Blade sharpener
AssigneeGerber Garment Technology, Inc.
InventorDavid Raymond Pearl
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cutting apparatus for cutting pattern pieces from layups having a low stack height employs a cutting head having a small reciprocating blade suspended from a carriage which moves over the layup. The drive motors for reciprocating the blade and orienting the blade in a particular cutting direction about a .theta.-axis remain in a stationary position on the cutting head as the blade is oriented and elevated in and out of cutting contact with the layup. A blade sharpener is suspended from the head with the cutting blade and is energized by spinning the blade about the .theta.-axis. Drilling is also accomplished by spinning the blade.
Claims19
A blade sharpener for a cutting apparatus with a cutting blade having a cutting edge and a blade support rotated by an orientation drive motor about an axis perpendicular to a work supporting planar surface to orient the blade in a cutting operation in a selected cutting direction comprising:
- a sharpening wheel suspended from the blade support and adjacent the cutting edge of the blade for rotation about the perpendicular axis with the blade;
- and
- drive means having an output member connected with the sharpening wheel and selectively engageable with the orientation drive motor which orients the blade to rotate the output member and drive the wheel about the wheel axis in conjunction with the rotation of the blade and blade support about the perpendicular axis.
In combination with a cutting apparatus having a reciprocated cutting blade suspended from a platform for rotation about a blade axis parallel to the direction of reciprocation, a blade sharpener comprising:
- a yoke suspended from the platform for rotation with the blade about the blade axis and pivotable about an orbital axis parallel to and offset from the blade axis;
- two sharpening wheels mounted on the yoke and located in a centered position of the yoke on opposite sides of the cutting blade respectively to swing with pivoting motions of the yoke about the orbital axis into engagement with the cutting blade on one side or the other;
- and
- drive means connected with the sharpening wheels for rotating the wheels about their own axes in engagement with the cutting edge of the blade, the drive means comprising a planetary drive means having two gears, one of the gears being a planetary gear mounted for orbital movement about the blade axis with blade rotations and the other gear being a ring gear engaged with the planetary gear and selectively coupled in stationary relationship to the platform during a sharpening operation to drive the planetary gear.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.