JPS6254483B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an apparatus for attaching a slide fastener member to fabric, such as the fabric of a garment. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for sewing "ladders" or rows of sliding fastener members directly to the fabric of a garment without the use of conventional intervening zipper tape.

According to the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for use in a machine for sewing a continuous row of fasteners onto a fabric and for cutting the laces of the row of fasteners after the sewing operation is completed. The device includes reciprocating blades that are engageable between adjacent members of a row and a linkage mechanism driven by the sewing machine that reciprocates the blades in a continuous path to feed the fabric and fastener members into the sewing machine, step by step. and a selective actuation mechanism for deepening the reciprocating path of the blade to cut the cord.

Other features of the invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, FIG. A shows a typical fastener member used in the present invention. This fastener member is U-shaped, with an enlarged head H at the bend.
, a leg portion L, and a tail portion N. The leg is recessed near the tail due to the notch O. The U-shaped member is made of plastic and has straps M embedded in its tail, which extend in the longitudinal direction of the fastener and keep it immobile and uniformly spaced. To cut such a fastener row, it is sufficient to simply cut the string M between the desired adjacent members, as is conventionally done.

As shown in FIG. 1, an apparatus embodying the present invention is generally designated by the numeral 10. It is attached to the presser foot shaft S of a standard sewing machine, which machine has a needle bar NB with a clamp C and a needle N cooperating with the sewing machine base B. Conventional tooth feeding FD (second
(see figure) engages the fabric and moves it over the sewing machine from below.

The device comprises a frame 12, the foot of which has a vertical opening 14 for receiving a presser foot shaft S, for which the frame 12 is provided in a threaded hole intersecting the opening 14. It is fixed by a fixing screw 16. A pair of presser shoes 18 and 20 are provided at the front end of the frame. These shoes are connected by a web 22 having a depending flared cam 24 (FIG. 5). To stabilize the fastener as fastener member E moves between shoes 18 and 20 and is expanded by cam 24, the shoe has inwardly projecting flanges 26, 28 that engage notches O (Figure A). It's there.

A feed arm 30 is provided above the shoe 20 at the front of the frame, and this arm is adapted to move reciprocatingly and to some extent up and down relative to the frame. The arm 30 is supported by the frame 12 and held there by a retaining plate 31. The vertical movement of the front end of the arm 30 is restricted by a stop finger 32, which is fixed to the left side of the frame 12 by a bolt (not shown) and attached to the shoe 18.
It extends upward and its end portion is above the arm 30. Furthermore, a slot 3 is provided near the rear end of this feed arm 30.
4 is formed.

This slot 34 receives a T-shaped spacer 36 which is fastened to the frame by bolts 38. This spacer 36 restricts vertical movement of the rear part of the arm, but allows horizontal reciprocating movement of the arm relative to the frame (Figure 2a).

As shown in FIG. 2a, the frame 12 has holes 37, 37a and 3 which become smaller sequentially from the top surface downward.
7b is drilled, the last hole 37b intersecting the cutout in the rear end of the arm 30. This last hole 3
A pin 39 that engages with the upper surface of the arm 30 is received in 7b. The upper end of the pin 39 has a set screw 39 that is adjustably inserted into the pin 39 and the screw hole 37.
b is pressed downward by a spring 39a provided in the hole 37a. The pressure exerted on the feed arm by pin 39 dampens the movement of arm 30 and also slightly raises the front end of arm 30 to balance its weight. This allows knife 5
The knife 7 reliably clears the fastener member E when moving forward.

Horizontal movement of the feed arm 30 is therefore limited by the slot 34 at its rear end. The front end of the arm 30 is allowed to move up and down, slightly restricted by the stop finger 32. Lowering of the front end of arm 30 is limited as described below.

Attached to the upward extension 40 (FIG. 2) of arm 30 is a vertical outwardly threaded post 42 which is received within an opening in drive arm 44. Drive arm 44
The front end of the needle is provided with a slot shown at 46 to receive the fixing screw CS of the needle clamp C.

Also, a bracket 47 whose lower end is fixed to the arm 30
By fitting the appropriate compression washer 47a and nut 48 into the post 42, the drive arm 44 is pressed tightly against the feed arm 30. As a result, when the needle reciprocates up and down like a sewing motion, the drive arm 4
4 swings around a pillar 42. This causes the front end of the feed arm 30 to swing up and down.

A cam roller 50 rotatably attached to the spindle 52 of the arm 44 allows the feed arm 30 to
The movement of the drive arm 44 is further restricted. The cam surface 54 is provided in the slot 56 of the fixed frame 12. A tip 54a is formed on the cam surface 54, and the roller 5
0 rolls on the tip 54a, the entire drive arm/feed arm assembly 44, 30 is moved to the right. At the same time, the sending arm 30 is lowered due to the frictional engagement between the lowering drive arm 44 and the sending arm 30.
The roller 5 is moved by the spring shoe 58 attached to the frame 12.
Push 0 to the left. The spring shoe 58 is pivotally connected to the frame 12 by a pin 60. The shoe 58 is pressed to the left by a spring 58a provided between the shoe 58 and the frame 12.

Attached to the front end of the arm 30 is a feed knife or blade member, which, when lowered and moved to the right (FIG. 2), engages between adjacent fastener members E in the row of fastener members and slightly narrows the entire row. It is designed to be moved to the rear of the sewing machine.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained. When the needle shaft reaches its lower limit, the feed arm 30 reaches its rear limit. Therefore, when the axis rises, the arm 44
is raised. This raises the front end of arm 30. When the needle N further rises, the spring shoe 58
presses the arm 44 forward (FIG. 7), causing the knife to also move forward.

In addition, the arm 30 and the knife 57 make a hoe-like movement,
As the fastener row is pulled step by step through the sewing machine, the needle N sews the fastener elements E onto the fabric F one by one, suitably synchronized with this movement.

The cutting mechanism of the slide fastener member E row includes the feed arm 30 and the knife 57, as described above. Note that a slot 62 is formed at the right end portion (FIG. 2) of the drive arm 44. An electric solenoid 70 having an armature consisting of a pin 72 is attached to the other side of the frame 12 . This pin is pressed to the retracted position by a spring 73 and a stop member 74
limits retrograde movement of the pin.

Actuation of the solenoid 70 causes the pin to move into the slot 62.
Driven within. The inclined front end of this pin (Fig. 2)
As shown in FIG. 2, even if the pin is not exactly aligned with the slot, the driving action of the solenoid 70 will push the pin into the slot 62 and move the drive arm 44/feed arm assembly to the right. let This action is performed against the pressing force of the spring shoe 58.

Said rightward movement places knife 57 in a new right position (FIG. 9), whereupon the knife is freely driven to its lowest position to cut the string of slide fastener rows between adjacent members (FIG. 9a). Note that the knife 57 is normally held above the above-mentioned lower position by a horizontal holding guide member 76 (FIG. 9) forming the upper surface of the cam 42. This guide member is usually
The knife 57 is prevented from moving to a low position where the fastener member row would be cut. but,
As shown in FIG. 3, the terminal end of the guide member 76 is immediately to the right of the end of normal travel of the feed knife 57. Thus, the normal reciprocating movement of the knife 57 is at such a height that the laces holding the fastener members E together are not engaged or cut by the knife, i.e. the knives are normally engaged between adjacent members E and the fastener Just go to the member row. Solenoid 70 is activated and pin 7
2 enters slot 62, assembly 30,
44 to the right to bring the knife 57 to the cutting position.

After cutting the string M, the sewing machine is operated by continuous operation of the solenoid 70 to perform continuous stitching and continuous advancement of the cloth, but the fastener member E
No columns are sent. This allows the sewing machine to carry out so-called retaining stitches before and after sewing the E row of fastener members.

Having explained the basic principle and operation of the zipper row feeding and cutting process, the variations shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 will be easily understood.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the same reference numerals used in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 9 are indicated with a prime sign (') wherever possible.

FIG. 10 is a front view of a pressaft having the ability to both feed and cut a fastener member array in accordance with the present invention. In this variant, frame 12'
supports a pair of fastener member expanding cams 24' and member guide rails 26', 28' formed on the shoe structures 20', 18'. Feeding arm 30
A pair of single knives 57' are formed at the front end of the knife. As in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 9, the knife 57' when supported by the guide member 76 and driven in a hoe-like manner advances in a row of spaced apart members E'. Actuation of a solenoid (not shown) causes arm 30' and knife 57' to move further to the right position and actuate guide member 76' to the right to simultaneously cut the laces of the fastener row.

In the apparatus shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, spaced rows of parallel fastener members are sewn directly to the fabric layer as shown in FIG. 12. As shown in the figure, the relative inclination of the two members E' shown in FIG.
), that is, the heads of the fastener members are oriented outwardly relative to the other row of fastener members.
Therefore, the intermediate product is a pair of fastener member rows with U-shaped openings facing each other, as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 13, the fabric F between the members is then cut parallel to the two rows of fastener members and about their center lines (see dashed line CL in FIG. 12 indicating the cut line). In the next step, the garment manufacturing step, the fabric F is folded at a position FF just outside the row of fastener members E' to produce another intermediate product as shown in FIG. Finally, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the slider X is used to engage the fastener member E' rows with each other. As can be understood by those skilled in the art, a conventional slider stopper SS is attached to the seam of the fabric and further sewn along the cut line.

In this way, by employing a double system as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, it is possible to obtain an apparatus for inexpensively producing an invisible fastener that is directly attached to the fabric of clothing without using the conventional intermediate tape. Those skilled in the art will appreciate the elimination of expensive and time consuming intermediate steps, including slider members already secured to intermediate tapes, which were previously required. It is clear that the apparatus and method of the present invention provide advantages over conventional methods.

FIGS. 17 and 18 are self-explanatory block diagrams showing the control system of an apparatus embodying the present invention.

In FIG. 17, a keyboard 101 is connected to a computer control device 102, which is connected to a sewing machine motor 103 as well as a cycle sensor 104 capable of calculating the rotational speed of the main shaft of the sewing machine.

In an actual market example, the computer control device is a machine known by the name of "microprocessor";
Pro Log, Monterrey, California
Available as model PLS-402 by Corporation.

Also connected to the computer controller are a stitch solenoid 70, a start switch 105, and a digital display indicating the number of stitches set in the computer controller according to the preprogrammed length fed by the keyboard. 106 and
and a format circuit 107 for setting a general program for sewing machine operation.

Next, FIG. 18 shows a method of operating the apparatus having the circuit shown in FIG. 17.

As can be seen, before the sewing machine is operated, the keyboard 101 sends information into the computer controller 102, which essentially includes the desired length of the zipper (information input step 108). The preset format circuit 107 sets a predetermined number of stitches from this information, and also provides the computer controller with the number of front and rear end stitches to be sewn onto the fabric before and after the actual sewing of the fastener member row. (back and forth end stitch count provision step 109) allows more reliable stitching to be performed at either end of the row to prevent inadvertent actuation at the end of the fastener member row (front and rear end stitch number provided by the format circuit 107). Stitch number calculation cycle 110).

In accordance with a command sent to the sewing machine by the computer control unit 102, the sewing operation is started with the activation of the solenoid 70 (starting process 11).
1). When the needle end is reciprocated by the operation of the solenoid 70, the blade 75 is simply reciprocated at its cutting position without feeding the fastener row (stitching process 112 of the front end of the fastener member by energizing the stitch solenoid).

When the cycle sensor 104 counts a suitable number of prestitches (front end stitch counting process 11
3) Computer controller 102 automatically deenergizes solenoid 70 so that on subsequent reciprocations of the needle, drive arm 44 drives feed arm 30 and fastenser on each reciprocation of the needle in the aforementioned hoe motion. The member row is fed, and the individual members are sewn onto the fabric F by means of a needle (step 114 for sewing a fastener member row by deenergizing the stitch solenoid).

When the cycle sensor 104 counts a constant number of revolutions of the sewing machine's drive shaft equal to the number of inches of the attached zipper (sewing stitch counting process 11
5), the computer control device 102 operates the solenoid 70 to perform the cutting operation of the fastener member row E as described above (cutting and rear end stitching process 1).
17).

When the solenoid 70 is finally actuated, the solenoid and the knife 57 reciprocate in the cutting position without advancing the fastener row, and the last stitch is counted by the sensor 104 (back end stitch counting process) before stopping the sewing machine. 117), then the operation of the sewing machine is stopped (stopping step 118).

The improved apparatus and method described above represents a significant technological advance in making garment manufacturing more economical and improving the quality of the final product.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an example of a fastener member to which the present invention is applied, Figure 1 is a perspective view of an accessory to which the present invention is attached to an ordinary sewing machine, and Figure 2 is a side view of the accessory. The knife guide member is shown by cutting out the lower part of the side of the accessory, and the adjacent part of the sewing machine is partially shown by cutting out from the opposite side of the accessory shown in Figure 1, and Figure 2a shows the knife guide member. 2a in Figure 2
3 is a plan view of FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a partial front end view, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 3, and FIG. Figure 6-
6 line sectional view, FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing feeding to the fastener member row and engagement of the cutting knife, No. 7a.
The figure is an enlarged front end view of the knife and related parts in the position shown in Figure 7, and Figure 8 is a feeding process in which one of the fastener members (blacked out for clarity) is further advanced by the feed knife. FIG. 8a is an enlarged partial end view of the knife and associated parts in the position shown in FIG. 8; FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 7 and 8 showing the state in which the fastener member row is cut, and FIG. 9a is similar to FIG.
FIG. 10, an enlarged partial view of the knife and related parts in the position shown, is a front end view of a second embodiment of the apparatus for sewing parallel fastener members, showing the relationship between the feed knife and the row of fastener members. 11 is a partially sectional side view showing the device shown in FIG. 10, and FIG. 12 shows a fastener attached to a piece of cloth by the device shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. Figure 13 is an enlarged sectional view of the product shown in Figure 12, with the cloth cut in the middle of the fastener member rows, and Figure 14 is a diagram showing the fastener member rows by folding them so that they are not visible. Other steps to complete the product shown in Figure 13 inside the fabric, Figure 15 is a sectional view of the fastener shown in Figure 14 with the fastener member rows continuous, Figure 16 is the zipper slider and end stopper. Figure 15 shows the fabric of the assembly, Figure 17 shows Figures 1 to 1.
1 is a block diagram showing a mechanism using the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing various steps using the mechanism shown in FIG. 17. E... Fastener member, F... Cloth, H... Head of fastener, L... Leg of fastener, N...
Fusner tail, O...notch, M...string,
N...needle, NB...needle bar, S...presser foot shaft, SS...
...Slider stop, X...Slider, 12...Frame,
24...cam, 30...feeding arm, 32...stop finger,
44... Drive arm, 50... Cam roller, 57...
...Knife, 58...Spring shoe, 58a...Spring, 70...Solenoid, 72...Pin, 76...
...Horizontal holding guide member.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Sewing a continuous row of fastener members onto a cloth,
A device used in a machine for cutting a connecting string of a row of fastener members after a sewing operation is completed, which comprises a reciprocating blade that can engage between adjacent members of the row of fastener members, and a blade driven by a sewing machine. A slide fastener characterized by having a link mechanism that reciprocates in a continuous path to feed the fabric and fastener members step by step to the sewing machine, and a selective actuation mechanism that deepens the reciprocating path of the blade and cuts the string. A device that attaches parts to cloth. 2. The selective actuation mechanism has a solenoid actuation member interlocked with the link mechanism, and the solenoid actuation member is actuated by energization to cause the blade to pass through the path of movement of the blade toward the fastener member row and to remove the string. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it is enlarged to the point of cutting. 3. The above-mentioned claim further comprises a control device that counts the number of fastener members as they are sewn onto the fabric, and further operates a selective actuation mechanism when a certain number of fastener members have been sewn onto the fabric. Apparatus according to item 1 or 2 of the scope. 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the control device also performs a predetermined number of stitches after cutting the cord to complete the sewing operation. 5. The blade is a hoe-like structure and reciprocates in a hoe-like manner so that the blade successively engages subsequent members of the row of fastener members to pull the fastener members into the sewing machine. The device according to any one of items 1 to 4 of the range. 6. The path of movement of the spade-like structure in the direction toward the connecting string is such that when the selective actuation mechanism is actuated,
6. Apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the blades of said hoe-like structure are expanded to such an extent that they penetrate said passageway and cut said lace. 7. The guide member is fixed to the blade, and each of the guide members has a guide surface that engages with the leg portion of the fastener member, and each of the guide members engages the head of the fastener member with the cloth and 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fastener member is guided to a sewing machine with its legs extending from the fabric.