Automatic handling of garment sleeves during ironing - has proximity switches to limit movement of handling clamp in three dimensions, avoids need for manual adjustment for different sizes

摘要

The sleeves of a garment are gripped and closed automatically as it is placed on an ironing dummy and pressurised internally with air. A calmp positions the sleeve along a rail which can be swung about a vertical and a horizontal aixs. Each motion is controlled by a proximity switch which senses the edge of the sleeve to stop the motion and closes the clamp when it reaches its final position. The clamp has jaws operated by cylinders. After the clamp has closed, a further cylinder limits the motion of the slide along the rail thereby giving a controlled tension along the axis of the sleeve up to a max. set value. Switches limit the rotation of the rail about the vertical and horizontal axis respectively as it approaches the sleeve from above. A switch indicates the final position of the sleeve end. The switches can be optical, capacitative or ultrasonic. USE/ADVANTGE - The invention accommodates various shapes of garments with different dimensions without requiring manual adjustment.