Ultra-thin sheet transport device

Abstract

To provide an ultrathin sheet transport device that transports an ultrathin sheet by temporarily bonding the ultrathin sheet to a pad adhesive face formed of an adhesive tape and accurately disposing the ultrathin sheet at a prescribed position.SOLUTION: An ultrathin sheet transport device of the present invention for transporting an ultrathin sheet between processes has a movable arm, a frame to lift the whole ultrathin sheet attached to a site acting on work of the movable arm, a plurality of adhesive pads, and a cylindrical part from which the adhesive pads can be advanced and retreated. The plurality of adhesive pads with adhesive faces facing downward are disposed on the frame at least along an outer shape of the ultrathin sheet.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for reliably lifting an ultrathin sheet, transporting it to a predetermined position, and positioning it with precision when transporting the ultrathin sheet. [Background technology]

[0002] Ultra-thin sheets are available in a variety of materials, including resin and cloth, but a typical example that presents particular challenges when transporting ultra-thin sheets is the transport of fabric pieces that require sewing. The following describes the transport of fabric pieces as an example.

[0003] The manufacturing of fabric products requires at least the following processes: cutting fabric, sewing fabric parts (hereinafter referred to as fabric pieces), inspection, folding, and packaging. Between each process, the fabric pieces need to be transported.

[0004] Conventionally, in the automation of the manufacture of cloth products, when a robotic hand grips a thin piece of fabric, it is unsuitable because it causes wrinkles and twists. For this reason, when supplying and discharging a thin and flexible material such as fabric to each work position such as a sewing position, it has been common to position each piece of fabric and then transport it on a belt conveyor, or to transport the fabric piece to a predetermined position on a belt conveyor or the like, provide a portion of the other piece of fabric to be sewn that will have little effect on the sewing, grip that portion with a robotic hand or the like, press it into the predetermined position, and temporarily secure it by adhesion or fusion, and then release the robotic hand.

[0005] With the above method, particularly in the sewing process, manual labor is required when placing the fabric pieces on the belt conveyor, and the fabric pieces cannot be accurately positioned at the sewing position, resulting in poor sewing results due to misalignment and reduced yields, making it difficult to achieve complete automation and improve efficiency.

[0006] As described above, the transportation of thin fabric pieces when feeding and discharging the fabric pieces in each process, or the positioning of the fabric pieces when sewing, are universal challenges when realizing full automation of sewing and improving manufacturing efficiency, and various inventions as shown below have been made and disclosed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 2900514 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-176289 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 63-270085 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] Patent Document 1 discloses a device for supplying and discharging fabric to a sewing position. In Patent Document 1, a feed plate is moved forward from the sewing position to the loading position by a feed arm while being spaced apart from the top surface of the table between the table and the needle, and as the feed arm descends, the feed plate presses the pocket fabric piece and fabric against the table, and then the feed plate is returned from the loading position to the sewing position, and in this state, the feed plate and sewing machine are moved in the X and Y directions in synchronization with the up and down movement of the needle, whereby sewing is performed along the needle guide groove and the pocket fabric piece is sewn onto the fabric, and the fabric is moved while pressed against the table by the feed plate.

[0009] However, when feeding and discharging dough by sliding it on a table, there was a problem that the dough pieces could wrinkle or twist during movement depending on the pressure, making it difficult to position them accurately. Also, when sending the stacked dough pieces one by one to the loading position, the thinner the dough, the more difficult it is to reliably send each piece out.

[0010] Patent Document 2 discloses a technology for lifting flexible objects that are difficult to grasp with a robot hand using adhesive tape held at both ends by a tape holder. When lifting a workpiece from a workbench, the picking device in this invention presses the adhesive area against the workpiece, causing the workpiece to adhere to the adhesive area of ​​the tape. When the tape adheres to the workpiece, the robot arm activates and transports the picking device up the belt conveyor. When the picking device reaches the release position, the excitation rotor strikes the elastic sheet. When struck, the elastic sheet vibrates by repeatedly deforming and restoring, and the vibration is transmitted to the adhesive area of ​​the tape, causing the workpiece to be shaken off the tape.

[0011] By using this picking device, even if the workpiece is thin fabric, it is possible to reliably pick up one piece of fabric at a time, rather than lifting multiple pieces at the same time. However, if the adhesive position and range of the fabric do not match the sewing location, it is not easy to accurately position the sewing location. Furthermore, if the fabric is placed at the sewing location in a twisted or folded state other than the adhesive portion, it becomes difficult to transport it to the next process.

[0012] Patent Document 3 discloses a robot that uses a suction pad to vacuum-suck and position a piece of cloth. When automatic operation begins, the hand of the first delivery robot descends, suctions the top lid of the cassette with the suction pad, and the positioning hole is inserted into the engagement pin of the top lid base. Next, the first delivery robot operates, and this time a vacuum is applied to the suction pad, vacuum-sucking the inner cloth from the cloth box and placing it in the specified position on the bottom lid of the cassette.

[0013] When using a vacuum suction pad to suction thin fabrics, the fabric may wrinkle or twist, making it difficult to accurately position the fabric at the sewing position.In addition, there is a risk of multiple pieces of fabric being sucked up.

[0014] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an ultra-thin sheet conveying device that temporarily adheres an ultra-thin sheet to the adhesive surface of a pad using adhesive tape, conveys the ultra-thin sheet, and accurately places the ultra-thin sheet in a predetermined position. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] In order to solve the above problems, the ultra-thin sheet conveying device of the present invention comprises: Holds ultra-thin sheets and transports them to the designated position An ultra-thin sheet conveying device for conveying a sheet, comprising: a movable arm; a frame attached to the movable arm and lifting the entire ultra-thin sheet; , a plurality of adhesive pads, and the adhesive pad and a cylindrical portion through which the adhesive pads are inserted and retracted. The adhesive pads are arranged on the frame with their adhesive surfaces facing downward and following at least the outer shape of the ultra-thin sheet, the plurality of adhesive pads are divided into a plurality of groups based on predetermined combinations, and only the adhesive pads belonging to one group are simultaneously activated to press against the ultra-thin sheet and temporarily adhere and hold it in place; this process is repeated for all groups in sequence; It is characterized by:

[0016] Furthermore, the ultra-thin sheet conveying device of the present invention is characterized in that, when the ultra-thin sheet is a piece of cloth fabric, a positioning needle is provided at the fabric piece supply position to spread the mesh of the fabric piece and set the fabric piece at a predetermined position along the outer shape of the processing area.

[0017] The ultrathin sheet transport device of the present invention is characterized by being provided with an air nozzle for blowing air onto the ultrathin sheet.

[0019] The ultrathin sheet transport device of the present invention is also characterized in that the adhesive pad is replaceable. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] When a piece of fabric is held by a robot hand or vacuum-adsorbed by a suction pad and transported, the piece of fabric may become wrinkled or twisted. However, with the ultra-thin sheet transport device of the present invention, the piece of fabric or ultra-thin sheet is temporarily adhered using an adhesive pad and then lifted up by the entire frame, preventing wrinkles and twists during transport and enabling the sewing point of the piece of fabric to be accurately positioned at the sewing position.

[0021] In addition, according to the ultra-thin sheet conveying device of the present invention, by adhering the fabric pieces using adhesive pads, the fabric pieces or ultra-thin sheets underneath the stack are not adhered and lifted, thereby achieving the effect of enabling the fabric pieces or ultra-thin sheets to be reliably conveyed one by one.

[0022] In addition, according to the ultra-thin sheet conveying device of the present invention, by providing a cylindrical guard that allows the adhesive pad to move in and out, it is possible to reliably detach a temporarily adhered piece of fabric or ultra-thin sheet.

[0023] According to the ultra-thin sheet conveying device of the present invention, when lifting a piece of fabric at the fabric piece supply position, air is blown toward the piece of fabric using an air nozzle, thereby preventing loose threads or foreign matter at the end of the piece of fabric from adhering to the adhesive pad along with the piece of fabric or the ultra-thin sheet, thereby achieving the effect of reliably lifting the piece of fabric.

[0024] When adhering a piece of fabric or an ultra-thin sheet to an adhesive pad, if multiple adhesive pads are pressed against the piece of fabric at the same time, the more adhesive pads that are pressed, the more dispersed the pressure becomes. Therefore, in the ultra-thin sheet conveying device of the present invention, by grouping multiple adhesive pad units, the number of adhesive pads that simultaneously press against the piece of fabric or an ultra-thin sheet is limited, thereby suppressing dispersion of the pressure force and achieving the effect of reliably adhering the piece of fabric or an ultra-thin sheet.

[0025] When grouping, selecting and grouping adhesive pad parts according to predetermined conditions can achieve the effect of stable adhesion. Examples of such conditions include: first, grouping adhesive pad parts that are similar in distance from the frame fixing part of the movable arm; and second, grouping adhesive pad parts that are fixed to the same or adjacent frame frames or bars. While not limited to these two conditions, it is preferable to group adhesive pad parts that are similar in the magnitude of the force applied to the adhesive pad when the frame is pressed against a horizontal surface.

[0026] According to the ultrathin sheet conveying device of the present invention, by replacing the adhesive pad that has been bonded a predetermined number of times, it is possible to maintain a constant adhesive force and perform stable bonding.

[0027] The above has described the effects when used with cloth fabrics, which present particular challenges when transporting ultra-thin sheets, but it is clear that similar effects can be obtained when transporting flexible ultra-thin sheets regardless of the material.

[0028] According to the ultra-thin sheet conveying device of the present invention, at the supply position of the fabric piece before sewing, a positioning needle is arranged at a predetermined position near the outer shape of the sewing location and penetrates the fabric piece to set it, thereby preventing the fabric piece from shifting position when lifted by the adhesive pad, and achieving the effect of accurately transporting and positioning the fabric piece at the sewing position. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the entire ultrathin sheet conveying device 1 according to the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view showing a frame 10 of an ultrathin sheet transporting device 1 according to the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a plan view showing a frame 10 of an ultrathin sheet transporting device 1 according to the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a perspective view showing an adhesive pad portion 12 of an ultrathin sheet transporting device 1 according to the present invention. [Figure 5] 10A to 10C are cross-sectional views showing the operation of the adhesive pad portion 12 in each step. [Figure 6a] 10 is a view showing a positioning needle 422 disposed at a first dough piece supply position 42 of the ultrathin sheet conveying device 1 according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 6b] 1 is a view showing a first dough piece 50 arranged at a first dough piece supply position 42 of the ultrathin sheet conveying device 1 according to the present invention. [Figure 7] 1 is a perspective view showing an air nozzle 16 disposed near an adhesive pad portion 12 of an ultrathin sheet transport device 1 according to the present invention. [Figure 8]1 is a diagram showing an example in which adhesive pad portions 12 of an ultrathin sheet transport device 1 according to the present invention are grouped. [Figure 9] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating the operation of the adhesive pad portion 12 for each group when the ultrathin sheet transport device 1 according to the present invention lifts up an ultrathin sheet. [Figure 10] 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the ultrathin sheet transporting device 1 according to the present invention, which has lifted the ultrathin sheet, moves the ultrathin sheet to a sewing position 34. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] An embodiment of an ultrathin sheet conveying device 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire ultrathin sheet conveying device 1 according to the present invention. The ultrathin sheet conveying device 1 conveys ultrathin sheets between processes such as processing and packaging of the ultrathin sheets. The ultrathin sheet conveying device 1 is composed of at least a movable arm, a frame 10 attached to the hand portion of the movable arm for lifting the entire ultrathin sheet, a plurality of adhesive pads 122 arranged on the underside of the frame 10 along the outline of the ultrathin sheet, and a tubular portion through which the adhesive pads 122 can be moved.

[0031] Examples of ultra-thin sheets include woven or knitted fabrics, paper, and resin sheets. Automating the transport of ultra-thin sheets poses many challenges, particularly when sewing pieces of fabric. For example, when attempting to lift stacked pieces of fabric one by one, a robotic hand's gripping technique can result in the robot picking up multiple pieces. Even if the pieces of fabric could be picked up one by one, gripping the fabric can easily cause wrinkles and twists, making it difficult to accurately position the sewing location and place it at the sewing position 34 (see Figure 10) of the automatic sewing machine 30. Similar challenges arise when lifting fabric pieces using air suction. Therefore, in an embodiment of the present invention, the automation of transport in the sewing process of fabric pieces, which is difficult to sew, will be described.

[0032] The figure shows the process of transporting two types of fabric pieces to the sewing position 34 of the automatic sewing machine 30 and collecting the completed sewing piece 56. This is the process of sewing a name tag of a second fabric piece 52 to the chest area of ​​the front body of a jacket, using the front body with sleeves as the first fabric piece 50 (see Figure 6b). Any combination of the first fabric piece 50 and the second fabric piece 52 is possible, such as a front body and a pocket, a pocket and a name tag, a lining and an inner pocket, or a lining and a tag.

[0033] A movable arm fixed to an arm fixing portion 22 is installed on the robot table 40 on the right side of the figure. The movable arm may be an articulated robot as shown in the figure, a SCARA robot, or a lifting-type transport device. In the following, the movable arm will be referred to as a robot arm 20, with an articulated robot being exemplified.

[0034] The robot table 40 is also provided with a fabric piece supply position where fabric pieces to be supplied to the sewing position 34 are stacked and arranged, and a fabric piece collection position 46 where worked fabric pieces 56 are stacked and collected after the sewing process is completed. In the figure, the fabric pieces to be supplied and the fabric pieces to be collected are shown as being stacked in multiple pieces, but it is also possible to lift up the fabric pieces transported to the supply position by a supply belt conveyor and transport them to the sewing position 34, and then place the fabric pieces after the sewing process on a discharge belt conveyor and send them to the next process.

[0035] Two fabric piece supply positions are shown: a first fabric piece supply position 42 and a second fabric piece supply position 44. Positioning needles 422 are disposed near the positions corresponding to the sewing points of the first fabric piece supply position 42 and the second fabric piece supply position 44, respectively, so that the sewing points of the ultrathin sheet can be accurately positioned when the sheet is lifted by the adhesive pad 122.

[0036] On the left side of the drawing, a sewing machine table 32 is arranged, and an automatic sewing machine 30 is installed on the sewing machine table 32. During sewing, the part of the sewing machine table 32 on which the piece of fabric is placed moves horizontally so that the sewing needle traces the sewing point on the piece of fabric.

[0037] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the frame 10 of the ultrathin sheet conveying device 1 according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the frame 10 of the ultrathin sheet conveying device 1 according to the present invention. The frame 10 is formed in a shape that resembles the outline of the fabric piece to be lifted. The rigidity of the frame 10 is increased by arranging multiple bars 104 that span between the frames 102. The frame 10 is provided with an adhesive pad section 12 that is temporarily attached to lift the fabric piece during conveyance. The adhesive pad section 12 is arranged on the frame 10 with the adhesive surface facing downward and following at least the outline of the ultrathin sheet.

[0038] The dashed lines in Figures 2 and 3 indicate the first fabric piece bonding frame 18. In this embodiment, the first fabric piece 50 to be lifted is assumed to be a front body with sleeves, and the first fabric piece bonding frame 18 is configured in a shape in which a frame 102 corresponding to the front body portion and a frame 102 corresponding to the sleeve portion are joined together. The adhesive pad unit 12 is attached to the frame 102 and bar 104 of the frame 10, positioned in a position that matches the outline of the front body with sleeves. The fabric of the front body is large, and simply bonding the outline portion alone can cause slack in the center, making it impossible to accurately position the sewing position 34 of the automatic sewing machine 30, which may result in poor sewing. Therefore, it is preferable to also provide adhesive pad units 12 in the center, particularly on the bars 104 near the sewing position.

[0039] 2 and 3, the portion of the first fabric piece bonding frame 18 where the outer periphery of the frame 102 is partially cut is the portion that is inserted into the sewing position 34 of the automatic sewing machine 30. By reinforcing the frame 10 with a bar 104 placed in the cut portion to reinforce the frame 10 and attaching the fabric piece to the bar, misalignment of the sewing position is prevented and positioning accuracy is improved. The positions and number of adhesive pads 12 are not limited to those shown in the figures, and are preferably flexibly changed depending on the shape of the fabric piece or the position or shape of the sewing position.

[0040] The dashed line portion in Figures 2 and 3 indicates the second fabric piece bonding frame 19. In this embodiment, the second fabric piece 52 to be lifted is assumed to be a name tag. Since the name tag is relatively small, the second fabric piece bonding frame 19 is connected to the first fabric piece bonding frame 18, forming a frame shape that can simultaneously transport the first fabric piece 50 and the second fabric piece 52. The second fabric piece bonding frame 19 is provided with an adhesive pad unit 12 to which the name tag is temporarily attached. Although one adhesive pad unit 12 is provided in Figure 2, it is preferable to determine the number of pads depending on the size or shape of the name tag so that part of the fabric piece does not droop.

[0041] It is preferable to provide a fabric piece detection sensor 17 on the frame 10 for detecting whether or not the fabric piece has been lifted. The sensor may be of a well-known contact type, optical type, or image recognition type using a camera.

[0042] An air nozzle 16 is disposed near the adhesive pad portion 12 to prevent loose threads from the fabric piece or foreign matter from adhering to the adhesive pad 122. The air nozzle 16 will be described later.

[0043] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the adhesive pad unit 12 of the ultrathin sheet conveying device 1 according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a view of the adhesive pad unit 12 viewed obliquely upward from below. The adhesive pad unit 12 is composed of at least an adhesive pad 122, a cylindrical portion (hereinafter referred to as a guard 124), an air cylinder 15, and a base 156. The adhesive pad 122 is composed of a connecting portion 123 that is fixed to the movable shaft 151 (see FIG. 5) of the air cylinder 15, and an adhesive surface. The adhesive surface may be coated with an adhesive material, but double-sided tape is preferred because it allows the adhesive properties of the front and back sides to be changed and is easy to apply. Since the main body of the adhesive pad 122 is made of metal or resin, it is preferable that the side of the double-sided tape on the main body side of the adhesive pad 122 be compatible with the metal or resin and have strong adhesive strength. On the other hand, the other side of the fabric may have adhesive strength sufficient for temporary fastening during sewing, etc. The diameter of the adhesive surface is preferably approximately 5 mm to 30 mm. If it is less than 5 mm, the holding force when lifting the fabric piece may be insufficient, which may result in unexpected peeling.If it is more than 30 mm, the adhesive pad 122 may pull the fabric piece too hard when peeling it off, causing it to shift position or damaging the fabric piece.

[0044] The adhesive pad 122 is connected to the movable shaft 151 of the air cylinder 15 via a connecting portion 123. The air cylinder 15 is a cylinder that can be stopped in at least three positions, and is set so that the adhesive pad 122 can be stopped at an intermediate position such as a retracted position, a protruding position, or a guard surface position. Cylinders that can be stopped in three positions include a three-position cylinder that can stop the adhesive pad 122 at an intermediate position by changing the combination of intake and exhaust for three air supply and exhaust units, and an air cylinder 15 equipped with a three-position valve that can stop the adhesive pad 122 in a stationary or free state at two positions by combining intake and exhaust for two air supply and exhaust units 152. A portion of the extension and retraction path of the adhesive pad 122 is surrounded by a cylindrical guard 124. The retracted position of the adhesive pad 122 is inside the guard 124, and the protruding position is outside the guard 124. The intermediate position is preferably the guard surface position where the adhesive surface of the adhesive pad 122 is flush with the lower end surface of the guard 124, but may be any position between the guard surface position and the protruding position.

[0045] The adhesive surface of the adhesive pad 122 loses its adhesive strength after repeated bonding, and therefore must be replaced. While it is possible to manually replace only the double-sided tape on the adhesive surface, replacement can be automated by adopting a well-known chuck-type, screw-type, or one-touch detachable fastening structure for the connection part 123 with the movable shaft 151 of the air cylinder 15. Although not shown in the figure, a detachment position for the adhesive pad 122 and a storage position for a spare adhesive pad 122 can be separately provided, and the adhesive pad 122 that has been bonded a predetermined number of times can be moved to the adhesive pad detachment position and automatically detached, and then moved to the spare adhesive pad storage position and automatically attached, thereby realizing automated replacement of the adhesive pad 122.

[0046] The base 156 is fixed to the frame 10 while holding the air cylinder 15 and the guard 124. The air cylinder 15 is fixed to the base 156 via a bracket 154. The guard 124 can be formed separately and fixed to the base 156 using a fastening member or the like, or it can be formed integrally with the base 156. Figure 4 shows the case where the guard 124 and base 156 are formed integrally.

[0047] 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views showing the operation of the adhesive pad unit 12 for each step. Fig. 5A shows a standby state in which the adhesive pad 122 is in a retracted position. The retracted position is a position in which the adhesive pad 122 has retracted upward from the lower tip surface of the guard 124 into the interior of the tube. In other words, this is the state before the fabric piece is bonded.

[0048] 5(b) shows a state in which the adhesive pad 122 is in a protruding position outside the cylinder and can be adhered to a dough piece. The frame 10 is moved to above the first dough piece supply position 42 or the second dough piece supply position 44 by the robot arm 20, and the air cylinder 15 is operated so that the adhesive pad 122 moves to the protruding position, and then the robot arm 20 is operated to move the frame 10 vertically downward.

[0049] When the adhesive pad 122 is pressed against the fabric piece, the fabric piece adheres to the adhesive surface. After adhering the fabric piece, as shown in FIG. 5(c), if an air cylinder 15 equipped with a three-position valve is used, the internal pressure is released and operation is stopped with no force being applied to fix the adhesive pad 122. Therefore, there is no holding force and the adhesive pad 122 may move due to external force. On the other hand, if an arbitrary position between the protruding position and the guard surface position is set and stopped, a three-position cylinder may be used to move the adhesive pad to the set position. After repeating this operation until all the adhesive pads 122 have adhered to the fabric piece, the robot arm 20 moves the fabric piece above the sewing position 34, avoiding the structures of the automatic sewing machine 30.

[0050] Next, the frame 10 is moved vertically downward and the guard 124 is pressed against the sewing machine table 32 from above the sewing position 34. As shown in FIG. 5(d), the piece of fabric is clamped between the guard 124 and the sewing machine table 32, preventing the piece of fabric from shifting position when the adhesive pad 122 is released.

[0051] When the air cylinder 15 is operated to move the adhesive pad 122 to the retracted position while the guard 124 is pressing against the fabric piece, the adhesive pad 122 can be peeled off from the fabric piece while the guard 124 is pressing against the fabric piece, as shown in FIG. 5(e). After that, when the frame 10 is raised, the fabric piece is placed at the sewing position 34. At this time, the state of the adhesive pad 122 returns to the standby state shown in FIG. 5(a). When the fabric piece after sewing is collected from the sewing position 34 and placed at the collection position, the steps from FIG. 5(a) to FIG. 5(e) are similarly performed.

[0052] The positioning needles 422 are arranged near the sewing point on the fabric piece. Figure 6a is a diagram showing the positioning needles 422 arranged at the first fabric piece supply position 42 of the ultrathin sheet conveying device 1 according to the present invention. Figure 6a shows the arrangement of the positioning needles 422 at the first fabric piece supply position 42 when sewing a name tag on the second fabric piece 52 using the front body as the first fabric piece 50. The positioning needles 422 are arranged near the periphery of the name tag. The arrangement and number of positioning needles 422 are changed appropriately depending on the shape of the sewing point. The name tag, which is the second fabric piece 52, may be set by surrounding the periphery of the name tag with a partition, but it is preferable to arrange the positioning needles 422 near the periphery of the name tag and set the name tag.

[0053] FIG. 6b shows a first fabric piece 50 placed at the first fabric piece supply position 42 of the ultrathin sheet conveying device 1 according to the present invention. The dashed line indicates the sewing location where the name tag is to be sewn. If the fabric piece, which is an ultrathin sheet, is simply placed at the supply position, it may become misaligned due to wind pressure when the robot arm 20 moves. On the other hand, using the positioning needle 422 prevents the sewing location from shifting. Even if the position of parts other than the sewing location changes slightly, this does not pose a problem because poor sewing can be prevented.

[0054] Furthermore, by using an extremely thin needle for the positioning needle 422, it can be set at the supply position without damaging the yarn by pushing open the loops or gaps in the fabric piece of woven, knitted or nonwoven fabric, and when the positioning needle 422 is removed, the loops or gaps opened by the needle naturally return to the state they were in before the needle was inserted.

[0055] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an air nozzle 16 disposed near the adhesive pad unit 12 of the ultrathin sheet conveying device 1 according to the present invention. The air nozzle 16 is disposed near the adhesive nozzle in a state in which it can blow air directly below the adhesive surface of the adhesive pad 122. Frayed threads are often present at the edges of fabric pieces. If a frayed thread is located at the position on the fabric piece where the adhesive pad 122 is to be bonded, the air nozzle 16 blows air to remove the frayed thread from the bonding position, preventing the frayed thread from bonding together with the fabric piece and improving the stability of the bond. Any foreign matter present at the bonding position can also be removed.

[0056] Furthermore, when the second fabric piece 52 is placed over the sewing location of the first fabric piece 50 at the sewing position 34, loose threads can be removed from the sewing location by blowing air, thereby preventing poor sewing. The method of blowing air at the sewing position 34 will be described later.

[0057] When adhering a piece of fabric to the adhesive pads 122, if multiple adhesive pads 122 are pressed against the piece of fabric simultaneously, the pressing force will be dispersed by the number of adhesive pads 122 pressing against it. In particular, when the piece of fabric to be adhered is large, such as the front body shown in FIG. 1, the number of adhesive pads 122 increases, resulting in a greater dispersion of the pressing force. Dispersion of the pressing force weakens the adhesive force to the piece of fabric and impairs the stability of the adhesion. Therefore, in the ultrathin sheet conveying device 1 of the present invention, the adhesive pads 122 that press against the piece of fabric simultaneously are grouped and limited, thereby increasing the pressing force of each adhesive pad 122 as much as possible.

[0058] 8 is a diagram showing an example of grouping the adhesive pad units 12 of the ultrathin sheet transport device 1 according to the present invention. Stable adhesion can be achieved by selecting and grouping adhesive pads 122 that are similar in distance from the frame fixing unit 24 of the robot arm 20 or adhesive pads 122 fixed to the frames 102 of the same or adjacent frames 10. In the figure, the adhesive pads 122 arranged on the same frame 102 or bar 104 of the frame 10 are generally grouped together. However, since the pressing force is greater for frames 102 or bars 104 closer to the frame fixing unit 24, there is no problem in grouping multiple frames 102 or bars 104 together.

[0059] The adhesive pad parts 12 that lift up the first dough piece 50 are grouped into a first group 1221 to a fourth group 1224, and the adhesive pad parts 12 that lift up the second dough piece 52 are grouped into a fifth group 1225.

[0060] 9A and 9B are diagrams illustrating the operation of the adhesive pad units 12 for each group when the ultrathin sheet conveying device 1 according to the present invention lifts up an ultrathin sheet. Fig. 9A shows a state in which only the adhesive pads 122 of the first group 1221 are moved to the protruding position to press against and adhere the fabric piece.

[0061] After the adhesive pads 122 of the first group 1221 have pressed against the fabric piece for a predetermined time, air is released from the air cylinders 15 of the first group 1221, stopping the operation of the adhesive pads 122. Alternatively, the air in the air cylinders 15 may be controlled to retract the adhesive pads 122 to the guard surface position. Thereafter, air is supplied only to the adhesive pads 122 of the second group 1222 to move them to the protruding position, where they press against and bond the fabric piece (FIG. 9(b)). The figure shows the state in which the adhesive pads 122 have retracted to the guard surface position, but when air is released from the air cylinders 15 and the operation of the adhesive pads 122 is stopped, the adhesive pads 122 may be located anywhere between the guard surface position and the protruding position. Because no load is applied to the adhesive pads 122, there is no effect even if they were in contact with the fabric piece.

[0062] After the adhesive pads 122 of the second group 1222 have pressed against the fabric piece for a predetermined time, the adhesive pads 122 of the second group 1222 are stopped with the air released or are retracted to the guard surface position. Figure 9(c) shows the state in which the adhesive pads 122 have retracted to the guard surface position. Thereafter, only the adhesive pads 122 of the third group 1223 are moved to the protruding position to press against the fabric piece and bond it (Figure 9(c)).

[0063] After the adhesive pads 122 of the third group 1223 have pressed against the fabric piece for a predetermined time, the adhesive pads 122 of the third group 1223 are stopped in an air-released state or are retracted to the guard surface position. Figure 9(d) shows the state in which the adhesive pads 122 have been retracted to the guard surface position. Thereafter, only the adhesive pads 122 of the fourth group 1224 are moved to the protruding position to press against the fabric piece and bond it (Figure 9(d)). As shown above, by sequentially pressing the grouped adhesive pads 122 against the fabric piece, a predetermined pressing force is ensured and stable bonding is achieved.

[0064] In addition, for fabric pieces of a size that can be lifted by one adhesive pad 122 such as a name tag, or by adhesive pads 122 arranged on one frame 102 or bar 104, the fabric piece can be lifted by pressing it once.

[0065] 10 shows the ultrathin sheet transport device 1 of the present invention lifting up the ultrathin sheet and transporting it to the sewing position 34. In the transport of the front body and the name tag illustrated in this embodiment, two pieces of fabric can be transported simultaneously. At the fabric piece supply position, the front body, which is the first fabric piece 50, is first lifted up, and then the name tag of the second fabric piece 52 is lifted up and transported to the sewing position 34 of the automatic sewing machine 30. Because sewing is mainly performed on two pieces of fabric, it is preferable that the frame 10 be configured so that two pieces of fabric can be transported simultaneously.

[0066] Figure 10(a) shows the work-in-progress fabric piece 54 in the process of being conveyed. Figure 10(b) shows the state in which the front body of the first fabric piece 50, which will be the bottom side during sewing, is being placed at the sewing position 34. After this, the robot arm 20 is caused to perform the operation of placing the name tag of the second fabric piece 52 at the sewing position 34.

[0067] The first fabric piece 50, which will be the lower side when sewing, is placed at the sewing position 34, and after peeling off the adhesive pad 122, air is blown onto the fabric piece using the air nozzle 16 before detaching the guard 124 from the fabric piece, thereby removing loose threads of the fabric piece from the sewing location and preventing poor sewing.

[0068] When detaching the guard 124 from the fabric piece, the fabric piece may momentarily adhere to the pressed guard 124 and move, so it is preferable to arrange a material with low hardness and viscosity, such as sponge, that contains an air layer on the surface of the guard 124 that comes into contact with the fabric piece to prevent unexpected momentary adhesion. [Industrial Applicability]

[0069] The ultra-thin sheet conveying device according to the present invention can be used to convey not only fabrics such as cloth, but also various other materials such as resin films and paper, and can also be used in processing steps such as heat fusion and adhesive bonding. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 1 Ultra-thin sheet transport device 10 frames 102 slots 104 Bar 12 Adhesive pad part 122 adhesive pad 1221 Group 1 1222 Group 2 1223 Group 3 1224 Group 4 1225 5th Group 123 Connection 124 Guard 15 Air cylinder 151 Movable axis 152 Air supply / exhaust section 154 Bracket 156 base 16 Air nozzle 17 Fabric piece detection sensor 18 First fabric piece bonding frame 19 Second fabric piece bonding frame 20 Robot Arm 22 Arm fixing part 24 Frame fixing part 30 Automatic Sewing Machine 32 Sewing table 34 Sewing position 40 Robot Table 42 First dough piece supply position 422 Positioning needle 44 Second dough piece supply position 46 Dough piece collection position 50 First fabric piece 52 Second dough piece 54 Working dough piece 56 Worked dough pieces

Claims

1. An ultra-thin sheet transport device that holds an ultra-thin sheet and transports it to a predetermined transport position, A movable arm; a frame attached to the movable arm and lifting the entire ultrathin sheet; A plurality of adhesive pads; a cylindrical portion for extending and retracting the adhesive pad; Equipped with The plurality of adhesive pads include: The adhesive surface is placed on the frame along at least the outer shape of the ultrathin sheet, The plurality of adhesive pads The adhesive pads are divided into a plurality of groups based on predetermined combinations, and only the adhesive pads belonging to one group are simultaneously activated to press the ultrathin sheet and temporarily adhere and hold it thereon. This process is repeated for all groups in order. An ultra-thin sheet transport device characterized by:

2. The ultrathin sheet is In the case of a piece of fabric, a positioning needle is provided at the fabric piece supply position to spread the stitches of the fabric piece and set the fabric piece at a predetermined position along the outer shape of the processing area.

2. The ultra-thin sheet transport device according to claim 1, wherein:

3. An air nozzle is provided to blow air onto the ultrathin sheet.

3. The ultra-thin sheet transport device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:

4. The adhesive pad, Being interchangeable, 3. The ultra-thin sheet transport device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:

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