FR2496725A1 - APPARATUS FOR MULTIPLE FOLDING OF LAUNDRY PIECES - Google Patents

Abstract

APPARATUS FOR MULTIPLE FOLDING OF LAUNDRY PIECES OF THE TYPE WITH BELT CONVEYOR 10 AND CLAMPING DEVICES 11, 12 DRIVEN IN CADENCE ABOVE THIS CARRIER, BETWEEN A LOADING POSITION OF THE LAUNDRY PARTS 25 AND A FOLDING POSITION 26 OF THESE PARTS AND RETURN. ACCORDING TO THE INVENTION, THE LOADING POSITION OF THE LAUNDRY PARTS 25 OF THE CLAMPING DEVICES 11, 12 IS UPSTREAM OF THE RETURN ROLLER 27 OF THE LOADING SIDE OF THE BELT CONVEYOR 10, THE DISTANCE AT THE FOLDING POSITION 26 OF THE CONVEYOR DEVICES. TIGHTENING 11, 12 AT RETURN ROLLER 27, FROM THE LOADING SIDE OF THE BELT CONVEYOR 10 IN THE RUN DIRECTION OF THE BELT, IS SUCH THAT THE BELT LENGTH LOCATED BETWEEN THE TWO CREATES RESISTANCE TO THE BACKWARD MOVEMENT OF A PART OF LINEN, PART OF WHICH (FRONT PART) IS IN CONTACT WITH THE BELT OVER THIS LENGTH, WHICH IS SUFFICIENT FOR THIS PIECE OF LINEN TO REMAIN IMMOBILE, AND TWO CLAMPING DEVICES 11, 12 ARE PLACED AT A CORRESPONDING DISTANCE TO THE DISTANCE OF FROM THE FOLDING POSITION 26 TO THE LOADING POSITION 25.

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus for the multiple folding of

pieces of laundry, particularly at

  folding of small items of laundry,

  clamps placed at a first folding station above

  above a belt conveyor and circulating behind each other in a clockwise motion, successively from a position of loading the pieces of laundry to a folding position and back, and wherein the front edge

  pieces of laundry are tightened in

  by means of clamping plates against stops and the rest of the items of laundry, after movement of the clamping devices to the folding position, is transported under the folding bridge for the execution of a first folding following a line perpendicular to the direction of travel

of the conveyor belt.

  On a known apparatus of the aforementioned type (DE-GM 1 935 5199 freeze 4 to 6), three clamping devices are mounted one behind the other, shifted 120e, on a horizontal shaft

  which turns in a rhythmic movement. This tree, placed

  above the belt conveyor, rotates at a rate of, each time, 1200 with the clamping devices so that each time one of these three devices is in a loading position of one piece of laundry, another in a position of folding and the third in a position

  Wait. The folding bridge thus designed is placed neatly

  downstream of the forward end of the courier carrier.

  ROIE. The device is intended to be installed after a calender or similar machine. The pieces of laundry to be folded are therefore mechanically brought to the apparatus and its clamping devices, and provision is made for it to lift the belts of the conveyor beneath them and upstream of the loading position of the devices. Clamping. In the case of separate installation of the appliance and its manual loading of items of laundry, for example so-called dry rooms or items of mixed fabrics, in particular small rooms (towels, napkins and rooms) analogues), which must not be calendered,

  of linen are laid by hand on the belts

  the carrier. The right laying of the pieces of laundry on the running belts posing problems and the laying of the next piece can only be done when the front piece has been completely removed from the laying area, the device is not suitable very well folding

aforementioned items of laundry.

  The invention aims to provide a device of the type indicated above which is better than the known apparatus

  folding of non-calendered pieces of laundry

  naked, especially small pieces such as

towels or table.

  The invention achieves this goal by virtue of the fact that

  tion of the loading of the laundry

  clamping is upstream of the return roller on the load-

  of the conveyor belt, the distance from the posi-

  bending of the clamping devices on the return roll, on the loading side of the conveyor belt in the running direction thereof, is such that the

  belt length between the two creates a resistance

  movement behind a piece of linen, of which

  part (anterior part) is in contact with the court

  of this length, which is sufficient for this piece of laundry to remain stationary, and two clamping devices are placed at a distance corresponding to the

  distance from the folding position to the load position

ment.

  The arrangement of the apparatus provided by the invention allows

  inserting the leading edge of a piece of laundry by hand directly into one of the clamping devices, clamping it directly between the clamping plate and the stop and,

  right after the movement of this service device.

  rage to the folding position, to introduce and tighten right the front edge of another piece of laundry in the second clamping device then being in the loading position. The fact of being able, without complicated mechanisms, to introduce manually and right the front edge of the piece of linen in the clamping device and to introduce and tighten the next piece of laundry just

  after the movement of the first clamping device

  that at the folding position leads to an improvement of the working mode of the operating personnel of the apparatus and the quality of the folding. Another advantage of the invention is

  that the items of laundry are loaded at a distance

  and sufficient of the next folding station, so that they can be folded with fewer problems a second time in the same way or perpendicular to

the first time.

  Other advantageous features of the invention, in particular from the point of view of safety, avoiding injury to the fingers of the operator when he introduces and straightens the front edge of the piece of laundry in the clamping device, are explained below with the aid of an exemplary embodiment shown schematically in the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section of the first folding station with the clamping devices in position of

  loading and in folding position.

  Fig. 2 represents on a larger scale the

  in the loading position of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a view from above on a larger scale of the mechanical device for actuating the

  tightening in the folding position of FIG. 1.

  The part of the apparatus shown in the drawings comprises first the belt conveyor 10 and the two clamping devices 11, 12. The clamping devices 11, 12 are placed between two parallel chain drive mechanisms and are mounted on them by their

  ends. Only the drawings show the mechanism

  me to chatne 13 placed to the left when looking in the direction of the conveyor belt; this mechanism comprises the two chain wheels 14, 15 and the chain 16. The chain mechanism 13 is mounted and driven clockwise in

  the direction of the arrow 17 by means of elements and

  Known tifs of which only are represented in the drawings the shafts 36, 37 on which the chalk wheels 14, 15 are mounted. Each of the two clamping devices 11, 12 consists essentially of a clamping plate 18 and a stop 19. The plate 18 being mounted by means of a

  hinge 20 on the stop 19, which consists of a

  The stop 19 carries a resilient abutment profile 21 formed for example of a rubber hose, a slat

  brush or a similar element. On the back and at the ends

  the side plates of the clamping plate 18 'and the L-shaped section of the stop 19 are placed brackets 22, 23, and to these brackets are fixed traction springs 24 intended for

  tighten the plate 18 and the stop 19 between them.

  The loading positions of the laundry and folding pieces 26 of the clamping devices 11, 12, fixed by the position of the wheels 14, 15 of the chain mechanism 13, are chosen with respect to the belt conveyor 10 so that the position 25 upstream of the return roller 27 on the loading side of the conveyor 10 and that

  the folding position 26 is, in the direction of trans-

  port (arrow 28), far enough away from this return roller 27 so that the length of belt between them (distance A) creates a resistance to the movement behind a piece of laundry W1, a part of which (front part) is in contact with the belt on this length, which

  enough for this piece of linen to remain im-

  bile, that is to say, can not slip behind the conveyor belt 10 because of the weight of the part

  rear hanging from the return roller 27.

  The force of the two traction springs 24 of each clamping device 11, 12 is chosen so as to be

  on the other hand, that the clamping of the plate 18 and the abutment 19 can

  to be easily overcome by lowering the plate 18 by hand and, on the other hand,

  nevertheless sufficient for the entratnement of the piece of linen.

  249672f The traction springs 24 could of course be

replaced by other springs.

  The suppression of the clamping of the plate 18 and the

  stop 19 in the folding position 26 is mechanical-

  is lying. It is provided for this a pneumatic cylinder 29 mounted on the side wall 40 of the device and a linkage

  (figS.1 and 3). The arrangement of the cylinder 29 and the configuration

  guration of the linkage 30 can naturally be

other than those represented.

  The apparatus, represented only in part, comprises

  in addition all known elements and devices required

  to its operation, such as a device

  control device comprising detection devices

  consisting of light barriers 31, 32 and

  Limit switches 33, 34. Light barriers

  31, 32 located at the loading station 25 serve in particular

  to detect the movements of the hands of the opera-

  in the area of the clamping devices 11, 12 and the detection of the loaded state thereof. The limit switch 33 located in the area of the upper strand 38 of the conveyor belt 10 is used to control the jack 29

  and thus to the control of the opening movement of the

  clamping device 11 or 12 in the folding position 26.

  The limit switch 33 is actuated by the piece of laundry W1 which is on the strand 38. The limit switch 34 located in the area of the upper strand 39 of the chalk 16 serves to stop the mechanism. cat 13 and is actuated by the cleat 35 attached to the chalk 16. The movement

  clamping device 11 or 12 of the load position-

  25 at the folding position 26 is controlled by the light barriers 31, 32 and the end switch of

race 33.

  The conveyor belt 10 and the chain mechanism

  13 are preferably driven by a single electric motor

  that, a known coupling is however provided in the motor device of the chain mechanism. The speeds of the belt conveyor 10 and the chain mechanism 13 are

preferably equal.

  The apparatus shown operates in the following manner

  boasts. The operator grasps the piece of laundry W to fold (Fig.l), for example a towel, at the two front corners, extends the front edge and slides in the clamping device 11 being in the loading position While lowering the clamping plate 18 so that it

  be applied against the leading edge of this plate.

  This operation and then the withdrawal of the hands of

  and in this way the clamping of the front edge of the piece of laundry W in the clamping device 11 takes place during the folding of the piece of laundry W1 introduced and previously tightened in the same manner in the other clamping device 12. When the light barrier 32 indicates that the piece of laundry W is in the clamping device 11, the light barrier 31 that the operator has withdrawn his hands from the clamping device 11, and the end switch of

  run 33 that the back edge of the laundry room Wl in-

  previously produced has exceeded this switch, the

  the engine of the chain mechanism 13 is automatically engaged

  and the clamping device 11 holding the laundry part W goes from the loading position 25 to the folding position 26 and the clamping device 12 from the folding position 26 to the loading position 25, the end of the movement being produced by actuating the limit switch 34 by the catch 35 mounted on the chain mechanism 13. Before the aforesaid movement of the clamping devices 11, 12, however, the mechanical opening occurs,

  caused by the limit switch 33, of the dis-

  positive clamp 12 located in the folding position 26 so that the front edge of the laundry piece Wl is placed

on its back edge.

249,672!

Claims (5)

  1 - Apparatus for the multiple folding of laundry articles, in particular for folding small items of laundry, comprising clamping devices placed at a first folding station above a conveyor belt   and circulating one behind the other   period, from a loading position of the laundry articles to a folding and return position, and wherein   the front edge of the laundry is tight in the   clamping devices by means of clamping plates against stops and the rest of the items of laundry, after movement of the clamping devices to the folding position, is transported under the folding bridge for the execution of a first folding along a line perpendicular to the direction of travel of the conveyor belt, characterized in that the loading position of the laundry articles (25) of the clamping devices (11, 12) is upstream   of the return roller (27) on the loading side of the   belt (10), the distance (A) from the bending position (26) of the clamping devices (11, 12) to the roller   (27) on the loading side of the courier carrier.   in the running direction thereof, is such that the belt length between the two creates a resistance to movement behind a piece of laundry, a part of which (anterior part) is in contact with the belt on this length, which is sufficient   so that this piece of laundry stays still, and two   positive clamps (11, 12) are placed at a distance corresponding to the distance from the folding position (26) at the loading position (25).   2 - Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the two clamping devices (11, 12) are placed between endless chain drive mechanisms (13) placed parallel and moved in motion   clocked, and are mounted on them by their ends.   3 - Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that each clamping device (11, 12) has, for immobilization by clamping the edge of the pieces of   machine, a clamping plate (18) and a stop (19)   to be tightened against each other by an elastic force tick (pull springs 24).   4 - Apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the elastic force (traction springs 24) can, at least in the loading position (25), be overcome by manual pressure on the clamping plate (18) for the introduction of the edge of the piece of laundry between   this plate (18) and the stop (19).   - Apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the elastic force (tension springs 24) for clamping the clamping devices (11, 12) can, in the folding position (26) of these, be overcome by mechanical pressure on the clamping plate (18) for the   release of the edge of the piece of laundry.   6 - Apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the elastic force (traction springs 24)   is defeated mechanically by means of a jack (29) by means of intermediate of a linkage (30).