JP7308589B2 - Automatic cloth unfolding machine with cloth sorting device - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic cloth unfolding machine equipped with a cloth sorting device for sorting cloths to be processed according to their types in a cloth processing factory or the like.

Towels, which are an example of cloths to be washed and processed in cloth processing factories (linen factories), are roughly divided into three types: bath towels, face towels, and bath mats, which are used in hospitals, hotels, etc. The collected towels are usually not sorted by type and are collected together. Like this, the towels are manually put into the towel folding machine and folded one by one.

There is a sensor inside the towel folding machine that measures the total length of the towels, and the sensor is used to separate the towels inside the machine. are doing. For this reason, conventionally, there was no need for a person to bother separating towels.

By the way, in recent years, there has been an increase in cases where an automatic towel unfolding machine is installed in front of the towel folding machine for labor saving, and the towels are put in instead of people. Because it is not technically easy to unfold the three types of towels using the same automatic towel unfolding machine due to the difference in the properties of the towels, for example, the automatic unfolding machine previously proposed by the applicant in Patent Document 1, Usually, it is commercialized as an automatic spreader for one type of towel.

JP-A-2002-113300 JP 2010-273732 A

However, if the dried towels are put into the automatic unfolding machine for one type of towel as described above without sorting them or in an insufficiently sorted state, the towels that are not suitable for the automatic unfolding machine will automatically unfold. As the machine yield of the machine decreased, machine failures occurred frequently. There is a problem of causing congestion in the process.

For this reason, the applicant of the present application has proposed, for example, in Patent Document 2, an automatic cloth spreader improved from the automatic spreader described in Patent Document 1 so that a single unit can handle a mixture of multiple types of cloth. In this improved automatic cloth unfolding machine, the cloth is handled by an articulated robot, the cloth is imaged by a camera, and the image is image-processed to sort the cloth. There was a problem that the control was complicated, and the manufacturing cost for each unit was high.

Therefore, the present invention advantageously solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, performs automatic sorting of cloths in a cloth processing factory, etc., by sorting a plurality of types of cloths with a low-cost configuration without using a manual sorting process. An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic cloth unfolding machine equipped with a cloth sorting device capable of improving the mechanical yield of the machine.

The cloth sorting device provided in the automatic cloth unfolding machine of the present invention is
An automatic cloth unfolding machine equipped with a cloth sorting device for sorting washed and dried cloths, wherein one sheet from a cloth mass consisting of a plurality of said cloths is picked up by the automatic cloth unfolding machine. After separating each of the cloths, the cloth sorting device sorts the cloths and supplies them to the automatic cloth unfolding machine, and the automatic cloth unfolding machine automatically unfolds the supplied cloths flat. In the cloth automatic unfolding machine that is put into the cloth folding machine in the next process,
The cloth sorting device is
type identification amount measuring means for measuring a predetermined type identification amount including at least weight of each piece of cloth separated from a cloth mass consisting of a plurality of pieces of cloth after washing and drying;
a type identification means for comparing the measured type identification amount with a predetermined reference identification amount for each type of cloth, and identifying the type of each cloth based on the comparison result;
Sorting and discharging means for sorting and discharging the cloths one by one according to the identified types and supplying them to the automatic cloth unfolding machine;
It is characterized by comprising

Further, the automatic cloth unfolding machine of the present invention includes the cloth sorting device inside the automatic cloth unfolding machine, and the automatic cloth unfolding machine separates one cloth from the cloth mass composed of the plurality of cloths by the automatic cloth unfolding machine. After the cloths are separated one by one , the cloths sorted by the cloth sorting device and supplied to the automatic cloth unfolding machine are automatically flattened by the automatic cloth unfolding machine. It is characterized by being put into the cloth folding machine in the next process.

In the cloth sorting device provided in the cloth automatic unfolding machine of the present invention, the type identification amount measuring means measures each piece of cloth separated from a cloth mass consisting of a plurality of cloths after washing and drying. A predetermined type identification amount including at least the weight of the cloth is measured, and the type identification means compares the measured type identification amount with a reference identification amount for each type of cloth given in advance, and the comparison Based on the result, the type of each cloth is identified, and the sorting and discharging means sorts and discharges each of the cloths according to the identified type, and supplies them to the automatic cloth unfolding machine. do.

Therefore, according to the cloth sorting apparatus provided in the automatic cloth unfolding machine of the present invention, it can be constructed at low cost by combining a plurality of relatively simple means, and moreover, it is possible to sort a plurality of types of cloth without using a manual sorting process. Separation can be performed, and the machine yield of automatic cloth unfolding machines in cloth processing factories or the like can be improved.

In the cloth sorting apparatus provided in the automatic cloth unfolding machine of the present invention, the type identification amount measuring means measures the weight of at least each of the cloths as the predetermined type identification amount. The type identifying means compares the measured weight of each piece of cloth with a predetermined reference weight for each type of cloth, and identifies the type of each piece of cloth based on the comparison result. It identifies This is preferable because the weight measurement can be easily performed with an inexpensive configuration.

Further, in the cloth sorting device provided in the automatic cloth unfolding machine of the present invention, the type identification amount measuring means measures the diagonal length of each cloth as the predetermined type identification amount. , the type identification means compares the measured diagonal length of each piece of cloth with a predetermined reference diagonal length for each type of cloth, and determines the one based on the comparison result. There may also be a means for identifying the type of cloth for each piece, which is preferable because the diagonal length can be easily measured with an inexpensive structure.

Further, in the cloth sorting device provided in the automatic cloth unfolding machine of the present invention, the sorting and discharging means is arranged so that the individual cloths separated from the cloth clump and hanging down are not of a predetermined type. a push-out plate for pushing out the intermediate portion between the upper and lower ends of the cloth, and the push-out plate clamps the pushed-out intermediate portion so that the cloth is used as a main line for discharging the predetermined type of cloth. may have an upper and lower conveyor for transferring to another discharge path, and in this way, the sorting and discharging means can hold the middle part of the cloth so that it does not interfere with the function of the main line, It is preferable because it is possible to supply a predetermined kind of cloth suitable for processing there to the downstream side of this cloth sorting apparatus through the main line, and to improve the mechanical yield of the automatic cloth unfolding machine on the downstream side .

In addition, the sorting and discharging means clamps an intermediate portion between the upper and lower ends of each piece of cloth that is separated from the lump of cloth and hangs down, if the piece of cloth is not of a predetermined type. and an auxiliary chuck moving mechanism for moving the auxiliary chuck and transferring the cloth holding the intermediate portion to a discharge path different from the main line for discharging the predetermined type of cloth. In this way, the sorting and discharging means retains the intermediate portion of the fabrics so as not to interfere with the function of the main line, thereby transferring the fabrics downstream of the fabric sorting apparatus to a predetermined amount suitable for processing therein. It is preferable because it is possible to supply different kinds of cloths from the main line and improve the machine yield of the automatic cloth unfolding machine on the downstream side .

Further, according to the automatic cloth unfolding machine of the present invention, the cloth sorting device provided inside the automatic cloth unfolding machine is a cloth made of the plurality of cloths by the automatic cloth unfolding machine. After the cloths are separated one by one from the lump, the cloths separated by the cloth sorting device and supplied to the automatic cloth unfolding machine are automatically flattened by the automatic cloth unfolding machine. It can be put into the cloth folding machine in the next process.

1 is an overall schematic view of an automatic cloth unfolding machine according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a supply conveyor and a lifting device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a supply conveyor and a lifting device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a supply conveyor and a lifting device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a temporary holding device and a corner edge extracting device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a corner edge extracting device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a corner edge extracting device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a corner edge extracting device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a corner edge extracting device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a corner end trimming device and a corner trimming device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a corner trimming device and a horizontal pulling device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a horizontal pulling device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a horizontal pulling device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a horizontal pulling device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the horizontal pulling device, the two-position holding device, the edging conveyor, and the upside-down turning device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the two-position holding device, the edging conveyor, and the upside-down turning device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the two-position holding device, the edging conveyor, and the upside-down turning device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the two-position holding device, the edging conveyor, and the upside-down turning device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the two-position holding device, the edging conveyor, and the upside-down turning device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the two-position holding device, the edging conveyor, and the upside-down turning device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a edging conveyor and a vertical inversion device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a edging conveyor and a vertical inversion device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a edging conveyor, an upside-down device, a roller, and a placing device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a edging conveyor, an upside-down device, a roller, and a placing device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a edging conveyor, an upside-down device, a roller, and a placing device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of rollers and a placing device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a roller of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the rollers, advance/retreat device, and conveyer of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the rollers, advance/retreat device, and conveyer of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of an advance/retreat device and a conveyer of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of an advance/retreat device and a conveyer of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of an advance/retreat device and a conveyer of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of an advance/retreat device and a conveyer of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the conveyer of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1 and the cloth folding machine in the next step; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a load cell of the cloth sorting device of one embodiment of the present invention provided in the corner trimming device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a cloth sensor of the cloth sorting device according to one embodiment of the present invention provided in the corner trimming device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of an encoder of the cloth sorting device of one embodiment of the present invention provided in the horizontal pulling device of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. 1; 35(a) and (b) show the output signal of the load cell of the cloth sorting device in FIG. 35 and/or the cloth sensor of the cloth sorting device in FIG. It is an enlarged perspective view showing the operation of the pushing plate of the cloth sorting device of the embodiment pushed between, (c) and (d) carry out the cloth supplied by the upper and lower conveyors of (a) and (b) 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing a wagon and a conveyor as a carrying-out route separate from the main line, respectively; FIG. 35(a), (b), and (c) show the output signal of the load cell of the cloth sorting apparatus of FIG. is an enlarged perspective view showing the operation of an auxiliary chuck that supplies a wagon or conveyor that constitutes the . 1 is a perspective view showing a cloth sorting apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which two automatic cloth unfolding machines dedicated to cloths of different types are provided outside on the upstream side thereof; FIG. FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing how towels are put into a conventional towel folding machine manually.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings . One embodiment of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of the present invention equipped with one embodiment of the cloth sorting device is a cloth folding machine or the like installed in a cloth laundry factory or the like sorting cloth such as towels by type. In the following , as an example of use, the automatic cloth unfolding machine of the above embodiment provided with the cloth sorting device of the above embodiment is used for a cloth folding machine. A case where it is applied to the injection of is described as an example.

FIG. 1 shows an overall view of the automatic cloth unfolding machine, and FIGS. 2 to 33 show individual device portions of the automatic cloth unfolding machine of FIG. Also, in the following description, front, rear, right, left, up, and down directions refer to directions in the state shown in FIG.

The automatic cloth unfolding machine of this embodiment automatically unfolds cloths such as towels, sheets, wrapping cloths, pillowcases, and yukata that have been washed and dried. Supply conveyor 1, lifting device 2, temporary holding device 3, corner edge extracting device 4, corner edge removing device 5, horizontal pulling device 6, two-position holding device 7, edge edge conveyor 8, upper and lower It comprises a reversing device 9, a roller 10, a placing device 11, an advancing/retreating device 12, a conveyer 13, and a control device (not shown) for controlling the operations of the devices 1-13. Also shown in FIG. 1 are a suction conveyor A, a pushing device B, a return conveyor C and a cloth folding machine D as auxiliary or related devices. A return conveyor C returns the cloths that have fallen during processing to the supply conveyor 1 .

The automatic cloth unfolding machine of this embodiment operates roughly as follows. That is, the supply conveyor 1 supplies the washed and dried cloths to the lower part of the lifting device 2, the lifting device 2 lifts the cloths to a predetermined height, and the temporary holding device 3 receives the cloths in the lifted state and temporarily hold and move to a transfer position to the corner edge extracting device 4, receive an arbitrary part of the cloth suspended from the temporary holding device 3 by the corner edge extracting device 4, and expose the corner edge of the cloth; The corner end is held by the corner end removing device 5, and the cloth is moved to the horizontal pulling device 6 side while supporting the cloth hanging down. The position holding device 7 holds the lying cloth at two positions, that is, the vicinity of the corner edge and the intermediate position spaced apart from the edge by an appropriate distance, at the same height, and moves the cloth upward to the edging conveyor 8, and then holds the cloth. Release the middle part of the cloth that has been wrapped.

Then, the edging conveyor 8 places and moves the other part of the cloth held in the vicinity of the corner end by the two-position holding device 7 to reveal one side edge of the long side of the cloth, and the upside down device. 9 grips the side edge on the long side of the cloth coming down from the edging conveyor 8, inverts the cloth upside down, holds it down, and holds the upper side of the roller 10 in the left-right direction along the roller 10. The placing device 11 moving to the upper side receives the side edge of the long side of the cloth from the vertical reversing device 9 and places the hanging cloth on the roller 10, and the roller 10 moves the cloth put thereon. The short side edge of the cloth is left and sent so as to hang down to the advancing/retreating device 12 side. While holding the short edge of the cloth, the cloth is moved back to the conveyer 13 in the unfolded state, and the conveyer 13 carries out the unfolded cloth and throws it into the next process, for example, the cloth folding machine D. do.

The details of each device are as follows. First, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the supply conveyor 1 may run continuously during operation. A lump of cloth X consisting of, for example, about 10 to 50 sheets of rectangular cloth Y in a rolled state is dropped. The supply conveyor 1 conveys the cloth mass X to below the lifting device 2 (indicated by symbol X' in FIG. 2). A suction conveyor A is provided at the terminal end of the supply conveyor 1 in the conveying direction. The suction conveyor A includes a perforated belt A1, a suction fan A2 that sucks the cloth Y on the supply conveyor 1 through the perforated belt A1, and a lifting device 2 that lifts the cloth Y sucked by rotating the perforated belt A1. (indicated by symbol X'' in FIG. 3). A wall 1b is erected near the terminal end of the perforated belt A1 to prevent the cloth mass X from falling from the supply conveyor 1. As shown in FIG. In addition to or instead of the suction conveyor A, a push-out device B is provided at the terminal end of the supply conveyor 1 in the conveying direction to push the cloth on the supply conveyor 1 toward directly below the hanging device 2. It's okay. The pushing device B consists of a cylinder B1 and a pushing rod B2 that is advanced and retracted by the cylinder B1.

As shown in FIG. 4, the lifting device 2 has a chuck 21 for holding an arbitrary portion of the cloth Y and a lifting device for moving the chuck 21 up and down. and a motor 22 . The lifting device may have any structure as long as it can lift the chuck 21 between a predetermined height and the conveying surface of the supply conveyor 1. For example, it may be a chain type or a slider unit that travels up and down on rails. good. When the lifting device 2 moves the chuck 21 to the lowest position (the position indicated by the phantom line and reference numeral 21′ in FIG. The contact portion of the cloth Y is held by the chuck 21 in contact with the cloth Y located at . Note that the cloth holding portion by the chuck 21 may be an arbitrary portion. When the chuck 21 is lifted, the chuck 21 moves up to a predetermined height (uppermost position) shown by solid lines in FIG. It is designed to hold. At this time, two or more pieces of cloth Y may be held by the chuck 21 and lifted.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the temporary holding device 3 has a chuck 31 and an advance/retreat device (extendable cylinder 32) for advancing and retreating the chuck 31 in the front-rear direction. The temporary holding device 3 extends the telescopic cylinder 32 when the chuck 21 of the lifting device 2 moves to the uppermost position or when the cloth Y held by the chuck 21 at the uppermost position is detected by a sensor (not shown). , the chuck 31 advances to the position (indicated by reference numeral 31') shown in phantom lines in FIG. When the chuck 21 of the lifting device 2 releases the cloth Y), the telescopic cylinder 32 is then shortened and retracted to a predetermined position while the cloth Y is suspended by the chuck 31 as shown by the solid line in FIG. It is designed to In most cases, one of the corner ends of the cloth appears at the lowest end of the cloth Y suspended by the chuck 31 (indicated by symbol Ya in FIG. 4).

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 9, the corner edge extracting device 4 includes a chuck 41 for receiving the cloth Y suspended and held at the retracted position by the chuck 31 of the temporary holding device 3, and the chuck 41 moving back and forth. A retractable device (extendable cylinder 42) for advancing and retreating, a base plate 43 on which the cloth Y is placed, and a phototube for detecting the terminal end (corner end Ya) of the cloth Y dragged on the base plate 43. A sensor 49, a presser plate 47 for holding the central portion of the cloth Y on the base plate 43 between itself and the base plate 43, an extendable cylinder 48 for moving the presser plate 47 up and down, and a pair of corner end rollers 44. , 45, and a telescopic cylinder 46 for moving one corner-finishing roller 45 toward or away from the other corner-finishing roller 44. As shown in FIG.

5, when the chuck 31 of the temporary holding device 3 is moved to the retracted position while holding the cloth Y, the telescopic cylinder 42 is extended and the chuck 41 is moved. The chuck 41 moves forward to receive the cloth Y from the chuck 31 of the temporary holding device 3, and then, as shown in FIG. Y is drawn in by a predetermined distance on the base plate 43, then the chuck 41 releases the cloth Y, then, as shown in FIG. The leading edge of the cloth Y is sandwiched between the front corner-finishing roller 44, and the presser plate 47 descends from the raised position indicated by reference numeral 47' to the center of the cloth Y between the base plate 43 and the base plate 43. In this state, as shown in FIG. 8, both corner end rollers 44 and 45 are rotated in the direction of the arrows so that the cloth Y hangs down and is dragged on the base plate 43. When the terminal end portion (which becomes the corner end Ya) is detected by the sensors 49, 49 (or when the cloth Y is no longer detected by the sensors 49, 49), the rotation speed of the both corner end rollers 44, 45 is switched to a low speed. It is designed to be In this series of movements, when there are a plurality of cloths Y, the other cloths Z except for one cloth Y whose end portion is sandwiched between the base plate 43 and the presser plate 47 are removed. falls. After that, when another sensor 4a, 4a such as a phototube disposed between the double-corner rollers 44, 45 detects the end portion (corner end Ya) of the cloth Y (or the cloth Y is detected by the sensors 4a, 4a) When the rollers 44 and 45 stop rotating, the corner edge Ya of the cloth Y or its vicinity is sandwiched and held by the rollers 44 and 45, and the corner edge extraction operation is performed. is completed.

In the illustrated example, the cloth Y lifted by the lifting device 2 is temporarily held by the temporary holding device 3 and then changed by the chuck 41 of the corner edge extracting device 4. However, another embodiment not shown is shown. Then, the temporary holding device 3 can be omitted, and the cloth Y lifted by the lifting device 2 can be directly held by the chuck 41 of the corner edge extracting device 4 .

As shown in FIG. 10, the corner trimming device 5 includes a chuck 51 arranged below the corner trimming rollers 44 and 45 and the chuck 51 in the range just below the contact portion of the corner trimming rollers 44 and 45. and an advance/retreat device (extendable cylinder 52) for advancing and retreating in the direction (see FIG. 1). In the corner trimming device 5, when the pair of corner trimming rollers 44 and 45 of the corner trimming device 4 hold the corner edge Ya of the cloth Y or its vicinity, the telescopic cylinder 52 extends and the chuck 51 moves. advances to the right as shown by the phantom line and reference numeral 51', holds the cloth Y slightly below the corner end Ya of the cloth Y with the chuck 51', and pulls the cloth Y to the left side (horizontal pulling device 6 side). Further, the chuck 51 is equipped with a sensor 53 for detecting the cloth Y. By detecting that the chuck 51 approaches the cloth Y with this sensor 53 and operating the chuck 51, the cloth Y is detected. can be held securely.

By the way, the cloth sorting device of the above embodiment is provided in relation to the corner trimming device 5, and the details thereof will be described later.

A base plate 64 is provided at a position close to the lower rear side of the chuck 51 when the telescopic cylinder 52 of the corner trimming device 5 is contracted. This base plate 64 is for supporting the end side of the cloth Y when the upper end portion (corner end Ya) of the cloth is received by the horizontal pulling device 6 described below and moved rearward. is.

In this embodiment, the lifting device 2, the temporary holding device 3, and the corner edge extracting device 4 are used to expose one corner Ya of the rectangular cloth Y, and the rectangular cloth in a curled state is used. However, this cloth corner detection work may be performed by a worker manually searching for one corner edge from the cloth Y in a rolled state, for example. In this case, it is recommended that the found corner edge Ya of the cloth be received manually by the chuck 51 of the corner edge picking device 5, or directly received by the chuck 61 of the lateral pulling device 6, which will be described later.

As shown in FIGS. 11 to 14, the lateral pulling device 6 has a chuck 61 and an advance/retreat device for advancing and retreating the chuck 61 in the front-rear direction. In the illustrated example, the advance/retreat device comprises a drive belt 63 that holds the chuck 61 and a motor 62 that rotates a pulley around which the drive belt 63 is wound to move the chuck 61 back and forth, but the advance/retreat device may have any structure. can also be used, for example, it can be used with a telescopic cylinder.

As shown in FIG. 11, when the chuck 51 of the corner trimming device 5 retreats while holding the cloth Y, the lateral pulling device 6 advances to the position indicated by the phantom line and reference numeral 61'. , the chuck 61' in the forward position holds the position slightly below the upper end (corner end Ya) of the cloth. Subsequently, after the chuck 51 of the corner trimming device 5 releases the cloth Y, as shown in FIG. The cloth Y is pulled laterally on the base plate 64. - 特許庁Next, as shown in FIG. 13, after being laterally pulled by a predetermined distance, the upper presser plate 65 is lowered by the cylinder 66 from the raised position indicated by reference numeral 65', and the cloth Y is sandwiched between it and the base plate 64, and then laterally pulled. is continued, and when the sensor 67 arranged below the base plate 64 detects the terminal end Yb of the cloth Y (or when the sensor 67 stops detecting the cloth Y), the horizontal pulling speed is switched to a low speed. be done. Then, as shown in FIG. 14, when another sensor 68 arranged near the base plate 64 detects the terminal end Yb of the cloth Y (or when the sensor 68 wants to detect the cloth Y). , the traverse is stopped. At this time, the remaining two corner ends of the cloth Y, other than the corner end Ya held by the chuck 61 and the corner end Yb held down by the upper presser plate 65, are aligned in the front-to-rear direction, and the long side of the cloth Y is hung down. One edge Yc appears (triangular).

As shown in FIG. 15, on the right side of the base plate 64 and the upper pressing plate 65, the edging conveyor 8 driven by a motor 81 is installed. The edging conveyor 8 has a plurality (nine in the illustrated example) of narrow belts 8a extending in the left-right direction and arranged at intervals in the front-rear direction.

As shown in FIGS. 15 to 20, the two-position holding device 7 includes two chucks 71 and 72 (hereinafter referred to as intermediate holding chucks 71, corner chucks) respectively attached to the rear and front ends of a connecting rod 70 extending in the front-rear direction. ), an elevating cylinder 73 for elevating the chucks 71 and 72, and an advance/retreat device for advancing and retreating the chucks 71 and 72 together with the elevating cylinder 73 to the left and right. The advance/retreat device consists of a drive belt 75 that holds the lifting cylinder 73 in a suspended state, and a motor 74 that rotates a pulley wound around the drive belt 75. Such a structure may be used, and an advance/retreat cylinder may be used. The distance between the chucks 71 and 72 can be adjusted by, for example, using a length-adjustable connecting rod 70 or by adopting a structure in which the attachment positions of the chucks 71 and 72 to the connecting rod 70 are variable. It may be changed as appropriate according to the size or the like.

As shown in FIG. 15, the corner edge holding chuck 72 is at a position where it can hold the front edge (corner edge Yb) of the cloth Y laid down by the lateral pulling device 6, and the middle part holding chuck 71 is positioned to hold the front edge (corner edge Yb) of the cloth Y laid down by the lateral pulling device 6. It is in a position where it can hold the middle portion of the rear side of the lying cloth Y in place.

In the retracted state, the lift cylinder 73 causes the chucks 71 and 72 to stand by above the laid cloth Y (the state illustrated by the solid lines in FIG. 15). As indicated by phantom lines at 15 and reference numerals 71' and 72', it is lowered to a position where the upper edge of the laid cloth Y can be held.

When the two-position holding device 7 descends due to the extension of the elevating cylinder 73, as shown in FIG. holds the intermediate portion of the cloth Y on the rear side. At this time, as shown in FIG. 15, the opening of the chuck 69 provided in the vicinity of the rear of the upper pressing plate 65 is narrowed from a wide open state indicated by reference numeral 69', so that the corner edge holding chuck 72 is held by the cloth Y. can be made easier to hold. After that, the cloth Y is released from being held or restrained by the chuck 61 , the upper pressing plate 65 and the chuck 69 of the lateral pulling device 6 . The two-position holding device 7 is then moved toward the end side of the edge conveyor 8 by the advancement/retraction device at a position above the edge conveyor 8, as shown in FIG. The belt of the fringing conveyor 8 is moving in the direction of the arrow in FIG. Also, due to the air blowing action of the blowing device 82 installed between the upper and lower belts of the edge conveyor 8 , the triangular portion is bent (along) in the flow direction of the edge conveyor 8 .

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 18, the chuck 71 at the rear of the two-position holding device 7 releases the cloth Y, and one side of the cloth Y (the portion behind the corner Yb) of the cloth Y is placed on the edging conveyor 8. Drop onto a moving belt. Since the front edge (corner edge Yb) of the cloth Y is still held by the corner edge holding chuck 72, only the dropped portion of the cloth Y moves to the right as shown in FIG. When the falling portion of the cloth Y moves by a predetermined distance, one side edge Yc on the long side of the cloth Y becomes substantially perpendicular to the flow direction of the edge conveyer 8 . When this positional relationship is established, the other chuck 72 releases the cloth Y and completely drops the cloth Y onto the edging conveyor 8, as shown in FIG. Two sensors 83 are installed near the terminal end of the edging conveyor 8 for detecting the leading side edge Yc of the cloth Y conveyed on the edging conveyor 8, and the sensors 83 detect the cloth. When Y is detected, the edge conveyor 8 is switched to low speed.

As shown in FIG. 21, the upside down device 9 is arranged near the terminal end of the edging conveyor 8, and has two chucks 92 and 93 for gripping one side edge Yc on the long side of the cloth Y, It has two sensors 94 and 95 provided near the chucks 92 and 93 , a reversing shaft 96 supporting the chucks 92 and 93 , and a rotating cylinder 91 for rotating the reversing shaft 96 . Any mechanism may be used as long as the cloth Y gripped by the two chucks 92 and 93 can be reversed. good too. The two chucks 92 and 93 are configured to operate independently of each other based on detection signals of the side edge Yc of the cloth Y by the sensors 94 and 95, thereby separating the side edge Yc of the cloth Y into two chucks. It can be held straight between chucks 92 and 93 .

This upside down device 9 operates as follows. First, until the sensor 94, 95 detects the leading side edge Yc of the cloth conveyed on the edging conveyor 8, each of the chucks 92, 93 is held substantially sideways (as shown in FIG. 20). When the leading side edge Yc of the cloth Y conveyed on the edging conveyor 8 is detected by the sensors 94 and 95, the detection signals from the sensors 94 and 95 are detected. Each of the chucks 92 and 93 holds the leading side edge Yc of the cloth. Then, immediately after that, the rotating cylinder 91 is shortened, and the chucks 92 and 93 rotate downward at high speed while holding the side edge Yc of the cloth to assume the downward posture shown in FIG. At this time, the cloths Y held by the chucks 92 and 93 are rapidly swung downward (a loosening action is generated in the short side direction of the cloths) and hangs down. When the respective chucks 92, 93 holding the side edge Yc of the cloth in the downward attitude transfer the respective holding portions of the side edge Yc to the respective chucks 111, 112 of the placing device 11, which will be described later, It is released, and immediately after that it is rotated upward and returned to the original standby position.

As shown in FIG. 23, a roller 10 and a placing device 11 for placing the cloth Y on the roller 10 are directly below the front portion of the edging conveyor 8. They are installed in a positional relationship in which the rollers 10 are placed on the top and on the bottom.

The placing device 11 includes an advance/retreat table 110 facing the upside-down device 9 side, and two chucks 111 arranged on both sides of the advance/retreat table 110 for receiving the cloth Y from the chucks 92 and 93 of the upside-down device 9. 112 and chuck sensors 113 and 114 . The placing device 11 is moved back and forth in the left-right direction (the rotation axis direction of the roller 10) by the advancing and retracting device. In the illustrated example, the advance/retreat device comprises a drive belt 116 that holds the advance/retreat table 110 and a motor 115 that rotates a pulley around which the drive belt 116 is wound. A structure may be used, for example, a forward/backward cylinder may be used.

The placing device 11 moves from the standby position shown in FIG. 111 and 112 are closed toward both sides of the advance/retreat table 110 to hold the cloth Y. Here, the holding positions of the cloth Y by the chucks 111 and 112 are positions close to the holding positions of the cloth Y by the chucks 92 and 93 of the upside-down device 9 . It should be noted that the two chucks 111 and 112 may be configured to operate independently, in which case the portion of the side edge Yc of the cloth Y between the two chucks 111 and 112 is held straighter. can do. After receiving the cloth Y, the upside down device 9 is turned upside down and returned to the original position as shown in FIG. Since the roller 10 is arranged so that its axis of rotation is parallel to the forward/backward direction of the placing device 11, when the placing device 11 that holds the cloth Y in a suspended state is retracted, the cloth Y is moved as shown in FIG. Y is put on the roller 10 and hangs down from the roller 10. - 特許庁At that time, the side edge Yd on the side opposite to the side edge Yc on the long side held by the chucks 111 and 112 is detected by the sensor 101, and the chucks 111 and 112 move the cloth Y after a predetermined time has passed after the detection. release the The predetermined time is appropriately set so that the chucks 111 and 112 release the cloth Y when the widthwise center of the cloth Y substantially coincides with the widthwise center of the roller 10 . The placing device 11 continues to retreat by a predetermined distance even after the chucks 111 and 112 release the cloth Y.

The roller 10, as shown in FIG. 26, consists of a first partial roller 102 and a second partial roller 103 which are arranged side by side on the same axis. The first partial roller 102 is connected to a motor 104 via a drive belt 105 and driven to rotate by the motor 104 . The second partial roller 103 is connected to a motor 106 via a drive belt 107 and driven to rotate by the motor 106 . The direction and speed of rotation of the motors 104, 106 are independently controllable, and are preferably provided below each partial roller 102, 103, parallel to the axis of rotation of the roller, as shown in FIG. Based on the detection signals from the sensor groups 108 and 109, independent control is performed so that the direction of the cloth Y on the roller 10 can be corrected to the correct direction (for example, the longitudinal direction of the cloth Y coincides with the front-back direction). be done. For example, as shown in FIG. 26, a cloth Y is placed obliquely on the roller 10, and only the sensor group 109 out of the sensor groups 108 and 109 is positioned on the short side of the cloth Y as shown in FIG. When the side edge Ye is detected, the side edge Ye becomes parallel to the sensor groups 108 and 109 based on this detection result, and both sensor groups 108 and 109 simultaneously detect the side of the cloth Y on the short side. Stopping, normal rotation, and reverse rotation of the first partial roller 102 and the second partial roller 103 are repeated until the edge Ye is detected. In the illustrated example, each of the sensor groups 108 and 109 consists of five sensors, but the number of sensors is not limited to this, and may be four or less or six or more depending on the width of the cloth Y to be processed. Also, the sensor to be operated may be switched according to the cloth Y to be processed.

The advance/retreat device 12 transfers the cloth Y, which is correctly oriented on the rollers 10, onto the conveyer 13. As shown in FIG. It has a gripping portion that grips the end of the short side of the class Y, and an advance/retreat mechanism that moves the gripping portion back and forth. In the illustrated example, the gripping portion includes a holding table 123a inclined toward the roller 10 side and a holding plate 123b that opens and closes with a cylinder or the like with respect to the holding table 123a. The forward/backward movement mechanism is composed of the drive belt 122 coupled to the holding base 123a and the motor 121 for rotating the pulley around which the drive belt 122 is wound, but a forward/backward cylinder may be used.

When the cloth Y on the roller 10 is transferred to the conveyer 13 by the advancing/retreating device 12, the first part roller 102 and the second part roller 103 are moved to the advancing/retreating device 12 side simultaneously and at the same speed, as shown in FIG. to bring the side edge Ye of the cloth Y located in the vicinity of the sensor groups 108 and 109 closer to the advancing/retreating device 12 side, and advance the grasping portion of the advancing/retreating device 12 as shown in FIG. The tip of the holding base 123a of the gripping portion in which the holding plate 123b is opened is pressed against the blow member 10a installed below the roller 10, and the upper end of the roller 10 is formed between the tip of the holding base 123a and the blow member 10a. 30, air is blown out from the blow member 10a as shown in FIG. Rotate further to the 12 side. As a result, the side edge Ye of the cloth Y is placed on the holding table 123a. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 31, the holding plate 123b is closed and the side edge Ye of the cloth Y is held between it and the holding table 123a. A portion of the cloth Y other than the portion held by the holding base 123a and the holding plate 123b of the holding portion hangs down from the holding base 123a. In this state, the gripping portion of the advancing/retreating device 12 is moved toward the conveyor 13 as shown in FIG. After the gripping part retreats by a predetermined distance, the holding plate 123b is opened again as shown in FIG. In addition, the grasping portion of the advance/retreat device 12 continues to retreat by a predetermined distance even after the cloth Y is released by the holding plate 123b.

As shown in FIG. 34, the transport conveyor 13 has a belt 133 having a large number of through holes, a motor 132 for driving the belt 133, and through the through holes formed in the belt 133, the cloth Y on the belt 133 is sucked. It has a suction fan 131 . By sucking the cloth Y on the conveyer 13 in this way, the side edge Ye of the cloth Y held by the gripping portion of the advancing/retreating device 12 can be dropped onto the conveyer 13 and transferred smoothly. can. After that, the conveyer 13 carries out the cloth Y and conveys (throws in) it to the next process (here, the cloth folding machine D). It should be noted that the conveyer 13 does not have to drive the belt 133 when the gripping portion of the advance/retreat device 12 transfers the cloth Y onto the conveyer 13, but the belt 133 is driven from the viewpoint of increasing the number of processed sheets. preferably.

According to the automatic cloth unfolding machine configured as described above, by simply throwing the washed and dried cloth Y onto the supply conveyor 1, the lifting device 2, the temporary holding device 3, the corner edge extracting device 4, the corner edge extracting device 4, and the Cloth Y is automatically picked up by picking device 5, horizontal pulling device 6, two-position holding device 7, edging conveyor 8, vertical reversing device 9, roller 10, placing device 11, advancing/retreating device 12, transfer conveyor 13, etc. It can be flatly developed, and in this flatly developed state, it can be conveyed to the next process by the conveyer 13 and supplied (thrown in).

By the way, the cloth sorting apparatus of the above-described embodiment , indicated by reference numeral 14 here, separates the cloth Y one by one from the cloth mass in which a plurality of cloths Y are piled up as described above. Among the device 4, the corner trimming device 5, and the lateral pulling device 6, for example, it is associated with the corner trimming device 5 shown in FIG. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 35, the chuck 51 of the corner trimming device 5 has a load cell 141 as a type identification amount measuring means. The weight of class Y is measured as a predetermined class discriminating amount, and the weight data is sent to the control device.

The control device also functions as a type identification means, and preliminarily sets reference weight data for each type of cloth, such as 0.1 kg for face towels, 0.3 kg for mats, and 0.6 kg for bath towels. The weight of the towel as the cloth Y which is given and stored and sent as data from the load cell 141 is compared with their reference weight, and the weight of the towel is compared with the reference weight of any kind of towel. If it is within a predetermined range, for example ±0.05 kg, it is identified as that type of towel.

The cloth sorting device 14 of the above-described embodiment also has, as a type identification amount measuring means, a plurality of, in the figure, provided below the chuck 51 of the corner trimming device 5, as shown in FIG. Two cloth sensors 142 and 143 may be provided, and the cloth sensors 142 and 143 are each composed of, for example, an optical sensor or an electrostatic sensor. The data of the detection result of the lower end of the cloth Y is sent to the control device.

The cloth sorting device 14 of the above-described embodiment further comprises an advancing/retreating device of the horizontal pulling device 6 as shown in FIG. An encoder 144 may be provided in the motor 62 for moving the chuck 61 back and forth. The encoder 144 may be a rotary encoder or an absolute encoder. detects the number of rotations and sends the data of the detection result to the control device.

The control device is provided with and stores reference diagonal length data for each type of cloth, for example, 1000 mm for face towels, 800 mm for mats, and 1700 mm for bath towels. 142, 143 and the detection result of the lower end of the towel as the cloth Y sent as data from the encoder (for example, when neither of the cloth sensors 142, 143 detects the cloth Y, the cloth Y is the diagonal length is less than the distance from the chuck 51 to the upper cloth sensor 142, and when only the upper cloth sensor 142 detects the cloth Y, the diagonal length of the cloth Y is from the chuck 51 to the upper side. It corresponds to the distance between the cloth sensor 142 and the lower cloth sensor 143, and is the distance when not only the upper cloth sensor 142 but also the lower cloth sensor 143 detects the cloth Y. It can be determined that the diagonal length of the cloth Y is longer than the distance from the chuck 51 to the lower cloth sensor 143), and the diagonal length of the cloth Y can be determined from the number of rotations of the output shaft of the motor 62. The length of the towel is obtained as a predetermined type identification amount, and the diagonal length is compared with the above reference diagonal length, and the diagonal length of the towel is within a predetermined range from the reference diagonal length of any type of towel. If it is within the range of ±50 mm, for example, it is identified as that type of towel.

In addition, the cloth sorting device 14 of the above-described embodiment includes at least two types of the load cell 141, the cloth sensors 142 and 143, and the encoder 144 as the type identification amount measuring means, and measures the type identification amount of them. If the type of cloth cannot be clearly identified by any of the measurement results of any means, the measurement results of other type identification amount measurement means may be used.

When the cloth sorting device 14 of the above embodiment is equipped with one or more types of the load cell 141 and the cloth sensors 142 and 143 as the type identification amount measuring means, the sorting and discharging means can be configured as shown in FIGS. As shown in FIG. 38, a pushing plate 145 supported for horizontal swinging, a cylinder (for example, an air cylinder) 146 for horizontally swinging the pushing plate 145, and an inlet side end facing right in FIG. An upper conveyor 147 and a lower conveyor 148 are provided, which are close to each other but separated from each other at the outlet side ends on the opposite side. A wagon 149 or a conveyor 14a is provided below the exit side end and constitutes a discharge route different from the cloth transport route after the two-position holding device 7, which is the main line for discharging predetermined types of cloth. there is

When the control device identifies that the piece of cloth Y gripped by the chuck 51 of the corner trimming device 5 is not of the predetermined type to be discharged on the main line, the control device is shown in FIG. 38(b). , the pushing plate 145 is horizontally swung by the cylinder 146 to push the intermediate portion between the upper and lower ends of the cloth Y between the inlet side ends of the upper and lower conveyors 147 and 148, and the pushing plate 145 pushes the inlet side end. The upper and lower conveyors 147 and 148, which hold the intermediate portion of the cloth Y pushed between the sections, send the entire cloth Y to the exit side end, and from there, the wagon 149 or the wagon 149 or It is supplied to the conveyor 14a.

In the cloth sorting device 14 of the above embodiment, instead of the pressing plate 145, the cylinder 146, and the upper and lower conveyors 147 and 148, an auxiliary chuck is used as the sorting and discharging means, as shown in FIGS. 14b and an auxiliary chuck moving mechanism (not shown) composed of, for example, a cylinder for moving the auxiliary chuck 14b back and forth. 39(a), the controller advances the auxiliary chuck 14b as shown in FIG. The chuck 14b is caused to hold the intermediate portion between the upper and lower ends of the cloth Y, and then the auxiliary chuck 14b is retracted as shown in FIG. It is supplied to, for example, the wagon 149 or conveyor 14a that constitutes the discharge route.

Therefore, according to the cloth sorting apparatus of this embodiment, it can be constructed at a low cost by combining a plurality of relatively simple components such as sensors, cylinders, conveyors, etc., and moreover, a plurality of types of cloth can be sorted without using a manual sorting process. Classification can be performed, and the machine yield of automatic cloth unfolding machines in cloth processing factories or the like can be improved.

FIG. 40 shows one reference form of the cloth sorting device in the automatic cloth unfolding machine of the present invention. The cloth sorting device 15 of this reference form has two automatic cloth sorting units, one dedicated to bath towels and the other dedicated to face towels. Spreading machines 16 and 17 are provided on the outside of the fabric conveying route upstream of the automatic fabric spreading machines, and are constructed in the same manner as the fabric sorting apparatus of the above-described embodiment. When a cloth mass X in which two kinds of cloths are mixed with towels is supplied, the cloth mass X is separated into bath towels BT and face towels FT one by one, and the bath towels BT are exclusive cloths for bath towels. The face towel FT is supplied to a cloth automatic unfolding machine 17 dedicated to face towels. The automatic cloth unfolding machine 16 for bath towels and the automatic cloth unfolding machine 17 for face towels have the same configuration as the automatic cloth unfolding machine of the above-described embodiment. automatically expand.

Therefore, even with the cloth sorting apparatus of this reference embodiment, it can be constructed at low cost by combining a plurality of relatively simple components such as sensors, cylinders, and conveyors. can be performed, and the mechanical yield of automatic cloth unfolding machines in cloth processing factories or the like can be improved.

Although the above has been described based on the illustrated examples, the present invention is not limited to the above examples, and can be appropriately modified within the scope of the claims.

Thus, according to the cloth sorting device provided in the cloth spreading device of the present invention, it can be constructed at a low cost by combining a plurality of relatively simple means, and can separate a plurality of kinds of cloths without using a manual sorting process. It is possible to improve the machine yield of automatic cloth unfolding machines in cloth processing factories and the like.

Further, according to the automatic cloth unfolding machine of the present invention, the automatic cloth unfolding machine automatically unfolds the cloths sorted by the cloth sorting device provided inside the automatic cloth unfolding machine flatly. Cloths can be flattened out with high machine yield.

1 Supply Conveyor 2 Lifting Device 21 Chuck 22 Motor 23 Drive Belt 3 Temporary Holding Device 31 Chuck 32 Telescopic Cylinder 4 Corner Ending Device 41 Chuck 42, 46, 48 Telescopic Cylinder 43 Base Plate 44, 45 Corner Ending Roller 47 Holding Plate 49 , 4a Sensor 5 Corner end chamfering device 51 Chuck 52 Telescopic cylinder 53 Sensor 6 Lateral pulling device 61, 69 Chuck 62 Motor 63 Drive belt 64 Base plate 65 Upper pressing plate 66 Cylinder 67, 68 Sensor 7 Two-position holding device 70 Connecting rod 71 Intermediate portion holding chuck 72 Corner end holding chuck 73 Elevating cylinder 74 Motor 75 Drive belt 8 Edge extraction conveyor 81 Motor 82 Blowing device 83 Sensor 9 Upside down device 91 Turning cylinder 92, 93 Chuck 94, 95 Sensor 96 Reversing shaft 10 Roller 101 Sensor 102 First partial roller 103 Second partial roller 104, 106 Motor 105, 107 Drive belt 108, 109 Sensor group 10a Blow member 11 Mounting device 110 Retraction table 111, 112 Chuck 113, 114 Chuck sensor 115 Motor 116 Drive belt 12 Retraction Device 121 Motor 122 Drive Belt 123a Holding Table 123b Holding Plate 124 Cylinder 13 Conveyor 131 Suction Fan 132 Motor 133 Belt 14 Cloth Sorting Device 141 Load Cell 142, 143 Cloth Sensor 144 Encoder 145 Pushing Plate 146 Cylinder 147 Upper Conveyor 1 under 48 Conveyor 149 Wagon 14a Conveyor 14b Auxiliary chuck 15 Cloth sorting device 16 Automatic cloth unfolding machine for bath towels 17 Automatic cloth unfolding machine for face towels A Suction conveyor B Extruding device C Return conveyor D Cloth folding machine X Cloth Lump Y Cloth Ya Corner end Yb Corner end (terminating part)
Yc side edge (long side)
Yd side edge (other side of long side)
Ye side edge (short side)
BT bath towel FT face towel

Claims (4)

An automatic cloth unfolding machine equipped with a cloth sorting device for sorting the washed and dried cloths, wherein the automatic cloth unfolding machine separates one from a cloth mass consisting of a plurality of the cloths. After separating the cloths sheet by sheet, the cloth sorting device sorts the cloths and supplies them to the automatic cloth unfolding machine, and the automatic cloth unfolding machine automatically unfolds the supplied cloths flat. In the cloth automatic unfolding machine that is put into the cloth folding machine in the next process,
The cloth sorting device is
Type identification amount measuring means for measuring a predetermined type identification amount including at least weight of each piece of cloth;
a type identification means for comparing the measured type identification amount with a predetermined reference identification amount for each type of cloth, and identifying the type of each cloth based on the comparison result;
Sorting and discharging means for sorting and discharging the cloths one by one according to the identified types and supplying them to the automatic cloth unfolding machine;
A cloth automatic unfolding machine characterized by comprising: The type identification amount measuring means measures the diagonal length of each piece of cloth as the predetermined type identification amount,
The type identifying means compares the measured diagonal length of each cloth with a predetermined reference diagonal length for each type of cloth, and based on the comparison result, the one cloth 2. The automatic cloth unfolding machine according to claim 1, wherein the type of each cloth is identified. The separate discharge means is
a push-out plate for pushing out an intermediate portion between upper and lower ends of each piece of cloth separated from the lump of cloth when the pieces of cloth are not of a predetermined type;
an up-and-down conveyor for holding the intermediate portion pushed out by the pushing plates and transferring the cloth to a discharge route different from the main line for discharging the predetermined type of cloth;
3. The automatic cloth unfolding machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by comprising: The separate discharge means is
an auxiliary chuck for holding an intermediate portion between the upper and lower ends of each piece of cloth separated from the lump of cloth when the pieces of cloth are not of a predetermined type;
an auxiliary chuck moving mechanism for moving the auxiliary chuck to transfer the cloth holding the intermediate portion to a discharge path different from the main line for discharging the predetermined type of cloth;
3. The automatic cloth unfolding machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by comprising:

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