US20120099947A1 - Method of, and apparatus for, separating and/or measuring items of laundry - Google Patents

Method of, and apparatus for, separating and/or measuring items of laundry Download PDF

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Publication number
US20120099947A1
US20120099947A1 US13/276,434 US201113276434A US2012099947A1 US 20120099947 A1 US20120099947 A1 US 20120099947A1 US 201113276434 A US201113276434 A US 201113276434A US 2012099947 A1 US2012099947 A1 US 2012099947A1
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
laundry
conveyor
item
items
gripping arrangement
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
US13/276,434
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English (en)
Inventor
Engelbert Heinz
Friedhelm Mehrhoff
Andreas Olivieri
Alexander Farchmin
Jan Hellmig
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Herbert Kannegiesser GmbH and Co
Original Assignee
Herbert Kannegiesser GmbH and Co
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Herbert Kannegiesser GmbH and Co filed Critical Herbert Kannegiesser GmbH and Co
Assigned to HERBERT KANNEGIESSER GMBH reassignment HERBERT KANNEGIESSER GMBH ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: FARCHMIN, ALEXANDER, HEINZ, ENGELBERT, HELLMIG, JAN, MEHRHOFF, FRIEDHELM, OLIVIERI, ANDREAS
Publication of US20120099947A1 publication Critical patent/US20120099947A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F93/00—Counting, sorting, or marking arrangements specially adapted for laundry purposes
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
    • D06F95/00—Laundry systems or arrangements of apparatus or machines; Mobile laundries 

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a method of separating items of laundry, wherein items of laundry are extracted from a pile of laundry by a gripping arrangement, the at least one item of laundry hanging down from the gripping arrangement is transferred to a conveyor, and a rearmost region of an item of laundry is detected and fixed at that end of the conveyor which is located opposite the gripping arrangement.
  • the invention also relates to a method of measuring items of laundry, wherein the items of laundry in the first instance are separated and then measured.
  • the invention further relates to an apparatus for separating items of laundry, having a gripping arrangement for drawing items of laundry out of a pile of laundry, and having a conveyor for receiving the or each item of laundry drawn out of the pile of laundry by the gripping arrangement.
  • the sorting operation requires prior knowledge of at least one dimension, which allows conclusions to be drawn as to the size of the respective item of laundry. It is indeed known for the items of laundry to be measured prior to sorting, in order to obtain the desired dimension of the items of laundry; however, the measuring methods which have been used hitherto are fairly complex and not precise enough.
  • a method of achieving this object is a method of separating items of laundry, wherein items of laundry are extracted from a pile of laundry by a gripping arrangement, the at least one item of laundry hanging down from the gripping arrangement is transferred to a conveyor, and a rearmost region of an item of laundry is detected and fixed at that end of the conveyor which is located opposite the gripping arrangement, characterized in that in the case of a plurality of items of laundry on the conveyor, only the final item of laundry is fixed at the rear end or corner and the at least one further, unfixed item of laundry is ejected from the conveyor.
  • the in each case at least one unfixed item of laundry sliding down from the conveyor is ejected back onto the pile of laundry which is to be separated or into a container or onto a feed conveyor for the pile of laundry.
  • Such items of laundry are thus re-fed automatically for separation by being subsequently drawn out again from the pile of laundry, or from a receiving container, by the gripper.
  • a preferred configuration of the method makes provision for the at least one item of laundry to be transferred onto the conveyor by the gripper in a diagonally directed manner, preferably in a state in which it hangs, or is straightened out, diagonally. This means that diagonally opposite corners of the at least one item of laundry are located on the conveyor, wherein the one corner defines the foremost point of the respective item of laundry, as seen in the conveying direction of the conveyor, and the other corner defines the rearmost point.
  • a rear corner of a single item of laundry is preferably fixed on the conveyor such that that part of the just one item of laundry fixed on the conveyor at a rear corner which precedes the fixed corner hangs down freely from the front end of the conveyor.
  • the lowermost point of the item of laundry hanging down from the conveyor is preferably the front corner of the item of laundry, which is located diagonally opposite the fixed, rear corner. This gives rise to the item of laundry being oriented and/or spread out diagonally, as a result of which the item of laundry has a defined position and orientation.
  • the single item of laundry can thus be subjected to further treatment in a specific position with diagonally opposite corners drawn apart from one another. In particular the item of laundry passes in this way onto a following conveyor, on which it is measured.
  • a further method of achieving the object mentioned in the introduction is a method of measuring items of laundry, wherein the items of laundry in the first instance are separated and then measured, characterized in that the distance between two opposite points of the separated item of laundry, as seen in the conveying direction of a conveyor, is determined, with the item of laundry at least in part in the state in which it is laid out or straightened out on the conveyor, as the item is being transported further by the conveyor. Accordingly, the distance between two opposite points of the separated item of laundry, as seen in the conveying direction of a conveyor, is determined, with the item of laundry in the state in which it is laid out, that is to say spread out to some extent, as the item of laundry is being transported further on the conveyor.
  • the item of laundry is measured as a result.
  • This measuring operation determines a longitudinal dimension of the item of laundry, which is important for the following treatment, in particular sorting, of the item of laundry.
  • the dimension determined is preferably one which corresponds to the longitudinal extent of the laid-out or straightened-out item of laundry in the transporting direction of the conveyor. This may be, for example, a width dimension or length dimension of the item of laundry.
  • successive movement of the front point, and of the rear point, of the single item of laundry past the same region or the same line, running preferably perpendicularly to the transporting direction of the conveyor, and the distance covered by the conveyor from when the front point of the item of laundry moves past until the rear point of the item of laundry moves past are determined.
  • This allows straightforward and reliable measurement of the item of laundry on the conveyor, wherein the dimension of the distance between the front and the rear points of the item of laundry in the transporting direction of the conveyor is ideally a dimension which is characteristic of the size of the item of laundry.
  • a preferred configuration of the method provides that the item of laundry is deposited on the conveyor by way of diagonally opposite corners and/or is received from the conveyor by way of diagonally opposite corners. This means that points of the item of laundry which are characteristic of the size of the same can be determined, preferably in a contactless manner, on the conveyor and the desired operation of measuring the item of laundry can thus be carried out. Provision is preferably made, in the case of the item of laundry being located on the conveyor with diagonally opposite corners, for the distance between the diagonally opposite corners of the item of laundry on the conveyor to be determined.
  • the item of laundry is laid out on the conveyor in a state in which it is spread out or straightened out to a slight extent in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor, this gives the diagonal dimension of the item of laundry, from which conclusions can be drawn as to the size of the item of laundry.
  • the item of laundry for measuring purposes, can lie flat, in its entirety, on a conveyor of corresponding width. However, it is also sufficient if just a narrow strip of the item of laundry rests on the conveyor by way of the diagonally opposite corners, in which case opposite peripheral regions of the item of laundry hang down from the conveyor on opposite sides.
  • the conveyor may then be designed to narrower than the item of laundry.
  • the method according to the invention can be developed advantageously by the operation of the item of laundry being received from the preceding conveyor taking place by virtue of the conveyor on which the item of laundry is measured being pivoted. It is preferably here for that end of the conveyor which is oriented towards the preceding conveyor to be pivoted beneath an end of the preceding conveyor or a counterpressure means in the region of the preceding conveyor.
  • This allows the item of laundry to be measured in the slightly straightened-out or drawn-apart state, and this means that relatively precise measuring results can be achieved.
  • the conveyor receives the item of laundry by way of the corner point fixed on the preceding conveyor. This means that the item of laundry, as has been received by the conveyor, hangs down in precisely the same way as it does from the preceding conveyor, as a result of which the conveyor which carries out the measurement of the item of laundry can receive the item of laundry with the latter in the state in which it is straightened out under its own weight. This also leads to comparatively precise measuring results.
  • An apparatus for achieving the object mentioned in the introduction is an apparatus for separating items of laundry, having a gripping arrangement for drawing items of laundry out of a pile of laundry, and having a conveyor for receiving the or each item of laundry drawn out of the pile of laundry by the gripping arrangement, characterized in that the conveyor is assigned a following conveyor for determining at least one dimension of the item of laundry.
  • a further conveyor to be arranged downstream of the conveyor which receives at least one item of laundry drawn out of the pile of laundry by the gripper, wherein this following conveyor serves for determining a dimension and/or for measuring the item of laundry.
  • the conveyor arranged downstream of the gripper gives rise to reliable separation, in which case just a single item of laundry is fed to the following conveyor for measuring purposes. This ensures reliable automatic measuring of the item of laundry.
  • the distance between the corners located diagonally on the conveyor is determined.
  • the diagonal dimension of the single item of laundry can be deduced therefrom.
  • the corners determined are those which are located on the conveyor, to be precise at the foremost point and the rearmost point.
  • the corners need not necessarily be located along a line in the conveying direction of the conveyor; they may be located anywhere within the width of the conveyor.
  • the following conveyor is assigned detection means for determining at least one dimension of the item of laundry.
  • the following conveyor preferably has at least one sensor for determining a front or rear point of the item of laundry located on the following conveyor, and also has a displacement sensor.
  • the former sensor may be a type of light barrier, which determines whether, over a line running transversely to the transporting direction of the conveyor, the conveyor is occupied by the item of laundry or is free therefrom.
  • a further signal is generated, this, in turn, being irrespective of the location, in relation to the width of the conveyor, of the rear point of the item of laundry on the conveyor.
  • the displacement sensor measures the distance which the conveyor with the item of laundry has covered between the time at which the front point of the item of laundry is determined by the sensor and the time at which the rear point of the item of laundry is determined. This dimension is then the dimension which is required for measuring the item of laundry, and is a diagonal dimension of the item of laundry if the sensors detect the front and the rear diagonally opposite corners of the item of laundry.
  • a further advantageous configuration of the invention makes provision for the conveyor which follows the gripper to be assigned a means for gripping a rearmost corner of one of the plurality of items of laundry deposited on the conveyor by the gripper. This means secures the rearmost corner of an item of laundry located on the conveyor, whereas the rear corners of the remaining items of laundry, which are located elsewhere, are not gripped by the means. This means that just a single item of laundry is fixed on the conveyor, whereas the remaining items of laundry, which are not gripped by the means, slide down from the conveyor and are fed to the separating process anew. This ensures reliable separation of the items of laundry prior to them being measured. This allows each individual item of laundry to be measured reliably.
  • FIG. 1 shows a perspective overall view of a sorting installation.
  • FIG. 2 shows a side view of the sorting installation from FIG. 1 .
  • FIG. 3 shows a side view of an apparatus for separating and measuring items of laundry.
  • FIG. 4 shows the apparatus from FIG. 3 following a first separating step.
  • FIG. 5 shows the apparatus from FIG. 3 following a second separating step.
  • FIG. 6 shows the apparatus from FIG. 3 following a third separating step.
  • FIG. 7 shows the apparatus from FIG. 3 during the operation of measuring an item of laundry.
  • the automatic sorting installation shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 serves for automatically separating, measuring, identifying and distributing (sorting) all types of items of laundry.
  • the items of laundry 10 which are shown only in FIGS. 3 to 7 , may be dirty items 10 of laundry, but also washed items 10 of laundry.
  • the automatic sorting installation shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has a feed conveyor 11 , a following apparatus 12 for separating and measuring the items 10 of laundry, a following identification unit 13 and a sorting arrangement 14 , with a sorting conveyor 15 , and a series of collecting containers 16 , which are arranged on one side alongside the sorting conveyor 15 and are intended for sorted items 10 of laundry.
  • the feed conveyor 11 and the sorting conveyor 15 are belt conveyors.
  • the apparatus 12 for separating and measuring items 10 of laundry is illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 7 .
  • the apparatus 12 has a housing 17 provided with a frame.
  • a holder for a pile 18 of laundry is provided at the bottom of the housing 17 .
  • the holder in the exemplary embodiment shown, has a storage belt 19 which can be moved back and forth and on which the entire pile 18 of laundry rests.
  • the apparatus 12 has a gripping arrangement 20 , which is arranged above the pile 18 of laundry.
  • the gripping arrangement 20 is arranged at a fixed location on the upper side of the frame of the housing 17 .
  • the gripping arrangement 20 has a gripper 21 , which is fastened at the lower end of a piston rod of a pressure-medium cylinder 22 which can be moved up and down.
  • the gripping arrangement 20 which is arranged above the pile 18 of laundry, makes it possible for the downwardly moved gripper 21 to draw a single item 10 of laundry out of the pile 18 of laundry, and to separate it in the process. It may also be the case, however, that the gripper 21 draws a plurality of items 10 of laundry simultaneously out of the pile 18 of laundry, in which case the gripping arrangement 20 does not separate a single item 10 of laundry completely.
  • a fixed-location conveyor which in the exemplary embodiment shown is designed as a circulating belt conveyor 23 , is located between the pile 18 of laundry and the gripper 21 moved all the way upwards.
  • the belt conveyor 23 is fitted at a fixed location on the frame of the housing 17 .
  • a single item 10 of laundry is, or also a plurality of items 10 of laundry gripped simultaneously by the gripping arrangement 20 are, transported further in the conveyor direction 24 , with a slight upward slope, by the belt conveyor 23 .
  • a preliminary conveyor 26 which can be pivoted about a rear deflecting drum 25 , as seen in the conveying direction 24 , is arranged upstream of the belt conveyor 23 , as seen in the conveying direction 24 .
  • the pivotable preliminary conveyor 26 in the exemplary embodiment shown, is formed by a front part of the belt conveyor 23 .
  • the capability of the preliminary conveyor 26 to pivot about its rear deflecting drum 25 , as seen in the conveying direction 24 means that a free front end 27 of the preliminary conveyor 26 can be pivoted up and down, to be precise by at least one pressure-medium cylinder 28 .
  • the front part of the belt conveyor, this front part forming the preliminary conveyor 26 can thus be angled in relation to the remaining fixed, rear part of the belt conveyor 23 .
  • the front, pivotable end 27 of the preliminary conveyor 26 is assigned a pressure-exerting roller 29 , which is freely rotatable or may also be driven.
  • the pressure-exerting roller 29 is located on that side of the vertical movement path of the gripper 21 which is located opposite the pivoted-down preliminary conveyor 26 or belt conveyor 23 .
  • the pressure-exerting roller 29 is arranged at a fixed location on the frame of the housing 17 such that, with the preliminary conveyor 26 pivoted upwards, the upper strand thereof is in abutment beneath the pressure-exerting roller 29 .
  • the front end 27 of the same is so far removed from the pressure-exerting roller 29 in the horizontal direction that the or each item 10 of laundry gripped by the gripper 21 can be drawn up out of the pile 18 of laundry between the pivoted-down preliminary conveyor 26 and the pressure-exerting roller 29 .
  • the rear end 30 of the belt conveyor 23 is assigned a pressure-exerting means, which in the exemplary embodiment shown is also a preferably freely rotatable pressure-exerting roller 31 .
  • the pressure-exerting roller 31 is located in a pivotable manner above the upper strand at the rear end 30 of the belt conveyor 23 . In a rest position, in particular if there is no item 10 of laundry located on the belt conveyor 23 , the pressure-exerting roller 31 is pivoted away, that is to say pivoted upwards, from the upper strand of the belt conveyor 23 ( FIG. 3 ).
  • the rear end 30 of the belt conveyor 23 is assigned a sensor (not shown in the figures) for detecting a trailing, rear end, in particular a rear corner, as seen in the conveying direction 24 , of the single item 10 of laundry on the upper strand of the belt conveyor 23 or of the rearmost of a plurality of items 10 of laundry on the belt conveyor 23 .
  • This sensor serves for bringing the drive of the belt conveyor 23 to a standstill and also for pivoting the pressure-exerting roller 31 onto the upper strand of the belt conveyor 23 when it detects an end, in particular a corner, for single item 10 of laundry or a rearmost end or the rearmost corner of one of a plurality of items 10 of laundry partially overlapping on the belt conveyor 23 .
  • a further conveyor which in the exemplary embodiment shown is also designed as a circulating belt conveyor 32 , is arranged upstream of the belt conveyor 23 , as seen in the conveying direction 24 .
  • the belt conveyor 32 is mounted on the frame of the housing 17 such that it can be pivoted about a rear end 33 , which is directed away from the belt conveyor 23 . Accordingly, a front end 34 of the belt conveyor 32 , this front end being oriented towards the belt conveyor 23 , can be pivoted up and down over a circular path about the rear end 33 .
  • the belt conveyor 32 is pivoted by at least one pressure-medium cylinder 35 .
  • the front end 34 of the belt conveyor 32 can be pivoted upwards to such an extent that an upper strand 36 of the belt conveyor 32 , in the region of the front end 34 , comes into abutment against, or beneath, a freely rotatable, fixed-location pressure-exerting roller 37 beneath the rear end 30 of the belt conveyor 23 .
  • a deflecting drum or a driving drum at the rear end 33 or front end 34 of the belt conveyor 32 is assigned a rotation sensor, in particular a sensor bearing. This makes it possible to measure the distance which the upper strand 36 of the belt conveyor 32 has covered between two measurements.
  • the belt conveyor 32 is assigned at least one sensor preferably in the form of a sensor strip or a light barrier.
  • the sensor strip or the light barrier is arranged transversely to the conveying direction 24 of the belt conveyor 32 , to be precise such that it determines whether a part, for example a corner, of an item 10 of laundry is passing or leaving the reflection light barrier or the sensor strip.
  • the act of a corner of an item 10 of laundry passing and leaving the reflection light barrier or the sensor strip triggers a respective measuring signal, which starts and stops the distance measurement of the sensor bearing.
  • At least the belt conveyor 32 serving for measuring the item 10 of laundry, and preferably also the belt conveyor 23 with the preliminary conveyor 26 , are of a width which is large enough for even large items 10 of laundry to be accommodated in a flat or spread-out state thereon, in particular with the diagonal running in the conveying direction 24 .
  • the belt conveyor 23 and/or the belt conveyor 32 , along with the preliminary conveyor to be designed to be narrower than the items 10 of laundry. In this case, opposite peripheral regions of the item 10 of laundry which is to be measured hang down from opposite sides of the belt conveyor 32 , and so an in-between region of the item 10 of laundry rests on the belt conveyor 32 for measuring purposes.
  • the item 10 of laundry is straightened out or spread out flat on the belt conveyor 32 for measuring purposes by way of the peripheral regions which hang down laterally.
  • the belt conveyor 32 has to be of such a width that the diagonally opposite corner regions used for measuring the item 10 of laundry are located one behind the other on the upper strand 36 of the belt conveyor 32 , to be precise in the flat state.
  • the apparatus 12 is followed in the conveying direction 24 by a weighing cell 38 of the identification unit 13 .
  • the weighing cell 38 has two pivoting flaps 39 which can be pivoted in opposite directions and, when pivoted upwards, form a closed weighing surface.
  • the pivoting flaps 39 are mounted on force transducers of a weighing table 40 .
  • the force transducers determine the weight of the pivoting flap 39 with an item 10 of laundry located thereon. This allows the weight of the item 10 of laundry to be determined.
  • the pivoting flaps 39 are pivoted downwards in opposite directions and the weighing surface is thus opened.
  • the item 10 of laundry thus passes on to a conveyor, preferably a belt conveyor 41 .
  • the belt conveyor 41 transports the item 10 of laundry through the identification unit 13 , to be precise past a volume camera 42 , which generates a three-dimensional image, a colour camera 43 and a structure camera 44 .
  • the sequence of the three cameras can vary from the illustration in FIG. 2 .
  • a vacuum table 45 for attaching the item 10 of laundry by suction on the upper strand of the belt conveyor 41 is located beneath the belt conveyor 41 .
  • the item 10 of laundry has moved through the identification unit 13 , in which the sorting criteria of the item 10 of laundry were determined, it passes to the sorting arrangement 14 , where, sorted in accordance with the sorting criteria determined in the identification unit 13 , it is ejected into an appropriate collecting container 16 .
  • a single item 10 of laundry is extracted from the pile 18 of laundry by the gripper 21 of the gripping arrangement 20 .
  • Displacement of the storage belt 19 moves the pile 18 of laundry beneath the gripping arrangement 20 such that the latter can always grip an item 10 of laundry even as the pile 18 of laundry is dwindling.
  • the gripper 31 grips just a single item 10 of laundry. It may be the case, however, that the gripper 21 grips a plurality of items 10 of laundry simultaneously.
  • the apparatus 12 downstream of the gripping arrangement 20 , carries out reliable separation of a plurality of simultaneously gripped items 10 of laundry. For the description which follows, it is assumed that the gripper has gripped two items 10 of laundry simultaneously, wherein these items may be the same or different items of laundry, in particular items 10 of laundry of different sizes.
  • Two simultaneously gripped items 10 of laundry are moved upwards by the gripper 21 of the gripping arrangement 20 , to be precise between the preliminary conveyor 26 and the pressure-exerting roller 29 located opposite the same.
  • the gripper 21 Once the gripper 21 has been moved upwards into its uppermost end position, the items 10 of laundry hang down between the preliminary conveyor 26 and the pressure-exerting roller 29 ( FIG. 4 ).
  • the preliminary conveyor 26 is then pivoted upwards in the anticlockwise direction, in which case its front end 27 comes into abutment beneath the pressure-exerting roller 29 and, in the process, clamps in the two items 10 of laundry in the vicinity of their upper end regions.
  • the items 10 of laundry are thus retained between the front end 27 of the preliminary conveyor 26 and the pressure-exerting roller 29 , whereupon the gripper 21 opens and releases the items 10 of laundry.
  • the items 10 of laundry are then transported in the conveying direction 24 over the belt conveyor 23 by a drive of the belt conveyor 23 with the preliminary conveyor 26 .
  • the preliminary conveyor 26 is pivoted back into the starting position, as a result of which the gripper 21 can move downwards again between the preliminary conveyor 26 and the pressure-exerting roller 29 in order to grip preferably the next separated item 10 of laundry.
  • the items 10 of laundry pass onto the belt conveyor 23 with diagonal corners located one behind the other.
  • the sensor means assigned to the latter detects the rear corner of that item 10 of laundry which is the last to pass the sensor means.
  • the sensor means then causes the pressure-exerting roller 31 to move downwards against the upper strand of the belt conveyor 23 .
  • the rearmost corner of an item 10 of laundry is clamped firmly between the belt conveyor 23 and the pressure-exerting roller 31 and the drive of the belt conveyor 23 is stopped.
  • the item 10 of laundry clamped firmly at the rear corner by the pressure-exerting roller 31 at the rear end 30 of the belt conveyor 23 then hangs downwards in front of the rear end 30 of the belt conveyor 23 ( FIG. 6 ).
  • the second item 10 of laundry which, as a result of the rear end, in particular of the rear corner, leading in the conveying direction 24 , is not clamped firmly between the pressure-exerting roller 31 and the belt conveyor 23 , slides downwards from the rear end 30 of the belt conveyor 23 under the weight of its main part hanging down in front of the rear end 30 of the belt conveyor 23 .
  • the positioning of the rear end 30 of the belt conveyor 23 above the storage belt 19 means that this item 10 of laundry falls back onto the pile 18 of laundry.
  • the above described procedure gives rise to the separation of a plurality of items 10 of laundry gripped simultaneously by the gripper 21 , in which case it is just the rear corner of a single, separated item 10 of laundry which is located at the rear end 30 of the belt conveyor 23 .
  • the belt conveyor 32 receives this rear corner of the single item 10 of laundry from the belt conveyor 23 . This takes place by the belt conveyor 32 being pivoted upwards in the anticlockwise direction about its rear end 33 , in which case the front end 34 of the belt conveyor 32 passes beneath the pressure-exerting roller 37 .
  • the rear corner of the item 10 of laundry here is clamped firmly by the front end 34 of the belt conveyor 32 on one side of the item 10 of laundry and by the pressure-exerting roller 37 on the opposite side of the item 10 of laundry, this opposite side being oriented towards the belt conveyor 23 .
  • the fixing of the rear corner of the item 10 of laundry on the belt conveyor 23 is then released by virtue of the pressure-exerting roller 31 being moved away from the upper strand of the belt conveyor 23 .
  • the sensor strip or reflection light barrier extending transversely to the conveying direction 24 over the entire width of the belt conveyor 32 , in the first instance detects the front corner of the item 10 of laundry. This detection results in the measuring operation of the sensor bearing of the belt conveyor 32 starting. The measuring operation of the sensor bearing is terminated as soon as the sensor strip or the reflection light barrier detects the through-passage of the following corner. Measurement of the item 10 of laundry has thus taken place, the distance covered by the belt conveyor 32 during the measuring operation by the sensor bearing corresponding to the diagonal of the item 10 of laundry. This dimension makes it possible to draw conclusions as to the size of the item 10 of laundry.
  • the item 10 of laundry is deposited by the belt conveyor 32 onto the weighing surface of the identification unit 13 , this main surface being closed by the upwardly pivoted pivoting flaps 39 .
  • the weight of the item 10 of laundry is determined here by the weight of the pivoting flaps 39 being subtracted from the overall weight of the pivoting flaps 39 and the item 10 of laundry, this overall weight having been determined by means of the weighing cell 38 .
  • the pivoting flaps 39 open, in which case the item 10 of laundry falls onto the belt conveyor 41 , which transports the item 10 of laundry through the identification unit 13 and past the volume camera 42 , the color camera 43 and the structure camera 44 .
  • the item 10 of laundry is fixed on the upper strand of the belt conveyor 41 by the vacuum table 45 beneath the belt conveyor 41 .
  • the item 10 of laundry is sorted in accordance with the sorting criteria, which also includes the previously determined size of the item 10 of laundry and the weight of the same, by the sorting arrangement 14 , that is to say it is ejected into the relevant collecting container 16 , which is provided for items 10 of laundry with the determined sorting criteria, in particular size, weight, color, woven-fabric structure and/or type.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Sorting Of Articles (AREA)
  • Discharge Of Articles From Conveyors (AREA)
US13/276,434 2010-10-25 2011-10-19 Method of, and apparatus for, separating and/or measuring items of laundry Abandoned US20120099947A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

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DE102010049255 2010-10-25
DE102010049255.8 2010-10-25
DE102010053080A DE102010053080A1 (de) 2010-10-25 2010-12-01 Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum Vereinzeln und/oder Vermessen von Wäschestücken
DE102010053080.8 2010-12-01

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US20150361610A1 (en) * 2013-01-18 2015-12-17 Purex Co., Ltd. Cloths separating device
US20160145055A1 (en) * 2014-11-26 2016-05-26 Herbert Kannegiesser Gmbh Method and apparatus for feeding items of laundry to a mangle or to some other laundry-treatment arrangement
CN107700195A (zh) * 2017-11-06 2018-02-16 浙江纽易网络技术有限公司 一种衣架擒纵机构
WO2021078931A1 (en) * 2019-10-25 2021-04-29 Inwatec Aps A laundry delivery apparatus and a method for delivering laundry
US11643769B2 (en) 2020-10-18 2023-05-09 Monotony.ai, Inc. Robotic laundry sorting devices, systems, and methods of use

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DE102014005355A1 (de) 2014-04-11 2015-10-15 Herbert Kannegiesser Gmbh Verfahren zum Erfassen eines Wäschestücks
DE102016012274A1 (de) 2016-05-31 2017-11-30 Herbert Kannegiesser Gmbh Verfahren zum Zuführen von Wäschestücken zu einer Wäscheweiterbehandlungseinrichtung sowie Vorrichtung
DE102017000084A1 (de) * 2016-09-01 2018-03-01 Herbert Kannegiesser Gmbh Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum Sortieren von Wäschestücken, vorzugsweise zu reinigenden Wäschestücken
EP4198192A1 (de) * 2016-09-01 2023-06-21 Herbert Kannegiesser GmbH Vorrichtung zum sortieren von wäschestücken, vorzugsweise zu reinigenden wäschestücken
EP4192629B1 (de) 2020-08-07 2023-11-15 Girbau, S.A. System und verfahren zum automatischen sortieren von wäschestücken

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DE102010053080A1 (de) 2012-04-26

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