EP3680384B1 - Method for determining the shorter and/or longer edge of pieces of laundry and for feeding pieces of laundry into a laundry treatment device - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a method for determining the shorter and / or longer edge of rectangular items of laundry with edges of unequal length and a method for feeding items of laundry to a laundry treatment device.

Items of laundry, in particular items of flat laundry such as tablecloths, bed sheets, duvet covers, pillow cases or the like, are fed to laundry treatment machines with a front edge running transversely to the feed direction. The laundry treatment machines can be input machines for feeding spread out items of laundry to mangles, folding machines, inspection devices, sorting devices or the like.

Rectangular items of laundry with edges of unequal length are deliberately fed to the respective laundry treatment device with such a front edge that is a longer or shorter edge. For example, one would like to specifically feed rectangular items of laundry with a transversely directed longer or shorter edge as the front edge of a mangle, so that the working width of the mangle is used as best as possible with both single-lane and multi-lane mangle occupancy. In the case of folding machines, it is necessary to feed the laundry items with a longer or shorter transversely directed front edge in order to be able to fold the laundry items according to the intended folding scheme.

From the DE 10 2014 017 477 A1 It is known, when feeding items of laundry to a mangle, for example, to use imaging devices to determine adjacent corners of an edge of the respective item of laundry in order to then be able to specifically grasp the corners of this edge by means of clamps.

the EP 3 147 405 A1 deals with the spreading of laundry items to be fed to a mangle. For this purpose, adjacent corners of a front transverse edge of the item of laundry, held by spreading clips of a spreading device, are detected by an imaging device. The spreading of the spreading clamps to stretch the front transverse edge of the respective item of laundry is stopped when the imaging device detects that "ears" develop at least in a corner area of the respective item of laundry located in a spreading clamp.

the EP 3 290 578 A1 deals with the sorting of laundry items on the basis of data carriers assigned to the laundry items. If such a data carrier is missing from an item of laundry or if it cannot be read out, such an item of laundry is recognized by an imaging device.

Imaging devices of the aforementioned documents are not suitable for determining which edge is a shorter or longer edge of a rectangular item of laundry having edges of different lengths. For this reason, the procedure so far has been that when hanging adjacent corners of the front edge of items of laundry in loading or spreading clamps of input machines, the desired longer or shorter edge is searched manually and the respective item of laundry with the associated, adjacent clamps, i.e. longer edge or shorter edge running transversely to the feed direction , in the brackets. This does not allow a fully automatic entry.

Based on the above, the invention is based on the object of creating an automatic method for determining the longer and / or the shorter edge of rectangular items of laundry with edges of unequal length and / or a method for automatically feeding such items of laundry to a laundry treatment device.

A method for solving the stated object has the measures of claim 1. Accordingly, it is provided to determine different directions or lengths of the edge areas starting from a freely hanging corner of the item of laundry and to deduce from this which edge area belongs to the longer and / or shorter edge of the item of laundry. These measures can be carried out automatically, so that the shorter and / or longer edges of items of laundry can be determined automatically with the method. In the case of the item of laundry hanging down from a first corner, the method provides for the angles or the lengths of the edge regions starting from a lower free second corner to be the longer and / or the longer to divert the shorter edge of the item of laundry. The second corner is preferably a corner diagonally opposite the first corner. In the case of the second lower corner hanging down free from an upper first corner held by a clamp, for example, edge areas are formed particularly reliably, the angle or length of which allows reliable conclusions to be drawn about the longer or shorter edge of the item of laundry.

It is particularly advantageous to use, as edge regions, those regions of the edges of the item of laundry starting from the second (lower) corner for determining the longer and / or shorter edge of the item of laundry which run in a straight line or at least ideally run in a straight line. The lengths and / or angles of such edge regions can be determined precisely, in particular automatically.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the method, it is provided to derive the longer and / or shorter edge of the item of laundry from a comparison of the angles or lengths of the two edge regions starting from the second corner. This is based on the knowledge that, in the case of rectangular items of laundry, the angle and / or the length of the edge areas starting from the lower second corner are different and, based on these differences, reliable conclusions can be drawn about the lengths of those edges of the item of laundry to which the respective edge area belongs . In this way, long and short edges of rectangular items of laundry can be reliably distinguished and it can also be determined where the longer or shorter edge of the item of laundry, in particular the item of laundry hanging down from a held first corner, is located and / or to which edge area it is to be assigned.

A preferred further development of the method provides to use angles for deriving the shorter and / or longer edge of the item of laundry that lie between the respective edge area and an imaginary horizontal and vertical reference line through a corner point of the second corner of the item of laundry. In this way, at least one, the longer and / or shorter edge of the respective item of laundry can be determined simply and reliably by two angle measurements and a comparison of the measured angles.

The angles of the edge areas starting from the second corner are preferably determined based on an imaginary horizontal reference line through a corner point of the second corner and the longer and / or shorter edge of the item of laundry is derived from this, in that the longer edge is viewed as belonging to that edge area which runs at a larger angle to the imaginary horizontal reference line and / or the shorter edge belongs to the edge area that is at a smaller angle runs to the horizontal reference line. Such a derivation of the long and / or short edge of the item of laundry from the measured angles of the edge areas to the imaginary horizontal reference line can easily be carried out automatically and leads to reliable results, even with items of laundry whose long and short edges do not differ greatly from each other and where the edge areas are not entirely straight.

Another advantageous embodiment of the invention provides that the angle of the edge areas starting from the second corner is determined based on an imaginary vertical reference line through a corner point of the second corner and from this the smaller and / or shorter edge of the item of laundry is derived by the longer edge is assumed to belong to that edge region which runs at a smaller angle to the imaginary vertical reference line and / or the shorter edge belongs to the edge region which runs at a greater angle to the vertical reference line. These angle measurements can also be carried out with simple means, in particular automatically, and the particular longer edge or shorter edge that is sought can be derived from the measured angles with great reliability.

Another possible embodiment of the method provides for deriving from the longer of the edge areas starting from the second corner that this edge area belongs to the longer edge and the shorter edge belongs to the shorter of the edge areas of the item of laundry starting from the second corner. In this procedure, the length of the edge areas is measured and compared. This length measurement can be carried out easily and with great reliability, especially automatically, even if the edge areas do not run exactly in a straight line.

An advantageous embodiment of the method provides that at least that part of the item of laundry in which the second corner is located with at least parts of the two edge regions starting from this corner is recorded by at least one imaging device, preferably at least one camera. The preferably two-dimensional image obtained by the camera of the lower part of the item of laundry with the second corner and at least parts of the edge areas extending therefrom is formed by a preferably electronic image evaluation, in particular in such a way that the angle between the respective edge area and the horizontal or vertical reference line or the lengths of the edge regions are determined and / or compared. From this, the image evaluation can then automatically assign the long and / or short edge of the respective item of laundry to the respective edge area on the basis of the measured angles or lengths of the edge areas starting from the second corner.

Another method for solving the problem mentioned at the beginning has the measures of claim 10. Accordingly, in order to feed laundry items to a laundry treatment device, preferably an input machine, a mangle, a folding machine or the like, the longer and / or shorter edge of the respective laundry item automatically according to the method is determined according to one or more of claims 1 to 9.

In particular it is thus also automatically possible, due to the automatic determination of the long and / or short edge of the item of laundry, in particular subsequent thereto, to feed the respective item of laundry to a laundry treatment device. For this purpose, the respective item of laundry can be automatically fed in the intended orientation, either with a longer or shorter edge of the item of laundry running transversely to the feed direction as the leading front edge of the input machine and / or mangle, the folding machine or another laundry treatment device Increase the laundry item by a mangle or fold the respective laundry item according to a provided folding scheme depending on the transverse or longitudinal feed of the respective laundry item to the folding machine.

Fig. 1

eine schematische Seitenansicht einer Vorrichtung zur Ermittlung der längeren bzw. kürzeren Kante des Wäschestücks und Zuführen dieses Wäschestücks zu einer Eingabemaschine,

Fig. 2

eine schematische perspektivische Darstellung der Bilddatenerfassung des unteren Teils eines Wäschestücks,

Fig. 3

ein erstes Ausführungsbeispiel zur Vermessung eines unteren Teils des Wäschestücks,

Fig. 4

ein zweites Ausführungsbeispiel zur Vermessung des unteren Teils des Wäschestücks in einer Darstellung analog zur Fig. 3,

Fig. 5

ein drittes Ausführungsbeispiel zur Vermessung des unteren Teils des Wäschestücks in einer Darstellung analog zu den Fig. 3 und 4,

Fig. 6

das Ergreifen eines unteren Teils des Wäschestücks nach dem Vermessen, und

Fig. 7

eine perspektivische Ansicht des mit der längeren Kante über einen ersten Förderer einer Fördererkaskade aufgelegten Wäschestücks.

Preferred exemplary embodiments of the method according to the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing. In this show:

Fig. 1

a schematic side view of a device for determining the longer or shorter edge of the item of laundry and feeding this item of laundry to an input machine,

Fig. 2

a schematic perspective illustration of the image data acquisition of the lower part of an item of laundry,

Fig. 3

a first embodiment for measuring a lower part of the item of laundry,

Fig. 4

a second exemplary embodiment for measuring the lower part of the item of laundry in a representation analogous to FIG Fig. 3 ,

Fig. 5

a third exemplary embodiment for measuring the lower part of the item of laundry in a representation analogous to FIG Figs. 3 and 4 ,

Fig. 6

gripping a lower part of the item of laundry after measuring, and

Fig. 7

a perspective view of the item of laundry placed with the longer edge over a first conveyor of a conveyor cascade.

The one in the Fig. 1 The device shown is used for the automatic feeding and / or inputting of laundry items 10 into a so-called input machine 11. The input machine 11 has a spreading device with two expandable and expandable brackets that hold adjacent corners of a leading edge 12 of the laundry item 10 and this front edge 12 stretch out. In this case, the entire item of laundry 10 is spread out by the input machine 11 in order to then be fed from the input machine 11 to one of these downstream laundry treatment devices, preferably a mangle.

The front edge 12 of the item of laundry 10 is an edge running transversely to the feed direction 13 of the item of laundry 10 to the ironer or another laundry treatment device, which can be both a long edge 14 and a short edge 15 of the item of laundry - Depending on whether the item of laundry 10 in question is to be fed longitudinally or transversely to the feed direction 13 of the input machine 11 and from this to the subsequent laundry treatment device.

The invention is not restricted to the device shown in the figure. Rather, the invention is suitable for any other devices which are used to automatically feed items of laundry to a mangle or to another laundry treatment device, for example a folding machine, or to automatically sort items of laundry. The invention is preferably intended for automated feed processes in the laundry area.

The invention is basically suitable for laundry items 10 of all types, preferably so-called flat laundry items. These are mainly tablecloths, duvet covers, pillow cases, sheets or the like.

The invention is also concerned with automatically determining a long edge 14 and / or a short edge 15 of rectangular items of laundry 10. This determination of the long edge 14 and / or the short edge 15 is preferably carried out prior to the automatic feeding of the relevant item of laundry 10, which has long edges 14 and short edges 15, with a long edge 14 or short edge 15 extending specifically transversely to the feed direction 13 to the downstream laundry treatment device, in particular the automatic transfer of the item of laundry 10 to the input machine 11.

The device of the Fig. 1 has an automatic separator 16, seen in the feed direction 13, in front of the input machine 11, followed by an edge detection device 17 and a stripping device 18 following the edge detection device 17 as seen in the feed direction 13.

The separator 16 is used for the targeted automatic picking of preferably a single item of laundry 10 from a pile of laundry 19. This is done by means of at least one camera 20 or some other imaging device in the vicinity of the pile of laundry 19. An image evaluation device uses the at least one recording of the camera 20 to control one along one a gripper 21 of the separator 16 that can be moved up and down a rising section. The gripper 21 transfers the preferably individual laundry item 10 that it has gripped to a downstream supply device 22 of the separator 16.

The supply device 22 optionally performs a separation of several items of laundry 10 simultaneously gripped by the gripper 21 and holds the separated (single) item of laundry 10 ready at an upper first corner 23 of the edge detection device 17. In the figures, an item of laundry 10 hanging down from an upper, first corner 23 is shown symbolically. The first corner 23 is held by a holding means 24. This holding means 24 can be the supply device 22 or also a separate clamp assigned to it. The item of laundry 10 hangs from the holding means 24 and below it from the upper first corner 23, forming a free lower second corner 25. This second corner 25 can - as in the exemplary embodiment shown - lie diagonally opposite the first corner 23.

Edge regions 26, 27 of a long edge 14 and a short edge 15 of the laundry item 10 extend from the free lower second corner 25 of the item of laundry 10 hanging down under the first corner 23 held by the holding means 24. These edge areas 26 and 27 meet at a corner point 28 of the second corner 25 of the item 10 of laundry short edge 15, a straight course or at least an ideally and / or approximately straight course.

Next to a lower part of the item of laundry 10, preferably next to the free lower second corner 25, an imaging device, which is a camera 29 in the exemplary embodiment shown, is arranged in a stationary manner. The camera 29, which in the simplest case is a two-dimensional black / white camera, is designed to capture the area of a lower part of the item 10 of laundry ( Fig. 2 ). At least the camera 29 detects such a lower part, especially the lower surface, of the item of laundry 10, over which the edge regions 26, 27 of items of laundry 10 extending from the second corner 25, in particular its corner point 28, usually extend.

The two-dimensional image recorded by the camera 29, in particular its image data, of the lower partial surface of the item of laundry 10 is or are transmitted to an image evaluation device (not shown in the figures), which determines or derives information and / or measured values from the recorded image will be discussed in more detail below in connection with the description of the method according to the invention.

In the Fig. 2 a preferably horizontally extending stabilizing rod 41 is shown. The laundry item 10 can be brought into contact with the stabilizing bar 41 in a central area. This happens before the camera 29 records the lower surface area of the item of laundry 10. By bringing the middle area of the item of laundry 10 into contact with the stabilizing bar 41, an upper part of the item of laundry 10 is bent somewhat with respect to its lower part with the surface area to be recorded by the camera 29. As a result, that part of the item of laundry 10 that is located below the stabilizing bar 41 is stabilized and brought to a defined distance from the camera 29. All of this means that the camera 29 can generate an image of the lower partial surface of the item of laundry 10, which can be reliably evaluated with regard to the angles and / or lengths of the edge regions 26 and 27. This also contributes to obtaining exact readings. The central area of the item of laundry 10 can be brought into contact with the stabilizing bar 41 by moving the item of laundry 10 sideways to the stationary stabilizing bar 41, but also alternatively or additionally by moving the stabilizing bar 41, which is then not stationary, to the central area of the item of laundry 10.

The device also has two clamps 30 ( Fig. 6 and 7th ). The brackets 30, which are preferably the same, are at a defined distance from one another. This distance can be constant, but it can also be variable. The clamps 30 can be separate clamps, but also clamps 30 connected to form a double clamp. The clamps 30 are spatially movable together. For this purpose, they can either be moved along corresponding rails or linear drives or are arranged at the free end of an arm of a handling device, for example an industrial robot. The joint process of the two separated, parallel brackets 30, preferably on the basis of the data recorded by the camera 29, for example image data.

On the basis of the image data of the lower area or the lower partial surface of the item of laundry 10 recorded by the camera 29, the clamps 30 can be moved together to an edge area 26, 27 of the item of laundry 10 in such a way that a clamp 30 touches the relevant edge area 26 or 27 The lower second corner 25 or at least close to the corner 25 is detected and the second clamp 30 spaced apart therefrom detects the relevant edge region 26, 27 at a distance from the second corner 25. As a result, a large part of the relevant edge region 26, 27 starting from the second corner 25, ideally running in a straight line, can be clamped between the clamps 30.

If the item of laundry 10 is now lifted by the spaced-apart clamp 30 at an edge region 26, 27 held by the same and the first corner 23 is released from the holding means 24, the outer clamp that is held at the corner point 28 or near the corner point 28 forms the second corner 25 30 a long edge 14 or shorter edge 15 of the item 10 of laundry. For the following description it is assumed that the two spaced-apart clamps 30 hold the edge area 27, which belongs to the short edge 15 of the item 10 and consequently a vertically hanging down long edge 14, to which the edge area 26 belongs, under the clamps 30, in particular the outer bracket 30 forms. This long edge 14 or the opposite long edge of the laundry item 10 running parallel to it then becomes the front edge 12 or leading edge of the laundry item 10 running transversely to the feed direction 13 then with the leading edge 12, that is, the long edge parallel to the long edge 14.

The spaced-apart clips 30 may belong to the stripping device 18. This also has a conveyor cascade 31. The conveying direction of the conveyor cascade 31 corresponds to the feed direction 13. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the laundry item 10 is transported from the conveyor cascade 31 to the input machine 11 and automatically transferred to, for example, a loading conveyor 32 of the same. The conveyor cascade 31 consists of several successive pairs of belt conveyors 33 arranged one above the other. The items of laundry are between the belt conveyors 33 sandwiched one above the other, namely the strands thereof facing one another 10 can be transported in the feed direction 13 along the conveyor cascade 31 to the input machine 11. The initial pair of superposed belt conveyors 33 of the conveyor cascade 31 are designed differently. The lower belt conveyor 33 is longer than the upper belt conveyor 33. At the beginning of the conveyor cascade 31, an exposed depositing area 34 is created on the upper run of the longer lower belt conveyor 33 protruding towards the edge detection device 17 and released by the upper belt conveyor 33 of this pair of belt conveyors.

The individual pairs of belt conveyors 33 of the conveyor cascade 31 lying one above the other are driven with increasing rotational speed in the feed direction 13. This leads to a slipping out of the respective item of laundry in and / or against the feed direction 13. The speed differences of the individual pairs of superposed belt conveyors 33 and the number of pairs of superposed belt conveyors 33 is selected for the conveyor cascade 31 so that at the end of the conveyor cascade 31 items of laundry10 of different types and formats are sufficiently stripped out so that the respective item of laundry 10 can automatically be transferred to the loading conveyor 32 of the input machine 11 with the front edge 12 running transversely to the feed direction.

The methods according to the invention are described below with reference to the device in the figures, in particular in FIG Fig. 1 , explained in more detail. It is assumed here that a parallel, longer edge of the item of laundry 10 running in front of the longer edge 14 is intended to be the front edge 12 or leading edge of the item of laundry 10 running transversely to the feed direction 13 when it is being fed to the input machine 11.

In the area of the edge detection device 17 at the beginning of the stripping device 18, at least a lower part of the item of laundry 10 hanging down from the holding means 24 is recorded by the camera 29 or another imaging device. The camera 29 detects at least the lower sub-area of the item 10 from the side, that is to say the profile or the area of this lower sub-area. With the image data recorded by the camera 29, the angles and / or lengths of the edge regions 26, 27 of a long edge 14 and an adjoining short edge 15 of the second corner 25, which extend from the hanging second corner 25, are automatically electronically and / or computationally from an image evaluation Laundry item 10 determined. By comparing the angle differences and / or length differences of the edge regions 26, 27, the camera 29 obtained image data can be derived, which edge region 26 or 27 belongs to a long edge 14 or a short edge 15.

After the automatic determination of a long edge 14 and a short edge 15 of the item 10 of laundry, that edge area 26, 27 that does not belong to an edge 14 or 15 forming the front edge 12 running transversely to the feed direction 13, in the present exemplary embodiment the edge area 27 of the short edge 15, gripped by the two spaced brackets 30. This happens as shown in the Fig. 6 such that a clamp 30 grips the edge area 27 close to the corner point 28 of the second corner 25 and the second clamp 30 encompasses the edge area 27 at a significant distance from the first clamp 30, preferably at the end of the straight line opposite the second corner 25 or at least ideally straight line extending edge region 27, which belongs to the shorter edge 15, clamped. By moving the two clamps 30 at the same time, the second corner 25 is now lifted from the clamps 30 and the first corner 23 is released from the holding means 24. As a result, the item of laundry 10 is quasi turned. At the same time or before or after turning, the two clamps 30 are reoriented in such a way that the edge region 27 held between them runs at least approximately horizontally. As a result, the long edge 14 of the item of laundry 10 extending vertically from near the corner point 28 is formed. Ideally, the edge 14 hangs down from the bracket 30 from the corner point 28 of the second corner 25 in a straight line perpendicularly or at least substantially perpendicularly. Depending on the reorientation of the brackets 30 representing the bracket pairs, the long edge 14 starting from the second corner 25 can face the input machine 11 or - as in the present exemplary embodiment - be directed towards the separator 16.

After determining the long edge 14 of the item of laundry 10 and the formation of a straight, vertical course of this long edge 14 under the parallel brackets 30 holding the item of laundry 10, the parallel brackets 30 are moved together at the height and transversely to the depositing area 34 of the conveyor cascade 31 and the item of laundry 10 is placed approximately in a U-shape on the depositing area 34 at the beginning of the conveyor cascade 31, in such a way that the item of laundry 10 hangs down from both sides of the depositing area 34 with approximately equal sections, the first corner 23 and the second corner 25 essentially opposite each other ( Fig. 7 ). With the U-shaped hanging of the laundry item 10 over the depositing area 34 of the conveyor cascade 31, the parallel long edge of the laundry item opposite the long edge 14 hanging straight down under the outer clamp 30 hurries 10 in the feed direction 13 before. This leading long edge of the item of laundry 10 thereby becomes the leading edge 12 of the item of laundry 10 running transversely to the feed direction 13, which is stretched out by the spreading clamps of the item of laundry 10 after the item of laundry 10 stripped out by the stripping device 18 has been transferred to the input machine 11. With this long edge forming the front edge 12 or leading edge in front, the item of laundry 10 spread out by the input machine 11 is then fed to the subsequent laundry treatment device, preferably a mangle.

The automatic determination of the long edge 14 and the short edge 15 of the item of laundry 10 can take place in accordance with the method according to the invention in various ways, which are shown in FIGS Figures 3 to 5 the following are shown in principle:
From the image recorded by the camera 29, in particular image data, of the lower part of the item of laundry 10 with the second corner 25 and the edge areas 26 and 27, the image processing determines the angles of the edge areas 26 and extending from the second corner 25, in particular its corner points 28 27. In the case of rectangular items of laundry 10, these angles are different. If the angles are the same or almost the same, it is a square item of laundry that requires no further evaluation because there are no long edges 14 and no short edges 15, namely all four edges are approximately the same length.

Im in the Fig. 3 The illustrated case of the rectangular item of laundry 10, which is preferably the subject of the invention, the angles are determined based on an imaginary horizontal reference line 35 through the corner point 28 of the second corner 25. This is an angle 36 between the horizontal reference line 35 and the edge area 26 and an angle 37 between the horizontal reference line 35 and the edge area 27. When measuring the angles 36 and 37 with respect to the horizontal reference line 35, the larger angle 36 belongs to the longer edge 14 and the smaller angle 37 to the shorter edge 15.

After the electronic image evaluation has determined the angles 36 and 37 from the image recorded by the camera 29 of a lower part of the item 10, the angles 36 and 37 are compared 14 or to the short edge 15 belongs. This derivation is based on the knowledge that, in the case of the rectangular item of laundry 10 hanging freely from a first corner 23, the longer edge 14 at a greater angle to the horizontal reference line 35 through the corner point 28 of The lower second corner 25 runs as the shorter edge 15. In the present case, it can therefore be derived from the larger angle 36 between the edge region 26 and the reference line 35 that the edge region 26 becomes a long edge 14 of the item 10 and the edge region 27 becomes a shorter edge 15 of the laundry item 10 belongs.

The procedure for determining the longer edge 14 and the shorter edge 15 of the item of laundry 10 is carried out in the exemplary embodiment of FIG Fig. 4 basically the same as described above. Only here the angle 36 of the edge region 26 and the angle 37 of the edge region 27 with respect to a vertical reference line 38 through the corner point 28 of the second corner 25 are determined. Consequently, the angle 36 is between the vertical reference line 38 and the edge region 26 and the angle 37 is between the vertical reference line 38 and the edge region 27. When the vertical reference line 38 is used, the smaller angle 36 is that which is towards the edge region 26 of the long edge 14 heard. In contrast, the edge region 27, which runs at the larger angle 37 to the vertical reference line 38, belongs to the shorter edge 15 of the item 10 of laundry.

the Fig. 5 illustrates the automatic determination of the long edge 14 and / or the shorter edge 15 by evaluating an image recorded by the camera 29 of the lower partial surface of the item of laundry 10. The lengths of the edge regions 26 and 27 are compared with this type of determination of the long edge 14 and / or short edge 15 of the item 10 of laundry, it is assumed that in the case of the rectangular item of laundry 10 hanging freely from the upper first corner 23 with two parallel long edges 14 and two parallel short edges 15, the corner point 28 of the lower second corner 25 outgoing rectilinear or at least approximately rectilinear edge regions 26 and 27 are of different lengths. Furthermore, it has been shown that the straight edge area 26 of the longer edge 14 has a greater length 39 than the length of the edge area 27 of the short edge 15. Accordingly, if the image evaluation device automatically uses the image data of the lower part of the item of laundry captured by the camera 29, the Length 39 and 40 of the edge sections 26 and 27 has determined and compared the lengths 39 and 40, the longer edge area 36 belongs to the long edge 14 and the shorter edge area 27 to the short edge 15 of the laundry item 10. Accordingly, the longer edge area 26 is automatically the long edge 14 and the shorter edge 15 derived from the shorter edge region 27.

Various modifications of the methods described above are possible within the scope of the invention.

For example, a deviation from the exemplary embodiment described above can also form a short edge 15 of the item of laundry 10 determined by the method described above, the front edge 12 of the item of laundry 10 running transversely to the feed direction 13. Then the adjacent parallel brackets 30 grip the edge area 26 belonging to the long edge 14 in the vicinity of the second corner 25 or at the corner point 28 of the same and at a distance from the corner point 28 for the free straight unhooking of the short edge 15, starting from the corner point 28 of the second corner 25 .

It is also conceivable that the item of laundry 10 is not placed on the depositing area 34 at the beginning of the conveyor cascade 31 with a straight long edge 14 or a short edge 15 directed away from the input machine 11, but with a straight edge pointing towards the input machine 11 , straight long edge 14 or short edge 15. Then the laundry item 10 is placed the other way around in a U-shape over the depositing area 34 of the conveyor cascade 31, as it is in the Fig. 7 is shown.

The invention is also suitable for a different type of automatic supply of laundry items 10 with a desired long edge 14 or short edge 15 as the leading edge 12 running in the direction of supply 13 to input machine 11 of different design or other laundry treatment devices. For example, after determining the desired long edge 14 or short edge 15 with the long edge 14 and short edge 15 as the front edge 12 instead of a loading conveyor 32, the laundry item 10 can also be used with adjacent corners of the front edge 12 in loading clamps of the input machine 11 or directly in the spreading clamps Input machine 11 are entered.

In all variants of the invention, in particular in the variants described above, the laundry items 10 are fed fully automatically to a laundry treatment machine, for example also a sorting device or sorting system, after a preferably previous automatic determination of the long edge 14 and / or the short edge 15 in particular rectangular items of laundry, namely items of laundry 10 with edges 14, 15 of different lengths.

List of reference symbols:

10

Laundry item

11

Input machine

12th

Leading edge

13th

Feed direction

14th

long edge

15th

short edge

16

Separator

17th

Edge detection device

18th

Stripping device

19th

Pile of laundry

20th

camera

21

Grapple

22nd

Provisioning facility

23

first corner

24

Holding means

25th

second corner

26th

Edge area

27

Edge area

28

Corner point

29

camera

30th

Bracket

31

Funding cascade

32

Loading conveyor

33

Belt conveyor

34

Drop area

35

horizontal reference line

36

angle

37

angle

38

vertical reference line

39

length

40

length

41

Stabilizing bar

Claims (10)

1. A method for determining a longer edge (14) and/or a shorter edge (15) of rectangular items of laundry (10) with edges (14, 15) of unequal length, wherein which edge area (26, 27) belonging to the longer edge (14) and/or to the shorter edge (15) of the item of laundry (10) is automatically derived from the different directions or lengths (39, 40) of the edge area (26, 27) extending from a corner (25) of the item of laundry (10) hanging freely downward, in that, in the case of the item of laundry (10) hanging down from a first corner (23), the longer edge (14) and/or the shorter edge (15) of the item of laundry (10) is derived from the angles (36, 37) or lengths (39, 40) of edge areas (26, 27) extending from the lower, free second corner (25).
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the second corner (25) is diagonally opposite the first corner (23).
3. The method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that those areas of the edges of the item of laundry (10) extending from the second corner (25), in particular its corner point (28), are considered as edge areas (26, 27) for determining the longer edge (14) and/or the shorter edge (15) of the item of laundry (10), which ideally extend in straight lines.
4. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the longer edge (14) and/or the shorter edge (15) of the item of laundry (10) is derived from a comparison of the angles (36, 37) and/or lengths (39, 40) of the two edge areas (26, 27) extending from the second corner (25).
5. The method as claimed in claims 2 to 4, characterized in that those angles (36, 37) are considered for deriving the longer edge (14) and/or the shorter edge (15) of the item of laundry (10), which lie between the respective edge area (26, 27) and an imaginary horizontal reference line (35) or vertical reference line (38) through a corner point (28) of the second corner (25) of the item of laundry (10).
6. The method as claimed in claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the angles (36, 37) of the edge areas (26, 27) extending from the second corner (25) are determined relative to the imaginary horizontal reference line (35) through the corner point (28) of the second corner (25), and the longer edge (14) and/or the shorter edge (15) of the item of laundry (10) is derived from this, in that the longer edge (14) is assumed to be that belonging to edge area (26) which extends at a larger angle (36) to the imaginary horizontal reference line (35) and/or the shorter edge (15) belongs to the edge section (27) which extends at a smaller angle (37) to the imaginary horizontal reference line (35).
7. The method as claimed in claim 2 to 6, characterized in that the angles (36, 37) of the edge areas (26, 27) extending from the second corner (25) are determined relative to the imaginary vertical reference line (38) through the corner point (28) of the second corner (25), and the longer edge (14) and/or the shorter edge (15) of the item of laundry (10) is derived from this, in that the longer edge (14) is assumed to be that belonging to edge area (26) which extends at a smaller angle (36) to the imaginary vertical reference line (38) and/or the shorter edge (15) belongs to the edge section (27) which extends at a larger angle (37) to the imaginary vertical reference line (38).
8. The method as claimed in any one of the claims claim 1, 2 and 4, characterized in that it is derived from the lengths (39, 40) of the edge areas (26, 27) extending from the second corner (25), in particular from the corner point (28) of same, that the longer edge area (26) belongs to the longer edge (14) and that the shorter edge area (27) belongs to the shorter edge (15) of the item of laundry (10).
9. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least that part of a respective item of laundry (10), in which the second corner (25) is located with at least parts of the two edge areas (26, 27) extending from this second corner (25), is recorded by at least one image-providing device, preferably at least one camera (29), and the angles (36, 37) between the respective edge areas (26, 27) and the reference line (35, 38) or the lengths (39, 40) of the edge areas (26, 27) are determined by an image analysis.
10. A method for the in particular automatic feeding of rectangular items of laundry with edges of unequal length to a laundry treatment apparatus, preferably to an inserting machine (11), a mangle, a folding machine or the like, wherein the items of laundry (10) are supplied to the laundry treatment apparatus in a targeted way, with a longer edge (14) or shorter edge (15) extending transversely to the feed direction (13), characterized in that, prior to or at the beginning of the feeding of the item of laundry (10) to the laundry treatment apparatus, the longer edge (14) and/or shorter edge (15) of the respective item of laundry (10) is automatically determined pursuant to the method as claimed in one or more of the claims 1 to 9.

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