Cloth discharging section and cloth feeding device including the cloth discharging section

Abstract

To provide a cloth discharge part and a cloth supply device having the cloth discharge part, capable of eliminating so-called abnormal cloth when a foreign matter is mixed in the cloth or entangled in a dumpling shape.SOLUTION: The cloth discharging section includes an upper conveying section configured to convey the cloth in the rearward direction, and a cloth abnormality detecting section configured to detect whether or not the cloth disposed above the upper conveying section is abnormal, and is configured to discharge the abnormal cloth when the cloth abnormality detecting section detects abnormality of the cloth.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fabric discharge section for discharging defective fabrics and a fabric supplying device having the fabric discharge section. [Background technology]

[0002] The linen supply industry handles linen products such as sheets and towels, and these linen products are collected from customers and then washed, ironed, folded, and delivered to them. In this process, workers pick up the washed fabrics one by one from a pile of fabrics and feed them into a fabric loading device, which transports the fabrics to the next process where they are further spread and folded.

[0003] However, it is a burden for workers to untangle the clumps of multiple pieces of fabric and pick up the pieces one by one. To be more specific, after washing, the cloths are brought in still slightly dry. At that time, the multiple pieces of fabric are brought in as a tangled clump. The worker must then find and pick up the single piece of fabric from the tangled clump. This type of work requires bending over, which is a heavy workload.

[0004] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 7-112100 discloses a method for assisting such work. The cloth take-out device disclosed in the above publication as a device for picking up cloths is a cloth take-out device that has a gripping device capable of gripping any part of cloth, which is moved up and down by a vertical movement device between a lower cloth gripping position and an upper cloth lifting position, so that one piece of cloth can be taken out in a suspended state from a pile of cloths. The gripping device is characterized by comprising: a chuck having a pair of left and right chuck pieces, each of whose outer ends is pivotally connected to a respective link by a shaft so that the inner sides of each chuck piece can swing up and down; a chuck opening and closing device that opens and closes each chuck piece in directions toward or away from each other by operating each link; and a chuck piece swinging device that swings each chuck piece upward so that, in a chuck closed state, the tip gripping parts of each chuck piece are displaced from a position where they are joined below a line connecting the axes of each chuck piece to a position where they are joined above the line connecting the axes.

[0005] However, when the fabric is conveyed from the gripping device of the above-mentioned device, foreign matter may be mixed in with the fabric, or the fabric may be tangled in a ball, which is what is called an abnormal fabric. Particularly when promoting labor-saving by reducing the number of workers as much as possible, if such abnormal fabric is conveyed, it must be removed, which becomes an obstacle to promoting labor-saving. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-112100 DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The present invention has been made with the above points in mind, and its object is to provide a fabric discharge section that can remove so-called abnormal fabrics when foreign matter has become mixed in with the fabrics or when the fabrics have become tangled in a clump, and a fabric supply device that has such a fabric discharge section. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, the fabric discharge section of the first aspect has an upper conveying section that conveys fabrics in a rearward direction, and a fabric abnormality detection section that detects whether fabrics arranged above the upper conveying section are abnormal, and when the fabric abnormality detection section detects an abnormality in the fabrics, the abnormal fabrics can be discharged.

[0009] In addition, the fabric discharge section of the second aspect has an upper conveying section that conveys fabric in a backward direction, a fabric abnormality detection section that detects whether the fabric arranged above the upper conveying section is abnormal, and a forward / reverse conveying section that changes the conveying direction to the backward or forward direction, and when the fabric abnormality detection section detects an abnormality in the fabric, the abnormal fabric on the forward / reverse conveying section can be discharged.

[0010] In addition, the fabric discharge section of the third aspect has an upper conveying section that conveys fabric in a backward direction, a fabric abnormality detection section that detects whether the fabric arranged above the upper conveying section is abnormal or not, and a forward / reverse conveying section that changes the conveying direction to the backward or forward direction, and when the fabric abnormality detection section detects an abnormality in the fabric, the forward / reverse conveying section changes the conveying direction to the forward direction and can discharge the abnormal fabric placed on the forward / reverse conveying section.

[0011] In addition, the fabric discharge section of the fourth aspect has an upper conveying section that conveys fabrics in a backward direction, a fabric abnormality detection section that detects whether the fabrics arranged above the upper conveying section are abnormal, a forward / reverse conveying section that changes the conveying direction to the backward or forward direction, and a secondary fabric abnormality detection section that detects whether the fabrics arranged above the forward / reverse conveying section are abnormal, and when the fabric abnormality detection section does not detect an abnormality in the fabrics but the secondary fabric abnormality detection section detects an abnormality in the fabrics, abnormal fabrics can be discharged.

[0012] In addition, the fabric discharge section of the fifth aspect has an upper conveying section that conveys fabric in a backward direction, a fabric abnormality detection section that detects whether fabric arranged above the upper conveying section is abnormal or not, a forward / reverse conveying section that changes the conveying direction to the backward or forward direction, and a secondary fabric abnormality detection section that detects whether fabric arranged above the forward / reverse conveying section is abnormal or not, and when the fabric abnormality detection section does not detect an abnormality in the fabric but the secondary fabric abnormality detection section detects an abnormality in the fabric, abnormal fabric arranged on the forward / reverse conveying section can be discharged.

[0013] In addition, the cloth discharge section of the sixth aspect has an upper conveying section that conveys cloth in a backward direction, a cloth abnormality detection section that detects whether the cloth arranged above the upper conveying section is abnormal, a forward / reverse conveying section that changes the conveying direction to the backward or forward direction, and a secondary cloth abnormality detection section that detects whether the cloth arranged above the forward / reverse conveying section is abnormal, and when the cloth abnormality detection section does not detect an abnormality in the cloth but the secondary cloth abnormality detection section detects an abnormality in the cloth, the forward / reverse conveying section changes the conveying direction to the forward direction and can discharge the abnormal cloth placed on the forward / reverse conveying section.

[0014] A seventh aspect of the present invention provides a cloth supplying device including a cloth discharge section capable of discharging the cloth according to any one of the first to sixth aspects. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] The present invention is configured and operates as described above, and therefore can provide a fabric discharge section that can remove so-called abnormal fabrics when foreign matter has become mixed in with the fabric or when the fabric has become tangled in a clump, and a fabric supply device that has this fabric discharge section. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3]A is a conceptual diagram in which both clamps are positioned above each other, and B is a conceptual diagram in which one clamp is positioned above and the other clamp is positioned below. [Figure 4] A is a left side view and a front view with the clamp open, and B is a front view with the clamp closed. [Figure 5] 1A is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which fabrics are conveyed by a conveying unit, and FIG. 1B is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which a sensor detects one piece of fabric protruding from multiple pieces of fabric. [Figure 6] A conceptual diagram showing the state in which the clamps in the fabric pickup unit close to grasp a piece of fabric detected by the sensor, and B conceptual diagram showing the state in which the clamps in the fabric pickup unit lift up the piece of fabric grasped by the clamps. [Figure 7] 1A is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which fabrics are sandwiched between the front and rear pull-out conveyors in the fabric pickup section, and FIG. 1B is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which fabrics are pulled out and placed on the rear pull-out conveyor in the fabric pickup section. [Figure 8] 1A is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which a fabric is sandwiched between the front and rear pull-out conveyors, and FIG. 1B is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which a pull-out sensor detects an abnormality in the fabric. [Figure 9] 1A is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which the fabric is released from being pinched between the front and rear pull-out conveyors, and FIG. 1B is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which the fabric has fallen onto the conveying section. [Figure 10] 1A is a conceptual diagram showing the state in which fabrics are placed on the rear pull-out conveyor, and FIG. 1B is a conceptual diagram showing the state in which the fabrics placed on the rear pull-out conveyor are transferred to the upper conveying section, and the upper conveying section further conveys the fabrics in the rearward direction. [Figure 11]1A is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which a ball of fabric falls from the upper conveyor onto the forward / reverse conveyor and is conveyed from the rear to the front. 2B is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which the fabric is conveyed from the rear to the front by the forward / reverse conveyor and falls onto the discharge section. [Figure 12] 1A is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which the dropped fabric is transported from the front to the rear by the discharge unit, and FIG. 1B is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which the dropped fabric is discharged outside the fabric supply device. [Figure 13] A is a conceptual diagram showing the state where fabrics are conveyed backward by the forward / reverse conveying unit. B is a conceptual diagram showing the state where the upper clamping conveyor and the lower clamping conveyor are driven and the fabrics are clamped between them. C is a conceptual diagram showing the state where the fabrics are released to the next process. [Figure 14] 1A is a conceptual diagram showing the upper and lower clamping conveyors in operation, clamping fabrics between them; FIG. 1B is a conceptual diagram showing the state in which the lower clamping conveyor moves downward from the state in which fabrics are clamped between the upper and lower clamping conveyors; and FIG. 1C is a conceptual diagram showing the state in which fabrics are discharged outside the fabric supplying device. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0017] The fabric supplying device 10 will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiment. The fabric supplying device 10 may have a fabric pickup unit 100 that picks up a single piece of fabric. The fabric supplying device 10 may also have a fabric discharge unit 200 that discharges a tangled ball of fabric W. The fabric supplying device 10 may also have a fabric hanging unit 300 that hangs a single piece of fabric W. The fabric supplying device 10 may also have a fabric pickup unit 100 that picks up a single piece of fabric W, a fabric discharge unit 200 that discharges a tangled ball of fabric W, and a fabric hanging unit 300 that hangs a single piece of fabric W. The fabric supplying device 10 may also have a conveying section 20 that conveys multiple tangled fabrics W0, a fabric pickup section 100 that picks up one piece of fabric W from the fabrics W0 conveyed onto the conveying section 20, a fabric discharge section 200 that discharges the tangled clump of fabric W, and a fabric hanging section 300 that hangs one piece of fabric W. The fabric supplying device 10 also has a box-shaped housing section 15 that serves as a housing, and can store the fabric pickup section 100, fabric discharge section 200, and fabric hanging section 300 described above.

[0018] The fabric pickup unit 100 that picks up one piece of fabric W preferably has two units, fabric pickup unit 100M and fabric pickup unit 100H, which can be driven independently. This is to improve work efficiency. The fabric pickup unit 100M arranged on the front side of FIG. 1 will be described, and the fabric pickup unit 100H arranged on the back side of FIG. 1 will be described. The description of the fabric pickup unit 100M arranged on the front side of FIG. 1 may be omitted by replacing the symbol M with the symbol H in the corresponding components. The fabric pickup unit 100M arranged on the front side of FIG. 1 may be referred to as the first fabric pickup unit, and the fabric pickup unit 100H arranged on the back side of FIG. 1 may be referred to as the second fabric pickup unit.

[0019] The first cloth pickup unit 100M has a pickup clamp 110M that grips and lifts the cloth W, a front pull-out conveyor 130M, a rear pull-out conveyor 150M, and a sensor 170M. The front pull-out conveyor 130M and the rear pull-out conveyor 150M are preferably belt conveyors.

[0020] The pickup clamp 110M has a clamp 112M and a clamp driver 114M that drives the clamp 112M up and down. The clamp 112M also has a sensor 115M. The clamp driver 114M has a servo motor that generates a driving force and a timing belt or other transmission member that transmits the driving force.

[0021] The front pull-out conveyor 130M can move the fabrics W placed in the rear R direction of the front pull-out conveyor 130M in an upward U direction along the conveyor. The rear pull-out conveyor 150M is preferably a belt conveyor and has a rear pull-out conveyor drive unit 155M that drives the rear pull-out conveyor 150M to move in the forward F direction. Note that the forward F direction in FIG. 1 refers to the direction from a forward / reverse conveying unit 230M (described later) to the front pull-out conveyor 130M, and the rear R direction in FIG. 1 refers to the direction from the front pull-out conveyor 130M to the forward / reverse conveying unit 230M (described later).

[0022] The rear pull-out conveyor drive unit 155M can move the rear pull-out conveyor 150M from a substantially vertical state to a state in which it inclines upward as it moves from the forward F direction to the rear R direction.

[0023] The rear pull-out conveyor 150M, moved in the forward direction F by the rear pull-out conveyor drive unit 155M, moves in the rear R direction of the front pull-out conveyor 130M so that its end 151M comes into contact with the front pull-out conveyor 130M. This movement allows the fabric W located in the rear R direction of the front pull-out conveyor 130M to be sandwiched between the rear pull-out conveyor 150M and the front pull-out conveyor 130M.

[0024] The sensors 170M are arranged at different heights, and include a first sensor 171M arranged at a higher position, a second sensor 172M arranged at a lower position than the first sensor 171M, and a third sensor 173M arranged at a lower position than the second sensor 172M. The first sensor 171M, the second sensor 172M, and the third sensor 173M are arranged at different heights, at position A between the forward direction F and the backward direction R. Note that position A is the position at which the pickup clamp 110M of the first cloth pickup unit 100M moves up and down.

[0025] First sensor 171M, second sensor 172M, and third sensor 173M can each detect a single piece of fabric W protruding from the tangled fabrics WO that have been transported by transport unit 20 and reached position A. In other words, when first sensor 171M, second sensor 172M, or third sensor 173M detects a piece of fabric W protruding from the tangled fabrics WO, it is highly likely that the detected piece of fabric W is not a mass of multiple pieces of fabric WO but a single piece of fabric W. Therefore, sensor 170M can detect one piece of fabric W from the multiple pieces of fabric WO. Therefore, pickup clamp 110M can grasp that single piece of fabric W.

[0026] The operation of the first fabric pickup unit 100M configured as described above will be described (see FIG. 5A). A plurality of entangled fabric items W0 are placed on the conveying unit 20 and are conveyed in the rear direction R by the conveying unit 20. When the conveyed entangled fabric items W0 reach position A where the sensor 170M is located, one piece of fabric W protruding from the plurality of fabric items W0 is detected by one of the first sensor 171M, second sensor 172M, and third sensor 173M of the sensor 170M (see FIG. 5B).

[0027] When the pickup clamp 110M is driven by the clamp driving unit 114M, the clamp 112M is lowered, and when the sensor 115M detects the cloth W, the open clamp 112M is closed.

[0028] When a single piece of fabric W is detected by any of the first sensor 171M, second sensor 172M, and third sensor 173M of the above-mentioned sensor 170M from the tangled pieces of fabric W0 transported on the transport section 20, the clamp 112M closes and grasps the piece of fabric W (see Figure 6A).

[0029] That is, one piece of fabric W is detected by any one of the first sensor 171M, second sensor 172M, and third sensor 173M of the sensor 170M from among the tangled pieces of fabric W0 transported on the transport section 20, and the clamp 112M descends at a descending speed corresponding to the height of the first sensor 171M, second sensor 172M, and third sensor 173M that detected it, and the clamp 112M closes and grips the piece of fabric W (see FIG. 6A). Here, the descending speed corresponding to the height means that when the first sensor 171M located at a high position detects the fabric W, the descending distance of the clamp 112M is shorter than when the third sensor 173M located at a low position detects the fabric W, and so the descending speed is slower, and in the opposite case the speed is faster, resulting in a descending speed corresponding to the height.

[0030] The clamp driving section 114M is driven to lift up the piece of cloth W gripped by the clamp 112M (see FIG. 6B).

[0031] When the piece of cloth W gripped by the clamp 112M is raised by the clamp drive unit 114M, the piece of cloth W is placed in the rear R direction of the front pull-out conveyor 130M, and the rear pull-out conveyor 150M moves forward F, so that the piece of cloth W positioned in the rear R direction of the front pull-out conveyor 130M is clamped between the front pull-out conveyor 130M and the rear pull-out conveyor 150M which has moved forward F (see Figure 7A). The clamp 112M opens and releases the gripped piece of cloth W.

[0032] The front pull-out conveyor 130M rotates counterclockwise in the drawing, and the rear pull-out conveyor 150M rotates clockwise in the drawing. As a result, the fabric W sandwiched between the front pull-out conveyor 130M and the rear pull-out conveyor 150M is pulled out and placed on the rear pull-out conveyor 150M. The fabric W is then transferred onto the upper conveyor 210M (see FIG. 7B), which will be described later. The fabric W transferred onto the upper conveyor 210M may be supplied to the fabric discharge section 200. The second fabric pickup section 100H can also operate in the same manner.

[0033] As described above, the operations of the first fabric pickup unit 100M and the second fabric pickup unit 100H are similar, but the timing of their operations may differ (see FIGS. 3A and 3B). That is, the clamp 112M of the fabric pickup unit 100M and the clamp 112H of the fabric pickup unit 100H do not descend simultaneously, and when the clamp 112M of the fabric pickup unit 100M descends, the clamp 112H of the fabric pickup unit 100H can wait above, and when the clamp 112M of the fabric pickup unit 100H descends, the clamp 112H of the fabric pickup unit 100H can wait above.

[0034] For example, the clamp 112M in the first fabric pickup unit 100M, which remains open, descends. When the clamp 112M reaches the bottom and closes to grip the fabric W, the clamp 112H in the second fabric pickup unit 100H, which is waiting above, begins to descend. At that time, the clamp 112M that gripped the fabric W rises, and when it reaches the top, it releases the gripped piece of fabric W and places it in the rear R direction of the front pull-out conveyor 130M. The subsequent steps are as described above.

[0035] Furthermore, when the clamp 112H that has started to descend closes to grab the fabric W, the clamp 112M that is waiting above also starts to descend. At that time, the clamp 112H that has grabbed the fabric W rises, and when it reaches the top, it releases the grabbed piece of fabric W and places it in the rear R direction of the front pull-out conveyor 130H. The subsequent process is the same as the operation of the first fabric pickup unit 100M.

[0036] In this way, the fabric pickup section 100M and the fabric pickup section 100H do not descend simultaneously but alternately, thereby performing a seamless pickup operation of the fabrics W, and the fabrics W can be continuously supplied to the subsequent process.

[0037] Next, we will explain what happens when there is an abnormality in the fabric W. An abnormality in the fabric W includes, for example, when the fabric W has become clumped. A clumped fabric W refers to a state in which the fabric W is tangled in a clump, or when a foreign object has been mixed in the fabric W, or when a portion of the fabric W is bulging or when the fabric W is knotted, and the fabric W cannot be supplied to the next process. The front pull-out conveyor 130M is equipped with a pull-out sensor 135M. This pull-out sensor 135M detects abnormalities in the fabric. The detection method is as follows.

[0038] The clamp driver 114M is driven, and the piece of fabric W gripped by the clamp 112M is lifted. When the clamp driver 114M lifts the piece of fabric gripped by the clamp 112M, the piece of fabric W is positioned in the rear R direction of the front pull-out conveyor 130M, and the rear pull-out conveyor 150M moves forward F, and the piece of fabric W positioned in the rear R direction of the front pull-out conveyor 130M is sandwiched between the front pull-out conveyor 130M and the rear pull-out conveyor 150M which has moved forward F (see Figure 8A). The clamp 112M opens, and releases the gripped piece of fabric W. The process up to this point is as described above.

[0039] Next, when the fabric W sandwiched between the front pull-out conveyor 130M and the rear pull-out conveyor 150M is rotated counterclockwise in the drawing and the rear pull-out conveyor 150M is rotated clockwise in the drawing to attempt to remove the fabric W from the sandwiched state, if there is, for example, an abnormality as described above in the fabric W, it may take longer than expected for the fabric W to be removed. The pull-out sensor 135M counts this time, and when the pull-out sensor 135M detects that a predetermined time has elapsed, it detects that an abnormality has occurred in the fabric W (see FIG. 8B). In this way, the cloth W lifted by the clamp 112M is clamped between the front pull-out conveyor 130M and the rear pull-out conveyor 150M, and when the cloth W is pulled out by the rotation of the front pull-out conveyor 130M and the rear pull-out conveyor 150M, the pull-out sensor 135M can detect that there is an abnormality in the cloth W if it takes longer than expected to pull out the cloth W.

[0040] When the pull-out sensor 135M detects an abnormality, the front pull-out conveyor 130M is rotated in the clockwise direction in the drawing. The rear pull-out conveyor 150M is also rotated in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing, and the rear pull-out conveyor 150M moves backward in the R direction to release the fabric W from being pinched between the front pull-out conveyor 130M and the rear pull-out conveyor 150M (see FIG. 9A). The fabric W is then dropped onto the conveying section 20 (see FIG. 9B), preventing the fabric W from being transported to a subsequent process (not shown). The predetermined time can be set to, for example, 8 seconds based on experience when the fabric W is a sheet, but the time can be set arbitrarily based on the fabric W actually used.

[0041] In this way, the fabric pickup unit 100 that picks up a single piece of fabric W can minimize the risk of feeding a tangled piece of fabric W to a subsequent process and can feed a single piece of fabric W from a plurality of pieces of fabric WO, and the fabric supply device 10 may include such a fabric pickup unit 100. The pull-out sensor 135M can also detect whether the clamp 112M has grasped the fabric W. When the pull-out sensor 135M does not detect the fabric W when attempting to clamp the fabric W between the front pull-out conveyor 130M and the rear pull-out conveyor 150M that has moved forward in the F direction, it can be determined that the clamp 112M has not grasped the fabric W. When the pull-out sensor 135M detects the fabric W between the front pull-out conveyor 130M and the rear pull-out conveyor 150M that has moved forward in the F direction, it can be determined that the clamp 112M has grasped the fabric W.

[0042] Next, the fabric discharge section 200 will be described. If an abnormality occurs in the conveyed fabric W, for example, if the fabric W has formed a clump, the fabric discharge section 200 can detect the clumped fabric W and discharge it to the outside of the fabric supplying device 10. In particular, since relatively large clumps of fabric W may be rejected by the fabric pickup section 100, the fabric discharge section 200 can detect relatively small clumps of fabric W that have passed through the fabric pickup section 100 and discharge them to the outside of the fabric supplying device 10. Furthermore, if the fabric W conveyed from the rear pull-out conveyors 150M, 150H of the fabric pickup sections 100M, 100H has formed a clump, the fabric discharge section 200 can detect the clumped fabric W and discharge it to the outside of the fabric supplying device 10. If there is no abnormality in the fabric W, the fabric discharge section 200 can supply the fabric W to the fabric removal device 300.

[0043] The fabric discharge section 200 has an upper conveyance section 210M that conveys fabric W in the backward R direction, a fabric abnormality detection section 220M that detects whether the fabric W placed on the upper conveyance section 210M is abnormal, and a forward / reverse conveyance section 230M that changes the conveyance direction to the backward R or forward F direction. The fabric discharge section 200 also has an upper conveyance section 210H that conveys fabric W in the backward R direction, a fabric abnormality detection section 220H that detects whether the fabric W placed above the upper conveyance section 210H is abnormal, a forward / reverse conveyance section 230H that can change the conveyance direction to the backward R or forward F direction, and a discharge section 240 that discharges clumps of fabric W. Any fabric W that is detected to be abnormal is placed on the discharge section 240.

[0044] As described above, the fabric discharge section 200 includes an upper conveying section 210M having a similar configuration, a fabric abnormality detection section 220M that detects whether the fabric W is abnormal, which is disposed above the upper conveying section 210M, a forward / reverse conveying section 230M that changes the conveying direction to the backward R direction or the forward F direction, and a secondary fabric abnormality detection section 280M. The secondary fabric abnormality detection section 280M is disposed above the forward / reverse conveying section 230M. The fabric discharge section 200 also includes an upper conveying section 210H that conveys the fabric W in the backward R direction, a fabric abnormality detection section 220H that detects whether the fabric W is abnormal, which is disposed above the upper conveying section 210H, and a forward / reverse conveying section 230H that changes the conveying direction to the backward R direction or the forward F direction, and a secondary fabric abnormality detection section 280H.

[0045] Since their operations are similar, the explanation will be given below for the upper conveying section 210M, which is arranged on the front side of the drawing in Figure 1 and conveys the above-mentioned fabric W in the backward R direction, the fabric abnormality detection section 220M, which detects whether the fabric W placed on the upper conveying section 210M is abnormal, the forward / reverse conveying section 230M, which changes the conveying direction to the backward R direction or the forward F direction, and the secondary fabric abnormality detection section 280M, and the explanation will be omitted for the upper conveying section 210H, which is arranged on the back side of the drawing in Figure 1 and conveys the above-mentioned fabric W in the backward R direction, the fabric abnormality detection section 220H, which detects whether the fabric W placed on the upper conveying section 210H is abnormal, the forward / reverse conveying section 230H, which changes the conveying direction to the backward R direction or the forward F direction, and the secondary fabric abnormality detection section 280H, by replacing the symbol M with the symbol H in the corresponding components.

[0046] A case where the fabric abnormality detection unit 220M detects an abnormality in the fabric W will be described. The fabric W is placed on the rear pull-out conveyor 150M in the fabric pickup unit 100M (see FIG. 10A). The fabric W placed on the rear pull-out conveyor 150M is transferred to the upper conveying unit 210M, which then conveys the fabric W further backward in the R direction (see FIG. 10B).

[0047] The fabric W conveyed in the rear direction R by the upper conveying section 210M is detected by the fabric abnormality detecting section 220M to determine whether or not the conveyed fabric W is abnormal.

[0048] If the fabric abnormality detection unit 220M detects that the conveyed fabric W is abnormal, the forward / reverse conveyance unit 230M is driven to convey the fabric W from the rear R direction to the front F direction.

[0049] In this state, abnormal fabric W, for example, clumped fabric W, falls from the upper conveying section 210M onto the forward / reverse conveying section 230M, and the fabric W is conveyed from the rear R direction to the front F direction (see FIG. 11A). Thereafter, the forward / reverse conveying section 230M conveys the fabric W from the rear R direction to the front F direction, and the fabric falls onto the discharge section 240 (see FIG. 11B).

[0050] The dropped fabric W is transported from the front F direction to the rear R direction by the discharge unit 240 (see FIG. 12A) and is discharged outside the fabric supplying device 10 (see FIG. 12B). In this way, if the transported fabric W is abnormal, for example, if it has become clumped, the fabric discharge unit 200 can detect the clumped fabric W and discharge it outside the fabric supplying device 10. The fabric supplying device 10 may also have the fabric discharge unit 200.

[0051] Next, we will explain the case where the fabric abnormality detection unit 220M does not detect an abnormality in the fabric W, but the secondary fabric abnormality detection unit 280M detects an abnormality in the fabric W. Here, the secondary fabric abnormality detection unit 280M is disposed above the forward / reverse conveyance unit 230M, and detects an abnormality in the fabric W conveyed on the forward / reverse conveyance unit 230M.

[0052] The cloth W conveyed from the rear pull-out conveyor 150M in the cloth pickup section 100M is transferred to the upper conveying section 210M, and the upper conveying section 210M further conveys the cloth W in the rear R direction.

[0053] The fabric W conveyed in the rear direction R by the upper conveying section 210M is detected by the fabric abnormality detecting section 220M to determine whether or not the conveyed fabric W is abnormal.

[0054] If the fabric abnormality detection unit 220M determines that there is an abnormality in the transported fabric W, for example, that there is no abnormality such as a clumped shape, the forward / reverse transport unit 230M drives the fabric W to be transported from the forward F direction to the backward R direction.

[0055] The fabric W on the forward / reverse conveying section 230M reaches the secondary fabric abnormality detecting section 280M, which detects whether the conveyed fabric W is abnormal. If the secondary fabric abnormality detecting section 280M determines that the conveyed fabric W is in a clump, the forward / reverse conveying section 230M is driven to convey the fabric W from the rear R direction to the front F direction. If a clump has formed at the rear end of the fabric W, when the secondary fabric abnormality detecting section 280M detects the clump, the leading edge of the fabric W will be sandwiched between the upper clamping conveyor 340 and the lower clamping conveyor 360, which will be described later. In this case, the upper clamping conveyor 340 and the lower clamping conveyor 360 are rotated in opposite directions, and the fabric W is driven to transport from the rear R direction to the front F direction, and further, the forward / reverse transport section 230M is driven to transport from the rear R direction to the front F direction.

[0056] In this state, the fabric W is conveyed from the rear R direction to the front F direction on the forward / reverse conveyance section 230M. Thereafter, the fabric W is conveyed from the rear R direction to the front F direction by the forward / reverse conveyance section 230M, and falls onto the discharge section 240. The dropped fabric W is conveyed in the front F direction by the discharge section 240, falls onto the conveyance section 20, and is again supplied to the fabric pickup section 100 (not shown).

[0057] Thus, the discharge destination of the fabric W differs depending on whether the fabric abnormality detection unit 220M detects an abnormality in the fabric W or whether the secondary fabric abnormality detection unit 280M detects an abnormality in the fabric W. The fabric abnormality detection unit 220M is located on the upper conveyor unit 210M at position T1, while the secondary fabric abnormality detection unit 280M is located on the forward / reverse conveyor unit 230M at position T2. ​​Position T1 is set higher than position T2 (see FIG. 1). If an abnormality occurs in the fabric W, for example, if the fabric W is relatively clumped or tangled, the abnormality can be detected by turning on the fabric abnormality detection unit 220M located at position T1. On the other hand, if an abnormality occurs in the fabric W, for example, if the fabric W is relatively small clumped or tangled, the abnormality can be detected by turning on the secondary fabric abnormality detection unit 280M located at position T2. Here, the fabric W turning on the fabric abnormality detection unit 220M means that light is emitted at the high position T1, and if an abnormality occurs in the fabric W, for example, if the fabric W is in a relatively large balled, tangled, or knotted state, the fabric W may block the light emitted at position T1, turning on the fabric abnormality detection unit 220M as described above. Also, the fabric W turning on the secondary fabric abnormality detection unit 280M means that light is emitted at position T2, which is lower than the high position T1, and if an abnormality occurs in the fabric W, for example, if the fabric W is in a relatively small balled, tangled, or knotted state than the state detected by the fabric abnormality detection unit 220M, the fabric W may block the light emitted at position T2, turning on the secondary fabric abnormality detection unit 280M. In this embodiment, the position T1 of the fabric abnormality detection unit 220M is preferably 100 mm from the upper conveying unit 210, and the position T2 of the secondary fabric abnormality detection unit 280M is preferably 50 mm from the forward / reverse conveying unit 230M, but this is not limitative and the position T1 on the upper conveying unit 210M or the position T2 on the forward / reverse conveying unit 230M can be set to correspond to the thickness of the abnormal fabric W. The fabric abnormality detection unit 220M or the secondary fabric abnormality detection unit 280M can use a photoelectric sensor, such as a transmission type, a retro-reflective type, or a diffuse reflective type.Cameras can also be used.

[0058] If the fabric W is in a relatively large clump or tangled state, it is discharged to the outside of the fabric supplying device 10 as described above, so that an operator (not shown) can check it. If the fabric W is in a relatively small clump or tangled state, there is often no problem with the fabric W, and the fabric W is supplied to the fabric pickup unit 100 as described above, and is then supplied again to the fabric pickup unit 100M and the fabric pickup unit 100H.

[0059] We will now explain the case where neither the fabric abnormality detection unit 220M nor the secondary fabric abnormality detection unit 280M detects an abnormality in the fabric W. The fabric W transported from the rear pull-out conveyor 150M in the fabric pickup unit 100M is transferred to the upper transport unit 210M, which then transports the fabric W further backward in the R direction (see Figure 13A).

[0060] The fabric W conveyed in the rear direction R by the upper conveying section 210M is detected by the fabric abnormality detecting section 220M to determine whether or not the conveyed fabric W is abnormal.

[0061] If the fabric abnormality detection unit 220M determines that the conveyed fabric W has no abnormalities such as clumping, the forward / reverse conveyance unit 230M drives the fabric W to be conveyed from the forward F direction to the backward R direction.

[0062] The fabric W reaches the secondary fabric abnormality detection section 280M on the forward / reverse conveyance section 230M, and the secondary fabric abnormality detection section 280M detects whether the conveyed fabric W is abnormal or clumped.

[0063] If the secondary fabric abnormality detection unit 280M determines that the conveyed fabric W has no abnormalities, such as clumping, the forward / reverse conveyance unit 230M is driven to convey the fabric W from the forward direction F to the backward direction R. In this way, the fabric W may be supplied to the fabric hanging unit 300.

[0064] Next, the fabric hanging unit 300 will be described. The fabric hanging unit 300 hangs a single piece of fabric W. The fabric hanging unit 300 hangs the single piece of fabric W and supplies the fabric W to the next process. When an abnormality in the fabric W is detected, the fabric hanging unit 300 can discharge the fabric W without hanging it. The fabric hanging unit 300 includes the forward / reverse conveying units 230M and 230H described above, end detection sensors 320M and 320H that detect the leading end W1 of the fabric W, an upper clamping conveyor 340 disposed above, and a lower clamping conveyor 360 disposed below. The fabric hanging unit 300 also includes a lower clamping conveyor drive unit 365 that moves the lower clamping conveyor 360 downward. The lower clamping conveyor drive unit 365 is preferably a cylinder or a motor. The upper clamping conveyor 340 is provided with a tension cylinder 342. The tension cylinder 342 can detect the thickness of the fabric W. Although the upper clamping conveyor 340 and the lower clamping conveyor 360 disposed below are provided as a single set in FIG. 1, it is also preferable to provide two sets, one at the front side of the drawing and one at the back side of the drawing (not shown).

[0065] The forward and reverse conveying sections 230M and 230H are shared with the above-mentioned cloth discharge section 200, but if they are not shared with the above-mentioned cloth discharge section 200, or if the cloth discharge section 200 is not arranged, they may be a conveying section not shown that conveys from the forward F direction to the rear R direction.

[0066] The upper clamping conveyor 340 and the lower clamping conveyor 360 are arranged to be connected to the ends 231M, 231H of the forward / reverse conveying sections 230M, 230H, and convey the cloth W conveyed from the forward / reverse conveying section 230 (conveying section) by clamping it between the upper clamping conveyor 340 and the lower clamping conveyor 360.

[0067] The operation of the fabric hanging unit 300 configured as described above will be described. When the fabric abnormality detection units 220M, 220H and the secondary fabric abnormality detection units 280M, 280H determine that the conveyed fabric W is not abnormal, i.e., not in a clump shape (normal), the fabric W is transferred from the upper conveying units 210M, 210H to the forward / reverse conveying units 230M, 230H (conveying units), and the fabric W is conveyed from the forward direction F to the backward direction R (see FIG. 13A).

[0068] When the edge detection sensors 320M, 320H detect the leading edge W1 of the cloth W that has been transferred from the upper conveying sections 210M, 210H to the forward / reverse conveying sections 230M, 230H (conveying sections) and further conveyed, the upper clamping conveyor 340 and the lower clamping conveyor 360 are driven to clamp the cloth W therebetween. Alternatively, the upper clamping conveyor 340 and the lower clamping conveyor 360 can be driven in advance to clamp the cloth W therebetween before the edge detection sensors 320M, 320H detect the leading edge W1 of the cloth W that has been further conveyed as described above.

[0069] When the cloth W is sandwiched between the upper sandwich conveyor 340 and the lower sandwich conveyor 360, the end detection sensor 320 detects the rear end W2 of the cloth W, and then the upper sandwich conveyor 340 and the lower sandwich conveyor 360 stop driving, and a part of the cloth W is sandwiched between the upper sandwich conveyor 340 and the lower sandwich conveyor 360 and suspended (see FIG. 13B). After that, the cloth hanging unit 300 receives a signal from a sensor or the like in a subsequent process (not shown), and then the upper sandwich conveyor 340 and the lower sandwich conveyor 360 start driving again, and the sandwiched cloth W is released from being sandwiched between the upper sandwich conveyor 340 and the lower sandwich conveyor 360. Furthermore, for example, when an operator (not shown) presses a switch (not shown), and the cloth hanging unit 300 receives a signal, the upper clamping conveyor 340 and the lower clamping conveyor 360 start operating again, and the clamped cloth W is released from being pinched between the upper clamping conveyor 340 and the lower clamping conveyor 360 (see Figure 13C).

[0070] The released fabric W can be automatically fed to the next process, which is an ironer or a folding device (not shown), or an operator (not shown) can grab the fabric W and feed it to the next process.

[0071] In addition, when neither the fabric abnormality detection unit 220M nor the secondary fabric abnormality detection unit 280M detects an abnormality in the fabric W, if a foreign object is mixed in the fabric W and the thickness of the fabric W is thicker than normal fabric W, the tension cylinder 342 detects the thickness of the fabric W sandwiched between the upper sandwiching conveyor 340 and the lower sandwiching conveyor 360. For example, if a foreign object is mixed in the rear end W2 of the fabric W, the tension cylinder 342 detects the thickness of the fabric W. This thickness is specified in advance (see Figure 14A). Possible detection methods include detecting a change in the cylinder stroke of the tension cylinder 342 or a change in the air pressure applied to the tension cylinder 342. In addition, the fabric hanging unit 300 may have a lower sandwiching conveyor drive unit 365 that drives the lower sandwiching conveyor 360 (see Figures 14A, B, and C).

[0072] If the tension cylinder 342 determines that the thickness of the fabric W detected is greater than or equal to a predetermined thickness, it determines that the fabric W is abnormal, such as containing a foreign object (see FIG. 14B). The lower clamping conveyor 360 is then moved downward by the lower clamping conveyor drive unit 365, releasing the fabric W that had been clamped between the upper clamping conveyor 340 and the lower clamping conveyor 360 (see FIG. 14C). The upper clamping conveyor 340 and the lower clamping conveyor 360 then continue to drive, causing the fabric W to fall without being suspended. In this way, abnormal fabric W can be prevented from being fed to the next process. The fabric supplying device 10 may have a fabric suspension unit 300. The thickness of the fabric W is preferably, for example, approximately 20 to 30 millimeters, and this thickness can be set depending on the type or condition of the fabric W.

[0073] In this way, the fabric supplying device 10 can discharge fabric W when there is an abnormality in the fabric W from any of the fabric pickup section 100 that picks up a single piece of fabric W, the fabric discharge section 200 that discharges a tangled ball of fabric W, and the fabric hanging section 300 that hangs a single piece of fabric W. It goes without saying that each section of the fabric supplying device 10 is controlled by a control section (not shown). [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 10 Fabric feeding device 100 Fabric Pick-up Section 170 sensors 110M, H Pickup Clamp 130M, H Front pull-out conveyor 135M, H Pull-out sensor 150M, H Rear pull-out conveyor 155M, H Rear pull-out conveyor drive unit 200 Cloth discharge section 210M, H upper conveyor 220M, H Fabric abnormality detection unit 230M, H Forward and reverse conveying section (conveying section) 280M, H Secondary Fabric Abnormality Detection Unit 300 Cloth Hanging Section 320M, H End detection sensor 340 Upper clamping conveyor 342 Tension Cylinder 360 Lower clamping conveyor

Claims

1. an upper conveying section that conveys the fabric in a rearward direction; a fabric abnormality detection unit that detects whether or not the fabric arranged above the upper conveying unit is abnormal, When the fabric abnormality detection unit detects an abnormality in the fabric, a cloth discharge section capable of discharging the abnormal cloth;

2. an upper conveying section that conveys the fabric in a rearward direction; a fabric abnormality detection unit that detects whether the fabric arranged above the upper conveying unit is abnormal; a forward / reverse conveying unit that changes the conveying direction to a backward direction or a forward direction, a cloth discharge section that can discharge the abnormal cloth on the forward / reverse conveying section when the cloth abnormality detection section detects an abnormality in the cloth;

3. an upper conveying section that conveys the fabric in a rearward direction; a fabric abnormality detection unit that detects whether the fabric arranged above the upper conveying unit is abnormal; a forward / reverse conveying unit that changes the conveying direction to a backward direction or a forward direction, When the fabric abnormality detection unit detects an abnormality in the fabric, the forward / reverse conveying unit changes the conveying direction to the forward direction and discharges the abnormal fabric placed on the forward / reverse conveying unit.

4. an upper conveying section that conveys the fabric in a rearward direction; a fabric abnormality detection unit that detects whether the fabric arranged above the upper conveying unit is abnormal; a forward / reverse conveying unit that changes the conveying direction to a backward direction or a forward direction; a secondary fabric abnormality detection unit that detects whether or not the fabric arranged above the forward / reverse conveyance unit is abnormal, A fabric discharge unit that can discharge the abnormal fabric when the fabric abnormality detection unit does not detect an abnormality in the fabric but the secondary fabric abnormality detection unit detects an abnormality in the fabric.

5. an upper conveying section that conveys the fabric in a rearward direction; a fabric abnormality detection unit that detects whether the fabric arranged above the upper conveying unit is abnormal; a forward / reverse conveying unit that changes the conveying direction to a backward direction or a forward direction; a secondary fabric abnormality detection unit that detects whether or not the fabric arranged above the forward / reverse conveyance unit is abnormal, A fabric discharge section that can discharge abnormal fabrics placed on the forward / reverse conveying section when the fabric abnormality detection section does not detect an abnormality in the fabrics but the secondary fabric abnormality detection section detects an abnormality in the fabrics.

6. an upper conveying section that conveys the fabric in a rearward direction; a fabric abnormality detection unit that detects whether the fabric arranged above the upper conveying unit is abnormal; a forward / reverse conveying unit that changes the conveying direction to a backward direction or a forward direction; a secondary fabric abnormality detection unit that detects whether or not the fabric arranged above the forward / reverse conveyance unit is abnormal, When the fabric abnormality detection unit does not detect an abnormality in the fabric but the secondary fabric abnormality detection unit detects an abnormality in the fabric, the forward / reverse conveying unit changes the conveying direction to the forward direction and discharges the abnormal fabric placed on the forward / reverse conveying unit.

7. A cloth supplying device comprising: a cloth discharge section capable of discharging the cloth according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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