Apparatus and method for counting textile articles, such as stockings, socks, Pantyhose articles and the like

Abstract

 APPARATUS FOR COUNTING TEXTILE ARTICLES COMPRISING:

• A BODY (1) HAVING A TUBULAR OR SUBSTANTIALLY TUBULAR STRUCTURE;
• AN ASPIRATOR (AS) TO WHICH SAID BODY (1) IS ASSOCIATED, THE ASPIRATOR (AS) ACTING FOR PRODUCING AN AIR FLOW DIRECTED FROM THE INLET SECTION (I) TO THE OUTLET SECTION (U) OF THE BODY (1);
• A STATION FOR TEMPORARILY STOPPING THE ARTICLES (2) TO BE CONTROLLED WITHIN SAID BODY (1);
• A PLURALITY OF OPTICAL ELEMENTS (3a, 3b, 3n) DISPOSED IN CORRESPONDENCE OF SAID STATION (C).

Description

[0001] The present invention refers to an apparatus and method for counting textile articles, such as stockings, socks, pantyhose articles and the like.

[0002] One major problem in handling textile articles such as stockings, socks and pantyhose, especially but not exclusively, within apparatuses intended to orient the articles in a predetermined direction, stems from the need of knowing the number of articles actually present at a certain operational station.

[0003] The present invention aims to solve the above problem.

[0004] This result has been achieved, according to the invention, by providing an apparatus and a method having the features indicated in the characterizing part of the independet claims. Further characteristics being set forth in the dependent claims.

[0005] The present invention makes it possible to know, with sufficient accuracy, the number of articles present in the control station. The result is an imoroved accuracy in the programmed operations to be carried out after the step of controlling or counting the articles. And this reflects positevely on the whole efficiency of the plant which the apparatus in question makes part of and, accordingly, also on the economy of the production cycle. Moreover, an apparatus according to the invention is simple to make, cost-effective and reliable also after a prolonged life service.

[0006] These and other advantages and characteristics of the invention will be best understood by anyone skilled in the art from a reading of the following description in conjunction with the attached drawings given as a practical exemplification of the invention, but not to be considered in a limitative sense, wherein:

• Fig. 1 is a view in longitudinal section of an apparatus according to the invention, in the control station (C) of which only one article (2) is present;
• Fig. 2 is a view in section like that of Fig. 1 but relating to the control of two articles;
• Fig. 3 is a simplified block diagram of the system for the electronic control of means which the apparatus in question is provided with.

[0007] Reduced to its basic structure, and reference being made to the figures of the attached drawings, an apparatus according to the invention comprises a body (1) having tubular or substantially tubular structure, with an inlet section (I) and an outlet section (U) for respectively the introduction and exit of the articles (2) to be controlled. Provided within said body (1) is a control station (C) for the temporary stop of the incoming articles (2) being conveyed by an air flow generated by an aspirator (AS) which, for the sake of simplicity, is shown only in the diagram of Fig. 3. Provided in correspondence of said station (C) are a plurality of photocells (3a, 3b, 3n) whose optical axes are spaced apart in a manner to be described later on. Also provided within said station (C) is a grid (4), that is, a perforated lamina, able to intercept under control the articles (2) conveyed by the air flow generated by the aspirator (AS). To this end, said grid (4) ia associated to a corresponding actuator (40), shown only in the diagram of Fig. 3, so as to result bidirectionally movable through a slit, not shown in the drawings, formed only in one side of the body (1). For example, as illustrated in the Figg. 2 and 3 of the attached drawings, the grid (4) and relevant actuator (40) are positioned on diametrally opposite sides with respect to the photocells (3a, 3b, 3n). The latter may be in any number, compatibly with the body's preset length. Said photocells are disposed in such a way that the respective optical axes result spaced apart by a length approximately equal to the diameter of the irregular ball corresponding to the shape taken up by each article (2) acted upon by the flow produced by the aspirator (AS) and retained in the station (C) because of the positioning of the grid (4) as shown in Fig. 1 or Fig. 2. The distance between the optical axes of said photocells is steady and predetermined, its value being easily determined in accordance with the structural characteristics of the articles in question which - because of their very nature, when they are subjected to a forced aspiration, and at the same time are so intercepted as to prevent the movement thereof in the direction of the aspirating flow - they tend to curl up against the barrier that retain them.

[0008] As illustrated in the diagram of Fig. 3, the photocells (3a, 3b, 3n) are connected to an electronic programmable unit (E) which receives and process the information generated by the same photocells (3a, 3b, 3n) and operates the actuator (40) of grid (4) and the apsirator (AS). The construction of such a unit is of traditional type and will not therefore described herein in greater details.

[0009] The operation of the above described apparatus is as follows.

[0010] The articles (2) go sequentially through the inlet station (I) of body (1) because of the action exerted by the aspirator (AS) in a preset time period, and come to a halt in correspondence of the station (C) controlled by the photocells (3a, 3b, 3n). The temporary stop of the articles (2) at the station (C) is determined by the position of grid (4) as shown in Fig. 1 or Fig. 2, that is, a position suitable for intercepting the articles inside the chamber delimited by the body (1). If one article (2) only is present at station (C), only the photocell (3a) - the one closest to the grid (4) - results in ON state, since the respective optical axis is intercepted by the fabric of the article curled up against the grid (4), as can be senn in Fig. 1, and the photocells (3b) and (3n) result in OFF state. If, on the contrary, in the lapse of time in which the aspirator (AS) is made to act, the section (I) of body (1) is passed through by two articles, then the second article disposes itself either at the back of the first, as illustrated in Fig. 2, or sideways thereof. In any case, the two photocells (3a, 3b) being closer to the grid (4) result in ON state because of the greater volume occupied by the fabric of the articles in question, whereas the photocell (3n) results in OFF state. In conclusion, given a number "n" of control photocells at station (C), if all the photocells, from the first to the nth photocell, are in ON state, then at least n articles (2) are present at station (C). If the first n-1 photocells are in ON state and the nth photocell is OFF, then n-1 articles (2) are present at station (C), and so on.

[0011] The apparatus in question can be disposed, for example, downstream of an articles' automatic magazine of a type described in the document (IT) FI/96/A/163, that is, downstream of a device able to automatically pick up the articles (2) from a heap or a container in order to dispose them in correspondence of the inlet section (I) of body (1) with no manual interventions. The outlet (U) of the present apparatus can be connected, for example, with a device for the orientation of the articles of a type disclosed in the same document (IT) FI/96/A/163. The present apparatus can also be used for machines of known types for the manufacturing of articles such as stockings, pantyhose, socks and the like.

[0012] An apparatus according to the invention may also be used advantageously for controlling the operational accuracy of automatic magazines of different type and intended to feed machines, such as the ones commonly called "LINE-CLOSERS" and "TOE-CLOSERS" for the assembly of pantyhose articles and, respectively, for the seaming of the stockings' toe, with single stockings being drawn from corresponding removal and supply stations.

[0013] A method for counting textile articles such as pantyhose, stocking, sock and the like, according to the invention, includes conveying the articles (2) up to a station (C) in which the articles are temporarily stopped, so that each article (2) will intercept, under this condition, the optical axis of a corresponding photocell (3a, 3b, 3n) provided in the station (C), and counting the number of the optical axes actually intercepted by the articles (2), the number of optical axes thus caught up by the articles (2) corresponding to that of articles (2) present at station (C) for the temporary stoppage thereof.

[0014] An apparatus according to the invention, though somewhat simple to fabricate and program, can be used for a wide range of practical applications, especially in the production and, more generally, in the handling of hosiery articles.

Claims

1. Apparatus for counting textile articles such as pantyhose, stockings, socks and the like, characterized in that it comprises:

- a body (1) having tubular or substantially tubular structure, with a section (I) for the admission and a section (U) for the exit of articles (2);

- an aspirator (AS) to which said body (1) is associated, the aspirator (AS) having the function of producing an air flow directed from the inlet (I) section to the outlet section (U) of body (1);

- a station (C) for the temporary stoppage of the articles (2) to be controlled within said body (1), means being provided in said station (C) for temporarily stopping the incoming articles (2);

- a plurality of optical elements (3a, 3b, 3n) disposed in correspondence of said station (C) with the respective axes being saped apart by a length approximately equal to the diameter of the irregular ball corresponding to the shape taken up by the articles (2) as a consequence of their stoppage operated by the means (4, 40) suitably provided dowstream of the optical elements (3a, 3b, 3n).

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 characterized in that said means (4, 40) predisposed for the stoppage of articles (2) at said station (C) comprise a grid (4) associated to a corresponding actuator (40) .

3. Apparatus according to claims 1 and 2 characterized in that it comprises a programmable electronic unit (E) which has said aspirator (AS), said means (4, 40) for the temporary stoppage of articles (2) at station (C), and said optical means (3a, 3b, 3n), associated thereto.

4. Apparatus according to one or more preceding claims, characterized in that the station (I) for the admission of articles (2) is downstream of a magazine for the automatic loading thereof.

5. Apparatus according to one or more preceding claims, characterized in that the station (U) for the output of articles (2) is upstream of a device for the orientation thereof.

6. Apparatus according to one or more preceding claims, characterized in that it is located upstream of a machine for manufacturing textile articles such as stockings, socks, pantyhose and the like.

7. Method for counting textile articles such as pantyhose, stockings, socks and the like, characterized in that it includes conveying the articles (2) up to a station (C) in which the articles are temporarily stopped, so that each article (2) will intercept, under this condition, the optical axis of a corresponding photocell (3a, 3b, 3n) provided in the station (C), and counting the number of the optical axes actually intercepted by the articles (2), the number of optical axes thus caught up by the articles (2) corresponding to that of articles (2) present at station (C) for the temporary stoppage thereof.

Drawing