Elastic steel band for sun cap or hat and method and apparatus for manufacturing the same

Abstract

Disclosed herein are an elastic steel band, which is wound over one revolution (angle of over 360°) when a sun cap or a hat is not worn, whereby keeping and portability characteristics of the sun cap or hat are improved, and method and apparatus for manufacturing the same. According to the present invention, the method of manufacturing the elastic steel band includes a material preparation step, a press work step of forming a unit work pieces, a rolling step of rolling the unit work piece 1.5 revolution to less than 3 revolutions, and an unfolding step of bending both ends of the rolled half-finished work piece in an opposite direction to the rolling direction, thus forming unfolded units at both ends of the elastic steel band.

1 . A method of manufacturing an elastic steel band  10  for a sun cap or a hat, comprising: 
 a pre-work step of preparing an elastic steel band material composed of elastic steel (S 100 );    a press work step (S 200 ) of cutting the material (S 202 ) into a size and shape corresponding to a flexible sun cap visor unit  22  to be assembled finally;    a step of rolling the press-worked unit work piece  10 ′ over 1.5 revolutions (540°) to less than 3 revolutions (1080°) (S 300 ); and    a step of winding both ends of the rolled half-finished work piece  10 ″ in a direction opposite to the rolling direction to form unfolded units  14  (S 300 ).    
   
   
       2 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the pre-work step (S 100 ) comprises the step (S 104 ) of performing a rounding process on edges of the material to form consecutive elastic steel strips from which projections or tips are removed.  
   
   
       3 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the press work step (S 200 ) comprises the step (S 206 ) of cutting both ends of the unit work piece  10 ′ in a round shape.  
   
   
       4 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the press work step (S 200 ) comprises the step (S 204 ) of punching slots  16  into which a coupler  24  of the sun cap visor unit  22  is inserted.  
   
   
       5 . The method as claimed in any one of  claims 1  to  4 , wherein the elastic steel is STS#201-EH stainless steel.  
   
   
       6 . The method as claimed in any one of  claims 1  to  4 , wherein the rolling step (S 300 ) includes rolling the unit work piece  10 ′ about 2 revolutions (720°).  
   
   
       7 . An apparatus for rolling a steel band for a sun cap or a hat, comprising: 
 a driving unit  30 , power transmission units  32 ,  56 ,  44 ,  46  and  48 , first and second rollers  38 ,  36 , a rolling shaft  34 , a supply unit  42  and a discharge unit,    wherein the driving unit  30  generates power and transfers the generated power to the power transmission units  32 ,  56 ,  44 ,  46  and  48 ,    the power transmission units  32 ,  56 ,  44 ,  46  and  48  transmit the power from the driving unit  30  to the first and second rollers  38 ,  36 , thus revolving the first and second rollers  38 ,  36  in the same direction, i.e., a direction where a unit work piece  10 ′ is feed,    the first and second rollers  38 ,  36  include elastic drums  38 ′,  36 ′, respectively, wherein the elastic drums  38 ′,  36 ′ are mounted on the shaft with them coming in contact with each other,    the rolling shaft  34  is mounted with it coming in contact with the elastic drums  38 ′,  36 ′ of the first and second rollers  38 ,  36  over a portion where the first and second rollers  38 ,  36  are brought in contact with each other,    the supply unit  42  introduces the unit work piece  10 ′ for the elastic steel band  10  with a distance between the elastic drum  38 ′ of the first roller  38  and the rolling shaft  34 ,    the unit work piece  10 ′ is feed between the elastic drum  36 ′ of the second roller  36  and the rolling shaft  34  by means of a friction force of the elastic drum  38 ′ of the first roller  38 ,    during the feed, an elastic interaction force of the elastic drums  38 ′,  36 ′ of the first and second rollers  38 ,  36  presses the unit work piece  10 ′ against the rolling shaft  34 , whereby the unit work piece  10 ′ is rolled over 1.5 revolutions (540°) to less than 3 revolutions (1080°), and    a half-finished work piece  10 ″ for the rolled elastic steel band is discharged through a discharge unit.    
   
   
       8 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 7 , further comprising interaction force control mechanisms  50 ,  40  for controlling a contact force between the rolling shaft  34  and the elastic drums  38 ′,  36 ′ of the first and second rollers  38 ,  36 , wherein the rolling angle of the rolled half-finished work piece  10 ″ is changed by controlling the contact force between the rolling shaft  34  and the elastic drums  38 ′,  36 ′ of the first and second rollers  38 ,  36  and an interaction force accordingly.  
   
   
       9 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 7  or  8 , wherein the elastic drums  38 ′,  36 ′ are formed using urethane.  
   
   
       10 . An elastic steel band, comprising: 
 a winding unit  18  of over 1 revolution (360°) formed at the center of the elastic steel band, and    unfolded units  14  formed at both ends of the elastic steel band,    wherein the elastic steel band is coupled to a flexible visor unit for a sun cap or a hat, and is formed using an elastic steel material having elasticity enough to wind the flexible visor unit over 1 revolution (360°) when the sun cap or the hat is not worn.    
   
   
       11 . The elastic steel band as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the elastic steel material is STS#301-EH stainless steel.  
   
   
       12 . The elastic steel band as claimed in  claim 10  or  11 , further comprising slots  16  into which a flexible sun cap visor unit  22  is inserted.