EP0286547B1 - Apparatus for feeding laundry articles to a laundry treatment machine - Google Patents

Abstract

Installation intended for engaging laundry articles into a laundry machine, for example a blanket press. In additional to the conventional loading stations carried by a stationary beam arranged vertically in line with the entrance of the axial conveyor, there is an axially displaceable movable beam (33) which can alternately take up two other stations (18,19) which are normally stored on parking tracks (16,17) placed in front of the machine and largely upstream of the conveyor. In an intermediate position (330), the blanket is set aside, waiting for the entrance of the conveyor to be free. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to an installation for supplying pieces of linen for a laundry machine, for example for supplying sheets for an ironing machine. An installation according to the procedure of claim 1 is described in US-A-4 106 227.

• un bâti allongé et transversal par rapport à l'axe longitudinal d'entrée de la machine de blanchisserie,
• un convoyeur axial, porté par ce bâti et comportant un tapis sans fin sur lequel prend appui, à l'entrée du convoyeur, une rangée de roulettes indépendantes et relevables,
• une poutre transversale fixe, portée par ce bâti et située à l'entrée du convoyeur, au-dessus des roulettes; cette poutre transversale porte deux postes latéraux de chargement des draps (ou autres pièces de linge analogues) qui sont composés chacun de deux demi-chariots équipés chacun d'une pince de préhension respectivement d'un de deux coins adjacents du drap; ces demi-chariots sont aptes à rouler sur cette poutre, et chaque couple de demi-chariots est associé à un dispositif d'écartement, de centrage et de tension du drap entre ces deux coins,
• un dispositif de commande d'abaissement des roulettes contre le drap, lorsque celui-ci est correctement tendu et positionné par les demi-chariots et le dispositif associé, ce même dispositif commandant, lorsque les roulettes sont abaissées, l'ouverture des deux pinces qui maintenaient ces deux coins du drap, le drap étant alors happé par le convoyeur.

Installations of this kind are nowadays widespread and are generally called "engaging" of linen. These known engagingers generally include:

• an elongated frame transverse to the longitudinal axis of entry of the laundry machine,
• an axial conveyor, carried by this frame and comprising an endless belt on which is supported, at the entry of the conveyor, a row of independent and liftable casters,
• a fixed transverse beam, carried by this frame and located at the entrance of the conveyor, above the rollers; this transverse beam carries two lateral sheets loading stations (or other similar pieces of linen) which are each composed of two half-carriages each equipped with a gripper respectively of one of two adjacent corners of the sheet; these half-carriages are able to roll on this beam, and each pair of half-carriages is associated with a device for spreading, centering and tensioning the sheet between these two corners,
• a device for controlling the lowering of the rollers against the sheet, when the latter is correctly stretched and positioned by the half-carriages and the associated device, this same device controlling, when the rollers are lowered, the opening of the two clamps which held these two corners of the sheet, the sheet then being caught by the conveyor.

In these known devices, in the rest position, a couple of half-carriages is located on one side of the frame, while the other couple is located on the opposite side. A worker then engages the two adjacent corners of a sheet respectively between each of the clamps carried by each half-carriage. The two half-carriages of the same couple are then moved laterally and separated so that the sheet hangs in the pit located on the front of the frame and is centered transversely to the axis of the machine. Of course, the rollers are, for this operation, raised to allow passage to the clamps.

When the sheet is well stretched and positioned, a suction is generally applied to smooth the sheets and the rollers are lowered, while the clamps open. The sheet is then taken care of by the endless conveyor. When it is evacuated, the rollers are raised and the two half-carriages are brought back to the side. In the meantime, another sheet has been introduced between the clamps of the pair of half-carriages which is on the other side of the frame, so that the cycle begins again with this new sheet.

These known devices, apart from the fact that they only have two loading stations, have the drawback of having a fairly long operating cycle, since it is always necessary to wait for a sheet to be removed before stretching and positioning the next sheet.

• un bâti transversal par rapport à l'axe d'entrée de la machine de blanchisserie,
• un convoyeur axial, porté par ce bâti, apte à prendre et évacuer la pièce de linge présentée tendue et pendante devant lui,
• une poutre transversale fixe placée à l'aplomb de l'extrémité avant du convoyeur, cette poutre portant au moins un couple de demi-chariots équipés chacun d'une pince de préhension d'un coin de la pièce de linge,
• des moyens pour déplacer transversalement ces demi-chariots le long de cette poutre de façon à centrer et tendre la pièce de linge devant l'entrée du convoyeur,
• des moyens pour simultanément engager la pièce de linge sur le convoyeur et ouvrir les pinces, et
• des moyens pour ramener les deux demi-chariots à leur position de départ.

The invention aims to overcome this drawback by accelerating the operating rate of the feeder. It therefore relates to an installation for supplying pieces of linen, for example sheets, for a laundry machine, this installation comprising:

• a frame transverse to the entry axis of the laundry machine,
• an axial conveyor, carried by this frame, capable of picking up and discharging the piece of laundry presented stretched and hanging in front of it,
• a fixed transverse beam placed vertically above the front end of the conveyor, this beam carrying at least a couple of half-carriages each equipped with a gripper for gripping a corner of the laundry item,
• means for transversely moving these half-carriages along this beam so as to center and tension the piece of laundry in front of the entrance to the conveyor,
• means for simultaneously engaging the piece of linen on the conveyor and opening the clamps, and
• means for returning the two half-carriages to their starting position.

• une première position axiale, située nettement en amont du convoyeur; dans cette position, elle reçoît au moins un couple de demi-chariots équipés chacun eux aussi d'une pince de préhension, ce couple constituant un poste de chargement;
• une seconde position axiale, plus rapprochée du convoyeur que la position précédente mais toutefois encore distante de celui-ci; dans cette position, les deux demi-chariots sont écartés pour tendre et positionner la pièce de linge;
• une troisième position axiale où la poutre mobile et ces pinces sont à l'aplomb de l'extrémité amont du convoyeur, de façon à permettre l'engagement de la pièce de linge sur celui-ci.

The installation also includes another transverse beam, movable in the longitudinal direction, which is able to occupy three axial positions:

• a first axial position, located clearly upstream of the conveyor; in this position, it receives at least a couple of half-carriages each also equipped with a gripper, this couple constituting a loading station;
• a second axial position, closer to the conveyor than the previous position but still distant from it; in this position, the two half-carriages are separated to tension and position the piece of laundry;
• a third axial position where the movable beam and these clamps are plumb with the upstream end of the conveyor, so as to allow the engagement of the piece of laundry thereon.

Furthermore, this movable beam is capable of receiving in the middle one or the other of two pairs of half-carriages which are each in the loading position, stored respectively on one of two garage tracks which are located respectively on either side of the axis of the machine and which are connected when the mobile beam is in its first axial position, on a median track fixed on this beam and able to receive one of these two pairs of half-carriages.

• Figure 1 est une vue générale en perspective de cette installation;
• Figure 2 montre le fonctionnement connu en soi de toutes les pinces de préhension qui équipent cette installation;
• Figure 3 montre, en coupe selon III-III de la figure 1, ce dispositif dans une de ses phases de fonctionnement;
• Figure 4 est une vue selon IV-IV de la figure 3, qui montre un couple de demi-chariots en attente sur une voie de garage, le couple symétriquement associé étant au centre de la poutre mobile;
• Figure 5 est une vue de dessus de l'installation selon V-V de la figure 3, avec la poutre mobile en position intermédiaire, le drap n'étant pas encore tendu;
• Figure 6 est une vue similaire à celle de la figure 5, la poutre mobile étant en sa position la plus reculée.

In any case, the invention will be well understood, and its advantages and other characteristics will emerge during the following description of a nonlimiting exemplary embodiment, with reference to the appended schematic drawings in which:

• Figure 1 is a general perspective view of this installation;
• Figure 2 shows the operation known in itself of all the grippers which equip this installation;
• Figure 3 shows, in section along III-III of Figure 1, this device in one of its operating phases;
• Figure 4 is a view along IV-IV of Figure 3, which shows a couple of half-carriages waiting on a siding, the symmetrically associated couple being in the center of the movable beam;
• Figure 5 is a top view of the installation according to VV of Figure 3, with the movable beam in the intermediate position, the sheet is not yet stretched;
• Figure 6 is a view similar to that of Figure 5, the movable beam being in its most remote position.

Referring first to Figures 1 and 5, this "feeder" for laundry items, such as sheets, has a frame 1, elongated and transverse to the longitudinal axis 2 of the machine entry laundry, not shown, i.e. to axis 2 of the installation. This laundry machine is for example an ironer.

As with most known feeders, this frame 1 supports an axial conveyor which consists of an endless belt 3 on which rests a row of independent and liftable casters 4. Plumb with the upstream end of the endless belt 3, and below it, there is a transverse bar 5 against which the sheets come to bear when they hang in front of the conveyor 3. The bar 5 overhangs a pit (not shown) which can possibly be covered to carry out the manual engagement of small pieces of laundry. Plumb with the upstream end of the conveyor 3, but above it, is fixed a fixed transverse beam 6, wider than this conveyor, which serves as a raceway for two pairs 7.8 of a half -cars, such as 9 and 10. Each half-carriage 9, 10 carries a gripper 11, 12, known per se and the operation of which will be recalled below with reference to FIG. 2.

Two upper flanges 13, 14 of the frame 1 carry the raceways of a transverse beam 33, movable in the axial direction, which carries two carriages 42, 43, each carrying a half-rail 15a, 15b which, in position middle define a projection forming a rail portion 15 which, in the most upstream position of this beam (Figure 1), comes into alignment with two other lateral rail portions 16, 17 to then form a continuous transverse rail 15 to 17 located axially clearly upstream of the conveyor 3.

Each of the side portions 16, 17 carries a pair of half-carriages 18, 19, with gripping pliers similar to the pliers 11, 12 of the other pairs 7, 8, but carried by longer arms 20, all the pliers being obviously in the same horizontal plane to allow the engagement of the sheets on the conveyor 3.

Each pair of half-carts forms a sheet loading station. The pairs 7 and 8 are lateral loading stations located on either side of the conveyor 3 and in alignment with the upstream part thereof. The pairs 18 and 19 are front loading stations, placed on either side of the axis 2 of the machine, but clearly upstream of the conveyor 3. According to the invention, as will be seen in more detail below. afterwards, the pairs 18, 19, once loaded, are in turn transferred laterally to the middle rail portion 15, and from there they are transferred to the inlet of the conveyor 3, after a halt in an intermediate position where their half -cars are symmetrically separated from each other to stretch the sheet.

A lifting transverse bar 21, known per se, is attached to the rollers 4, and is raised and lowered with them to open the clamps in its low position, as will now be recalled with reference to FIG. 2.

In this figure 2, the clamp 11 is shown very roughly seen, as in Figure 1, looking at the front of the machine. In the open position, the articulated arm 22 of this clamp is engaged in a tilting pawl 23, this gripping position being indicated by dashed lines. The lateral engagement of a corner 24 of the sheet 25 pushes this pawl to the left, which releases the rocking arm 22. This arm 22 then comes to press on the corner 24 and the clamp is closed. When, with the rollers 4, the transverse bar 21 is lowered as indicated by the arrow, this bar presses on the upper boss 26 of the arm 22, which causes it to tilt and snap into 23: the clamp is then again locked in open position.

This very conventional part of the apparatus, relating to the fixed beam 6, to the two front loading stations 7 and 8 and to the device 21 for releasing the clamps after taking care of the sheet between the rollers 4 and the endless belt 3, is also fairly well visible in the lower right half of Figure 3.

A half-carriage 70 of the couple 7 rolls on rails 27 fixed inside the beam 6 and carries the clamp 120 identical to the clamp 12 of the half-carriage 10. The bar 21 is secured, by means of spacers 28 , another bar 29 which is parallel to it. The bar 29 moves vertically between two positions, high and low, under the action of two vertical cylinders 30, one of which at each end of the bar 29: this bar 29 is carried by the rods of the two cylinders 30 and moves between they. The rollers 4 are independent and they are each carried by the end of an arm 31, the other end of which is articulated around an axis 32, parallel to the bars 21 and 29 (there is therefore an arm 31 for each roller 4). When the bar 29 is in its high position, all the arms 31, and therefore all the rollers 4, are raised by this bar. On the other hand, when the bar 29 is lowered, the rollers 4 fall under the effect of their own weight, unless they are prevented from doing so by the fact that they press on a clamp such as the clamp 120.

Of course, stations 7 and 8 are associated with known devices for spacing and centering their half-carriages, which do not have have been represented here so as not to overload the drawing.

The operation associated with the two additional loading stations 18 and 19 will now be described in detail with reference to all of FIGS. 3 to 6 which also show the different operational phases of the torque 19, while the station 18 is waiting in its garage position on the rail portion 16.

It is assumed, at the outset, that the mobile beam referenced 33, which defines, with its carriages 42 and 43, in the middle position, the small middle rail 15, is in its most upstream position in FIG. 1, as shown in lines mixed in Figures 4 and 5. In this starting position, the rail section 15 is aligned with the two lateral sections 16 and 17, so as to form a continuous transverse rail. Each of the two additional stations 18 and 19 is then parked on the side, the first on the section 16 and the second on the section 17. The two half-carriages 181 and 182 of the station 18 for example are kept attached by means of a attachment fork 34, the two horizontal teeth of which each grip one of the half-carriages 181 and 182. With respect to the axis 2 of the machine, the two forks 34 are placed upstream of the pairs 18 and 19. Each fork 34 is carried by a cylindrical slide 35 which is itself fixed at the end of the rod of a transverse jack 36 fixed on the section of beam, such as 37, which supports the corresponding section of rail, such as 16. The two slides 35 are guided in lateral translation in a common transverse tube 38 which is split on a generator to allow passage to the support of each of the two forks 34.

Of course, the station 19 is assumed to be loaded with a sheet, which a worker has introduced through two adjacent corners between each of the two clamps which equip the station. The other two stations 7 and 8, for their part, are assumed to be in the course of normal tensioning operation and engagement of sheets in the machine.

The process is started by actuating one of the two jacks 36, in this case the right jack in the drawings: the exit of the rod of this jack causes the loaded torque 19 to move towards its axial position , as indicated by the transverse arrow in FIG. 5: this pair 19 of half-carriages is then centered on the rail section 15, its half-carriages 191 and 192 being always held contiguous by the fork 34 which equips the slide 35 of right.

The beam 33, which is axially movable on two pathways lateral bearing 39 under the action of the two substantially axial cylinders 40 and 41, itself carries the other two carriages 42 and 43 which are able to move transversely on this beam, in a conjugate manner by approaching or deviating from it one from the other, symmetrically with respect to the axis of the machine: for this, the carriage 42 is fixed to the end of the rod of a transverse jack 44, itself fixed to the beam 33, while the carriage 43 is connected to the carriage 42 by an endless chain 45 which passes around two lateral pulleys 46, 47 returning at 150 degrees, the carriage 42 being attached at 48 to a first strand of the chain 45, while the carriage 43 is attached at 49 to the other strand of this chain.

Each of the carriages 42 and 43 carries a longitudinal cylinder 50.51 which actuates a rocking latch 52 capable of trapping between its two legs one of the half-carriages respectively 192 and 191: in FIG. 3 are drawn in solid lines the "locked" position of the lock 52 and the "unlocked" position of this lock.

The pair of half-carriages 19 therefore being at 39, in the middle of the rail section 15, the rod of the jacks 50, 51 is released, which locks the two latches 52 on the two half-carriages 191 and 192, then brings in the rod of the jack 40. The mobile beam 33 then moves towards the intermediate position 330, drawn in solid lines in FIGS. 3 and 5, the half-carriages 191 and 192 having, in this forward movement, disengaged from the teeth of the fork 34. The position 330 is for example located halfway between the most upstream position 331 and the most downstream position 332 which is directly above the upstream end of the conveyor 3.

The rod of the transverse jack 44 is then brought out, which causes the spacing, symmetrical with respect to the axis of the machine, of the two carriages 42 and 43: the sheet is then stretched and centered (position drawn in phantom on the figure 6).

This sheet is then awaiting release from the inlet of the conveyor 3, which is detected, for example, by a conventional device with a photocell, not shown in the drawing.

As soon as the entry of the conveyor is free, the rod of the jack 41 is brought in, which causes the displacement of the movable beam 33 towards its downstream position 332, drawn in solid lines in FIG. 6. In this position, drawn in dashed lines in FIG. 3, the clamps of each half-carriage 191 and 192 are placed under the rollers previously raised, so that they can then be released by lowering the bar 21 and so these rollers 4. The sheet is then normally taken care of by the conveyor 3, while the usual suction ensures its de-binding.

The movable beam 33 is then brought back to its upstream position 331 by the action of the jacks 41 then 40, while the two half-carriages 191 and 192 are, during this transfer, brought back to their middle position by retraction of the rod of the jack 44. The two latches 52 are then released and the right jack 36 is activated to pull the couple 19 on its lateral garage track 17, while the couple 18, meanwhile loaded with another sheet, is in turn displaced, by the cylinder 36 on the left, towards the center of the rail 16, 15, 17, and the cycle begins again with the couple 18 while the worker loads the couple 19 with a new sheet, without prejudice to the normal operation of the two base stations 7 and 8.

The invention is obviously not limited to the embodiment which has just been described. In particular, other locking, translation and spacing devices could be used outside its scope. It is also possible to provide a fifth station, consisting of a fifth pair of half-carriages, normally parked in the axis of the machine, but upstream of the first axial position 331. This central station would be able to advance axially towards the machine for gripping, for example by magnetic locks, on the two rail portions 15a, 15b when the movable beam 3 is in its first axial position 331, or even in its second axial position 330.

Claims (4)

1. Apparatus for supplying items of washing, such as sheets, for a laundry machine, consisting of:

- a frame (1) which is transverse in relation to the axis of the apparatus,

- an axial conveyor (3), held by this frame, able to take and remove the item of washing as it is held out hanging in front of it.

- a fixed transverse beam (6) situated at the base of the upper end of the conveyor (3) and holding at least one pair (8) of half-carriages (9, 10) each equiped with a tong (11, 12) to grip a corner of the item of washing.

- the means of moving transversally these half-carriages along this beam, so as to centre and hold out the item of washing in front of the entrance of the conveyor (3),

- the means (4, 21) to simultaneously place the item of washing upon the conveyor and open these tongs, and

- the means to restore the two half-carriages (9, 10) to their starting position, characterised by the fact that it also has another transverse beam (33), which can be moved in a longitudinal direction and which is able to occupy three axial positions:

- a first axial position (331) located above the conveyor (3) and in which it receives at its centre (15) one or the other of two other pairs (18, 19) of half-carriages each of which are, when positioned so as to receive an item of washing, positioned respectively on one or the other ((16, 17) respectively) of two storage tracks, located respectively on either side of the axis (2) of the machine and then connecting on a centre track (15) attached to this moving beam (33) and able to receive one or the other of these pairs (18, 19) of half-carriages.

- a second axial position (330), closer to the convoyor (3) than the previous position (331) but nevertheless still away from it, in which the half-carriages (191, 192) are separated so as to hold out and position the item of washing.

- a third axial position (332), in which this moving beam (33) and the tongs of each of these half-carriages (191, 192) are at the base of the upper end of the conveyor (3), so as to allow the item of washing to be positioned on it.

2. Apparatus as in Claim 1, characterised by the fact that each additional pair (18, 19) of half-carriages is moved transversally on the storage track by means of a transfer mechanism (36) holding a connecting device (34) for the two half-carriages.

3. Apparatus as in Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterised by the fact that the moving beam (33) holds two carriages (42, 43) which are able to move transversally along this beam in a symmetrical fashion in relation to the machine's axis (2), and which each hold a device (50, 52) for locking each of the half-carriages (191, 192) to one of the pairs (19) of additional half-carriages.

4. Apparatus as in one of Claim 1 to 3, characterised by the fact that it also has a fifth pair of half-carriages normally stored above the first axial position (331) and in the machine's axis, this fifth pair being able to move along the axis towards the machine in order to grip the centre (15) of the moving beam (33), when this moving beam is in its first (331) or its second (330) axial position.

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