JP7503221B1 - Shrinkage cloth body dispensing device, shrinkage cloth body dispensing method, and shrinkage cloth body dispensing program - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a shrunken cloth body dispensing device, a shrunken cloth body dispensing method, and a shrunken cloth body dispensing program capable of dispensing a significantly shrunk cloth body from the conveying path of the cloth body among cloth bodies being conveyed by a belt conveyer. [Solution] The present invention is a shrunken cloth body dispensing device that dispenses a shrunken cloth body 20-1a from a substantially rectangular cloth body being conveyed by a belt conveyer 11. The shrunken cloth body dispensing device comprises a belt conveyer 11, a plurality of sensors 12a to 12i, and a dispensing device 14. After a predetermined time has elapsed since the central sensor 12a sensed the cloth body 20-1a, the end sensors 12b to 12i are activated, and if the end sensor detection number, which is the number of the end sensors 12b to 12i that sensed the cloth body 20-1a, is less than a predetermined threshold, the dispensing device 14 dispenses the cloth body from the conveying path. [Selected Figure] Fig. 6

Description

The present invention relates to a shrink cloth body dispensing device, a shrink cloth body dispensing method, and a shrink cloth body dispensing program.

Hotels, inns and other lodging facilities use linen products of various sizes, such as sheets, towels and pillowcases. After washing, linen products are dried using a heat press with a roll ironer and reused.

Linen products are reused and come in a variety of sizes. To avoid soaring accommodation fees, cleaning is done semi-automatically using the process described above. However, in this semi-automatic process, it is also necessary to automatically identify the size of the linen products.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a means for checking the length of clothing by checking the time it takes for the clothing to pass a sensor and the transport speed.

Patent Document 2 also discloses a device in which an item detection sensor and a width detection sensor for folded sheets are arranged, and items are sorted according to the detection results of the width detection sensor. In FIG. 1 of Patent Document 2, an item detection sensor is arranged downstream of a sensor for detecting different widths, and the item is detected by the item detection sensor after it has passed the width detection sensor. Also, according to FIG. 2 of Patent Document 2, an item width detection sensor is arranged downstream of the width detection sensor.

JP 2010-51428 A Utility Model Registration No. 2507047

Linen products such as cloth bodies gradually shrink as they are repeatedly washed and dried by heat pressing. For example, when a large-sized cloth body such as a sheet is transported by a roll ironer under high temperature and pressure while being dried, it is transported while being subjected to tension in the transport direction. As a result, tensile stress is applied in the transport direction, and the length of the sheet in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction (hereinafter referred to as the "orthogonal direction") shrinks.

However, in the method described in Patent Document 1, a sensor is provided at the center of the fabric body to determine the dimensions of sheets and the like. However, even if the sensor is located at the center of the fabric body, it cannot detect shrinkage in the perpendicular direction of the fabric body.

In addition, as mentioned above, in Patent Document 2, an item width detection sensor is disposed downstream of the width detection sensor. For example, when using this device to transport a cloth body with folded corners, the width of the cloth body varies depending on the detection time, so there is a risk of the width of the cloth body being erroneously detected.

Furthermore, the device described in Patent Document 2 aims to detect the size of a cloth body folded in half or in thirds. However, when using this device to detect a cloth body such as a sheet before folding, there is a problem in consideration of the actual state of the cloth body. As mentioned above, the sheet before folding is transported while tension is applied in the transport direction under high temperature and pressure. For this reason, cloth bodies that have shrunk in the orthogonal direction and even cloth bodies whose ends in the transport direction are slightly curved are mixed in. Also, as mentioned above, cloth bodies whose corners are bent during transport are also mixed in.

For this reason, when using the device disclosed in Patent Document 2, there is a concern that the width in the orthogonal direction is not determined, and the fabric body that should be removed from the conveying path may be detected as a product. Conversely, there is a concern that the product may be mistakenly identified as a defective product and removed from the conveying path.

Furthermore, in fabric bodies such as roughly rectangular sheets, the side edges are sewn to reduce shrinkage. Sometimes the fabric bodies are transported with the sewn parts facing in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction. However, repeated drying with a roll ironer causes the middle part of the fabric body to shrink. Therefore, if the middle part of the fabric body shrinks significantly, it will cause problems when making beds, and it is necessary to prevent such sheets from being shipped. Thus, there is a need for a device that prevents fabric bodies with reduced product value from being shipped as products.

The object of the present invention is to provide a shrunken cloth body ejection device, a shrunken cloth body ejection method, and a shrunken cloth body ejection program that can eject a significantly shrunk cloth body from the cloth body transport path among cloth bodies transported on a belt conveyor.

In light of the above-mentioned current transport situation, the inventors realized that in order to solve the above problem, it was first necessary to deviate from the conventional technology, which only aimed to determine the standardized size of a fabric body. They then realized that a means of more accurately detecting the degree of shrinkage of a fabric body was necessary.

Specifically, for example, it was noted that it is necessary to avoid misjudging the size of the cloth body when the corners are bent. Also, as mentioned above, when a tensile force is continuously applied to the cloth body in the conveying direction, the middle part of the cloth body in the conveying direction shrinks more than the ends of the cloth body in the conveying direction. This is because linen products such as sheets usually have double stitching at the ends, which makes them less likely to shrink than the middle part. Also, since the cloth body gradually shrinks more from the ends to the middle part, the side edges may become curved. For this reason, simply detecting only the ends of the cloth body with a sensor, as in the conventional technology, is not enough to accurately judge the current state of the cloth body being conveyed and to judge whether it is a product or a defective product. Therefore, it was noted that it is necessary to estimate the degree of shrinkage even when the length in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction is not constant.

In other words, even if a fabric has a folded corner or a curved side edge due to shrinkage in the middle of the fabric, it should be shipped as a product if the curvature is slight. For this reason, there is a need to more accurately determine whether a fabric should be shipped as a product.

Here, it is believed that the folding of the corners occurs accidentally when the fabric moves between conveying devices during conveyance. Also, the degree of shrinkage of the fabric body varies from one to another depending on factors such as the number of times the fabric body is used. If the middle part of the fabric body is shrunk, the length in the orthogonal direction is not constant. In order to make a more accurate judgment, it is better not to sense the length of the fabric body at the same time that its conveyance is sensed.

The inventors therefore came up with the idea of measuring the degree of shrinkage in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction after a predetermined time has elapsed since the initial detection of the fabric body, as a means of determining whether the fabric body should be shipped as a product, regardless of the degree of folding or shrinkage of the fabric body. With this configuration, the above-mentioned problems can be solved, and the present invention has been completed. The present invention is as follows.

(1) A shrunken cloth body dispensing device for dispensing a shrunken cloth body from a conveying path of a substantially rectangular cloth body being conveyed by a belt conveyer, comprising:
The shrink cloth body discharging device is
A belt conveyor that conveys a substantially rectangular cloth body;
a plurality of sensors provided above the belt conveyor in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction in which the belt conveyor conveys the cloth body, the sensors detecting the cloth body;
a discharge device that is disposed downstream of the plurality of sensors in the conveying direction, where the side where the cloth body is introduced into the shrink cloth body discharge device is defined as the upstream side, and the side where the cloth body is discharged from the shrink cloth body discharge device is defined as the downstream side, and that discharges the cloth body conveyed by the belt conveyor from the conveying path;
Equipped with
A shrinkable cloth body dispensing device characterized in that, after a predetermined time has elapsed since a central sensor located approximately in the center in the orthogonal direction among the multiple sensors detects the cloth body, an end sensor among the multiple sensors other than the central sensor is activated, and when the number of end sensor detections, which is the number of end sensors that detect the cloth body, is less than a predetermined threshold value, the dispensing device dispenses the cloth body from the conveying path.

(2) When viewed from the conveying direction, two or more end sensors are disposed at equal intervals on each of the left and right sides of the central sensor so that the left and right sides are symmetrical with respect to the central sensor,
Two or more end sensors are arranged within a range of a length obtained by adding an interval between the end sensors to a length of the cloth body in the orthogonal direction before the cloth body shrinks,
The predetermined threshold value is the number of end sensors located within the range minus two,
a dispensing device dispensing the fabric body from the transport path if the number of edge sensor detections is less than a predetermined threshold;
The shrink cloth body paying-out device described in (1) above.

(3) The discharging device does not discharge the cloth body from the conveying path when the number of detections by the end sensor is smaller than a predetermined threshold by two or more.
The shrink cloth body paying-out device described in (2) above.

(4) The shrink cloth body discharging device further includes a clock and a control device.
The control device includes:
a central sensor detection signal receiving unit for receiving a central sensor detection signal generated when the central sensor first detects the fabric body;
a predetermined time data transmitting unit for transmitting data for a predetermined time stored in advance to the clock after receiving the central sensor detection signal from the central sensor detection signal receiving unit;
a predetermined time lapse signal receiving unit that receives a predetermined time lapse signal from the clock after a predetermined time has elapsed since the predetermined time data transmitting unit transmitted the predetermined time data to the clock;
an end sensor actuation signal transmitting unit that transmits an actuation signal to the end sensor after the predetermined time lapse signal receiving unit receives the predetermined time lapse signal;
an end sensor detection signal receiving unit for receiving an end sensor detection signal detected by the end sensor when the end sensor detects the cloth body due to the operation of the end sensor;
an end sensor detection number acquiring unit that acquires a detection number of the end sensor that transmitted the end sensor detection signal based on the end sensor detection signal received by the end sensor detection signal receiving unit;
a comparison unit that compares the edge sensor detection count acquired by the edge sensor detection count acquisition unit with a pre-stored predetermined threshold value;
The shrink cloth body dispensing device according to any one of (1) to (3) above, further comprising: a dispensing instruction unit that instructs the dispensing device to dispense the cloth body from the conveying path when the number of end sensor detections is smaller than a predetermined threshold value as a result of the comparison by the comparison unit.

(5) a reference end sensor number calculation unit that reads out the length of the cloth body in the cross-sectional direction and the interval and position information of the end sensors that are stored in advance, and calculates the number of reference end sensors from the length, interval, and position information;
a threshold calculation unit that calculates a threshold by subtracting two from the number of reference end sensors calculated by the reference end sensor number calculation unit,
The device for paying out a shrunken cloth body according to the above (4), wherein the comparison unit compares the end sensor sensing unit with the threshold value calculated by the threshold value calculation unit.

(6) A method for discharging a shrunk cloth body using a shrunk cloth body discharging device for discharging a shrunk cloth body from a conveying path of a substantially rectangular cloth body being conveyed by a belt conveyer, comprising the steps of:
The shrink cloth body discharging device is
A belt conveyor that conveys a substantially rectangular cloth body;
a plurality of sensors provided above the belt conveyor in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction in which the belt conveyor conveys the cloth body, the sensors detecting the cloth body;
a discharge device that is disposed downstream of the plurality of sensors in the conveying direction, where the side where the cloth body is introduced into the shrink cloth body discharge device is defined as the upstream side, and the side where the cloth body is discharged from the shrink cloth body discharge device is defined as the downstream side, and that discharges the cloth body conveyed by the belt conveyor from the conveying path;
Equipped with
a central sensor located approximately in the center in the orthogonal direction among the multiple sensors detects the cloth body, and an end sensor other than the central sensor among the multiple sensors is activated after a predetermined time has elapsed, and the cloth body is discharged from the conveying path when the end sensor detection number, which is the number of the end sensors that detected the cloth body, is less than a predetermined threshold value.

(7) A program for discharging a shrunk cloth body executed by a computer for controlling a device for discharging a shrunk cloth body from a conveying path of a cloth body, the device comprising:
The shrink cloth body discharging device is
A belt conveyor that conveys a substantially rectangular cloth body;
a plurality of sensors provided above the belt conveyor in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction in which the belt conveyor conveys the cloth body, the sensors detecting the cloth body;
a discharge device that is disposed downstream of the plurality of sensors in the conveying direction, where the side where the cloth body is introduced into the shrink cloth body discharge device is defined as the upstream side, and the side where the cloth body is discharged from the shrink cloth body discharge device is defined as the downstream side, and that discharges the cloth body conveyed by the belt conveyor from the conveying path;
Equipped with
The shrink cloth body dispensing device further includes a clock and a control device.
The control device
A central sensor located at a substantially central portion of the plurality of sensors in the orthogonal direction receives a central sensor detection signal that first detects the fabric body;
After receiving the central sensor detection signal, the clock transmits the pre-stored data for a predetermined period of time to the clock.
After a predetermined time has elapsed since transmitting the data for the predetermined time to the watch, a signal indicating that a predetermined time has elapsed is received from the watch;
After receiving the predetermined time lapse signal, an activation signal is sent to an end sensor other than the central sensor among the plurality of sensors;
When the end sensor detects the cloth body due to the operation of the end sensor, the end sensor detects an end sensor detection signal detected by the end sensor;
An end sensor detection number, which is the number of end sensors that transmitted the end sensor detection signals, is obtained based on the end sensor detection signals;
Comparing the acquired end sensor detection count with a pre-stored predetermined threshold value;
When the number of detections by the end sensor is smaller than a predetermined threshold as a result of the comparison, the program causes the discharging device to function as a means for discharging the cloth body from the conveying path.

(8) A shrink cloth body dispensing device according to any one of (1) to (5) above, in which the end sensor is positioned on the belt conveyor between the end in the perpendicular direction and 10 to 40% of the length in the perpendicular direction.

(9) A shrink cloth body dispensing device as described in any one of (1) to (5) above, in which the predetermined time is between 0.1 and 5.0 seconds.

(10) A shrink cloth body dispensing device according to any one of (1) to (5) above, wherein the predetermined time is the time required to elapse when the distance the cloth body has been transported to a position between 10% and 50% of the length of the cloth body in the transport direction is divided by the transport speed of the belt conveyor.

FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of the device for dispensing a shrunken cloth body according to the present embodiment, showing a state in which the leading edge of a first normal cloth body is approaching a plurality of sensors. FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of the shrunken cloth body dispensing device according to this embodiment, showing the state in which the end sensor detects a cloth body after a predetermined time has elapsed since the first normal cloth body was detected by the central sensor. FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of the shrunken cloth body dispensing device according to this embodiment, showing the state in which a first normal cloth body has finished passing through multiple sensors and a second normal cloth body is about to approach the multiple sensors. FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of the shrunken cloth body dispensing device according to this embodiment, showing a state in which the leading end of the shrunken cloth body approaches a plurality of sensors. FIG. 5 is a schematic top view of the shrunken cloth body dispensing device according to this embodiment, showing the state after a predetermined time has elapsed since the shrunken cloth body was detected by the central sensor. Figure 6 is a schematic top view of the shrunken cloth body dispensing device of this embodiment, showing a state in which a first shrunken cloth body is being dispensed from the conveying path by the dispensing device while a second normal cloth body is about to approach multiple sensors. FIG. 7 is a side view of the belt conveyor and the shrunken cloth body dispensing device according to this embodiment, showing a state in which the shrunken cloth body is dispensed in the direction of the arrow. Figure 8 is a schematic top view of the shrunken cloth body dispensing device of this embodiment, showing the state in which a first shrunken cloth body is being dispensed from the conveying path by the dispensing device and a second normal cloth body is passing through multiple sensors. FIG. 9 is a schematic top view of the shrunken cloth body dispensing device according to the embodiment, showing a state in which the shrunken cloth body is not detected by the end sensor because it is narrow. Figure 10 is a schematic top view of the shrunken cloth body dispensing device of this embodiment, and shows a state in which the leading edge of a normal cloth body passes through multiple sensors, and a state in which a normal cloth body is transported at a position offset from the center of the conveyor belt. FIG. 11 is a schematic top view of the shrunken cloth body discharge device according to this embodiment, showing a state in which a normal cloth body is conveyed at a position further displaced from the center of the belt conveyor. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a control device constituting the shrink cloth body paying-out device according to this embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a control device constituting the shrink cloth body dispensing device according to this embodiment. FIG. 14 is a flowchart of the method for discharging a shrunken cloth body according to this embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a control device constituting the shrink cloth body paying-out device according to the preferred embodiment. FIG. 16 is a flow chart of a method for dispensing a shrunken fabric body according to a preferred embodiment.

The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the present embodiment. Various embodiments described below may be combined.
The embodiment described below shows an example of a shrink cloth body dispensing device. The operation of the shrink cloth body dispensing device according to the embodiment is executed by reading a program installed in or recorded in a storage device of a general-purpose computer connected to the shrink cloth body dispensing device.

1. First embodiment As shown in Figs. 1 to 9, the shrunken cloth body dispensing apparatus 1, 2 according to the first embodiment is an apparatus for dispensing shrunken cloth bodies 20-1 and 20-3 from among substantially rectangular cloth bodies 10-1, 10-2, 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, and 20-4 (hereinafter, the cloth bodies are collectively referred to as "cloth body 10") conveyed by a belt conveyor 11.

As shown in Figures 1 to 9, the shrink cloth body dispensing devices 1 and 2 include a belt conveyor 11, a number of sensors 12a to 12i (hereinafter, the sensors may be collectively referred to as "sensor 12"), and a dispensing device 14. Each component will be described in detail below.

(1) Cloth body The cloth body 10 may be, for example, a linen product such as a sheet or a towel, but is not limited thereto. For example, when the cloth body 10 is a sheet or a towel, it is washed, dried by hot pressing with a roll ironer, or the like, and reused repeatedly.

The fabric body 10 is conveyed in a semi-dried state from when it contains a lot of moisture after washing until drying is completed, while being subjected to tensile stress in the conveying direction 13. Therefore, the fabric body 10 may be slightly stretched in the conveying direction 13 and the middle part of the shrunken fabric body 20-1 may shrink due to repeated washing and drying, and may be deformed into a shape in which the width in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction 13 is slightly curved, as in the case of the shrunken fabric body 20-1 shown in Figures 4 to 6. Therefore, in order to minimize deformation of the fabric body 10, in this embodiment, in order to suppress shrinkage as much as possible, it is preferable that the fabric body 10 has sewn parts 10-1a, 10-2a, 20-1a, and 20-2a (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "sewn parts 10a"), and is conveyed so that the sewn parts 10a face in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction.
In addition, in Figs. 4 to 6, the curve of the intermediate portion of the fabric body 20-1 is shown exaggerated in order to clearly show that the intermediate portion is curved.

However, even if the sewn portion 10a is conveyed so that it faces the perpendicular direction, shrinkage in the perpendicular direction is unavoidable. As in the case of the fabric body 20-1, the side edge portion in the conveying direction 13 is curved, and the length in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction 13 may not be constant and may result in a shrunk shape. Furthermore, corners may bend during conveying. The fabric body 10 in this embodiment includes fabric bodies that are subject to deformation due to such bending and shrinkage.

The fabric body 10 is roughly rectangular, but includes contracted fabric bodies 20-1, 20-3 that are shrunk and concave. As shown in FIG. 3, to determine whether the fabric body 10 has shrunk, after a predetermined time has elapsed since the central sensor 12a located in the center of the sensor 12 detects the fabric body 10-1, the end sensors 12b to 12i, which are sensors other than the central sensor 12a, among the sensors 12, are activated to detect the fabric body 10-1. The degree of shrinkage of the fabric body 10-1 can then be determined by comparing the number of end sensor detections by the end sensors 12b to 12i that have detected the fabric body 10-1 with a predetermined threshold value.

For example, in the case of FIG. 3, the width of the fabric body 10-1 is the same as the distance from the end sensor 12b to the end sensor 12i, so the end sensors 12b to 12i all detect the fabric body 10-1. Therefore, the number of end sensor detections is eight. If the predetermined threshold is six, the fabric body 10-1 is not dispensed by the dispensing device 14 and is treated as a product. The threshold is described in detail below.

The fabric body 10 may have rounded corners. It may be rectangular or square. The shape of the fabric body may be rectangular. Although the material is cloth, the fabric body of this embodiment includes synthetic fibers that are commonly used for linen products.

(2) Belt Conveyor The shrunken cloth body dispensing devices 1 and 2 according to this embodiment include a belt conveyor 11 that transports the cloth body 10. The width of the belt conveyor 11 is preferably such that the cloth body 10 does not protrude from the belt conveyor 11. For example, when the cloth body 10 is a sheet, the length of the side edge portion including the sewn portion 10a is generally constant before shrinkage. Therefore, the width of the belt conveyor 11 may be slightly larger than the length of the sewn portion 10a.

The conveying speed of the belt conveyor 11 may be controlled by the control device 15 and is appropriately adjusted by settings. It may be in the range of 10 to 100 cm/sec.
A general introduction mechanism (not shown) may be provided on the upstream side of the belt conveyor 11 to introduce the fabric body 10 that has been dried by the roll ironer.

(3) Multiple Sensors Multiple sensors 12a to 12i are provided above the belt conveyor 11. The multiple sensors 12 are provided above the belt conveyor 11 in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction 13, which is the direction in which the material is conveyed by the belt conveyor 11. The multiple sensors 12 are also arranged in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction 13.

In Figs. 1 to 9, only one row of sensors 12 is provided, but in order to detect the degree of shrinkage more accurately, multiple rows of sensors 12 may be provided in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. In addition, the multiple sensors 12 may be arranged symmetrically in the perpendicular direction.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1, when the transported fabric body 10-1 starts to pass the sensor 12, the central sensor 12a located in the center of the sensor 12 detects the fabric body 10-1. The central sensor 12a is disposed in approximately the center of the width of the belt conveyor 11. After a predetermined time has elapsed since the central sensor 12a detected the fabric body 10, the end sensors 12b to 12i other than the central sensor 12a are activated to detect the fabric body 10. When multiple sensors detect the fabric body 10-1, the multiple sensors that detected it transmit detection signals. In this embodiment, the central sensor 12a is constantly activated, and the end sensors 12b to 12i are activated after the fabric body 10-1 is detected by the central sensor 12a and a predetermined time has elapsed.

The more sensors there are in the sensor 12, the better. Seven or more sensors are preferable, and nine or more may be arranged as shown in Figs. 1 to 9, or eleven or more, or thirteen or more may be arranged. For example, as shown in Figs. 1 to 9, when nine sensors are arranged, one central sensor 12a and eight end sensors 12b to 12i may be arranged. In this case, four end sensors 12b to 12i may be arranged symmetrically. When viewed from the conveying direction 13, two or more sensors may be arranged symmetrically on each side of the central sensor 12a at equal intervals. In order to accurately sense the degree of shrinkage in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction 13 in the fabric body 10-1, it is most preferable to arrange as many sensors as possible.

To reduce the number of sensors and to more accurately detect the shrinkage of the fabric body 10, the end sensors 12b-12i may be arranged so as to be densely packed at the end of the belt conveyor 11, as shown in, for example, Figures 4 to 6, 8, and 9. It is preferable that the end sensors 12b-12i are arranged in the fabric body 20-2, for example, as shown in Figure 8, between the end in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction and 10 to 40% of the length in the perpendicular direction. With such an arrangement, the degree of shrinkage of the fabric body 20-2 can be more accurately detected. The degree of shrinkage that is dispensed varies depending on the size of the fabric body 10 before shrinkage, but if the end sensors 12b-12i are arranged in this range, the degree of shrinkage of a fabric body 10 of a given size that has shrunk can be more accurately detected.

In addition, as shown in Figures 4 to 6, 8, and 9 to 11, when the end sensors 12b to 12i are arranged in a dense state at the side end of the belt conveyor 11, the end sensors 12b to 12i may be able to be moved appropriately depending on the size of the fabric body 10 being transported. In other words, the end sensors 12b to 12i may be able to move in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction. The positions may be adjusted manually or may be controlled by the control device 15 described later. The position adjustment means for the end sensors 12b to 12i may use, for example, the moving means of the inkjet head of the inkjet printer, or may be automatically controlled by the control device 15 described later.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 10 and 11, the end sensors 12b and 12i at both ends may be arranged on the side ends of the belt conveyor 11. With this arrangement, the fabric body 20-4' can be detected even if the fabric body 20-4' is transported in a state where it is significantly shifted to one side of the belt conveyor 11.

For example, when eight or more end sensors are provided, the end sensors 12b-12i may be arranged at equal intervals as shown in Figures 1-3. If they are arranged at equal intervals, the degree of shrinkage of the fabric body 10 can be estimated without adjusting the positions of the end sensors 12b-12i. The interval between the end sensors may be approximately 5-100 mm. If it is within this range, the payout of the fabric body 10 can be determined with high accuracy.

The end sensors 12b-12i may also be arranged in a row downstream of the central sensor 12a and upstream of the dispensing device 14. This is because it is better to have the end sensors 12b-12i sense the degree of shrinkage of the fabric body 10 in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction 13 after the fabric body 10 is sensed by the central sensor 12a. Even with this arrangement, the end sensors 12b-12i still operate to sense the fabric body 10 after a predetermined time has elapsed after the fabric body 10 is sensed by the central sensor 12a.

To solve the problem of this embodiment, it is better not to place the end sensors 12b-12i upstream of the central sensor 12a as in the conventional technology. This is because the conventional end sensors are for determining the size of the fabric body, not for sensing the degree of shrinkage of the fabric body. In other words, to determine the size of the fabric body, it is sufficient to sense the leading edge of the fabric body in the conveying direction, and it is not necessary for the leading edge to be sensed a predetermined time after it was first sensed.

For example, as shown in FIG. 9, if the end sensors 12b-12i are located upstream of the central sensor 12a when a highly shrunk cloth body 20-3 is conveyed, the upstream end sensors 12b-12i will detect the leading end of the cloth body 20-3 and will determine that the cloth body is normal. In order for the end sensors 12b-12i to detect the degree of shrinkage of the cloth body 20-3, it is necessary for the end sensors 12b-12i to detect the cloth body 20-3 a predetermined time after the central sensor 12a detects the cloth body 20-3. Therefore, it is better not to place the end sensors 12b-12i upstream of the central sensor 12a as in the conventional technology.

Also, as shown in Figure 9, if the fabric body 20-3 has shrunk so much that it cannot be detected by the end sensors 12b to 12i, the number of end sensor detections will be 0, and the fabric body 20-3 will be dispensed from the conveying path. In this way, if the end sensors 12b to 12i are arranged closely together at the end of the belt conveyor 11 as shown in Figures 4 to 6, it is possible to determine whether or not the fabric body 20-3 will be dispensed even if it is conveyed with a significantly shrunk fabric body, as shown in Figure 9.

The predetermined time in this embodiment may be, for example, between 0.1 and 5.0 seconds after the central sensor 12a detects the fabric body 10, or may be between 0.2 and 5.0 seconds. For example, if it is set to 3.0 seconds, the end sensors 12b to 12i will detect the degree of shrinkage of the fabric body 10 in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction 13 3.0 seconds after the central sensor 12a detects the fabric body 10.

Alternatively, the predetermined time may be the time required for the distance the fabric body 10 has been transported to a position between 10% and 50% of the length of the fabric body 10 in the transport direction 13 to elapse divided by the transport speed of the belt conveyor 11. For example, if the distance the fabric body 10 has been transported to a position that is 30% of the length of the fabric body 10 in the transport direction is 60 cm, and the speed of the belt conveyor is 30 cm/sec, the predetermined time is 60 (cm)/30 cm (cm/sec) = 2 seconds.

Furthermore, even if the corners of the fabric body 10 are bent, the bending will not be so great as to extend over the above-mentioned length range.
Therefore, the predetermined time in this embodiment is a time required to more accurately detect the degree of shrinkage of the fabric body 10 in the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction 13 of the fabric body 10 .

The multiple sensors 12a to 12i used in this embodiment irradiate infrared rays or the like toward the fabric body 10 on the belt conveyor 11 and detect the fabric body 10 as it passes by.

(4) Paying-off Device As described above, the paying-off device 14 is disposed downstream of the belt conveyor 11, and includes a mechanism for paying-off the cloth body 10, which is conveyed by the belt conveyor 11, from the conveying path of the cloth body. For example, as shown in Fig. 6, when a cloth body 20-1, whose end sensor detection number is less than a predetermined threshold, approaches the paying-off device 14, the paying-off device 14 tilts downward, and the cloth body 20-1 is paid-off from the conveying path.

Figure 7 is a side view of the belt conveyor 11 and the shrunken cloth body dispensing device 2 according to this embodiment, showing the state in which the shrunken cloth body 20-1 is dispensed in the direction of the arrow. Figure 7 shows an example of the dispensing device 14. As shown in Figure 7, the dispensing device 14 may be arranged in series with the belt conveyor 11, for example, and may be configured so that the downstream portion 14a in the conveying direction 13 can move up and down. When the dispensing device 14 is in the state shown in Figure 7, the cloth body 20-1 whose end sensor detection count is less than a predetermined threshold value is conveyed in the direction of the arrow 13-1. Then, by conveying the cloth body 20-1 downward in Figure 7, it is dispensed from the conveying direction 13 in which it is conveyed as a product.

In this way, the shrunken cloth body 20-1, which has a significant degree of shrinkage in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction 13, has low commercial value as a linen product and must not be shipped as a product. On the other hand, the cloth body 10, which has not shrunk excessively but has been conveyed with bent corners, still has sufficient commercial value as a product. For this reason, it is desirable to check the degree of shrinkage of each piece and ship those that have commercial value as linen products. In the embodiment, it is possible to provide a device or the like that can meet such demand.

(5) Predetermined threshold The predetermined threshold in this embodiment may be a value obtained by subtracting one or more sensors from the number of end sensors located within a range equal to or less than the length of the cloth body 10 in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction before the cloth body 10 shrinks. For example, a case will be described in which the length of the cloth body 10 in the perpendicular direction is 2000 mm, and the length from the end sensor 12i to 12b closest to the end of the belt conveyor 11 is 2000 mm. In this case, the threshold number of end sensor detections may be set to 8. When the cloth body 10 shrinks slightly, the number of sensors that detect the cloth body 10 may be reduced to 7. However, if the cloth body 10 is, for example, a sheet, a slightly shrunken cloth body 10 does not interfere with bed making, so in consideration of costs, it is better to ship it as a product.

For example, it will be explained that fabric bodies whose shrinkage in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction exceeds 50 mm are treated as fabric bodies to be discharged. When the fabric body 10 shrinks by more than 50 mm, the number of end sensor detections detected by the fabric body 10 becomes at least one less than the threshold number of end sensor detections, and the fabric body 10 is discharged.

In this way, in this embodiment, the degree of shrinkage can be determined based on the difference between the end sensor detection count, which is the number of end sensors that detect the fabric body 10, and the end sensor detection count set as a threshold value. If this difference is too large, the fabric body 10 is either subject to removal, or it is determined that the size of the fabric body 10 is not the size to be determined, and it can be transported as a product.

In this embodiment, the predetermined threshold is preferably a value obtained by subtracting 2 from the number of end sensors located within a range equal to or less than the length of the cloth body 10 in the orthogonal direction before it shrinks plus the spacing between the adjacent end sensors 12b to 12e or 12f to 12i. This preferable predetermined threshold can be determined more accurately as to whether the cloth body 10 is to be dispensed when two or more end sensors are arranged at equal intervals on each side so as to be symmetrical about the central sensor when viewed from the conveying direction 13 of the cloth body 10. Preferably, there are four or more on each side, and more preferably six or more. There is no particular limit to the upper limit of the number of end sensors arranged on each side, but it may be set appropriately according to the length of the belt conveyor 11 in the orthogonal direction.

For example, in FIG. 10, the orthogonal length, which is the width of the fabric body 20-4, is 1800 mm, the length from end sensor 12c to 12h is 1800 mm, the intervals between end sensors 12b to 12e or 12f to 12i are each 50 mm, and a situation will be described in which the length of the fabric body 20-4 in the orthogonal direction has decreased by more than 50 mm. In this case, the number of reference end sensors for determining the threshold value is a total of six, from end sensor 12c to end sensor 12h, within a range of 1850 mm, which is the length of the fabric body 20-4 in the orthogonal direction, 1800 mm, plus the interval between end sensor 12c and end sensor 12d, 50 mm.

For example, as shown in FIG. 10, when the fabric body 20-4' is transported with its edge shifted to the left side of the transport direction 13, it is preferable to add 50 mm to the right side of the transport direction 13. On the other hand, when the fabric body 20-4' is transported with its edge shifted to the right side of the transport direction 13, it is preferable to add 50 mm to the left side. In this way, by adding the spacing between the end sensors on the side opposite to the side where the fabric body 20-4' is shifted, it is possible to prevent the range of the added length from extending beyond the belt conveyor 11.

Therefore, the number of end sensors detected, which is the predetermined threshold, may be 6 (reference number of end sensors) - 2 = 4. The reason why the number obtained by subtracting 2 from the reference number of end sensors is set as the threshold number of end sensors is as follows.

When each of the two side ends of the fabric body 20-4 in FIG. 10 passes directly under the end sensor 12c and the end sensor 12h, a total of six end sensors 12c to 12h detect the fabric body. However, if the fabric body 20-4 shrinks even slightly, the end sensors 12c and 12h do not detect the fabric body 20-4, and only a total of four end sensors 12d to 12g detect the slightly shrunk fabric body. In order to allow such a slightly shrunk fabric body to be handled as a product, it is preferable to pull "two pieces" rather than "one piece."

When the predetermined threshold is set in this manner, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, even if the center of the fabric body 20-4' is conveyed offset from the center of the belt conveyor 11, the fabric body 20-4', which is the product, will not be dispensed. Furthermore, even if the fabric body 20-4' shrinks slightly, the slightly shrunk fabric body will not be dispensed. This is as follows. As shown in FIG. 10, the right end of the fabric body 20-4' passes between the end sensor 12c and the end sensor 12d. Also, the left end of the fabric body 20-4' passes between the end sensor 12h and the end sensor 12i. In such a case, the number of end sensor detections will be 5. Therefore, it is preferable to set the threshold number of end sensor detections to 6 - 2 = 4.

A case where the fabric body 20-4' in FIG. 10 is conveyed at a position even closer to the end sensor will be described with reference to FIG. 11. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, when the side end of the fabric body 20-4'' passes a position close enough to be undetectable by the end sensor 12d and the end sensor 12i, the following situation is assumed. For example, if the fabric body 20-4'' shrinks slightly to less than 50 mm, the end sensor 12d will not detect the fabric body, and a total of four end sensors, from the end sensor 12e to the end sensor 12g, will detect the fabric body. If the number of end sensors as the threshold is set to five, which is the reference number of end sensors, minus one, as described above, the number of end sensors detected by the end sensor will be four even if the fabric body shrinks slightly, and the fabric body may be a target for dispensing. However, as described above, if the threshold number of end sensors detected by the end sensor is set to four, which is the reference number of end sensors minus two, the fabric body with four end sensors detected by the end sensor will be conveyed as a product without being dispensed.

In a more preferred embodiment in which such thresholds are set, two or more end sensors are arranged at equal intervals on each side, so as to be symmetrical with respect to the central sensor 12a when viewed from the conveying direction, and two or more end sensors are arranged within a range of the length of the cloth body 10 in the orthogonal direction before it shrinks plus the distance between the end sensors, and one or more end sensors are arranged on each side outside this range of length. In this embodiment, even if the center of the cloth body 10 is significantly shifted and the cloth body 10 is conveyed close to one end of the belt conveyor 11, the number of end sensor detections is not unnecessarily reduced, and the degree of shrinkage of the cloth body 10 can be determined.

In this embodiment, the dispensing device 14 may not dispense the fabric body from the conveying path if the number of end sensors is two or more units smaller than the above-mentioned predetermined threshold value. When introducing fabric bodies into the shrink fabric body dispensing device regardless of the size of the fabric body, for example, only sheets of size L or larger can be inspected, and sheets of size S can be considered as products. When making such a judgment, the threshold value can be set to a value three or more units smaller, or four or more units smaller, depending on the size of the fabric body 10.

In addition, in this embodiment, if the number of edge sensor detections is two or more than the threshold, all are treated as products, so it is possible to inspect only S-size fabric bodies 10 and transport L-size or larger sheets as products. As with the above, this can be set to a value three or more smaller, or four or more smaller, depending on the size of the fabric body 10.

(6) Control Device The shrink cloth body dispensing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment may include a control device 15 that controls the shrink cloth body dispensing apparatus 1. The control device 15 is a so-called computer, and controls the operation of the shrink cloth body dispensing apparatus 1. The control device 15 will be described in detail below.

(5-1) Hardware configuration of the control device Fig. 12 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the control device 15 constituting the shrink cloth body dispensing device according to this embodiment. The control device 15 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 15a for performing various processes, a memory 15b, a non-volatile storage device 15c, an input device 15d such as a keyboard and a microphone, a monitor 15e, an input/output interface 15f, and a clock 15g.

The CPU 15a loads the programs stored in the storage device 15c into the memory 15b and executes them. Each function described below is executed by the CPU 15a. The storage device 15c stores various data in addition to the programs. The storage device 15c is a non-volatile memory such as a ROM (Random Access Memory) or a HDD that can be connected externally to the computing device 50. In addition, any medium capable of storing programs may be used, including magnetic or optical storage such as a floppy disk or CD-ROM.

The programs stored in the storage device 15c are loaded into the memory 15b. The input device 15d is a device for inputting information. The execution results of the CPU 15a are displayed on the monitor 15e. The input/output interface 15f is an interface for receiving sensory data from the sensor 12 and transmitting data to an external device.

The clock 15g can set the time by synchronization using a computer network, etc. In this embodiment, it can be used as a timer for measuring a predetermined time after receiving the initial sensing data from the central sensor 12a. For example, when the clock 15g receives data for a predetermined time that is input via the input/output interface 15f and stored in the storage device 15c, the clock 15g transmits a predetermined time lapse signal to a control device (described later) after the predetermined time has elapsed due to the timer function of the clock 15g.
The following describes in detail the functions of the control device 15. Note that the embodiments can be combined with each other, and are not limited to the aspects described in each embodiment.

(5-2) Functional configuration of the control device Fig. 13 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the control device 15 constituting the shrink cloth body dispensing device 1 according to this embodiment. The control device 15 includes a central sensor detection signal receiving unit 150a, a predetermined time data transmitting unit 150b, a predetermined time lapse signal receiving unit 150c, an end sensor operation signal transmitting unit 150d, an end sensor detection signal receiving unit 150e, an end sensor detection number acquiring unit 150f, a comparing unit 150g, and a dispensing instruction unit 150h. These functions are realized by the cooperation of the hardware resources described above. Each functional configuration will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3, Figs. 5 to 7, and Figs. 12 to 14.

(5-3) Operation of the Control Device Fig. 14 is a flow chart of the method for paying out a shrunken cloth body according to the embodiment. The following step numbers correspond to the step numbers in Fig. 14.
First, as shown in FIG. 1, when the leading end of the fabric body 10-1 reaches the central sensor 12a and the central sensor 12a detects the fabric body 10-1, the central sensor detection signal receiver 150a receives a central sensor detection signal from the central sensor 12a (S151).

After the central sensor detection signal receiving unit 150a receives the central sensor detection signal, the predetermined time data transmitting unit 150b reads out the predetermined time data previously stored in the storage device of FIG. 12 and transmits it to the clock 15g (S152). After a predetermined time has elapsed since the central sensor detection signal receiving unit 150a received the central sensor detection signal, more specifically, after the predetermined time data transmitting unit 150b transmits the predetermined time data to the clock 15g, the predetermined time elapse signal receiving unit 150c receives a predetermined time elapse signal from the clock 15g (S153).

After the predetermined time lapse signal receiving unit 150c receives the predetermined time lapse signal, the end sensor activation signal transmitting unit 150d transmits an activation signal to the end sensors 12b to 12i (S154). The end sensor detection signal receiving unit 150e receives the end sensor detection signal transmitted from the end sensor that detected the fabric body 10-1 among the end sensors 12b to 12i due to the activation of the end sensors 12b to 12i (S155).

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when all of the end sensors 12b to 12i detect the fabric body 10-1, the end sensor detection signal receiving unit 150e receives end sensor detection signals from all of the end sensors 12b to 12i. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, when only the end sensors 12e and 12f detect the fabric body 20-1, the end sensor detection signal receiving unit 150e receives end sensor detection signals only from the end sensors 12e and 12f.

The end sensor detection number acquisition unit 150f acquires the end sensor detection number from the number of end sensor detection signals received by the end sensor detection signal receiving unit 150e (S156). For example, the end sensor detection signal includes information about the end sensor, and it is possible to identify the end sensor that transmitted the end sensor detection signal. The end sensor detection number acquisition unit 150f can acquire the number of end sensor detection numbers that transmitted the end sensor detection signal as the end sensor detection number that detected the fabric body 10.

The comparison unit 150g obtains a predetermined threshold for comparing the end sensor detection count from the storage device 15c, and compares the end sensor detection count with the threshold (S157). If the comparison result shows that the end sensor detection count is smaller than the threshold (S157, yes), the dispensing instruction unit 150h operates the dispensing device 14 by sending a dispensing signal to the dispensing device 14. As the dispensing device 14 operates as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the fabric body 20-1 is transported in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 7 and is dispensed from the transport path.

On the other hand, if the number of end sensor detections is equal to or greater than the threshold (S157, no), it is determined that no significant shrinkage is observed and the process ends. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, the fabric body 10-1 is transported downstream of the shrink fabric body discharge devices 1 and 2.

(5-4) Preferred operation of the control device In the shrink cloth body dispensing device of the embodiment, it is preferable to set a threshold value as described above so that the product can be shipped even if the conveying position of the conveyed cloth body is offset from the center of the belt conveyor when viewed from the conveying direction.

Figure 15 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a control device constituting a shrunken cloth body dispensing device according to a preferred embodiment. As shown in Figure 15, the control device 160 includes a reference end sensor number calculation unit 160i and a threshold calculation unit 160j, in comparison with Figure 13.

Figure 16 is a flowchart of a method for dispensing a shrunken cloth body according to a preferred embodiment. As with the explanation of the preferred embodiment of the threshold value described above, this differs from Figure 14 in that the threshold value is calculated based on information about the cloth body 10 and information about the end sensors 20b to 20i. S161 to S166 in Figure 16 are the same as in Figure 14, so their explanation will be omitted.

The reference end sensor number calculation unit 160i obtains the orthogonal length of the fabric body 20-4' before shrinkage, which is stored in advance in the storage device 15c via the input/output interface 15f, as well as the interval and position information of the end sensors, and calculates the number of reference end sensors (S169). In detail, for example, in FIG. 10, when the orthogonal length of the fabric body 20-4' is 1800 mm, this length is stored in the storage device 15c. Also, when the end sensors 12b, 12c, 12d, and 12e are arranged at 50 mm intervals from the right end in the conveying direction 13, and the end sensors 12i, 12h, 12g, and 12f are arranged from the left end in the conveying direction 13, the position of each end sensor is stored in the storage device 15c as the distance from the end of the belt conveyor 11.

In this case, the number of reference end sensors for determining the threshold value is a total of six, from end sensor 12c to end sensor 12h, within a range of 1850 mm, which is the length of cloth body 20-4' in the orthogonal direction of 1800 mm plus the distance between the end sensors of 50 mm to the right of the conveyance direction 13. Therefore, even if cloth body 20-4' and cloth body 20-4'' are conveyed by either the left or right side of the belt conveyor 11, as in the case of cloth body 20-4' and cloth body 20-4'' shown in Figures 10 and 11, the reference end sensor number calculation unit 160i can calculate the number of reference end sensors in this way.

The threshold calculation unit 160j calculates the threshold by subtracting 2 from the number of reference end sensors calculated by the reference end sensor number calculation unit 160i (S170). In the above example, the number of end sensor detections, which is the predetermined threshold, may be 6 (number of reference end sensors) - 2 = 4.

The comparison unit 160g compares the edge sensor detection count acquired by the edge sensor detection count acquisition unit 160f with the threshold calculated by the threshold calculation unit 160j (167). The rest of the description is the same as that in FIG. 14, so it is omitted.

1, 2, 3 Shrinkage cloth body discharge device 10 (10-1, 10-2, 20-2, 20-4, 20-4', 20-4'') Cloth body 20-1, 20-3 (Shrinkage) cloth body 10a (10-1a, 10-2a, 20-1a, 20-2a, 20-3a) Sewing section 11 Belt conveyor 12 (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e, 12f, 12h, 12i) Sensor Center sensor 12a
12b, 12c, 12d, 12e, 12f, 12h, 12i End sensor 13 Conveying direction 14 Dispensing device 15, 150, 160 Control device 15a CPU (Central Processing Unit)
15b Input device 15c Storage device 15d Memory 15e Monitor 15f Input/output interface 15g Clock 150a, 160a Central sensor detection signal receiving unit 150b, 160b Predetermined time data transmitting unit 150c, 160c Predetermined time lapse signal receiving unit 150d, 160d End sensor operation signal transmitting unit 150e, 160e End sensor detection signal receiving unit 150f, 160f End sensor detection number acquiring unit 150g, 160g Comparison unit 150h, 160h Dispensing instruction unit 160i Reference end sensor number calculating unit 160j Threshold calculation unit

Claims (7)

A shrunken cloth body dispensing device for dispensing a shrunken cloth body from a conveying path of a substantially rectangular cloth body being conveyed by a belt conveyer,
The shrink cloth body paying-off device is
The belt conveyor that conveys the substantially rectangular cloth body;
A plurality of sensors are provided above the belt conveyor in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction in which the belt conveyor conveys the cloth body, the sensors detecting the cloth body;
a discharge device that is disposed downstream of the plurality of sensors in the conveying direction, where the side where the cloth body is introduced into the shrink cloth body discharge device is defined as an upstream side, and the side where the cloth body is discharged from the shrink cloth body discharge device is defined as a downstream side, and that discharges the cloth body conveyed by the belt conveyor from the conveying path;
Equipped with
a central sensor located approximately in the center in the orthogonal direction among the plurality of sensors detects the cloth body, and an end sensor other than the central sensor among the plurality of sensors is activated after a predetermined time has elapsed since the central sensor detects the cloth body, and when the end sensor detection number, which is the number of the end sensors that have detected the cloth body, is less than a predetermined threshold value, the dispensing device dispenses the cloth body from the conveying path. two or more of the end sensors are disposed at equal intervals on each of the left and right sides of the central sensor so that the left and right sides are symmetrical with respect to the central sensor when viewed from the conveying direction;
Two or more end sensors are arranged within a range of a length obtained by adding an interval between the end sensors to a length of the cloth body in the orthogonal direction before the cloth body shrinks,
the predetermined threshold value is a value obtained by subtracting two from the number of the end sensors disposed within the range,
if the number of edge sensor detections is less than the predetermined threshold, the payoff device pays off the fabric body from the transport path.
The apparatus for dispensing a shrunken cloth body according to claim 1. The unloading device does not unload the cloth body from the conveying path when the number of detections of the end sensor is smaller than the predetermined threshold by two or more.
The apparatus for dispensing a shrunken cloth body according to claim 2. The shrink cloth body dispensing device further includes a clock and a control device.
The control device includes:
a central sensor detection signal receiving unit for receiving a central sensor detection signal generated when the central sensor first detects the fabric body;
a predetermined time data transmitting unit configured to transmit data of the predetermined time stored in advance to the clock after receiving the central sensor detection signal from the central sensor detection signal receiving unit;
a predetermined time lapse signal receiving unit that receives a predetermined time lapse signal from the clock after the predetermined time has elapsed since the predetermined time data transmitting unit transmitted the predetermined time data to the clock;
an end sensor actuation signal transmitter that transmits an actuation signal to the end sensor after the predetermined time lapse signal receiver receives the predetermined time lapse signal;
an end sensor detection signal receiving unit for receiving an end sensor detection signal detected by the end sensor when the end sensor detects the cloth body due to the operation of the end sensor;
an end sensor detection number acquiring unit that acquires the detection number of the end sensor that transmitted the end sensor detection signal based on the end sensor detection signal received by the end sensor detection signal receiving unit;
a comparison unit that compares the end sensor detection count acquired by the end sensor detection count acquisition unit with the predetermined threshold value that is stored in advance;
and a discharge instruction unit that instructs the discharging device to discharge the cloth body from the conveying path when the number of end sensor detections is smaller than the predetermined threshold value as a result of the comparison by the comparison unit. a reference end sensor number calculation unit that reads out the length of the cloth body in the orthogonal direction and the interval and position information of the end sensors that are stored in advance, and calculates the number of reference end sensors from the length, the interval, and the position information;
a threshold calculation unit that calculates a threshold by subtracting two from the number of reference end sensors calculated by the reference end sensor number calculation unit,
5. The apparatus for dispensing a shrunken cloth body according to claim 4, wherein the comparison unit compares the end sensor sensing unit with the threshold value calculated by the threshold value calculation unit. A method for discharging a shrunk cloth body using a shrunk cloth body discharging device for discharging a shrunk cloth body from a conveying path of a substantially rectangular cloth body being conveyed by a belt conveyer, comprising:
The shrink cloth body paying-off device is
The belt conveyor that conveys the substantially rectangular cloth body;
A plurality of sensors are provided above the belt conveyor in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction in which the belt conveyor conveys the cloth body, the sensors detecting the cloth body;
a discharge device that is disposed downstream of the plurality of sensors in the conveying direction, where the side where the cloth body is introduced into the shrink cloth body discharge device is defined as an upstream side, and the side where the cloth body is discharged from the shrink cloth body discharge device is defined as a downstream side, and that discharges the cloth body conveyed by the belt conveyor from the conveying path;
Equipped with
a central sensor located approximately in the center in the orthogonal direction among the plurality of sensors detects the cloth body, and an end sensor other than the central sensor among the plurality of sensors is activated after a predetermined time has elapsed since the central sensor detects the cloth body, and when an end sensor detection number, which is the number of the end sensors that have detected the cloth body, is less than a predetermined threshold value, the cloth body is discharged from the conveying path. A program for discharging a shrunk cloth body executed by a computer that controls a device for discharging a shrunk cloth body from a conveying path of a substantially rectangular cloth body being conveyed by a belt conveyer,
The shrink cloth body paying-off device is
The belt conveyor that conveys the substantially rectangular cloth body;
A plurality of sensors are provided above the belt conveyor in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction in which the belt conveyor conveys the cloth body, the sensors detecting the cloth body;
a discharge device that is disposed downstream of the plurality of sensors in the conveying direction, where the side where the cloth body is introduced into the shrink cloth body discharge device is defined as an upstream side, and the side where the cloth body is discharged from the shrink cloth body discharge device is defined as a downstream side, and that discharges the cloth body conveyed by the belt conveyor from the conveying path;
Equipped with
The shrink cloth body dispensing device further includes a clock and a control device.
The control device
A central sensor located at a substantially central portion in the orthogonal direction among the plurality of sensors receives a central sensor detection signal that first detects the fabric body;
After receiving the central sensor detection signal, transmit pre-stored data of a predetermined time to the clock;
receiving a predetermined time lapse signal from the clock after the predetermined time has elapsed since the data for the predetermined time was transmitted to the clock;
After receiving the predetermined time lapse signal, transmitting an activation signal to an end sensor other than the central sensor among the plurality of sensors;
When the end sensor detects the fabric body due to the activation of the end sensor, an end sensor detection signal detected by the end sensor is received;
An end sensor detection number, which is the number of the end sensors that transmitted the end sensor detection signals, is obtained based on the end sensor detection signals;
comparing the acquired end sensor detection number with a pre-stored predetermined threshold value;
When the comparison result shows that the number of detections of the end sensor is smaller than the predetermined threshold value, the program causes the discharge device to function as a means for discharging the cloth body from the conveying path.