Abstract: A cloth spreading apparatus includes: a spreading unit having spreading clamps that spread an upper-side part of a fed cloth in a right-left direction; and an ejection unit having an intermediate movable body that releases the upper-side part of the cloth that the intermediate movable body has received from the spreading clamps in the forward position and held onto an upper surface by sucking, and a belt conveyor that receives the upper-side part of the cloth released by the intermediate movable body and ejects the entire cloth backward.

Abstract: A cloth transfer apparatus allows a cloth to be attached to a traveling clamp efficiently without waste even when a corner of the cloth to be attached to the traveling clamp is specified. The cloth transfer apparatus includes: a plurality of independent traveling clamps; and a transfer rail circulating through a supply unit where a corner of the cloth is attached to the traveling clamp and a discharge unit where the cloth is delivered from the traveling clamp and allowing the traveling clamps to independently travel. In the supply unit: a branch point that allows the transfer rail to branch into a first supply rail and a second supply rail and a merge point that allows to the branched first supply rail and second supply rail to be merged.

Abstract: A cloth spreading apparatus includes: a spreading unit having spreading clamps that spread an upper-side part of a fed cloth in a right-left direction; and an ejection unit having an intermediate movable body that releases the upper-side part of the cloth that the intermediate movable body has received from the spreading clamps in the forward position and held onto an upper surface by sucking, and a belt conveyor that receives the upper-side part of the cloth released by the intermediate movable body and ejects the entire cloth backward.

Abstract: A cloth clamping chuck includes a pair of chuck jaws and a driving process that rotates at least one of the pair of chuck jaws around an open-close axis x to change an opening degree of the pair of chuck jaws. The cloth clamping chuck has a catching portion which is arranged in a position out of an extension line of the chuck jaws, and in associated with the pulling operation of cloth, is caught in a portion of the cloth other than the portion clamped by the pair of chuck jaws to deflect a force applied to the clamped portion of the cloth toward a side along the open-close axis.

Abstract: An edge clamping device includes: a two-position holding device having a pair of holding chucks that hold two separate portions of a rectangular piece of cloth Y that are on or near the ridge of a fold, in a state where a right-angled triangular part S is revealed; an edge locating conveyor that is disposed under the two-position holding device and delivers the cloth Y having been released from the two-position holding device; clamping chucks disposed downstream of the edge locating conveyor in a delivery direction; and a position changing means that moves at least one of the two-position holding device, the edge locating conveyor, and the clamping chucks in a crosswise direction such that the right-angled triangular part S of the cloth Y held by the two-position holding device is located at a correct clamping position corresponding to the positions of the clamping chucks.

Abstract: An automatic cloth spreading machine, that keeps the number of pieces processed even in the event of failure in handling, includes a separating device for separating pieces of cloth one by one from a mass of cloth made of a plurality of pieces of cloth by cloth handling devices, an edge locating device for locating an edge of each of the pieces of cloth having been separated one by one, a spreading device for spreading the piece of cloth, the edge of which has been located, and a discharging device for discharging the piece of cloth having been spread to a subsequent step. The separating device includes multiple units of cloth handling devices that perform the same process, and the multiple units of cloth handling devices simultaneously perform at least one of single- or multiple-step processes of separating pieces of cloth one by one from the mass of cloth.

Abstract: To provide a cloth spreading device capable of shortening the waiting time until inputting work of a worker and achieving high production efficiency. A cloth spreading device 1 includes: a plurality of input units 30; a plurality of relay units 40 provided corresponding to the input units 30; and an extension unit 50. Each of the input units 30 includes: an input chuck 31; and an up-down moving machine 32 that moves the input chuck 31 up and down. Each of the relay units 40 receives a cloth C from the input chuck 31 having moved up to a transfer position and transfers the received cloth C to the extension unit 50. The input chuck 31 having transferred the cloth C to the relay unit 40 moves down to an input position. Standby time of the input chuck 31 until the relay unit 40 becomes ready to receive the cloth C can be shortened so that the input chuck 31 can be moved down without delay to the input position.

Abstract: A cloth spreading apparatus has a spread the remainder of a piece of cloth to smooth out every wrinkle, without requiring a dedicated assistant worker, including: a conveyor belt receiving an upper side portion of a piece of cloth having been spread in a right-left direction, pulls the upper side portion rearward, sequentially pulls up the remainder from a middle to a lower side portion, and ejects the entire cloth rearward. Also, a wrinkle smoothing unit that smooths out wrinkles in the remainder while the conveyor belt pulls up the remainder. The wrinkle smoothing unit has a pair of wrinkle smoothing clamps that clamp right and left side portions of the remainder being pulled up by the conveyor belt, and wrinkle smoothing clamp moving mechanisms that move the clamps upward and apart from each other in the right-left direction while the cloth is pulled up by the conveyor belt.

Abstract: A cloth spreading apparatus is capable of eliminating the troublesome work of pulling a cloth when the cloth is held by feeding chucks to reduce burden of the worker and operation time. A cloth spreading apparatus includes a pair of feeding chucks grasping adjacent corners of a cloth, a moving device for moving the pair of feeding chucks between a feeding position and a delivery position of the cloth to draw the cloth, and spreading chucks for receiving the cloth directly or indirectly from the pair of feeding chucks and spreading the cloth in a direction of separating the adjacent corners from each other. The moving device has separate moving trajectories corresponding to the respective feeding chucks so that the pair of feeding chucks can move between the feeding position and the delivery position independently of each other.

Abstract: A cloth clamping chuck includes a pair of chuck jaws and a driving process that rotates at least one of the pair of chuck jaws around an open-close axis x to change an opening degree of the pair of chuck jaws. The cloth clamping chuck has a catching portion which is arranged in a position out of an extension line of the chuck jaws, and in associated with the pulling operation of cloth, is caught in a portion of the cloth other than the portion clamped by the pair of chuck jaws to deflect a force applied to the clamped portion of the cloth toward a side along the open-close axis.

Abstract: A cloth transfer apparatus allows a cloth to be attached to a traveling clamp efficiently without waste even when a corner of the cloth to be attached to the traveling clamp is specified. The cloth transfer apparatus includes: a plurality of independent traveling clamps; and a transfer rail circulating through a supply unit where a corner of the cloth is attached to the traveling clamp and a discharge unit where the cloth is delivered from the traveling clamp and allowing the traveling clamps to independently travel. In the supply unit: a branch point that allows the transfer rail to branch into a first supply rail and a second supply rail and a merge point that allows to the branched first supply rail and second supply rail to be merged.

Abstract: Provided is a cloth spreading apparatus in which a pair of feeder chucks are engaged with adjacent corners of a piece of cloth at a lowered position, and raise the cloth to a traversing position of spreading chucks; the pair of spreading chucks traverse to positions closer to each other to receive the adjacent corners of the cloth from the feeder chucks, and then traverse to positions farther away from each other to pull the adjacent corners so as to spread the cloth; an intermediate movable body receives, at an advanced position, an upper end portion of the spread cloth from the spreading chucks and retains the upper end portion, and then releases the upper end portion while moving to a retracted position so as to transfer the cloth onto a belt conveyor; and the belt conveyor carries out the cloth in a spread state, wherein the intermediate movable body has: a rear-facing surface that is a part of an upper surface between a front part and a sunken part located at a lower level than the front part, and that e

Abstract: An edge clamping device includes: a two-position holding device having a pair of holding chucks that hold two separate portions of a rectangular piece of cloth Y that are on or near the ridge of a fold, in a state where a right-angled triangular part S is revealed; an edge locating conveyor that is disposed under the two-position holding device and delivers the cloth Y having been released from the two-position holding device; clamping chucks disposed downstream of the edge locating conveyor in a delivery direction; and a position changing means that moves at least one of the two-position holding device, the edge locating conveyor, and the clamping chucks in a crosswise direction such that the right-angled triangular part S of the cloth Y held by the two-position holding device is located at a correct clamping position corresponding to the positions of the clamping chucks.

Abstract: An automatic cloth spreading machine, that keeps the number of pieces processed even in the event of failure in handling, includes a separating device for separating pieces of cloth one by one from a mass of cloth made of a plurality of pieces of cloth by cloth handling devices, an edge locating device for locating an edge of each of the pieces of cloth having been separated one by one, a spreading device for spreading the piece of cloth, the edge of which has been located, and a discharging device for discharging the piece of cloth having been spread to a subsequent step. The separating device includes multiple units of cloth handling devices that perform the same process, and the multiple units of cloth handling devices simultaneously perform at least one of single- or multiple-step processes of separating pieces of cloth one by one from the mass of cloth.

Abstract: To provide a cloth spreading device capable of operating stably. The cloth spreading device includes: introduction chucks 21, 21 in a pair that grip corner portions of a cloth C; an up and down moving device 23 that moves the introduction chucks 21, 21 in a pair up and down; extension chucks 31, 31 in a pair that receive the cloth C from the introduction chucks 21, 21 in a pair and grip corner portions of the cloth C; and a transversely moving device 34 that moves the extension chucks 31, 31 in a pair transversely. The up and down moving device 23 is driven by an actuator permitting speed control and position control. Thus, an external factor does not cause large change in the operation of the up and down moving device 23 to achieve stable upward and downward moving operations of the introduction chucks 21, 21. The introduction chucks 21, 21 can be moved and stopped at will. This eliminates the need for a position sensor to achieve reduction in facility cost.

Abstract: A cloth clamping chuck and a cloth handling apparatus that can handle cloth so as to reduce falling of the cloth while avoiding damage to the cloth includes a pair of clamps, disposed facing each other, and an opening-closing means that moves the pair of clamps, relatively closer to or separated from each other. Each of the clamps has, at a leading end, a projecting part that projects toward the other opposite clamp. Each of surfaces of the projecting parts on a base end side of the clamps is formed either as a flat surface parallel to a facing direction of the pair of clamps or as an inclined surface inclining toward the above base end side while extending toward the other opposite projecting part.

Abstract: To provide a fabric type identifying apparatus and a fabric type identifying method enabling to stably identify a type of fabric with high accuracy. A fabric type identifying apparatus A for identifying a type of a fabric F provided with a color thread T at an edge portion includes a camera 51 for photographing the fabric F, and an image processing apparatus 52 for receiving an image input and photographed by the camera 51. The image processing apparatus 52 acquires a color value of the color thread T from the received image of the fabric F, and identifies the type of the fabric F on a basis of the color value. Since the type of the fabric F is identified on the basis of the color of the color thread T, the type of the fabric F is enabled to be stably identified with high accuracy regardless of stretching and shrinking of the fabric F.

Abstract: A cloth spreading apparatus has a spread the remainder of a piece of cloth to smooth out every wrinkle, without requiring a dedicated assistant worker, including: a conveyor belt receiving an upper side portion of a piece of cloth having been spread in a right-left direction, pulls the upper side portion rearward, sequentially pulls up the remainder from a middle to a lower side portion, and ejects the entire cloth rearward. Also, a wrinkle smoothing unit that smooths out wrinkles in the remainder while the conveyor belt pulls up the remainder. The wrinkle smoothing unit has a pair of wrinkle smoothing clamps that clamp right and left side portions of the remainder being pulled up by the conveyor belt, and wrinkle smoothing clamp moving mechanisms that move the clamps upward and apart from each other in the right-left direction while the cloth is pulled up by the conveyor belt.

Abstract: To provide a fabric type identifying apparatus capable of photographing an identifier of fabric with high resolution to correctly recognize the identifier. A fabric type identifying apparatus A for identifying a type of a fabric F provided with an identifier I includes a camera 51 for photographing the fabric F, a traversing device 53 for moving the camera 51 crosswise in a direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the fabric F, and an image processing apparatus 52 for receiving an image input and photographed by the camera 51. The image processing apparatus 52 identifies the type of the fabric F on a basis of the identifier I included in the input image of the fabric F. The position of the camera 51 is adjustable so that the identifier I passes through a photographing area, thereby enabling to bring the camera 51 closer to the fabric F to photograph the small identifier I with high resolution, resulting in recognizing the identifier I correctly.

Abstract: A cloth spreading apparatus is capable of eliminating the troublesome work of pulling a cloth when the cloth is held by feeding chucks to reduce burden of the worker and operation time. A cloth spreading apparatus includes a pair of feeding chucks grasping adjacent corners of a cloth, a moving device for moving the pair of feeding chucks between a feeding position and a delivery position of the cloth to draw the cloth, and spreading chucks for receiving the cloth directly or indirectly from the pair of feeding chucks and spreading the cloth in a direction of separating the adjacent corners from each other. The moving device has separate moving trajectories corresponding to the respective feeding chucks so that the pair of feeding chucks can move between the feeding position and the delivery position independently of each other.