The invention relates to grasping system comprising a grasping head (15) for a sheet transporting device, in particular for transporting an insert sheet to be inserted between rows of folding boxes in a receptacle, the grasping head (15) having at least one support frame (80) and a plurality of aspiration elements (17, 18). The aspiration elements (17, 18) are mounted on holding elements (50) which are received on the support frame (80) so as to be displaceable with respect to the support frame (80).

The method of transporting a piece of fabric material using a Morton™ picker comprises the steps of aligning a weight vector of the piece of fabric material being lifted, from the gap between the toothed wheel and the pressing foot of the picker and into a region between a tangent to the toothed wheel and a right angle to the pressing surface of the pressing foot; and lifting and transporting the piece of fabric material while maintaining the alignment of the weight vector in that region. In another aspect, there is provided robotic installation comprising a robotic arm and a Morton™ picker for manipulating pieces of fabric material. The robotic arm is configured for simultaneously rotating an axis of the picker and moving the picker along a hyperbolic trajectory, in a single complex motion without jitter, while maintaining the aforesaid alignment of the weight vector.

The disclosure provides a strap pulling device, the strap pulling device comprises a cutter mechanism, a first strap pulling mechanism and a second strap pulling mechanism. The first strap pulling mechanism and the second strap pulling mechanism are configured to alternately clamp a strap at a pulling position located upstream of a cutting position and pull the strap to a transfer position located downstream the cutting position. When the first strap pulling mechanism pulls the clamped strap to the transfer position, the second strap pulling mechanism clamps the strap at the pulling position, the cutter mechanism cuts the strap at the cutting position to acquire a strap segment. When the second strap pulling mechanism pulls the clamped strap to the transfer position, the first strap pulling mechanism clamps the strap at the pulling position, the cutter mechanism cuts the strap at the cutting position to acquire a strap segment.

A sheet material conveyance device includes a plurality of first holding heads each having a curved first holding surface, a first drum holding the plurality of first holding heads, a plurality of second holding heads each having a planar second holding surface, a second drum holding the plurality of second holding heads, a tilt adjustment mechanism structured to adjust a tilt of each second holding surface, and a speed adjustment mechanism structured to adjust a relative movement speed of the first holding head and the second holding head. The first holding head and the second holding head move to a delivery position, and deliver the sheet material between the first holding surface and the second holding surface in a situation in which adjustment is performed by the tilt adjustment mechanism and the speed adjustment mechanism.

A medium transporting device and a liquid jetting device, which can suppress the lifting of both ends of a medium in a width direction of a medium and can suppress the occurrence of wrinkling of the medium, are provided. The medium transporting device includes a gripping unit that grips a leading end region of a medium, a medium supporting unit that has a first adsorption supporting unit which adsorbs and supports a trailing end region of the medium and a second adsorption supporting unit which adsorbs a non-end region of the medium and generates an adsorption pressure less than an adsorption pressure generated by the first adsorption supporting unit, a medium position moving unit that moves a position in a medium width direction in the medium width direction, and a medium transporting unit that transports the medium. Regarding the width direction, the first adsorption supporting unit has a length, which is obtained by adding a length twice a moving distance of the medium to a medium length, and a distance from a center position in the width direction to one end in the width direction is the same as a distance from the center position in the width direction to the other end in the width direction.

The method of transporting a piece of fabric material using a Morton™ picker comprises the steps of aligning a weight vector of the piece of fabric material being lifted, from the gap between the toothed wheel and the pressing foot of the picker and into a region between a tangent to the toothed wheel and a right angle to the pressing surface of the pressing foot; and lifting and transporting the piece of fabric material while maintaining the alignment of the weight vector in that region. In another aspect, there is provided robotic installation comprising a robotic arm and a Morton™ picker for manipulating pieces of fabric material. The robotic arm is configured for simultaneously rotating an axis of the picker and moving the picker along a hyperbolic trajectory, in a single complex motion without jitter, while maintaining the aforesaid alignment of the weight vector.

A sheet material conveyance device includes a plurality of first holding heads each having a curved first holding surface, a first drum holding the plurality of first holding heads, a plurality of second holding heads each having a planar second holding surface, a second drum holding the plurality of second holding heads, a tilt adjustment mechanism structured to adjust a tilt of each second holding surface, and a speed adjustment mechanism structured to adjust a relative movement speed of the first holding head and the second holding head. The first holding head and the second holding head move to a delivery position, and deliver the sheet material between the first holding surface and the second holding surface in a situation in which adjustment is performed by the tilt adjustment mechanism and the speed adjustment mechanism.

A main object of the invention is to provide a sheet material separation-aiding apparatus that ensures that there can be a gap produced stably between a specific sheet material from a stack of sheet materials and a sheet material just below it, and that achieves size reductions, reduced energy consumptions and a decreased parts count. As shown in FIG. 4, the sheet material separation-aiding apparatus 1 comprises a rotating means 2 including an abutment portion 21 that is capable of coming in abutment on an end of the uppermost sheet material 101, a supporting means 3 that supports the rotating means 2 in a rotatable manner and is capable of moving in a vertical direction, a biasing means 4 that biases the supporting means 3 in a downward direction, and a lifting means 5 that lifts up an end 23 of the rotating means 2 in opposition to the abutment portion 21. As the end 23 is lifted up, it causes the rotating means 2 to rotate with the abutment portion 21 coming in abutment on the end of the sheet material 101, and as the end 23 is further lifted up, it causes the supporting means 3 and rotating means 2 to keep on going up while the rotating means 2 is kept from rotation by a counterforce that the abutment portion 21 receives from the sheet material 101.

A medium transporting device and a liquid jetting device, which can suppress the lifting of both ends of a medium in a width direction of a medium and can suppress the occurrence of wrinkling of the medium, are provided. The medium transporting device includes a gripping unit that grips a leading end region of a medium, a medium supporting unit that has a first adsorption supporting unit which adsorbs and supports a trailing end region of the medium and a second adsorption supporting unit which adsorbs a non-end region of the medium and generates an adsorption pressure less than an adsorption pressure generated by the first adsorption supporting unit, a medium position moving unit that moves a position in a medium width direction in the medium width direction, and a medium transporting unit that transports the medium. Regarding the width direction, the first adsorption supporting unit has a length, which is obtained by adding a length twice a moving distance of the medium to a medium length, and a distance from a center position in the width direction to one end in the width direction is the same as a distance from the center position in the width direction to the other end in the width direction.

The disclosure provides a strap pulling device, the strap pulling device comprises a cutter mechanism, a first strap pulling mechanism and a second strap pulling mechanism. The first strap pulling mechanism and the second strap pulling mechanism are configured to alternately clamp a strap at a pulling position located upstream of a cutting position and pull the strap to a transfer position located downstream the cutting position. When the first strap pulling mechanism pulls the clamped strap to the transfer position, the second strap pulling mechanism clamps the strap at the pulling position, the cutter mechanism cuts the strap at the cutting position to acquire a strap segment. When the second strap pulling mechanism pulls the clamped strap to the transfer position, the first strap pulling mechanism clamps the strap at the pulling position, the cutter mechanism cuts the strap at the cutting position to acquire a strap segment.