An automatic overhead line jointing machine

Abstract

The application discloses an automatic open line stitching machine, which comprises a rack, wherein an upper feeding mechanism is arranged on the middle part of the upper surface of the rack, a seam material is placed on the upper feeding mechanism, the upper feeding mechanism can be used for supporting, shaping, rotating, lifting and feeding the seam material to the next work station, an XY motion mechanism is connected with a presser foot mechanism, the XY motion mechanism can control the presser foot mechanism to move downward and press the seam material, and the XY motion mechanism can also be used for conveying the seam material to a sewing head for open line sewing, the XY motion mechanism is also used for conveying the seam material to a front material collecting mechanism, the front material collecting mechanism is used for pushing the seam material to an ironing mechanism for ironing, and a rear material collecting mechanism is used for collecting the seam material after ironing. The application can achieve the advantages of beautiful stitching line, high sewing quality, fast sewing speed and the like, greatly reduces the requirement for operators, reduces labor, improves quality and efficiency, and reduces the labor cost of a garment factory.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of garment production machinery technology, and in particular to an automatic topstitching machine. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, most small garment accessories, such as pocket flaps on clothes and trousers, cufflinks on shirts, and collars on shirts, are manufactured using a standard process, mainly including: cutting, blind stitching, turning, ironing, and topstitching, each completed in sequence. That is, first cutting the garment, then blind stitching, then turning and ironing, and finally topstitching. Existing technology has the following main drawbacks:

[0003] The current process involves cutting the fabric and then stitching it with concealed seams. The fabric is then manually turned over, followed by ironing and topstitching. Ironing and topstitching require two people: one to turn the fabric over and iron it, and the other to do the topstitching. Because topstitching requires high precision, a template machine is used, which reduces efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide an automatic surface-stitching machine to address the aforementioned technical problems.

[0005] An automatic surface-stitching sewing machine includes a frame, on which are provided:

[0006] The feeding mechanism is located in the middle of the upper surface of the frame. The feeding mechanism holds the sewing material and can stretch, shape, rotate, lift and feed the sewing material to the next station.

[0007] The XY motion mechanism is connected to the presser foot mechanism. The XY motion mechanism can control the presser foot mechanism to move down and press the fabric, and transport it to the sewing machine head for topstitching. The XY motion mechanism is also used to transport the fabric to the front take-up mechanism, which is used to push the fabric to the ironing mechanism for ironing.

[0008] The post-collection mechanism is used to collect the ironed fabric.

[0009] In one embodiment, the feeding mechanism includes:

[0010] Sliding plate;

[0011] The template frame is rotatably connected to the sliding plate via bearings. The template frame is connected to a first retraction cylinder, which can drive the template frame to rotate and rise or fall.

[0012] The template, on which the sewing material can be fitted, includes a left template, a middle template and a right template arranged in parallel. The left template and the right template are respectively connected to a spreading cylinder via a connecting rod. The spreading cylinder can drive the connecting rod to rotate, so that the left template and the right template expand to the left and right sides relative to the middle template and spread and shape the sewing material.

[0013] Limiting units are provided on the left and right sides of the template, and the limiting units can control the width of the sewing material and the left and right position of the sewing material;

[0014] The second retraction cylinder, when the template frame rotates and descends, can drive the sliding plate to move along the slide rail, and feed the sewing material forward and position it.

[0015] In one embodiment, the limiting unit includes a limiting screw and a limiting nut, wherein the limiting screw passes through the limiting nut and is connected to the left template and the right template.

[0016] In one embodiment, the XY motion mechanism includes:

[0017] The pressure frame is connected to an X-axis drive motor and a Y-axis drive motor respectively. The X-axis drive motor and the Y-axis drive motor can drive the pressure frame to move in the X and Y directions respectively.

[0018] A clamping cylinder is connected to a pressure plate. The clamping cylinder can drive the pressure plate to move up and down to clamp or release the sewing material. The X-axis drive motor and the Y-axis drive motor can also move the sewing material to the sewing machine head for surface stitching.

[0019] In one embodiment, the front receiving mechanism includes a transport cylinder and a feeding rack, the feeding rack being connected to the transport cylinder, and the transport cylinder being able to drive the feeding rack to push the sewing material under the ironing mechanism.

[0020] In one embodiment, the ironing mechanism includes:

[0021] Ironing cylinder;

[0022] An upper pressure plate is connected below the ironing cylinder, and the upper pressure plate is equipped with a heating unit and a spraying unit;

[0023] A lower pressure plate is located below the upper pressure plate, and the lower pressure plate is equipped with a heating unit and an exhaust unit.

[0024] In one embodiment, the post-collection mechanism includes:

[0025] A receiving cylinder is connected to an extending cylinder via a connecting plate. The receiving cylinder can drive the extending cylinder to move back and forth.

[0026] The receiving plate is connected to the extending cylinder, which can drive the receiving plate to move up and down. The outer end of the receiving plate is provided with a suction head, which can generate negative pressure to suck up the sewn piece.

[0027] The receiving conveyor belt is used to transport the sewn pieces.

[0028] In one embodiment, the ironing mechanism further includes a safety guard that covers the take-up cylinder.

[0029] In one embodiment, the frame is provided with a first shelf and a second shelf, which are respectively disposed at the feeding mechanism and the receiving mechanism.

[0030] In one embodiment, the frame is further provided with an electrical control box and an operation display. The electrical control box is connected to the feeding mechanism, the XY motion mechanism, the presser foot mechanism, the sewing head, the front take-up mechanism, the ironing mechanism, and the rear take-up mechanism, respectively. The operation display is connected to the electrical control box.

[0031] The aforementioned automatic topstitching machine, by placing the fabric onto the feeding mechanism for stretching and shaping, then feeding it forward, and finally using the XY motion mechanism to control the presser foot mechanism to transport the fabric to the sewing machine head for topstitching, achieves advantages such as beautiful stitches, high-quality thread, and fast sewing speed. Furthermore, the XY motion mechanism can transport the sewn fabric to the front receiving mechanism, which pushes the fabric to the ironing mechanism for ironing. Finally, the receiving mechanism collects the ironed fabric. This significantly reduces the operator's workload; the operator only needs to feed the fabric, while the sewing, ironing, and receiving are all done automatically by the machine. This reduces manual labor, improves quality and efficiency, and lowers labor costs for garment factories. Attached Figure Description

[0032] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0033] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the mechanism of the automatic surface stitch sewing machine of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding mechanism of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of the feeding mechanism of the present invention from another angle;

[0036] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the XY motion mechanism of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the sewing machine head mechanism of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the mechanism of the front receiving section of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the ironing mechanism of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the post-receiving mechanism of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0041] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, a more complete description will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings. However, the invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a thorough and complete understanding of the disclosure of the invention.

[0042] It should be noted that when a component is said to be "fixed to" another component, it can be directly attached to the other component or there may be an intervening component. When a component is said to be "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intervening component.

[0043] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein in the description of the invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention.

[0044] See Figure 1-8 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides an automatic surface-stitching machine, including a frame 1, wherein the frame 1 is provided with:

[0045] The feeding mechanism 2 is located in the middle of the upper surface of the frame 1. The feeding mechanism 2 holds the sewing material and can stretch, shape, rotate, lift and feed the sewing material to the next station.

[0046] The XY motion mechanism 3 is connected to the presser foot mechanism 4. The XY motion mechanism 3 can control the presser foot mechanism 4 to move down and press the fabric, and transport it to the sewing machine head 5 for surface stitching. The XY motion mechanism 3 is also used to transport the fabric to the front take-up mechanism 6, and the front take-up mechanism 6 is used to push the fabric to the ironing mechanism 7 for ironing.

[0047] The post-collection mechanism 8 is used to collect the ironed fabric.

[0048] The aforementioned automatic topstitching machine, by placing the fabric onto the feeding mechanism 2 for stretching and shaping, then feeding it forward, and then the XY motion mechanism 3 controls the presser foot mechanism 4 to transport the fabric to the sewing machine head 5 for topstitching. It achieves advantages such as beautiful stitches, high-quality thread, and fast sewing speed. Furthermore, the XY motion mechanism 3 can also transport the sewn fabric to the front receiving mechanism 6, which pushes the fabric to the ironing mechanism 7 for ironing. Finally, the rear receiving mechanism 8 collects the ironed fabric. This greatly reduces the requirements for operators; the operator only needs to feed the fabric, while the sewing, ironing, and collecting are all done automatically by the machine. This reduces manual labor, improves quality and efficiency, and lowers labor costs for garment factories.

[0049] In one embodiment of the present invention, the feeding mechanism 2 includes:

[0050] Sliding plate 21;

[0051] The template frame 22 is rotatably connected to the sliding plate 21 via the bearing 23. The template frame 22 is connected to the first retraction cylinder 24, which can drive the template frame 22 to rotate and rise or fall.

[0052] Template 25, on which the sewing material can be fitted. Template 25 includes a left template 251, a middle template 252 and a right template 253 arranged in parallel. The left template 251 and the right template 253 are respectively connected to the spreading cylinder 254 via connecting rod 255. The spreading cylinder 254 can drive the connecting rod 255 to rotate, so that the left template 251 and the right template 253 expand to the left and right sides relative to the middle template 252 and spread and shape the sewing material.

[0053] Limiting units 26 are disposed on the left and right sides of the template 25. The limiting units 26 can control the width of the sewing material and the left and right position of the sewing material.

[0054] The second shrink cylinder 27, when the template frame 22 rotates and descends, can drive the sliding plate 21 to move along the slide rail 28 to feed and position the sewing material.

[0055] In this embodiment, with bearing 23 as the pivot point, the piston rod of the first shrink cylinder 24 extends, which can raise the side of the template frame 22 close to the template 25, allowing the operator to place the sewing material onto the template 25. Then, by using the spreading cylinder 254 to drive the connecting rod 255 to rotate, the sewing material is spread and shaped. Finally, the first shrink cylinder 24 presses down the template frame 22, and then drives the second shrink cylinder 27 to feed the sewing material forward and position it, completing the entire feeding process. It has a high degree of automation and is safer and more reliable.

[0056] In one embodiment of the present invention, the limiting unit 26 includes a limiting screw 261 and a limiting nut 262. The limiting screw 261 passes through the limiting nut 262 and is connected to the left template 251 and the right template 252. In this way, the width and left and right position of the sewing fabric can be precisely controlled by the limiting screws 261 and the limiting nuts 262 on both sides.

[0057] In one embodiment of the present invention, the XY motion mechanism 3 includes:

[0058] The pressure frame 31 is connected to the X-axis drive motor 32 and the Y-axis drive motor 33 respectively. The X-axis drive motor 32 and the Y-axis drive motor 33 can drive the pressure frame 31 to move in the X and Y directions respectively.

[0059] The clamping cylinder 34 is connected to the pressure plate 35. The clamping cylinder 34 can drive the pressure plate 35 to move up and down to clamp or release the sewing material. The X-axis drive motor 32 and the Y-axis drive motor 33 can also move the sewing material to the sewing machine head 5 for surface stitching.

[0060] In this embodiment, the sewing machine head 5 can be a high-speed automatic sewing machine from JUKI Japan, which produces beautiful stitches and has stable performance. The X-axis drive motor 32 and the Y-axis drive motor 33 can be high-speed and high-precision servo motors, which, together with the synchronous belt, enable the pressure plate 31 to move in both the X and Y directions, thereby improving the positioning accuracy of the sewing pieces and ensuring their consistency.

[0061] Specifically, when the pressure plate 35 moves along the XY to the position above the sewing material, it drives the pressing cylinder 34 to press down and press the sewing material to complete the material taking; then, the second shrink cylinder 27 pushes out the template 25, and the first shrink cylinder 24 raises the template frame 22, thereby preparing for the lower piece of sewing material to be fed, completing the entire material taking process.

[0062] It should also be noted that when the pressure plate 35 is pressing the fabric, the X-axis drive motor 32 and the Y-axis drive motor 33, while the pressure cylinder 34 is keeping the fabric pressed, drive the pressure frame 31 to move in both the X and Y directions, thereby moving the fabric to the sewing machine head 5. Through the movement in both the X and Y directions, the fabric is sewn with visible stitches.

[0063] In one embodiment of the present invention, the front receiving mechanism 6 includes a transport cylinder 61 and a feeding rack 62. The feeding rack 62 is connected to the transport cylinder 61, and the transport cylinder 61 can drive the feeding rack 62 to push the sewing material to the bottom of the ironing mechanism 7.

[0064] In this embodiment, the X-axis drive motor 32 drives the pressure plate 31 to move, and keeps the pressure plate 35 in a pressed state to move the sewing fabric together. The pressure plate 35 carries the sewing fabric to the left side position (in front of the ironing mechanism), and the pressure plate 35 is lifted; then, the transport cylinder 61 drives the feeder 62 to push the sewing fabric under the ironing mechanism 7 to complete the transport.

[0065] In one embodiment of the present invention, the ironing mechanism 7 includes:

[0066] Ironing cylinder 71;

[0067] The upper pressure plate 72 is connected below the ironing cylinder 71. The upper pressure plate 72 is equipped with a heating unit and a spraying unit; wherein, the heating unit and the spraying unit enable the upper pressure plate 72 to have heating and spraying functions.

[0068] A lower pressure plate 73 is disposed below the upper pressure plate 72, and the lower pressure plate is provided with a heating unit and an exhaust unit. The heating unit and the exhaust unit enable the lower pressure plate 73 to perform both heating and exhaust functions.

[0069] In this embodiment, the sewing material 74 is pushed to the ironing mechanism 7 by the feeding rack 62; the upper pressure plate 72 is pushed down by the ironing cylinder 71 to iron the sewing material 74; after a certain period of time, the upper pressure plate 72 is lifted to complete the ironing.

[0070] In one embodiment of the present invention, the post-collection mechanism 8 includes:

[0071] The material receiving cylinder 81 is connected to the extension cylinder 82 via the connecting plate 86. The material receiving cylinder 81 can drive the extension cylinder 82 to move back and forth.

[0072] The receiving plate 83 is connected to the extending cylinder 82. The extending cylinder 82 can drive the receiving plate 83 to move up and down. The outer end of the receiving plate 83 is provided with a suction head 84, which can generate negative pressure to suck up the sewn piece.

[0073] The receiving conveyor belt 85 is used to transport the sewn pieces.

[0074] In this embodiment, the receiving cylinder 81 can drive the extending cylinder 82 and the receiving plate 83 to move back and forth to a suitable position. Then, the extending cylinder 82 drives the receiving plate 83 downward, and the suction head 84 generates negative pressure to suck up the sewn piece. Next, the extending cylinder 82 is lifted to drive the sewn material upward, and the receiving cylinder 81 retracts. After that, the negative pressure of the suction head 84 is released, so that the sewn material falls onto the receiving conveyor belt 85, and the receiving conveyor belt 85 moves the sewn material forward a short distance. Repeating the above actions can make the sewn material line up on the receiving conveyor belt 85, thus completing the receiving.

[0075] In one embodiment of the present invention, the ironing mechanism 7 further includes a safety cover 9, which covers the receiving cylinder 81. This further increases safety.

[0076] In one embodiment of the present invention, the frame 1 is provided with a first shelf 10 and a second shelf 11, which are respectively disposed at the feeding mechanism 2 and the receiving mechanism 8. This facilitates providing temporary storage points for the feeding by the feeding mechanism 2 and the receiving by the receiving mechanism 8.

[0077] In one embodiment of the present invention, the frame 1 is further provided with an electrical control box 12 and an operation display 13. The electrical control box 12 is connected to the feeding mechanism 2, the XY motion mechanism 3, the presser foot mechanism 4, the sewing head 5, the front take-up mechanism 6, the ironing mechanism 7, and the rear take-up mechanism 8, respectively. The operation display 13 is connected to the electrical control box 12. The electrical control box 12 can control the actions of the aforementioned mechanisms, and the operation display 13 can display the action status of each mechanism.

[0078] According to statistics on current factory usage, the machine can complete one sleeve cuff every ten seconds by one operator. Based on an eight-hour workday, it can produce approximately 2,800 small pieces of visible stitching. If each garment has two small pieces, this equates to approximately 1,400 garment pieces of visible stitching prefabricated parts.

[0079] If this machine is not used, at the same work pace, it can produce about 2,000 pieces of small topstitched prefabricated parts per day, which is equivalent to 1,000 garments. It would also require an additional operator: one worker to iron the garments and another worker to sew the topstitching.

[0080] In summary, the advantages of this invention are:

[0081] 1. Excellent stitch quality: Since the XY motion is driven by two servo motors and belts, the operation is highly accurate, fast, stable, and reliable. Compared with surface-stitched stitches made by skilled workers, the stitch quality and consistency are improved.

[0082] 2. Topstitching is a difficult but crucial step to control, as its quality directly affects the garment's appearance and overall quality. Even experienced workers may have slight size deviations in the small topstitched pieces. However, the consistency of topstitched pieces now achieved by automated machines is guaranteed.

[0083] 3. The original process consisted of four steps: cutting, concealed stitching, turning, ironing, and topstitching. This machine reverses the order of the ironing and topstitching steps, combining them into one. This results in more accurate positioning of the seam pieces by the template, and a more aesthetically pleasing topstitching.

[0084] 4. By using template-positioned seam panels for processing, the operational requirements for workers are greatly reduced. Highly skilled and experienced workers are no longer needed to complete the process, saving labor costs for garment factories. Moreover, combining the two processes improves production efficiency.

[0085] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0086] The embodiments described above merely illustrate several implementations of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An automatic surface-stitch sewing machine, characterized in that, Includes a frame, on which are provided: The feeding mechanism is located in the middle of the upper surface of the frame. The feeding mechanism holds the sewing material and can stretch, shape, rotate, lift and feed the sewing material to the next station. The XY motion mechanism is connected to the presser foot mechanism. The XY motion mechanism can control the presser foot mechanism to move down and press the fabric, and transport it to the sewing machine head for topstitching. The XY motion mechanism is also used to transport the fabric to the front take-up mechanism, which is used to push the fabric to the ironing mechanism for ironing. The post-collection mechanism is used to collect the ironed fabric. The feeding mechanism includes: Sliding plate; The template frame is rotatably connected to the sliding plate via bearings. The template frame is connected to a first retraction cylinder, which can drive the template frame to rotate and rise or fall. The template, on which the sewing material can be fitted, includes a left template, a middle template and a right template arranged in parallel. The left template and the right template are respectively connected to a spreading cylinder via a connecting rod. The spreading cylinder can drive the connecting rod to rotate, so that the left template and the right template expand to the left and right sides relative to the middle template and spread and shape the sewing material. Limiting units are provided on the left and right sides of the template, and the limiting units can control the width of the sewing material and the left and right position of the sewing material; The second retraction cylinder, when the template frame rotates and descends, can drive the sliding plate to move along the slide rail and feed the sewing material forward and position it. The limiting unit includes a limiting screw and a limiting nut. The limiting screw passes through the limiting nut and is connected to the left template and the right template.

2. The automatic surface-stitch sewing machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The XY motion mechanism includes: The pressure frame is connected to an X-axis drive motor and a Y-axis drive motor respectively. The X-axis drive motor and the Y-axis drive motor can drive the pressure frame to move in the X and Y directions respectively. A clamping cylinder is connected to a pressure plate. The clamping cylinder can drive the pressure plate to move up and down to clamp or release the sewing material. The X-axis drive motor and the Y-axis drive motor can also move the sewing material to the sewing machine head for surface stitching.

3. The automatic surface-stitch sewing machine as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The front receiving mechanism includes a transport cylinder and a feeding frame. The feeding frame is connected to the transport cylinder, and the transport cylinder can drive the feeding frame to push the sewing material to the bottom of the ironing mechanism.

4. The automatic surface-stitch sewing machine as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The ironing mechanism includes: Ironing cylinder; An upper pressure plate is connected below the ironing cylinder, and the upper pressure plate is equipped with a heating unit and a spraying unit; A lower pressure plate is located below the upper pressure plate, and the lower pressure plate is equipped with a heating unit and an exhaust unit.

5. The automatic surface-stitch sewing machine as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The post-collection mechanism includes: A receiving cylinder is connected to an extending cylinder via a connecting plate. The receiving cylinder can drive the extending cylinder to move back and forth. The receiving plate is connected to the extending cylinder, which can drive the receiving plate to move up and down. The outer end of the receiving plate is provided with a suction head, which can generate negative pressure to suck up the sewn piece. The receiving conveyor belt is used to transport the sewn pieces.

6. The automatic surface-stitch sewing machine as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The ironing mechanism also includes a safety guard, which is positioned above the receiving cylinder.

7. The automatic surface-stitch sewing machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The frame is provided with a first shelf and a second shelf, which are respectively located at the feeding mechanism and the receiving mechanism.

8. The automatic surface-stitch sewing machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The frame is also equipped with an electrical control box and an operation display. The electrical control box is connected to the feeding mechanism, the XY motion mechanism, the presser foot mechanism, the sewing head, the front receiving mechanism, the ironing mechanism, and the rear receiving mechanism, respectively. The operation display is connected to the electrical control box.

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