinder 120 that is driven to spread the fabric W clamped by the pair of fabric clamping units 110, 110 and transfer it to the clamp 510. The intermediate holding unit 100 also has a transfer claw cylinder 135 that drives the pair of fabric clamping units 110, 110 to open and close. The intermediate holding unit 100 also has a rotation cylinder 150 that is driven to rotate the pair of fabric clamping units 110, 110 from a receiving position where the fabric clamping units 110, 110 receive the fabric W from the raised clamp unit 20, as described below, to a buffer position where the fabric W is stored, as described below. The intermediate holding unit 100 also has a transfer position sensor 200.

3A and 3B show a standby state of the clamp unit 20 before attaching the cloth W. Also, FIGS. 3C and 3D show a state in which the dual cylinder 23 is slightly driven in the contraction direction, and the first claw portion 21a and the first claw receiving portion 21b, and the second claw portion 22a and the second claw receiving portion 22b are clamping the cloth W. Also, FIGS. 4E and 4F show a state in which the dual cylinder 23 is driven in the extension direction, and the first claw portion 21a and the first claw receiving portion 21b, and the second claw portion 22a and the second claw receiving portion 22b each have an opening R. The opening R indicates a state in which the first claw portion 21a and the first claw receiving portion 21b, and the second claw portion 22a and the second claw receiving portion 22b are fully opened.

Furthermore, as described above, the pair of fabric clamping sections 110, 110 are configured to be openable and closable by the transfer claw cylinder 135 (see Figure 2B), and the pair of fabric clamping sections 110, 110 open in approximately a straight line (see Figures 4A, 4B, and 4C), and close so that the pair of fabric clamping sections 110, 110 overlap (see Figures 4E and 4F).

Each of the pair of cloth clamping sections 110 has a first shaft-shaped pressing member 111, a second shaft-shaped pressing member 112, and a third shaft-shaped pressing member 113 that clamp the cloth W.

The first shaft-shaped presser member 111 and the second shaft-shaped presser member 112 are arranged to have a second distance H2 therebetween. The second shaft-shaped presser member 112 and the third shaft-shaped presser member 113 are also arranged to have a second distance H2 therebetween. The intermediate holding unit 100 has a suction unit 140 that sucks the fabric W (see FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, and 4F). The second distance H2 in this embodiment is preferably 44 millimeters, but is not limited to this.

Next, the up-and-down movement unit 50, which moves the pair of left and right clamp units 20, 20 and the pair of left and right drive units 24, 24 up and down, has a rail unit 51 attached to the drive unit 24, a journal unit 52 that slides along the rail unit 51, a cylinder unit 53 that drives the journal unit 52 along the rail unit 51, and an attachment unit 54 for attaching the cylinder unit 53 to the cloth feeding device 10.

The extension and contraction of the cylinder 53 causes the clamps 20, 20 and the drive unit 24 to move up and down, allowing the position of the pair of left and right clamps 20, 20 located at the bottom to be adjusted according to the height or build of the operator (not shown). In the fabric feeding device 10 of this embodiment, the position of the pair of left and right clamps 20, 20 located at the bottom can be moved upward within a range of 200 mm. In Figures 1 and 5, the fabric feeding device 10' is configured so that its position can be moved upward within a range of 200 mm relative to the pair of left and right clamps 20, 20 located at the bottom of the fabric feeding device 10. In this way, the position of the clamps 20, 20 can be moved up and down to accommodate operators of different heights. Furthermore, by moving the clamps 20 up and down in this way, the clamps 20, 20 can be seen by operators of different heights (not shown).

Next, the operation and configuration of the cloth W attached to the clamp units 20, 20 of the cloth feeding device 10 is described, along with how it is transferred to the spreading clamps 510, 510 via the intermediate holding units 100, 100. When the cloth feeding device 10 is stopped (see FIGS. 6A and 6B ), a switch (not shown) is turned on to start the cloth spreading device 500, and the first claw unit 21 a and the first claw receiving unit 21 b, and the second claw unit 22 a and the second claw receiving unit 22 b of the clamp units 20, 20 open. At the same time, the transfer cylinder 120 and the rotating cylinder 150 move to their initial positions. Furthermore, the transfer claw cylinder 135 is driven, causing the pair of cloth clamping units 110, 110 to open (see FIGS. 7A and 7B ).

An operator (not shown) attaches the fabric W near the right corner WR between the first claw portion 21a and the first claw receiving portion 21b, and between the second claw portion 22a and the second claw receiving portion 22b. In this case, an operator (not shown) may also attach the fabric W near the left corner WL to the clamp portion 20 on the left side when viewed from the front. In the following explanation, a case will be described in which the fabric W is attached to the right clamp portion 20 of the pair of left and right clamp portions 20, 20 and then raised in order to untangle the entangled fabric W. However, when attaching both the left and right corners of the fabric W to the pair of left and right clamp portions 20, 20, the following operation may be applied to the left clamp portion 20 as well, and therefore the explanation may be omitted.

When the vicinity of the right corner WR of the fabric W is attached between the first claw portion 21 a and the first claw receiving portion 21 b and between the second claw portion 22 a and the second claw receiving portion 22 b of the clamp portion 20, the insertion sensor 25 detects this and the LED light 26 illuminates the clamp portion 20. This notifies an operator (not shown) that the right corner WR of the fabric W has been attached to the clamp portion 20. At the same time, the first claw portion 21 a and the first claw receiving portion 21 b, and the second claw portion 22 a and the second claw receiving portion 22 b close together to grasp and secure the vicinity of the right corner WR (see FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C).

Thereafter, the clamping unit 20 is raised by the driving unit 24. The intermediate holding unit 100 further includes a transfer position sensor 200, which raises the clamping unit 20 to a position where the intermediate holding unit 100 can grip both right corners WR of the fabric W (see FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C).

The clamping unit 20 is raised by the driving unit 24 and stops at a position where the pair of cloth clamping units 110, 110 of the intermediate holding unit 100 can clamp the cloth W (see Figures 10A, 10B, and 10C).

The right corner WR of the fabric W is located outward G from the first claw portion 21a and the first claw receiving portion 21b, and may sag. To prevent the right corner WR of the fabric W from sagging, the suction portion 140 applies suction. This keeps the right corner WR of the fabric W standing upright (see FIGS. 11A, 11B, and 11C). Note that "outward G" refers to the direction from the center of the fabric W toward the right corner WR when the first claw portion 21a and the first claw receiving portion 21b clamp the area near the right corner WR of the fabric W. Furthermore, "outward G" refers to the direction from the center of the fabric W toward the left corner WL when the first claw portion 21a and the first claw receiving portion 21b clamp the area near the left corner WL of the fabric W. In other words, "outward G" refers to the direction from the center of the fabric toward both the left and right ends of the fabric.

As described above, the intermediate holding unit 100 has a pair of fabric clamping units 110, 110 that clamp the fabric W near the right corner WR, and the pair of fabric clamping units 110, 110 has a first pressing member 111 that clamps the fabric W, a second pressing member 112 that clamps the fabric W, and a third pressing member 113 that clamps the fabric W. Therefore, when the transfer claw cylinder 135 is driven, the portion of the fabric W that is positioned at a predetermined distance H between the first claw portion 21a and the first claw receiving portion 21b and the second claw portion 22a and the second claw receiving portion 22b in the clamp unit 20 is clamped by the second pressing member 112 and the third pressing member 113, and the right corner WR of the fabric W that protrudes outward G in the direction outward G between the first claw portion 21a and the first claw receiving portion 21b is clamped by the first pressing member 111. As described above, the right corner WR of the fabric W is sucked by the suction unit 140 and arranged so as to stand upright, so that the first presser member 111 can clamp the right corner WR of the fabric W that protrudes outside the first claw portion 21 a and the first claw receiver 21 b. At this point, the fabric W is still attached to the first claw portion 21 a and the first claw receiver 21 b and the second claw portion 22 a and the second claw receiver 22 b of the clamp unit 20 (see FIGS. 12A, 12B, and 12C). In this way, the first presser member 111 clamps the protruding right corner WR of the fabric W, preventing it from sagging.

Next, the first claw portion 21a and the first claw receiving portion 21b, and the second claw portion 22a and the second claw receiving portion 22b, respectively open, releasing the fabric W held by the clamp portion 20. Meanwhile, the fabric W is held by the intermediate holding portion 100 (see FIGS. 13A, 13B, and 13C). In this manner, the fabric W is transferred from the clamp portion 20 to the intermediate holding portion 100. At this time, the gap between the first claw portion 21a and the first claw receiving portion 21b and the gap between the second claw portion 22a and the second claw receiving portion 22b is maximized.

Next, the rotating cylinder 150 rotates, and the pair of fabric clamping units 110, 110 clamping the fabric W and the transfer claw cylinder 135 both rotate backward K (see Figures 14A, 14B, and 14C). That is, the pair of fabric clamping units 110, 110 in the upright position rotate so that they face horizontally. This removes the pair of fabric clamping units 110, 110 from the path of the clamping unit 20 moving up and down. Therefore, the fabric W held by the intermediate holding unit 100 does not interfere with the clamping unit 20. In this way, the pair of fabric clamping units 110, 110 rotate backward by the rotating cylinder 150, and the fabric W moves to a position where the fabric W will be stored, as described below. That is, the pair of fabric clamping units 110, 110 rotate backward while holding the fabric W by the rotating cylinder 150, and move to the buffer position.

As in the above process, the left corner WL of the fabric W is also attached to the clamp unit 20, and then handed over from the clamp unit 20 to the intermediate holding unit 100 and held there, whereby the right corner WR and left corner WL of the fabric W are held by the intermediate holding units 100, 100, respectively (see Figures 15A, 15B, and 15C).

At this time, the cloth W held by the pair of cloth clamping sections 110, 110 of the intermediate holding sections 100, 100 and the clamping sections 20, 20 do not interfere with each other, so the clamping sections 20, 20 return to their original positions (bottommost positions) (see Figures 16A, 16B, and 16C).

An operator (not shown) can again attach the fabric W to the clamp units 20, 20. Since the fabric spreading device 500 of this embodiment has four fabric feeding devices 10, four pieces of fabric W can be attached to each clamp unit and four pieces of fabric W can be held in each intermediate holding unit 100. In this way, the fabric spreading device 500 can temporarily store, i.e., store, a total of eight pieces of fabric W. In other words, the fabric spreading device 500 can buffer a total of eight pieces of fabric W (see FIGS. 20A and 20B).

The right corner WR and the left corner WL of the fabric W are fixed at a second distance H2 by a first presser member 111, a second presser member 112, and a third presser member 113 of the pair of fabric clamping units 110. The spreading clamp 510 has a first opening/closing claw 521 and a second opening/closing claw 522 that open and close to grip the fabric W, and they are arranged to have a third distance H3 (see FIG. 16C ). In this embodiment, the third distance H3 is preferably 28 millimeters, but is not limited to this.

Next, the fabric W is transferred from the intermediate holding units 100 to the pair of spreading clamps 510. Specifically, the transfer cylinder 120 is actuated to drive the pair of fabric clamping units 110, 110 holding the fabric W so that they come into contact with the spreading clamps 510. As described above, the right corner WR and the left corner WL of the fabric W are fixed at a predetermined second distance H2 by the first pressing member 111, the second pressing member 112, and the third pressing member 113 of the pair of fabric clamping units 110, 110, respectively. The first opening/closing claw 521 and the first opening/closing claw 522 in the spreading clamp 510 respectively grasp the fabric W arranged in the second gap H2 between the first pressing member 111 and the second pressing member 112 and the second gap H2 between the second pressing member 112 and the third pressing member 113 by the first opening/closing claw 521 which opens and closes and the second opening/closing claw 522 which opens and closes (see Figures 17A, B, and 17C).

In this way, in the process in which the fabric W is handed over from the clamp unit 20 to the intermediate holding unit 100 and the spreading clamp 510, the first claw portion 21a and the first claw receiving portion 21b and the second claw portion 22a and the second claw receiving portion 22b in the clamp unit 20 have a predetermined distance H, and the first pressing member 111, the second pressing member 112, and the third pressing member 113 in the intermediate holding unit 100 each have a predetermined second distance H2, so that the first opening/closing claw 521 and the first opening/closing claw 522 in the spreading clamp 510 can grasp the fabric W positioned at their respective predetermined second distances H2, thereby preventing the right corner WR and the left corner WL of the fabric W from bending (see Figures 17A, B, 17C, 18A, B, 18C).

As described above, the first presser member 111, the second presser member 112, and the third presser member 113 are shaft-shaped and have a narrow width, so that they can grip the right corner WR and the left corner WL of the fabric W. After this, the pair of fabric clamping parts 110, 110 open and release their hold on the fabric W. The pair of fabric clamping parts 110, 110 are also moved forward F by the delivery cylinder 120 (see FIGS. 18A, 18B, and 18C).

In this way, the pair of fabric clamping units 110, 110 are moved forward F by the delivery cylinder 120, so that the pair of spreading clamps 510, 510 can spread and spread the fabric W without interfering with the movement of the fabric spreading device 500 in the left and right directions when viewed from the front (see FIGS. 19A, 19B, and 19C ). In this way, the pair of fabric clamping units 110, 110 grip the right corner WR and the left corner WL of the fabric W, respectively, and the pair of spreading clamps 510, 510 grip the right corner WR and the left corner WL of the fabric W, respectively, so that the right corner WR and the left corner WL of the fabric W can be prevented from sagging.

10 Cloth feeding device 20 Clamping section 21a First claw section 21b First claw receiving section 22a Second claw section 22b Second claw receiving section 22 Second claw section 23 Dual cylinder 25 Feeding sensor 26 LED lighting 24 Driving section 100 Intermediate holding section 110 Cloth clamping section 111 First pressing member 112 Second pressing member 113 Third pressing member 135 Transfer claw cylinder 140 Suction section 150 Rotating cylinder 500 Cloth spreading device 510 Spreading clamp 521 First opening/closing claw 522 Second opening/closing claw W Cloth WR Right corner WL Left corner

Claims (4)

a clamp portion for gripping a corner of the fabric;
an intermediate holding portion that holds the corner of the cloth from the clamping portion that holds the corner of the cloth,
The clamping portion includes a first claw portion and a first claw receiving portion that are arranged to be openable and closable to grip the corner portion,
The intermediate holding portion includes a pair of cloth clamping portions that open and close to clamp the cloth,
a suction portion that sucks in the corners of the fabric that protrude from the first claw portion and the first claw receiving portion to prevent them from hanging down ,
The pair of cloth clamping sections each have a first pressing member that clamps the cloth,
When the cloth is transferred from the clamping unit to the intermediate holding unit,
the suction portion sucks the corner portion of the cloth protruding from the first claw portion and the first claw receiving portion to prevent the corner portion from sagging;
A cloth feeding device in which the first pressing member of the pair of cloth clamping portions extends beyond the first claw portion and the first claw receiving portion and grasps the corners of the cloth sucked by the suction portion . a clamp portion for gripping a corner of the fabric;
an intermediate holding portion that holds the corner of the cloth from the clamping portion that holds the corner of the cloth,
The clamping portion includes a first claw portion and a first claw receiving portion that are arranged to be openable and closable to grip the corner portion,
a second claw portion and a second claw receiving portion that are openable and closable and are arranged at a predetermined interval from the first claw portion and the first claw receiving portion,
The intermediate holding portion includes a pair of cloth clamping portions that open and close to clamp the cloth,
a suction portion that sucks in the corners of the fabric that protrude from the first claw portion and the first claw receiving portion to prevent them from hanging down ,
The pair of cloth clamping sections each include a first pressing member that clamps the cloth, a second pressing member that clamps the cloth, and a third pressing member that clamps the cloth,
When the cloth is handed over from the clamping portion to the intermediate holding portion, the suction portion sucks the corner of the cloth that protrudes from the first claw portion and the first claw receiving portion to prevent the corner from sagging,
the second pressing member and the third pressing member of the pair of cloth clamping portions grip the cloth arranged at the predetermined interval between the first claw portion and the first claw receiving portion and the second claw portion and the second receiving portion,
A cloth feeding device in which the first pressing member of the pair of cloth clamping portions extends beyond the first claw portion and the first claw receiving portion and grasps the corners of the cloth sucked by the suction portion . A cloth feeding device as described in claim 2, wherein the first presser member, the second presser member, and the third presser member of the pair of cloth clamping sections are arranged so as to have a predetermined second gap between them. a clamp portion for gripping a corner of the fabric;
an intermediate holding portion that holds the corner of the cloth from the clamping portion that holds the corner;
and a spreading clamp for spreading the fabric,
The clamping portion includes a first claw portion and a first claw receiving portion that are arranged to be openable and closable to grip the corner portion,
a second claw portion and a second claw receiving portion that are openable and closable and are arranged at a predetermined interval from the first claw portion and the first claw receiving portion,
The intermediate holding portion includes a pair of cloth clamping portions that open and close to clamp the cloth,
a suction portion that sucks in the corners of the fabric that protrude from the first claw portion and the first claw receiving portion to prevent them from hanging down,
The pair of cloth clamping sections each include a first presser member that clamps the cloth, a second presser member that clamps the cloth, and a third presser member that clamps the cloth,
When the cloth is handed over from the clamping section to the intermediate holding section, the suction section sucks the corner of the cloth that protrudes from the first claw section and the first claw receiving section to prevent the corner from sagging,
the second pressing member and the third pressing member of the pair of cloth clamping portions grip the cloth arranged at the predetermined interval between the first claw portion and the first claw receiving portion and the second claw portion and the second receiving portion,
The first pressing member of the pair of cloth clamping parts protrudes from the first claw part and the first claw receiving part, and grips the corner part of the cloth sucked by the suction part,
When the fabric is handed over from the fabric clamping section to the spreading clamp, the spreading clamp clamps the fabric arranged at a predetermined second distance between the first pressing member, the second pressing member, and the third pressing member.