Apparatus for automatically controlling movement of material with respect to a work point in a machine

Apparatus for automatically guiding fabric material for use with a sewing machine having a support for supporting the fabric material, a reciprocating needle which intermittently moves to pierce the fabric material on the support at a workpoint during the stitching strokes of the needle, and feed mechanism which mechanically advances the material over the support along a line of approach past the work point, said apparatus for automatically guiding the fabric material comprising:

• alternate directional movable fabric contacting means,
• mounting means movably mounting said fabric contacting means for lateral motion to the left or right with respect to the line of approach and positioning said contacting means for continuously engaging a localized region of the fabric material on said line of approach in front of the work point and in close proximity to the work point as the fabric material advances along said line of approach over the support,
• reversible drive means for moving said fabric contacting means laterally toward the right or left while said contacting means is in continuous contact with said localized region of the fabric material for laterally steering the region of the fabric material in front of the work point, and
• control means for operating said reversible drive means.

Automatic fabric workpiece guiding apparatus adapted for use with a fabric fastening machine having a workpoint at which the fastening operation takes place and having a line of approach toward said workpoint along which the fabric advances toward said workpoint, said apparatus comprising:

• a reversible electric motor having an output shaft,
• rotatable means having fabric contacting means for engaging the surface of the fabric, said rotatable means being driven by said output shaft,
• mounting means for mounting said reversible electric motor with said output shaft and with said rotatable means both being positioned in front of said workpoint for bringing said fabric contacting means into contact with the surface of a fabric workpiece in a localized region which is located entirely in front of said workpoint, said localized region being on said line of approach and being in close proximity to said workpoint,
• said reversible motor serving in operation to rotate said rotatable means in either direction for moving said fabric contacting means to the left and right relative to said line of approach in said localized region, and
• control means connected to said reversible electric motor for controlling its operation.