JP2013226408A - Linen folding method and apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a linen folding method and apparatus capable of automatically folding rectangular linen.SOLUTION: The linen folding method using arm members each including gripping means to sequentially take out piled rectangular linen and supply the linen to a linen loading device to fold it, includes: a first step of gripping any linen among the piled linen by gripping means 102 of a first arm member 104; a second step of gripping a lower end of the linen by gripping means 101a of a second arm member 101 while releasing an upper end gripped at the first step, and then picking up the linen so that the end as the lower end is the upper end; a third step of gripping the lower end of the linen by another gripping means; and a fourth step of operating both or one of the gripping means so that the upper end and the lower end of the linen are horizontal.

Description

  The present invention relates to a linen folding method and apparatus for folding linen such as a rectangular towel. In this specification and claims, the term “linen” is used in a broad concept including various towels, sheets, cloth diapers and the like.

In general, linen, such as a towel, is folded by a worker in a desired state, such as a two-fold or four-fold state.
However, in places such as hotels and hospitals where a large number of towels are frequently washed, folded and reused, the manual folding requires a large number of workers. Also, in places such as hospitals where infectious diseases are a concern, workers may touch dirty towels by hand, or conversely, workers with infections may touch towels after washing. Depending on the situation, the worker may be affected, or conversely, the infection may spread to hospitalized patients.

  In view of this situation, automation (mechanization) of linen folding has been attempted for many years. As one of them, there is one that utilizes a “belt conveyor that can be bent in a folding manner” as described in Patent Document 1.

  Further, as described in Patent Document 2, a complicated apparatus including a large number of members and a plurality of actuators that move the members is provided.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 05-56100. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-28596.

  However, in the case of the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary for the operator to place the linen in a predetermined state on the transport surface of the conveyor. In this case, the handling of the linen is also necessary. Since an operator intervenes in the work, the automation is not completely performed, and there is a problem in terms of preventing infection such as infectious diseases.

  In the case of the device described in Patent Document 2, the target linen (towel) is a square in an expanded state, and this folding is generally used for bath towels and rectangular towels that are commonly used. On the other hand, it cannot be folded into a desired state. In addition, the configuration is unrealistic, and such an automatic folding apparatus has not yet been put into practical use.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a linen folding method and apparatus capable of automatically folding a linen whose expanded state is a rectangle.

The linen folding method according to the first invention (the invention according to claim 1) uses a plurality of operating arm units each having at least one gripping means, and arbitrarily selects a plurality of linens that are rectangular in an expanded state. In the linen folding method, in which the linen is sequentially taken out from the stacked state, supplied to the linen mounting device provided in a predetermined state, and folded in a desired state.
An arbitrary linen among a plurality of linens stacked in an arbitrary state is gripped by gripping means provided in a first operating arm unit that is one of the plurality of operating arm units, and the lower end of the linen is First step to pick up in the air as you can see,
The lower end of the linen picked up is gripped by the gripping means of the second operating arm unit, the upper end of the linen gripped in the first step is released, and then the end that was the gripped lower end A second step of picking up into the air so that the lower end of the linen picked up in the air can be seen,
A third step of gripping the lower end of the linen as determined in the second step with a gripping means different from the gripping means gripping the upper end;
Fourth step of operating both or one of the gripping means so that the upper and lower ends of the linen are gripped in the third step so that the heights of the upper and lower ends are horizontal or close to each other. When,
In the fourth step, both ends in the longitudinal direction of the linen that are gripped by separate gripping means are connected to another gripping means so that the one end is linear. Hold it with
Supplying the linen having the one end portion held in a straight line to the linen mounting device for folding the linen to be folded at least in the longitudinal direction, and folding the linen at least in half with the linen mounting device;
It is characterized by having.

According to the linen folding method according to the first aspect of the present invention configured as described above, even when the expanded linen is rectangular, the linen is picked up even if the linen is arbitrarily stacked. The linen can be automatically folded using gravity acting on the.
That is, according to the linen folding method according to the first aspect of the present invention configured as described above, a plurality of operating arm units each having at least one gripping means for linen having extremely small rigidity whose shape is freely changed. And a linen mounting device, the sheet can be folded by going through the steps according to the above steps.

The linen folding device according to the second aspect of the present invention (invention of claim 6) is a linen folding device that folds a linen whose expanded state is a rectangle.
The folding device is
A first operating arm unit having at least one gripping means for gripping linen at the tip;
A second operating arm unit having at least one gripping means for gripping linen at the tip; a third operating arm unit having at least one gripping means for gripping linen at the tip;
A fourth operating arm unit having at least one gripping means for gripping linen at the tip;
At least one detection means capable of detecting an end of the linen;
A linen placement device that folds the linen supplied in a state where one end of the both ends in the longitudinal direction of the linen is horizontal or close thereto into at least two folds;
A control device that receives detection information from the detection means and controls the operation of the first to fourth operating arm units to the fourth operating arm unit and the linen placement device;
The control device is
Controlling the gripping means of the first operating arm unit so as to pick up one linen out of a plurality of linens stacked in an arbitrary state;
Next, the detection means detects the corner of one end of the linen that is the lower end of the linen that hangs downward by its own weight by picking up, and the detected corner is Gripping with the gripping means of the second operating arm unit, and then releasing the gripping of the linen by the gripping means of the first operating arm unit,
Next, when the corner of the one end is gripped, the corner on the diagonal of the linen that hangs downward by its own weight is detected by the detection means, and the detected corner is Gripping with the gripping means of the third operating arm unit, in such a state that the linen gripped at each corner located at both ends in the longitudinal direction is pulled from both sides in the longitudinal direction,
Next, one of the corners of the linen that is not gripped by the gripping means is gripped by the gripping means of the fourth operating arm unit, and one end of the linen is in a horizontal state or Place the linen on the linen placing device in a state close to that,
Next, the linen placing device is operated and folded into at least two folds,
It is characterized by controlling as follows.

  According to the linen folding apparatus according to the second invention configured as described above, the linen folding method according to the first invention can be executed.

  Further, in the linen folding method according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the step of folding in at least two, the both ends of the one end portion in the longitudinal direction of the linen are in a horizontal state or a state close thereto. The linen is moved on the mounting table and folded in half at the center of the longitudinal direction of the linen, and then the linen folded on the rod-shaped member arranged so that the longitudinal axis direction is horizontal. When the linen is placed so that the center in the longitudinal direction is located and the linen is folded in four at the center in the longitudinal direction, the linen can be easily folded in four.

Further, in the linen folding device according to the second aspect of the invention, the linen placement device includes a placement surface on which the linen is placed in a state where one end of the linen is in a horizontal state or a state close thereto. A detection device that is arranged over the width direction of the placement surface and detects linen tears and dirt, and a linen is gripped and moved on the placement surface on which the detection device is placed to detect the tears and dirt. An arm member provided with a moving means for allowing
The gripping means is provided with left and right gripping means for gripping both ends of the linen, the left and right gripping means are provided with expansion / contraction means that can be expanded and contracted in the movement direction of the linen, and the linen moves relative to the movement direction during the movement. When the linen is placed on the placement surface of the linen placement device and the inspection table, the linen is moved in the longitudinal direction by the moving means. It is possible to detect the tearing and dirt of the linen at the same time, and to easily fold the linen into two if necessary.

The linen folding method according to the third invention (invention of claim 3) is as follows:
Each of the left and right arm members provided with gripping means for gripping linen at the tip,
At least one auxiliary arm member provided with gripping means for gripping linen at the tip;
At least one detection means capable of detecting an end of the linen;
A linen placement device provided with a roller that can be rotationally driven at the tip;
A control device that receives detection information from the detection means and controls the left and right arm members, the auxiliary arm member, and the linen placement device;
In the linen folding method, a linen folding device is used to fold linen that is rectangular in an expanded state.
One end of the linen that is the lower end of the linen that hangs downward by its own weight by picking up an arbitrary position of one linen from a plurality of linens stacked in an arbitrary state. Is detected by the detecting means, and is gripped by one of the gripping means of the left and right arm members, and the corner portion of the one end portion is gripped to hang downward by the weight of the linen and is positioned at the lower end. The corner of the other end of the linen is detected by the detection means and gripped by the gripping means of the remaining arm members, and the gripped linen is pulled from both sides,
Next, the intermediate position of the tensioned linen is gripped by the gripping means of the auxiliary arm member, and the gripping state of the linen by the gripping means of one of the left and right arm members is released. Release one corner of the linen that was gripped
Next, the other corner of one end of the linen having the gripped corner is detected by the detecting means and gripped by the released gripping means, and one end of the linen rectangle is at the upper end In the state where the other end hangs to the lower end.
Next, the linen is moved to the linen placing device so that the intermediate part in the longitudinal direction of the linen is located on the roller, and then the roller is rotated so that the center in the longitudinal direction of the linen is located on the roller. Further, the detection means detects the linen so that the linen is folded in two.

The linen folding device according to the fourth invention (invention of claim 8) is:
In a linen folding device that folds a linen that is rectangular in an expanded state,
The folding device is
Each of the left and right arm members provided with gripping means for gripping linen at the tip,
At least one auxiliary arm member provided with gripping means for gripping linen at the tip;
At least one detection means capable of detecting an end of the linen;
A linen placement device provided with a roller that can be rotationally driven at the tip;
A control device that receives the detection information from the detection means and controls the operation of the left and right arm members, the auxiliary arm member, and the linen placement device;
The control device is
The grip means of any of the left and right arm members and auxiliary arm members is controlled to pick up one linen out of a plurality of linens stacked in an arbitrary state,
Next, the detection means detects the corner of one end of the linen that hangs downward by the weight of the linen by picking it up, and the detected corner is used among the left and right arm members. Gripping with the gripping means of the arm member that is not, and releasing the gripping by the gripping means picking up the linen,
Next, when the corner of the one end is gripped, the corner of the other end of the linen that hangs downward due to the weight of the linen is detected by the detection means, and the detected corner Are gripped by the gripping means of the remaining arm members of the left and right arm members, and the gripped linen is pulled from both sides,
Next, a gripping means for gripping one of the left and right arm members gripping the corner portion while gripping the intermediate position of the tensioned linen with the gripping means of the auxiliary arm member Release one of the corners of the linen that was gripped by releasing,
Next, grip the other corner of the one end of the linen where the corner of the linen being gripped at that time is gripped by the grip means of the left or right arm member that is not used,
Next, the linen in which both corners of one end are gripped by the gripping means of the respective left and right arm members, and the other end is suspended downward, the intermediate part in the longitudinal direction of the linen Is placed on the roller and the linen is placed on the roller of the linen placing device in a state where the width direction of the linen coincides with the axial direction of the roller,
Next, the detection means detects one end of the linen and rotationally drives the roller of the linen mounting device so that the central part in the longitudinal direction of the linen is positioned on the roller.
It is characterized by controlling as follows.

According to the linen folding method and the linen folding apparatus according to the third and fourth inventions configured as described above, it is possible to automatically fold linen with extremely small rigidity whose shape is freely changed. .
That is, even if the linen that has been washed and dried is placed in a piled-up state in a returnable box or the like or on a tray or the like, if the position information of the piled linen is given to the control device, or When the position of the linen is detected by the detection means, the control device controls the arm member or the auxiliary arm member based on the given or detected position information or the detection information, and the arm member (the left and right arms). Any part of a piece of linen on or near the surface where the gripping means of either the auxiliary arm member or the auxiliary arm member is piled up is picked up.
Then, no matter which part of the linen the gripped part is, the other part of the linen hangs down around the gripped position.
In this state, the detection means detects the corner of the linen that will be positioned at the lower end (the lowest end), and this information is sent to the control device, and the unused arm member of the left and right arm members The gripping means grips the corner.
Then, when the control device releases the gripping of the linen picked up by the gripping means, the linen hangs down with the corner portion gripped by the gripping means of the arm member as the upper end. . Further, even if a plurality of linens (generally two sheets) are gripped by the release, other linens fall downward except for one linen gripped at the lower end. In the process, only one linen is gripped.
In such a state, the corner of the other end of the linen, that is, the corner located diagonally opposite the corner where the linen is gripped, is positioned at the lower end (most lower end).
In this state, the detection means detects the corner located at the lowermost end, and the position information is sent to the control device, so that the gripping means of the other arm member of the left and right arm members is the lower end ( The control device controls to hold the corner of the lowermost end.
When both ends of the linen are gripped by the two gripping means, the control device controls the operation of each arm member or gripping means so that the gripping means pulls the linen. In this state, the control device controls the other auxiliary arm member so that the gripping means grips an intermediate position (intermediate position) between both ends of the stretched linen.
In such a state, the control device controls the gripping means of one of the left and right arm members to release the linen, and as a result, the corner of one end of the linen has left and right arms. The intermediate position of the linen that is gripped by one of the members and separated from the arm member is gripped by the gripping means of the auxiliary arm member.
In this state, the control device moves the arm member having the gripping means that releases the corner of the linen to the other corner of the linen that is currently gripped by the gripping means that is not gripped. Control to grip the part.
By the way, the corner of the linen to be gripped is detected by the detecting means.
Alternatively, if necessary, a detection unit including an image recognition apparatus may be provided, and the position information may be obtained by detection by the detection unit.
Next, the control device positions the left and right arm members gripping both corners of one end of the linen by the respective gripping means, and the one end of the linen is positioned on the axis of the roller of the linen placing device. Control is performed so as to be in a plane (virtual plane) parallel to the plane (virtual plane) to be performed.
Subsequently, the control device is configured so that one end of the linen gripped by the gripping means of each of the left and right arm members is aligned with the axial direction of the roller, that is, a parallel axis. The intermediate part in the longitudinal direction of the linen is placed on the roller of the linen placing device in a state where the width direction of the linen coincides with the axial direction of the roller.
In this state, the control device rotates the roller of the linen mounting device so that one end in the longitudinal direction of the linen is in a predetermined position, that is, the length from the upper center of the roller to each end of both ends of the linen is the same. Control to drive to the size.
In this state, the linen is folded in half with the roller shaft as a fold line.

Further, in the linen folding method according to the third invention, the part of the linen folded in half on the roller is gripped and lifted by the gripping means of the left and right arm members,
Move the part that is folded in two and overlapped to one side of the roller, and place the linen in the folded state again on the roller of the linen mounting device,
After that, the roller is rotated so that the center in the longitudinal direction of the linen folded in two is positioned on the roller.
When the linen is configured to be folded in four, it can be folded in four in the longitudinal direction of the linen.

  Further, in the linen folding method according to the third aspect of the present invention, the part of the linen folded in two on the roller is gripped and lifted by the gripping means of the left and right arm members. Then, the linen is moved so that the width direction of the two linen layers is perpendicular to the axial direction of the roller and the center part of the linen width direction is positioned on the roller. Place the linen folded in two on the roller of the mounting device, and then rotate the roller so that the center in the width direction of the linen folded in two is positioned on the roller. Is configured to be folded in four, it is possible to fold the linen into four folds in the form of being folded in two in the longitudinal direction and the width direction of the linen.

In the linen folding apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the invention, the linen is a towel or a sheet such as a bath towel or a face towel, and the gripping means is configured to clip the linen in a clip shape (clamp shape) from both sides with two members. Configured to grip,
The auxiliary arm member includes at least a first auxiliary arm member and a second auxiliary arm member, and the first auxiliary arm member picks up one linen from the plurality of stacked linens. If the two members of a size which can be controlled and can hold only one linen are provided, the gripping means for the first auxiliary arm member is more efficiently provided such as a bath towel or a face towel which is a linen. A device capable of folding a towel can be realized.

  In the linen folding device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the left and right arm members are composed of left and right arms of a commercially available robot of both arms type, and the linen placing device is an arm of the robot. If it arrange | positions in this turning area | region, it will become possible to manufacture this linen folding apparatus cheaply and efficiently by giving only the operation control program using a commercially available robot effectively. In addition, the two-armed robot and the linen placing device can be combined in an organic manner to cooperate.

  In the linen folding device according to the fourth aspect of the invention, the first auxiliary arm member is disposed on a part of one of the left and right arms, and the first auxiliary arm member A gripping means is disposed at a distal end of an arm portion that can be expanded and contracted from an disposed portion, and the second auxiliary arm member is disposed in a trunk portion between left and right arms of the robot, When the gripping means for the second auxiliary arm member is disposed at the tip of the arm portion that can be expanded and contracted from the disposed portion, it is possible to effectively act on the folding of the linen.

Moreover, the linen folding apparatus according to another aspect of the fourth invention is a linen folding apparatus for folding a linen whose expanded state is a rectangle.
The folding device is
Each left and right arm member provided with gripping means for gripping linen at each tip,
At least one detection means for detecting an end of the linen;
A linen placement device provided with a roller that can be rotationally driven at the tip;
A control device that receives detection information from the detection means and controls the operation of the left and right arm members and the linen placement device;
The detection means is composed of a camera capable of image recognition,
The control device is
One of the gripping means is controlled so as to pick up one linen out of a plurality of linens stacked in an arbitrary state,
Next, the corner of one end of the linen that hangs downward by its own weight is detected by the detection means by picking up, and the detected corner is detected among the gripping means of the left and right arm members. The remaining gripping means, and release the gripping of the linen by the gripping means picking up the one linen,
Next, the corner of the same end of the linen that hangs down by the weight of the linen by gripping the corner of the one end is detected by the detection means, and the detected corner is Gripping with the released gripping means, pulling the gripped linen from both sides,
Next, the linen in which both corners of one end are gripped by the gripping means of the respective left and right arm members, and the other end is suspended downward, the intermediate part in the longitudinal direction of the linen Is placed on the roller and the linen is placed on the roller of the linen placing device in a state where the width direction of the linen coincides with the axial direction of the roller,
Next, the roller of the linen mounting device is rotationally driven so that the detection means detects one end of the linen.
It may be characterized by controlling as described above.

  According to the linen folding device configured as described above, the linen folding device including only the left and right arm members can perform basically the same operation as the above-described linen folding device.

  According to the present linen folding method and apparatus configured as described above, a linen whose expanded state is rectangular can be automatically folded into two or four. For this reason, an operator can be freed from simple labor and infection of an infectious disease can be prevented.

It is a top view which shows the schematic structure of the linen folding apparatus concerning 1 Example (Example 1) of this invention. FIG. 2 is a view taken in the direction of arrows II-II in FIG. 1 showing the configuration of the linen folding device shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the front, and is a view different from FIG. It is the III-III arrow line view of FIG. 1 which shows the structure from the right side view of the linen folding apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the linen mounting apparatus of the linen folding apparatus shown in FIG. It is the VV arrow line view of FIG. 4 which shows the structure from the planar view of the linen mounting apparatus shown in FIG. It is the VI-VI arrow line view of FIG. 4 which shows the structure from the side view of the linen mounting apparatus shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of this linen folding apparatus shown in FIGS. (A)-(d) is the figure which looked at the form of the linen in each process of the folding of the linen using the linen folding apparatus shown in FIGS. 1-6 from the front of the robot. (A)-(d) is the figure which looked at the form of the linen in each process following FIG.8 (d) of the folding of the linen using the linen folding apparatus shown in FIGS. 1-6 from the front of the robot. It is a side view which shows the schematic structure of the part which performs the process before the linen mounting apparatus of the linen folding apparatus concerning another 1 Example (Example 2) of this invention. It is a XI-XI arrow line view of Drawing 10 showing the composition of the 2nd arm member and the 3rd arm member. It is a side view which shows the schematic structure of a linen mounting apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of the mounting base part of the linen mounting apparatus shown in FIG. 10, (a) is the elements on larger scale which show the schematic structure which looked at FIG. 12 from the XIII arrow direction, (b) is a mounting base part. It is a bb arrow line view of (a) which shows the structure of a movable stand part. FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the movement and schematic configuration of the mounting table portion shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. (A)-(d) is a figure which shows the form of the linen in each process of the linen folding using the linen folding apparatus shown to FIG. 10, FIG.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically based on a linen folding method and apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Example 1
1 to 3, A is a commercially available work robot (a double arm robot manufactured by Yaskawa Electric Co., Ltd .: MOTOMAN-SIA / SDA series) that constitutes a part of this linen folding device. The robot A includes left and right arm members (a kind of arm members) 1L and 1R having a “14-axis” rotation axis, and a base 3 having a “1-axis” rotation axis.

Each of the left and right arm members 1L and 1R constitutes one of the operating arm units of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, each arm member 1L and 1R is rotated by 7 axes. It has an axis and has 14 rotation axes as described above.
Specifically, the first joint portion 1a, the second joint portion 1b, the third joint portion 1c, each joint portion having one rotation axis in order from the distal end to the proximal end of each arm member 1L, 1R, A fourth joint 1d, a fifth joint 1e, a sixth joint 1f, and a seventh joint 1g are provided. In this embodiment, the term “operating arm unit” is used as a general concept including each arm member and an auxiliary arm member described later.
And the 1st joint part 1a provided with the holding | grip part 2 (2R, 2L) which is a holding means at the front-end | tip has the 1st rotating shaft which faced the longitudinal direction of the said arm member 1L, 1R, The base end The second joint portion 1b on the (base end of the arm) side has a second rotation axis oriented in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the arm members 1L and 1R, and further, the third joint portion 1c on the proximal end side. Has a third rotation axis facing the longitudinal direction of the arm members 1L, 1R, and the fourth joint portion 1d at the proximal end thereof faces the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the arm members 1L, 1R. The fifth joint portion 1e having a fourth rotation axis and further proximally has a fifth rotation shaft facing the longitudinal direction of the arm members 1L and 1R, and further, a sixth joint portion near the proximal end. 1f has a sixth rotation shaft oriented in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the arm members 1L, 1R, and further has a seventh function at the base end. Parts 1g has a seventh rotary shaft facing the arm member 1L, a longitudinal 1R.

The seventh joint portion 1g is a joint portion for rotatably connecting the arm members 1L and 1R to the base portion (torso portion) 3 of the robot A.
In this embodiment, the base 3 has an upper part 3A and a lower part 3B, and the upper part 3A is configured to be rotatable about an eighth rotation axis extending in the longitudinal direction with respect to the lower part 3B. .

  An electric motor (servo motor) is arranged on each of the rotating shafts so as to drive the rotating shaft, and the electric motor can be controlled to rotate by an arbitrary rotation angle under the control of a control device described later. ing. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 7, each electric motor described above is connected to the control device 20 through a signal line.

In addition, a first auxiliary arm member 4 constituting one of the arm members is disposed at the proximal end of the grip portion 2 of the right arm member 1R. The first auxiliary arm member 4 has a distal end portion that is extendable and contractable with respect to the proximal end portion in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the first joint portion 1a. At the tip of the first auxiliary arm member 4, as shown in FIG. 2, there is a gripping portion 5 configured to grip only one linen (for example, a towel whose shape is rectangular when spread). It is arranged. The grip portion 5 extends or contracts with respect to the base end portion, that is, in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the first joint portion 1a, and the side of the robot A shown in FIGS. In this embodiment, the gripper 5 is configured so that only one linen can be gripped in the vicinity of the linen stacked in the box C on the linen supply conveyor B arranged on the right side).
The right arm member 1R is provided with a weight detection device W (see FIG. 7) that detects the weight of the linen gripped by the grip portion 5. As shown in FIG. 7, the weight detection device W is connected to the control device 20 through a signal line, and is configured to transmit the detected weight to the control device 20. Although it is preferable to provide such a weight detection device W, the present linen folding device is established even if such a weight detection device W is not necessarily provided.

  Further, at the upper end of the base portion 3, a second auxiliary arm member 6 constituting one of the arm members is in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the base portion 2, that is, in front of the robot A (the lower end in FIG. 1). )), It is arranged to be stretchable. A gripping member 7 for gripping the linen is disposed at the distal end of the second auxiliary arm member 6 which can be expanded and contracted.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a first detection device (one of detection means) 8 is disposed in front of the robot A in close proximity. The first detection device 8 includes a detection device body 8a and a holding device 8b that holds the detection device body 8a up and down. The holding device 8b includes a support member 8c extending in the vertical direction (in this embodiment, the same as the longitudinal direction of the base 3), and an elevating device 8d that moves up and down with respect to the support member 8c.
In this embodiment, the first detection device 8 is constituted by a camera capable of recognizing the linen state (form), the positional information, the linen dirt state and the tearing state shown in FIGS. Has been. However, the present invention is not limited to such a detection device, but a detection device having another form of detection function, for example, a detection device using a sensor such as an infrared sensor that can turn at a predetermined angle. You may be comprised so that the position of a lowest end position, a center site | part, etc. may be detected.
The detection device main body 8a is configured to be rotatable in a horizontal plane by a predetermined angle to the left and right with respect to the holding device 8b. However, of course, the swivelable structure is an additional structure, and if the detection angle is large, the basic action is not hindered even if the swivel is not possible.
Further, the first detection device 8 is connected to the control device 20 via a signal line, and is configured to transmit linen position information to the control device 20.

Then, on the side of the robot A (left side in this embodiment: left side when viewed from the robot A), the linen fold line can be adjusted to be positioned directly above the axis of the roller 9a (see FIG. 4). A linen placing device 9 is arranged. As shown in FIG. 4, the linen placing device 9 is provided with a roller 9 a for placing linen, which is configured to be rotated by an electric motor (servo motor) 9 m at the upper end. In this embodiment, the roller 9a is formed with reduced diameter portions 9e at both ends so that the gripping portions 2R and 2L can easily grip the linen. Further, the roller 9a has a predetermined height from the floor surface by at least the support members 9b (at least a height higher than ½ of the longitudinal length of the rectangular linen and lower than the longitudinal length). It is supported so as to be located only above.
And this linen mounting apparatus 9 is equipped with the 2nd detection apparatus (detection means) 18, and it is comprised so that the said position located when the lower end of a linen is made into predetermined half-fold may be detected.
In addition, the linen placement device 9 faces the roller 9a so that the axis of the roller 9a and the linen folding line are parallel even when the linen on the roller 9a is placed with a slight inclination. And the press roller 9c is arrange | positioned. The pressing roller 9c is configured to be movable toward and away from the actuator 9d so as to be in contact with the roller 9a. Further, the longitudinal axis of the pressing roller 9c can contact with the axis of the roller 9a in an oblique state when both rollers 9a and 9c are in contact with each other by another actuator (not shown). It is configured as follows. That is, the actuator (not shown) is arranged so that the pressing roller 9c is in contact with the roller 9a and is inclined or both axes are in a parallel state.
Instead of such a configuration, the pressing roller is constituted by a roller having a pair of left and right rollers, and the slanted linen is driven straight by driving one of the left and right rollers. You may make it correct in the state of. Further, in place of the above configuration, although not shown, the roller 9a of the linen placing device 9 is divided into left and right parts, and the left part and the right part of the roller 9a are independently rotated, so that You may comprise so that the sloping linen may be corrected to a straight state.
The linen placement device 9 is connected to the control device 20 through a signal line as shown in FIG. 7, and can be controlled to perform an operation described later under the control of the control device 20. Has been.

A carry-out conveyor D for discharging the folded linen to a predetermined place is disposed behind the linen placing device 9 (upward in FIG. 1).
Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the carry-out conveyor D is connected to the control device 20 via a signal line, and is configured to be transportable by a predetermined distance according to the control of the control device 20.

The linen folding apparatus according to this embodiment includes the control device 20 described above, and is configured to be capable of automatically folding linen as described later.
Hereinafter, the folding method will be described together with the control contents of the control device 20 and the operation of the present linen folding device.

That is, the pass box C is conveyed on the conveyor B, and the wash box and dried linen are piled in the pass box C (arbitrary state). The position of this box C is input to the control device 20 as position information.
The control device 20 operates each joint portion of the right arm member 1R so that the first auxiliary arm member 4 attached to the arm member 1R is positioned on the box C. Then, the first auxiliary arm member 4 is extended and the linen in the box C is gripped by the grip portion 5. At this time, the gripping part 5 grips an appropriate part of one linen piled up and exposed on the surface (step 1: S1). That is, step 1 corresponds to the first step in the first invention.

Next, in this embodiment, the control device 20 detects the weight of the linen gripped by the grip portion 5 by the weight detection device W. It is checked whether the detected weight value is a predetermined value, that is, a value corresponding to one linen sheet, or a value corresponding to two sheets or more (step 1a: S1a), and two or more sheets are checked. In this case, the gripper 5 drops the linen gripped in a storage box (not shown) on the side of the linen supply conveyor B (not shown) into the lower box C (step 1b: S1b), The linen folding process is stopped, and the process returns to Step 1 above.
As another method (correspondence), when two or more linens are gripped by the gripper 5, the gripper 5 is gripped by a sensor such as the first detection sensor 8 (or another sensor may be provided). Detects the vertical dimension from the upper end (uppermost end) to the lower end (lowermost end) of the linen gripped by the part 5, and grips two or more linens when the detected value is longer than a predetermined dimension You may comprise so that it may be judged.

  As described above, when the gripping part 5 grips two or more linens, one end of the two or more gripped linens is positioned at the lowermost end (the corner of the linen). If the gripping part that grips the two or more linens is released in a state where the arm member 1L (or 1R) is gripped, the linens other than the gripped linen are dropped into the lower box C. All the linens having an end portion above the lowermost end fall, and as a result, the gripping portion 5 can grip only one linen. Therefore, when such a configuration is adopted, the weight detection device W, the first detection sensor 8, and the like are not necessary.

  On the other hand, when the weight value is equivalent to one linen, the control device 20 operates the right arm member 1R so that the gripped linen is within the movable range of the left arm member 1L and Operation control is performed so that the detection device 8 is located at a detectable position (step 1c: S1c).

  Next, the control device 20 causes the detection device 8 to detect the position of the lowest linen t1 (see FIG. 8A) and, as shown in FIG. 8B, the detected linen. The part of the lowermost end t1 is grasped by the grasping part 2L of the left arm member 1L and picked up in the air (step 2: S2). That is, step 2 corresponds to the second step in the first invention.

Next, the control device 20 releases the gripping portion 5 in a state where the gripping portion 2L of the left arm member 1L is gripped, and in the released state, the detection device 8 causes the bottom end of the linen to be released. The position of t2 (see FIG. 8 (b)) is detected, and as shown in FIG. 8 (b), the detected lowermost part t2 of the linen is set to the grip portion of the right arm member 1R. The left and right arm members 1R and 1L are controlled so as to have the same height (step 4: S4). That is, step 3 corresponds to the third step in the first invention, and step 4 corresponds to the fourth step in the first invention.
In such a state, the corners t1 and t2 on the diagonal line of the rectangular linen are gripped by the grips 2 of the left and right arm members 1R and 1L (see FIG. 8C).
In this state, as shown in FIG. 8 (c), two other corners hang downwardly at a portion between both ends of the linen to form a triangular shaped portion.

  Next, the control device 20 causes the center part m1 of the linen to be gripped by the gripping part 7 of the second auxiliary arm member 6 based on the position information of the center part m1 of the linen and the left arm member 1L. The grip portion 2L is released (step 5: S5). In this state, the bottom end t2 of the linen is gripped by the gripping part 2R of the right arm member 1R, and the central part m1 of the linen is gripped by the gripping part 7 of the second auxiliary arm member 6. (See FIG. 8D).

Next, the control device 20 detects the other corner t3 (see FIG. 8D) at the same end as the lowermost position t1 of the linen by the detection device 8, and detects the corner t3 of the linen. The left arm member 1L is held by the holding portion 2L (step 6: S6). In such a state, both corners (the bottom end t2 and the corner t3) of one end in the longitudinal direction of the linen are gripped, and in the gripped state, as shown in FIG. The arm members 1R and 1L are controlled to have the same height (step 7: S7).
In this state, as shown in FIG. 9A, the other end of the linen is positioned at the lower end while both corners of the one end of the linen are gripped.
In this state, the detection device 8 constituted by the image recognition device detects whether the linen is dirty and torn. If there is no stain or torn, the process proceeds to the next step 8. On the other hand, if there is dirt or tear, the control device 20 puts the gripped linen into a collection box arranged in the vicinity (not shown), stops the subsequent folding operation, and returns to step 1.

Next, in the above state, the control device 20 rotates a predetermined angle around the eighth rotation shaft of the base portion 3 and the left and right arm members 1R, 1L are rotated by the rollers 9a of the linen placement device 9. The line (virtual line) connecting these arm members 1R and 1L is moved to a position that is substantially parallel to the rotation axis of the roller 9a, and the linen is the anti-robot A of the roller 9a. Then, the arm members 1R and 1L are controlled so that a line (virtual line) connecting the left and right arm members 1R and 1L is located on the side of the robot A of the roller 9a. (Step 8: S8).
In this state, as shown in FIG. 9B, one end (upper end) of the linen is positioned on the robot A side of the roller 9a, and the other end (lower end) is opposite to the roller 9a. It will be in the state located in the robot A side.

  In such a state, the control device 20 controls to release the grip portions 2 (2R, 2L) of the left and right arm members 1R, 1L (step 9: S9). As a result, the substantially central portion of the linen in the longitudinal direction is placed on the roller 9a (not shown).

Next, the control device 20 controls the electric motor of the linen mounting device 9 to rotate the roller 9a so that the true center position in the longitudinal direction of the linen is located directly above the roller 9a ( Step 10: S10). In this control, in the case of this embodiment, the second detection device 18 detects the position that becomes the lower end when the linen is folded in two in a predetermined manner, and stops the rotation of the roller 9a. To control. In the case of this embodiment, if the linen width direction is not parallel to the axis of the roller 9a, the actuator (not shown) is actuated so that the pressing roller 9c has a predetermined axis with respect to the roller 9a. Can be corrected so that the width direction of the linen is parallel to the axis of the roller 9a.
In this state, the folding of the linen is completed.

  In such a state, the control device 20 reduces the shrinkage of the roller 9a of the linen placed in a folded state on the roller 9a by the grip portions 2R, 2L of the left and right arm members 1R, 1L. If the diameter portion 9e is grasped and lifted up (see FIG. 9C), the linen can be folded in two. For example, if it is placed on the transport surface of the carry-out conveyor D, the linen in a folded state can be carried by the carry-out conveyor D to a desired position or a post-processing device (for example, a packaging device).

  On the other hand, when the linen is folded in four, the control device 20 shows the left and right arm members 1R and 1L holding the folded-back portion of the linen in the folded state, and the linen is illustrated in FIG. Then, the operation is controlled so as to be placed on the roller 9a, and the steps 8 to 10 are executed again, whereby the linen that has been folded in half is further folded in the longitudinal direction. Can be folded in four.

  In addition, when the linen is folded into four in the direction orthogonal to the linen fold line, the control device 20 controls the left and right side gripping the linen folded part in the folded state. The arm members 1R and 1L are positioned so that the lines (imaginary lines) connecting the grip portions 2R and 2L are orthogonal to the axis of the roller 9a and the grip portions 2R and 2L are opposed to each other on both sides of the roller 9a. After that, if the gripping parts 2R and 2L are released, the linen is placed on the roller 9a in such a state that the folded linen of the linen is perpendicular to the axis of the roller 9a. After that, the above steps 8 to 10 are executed again, so that it can be folded in such a form.

  In the above-described embodiment, the first and second auxiliary arm members are arranged. However, if the folding time may be somewhat longer, the first and second auxiliary arm members can be folded even if they are omitted. That is, as another example, an appropriate part of linen is gripped by one of the gripping portions of the left and right arm members, for example, gripped by the gripping portion of the right arm member, and then gripped by the left arm member. The lower end of the linen is gripped by the part, and then the grip part of the right arm member is released, and the lower end of the linen gripped only by the grip part of the left arm member is the right arm. Grip with the gripping part of the member, and then release the gripping part of the left arm member and grip the opposite corner of the same end of the linen gripped only with the gripping part of the right arm member, In this state, it is also possible to place the linen on the roller of the linen placing device in the same manner as in the above embodiment and perform the same processing. Also, it is possible to provide only one auxiliary arm member, and in such a case, the processing time can be shortened compared to the case where there is no processing at all. In this embodiment, it is desirable to use a camera capable of recognizing an image as the detection means (detection device).

  Further, as described above, in the configuration in which the second auxiliary arm member (in some cases, the first and second auxiliary members in some cases) in the embodiment (Example 1) is omitted, the left and right corners of one end of the linen are omitted. As a configuration (method) in which the right arm member and the left arm member are gripped, the left and right corners of one end are gripped by one of the left and right arm members, and then the arm The member is configured to turn about a predetermined angle, for example, about 90 degrees in the lateral direction (for example, horizontal direction) around the base of the robot, and the turning direction during the turning process of the linen held by the arm member and turning. If the baffle rod (for example, a rod) is arranged so as to have an angle of intersection (for example, orthogonal), the central portion of the swiveling linen comes into contact with the baffle rod to be in a folded state, and the linen comes into contact with the One of the linen located on the front side of the turning direction A corner of the end of the arm that is not gripped is detected by a detection device (for example, an image recognition device), and the corner is gripped by the remaining arm member (the arm member on the side that does not contribute to gripping). By doing so, both corners of one end of the linen can be gripped by the left and right arm members in a shorter time with a simple configuration. And in the case of this structure, it becomes a preferable structure at the point which can also simplify control of a control apparatus. Further, it is preferable that the baffle rod is configured to be retractable so that it does not interfere with the operation of the arm member or the like when not necessary.

  Moreover, in the said Example, although the detection apparatuses (detection means) 8 and 18 are each arrange | positioned in two places for the detection of a linen, you may comprise so that it may carry out with one detection apparatus, or Two or more may be arranged. Further, it is desirable to use a camera capable of recognizing an image as the detection means (detection device).

  Moreover, in the said Example, although the said left and right arm members 1L and 1R have what each has a rotation axis of a total of "14 axes" by seven axes, it is not limited to this, Left and right arm members 1L and 1R may each have 4 to 6 axes or 7 or more rotation axes.

(Example 2)
Even if it replaces with the said Example 1 or it replaces with each structure of Example 1 and is comprised as follows, the expanded state can fold rectangular linen into a desired state. That is,
Instead of using the double type robot in the first embodiment, the second embodiment can be implemented even by using an inexpensive single robot. In the case of the second embodiment, it can be folded more rationally (with a short processing time).
In the second embodiment, various types of arm members are used as one form of the operating arm unit.

  In other words, instead of the first auxiliary arm member 4 of the first embodiment described above, one or a plurality of first arm members 104 having a grip portion 102 that is a grip means at the tip as shown in FIG. 10 are used. Also good. As shown in FIG. 10, the arm member 104 has a rod-like (long member-like) arm portion 104a, and the arm portion 104a is centered on a pivot shaft O1 at one end of the arm device 104a. In the embodiment, the air cylinder 120 is extended and retracted by a predetermined angle (approximately 90 degrees in this embodiment), and the arm portion 104a is orthogonal to the linen as much as possible. The grip portion 102 is configured to be able to be folded at an intermediate portion so that it can act. And the said holding | gripping part 102 is arrange | positioned in the state orthogonal to the axial direction at the front-end | tip of the said arm member 104a. Then, the arm member 104 is configured to handle the laundry-dried linen (for example, a bath towel) t stacked in a funnel-shaped hopper 122 under the control of the control device of the linen folding device, with the grip portion 102. As shown in FIG. 15 (a), an arbitrary part of the linen t is gripped and picked up so that the linen t is positioned in the air as in the case of the first embodiment. That is, the first step in the first invention can be executed.

  Further, instead of the arm member 1L of the first embodiment, a second arm member 101 described in a second embodiment described below may be provided. As one form of the operating arm unit, the arm members described later, including the second arm member 101, are used. That is, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, a second portion having a grip portion 101a at the tip on the opposite side (right side in FIG. 10) of the first arm member 104 across the hopper 122. An arm member 101 is provided. As the second arm member 101, a single-armed multi-joint robot having a configuration including only one arm of the double-armed robot of the first embodiment is employed in the second embodiment. Then, the second arm member 101 holds the lower end t1 of the linen t in the state shown in FIG. 15A and the first arm member 104 under the control of the control device. It is configured so that the gripping of the portion 102 can be released so that the state shown in FIG. 15B, that is, the gripped lower end t1 becomes the upper end. That is, the second step in the first invention can be executed.

In the second embodiment, an additional step of moving the linen t from the second arm member 101 to the third arm member 106 is performed. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, near the end of the linen t gripped by the grip portion 101a of the second arm member 101 (near the lower end t1: in the state shown in FIG. 11, near the upper end) t2. Then, the holding part 106 a provided at the upper end of the third arm member 106 is used.
At the same time or thereafter, as shown in FIG. 11, the other end of the linen t (the lower end t3 of the linen t in FIG. 11) is gripped by a gripping portion 106b provided at the lower end of the third arm member 106. To do. The third step in the first invention is executed.
In this state where both ends of the linen t are gripped, the linen t rotates approximately 90 degrees around the pivotal support portion 106 s provided at the intermediate portion of the third arm member 106. As a result, as shown in FIG. 15C, the upper and lower ends of the linen t are substantially horizontal or close to each other. That is, the fourth step in the first invention is executed.

  Next, a state illustrated in FIG. 15C is captured by a 3D camera (three-dimensional image sensor), and the fourth arm member disposed on the right side of the second arm member 101 in FIG. 110 is gripped by a gripping part 110a disposed at the tip thereof. As shown in FIG. 15C by hatching w, the gripping is performed at a corner portion of the linen t that is not gripped by the gripping portion and is located at one end portion of both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the linen t. This is done by gripping. That is, in the state where at least half or more of the “one end” in the width direction (region) is linear, the linear portion (see hatching w in FIG. 15C) Is gripped by the gripping portion 110 a of the fourth arm member 110. It is the next step (step) that grips such a large portion (the hatched w portion in FIG. 15C) extending linearly in the width direction of the linen t. This is because the linen t is supplied in the state shown in FIG. That is, as described above, the fourth arm member 110 that holds the linen t is supplied to the linen mounting device 109 arranged on the right side in FIG. 10 in the state shown in FIG.

In the second embodiment, the linen mounting device 109 has a configuration different from that of the first embodiment. That is, the linen mounting device 109 has a configuration as shown in FIG. 12, and is supplied with the leading end (the upper end in FIG. 15D) in the state shown in FIG. t is mounted on the mounting table 140 provided in a horizontal state or a state close thereto (see FIG. 14). As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the mounting table 140 swings up by about 90 degrees around the swinging shaft 140 s adjacent to the fixed table portion 140 a and the width direction thereof, and is entirely a horizontal table. And a movable base portion 140b portion. As shown in FIG. 13, the movable base portion 140b is configured to be swingable as indicated by a chain line f around the swing shaft 140s as described above by expansion and contraction of the rod of the cylinder 141.
In the case of the second embodiment, the linen t is fixed to both ends in the width direction of the mounting table 140 by sandwiching the linen t between the mounting table 140 as illustrated in FIG. A grip member 140g that can be sandwiched and released is formed. The grip member 140g can be sandwiched and released by the expansion and contraction operations of the cylinders 142 and 143, respectively.

By the way, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 13B, the front end portion (downstream end portion: the upper end portion in FIG. 14) 140e of the mounting table 140 is a front end portion t5 in the longitudinal direction of the linen t (see FIG. 14) is formed in a fork shape so that it can be reliably and easily gripped by a pair of left and right gripping portions. A gripping portion 145a corresponding to the tip portion 140e formed in the fork shape, that is, having a fork-like claw (not shown) shaped to complement the shape of the tip portion 140e, is shown in FIG. As shown in the drawing, a pair of left and right arms are disposed at the tip of a sixth arm member (a kind of moving means) 145. The sixth arm member 145 is arranged along the flow of the processing step so that the sixth arm member 145 can move along the flow of the folding process of the linen t (processing step flowing from left to right in FIG. 12). A traveling platform (moving means) 145f capable of traveling on the guide rail Ra is provided. In the second embodiment, the pair of left and right grips 145a are configured to be able to expand and contract in the movement direction independently or in synchronization with each other, and by adjusting the left and right expansion and contraction state, the linen t However, the mounting table 140 and the inspection table 155 can be moved in a straight state along the moving direction.
Further, as shown in FIG. 12, a seventh arm member (a kind of moving means) 147 provided with another traveling base (moving means) 147f is provided on the guide rail Ra so as to be able to run. ing.
The traveling platform 145f and the traveling platform 147f are configured so that different work can be performed in different areas overlapping in time. That is, while the traveling table 145f is gripping the linen t at the left side portion (upstream portion) of the guide rail Ra and moving it to the inspection table 155 downstream thereof, the traveling table 147f is In the right side portion (downstream portion) of the guide rail Ra, the collection box Bw provided below the downstream end of the linen t that has been moved or failed to be folded into the processing site where the linen t folded in four is stacked. It is configured to be able to enter

By the way, as described above, the linen t having both ends of the sixth arm member 145 gripped by the gripping portion 145a has a table surface that is flat with the mounting table 140 on the downstream side. It is transported by the sixth arm member 145 onto the inspection table 155 it has. The transferred linen t is moved downstream on the inspection table 155 in a state in which “wrinkles” are removed as much as possible by being pressed from above by the roller of the pressing device 153. The image inspection apparatus (a type of detection apparatus: also called a line camera) 156 disposed above and below during such movement still has “dirt” on the passing linen t after cleaning. A check is made optically to see if there are any tears or flaws. The image inspection apparatus 156 is configured to inspect (scan) the front and back surfaces of the linen t passing below or above the pair of line cameras 156 provided vertically. Note that a slit is formed in the inspection portion 155 where the inspection light of the image inspection apparatus 156 is irradiated.
When “dirt” is detected on the linen t by the image inspection apparatus 156, the door 158 is opened when the linen t is moved to the position of the first door 158, and the gripper 145a releases the linen t at that position. Then, the linen t is dropped into the collection box By below. On the other hand, when “breaking or fraying” is detected in the linen t, the second door 159 is opened when the position of the second door 159 is still moved, and the gripper 145a releases the linen t at that position. The linen t is dropped into the waste box Bz below it.
Further, when “dirt” or “tear or fray” is not detected on the linen t by the image inspection apparatus 156, the traveling No. 145f is controlled to move the front end of the linen t to the downstream side, and the length of the linen t is increased. At the center of the direction, the front end of the linen t is folded back to the upstream side, and by this operation, the linen t is folded in the longitudinal direction. At the time of folding, the folded portion of the linen t is pressed from above by the gripper 161 so that the folded portion is fixed.
When the two-folding is performed, the control device is arranged such that the center position in the longitudinal direction of the linen t folded in half is located between the first door 158 and the second door 159 which are double-opened. As described above, the sixth arm member 145 is moved downstream on the guide rail Ra, and is controlled to release the grip portion 145a gripping the linen t after being folded in half.

Next, the control device opens the first door 158 and the second door 159 simultaneously, and drops the linen t downward. A rod-shaped member having a longitudinal direction extending in parallel with a boundary line between the first door 158 and the second door 159 is provided below the first door 158 and the second door 159. (The plate may have a plate shape as a whole) 160 is arranged, and the center (center) in the longitudinal direction of the dropped linen t is placed on the rod-shaped member 160, and the linen Both ends of t hang downward. As a result, the linen t is folded in the longitudinal direction. The linen t that is folded in this way is gripped by the grip portion 147a of the seventh arm member 147 at the fold line portion (the upper end portion of the rod-shaped member 160) and lifted upward. Thus, the center in the longitudinal direction of the four-fold is moved so as to come to a position between the third door 163 and the fourth door 164. During this movement, a photoelectric tube 165 to which light is irradiated is arranged so as to be laid horizontally on the surface of the third door, whether or not the linen t is folded in the four-fold state. At this position, the third door 163 and the fourth door 164 are simultaneously opened, and the quadruple linen t falls in this state and is stacked on the lower linen stacking table 166. .
When a predetermined number, for example, 20 sheets are stacked on the linen stacking table 166, the number of stacked layers is detected by counting the number of times the doors 163 and 164 are opened and closed, and the doors are configured as double doors. When the linen stacking table 166 performs a double-opening operation, the linen stacking table 166 falls on the transfer surface 168a of the unloading conveyor 168 below, and a predetermined number, for example, 20 sheets are stacked on the transfer surface 168a. Detection is performed by counting the number of times the linen stacking table 166 is opened and closed, and the carry-out conveyor 168 is operated to carry out the stacked linen t.
As shown in FIG. 12, the guide rail Ra is extended toward the tip (downstream), and a recycling box Bw is provided below the guide rail Ra, so that the four-fold state is broken (or a four-fold state can be formed). Linen t) was collected and returned to the hopper 122. In FIG. 12, reference numerals 171 and 172 denote detection sensors made of photoelectric tubes, which are checked so that the linen t does not interfere with the door opening / closing operation of the doors 163, 164 and 166.

  By the way, the constituent elements of the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above can be appropriately recombined (combined) to constitute the linen folding device according to the present invention, and these linen folding devices are included in the present invention. It goes without saying that such a linen folding method can be carried out.

Moreover, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms within the scope based on the technical idea of the present invention.
As described above, the folding device according to the present invention folds a cloth such as flexible linen that is not folded.
And this folding device comprises at least three gripping parts capable of gripping the cloth, an operating part such as the aforementioned operating arm unit for moving each of the gripping parts, and a position detecting part such as the aforementioned detecting means, A folding unit such as a linen mounting device for folding the cloth,
Prior to folding at the foldable part, in the state where the gripper is gripping a position suitable for folding, the cloth is passed to the foldable part,
In order to grasp the position suitable for the folding, the position of the cloth before folding is changed in each of the holding parts, and the direction of the cloth is changed by the movement of the holding part by the operation part. Yes,
Before grasping the suitable position, in order to determine the suitable position, first, an arbitrary portion of the cloth before folding is grasped by one of the grasping portions, and another part of the cloth is placed on its own weight. Hanging down
The position detection unit detects the lower end of the suspended cloth, determines the next gripping position with the other gripping part, and grips with the other gripping part. Hereinafter, the folding is performed. Until the gripper is gripped at a suitable position, the gripping position of each gripper with respect to the cloth is changed, and the necessary gripper is moved by the operating unit.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The linen folding method and apparatus according to the present invention can be used in the field of linen washing in hotels and hospitals.

A ... Robot
1R ... Right arm member (operating arm unit)
101, 1L ... Left arm member (operating arm unit)
110, 2R ... Right arm member gripping part (gripping means)
106, 2L ... Left arm member gripping part (gripping means)
104, 4 ... 1st auxiliary arm member (operating arm unit)
5: Holding portion (gripping means) of the first auxiliary arm member
6 ... Second auxiliary arm member (operating arm unit)
7: Holding portion (gripping means) of the second auxiliary arm member
8: Detection device (detection means)
9. Linen placement device
9a ... Roller
18: Second detection device (detection means)
20 ... Control device

Claims (12)

Using a plurality of operating arm units each having at least one gripping means, a plurality of rectangular linens in an expanded state are sequentially taken out from the stacked state in an arbitrary state, and a linen placement device provided therewith In the linen folding method, the sheet is supplied in a predetermined state and folded into a desired state.
An arbitrary linen among a plurality of linens stacked in an arbitrary state is gripped by gripping means provided in a first operating arm unit that is one of the plurality of operating arm units, and the lower end of the linen is First step to pick up in the air as you can see,
The lower end of the linen picked up is gripped by the gripping means of the second operating arm unit, the upper end of the linen gripped in the first step is released, and then the end that was the gripped lower end A second step of picking up into the air so that the lower end of the linen picked up in the air can be seen,
A third step of gripping the lower end of the linen as determined in the second step with a gripping means different from the gripping means gripping the upper end;
Fourth step of operating both or one of the gripping means so that the upper and lower ends of the linen are gripped in the third step so that the heights of the upper and lower ends are horizontal or close to each other. When,
In the fourth step, both ends in the longitudinal direction of the linen that are gripped by separate gripping means are connected to another gripping means so that the one end is linear. Hold it with
Supplying the linen having the one end portion held in a straight line to the linen mounting device for folding the linen to be folded at least in the longitudinal direction, and folding the linen at least in half with the linen mounting device;
A linen folding method.   In the step of folding in at least two, both ends of the one end in the longitudinal direction of the linen are horizontal or close to each other, and the linen in such a state is moved on the mounting table in the longitudinal direction of the linen. Folded in half at the center, and then placed on a rod-shaped member arranged so that the longitudinal axis direction is horizontal so that the center in the longitudinal direction of the linen folded in half is positioned. The linen folding method according to claim 1, wherein the linen is folded into four at the longitudinal center. An arm member which is a form of each of the left and right operating rod units provided with gripping means for gripping linen at the tip;
An auxiliary arm member which is a form of at least one operating rod unit having a gripping means for gripping linen at the tip;
At least one detection means capable of detecting an end of the linen;
A linen placement device provided with a roller that can be rotationally driven at the tip;
A control device that receives the detection information from the detection means and controls operation of the left and right arm members, the auxiliary arm member, and the linen placement device;
In the linen folding method, a linen folding device is used to fold linen that is rectangular in an expanded state.
One end of the linen that is the lower end of the linen that hangs downward by its own weight by picking up an arbitrary position of one linen from a plurality of linens stacked in an arbitrary state. The part is detected by the detection means, is gripped by one of the gripping means of the left and right arm members, and the corner of the one end is gripped to hang downward by the weight of the linen and is positioned at the lower end. The corner of the other end of the linen is detected by the detection means and gripped by the gripping means of the remaining arm members, and the gripped linen is pulled from both sides,
Next, the intermediate position of the tensioned linen is gripped by the gripping means of the auxiliary arm member, and the gripping state of the linen by the gripping means of one of the left and right arm members is released. Release one corner of the linen that was gripped
Next, the other corner of one end of the linen having the gripped corner is detected by the detecting means and gripped by the released gripping means, and one end of the linen rectangle is at the upper end In the state where the other end hangs to the lower end.
Next, the linen is moved to the linen placing device so that the intermediate part in the longitudinal direction of the linen is located on the roller, and then the roller is rotated so that the center in the longitudinal direction of the linen is located on the roller. The linen folding method is characterized in that the linen is folded in half as detected by the detecting means. Gripping the linen folded in half on the roller on the roller with the gripping means of the left and right arm members and lifting,
Move the part that is folded in two and overlapped to one side of the roller, and place the linen in the folded state again on the roller of the linen mounting device,
After that, the roller is rotated so that the center in the longitudinal direction of the linen folded in two is positioned on the roller.
The linen folding method according to claim 3, wherein the linen is folded in four.   The linen of the linen folded in half on the roller is lifted by gripping the upper part of the linen with the gripping means of the left and right arm members, Move the linen so that the center part in the width direction of the linen is positioned on the roller in a state orthogonal to the axial direction of the roller, and place the linen folded on the roller of the linen mounting device again. After that, the linen is folded in four so that the center in the width direction of the linen folded in two by rotating the roller is positioned on the roller. The linen folding method according to claim 3. In a linen folding device that folds a linen that is rectangular in an expanded state,
The folding device is
A first operating arm unit having at least one gripping means for gripping linen at the tip;
A second operating arm unit having at least one gripping means for gripping linen at the tip; a third operating arm unit having at least one gripping means for gripping linen at the tip;
A fourth operating arm unit having at least one gripping means for gripping linen at the tip;
At least one detection means capable of detecting an end of the linen;
A linen placement device that folds the linen supplied in a state where one end of the both ends in the longitudinal direction of the linen is horizontal or close thereto into at least two folds;
A control device that receives detection information from the detection means and controls the operation of the first to fourth operating arm units to the fourth operating arm unit and the linen placement device;
The control device is
Controlling the gripping means of the first operating arm unit so as to pick up one linen out of a plurality of linens stacked in an arbitrary state;
Next, the detection means detects the corner of one end of the linen that is the lower end of the linen that hangs downward by its own weight by picking up, and the detected corner is Gripping with the gripping means of the second operating arm unit, and then releasing the gripping of the linen by the gripping means of the first operating arm unit,
Next, when the corner of the one end is gripped, the corner on the diagonal of the linen that hangs downward by its own weight is detected by the detection means, and the detected corner is Gripping with the gripping means of the third operating arm unit, in such a state that the linen gripped at each corner located at both ends in the longitudinal direction is pulled from both sides in the longitudinal direction,
Next, one of the corners of the linen that is not gripped by the gripping means is gripped by the gripping means of the fourth operating arm unit, and one end of the linen is in a horizontal state or Place the linen on the linen placing device in a state close to that,
Next, the linen placing device is operated and folded into at least two folds,
A linen folding device characterized by being controlled. The linen placement device is disposed across the width direction of the placement surface on which the linen is placed in a state where one end of the linen is horizontal or close thereto, and the linen is broken or dirty And a moving arm unit having a moving means for gripping and moving the linen by a gripping means to detect the tear and dirt on the mounting surface on which the detecting device is disposed,
The gripping means is provided with left and right gripping means for gripping both ends of the linen, the left and right gripping means are provided with expansion / contraction means that can be expanded and contracted in the movement direction of the linen, and the linen moves relative to the movement direction during the movement. The linen folding apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the linen folding device is configured to perform expansion and contraction of the left and right expansion and contraction means so as not to be inclined. In a linen folding device that folds a linen that is rectangular in an expanded state,
The folding device is
Each of the left and right arm members provided with gripping means for gripping linen at the tip,
At least one auxiliary arm member provided with gripping means for gripping linen at the tip;
At least one detection means capable of detecting an end of the linen;
A linen placement device provided with a roller that can be rotationally driven at the tip;
A control device that receives the detection information from the detection means and controls the operation of the left and right arm members, the auxiliary arm member, and the linen placement device;
The control device is
The grip means of any of the left and right arm members and auxiliary arm members is controlled to pick up one linen out of a plurality of linens stacked in an arbitrary state,
Next, the detection means detects the corner of one end of the linen that hangs downward by the weight of the linen by picking it up, and the detected corner is used among the left and right arm members. Gripping with the gripping means of the arm member that is not, and releasing the gripping by the gripping means picking up the linen,
Next, when the corner of the one end is gripped, the corner of the other end of the linen that hangs downward due to the weight of the linen is detected by the detection means, and the detected corner Are gripped by the gripping means of the remaining arm members of the left and right arm members, and the gripped linen is pulled from both sides,
Next, a gripping means for gripping one of the left and right arm members gripping the corner portion while gripping the intermediate position of the tensioned linen with the gripping means of the auxiliary arm member Release one of the corners of the linen that was gripped by releasing,
Next, grip the other corner of the one end of the linen where the corner of the linen being gripped at that time is gripped by the grip means of the left or right arm member that is not used,
Next, the linen in which both corners of one end are gripped by the gripping means of the respective left and right arm members, and the other end is suspended downward, the intermediate part in the longitudinal direction of the linen Is placed on the roller and the linen is placed on the roller of the linen placing device in a state where the width direction of the linen coincides with the axial direction of the roller,
Next, the detection means detects one end of the linen and rotationally drives the roller of the linen mounting device so that the central part in the longitudinal direction of the linen is positioned on the roller.
A linen folding device characterized by being controlled. The linen is a towel or a sheet such as a bath towel or a face towel, and the gripping means is configured to grip the linen in a clip shape from both sides with two members,
The auxiliary arm member includes at least a first auxiliary arm member and a second auxiliary arm member, and the first auxiliary arm member picks up one linen from the plurality of stacked linens. 9. The linen folding apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the two members that are controlled and have a size capable of gripping only one linen are provided as gripping means for the first auxiliary arm member.   The left and right arm members are composed of left and right arms of a commercially available robot of both arms type, and the linen placement device is disposed in a turning area of the arm of the robot. The linen folding apparatus according to claim 8 or 9.   The first auxiliary arm member is disposed on a part of any one of the left and right arms, and an arm portion in which gripping means for the first auxiliary arm member can be extended and contracted from the disposed portion. The second auxiliary arm member is disposed on the body between the left and right arms of the robot, and the gripping means for the second auxiliary arm member is disposed from the disposed portion. The linen folding device according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the linen folding device is disposed at a tip of an arm portion that can be expanded and contracted. In a linen folding device that folds a linen that is rectangular in an expanded state,
The folding device is
Each left and right arm member provided with gripping means for gripping linen at each tip,
At least one detection means for detecting an end of the linen;
A linen placement device provided with a roller that can be rotationally driven at the tip;
A control device that receives detection information from the detection means and controls the operation of the left and right arm members and the linen placement device;
The detection means is composed of a camera capable of image recognition,
The control device is
One of the gripping means is controlled so as to pick up one linen out of a plurality of linens stacked in an arbitrary state,
Next, the corner of one end of the linen that hangs downward by its own weight is detected by the detection means by picking up, and the detected corner is detected among the gripping means of the left and right arm members. The remaining gripping means, and release the gripping of the linen by the gripping means picking up the one linen,
Next, the corner of the same end of the linen that hangs down by the weight of the linen by gripping the corner of the one end is detected by the detection means, and the detected corner is Gripping with the released gripping means, pulling the gripped linen from both sides,
Next, the linen in which both corners of one end are gripped by the gripping means of the respective left and right arm members, and the other end is suspended downward, the intermediate part in the longitudinal direction of the linen Is placed on the roller and the linen is placed on the roller of the linen placing device in a state where the width direction of the linen coincides with the axial direction of the roller,
Next, the roller of the linen mounting device is rotationally driven so that the detection means detects one end of the linen.
A linen folding device characterized by being controlled.