Apparatus and method for feeding fabric covering sheet into cutting machine

Abstract

 A feeding apparatus (26) for automatically feeding an air-impermeable fabric covering sheet at the time of feeding a fabric into an automatic cutting machine (21) is provided above an air table (24) at the upstream side of a cutting table (25) of the cutting machine (21). On the air table (24), air is blown out from an air nozzle (34) to the cutting table (25) side. The cutting table (25) is capable of conveying a laminated sheet (22) of fabric to be put on a conveyor (35). A cutting support plane (37) of the surface of the conveyor (35) is formed of a front end of a bristle brush (36). The bristle brush (36) is air-permeable, and communicates with a suction chamber (39) inside the cutting table (25), and is sucked in vacuum. When the fabric laminated sheet (22) is delivered on the cutting support plane, it is detected by a fabric sensor (33), and a delivery roller (29) is driven to rotate, and fabric covering sheet (23) is let-out from a fabric covering sheet roll (31). When delivery of the fabric is completed, the fabric covering sheet (23) can be cut off by a cutting device (32).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a fabric covering sheet feeding apparatus and a method for feeding an air-impermeable covering sheet into a cutting machine, which is used for cutting parts from a sheet material like fabric, cloth and so on according to cutting data while sucking in vacuum and holding the fabric to be cut on a cutting table, in order to reinforce the vacuum retaining property.

[0002] Hitherto, in a cutting machine, especially in an automatic cutting machine, the fabric to be cut is put on a cutting table, and is held from below by vacuum sucking, and is cut in the contour of parts or the like according to the cutting data by a cutter movable freely on the cutting table. The fabric to be cut is generally not air-impermeable, and therefore the fabric cannot be held sufficiently only by putting it on the cutting table. Accordingly, the fabric is covered with an air impermeable sheet so that the fabric can be hold by vacuum clamping securely. As the fabric covering sheet, for example, synthetic resin films of polyethylene, vinyl chloride, and the like are used.

[0003] Fig. 14 shows a simplified constitution of the prior art disclosed in the Japanese Examined Patent Publication JP(B2) 62-25785 (1987). A cutting machine 1 includes a cutting table comprising a processing table 2, an upstream side transfer table 3, and a downstream side transfer table 4. A cutting carriage 5 can move and travel on rails 2a, 3a, 4a provided at both sides in the widthwise direction of the processing table 2 and transfer tables 3, 4. The cutting carriage 5 has a cutting head 6 movable on the cutting carriage 5 in the widthwise direction, and is provided with a cutter 6a for cutting the fabric. A label carriage 7 can move and travel, same as the cutting carriage 5, on the rails 2a, 3a, 4a provided at both sides of the processing table 2 and transfer tables 3, 4. The label carriage 7 is provided with a function of adhering a label to the fabric for identifying the parts when moving and traveling. The label carriage 7 includes a pinching device 8 for pinching a fabric sheet or the like. A cutting device 9 is provided above the vicinity of the boundary of the processing table 2 and the upstream side transfer table 3.

[0004] At the end of the upstream side transfer table 3, a fabric sheet roll 10 and a fabric covering sheet roll 11 are pivotedly supported. The pinching device 8 disposed on the label carriage 7 pinches the front end of the fabric sheet unrolled from the fabric sheet roll 10, and spreads the fabric sheet on the processing table 2 by a specified length while moving from the transfer table 3 to the processing table 2. When spreading one fabric sheet by the specified length is over, it is cut off by the cutting device 9, and by repeating the process of spreading the fabric sheet by the specified length, a laminated sheet 12 is formed on the processing table 2. After forming a laminated sheet 12 having a predetermined number of layers, the pinching device 8 of the label carriage 7 pinches the front end of the fabric covering sheet unrolled from the covering sheet roll 11, and covers on the laminated sheet 12 placed on the processing table 2.

[0005] In the prior art as shown in Fig. 14, using the same label carriage 7 and pinching device 8, fabric sheets are spread on the processing table and stacked up to form a laminated sheet 12, which is covered with a fabric covering sheet. During such spreading operation, the cutting carriage 5 cannot be put into action to cut the laminated fabric. In the prior art, the transfer tables 3, 4 can be moved in the direction vertical to the sheet of paper of Fig. 14, independently of the processing table 2, and by using plural processing tables 2, it is possible to cut the laminated sheet 12 already formed on one processing table 22 while spreading the fabric sheet repeatedly and forming the laminated sheet 12 on the other processing tables 2.

[0006] However, in an automatic cutting machine including a cutting table of a conveyor drive type as disclosed, for example, in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 5-69382 (1993), the cost of the cutting table is relatively high. In such cutting machine, instead of spreading a fabric on the cutting table, it is intended to cut efficiently by loading the fabric already spread by a special spreading machine. Therefore, in the automatic cutting machine with cutting table of a conveyor drive type, no mechanism for spreading sheet materials is provided, and covering the sheet with an air-impermeable sheet must be done manually. For example, at the upstream side of the cutting table, the fabric covering sheet wound in a roll is pivotedly supported by posts set upright from both sides in the widthwise direction, and an operator lets out the fabric covering sheet to cover the fabric when necessary, for example, when loading a fabric to be cut. To cover the fabric sufficiently, it is necessary that two operators work from both sides of the fabric.

[0007] It is hence a primary object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for feeding a fabric covering sheet into a cutting machine, capable of feeding a covering sheet automatically, even in an automatic cutting machine having a cutting table of a conveyor drive type.

[0008] The invention provides a feeding apparatus for feeding an air-impermeable sheet to cover surface of a fabric into an automatic cutting machine, which cuts out parts from the fabric according to cutting data, while sucking and holding the fabric on a cutting support plane constructed as a conveyor, the apparatus comprising:

supporting means for supporting a covering sheet roll, being set upright on both sides in the widthwise direction of the automatic cutting machine at the fabric entry side into the cutting support plane, and

delivering means for letting out the covering sheet from the roll supported by the supporting means, following entry of the fabric into the cutting support plane constructed as a conveyor.

[0009] The invention is characterized in that cutting means for cutting the delivered covering sheet is disposed beneath the delivering means.

[0010] The invention is characterized in that the feeding apparatus further comprises guiding means for leading and guiding the fabric covering sheet delivered from the delivering means in the conveying direction of the cutting support plane as a conveyor.

[0011] Further the invention is characterized in that the leading means leads and guides the fabric covering sheet by blowing air from below the delivering means to the direction of the cutting support plane.

[0012] Further the invention is characterized in that the leading means leads and guides the fabric covering sheet in the direction of the cutting support plane while contacting with the delivered fabric covering sheet.

[0013] The invention is characterized in that the feeding apparatus further comprises:

a cloth spreading machine having discharging means for discharging a spread fabric, disposed at the entry side upstream of the automatic cutting machine,

detecting means for detecting the fabric entered from the spreading machine, and

control means for controlling drive of the conveyor and delivery of the fabric covering sheet from the delivering means in relation to the discharging speed of the cloth spreading machine, when the fabric is detected by the detecting means.

[0014] The invention provides a feeding method for feeding an air-impermeable sheet for covering surface of a fabric into an automatic cutting machine, the cutting machine for cutting out parts from the fabric according to cutting data, while sucking and holding the fabric on a cutting support plane constructed as a conveyor, the method comprising the steps of:

supporting a fabric covering sheet roll above the entry route of the fabric onto the cutting support plane,

letting out the fabric covering sheet from the roll,

and

covering the fabric with the let-out fabric covering sheet at a delivery speed related with the entry speed of the fabric while leading and guiding the let-out fabric covering sheet onto the cutting support plane.

[0015] Further the method of the invention is characterized in that the leading and guiding is effected by driving the cutting support plane as a conveyor while sucking the cutting support plane from therebelow.

[0016] Further the method of the invention is characterized in that the leading and guiding is effected by blowing air to the let-out fabric covering sheet from below the entry route of the fabric.

[0017] Further the method of the invention is characterized in that a spreading machine capable of discharging a spread fabric is disposed at the upstream side of the entry route of the fabric,
spreading and cutting conditions are set according to the cutting data, and
the cloth spreading machine and automatic cutting machine are cooperated according to preset spreading and cutting conditions, whereby the fabric covering sheet is fed so as to cover the entire surface of the fabric, while the spread fabric is discharged from the cloth spreading machine to the cutting support plane and sucked on the cutting support plane.

[0018] According to the invention, the air-impermeable fabric covering sheet roll is supported by the support means set upright on the both sides in the widthwise direction of the automatic cutting machine, at the entry side of the fabric to the cutting support plane constructed as a conveyor. The delivering means lets out the fabric covering sheet from the roll along with the entry of the fabric into the cutting support plane constructed as a conveyor. When the fabric is delivered onto the cutting support plane, the surface of the fabric is covered with the covering sheet.

[0019] Also according to the invention, the cutting means for cutting off the delivered fabric covering sheet is disposed beneath the delivering means, and the terminal end of the covering sheet covering the fabric as being let out along with the entry of the fabric onto the cutting support plane can be cut off.

[0020] Further according to the invention, the covering sheet being let out from the delivering means is led and guided in the conveying direction of the cutting support plane driven as the conveyor, so that the covering sheet may be smoothly supplied without forming creases on the delivered fabric.

[0021] According to the invention, moreover, leading and guiding of the covering sheet let out by the delivering means is effected by blowing air from below the cutting support plane in the conveying direction of the cutting support plane as the conveyor. Depending on the system of the cutting machine, the fabric is conveyed by making use of blown air at the time of entry of the fabric onto the cutting support plane. In such cutting machine, the air blow may be also utilized in leading and guiding of the covering sheet. It is in the period until the front end of the fabric is fed onto the conveyor that the necessity of leading and guiding the covering sheet is particularly high, and in such period it is possible to lead and guide the covering sheet sufficiently by blowing air.

[0022] Also according to the invention, the covering sheet being let out is led and guided in the direction of the cutting support plane while contacting with the leading means. Since the covering sheet is handled by contacting with the leading means, the covering sheet can be led and guided securely.

[0023] Also according to the invention, at the upstream of the entry side, a cloth spreading machine having the fabric discharging means is disposed. The fabric entering from the cloth spreading machine is detected by the detecting means, and the conveyor is driven and covering sheet is let out from the delivering means in relation with the discharge speed of the cloth spreading machine by the control means. Consequently, while operating the cloth spreading machine and the automatic cutting machine consecutively, the covering sheet can be automatically supplied on the fabric.

[0024] Also according to the invention, above the entry route of the fabric onto the cutting support plane, a fabric covering sheet roll is supported, and the covering sheet is let out from the roll, and is led and guided in the direction of the cutting support plane, and the fabric is covered with the covering sheet at the delivery speed related with the entry speed of the fabric. Since the fabric is covered with the covering sheet while leading and guiding, by letting out, for example, almost in synchronization with the entry speed of the fabric or slightly in delay, the supply of covering sheet may be easily automated.

[0025] Also according to the invention, the sheet material is led and guided by driving the cutting support plane as a conveyor while sucking the cutting support plane from beneath. Since the covering sheet is air-impermeable, the suction force on the cutting support plane is large, and the covering sheet is pulled by conveyor drive and is hence easily led and guided.

[0026] Also according to the invention, the covering sheet is led and guided by blowing air from below the entry route of the fabric. Thus, the air blow function provided for the purpose of entry of fabrics can be also utilized.

[0027] Also according to the invention, a cloth spreading machine capable of discharging the spread fabric is installed at the upstream side of the fabric entry route, and the cloth spreading machine and the automatic cutting machine are interlocked according to the cutting data, and the spread fabric is fed to the cutting support plane while being sucked on the cutting support plane and fed, and the covering sheet may be supplied automatically so as to cover the entire surface of the fabric.

[0028] Also according to the invention, when entering the fabric onto the cutting support plane, the covering sheet is let out by conveyor driving of the cutting support plane, and the covering sheet is automatically fed to cover the surface of the fabric with the covering sheet. At the time when the fabric is delivered onto the cutting support plane, it is already covered with covering sheet, so that cutting can be started immediately.

[0029] Also according to the invention, the terminal end of the covering sheet covering the surface of the fabric can be automatically cut off by cutting means.

[0030] Also according to the invention, since the covering sheet is led and guided in the conveying direction of the cutting support plane as a conveyor, the fabric surface can be smoothly covered when the fabric is carried in.

[0031] Also according to the invention, the covering sheet is led and guided in the driving direction of the cutting support plane as a conveyor by the air blown from beneath. In the case where an air table is provided for sending the fabric into the entry route of the fabric, its constitution may be effectively utilized also in leading and guiding of the covering sheet.

[0032] Also according to the invention, the leading means can securely lead and guide the covering sheet in the direction of the cutting support plane while contacting with the covering sheet.

[0033] Also according to the invention, while letting out the covering sheet in relation with discharge of fabric from the cloth spreading machine by interlocking the cloth spreading machine and the automatic cutting machine, the fabric covered with the covering sheet is automatically supplied onto the cutting support plane.

[0034] Also according to the invention, while letting out the covering sheet from the covering sheet roll in relation to the delivery speed of the fabric, the covering sheet is led and guided in the direction of the cutting support plane, and the fabric is covered with the covering sheet. When the fabric is sent onto the cutting support plane constructed as conveyor, it is smoothly covered with covering sheet, so that the covering sheet may be supplied automatically without requiring manual operation.

[0035] Also according to the invention, by sucking the air impermeable covering sheet, it can be easily led and guided in the conveying direction as conveyor.

[0036] Also according to the invention, by blowing air from the fabric entry route, the delivered covering sheet is led and guided. In the case where an air blow mechanism is provided as an air table or the like for sending in the fabric, it may be effectively utilized in leading and guiding of covering sheet.

[0037] Also according to the invention, by interlocking the cloth spreading machine capable of discharging the spread fabric and the automatic cutting machine, spreading and cutting of the spread fabric can be done automatically according to the cutting data.

[0038] 

Fig. 1 is an essential sectional view as seen from the front side of an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a front view of a cutting device 32 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a partial plan view of the cutting device 32;

Fig. 4 is a partial right side view of the cutting device 32;

Fig. 5 is a partial back side view of a feeding device 26 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a view of the feeding device 26 in Fig. 5 as seen from the left side of a sheet of paper of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a simplified front view showing a constitution in which a cutting machine 21 in Fig. 1 is systematized together with a cloth spreading machine;

Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing an electrical constitution of the system in Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a flow chart showing the operation of the system in Fig. 7;

Fig. 10 is a timing chart showing the interlocked state of the parts of the system in Fig. 7;

Fig. 11 is a front sectional view showing an other embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 12 is a front sectional view showing a constitution related with a pressing roller 30 in Fig. 1 and Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is a front sectional view showing a constitution related with the pressing roller 30 in Fig. 1 and Fig. 11; and

Fig. 14 is a simplified front view of a prior art.

[0039] Fig. 1 shows a constitution of essential parts of a feeding apparatus for feeding a covering sheet into an automatic cutting machine according to an embodiment of the invention. A cutting machine 21 cuts off laminated sheet 22, which is formed by stacking up fabric sheets, in a state of being covered with an air-impermeable fabric covering sheet 23. The laminated sheet 22 is formed by a cloth spreading machine on the upstream side, and conveyed on an air table 24 to be supplied onto a cutting support plane 37 of a cutting table 25. Above the air table 24 is provided a feeding device 26 for feeding the fabric covering sheet 23 onto the laminated sheet 22 in the midst of being conveyed. Inside the feeding device 26, a pair of supporting rollers 27, 28 are provided. Beneath the supporting rollers 27, 28, a delivering roller 29 for letting out the fabric covering sheet 23 is provided. A pressing roller 30 is provided for pressing the fabric covering sheet 23 to the delivering roller 29. A covering sheet roll 31 is placed on the support rollers 27, 28. Beneath the delivering roller 29, a cutting device 32 is provided, and further beneath the cutting device 32 is provided a fabric sensor 33 for detecting the laminated sheet 22 supplied from the upstream side.

[0040] The air table 24 has plural air nozzles 34, and air is blown out obliquely upward as indicated by arrow 34a toward the side of the cutting table 25. The air nozzles 34 are arranged in a zigzag form at specific intervals in the air table 24. The cutting table 25 is constituted so that the laminated sheet 22 placed thereon and the parts cut from the sheet can be transferred by a conveyor 35. The conveyor 35 has plural bristle brushes 36 on the surface, and the top ends of the bristle brushes 36 form a cutting support plane 37. The bristle brushes 36 are air-permeable, and communicate with a suction chamber 39 which is sucked and evacuated by a suction motor 38.

[0041] The cutting device 32 has rails 40 disposed beneath the delivering roller 29. The rails 40 are extended in the widthwise direction of the cutting machine 21, together with the support rollers 27, 28 and delivering rollers 29, that is, in the direction vertical to the sheet of paper in Fig. 1. They are supported at both sides in the widthwise direction by posts 26a set upright from both of near and far sides of the air table 24. A cutter stand 41 can travel along the rails 40.

[0042] Fig. 2 is a front view of the cutting device 32, Fig. 3 is a partial plan view thereof, and Fig. 4 is a partial right side view thereof. The post 26a is the far side one in Figs. 1 and 2. Figs. 3 and 4 show the near side post 26a. The cutter stand 41 has a blade 42 for cutting and a push-up cam 43. The push-up cam 43 pushes up a follower roller 45 provided at one end of a lever 44 at one end of the rails 40, and pushes the fabric covering sheet 23 to the side of the rails 40 by the front end 44a of the lever 44. In the cutter stand 41, a running roller 46 guided on the rails 40 is pivotedly supported, and connected with a drive belt 47. The drive belt 47 is supported by a supporting pulley 48 provided on the posts 26a. When the cutter stand 41 moves to one side of the cutting table 25, it is detected by a position sensor 49. The position sensor 49 is a proximity sensor, and is attached to one end of the rails 40 via a sensor mounting plate 49a. The rails 40 are supported with brackets 50 at both ends.

[0043] The lever 44 can be oscillatorily displaced about an axis 51 a set up on a lever mounting stand 51. One arm of the lever 44 at follower roller 45 side is thrust to the side of the rails 40 by a spring 51 b. When the cutter stand 41 has moved up to the position of the lever mounting stand 51, the front end 44a is pressed to the side of the rails 40 by the push-up cam 43. The front end 44a restrains the fabric covering sheet 23 by pressing down to the side of the rails 40 at the initial stage of cutting in order to cut the fabric covering sheet 23 with the blade 42. When the cutter stand 41 moves closer to the middle of the rails 40 and releases the pressure of the front end 44a of the lever 44 by the push-up cam 43, the restraint state of the fabric covering sheet 23 is released, but subsequent cutting becomes easy because cutting has been partly conducted. As shown in Fig. 3, the restraint state is also released when the cutter stand 41 is at the stand-by position on one end, and when the fabric covering sheet 23 is pulled from the cutting table 25 side or when the fabric covering sheet roll 31 is replaced, the fabric covering sheet 23 can be freely pulled out or rolled. The pressing state and release state of the lever 44 are indicated by twin dot chain line and solid line in Fig. 3, respectively.

[0044] Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 show a constitution relating to driving of the delivering roller 29. Fig. 5 is a view from the back side of Fig. 1, and Fig. 6 is a view from the left side of Fig. 5. A gear for speed reduction is incorporated into a delivering motor 52, and a pulley 53 is provided at the output shaft of the delivering motor 52. A rotary drive force is transmitted from the pulley 53 through a belt 54, to a pulley 55 provided on the shaft of the delivering roller 29. A cutting motor 56 for running the cutter stand 41 along the rails 40 also rotates and drives a pulley 48 by a belt, and transmits driving force to a drive belt 47.

[0045] Fig. 7 shows a system configuration in which a cloth spreading machine capable of automatically discharging the spread fabric is installed on the upstream side of the cutting machine 21 of the embodiment. The cutting machine 21 has a cutting carriage 57 capable of moving on the cutting table 25 in the X-direction, namely the lateral direction in Fig. 7. The cutting carriage 57 is provided with a cutting head 58 which is capable of moving in the Y-direction vertical to the sheet of paper of Fig. 7 and provided with a blade for cutting the fabric. The cutting machine 21 is controlled as being interlocked with a cloth spreading machine 60, by an integrated control device 59 for controlling comprehensively. The integrated control device 59 is connected with a cutting design system, production control system, or the like, through an on-line circuit to form a network. From the feeding device 26 disposed in the air table 24, the fabric covering sheet 23 is supplied onto the delivered laminated sheet 22. After cutting, a fabric covering sheet 23a is supplemented between a roll 57a provided on the cutting carriage 57, and a stand 25a on the terminal end of the cutting table 25. This is conducted in order to further cover the laminated sheet 22 with an air-impermeable fabric covering sheet 23a to securely hold by reason that the laminated sheet 22 becomes air-permeable when the air-impermeable covering sheet 23 is cut together with the laminated sheet 22.

[0046] The cloth spreading machine 60 has a spreading carriage 62 capable of running in the lateral direction in Fig: 7 on a spreading table 61. The spreading carriage 62 mounts a fabric sheet roll 63, pulls out the fabric sheet paid off from a lifter 64, and spreads by a specified length on the spreading table 61. A cutter is incorporated in the lifter 64, and the fabric sheet pulled out by the specified length is cut off. The fabric sheets are stacked up, and the lifter 64 ascends according to the lamination height. Thus, the laminated sheet 65 is formed on the spreading table 61. The fabric sheet, if being a soft material or a coarse material, may be pierced through the top end of the bristle brushes 36 forming the cutting support plane 37 of the cutting table 25, and therefore an underlaying sheet 66 is laid. The underlaying sheet 66 is made of craft paper or the like perforated at specific intervals, and is generally larger in area than the laminated sheet 64.

[0047] The spreading carriage 62 also comprises capturing means which is realized by a foot presser 67 or the like. The foot presser 67 can be displaced vertically by a cylinder 68. Air is blowing from the lower surface of the spreading table 61 for the purpose of facilitating discharge of the spread laminated sheet 65. First, the spreading carriage 62 runs to move to a specific position on the basis of the beginning of the laminated sheet 65, and the surface of the underlaying sheet 66 is pressed and captured by the foot presser 67. When the spreading carriage 62 is advanced with air injected from beneath, the laminated sheet 65 mounted on the underlaying sheet 66 can be discharged to the side of the cutting table 25 of the cutting machine 21. The underlaying sheet 66 is supplied from a underlaying sheet roll 69, and is spread on the spreading table 61 prior to spreading by utilizing the foot presser 67 of the spreading carriage 62. Meanwhile, discharging may be effected by employing a spreading table 61 with a conveyor drive system like the cutting table 25.

[0048] Fig. 8 shows an electrical constitution for controlling the system of Fig. 7. The cutting machine 21 has a central processing unit 70 comprising a microcomputer and others, which controls the cutting carriage 57, cutting head 58, conveyor 35, suction motor 38, air table 24, and feeding device 26. In this control, the entry fabric detection signal from the fabric sensor 33 in the feeding device 26 is utilized. The integrated control device 59 controls the cutting machine 21, a blower motor 72 for blowing air to the spreading table 61, and the spreading carriage 62, according to cutting and spreading data 71 created by a computerized design system. The spreading carriage 62 also comprises a central processing unit 80 comprising a microcomputer and others, which controls a carriage running motor 82, a cloth releasing motor 83, a delivering motor 84, the lifter 64 in its vertical motion, a cutter 85 built in the lifter 64, and the cylinder 68 of the foot presser 67, in response to the signal from a carriage position detector 81.

[0049] Fig. 9 shows a schematic operation of the system in Fig. 7. Cloth spreading starts at step a1, and ends at step a2. At step a3, the spreading carriage 62 is moved to a capture position, and at step a4, by operating the cylinder 68, a laminated sheet 65 is captured by the foot presser 67. At step a5, by operating the blower motor 74, air is blown from the lower side of the spreading table 61. At step a6, the spreading carriage 62 is caused to travel to the side of the cutting machine 21 to be advanced to convey the laminated sheet 65. At step a7, the fabric sensor 33 of the feeding device 26 detects the front end of the laminated sheet conveyed from the spreading machine. At step a8, operating the delivering motor 52, the covering sheet 23 is let out. At step a9, operating the air table 24, air is blown from the air nozzle 34, and the conveyor 35 is operated to actuate the suction motor 38 while driving the conveyor, thereby evacuating and sucking. As a result, the laminated sheet 22 are held on the cutting support plane 37 in a state that the surface of the laminated sheet 22 is covered with the fabric covering sheet, thereby cutting off at step a10 being enabled.

[0050] Fig. 10 further describes the operation in relation to each element composing the system in Fig. 7, on the basis of a time axis in the vertical direction. At step b1, the spreading carriage 62 of the spreading machine 60 stands by at the origin which is a reference position. At step b2, the underlaying sheet roll 69 is set. At step b3, the cylinder 68 is manipulated to descend, and the foot presser 67 is turned on. The foot presser 67 captures the underlaying sheet, and at step b4 let the spreading carriage 62 travel and move, and then the underlaying sheet is carried in at step b5. When the underlaying sheet 66 is carried in by a specified length, the cylinder 68 is raised at step b6, and the foot presser 67 is turned off.

[0051] Consequently, at step b7, spreading the fabric sheet is carried out. When the spreading is over, at step b8, the spreading carriage 62 stands by at a predetermined position. This predetermined position is a position where the spread-and-laminated fabrics are captured. At step b9, the cylinder 68 is lowered, and the foot presser 67 is turned on. At step b10, the spreading carriage 62 is caused to travel. Thus, in the state that the fabric is captured with the foot presser 67, the fabric is brought into the cutting machine from step b10 to step b11. The spreading carriage 62 stops at step b12, and the cylinder 68 is raised and the foot presser 67 is turned off at step b13. At step b14, the spreading carriage 62 returns to the origin and stands by.

[0052] On the other hand, simultaneously with step b1, in the cutting machine 21 at step b20, the cutting carriage 57 and cutting head 58 are left in a standby state at a predetermined origin position of the cutting machine. In the feeding device 26, the covering sheet roll 31 is set at step b21, the pressing roller 30 is opened at step b22, the fabric covering sheet 23 is suspended between the support rollers 27, 28 at step b23, and the pressing roller 30 is closed at step b24. At step b30, an entry switch provided in the cutting machine 21 is turned on, and air is blown out of the air table 24 at step b31. At step b32, the delivering roller 29 is rotated by the delivering motor 52, and the fabric covering sheet 23 is let out. At step b33, when the fabric covering sheet 23 is let out to such a length as to cover the entire surface of the air table 24, the delivering roller 29 is stopped. In the air table 24, since air is being blown toward the cutting table 25, the front end of the delivered fabric covering sheet 23 is led and guided toward the cutting table 24 and the fabric covering sheet 23 in an inclined state. At the next step b34, the suction motor 38 is driven to start sucking, and the conveyor 35 is activated.

[0053] When the laminated sheet 65 is discharged from the cloth spreading machine 60 side to enter to the cutting machine 21 side, it is detected by the fabric sensor 33 of the feeding device 26. At step b35, after a lapse of time required to travel a length of the air table 24, for example, 0.5 m, that is, the time obtained by dividing 0.5 by the fabric feeding speed (m/sec), the delivering roller 29 is rotated in relation with conveying of the conveyor 35, and the fabric covering sheet 23 is further let out. The letting

[0054] -out speed is set to be smaller than, preferably equal to the entry speed. With the laminated sheet 22 covered sufficiently with the fabric covering sheet 23 on the air table 24, at step b36, the delivering roller 29 is stopped. The laminated sheet 22 is transferred on the conveyor 35, and the entry conveying is completed when the front end of the laminated sheet 22 reaches the predetermined position at step b37, and the conveyor 35 stops at step b38. Upon completion of entry of the laminated sheet 22, covering with the fabric covering sheet 23 is automatically completed, thereby making it ready to cut off.

[0055] At step b40, the laminated sheet 22 and fabric covering sheet 23 are sucked in vacuum and held on the conveyor 35 in a stopped state. Cutting is executed by using the cutting head 58, which is standing by at the origin from step b20. During or after cutting, at step b41, the rear end of the fabric covering sheet 23 is cut off by the cutting device 32. In the case of continuous fabric cutting, meanwhile, the fabric covering sheet 23 is not cut off until the final fabric cutting is over. At step b42, the conveyor 35 is driven to discharge the cut laminated sheet 22.

[0056] At step b33 the fabric covering sheet 23 is let out longer than the length required for covering the entire air table 24, and at step b34 the front end of the fabric covering sheet 23 is sucked by the cutting table 25 at step b35 to start the conveyor 35, so that the fabric covering sheet 23 is led and guided by the conveyor 35 and set in stretched state. At this time, in order to prevent excessive force on the fabric covering sheet 23, a one-way clutch is provided on the shaft of the delivering roller 29, and the clutch is disengaged by the rotation in let-out direction.

[0057] Fig. 11 shows a constitution of an other embodiment of the invention. The parts corresponding to the embodiment in Fig. 1 are identified with the same reference numerals. In this embodiment, a cutting table 85 does not comprise such an air table 24 as used in the embodiment in Fig. 1, and a conveyor 35 is provided in almost all the extent of the cutting table 85. In the embodiment, a front end of fabric covering sheet 23 let out from a feeding device 26 is sucked on the surface of the conveyor 35, and the conveyor 35 is driven to lead and guide the fabric covering sheet 23. Delivered laminated sheet is immediately sucked in vacuum to be held on the conveyor 35, and is continuously sent on the conveyor 35, while being covered with the supplied fabric covering sheet 23.

[0058] Fig. 12 and Fig. 13 show the constitutions relating to the pressing roller 30 in both of the embodiments in Fig. 1 and Fig. 11. The pressing roller 30 is provided in order to let out the fabric covering sheet 23 securely by the delivering roller 29. The above-mentioned one-way clutch is provided on a shaft 91 of the pressing roller 30, and is pivoted on the free end of an arm 92, thereby pressing the fabric covering sheet 23 to the delivering roller 29 side by its own gravity. Fig. 12 shows the pressing-and-closing state of the pressing roller 30. When setting a new covering sheet roll 31, the pressing roller 30 is put to be apart from the delivering roller 29 as shown in Fig. 13. This is manually operated, and in a state released from pressing as shown in Fig. 13, the gravity of the pressing roller 30 works on the right side of a fulcrum 93 of the base end portion of the arm 92 in Fig. 13, and therefore the open state released from pressing is maintained unless external force is applied. A spring 94 is provided in order to facilitate the manual operation.

[0059] The foregoing embodiments do not particularly comprise any mechanism for leading and guiding the delivered fabric covering sheet 23 in the feeding device 26, but a slant plate or the like may be provided beneath the cutting device 32 so as to lead and guide the fabric covering sheet 23 to the cutting table 25 side by contacting with the fabric covering sheet 23 dropping downward in the vertical direction. Or, an air injection nozzle or a small fan may be provided in the feeding device 26, and the fabric covering sheet 23 let out by air may be led and guided to the cutting table side. Moreover, the feeding device 26 may also run on the cutting table synchronously with the entry of the fabric.

Claims

1. A feeding apparatus for feeding an air-impermeable sheet (23) to cover surface of a fabric into an automatic cutting machine (21), which cuts out parts from the fabric according to cutting data, while sucking and holding the fabric on a cutting support plane (37) constructed as a conveyor (35), the apparatus comprising:

supporting means for supporting a covering sheet roll (31), being set upright on both sides in the widthwise direction of the automatic cutting machine at the fabric entry side into the cutting support plane (37), and

delivering means (26) for letting out the covering sheet (23) from the roll (31) supported by the supporting means, following entry of the fabric into the cutting support plane (37) constructed as a conveyor (35).

2. The feeding apparatus of claim 1, wherein cutting means (32) for cutting the delivered covering sheet (23) is disposed beneath the delivering means (26).

3. The feeding apparatus of claim 1, the feeding apparatus further comprising guiding means for leading and guiding the fabric covering sheet (23) delivered from the delivering means (26) in the conveying direction of the cutting support plane (37) as a conveyor (35).

4. The feeding apparatus of claim 2, the feeding apparatus further comprising guiding means for leading and guiding the fabric covering sheet (23) delivered from the delivering means (26) in the conveying direction of the cutting support plane (37) as a conveyor.

5. The feeding apparatus of claim 3, wherein the leading means leads and guides the fabric covering sheet (23) by blowing air from below the delivering means to the direction of the cutting support plane (37).

6. The feeding apparatus of claim 3, wherein the leading means leads and guides the fabric covering sheet (23) in the direction of the cutting support plane (37) while contacting with the delivered fabric covering sheet (23).

7. The feeding apparatus of any preceding claims, the feeding apparatus further comprising:

a cloth spreading machine (60) having discharging means for discharging a spread fabric, disposed at the entry side upstream of the automatic cutting machine (21),

detecting means (33) for detecting the fabric entered from the cloth spreading machine (60), and

control means (59) for controlling drive of the conveyor (35) and delivery of the fabric covering sheet (23) from the delivering means (26), In relation to the discharging speed of the cloth spreading machine (60), when the fabric is detected by the detecting means (33).

8. A feeding method for feeding an air-impermeable sheet for covering surface of a fabric into an automatic cutting machine (21), which cuts out parts from the fabric according to cutting data, while sucking and holding the fabric on a cutting support plane (37) constructed as a conveyor (35), the method comprising the steps of:

supporting a fabric covering sheet roll (31) above the entry route of the fabric onto the cutting support plane (37),

letting out the fabric covering sheet (23) from the roll (31),

and

covering the fabric with the let-out fabric covering sheet (23) at a delivery speed related with the entry speed of the fabric while leading and guiding the let-out fabric covering sheet (23) into the cutting support plane (37).

9. The feeding method of claim 8, wherein the leading and guiding is effected by driving the cutting support plane (37) as a conveyor (35) while sucking the cutting support plane (37) from therebelow.

10. The feeding method of claim 8, wherein the leading and guiding is effected by blowing air to the let-out fabric covering sheet (23) from below the entry route of the fabric.

11. The feeding method of any claims 8 to 10, wherein a spreading machine (60) capable of discharging a spread fabric is disposed at the upstream side of the entry route of the fabric,

spreading and cutting conditions are set according to the cutting data, and

the spreading machine (60) and automatic cutting machine (21) are cooperated according to the preset spreading and cutting conditions, whereby the fabric covering sheet (23) is fed so as to cover the entire surface of the fabric, while the spread fabric is discharged from the spreading machine (60) to the cutting support plane (37) and sucked on the cutting support plane (37).

12. The feeding apparatus of claim 2, wherein the cutting means (32) comprises:

a rail (40) arranged in the widthwise direction of the automatic cutting machine (21),

a cutter (41) capable of traveling reciprocally on the rail, and

a lever (44) disposed at least at one end side of the rail (40), for restraining the end edge portion in order to make a cutting mark in the fabric covering sheet (23), in cooperation with traveling of the cutter (41).

Drawing