Automatic sewing machine

An automatic sewing machine, comprising operating means for performing a plurality of operations, including sewing of a seam on upper and lower sheet materials which are to be joined and have side edges;

• selectively actuatable control means for controlling at least some of said operations in a programmed sequence;
• alignment control means rsponsive to operation of said selectively actuatable means for independently maintaining the side edges of each said upper and lower sheet materials in a position parallel to and at a predetermined spacing from said seam irrespective of deviations of the respective side edge from said position in direction toward or away from said seam, said alignment control means comprising an alignment control device including sensor means disposed forwardly of the needle hole in the throat plate of the arm-bed assembly of said automatic sewing machine for detecting the side edges of the upper and lower sheet materials to be joined and the finishing end of the sewing operation, and a pair of manipulator members disposed forwardly of said sensor means for -- in response to a signal from said sensor means -- causing the displacement of said sheet materials to be joind in such a way that said side edges are precisely aligned with each other, said pair of upper and lower manipulator members being provided on the upper surface and the undersurface, respectively, of the worktable of said automatic sewing machine so as to be symmetrical about said worktable, said upper manipulator member comprising a separating plate along the upper surface of which is advanced the upper sheet material and along the undersurface of which is advanced the lower sheet material and an arm extending slantingly downwardly toward the upper surface of said separating plate, said lower manipulator member comprising an arm extending slantingly upwardly toward the surface of said separating plate, said arms of said upper and lower manipulator members being operatively coupled to air cylinders, respectively, in such a way that said uper and lower sheet materials to be joined are clamped between said arms of the upper and lower manipulator members on the one hand, and the separating plate on the other hand, each of said arms including a pinion rotatably carried at the free end of the respective arm and an electric motor disposed at the base of the respective arm and drivingly coupled to said pinion through a driving shaft extending within the arm and a crown gear attached at the end remote from said electric motor in engagement with said pinion, whereby the rotation of said electric motor -- which is controlled in response to a control signal -- may be transmitted to said pinion.