1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fastening member removing force measuring device, and a holding device. More specifically, this invention relates to a removing force measuring device for measuring a force required for removing, for instance, a snap member attached to a garment.
2. Description of Related Art
To fasten a fastening section 910 of a garment 900, a snap fastener 920, for instance, is used as shown in FIG. 10. The snap fastener 920 includes, as shown in FIG. 11, a female snap member 930 generally called as a socket member, a male snap member 940 generally called as a stud (these two components are generically called as a snap member 921), and prong members 931, 941 each attaching the snap member 921 to the fabric.
The male snap member 940 and the female snap member 930 can elastically and disconnectably be engaged with each other, and are respectively and opposingly attached to a first fabric 951 and a second fabric 952 in the fastening section 910 of the garment 900. For instance, as shown in FIG. 11, the female snap member 930 and male snap member 940 are respectively attached to opposing surfaces of the fabric 952, 951 with the prong members 931, 941 from the sides reverse to the opposing surfaces.
If the snap member 921 attached to a fabric 953 of the garment 900 is easily removed from the fabric 953, there occurs the risk, for instance, that an infant swallows the snap member 921 (930, 940) or the prong members 931, 941, so that a force required to remove the snap member 921 must be set at a level not less than a prespecified value. To satisfy this requirement, for instance in a sewing plant, inspections are conducted for a force required for removing the snap member 921 so that the force required for removing the snap member 921 are kept not less than the prespecified value.
Sewing companies comply with the European standard “BS EN 71-1: Safety of toys. Mechanical and physical properties” in various countries, and the force required for removing the snap member 921 is required to be “90 N for 10 seconds” or more.
In the conventional technology, there has been the configuration shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 as a measuring device for measuring a force required for removing the snap member 921 (refer to, for instance, Reference: Japanese Patent No. 3328473).
FIG. 12 is a side view showing a snap member removing force measuring device, and FIG. 13 is a partially enlarged view of the snap member removing force measuring device when viewed from the front side.
A removing force measuring device 800 includes a stage 400 for mounting thereon the snap member 921 attached to a fabric 953, a fabric presser unit 500 for pressing the fabric 953 around the snap member 921 mounted on the stage 400, a restricting unit 600 for restricting a side face of the snap member 921, and a tensile force measuring section 700 for pulling the restricting unit 600 restricting the snap member 921 in a direction away from the fabric presser unit 500 and also measuring this tensile force.
The stage 400 has a die 420 supported by a supporting block 413 via a spring section 415 having a plurality of plate springs.
The fabric presser unit 500 includes a fabric presser arm 510 with a substantially intermediate section thereof swingably supported at an upper end of a support member 520 and having a ring section 512 for pressing the fabric 953 around the snap member 921 at a tip thereof.
The restricting unit 600 has jaws 610, 610 each having a tip engagement section 611 capable of being engaged with a side face of the snap member 921 provided at a tip thereof with the tip engagement sections 611 provided circularly and surrounding the snap member 921; a jaw supporting member 620 for swingably supporting an intermediate section of the jaws 610 so that the tip engagement sections 611 of the jaws 610 move closer to or away from each other, a spring 630 for biasing each jaw 610 in a direction in which the tip engagement sections 611 of the jaws 610 move away from each other; and a cum section 640 contacting a base end 612 of each jaw 610 for rotating each jaw in a direction in which the tip engagement sections 611 of each jaws 610 get closer to each other.
The tensile force measuring section 700, though not described in detail herein, pulls up the restricting unit 600 restricting the snap member 921 by pulling up a bolt 641 extending upward from the jaw supporting member 620 of the restricting unit 600 and measures the tensile force in the state.
With the configuration as described above, when a force required for removing the snap member 921 is to be measured, first, the snap member 921 attached to the fabric 953 is placed on the die 420. In the state where the snap member 921 is placed inside the ring section 512 of the fabric presser arm 510, the fabric 953 is held by the ring section 512 of the fabric presser arm 510 and the die 420. The cum section 640 with the bolt 641 screwed therein is rotated to be lowered so that the tip engagement sections 611 of the jaws 610 get closer to each other and also so that the base end 612 of the jaw 610 is pushed and opened by the cum section 640, and in this state a side face of the snap member 921 is restricted by the jaws 610 with the tip engagement section 611. In this state, when the snap member 921 restricted by the jaws 610 is slowly pulled up, the snap member 921 is pulled from the fabric 953 and lifted upward, since the fabric 953 is held by the fabric presser arm 510 and the die 420. The force required for pulling up the snap member 921 is measured by the tensile force measuring section 700, and if the snap member 921 is kept attached to the fabric 953 even when the force required for pulling up the snap member 921 is over a prespecified value, the prespecified removing force is ensured. Further, if the snap member 921 is lifted up until being removed off from the fabric 953, a removing force for the snap member 921 can be measured.
An edge of the garment (indicated by a reference numeral 960 in FIG. 10) is sewn in the state where the fabric 953 is rolled in to prevent the fabric 953 from being frayed. Therefore, the rolled-in portion has a larger thickness as compared to that of the other portion as shown in FIG. 14. In this state, if the snap fastener 920 is provided on a thin portion of the fabric 953 near the edge section 960, and both the thick portion of the fabric 953 and the thin portion of the fabric 953 are held with the fabric presser arm 510 and the die 420, the thick portion of the fabric 953 is held strongly but the thin portion of the fabric 953 is not held, resulting in that the fabric 953 can not be held properly, as shown in FIG. 15. Namely a gap d is generated between the fabric presser arm 510 and the thin portion of the fabric 953.
Unless the fabric 953 is held tightly, when the snap member 921 is pulled up, also the fabric 953 is pulled, so that the snap member 921 is hardly removed from the fabric 953, and therefore the removing force can not correctly be measured, which is disadvantageous.
Generally, since the snap member 921 is attached to a position as close as possible to an edge of the garment 900 to minimize opening of the fastening section 910, it is often required to measure a removing force for the snap member 921 attached to a position close to a step between portions having different thicknesses of the fabric 953 when the removing force for the snap member 921 is to be measured.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds