SE545188C2 - Fetching mechanism for fetching a garment from a garment storage, related method, related control unit and garment donning machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a fetching mechanism (200), a related method, a related control unit and a garment donning machine comprising the fetching mechanism (200). The fetching mechanism (200) being arranged to fetch a garment (120) from a garment storage (110) and handover the garment (120) to an opening mechanism. The fetching mechanism (200) includes first (210) and second (220) gripping members arranged to close around a cuff (122) of a garment (120) hanging out from the garment storage (110) and to grip the cuff (122) and pull the garment (120) further out of the garment storage (110) by moving away from the garment storage (110). The first (210) and second (220) gripping members are further arranged to prepare the garment (120) for handover to the opening mechanism, while the garment (120) at least partly remains in the garment storage (110). The fetching mechanism (200) provides a reliable extraction of the garment (120) from the garment storage (110) and thereby a predictable handover to the opening mechanism.

Description

FETCHING MECHANISM FOR FETCHING A GARMENT FROM A GARMENT STORAGE Technical Field The present invention relates to a fetching mechanism arranged to fetch a garment from a garment storage and prepare the garment for handover to an opening mechanism. The present invention further relates to a method for controlling the fetching mechanism, to a control unit implementing the method and a garment donning machine.

Background In this document, the embodiments of the present invention are often described in relation to gloves, such as disposable and/or sterile gloves. However, the present invention is not limited to usage in connection with gloves. Instead, the present invention may be generally utilized for donning essentially any type of garment on essentially any body part, such as e.g. socks on feet, as is clear from the wording of the claims.

Disposable and/or sterile gloves are today used by persons/employees in a number of different areas/professions, such as e.g. in the health care sector and the food industry. Disposable and/or sterile gloves are typically worn to protect the hands of the user and/or to prevent spreading of bacteria and other agents. Due to current stricter hygienic requirements, safety aspects and virus spreading prevention, the use of disposable and/or sterile gloves has been rapidly increasing, and is likely to continue to increase in the future.

Summary One disadvantage with using disposable and/or sterile gloves is that it may be difficult and time consuming to put them on, especially if the gloves are tight and/or the hands are damp. In addition, the risk of damaging a glove when it is being put on is high. These drawbacks may not be that severe for persons that only occasionally uses such gloves, for private use e.g. at home. However, many of the persons working with disposable and/or sterile gloves need to regularly change gloves. For example, a nurse typically puts on a new pair of gloves for each new patient, and a person working behind a deli counter puts on a new pair of gloves for each new customer. Hence, in certain situations and/or professions, a large number of glove changes are performed per day per person or employee. If each of these glove changes is time consuming, there are over time major time losses and thereby costs associated with the Also, changing of gloves. it may be stressful for the glove user to struggle with time consuming glove changes, especially if other people are waiting for the glove user to perform a task.

The use of disposable and/or sterile gloves in environments with strict hygienic requirements poses additional challenges related to contamination. When such gloves are put on manually, the user typically needs to touch the outside of the gloves with his fingers. Although care is exercised, it may be difficult to avoid touching areas of the glove which is later going to come in contact with e.g. a patient or food. Hence, there is a high risk that gloves are contaminated as they are being put on.

To avoid the above described disadvantages related to donning/applying and changing disposable and/or sterile gloves, machines which automatically apply gloves on the hands of a user have been developed. These types of machines are hereafter referred to as glove donning machines. Glove donningmachines typically includes a glove storage from which the glove to be donned is fetched using some kind of gripping means to grip and place the glove in a donning position where it can be opened. However, due to challenges with how the gloves are packaged and the flexible/limp nature of gloves, the gripping and/or placing of the glove often fails and/or damages the glove. Conventional fetching mechanisms are hence not reliable enough to ensure proper fetching and hence proper donning every time the glove donning machine is used. These problems make conventional glove donning machines prone to malfunction and hence unsuitable for commercial use. Consequently, there is a need for an improved and more reliable fetching mechanism for a glove donning machine.

An objective of embodiments of the present invention is to provide a solution which mitigates or solves the drawbacks and problems of prior art.

The above and further objectives are achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Further advantageous implementation forms of the present invention are defined by the dependent claims and other embodiments.

According to an aspect of the invention, the above mentioned and other objectives are achieved with a fetching mechanism arranged to fetch a garment from a garment storage; characterized by - first and second gripping members arranged to be: -- movable relative to each other between an open configuration and a closed configuration; and -- movable relative to the garment storage between a fetching position and a handover position; - the first and second gripping members further being arranged to: -- close around a cuff of a garment hanging out from the garment storage, when moved from the open configuration to the closed configuration in the fetching position; -- grip the cuff of the garment and pull the garment further out of the garment storage, when moved from the fetching position to the handover position in the closed configuration; and -- prepare the cuff of the garment for handover to an opening mechanism hv opf* such N Å, while the garment at least partly remains in the garment storage, by moving to the when in the handover position.

An advantage with the fetching mechanism according to the aspect is that it provides a reliable way of gripping the garment and partly extracting the garment from the garment storage. By gripping the cuff of the garment according to the aspect, the position of the cuff can be controlled to allow for a reliable handover to the opening mechanism. When the fetching mechanism is used in a donning apparatus, the garment can thereby be fetched and opened in a simple and robust way which ensures a reliable donning of the garment. The fetching mechanism further provides well defined movements which reduces the risk for malfunction and reduces the time required when to fetch the garment from the garment storage. Hereby, used in e.g. a glove donning apparatus, the fetching mechanism can increase the number of possible gloves donned per time unit.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the first and second gripping members are arranged to grip a cuff edge of the garment, when moved to the handover position in the closed configuration.

An advantage with this embodiment is that a firm and secure grip of the garment can be achieved. Furthermore, the cuff edge of the garment can be aligned with the first and second gripping members such that a proper positioning of the cuff for handover can be ensured.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the first and second gripping members are shaped such that, in the closed configuration, a slot is formed between the first and second gripping members, the slot allowing the cuff of the garment to pass between the first and second gripping members but preventing a cuff edge of the garment from passing between the first and second gripping members.

By allowing the cuff but not the cuff edge to slide between the first and second gripping members, the garment can be gripped in a predictable and simple way. Furthermore, the cuff edge can be aligned with the first and second gripping members such that a proper positioning of the cuff for handover can be ensured.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the first and second gripping members are arranged to prepare the cuff of the garment for handover by opening the cuff of the garment, such that insertion members of the opening mechanism can be inserted into the cuff.

An advantage with this embodiment is that it allows the insertion members of the opening mechanism to easily be inserted into the cuff, thereby ensuring a proper handover to the opening mechanism.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the first and second gripping members are arranged to open the cuff of the garment by moving to the open configuration.An advantage with this embodiment is that a simple way of opening the cuff of the garment is provided.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the first and second gripping members include suction means arranged for opening the cuff of the garment.

An advantage with this embodiment is that a simple way of opening the cuff of the garment is provided.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the suction means are arranged to releasably hold a first and a second side of the garment to the first and second gripping members, respectively.

An advantage with this embodiment is that a simple way of opening and then releasing the cuff of the garment is provided.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the first and second gripping members are arranged to move to a discard position, in case of a failure, whereby the garment is completely extracted from the garment storage.

An advantage with this embodiment is that if a failure occurs during the fetching, e.g. if a garment cannot be properly gripped or positioned, the garment can be disposed of such that a new garment can be fetched. Hereby, the risk of malfunction and interruption to the donning process can be decreased.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the first and second gripping members are arranged to move to the open configuration in the discard position, whereby the garment isreleased and falls due to gravity.

An advantage with this embodiment is that if a failure occurs during the fetching, the garment can be disposed of such that a new garment can be fetched without any manual intervention needed. Thereby, the user experience can be improved.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the first and second gripping members are arranged to be tiltable in the discard position.

An advantage with this embodiment is that the tilting of the first and second gripping members can ensure that the garment slides off from the first and second gripping members and does not get stuck. The garment can thereby be disposed of without any manual intervention, improving the user experience. According to some embodiments of the invention, the first and second gripping members are arranged to move linearly according to one or more in the group of: - relative to each other between the open configuration and the closed configuration; - to and from the garment storage between the fetching position and the handover position; - to and from the garment storage between the fetching position and a discard position; and - to and from the garment storage between the handover position and a discard position.

An advantage with these embodiments is that the movements of the first and second gripping members can be implemented in a straightforward way and the fetching mechanism can be made both compact, non-expensive and robust.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the cuff of thegarment is hanging out vertically from an opening at a bottom of the garment storage.

An advantage with this embodiment is that it allows the first and second gripping members to easily close around, and thereby grip, the cuff of the garment. According to an embodiment of the invention, the garment is any one in the group of: - a glove; and - a sock. According to another aspect of the invention, the above mentioned and other objectives are achieved with a method for controlling a fetching mechanism arranged to fetch a garment from a garment storage; characterized by - controlling first and second gripping members by moving the first and second gripping members relative to each other between an open configuration and a closed configuration; and - controlling the first and second gripping members by moving the first and second gripping members relative to the garment storage between a fetching position and a handover position; such that - the first and second gripping members: -- close around a cuff of a garment hanging out from the garment storage, when moved from the open configuration to the closed configuration in the fetching position; -- grip the cuff of the garment and pull the garment further out of the garment storage, when moved from the fetching position to the handover position in the closed configuration; and -- prepare the cuff of the garment for handover to an opening M, while the garment at least partly remains inthe garment storage, by moving to the open configuration when in the handover position.

The method may be adapted in accordance with the above- mentioned embodiments of the fetching mechanism. The advantages of the method are the same as the advantages of the corresponding embodiments of the fetching mechanism.

According to an aspect of the invention,the above mentioned and other objectives are achieved with a control unit arranged to control the fetching mechanism to carry out the method according to any embodiment of the method aspect.

The control unit may be adapted in accordance with the above- mentioned embodiments of the fetching mechanism. The advantages of the control unit are the same as the advantages of the corresponding embodiments of the fetching mechanism. According to an aspect of the invention, a garment donning machine comprising at least one fetching mechanism according to any of the herein described embodiment is also presented. According to further aspects of the present invention, the herein described methods are implemented by use of computer when the program products comprising instructions which, programs are executed by a computer, such as e.g. a herein mentioned control unit, cause the computer to carry out the steps of the methods according to any one of the herein described embodiments.

According to further aspects of the present invention, the herein described methods are implemented by use of computer- such readable storage media that, when executed by a computer, as e.g. a herein mentioned control unit, cause the computer to carry out the steps of the methods according to any one of theherein described embodiments.

Further applications and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.

Brief Description of the Drawings The appended drawings are intended to clarify and explain different embodiments of the present invention, in which: Fig. 1 shows a fetching mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention; Figs. 2a-b show top views of configurations of first and second gripping members according to an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 3 shows a side view of positions of the first and second gripping members according to an embodiment of the invention; Figs. 4a-d show front views of positions of the fetching mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 5 shows a side view of the fetching mechanism in a discard position according to an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 6 shows a flow chart for a method for controlling a fetching mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 7 shows an example of an apparatus for facilitating donning of a garment.

Detailed Description It should be generally understood that the figures are simplified and schematical figures, in which only the features necessary for understanding the principles of the illustrated apparatuses, mechanisms, methods and control units are shown. Many features have been omitted in the various figures, in order to enhance intelligibility. Thus, the figures are not complete illustrations of the herein described apparatuses, mechanisms, methods and control units.

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a fetching mechanismaccording to some embodiments of the invention. The fetching mechanism 200 is arranged to fetch a garment 120 from a garment storage 110 and prepare the garment 120 for handover to an opening mechanism arranged to open a cuff 122 of the garment 120 for donning. The fetching mechanism 200 may e.g. be used together with the opening mechanism in an apparatus for facilitating donning the garment 120 on a part of a human body, as will be further described with reference to Fig.

The garment 120 may be any type of garment for any body part such as e.g. a glove or a sock. In some embodiments, the garment 120 is a disposable and/or sterile glove used for protection and/or against contamination. The material of the garment 120 may be at least partly elastic, allowing the cuff 122 of the garment 120 to be stretched. The cuff opening of the garment 120 may thereby be increased such that the donning of the garment 120 can be facilitated. The material of the garment 120 may be a polymer e.g. an elastomer, a plastic material, rubber and/or latex, but is not limited thereto. Multiple garments 120 may be stored in the garment storage 110 and arranged such that the cuff 122 of the next garment 120 to be fetched is hanging out from the garment storage 110, in an initial state before being fetched by the fetching mechanism 200. As shown in Fig. 1, the cuff 122 of the garment 120 may be hanging out vertically from an opening at a bottom of the garment storage 110. Due to gravity, the cuff 122 may hang vertically down outside the garment storage 110 with a cuff edge 124 facing downwards. However, the garment storage 110 and the opening may be positioned differently than shown in Fig. 1, causing the cuff 122 of the garment 120 to e.g. hang out at an angle relative to the garment storage The garments 120 may further be arranged in the garmentstorage 110 such that the extraction of one garment 120 from the garment storage 110 causes the cuff 122 of a new/next garment 120 to be pulled out from, and thus to hang out of, the garment storage 110. Once a garment 120 has been fetched/extracted completely from the garment storage 110, the cuff 122 of the next garment 120 in line is thereby hanging out from the garment storage 110 and is ready to be subsequently fetched.

With reference to Fig. 1, the fetching mechanism 200 comprises first 210 and second 220 gripping members. The first 210 and second 220 gripping members are arranged to be movable relative to each other and relative to the garment storage 110, as indicted with arrows in Fig. 1. By moving relative to each other, the first 210 and second 220 gripping members can close around the cuff 122 of the garment 120 hanging out from the garment storage 110. By moving relative to the garment storage 110, the first 210 and second 220 gripping members can grip and pull the garment 120 away from the garment storage 110 such that the garment 120 is further extracted from the garment storage 110. The first 210 and second 220 gripping members may grip the cuff 122 by catching a cuff edge 124 of the garment 120, as will be further described below. The first 210 and second 220 gripping members are arranged to be movable relative to each other between an open configuration and a closed configuration. Fig. 2a shows a top view of the first 210 and second 220 gripping members in the open configuration and Fig. 2b shows a top view of the first 210 and second 220 gripping members in the closed configuration. The first 210 and second 220 gripping members are arranged to be at least partly at a first distance D1 from each other, in the open configuration. The first distance D1 may be larger than a maximum width of the garment 120 in a relaxed state to allow the garment 120 to pass between thefirst 210 and second 220 gripping members. In this way, the first 210 and second 220 gripping members can move towards and away from the garment storage 110 in the open configuration without gripping or getting caught in the garment 120 hanging out from the garment storage 110. The first distance D1 may further be adapted to allow the garment 110 to be at least partly opened by the first 210 and second 220 gripping members to facilitate handover to an opening mechanism, when the first 210 and second 220 gripping members releasably hold the garment 110 and move to the open configuration.

With reference to Fig. 2b, the first 210 and second 220 gripping members are arranged to be at least partly at a second distance D2 from each other, in the closed configuration. The second distance D2 is smaller than the first distance D1. The second distance D2 may further be larger than a width of the cuff 122 of the garment 120 but smaller than a width of the cuff edge 124 of the garment 120. Hereby, the cuff 122 of the garment 120 but not the cuff edge 124 can pass between the first 210 and second 220 gripping members such that only the cuff edge 124 is gripped/caught between the first 210 and second 220 gripping members in the closed configuration.

The first 210 and second 220 gripping members may be members/arms with an elongated shape and may have a main extension essentially perpendicular to an extension of the cuff 122 hanging out from the garment storage 110. Thus, when the cuff 122 of the garment 120 hangs out vertically from the garment storage 110, the first 210 and second 220 gripping members may extend essentially horizontally, one on each side of the garment The shape and dimensions of the first 210 and secondgripping members may further be adapted to the dimensions ofthe garment 120. In some embodiments, the first 210 and second 220 gripping members are shaped such that, in the closed configuration, a slot 230 is formed between the first 210 and second 220 gripping members. The slot 230 may also be referred to as a slit, an aperture, or a gap, and may extend between the first 210 and second 220 gripping members along a part of be a slot that their length or along their full length, i.e. is open or closed at its ends. The slot 230 may allow the cuff 122 of the garment 120 to pass between the first 210 and second 220 gripping members but prevent a cuff edge 124 of the garment 120 from passing between the first 210 and second 220 gripping members.

With reference to Fig. 2b, the slot 230 may have a width corresponding to the second distance D2 and may be closed at its edges. The slot 230 may be formed by a recess in at least one of the sides of the first 210 and second 220 gripping members facing each other. The first 210 and second 220 gripping members may hence be adjacent to or abutting each other at their respective ends. The slot 230 with closed ends prevents the garment 120 from slipping sideways out of the slot 230, improving the control of the extraction of the garment 120 from the garment storage 110. However, a slot with open ends can also be used, e.g. to keep the design simple and to lower the manufacturing costs.

In embodiments, the first 210 and second 220 gripping members may be arranged to move linearly relative to each other between the open configuration and the closed configuration. The distance between the first 210 and second 220 gripping members may hence be the same along the extension of the first 210 and second 220 gripping members, as they move to and from each other. However, the first 210 and second 220 gripping members may in embodiments instead move in e.g. a scissor-like or hinged/pivoted movement relative to each other.Fig. 3 show three positions of the first 210 and secondgripping members relative to the garment storage 110. The first 210 and second 220 gripping members are, during operation, arranged to move relative to the garment storage 110 between a fetching position Pætwmw and a handover position Phwemær. In addition, the first 210 and second 220 gripping members may be arranged to move to a discard position Pdßcfid, in case of a failure. In Fig. 3, the fetching position Pfämmfig of the first 210 and second 220 gripping members are shown, while the handover position Phwumærand the discard position Pamcfla of the first 210 and second 220 gripping members are indicated with dashed lines. The fetching position Pætwmw is adjacent to the garment storage 110, i.e. is closer to the garment storage 110 than both the handover position Phæumærand discard position Paßcfla. The handover position Phæfimær is between the fetching position Pfetching and the discard position i.e.

Pdßcfld, is closer to the garment storage 110 than the discard position Pdßcfld.

The first 210 and second 220 gripping members may be arranged to move linearly, i.e. may follow essentially straight lines/directions, to and from the garment storage 110 between the fetching position Pætwmw, the handover position Phæfimæn and/or the discard position Paßcfla. The first 210 and second 220 gripping members may further be arranged to move together in a synchronised manner to and from the garment storage 110. With reference to Fig. 3, the first 210 and second 220 gripping members may be arranged to be attached to and guided by a track or path 240. The first 210 and second 220 gripping members may thus e.g. be movably attached to a rod/bar/tube and move linearly along the rod/bar/tube.

Furthermore, the first 210 and second 220 gripping members may be moved between their open configuration and closed configuration when in the fetching position Pætwmw, the handover position Phæflmær or the discard position Pdßcæd, or when traveling between these positions.

The first 210 and second 220 gripping members may be operated using electrical means, mechanical means, or an electromechanical combination of electrical and mechanical means, an electrical motor and mechanical gears. e.g. Figs. 4a-d show different stages of the fetching process according to an embodiment of the invention. In Figs 4a-d, the first 210 and second 220 gripping members and the garmentare shown in cross-section A indicated in Fig. 2a.

In Fig. 4a, the first 210 and second 220 gripping members are shown in an initial stage before the fetching is initiated. In the initial stage, the first 210 and second 220 gripping members are in the open configuration in the fetching position Pætwmw. The first 210 and second 220 gripping members are thereby at the first distance D1 from each other and positioned one on each side of the garment 120 hanging out from the garment storage 110, as shown in Fig. 4a, To fetch a garment 120 from the garment storage 110, the first 210 and second 220 gripping members are first moved from the moved open configuration to the closed configuration, i.e. towards each other, while remaining in the fetching position Pætwmw. With reference to Fig. 4b, which shows the first 210 and second 220 gripping members in the closed configuration in the fetching position Pætwmw, the first 210 and second 220 gripping members are thereby closed around the cuff 122 of the garment 120 hanging out from the garment storage 110 and at the second distance D2 from each other when the closed configuration is reached.The first 210 and second 220 gripping members are then moved from the fetching position Pætwmw to the handover position Phædmær, while remaining in the closed configuration. The first 210 and second 220 gripping members are hence moved further away from the garment storage As the first 210 and second 220 gripping members move away from the garment storage 110 towards the handover position Phwemær, the first 210 and second 220 gripping members grip the cuff 122 of the garment 120 and pull the garment 120 further out of the garment storage 110. The first 210 and second 220 gripping members may here be arranged to grip a cuff edge 124 of the garment 120, when moved to the handover position Phædmær in the closed configuration. When the first 210 and second 220 gripping members move away from the garment storage 110, the cuff 122 may initially slide between the first 210 and second 220 gripping members until the cuff edge 124 is reached by the first 210 and second 220 gripping members. The cuff edge 124 is then caught between the first 210 and second 220 gripping members such that further movement of the first 210 and second 220 gripping members away from the garment storage 110 pulls the garment 120 further out of the garment storage 110. In this way, the garment 120 can be extracted in a controlled way, and the cuff edge 124 can be aligned with the first 210 and second 220 gripping members.

Fig. 4c shows the first 210 and second 220 gripping members in the closed configuration when the handover position Phæflmær is reached. As shown in Fig. 4c, the garment 120 has been further, but not fully, extracted from the garment storage A part of the garment 120 thus still remains in the when the garment 120 is a garment storage 110. For example, glove, at least the tips of one or more of the glove fingers are still held by the garment storageWhen in the handover poSitiOn Phwumær, the first 210 and second 220 gripping members prepare the cuff 122 of the garment 120 for handover to an opening mechanism, while the garment 120 at least partly remains in the garment storage 110. The first 210 and second 220 gripping members may be arranged to prepare the cuff 122 of the garment 120 for handover by opening the cuff 122 of the garment 120, such that insertion members of the opening mechanism can be inserted into the cuff 122. In other words, the cuff 122 of the garment 120 is opened to provide an opening big enough for the insertion members of the opening mechanism to fit into.

The first 210 and second 220 gripping members may be arranged to open the cuff 122 of the garment 120 by moving to the open configuration. With reference to Fig. 4d, the first 210 and second 220 gripping members may releasably hold first 126 and second 128 sides of the garment 120 such that, when the first 210 and second 220 gripping members move to the open configuration, the first 126 and second 128 sides of the garment 120 are separated from each other. The releasable hold may be implemented in a number of different way, e.g. using suction means, adhersive means or mechanical means. Hence, the first 210 and second 220 gripping members may in some embodiments include suction means arranged for opening the cuff 122 of the garment 120. The suction means may be arranged to releasably hold the first 126 and second 128 sides of the garment 120 to the first 210 and second 220 gripping members, respectively. Suction means in the form of negative/under pressure or vacuum may be used and may e.g. be implemented as one or more holes arranged on a respective side of the first 210 and second 220 gripping members facing the first 126 and second 128 sides of the garment 120, respectively, where the holes are in connection with a suction/vacuum source.In case of a failure occurring during the fetching of a garment 120, the fetching mechanism 200 may be arranged to discard the garment 120. The failure may e.g. be related to the fetching mechanism 200 not getting a proper grip of the garment 120 or not being able to open the garment 120, and/or the garment 120 being crumpled, folded or damaged. To discard the garment 120, the first 210 and second 220 gripping members may completely pull out the garment 120 from the garment storage 110 by moving to the discard position Pdßcfld. In some embodiments, the first 210 and second 220 gripping members may hence be arranged to move to the discard position Pdßcfld, in case of a failure, whereby the garment 120 is completely extracted from the garment storage 110, as shown in Fig. 5. The first 210 and second 220 gripping members may then release the garment 120 by moving to the open configuration. When the first 210 and second 220 gripping members move to the open configuration in the discard position Pdßcfla, the garmentis released and falls due to gravity, into a waste bin e.g. 250 or the like.

With reference to Fig. 5, the first 210 and second 220 gripping members may further be arranged to be tiltable in the discard position Pdßcfld.

The first 210 and second 220 gripping members may be tilted, from an essentially horizontal e.g. plane, after, before, or at the same time as, being moved to the open configuration. By tilting the first 210 and second 220 gripping members, the garment 120 may slide along the tilted first 210 and second 220 gripping members when released, reducing the risk that the garment 120 is not properly released.

According to embodiments of the invention a method 500 for controlling a fetching mechanism 200 arranged to fetch a garment 120 from a garment storage 110 is provided. A flowchart of the method 500 is shown in Fig. 6 and includes the steps of: - controlling 502 the first 210 and second 220 gripping members by moving the first 210 and second 220 gripping members relative to each other between an open configuration and a closed configuration; and - controlling 504 the first 210 and second 220 gripping members by moving the first 210 and second 220 gripping members relative to the garment storage 110 between a fetching position Pætwmw and a handover position Phæumær.

The controlling steps 502, 504, are co-ordinated such that the first 210 and second 220 gripping members: -- close around a cuff 122 of a garment 120 hanging out from the garment storage 110, when moved from the open configuration to the closed configuration in the fetching position Pfämmflg; -- grip the cuff 122 of the garment 120 and pull the garment 120 further out of the garment storage 110, when moved from the fetching position Pf@Ihfl@ to the handover position Phæflmær in the closed configuration; and -- prepare the cuff 122 of the garment 120 for handover to an opening mechanism 300, while the garment 120 at least partly remains in the garment storage 110, when in the handover position Phæumær.

According to embodiments of the invention, the fetching mechanism 200 may comprise or be connected to a control unit arranged to control the fetching mechanism 200 to carry out the method 500. The control unit may hence be arranged/configured/programmed with instruction to control the fetching mechanism 200 to perform the steps of any of the herein described embodiments.

According to embodiments of the invention a garment donning machine including the fetching mechanism 200 according to any of the herein described embodiments is provided. The garment donning machine may include e.g. one or two glove storages, one or two fetching mechanisms, and one or two opening mechanisms, as herein described. Each set of glove storage, fetching mechanism, and opening mechanism can provide donning of one garment, one glove, at a time. Thus, if two such e.g. sets are used, two garments, e.g. two gloves, at a time may be donned, and so on. The fetching mechanism 200 according to any of the herein described embodiments can be used in an apparatus for facilitating donning of a garment.

Fig. 7 shows an example of such a donning apparatus, an apparatus 100 for facilitating donning of a garment 120 comprising a cuff 122 on a part of a human body. The fetching mechanism 200, and the various embodiments of the invention may be implemented in such an apparatus, or may be implemented in another apparatus. Thus, the apparatus 100 is not limiting for the present invention and its embodiments, and is herein described to explain one of a number of possible usages of the herein presented embodiments.

The apparatus 100 includes a garment storage 110, from which initially at least the cuff 122 of the garment 120 is extracted and is hanging out. The apparatus 100 further includes the fetching mechanism 200 and an opening mechanism 300 which work together to get the garment 120 from the garment storage 110 and preparing the garment 120 for donning. As previously described, the fetching mechanism 200 grips the cuff 122 of the garment 120, in the fetching position Pfüßmflg, and moves to the handover position Phwumær (indicated with dotted lines in Fig. 7), while holding on to the cuff 122. The garment 120 is thereby pulled further out from the garment storage 110, but not completely and hence partly still remainsin the garment storage 110, when the fetching mechanismreaches the handover position Phæumær. The fetching mechanism 200 prepares the cuff 122 for handover to the opening mechanism 300, while the garment 120 at least partly remains in the garment storage 110. The opening mechanism 300 is inserted into the prepared garment 120 in a receiving position Pmcæynw (indicated with dashed lines in Fig. 7). The opening mechanism 300 moves along a path track 410 from the receiving position Pmw@yfl@ to a donning position Pdmmfl@ while holding on to the garment 120. The garment 120 is thereby completely pulled out of the garment storage 110. In the donning position Pammnw, the opening mechanism 300 opens the cuff 122 for facilitating donning of the garment 120, i.e. such that the body part of the user can easily be inserted into the garment The herein described fetching mechanism 200, method 500, control unit and garment donning machine are not limited by the above-mentioned embodiments. The fetching mechanism 200, method 500, control unit and garment donning machine are instead limited by the independent claims.

Claims (14)

1. A fetching mechanism (200) (120) arranged to fetch a garment from a garment storage (110); (210) characterized by - first and second (220) gripping members arranged to be: -- movable relative to each other between an open configuration and a closed configuration; and -- movable relative to said garment storage (110) between a fetching position (210) (Pætwmw) and a handover position (Phæ@mæfi; - said first and second (220) gripping members further being arranged to: (122) (110), -- close around a cuff of a garment (120) hanging out from said garment storage when moved from said open configuration to said closed configuration in said fetching position (Pfetching); -- grip said cuff (122) (120) (120) of said garment and pull said garment further out of said garment storage (110), when moved from said fetching position (Pætwmw) to said handover position in said closed configuration; and (122) (120) (P handover) -- prepare said cuff of said garment for handover to an opening mechanism {ïHm= of (*GP\ *tt bë ~ \~~ed while said garment (120) at least partly remains in said garment storage (110), by moving to said open configuration when in said handover position (Phandover) -

2. A fetching mechanism (200) according to claim 1, wherein said first (210) and second (220) gripping members are arranged to grip a cuff edge (124) of said garment (120), when moved to said handover position (Phæfimær) in said closed configuration.

3. A fetching mechanism (200) according to claim 1 or 2,wherein said first (210) and second (220) gripping members are shaped such that, in said closed configuration, a slot (230) (210) and second (220) allowing said cuff (122) (210) is formed between said first (230) gripping said slot of said (120) members, and second (124) of (210) garment (220) to pass between said first gripping members but preventing a cuff edge said garment (120) from passing between said first and second (220) gripping members. ëš@ A fetching mechanism (200) according to É (210) wherein said first and second (220) gripping members include suction means arranged for opening said cuff (122) of said garment (120). 53. A fetching mechanism (200) according to claim §š, wherein said suction means are arranged to releasably hold a first (126) and a second (128) side of said garment (120) to said first (210) and second (220) gripping members, respectively. §§. A fetching mechanism (200) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first (210) and second (220) gripping members are arranged to move to a discard position|(Pdmcfia), in case of a failure to grip or open said cuff of said ga ment (120) is (110). whereby said garment completely extracted from said garment storage :%. A fetching mechanism (200) (210) according to claim §%, wherein said first and second (220) gripping members are arranged to move to said open configuration in said discard position (Pdßcfla), whereby said garment (120) is released and falls due to gravity. w Sås. A fetching mechanism (200) M_ according to claim §% or 3%, (210) wherein said first and second (220) gripping members are arranged to be tiltable in said discard position (Pdßcfld). A fetching mechanism (200) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first (210) and second (220) gripping members are arranged to move linearly according to one or more in the group of: - relative to each other between said open configuration and said closed configuration; - to and from said garment storage (110) between said fetching position (Pætwmw) and said handover position (Phæ@mæfi; - to and from said garment storage (110) between said fetching position (Pætwmw) and a discard position (PdBCMd); and - to and from said garment storage (110) between said handover and a discard position (Pdßcfld). position (Phandover) A fetching mechanism (200) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said cuff (122) (120) of said garment is hanging out vertically from an opening at a bottom of said garment storage (110). A fetching mechanism (200) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said garment (120) is any one in the group of: - a glove; and - a sock. A method (500) for controlling a fetching mechanism (200) (120) arranged to fetch a garment (ll0); from a garment storage characterized by first (210) (210) and second (220) gripping and second (220) - controlling (502) members by moving said first gripping members relative to each other between an open configuration and a closed configuration; and - controlling (504) said first (210) and second (220) gripping members by moving said first (210) and second (220) gripping members relative to said garment storage (110) between a f@tChing pOSitiOn (Pætwhw) and a handover position (Phæ@mæfi; such that - said first (210) and second (220) gripping members: -- close around a cuff (122) (110), of a garment (120) hanging out from said garment storage when moved from said open configuration to said closed configuration in said fetching position (Pfetching) ; -- grip said cuff (122) of said garment (120) and pull said garment (120) further out of said garment storage (110), when moved from said fetching position (Pætwmw) to said handover in said closed configuration; and (122) (120) position (Phandover) -- prepare said cuff of said garment for handover x to an opening mechanism (300) ny open *Aid opening mechanism 1'”. , while said garment (110), (120) at least partly remains in said garment storage furation when in said handover position (Phandover) - A control unit arranged to control a fetching mechanism (200) to carry out a method (500) according to claim 1;A garment donning machine characterized by - at least one fetching mechanism (200) according to any one of claims 1-lïïë 27