Clothes folding machine and control method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a clothes folding machine and a control method, the clothes folding machine comprises: a width adjustment mechanism, including a width adjustment plate with adjustable width in the transverse direction; a folding mechanism, including a folding drive mechanism and a flexible support member arranged below the width adjustment plate, the flexible support member having a flexible support surface capable of carrying clothes to be folded; by controlling and adjusting the width of the width adjustment plate, the flexible support member can drive the clothes to be folded along the two side edges of the width adjustment plate at different widths under the drive of the folding drive mechanism, thereby realizing the adjustment of the folding size of the width of the clothes. The clothes folding machine of the present invention can adjust the folding width size of the clothes through the width adjustment plate, and the flexible support member used increases the adaptability of the folding mechanism to the thickness and folding width of the clothes, and can fold out clothes of any width size, thereby realizing the adjustment of creases of different widths corresponding to clothes of different size categories, and improving the folding quality of the clothes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of clothing processing devices, and in particular to a clothes folding machine and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] In daily home life, it is necessary to fold and store the dried clothes. At present, most families fold the dried clothes manually, either manually or with the help of a clothes folding board, which is time-consuming and laborious. With the development of society, people's pace of life has accelerated, and they have less time to do housework. Clothes that are not folded and stored in time are randomly piled up, which greatly wastes storage space. The improvement of living standards is also accompanied by an increase in the size categories of clothes. The folding steps are more complicated, and users cannot master the folding skills for clothes of different size categories, so that the folded clothes cannot be well protected. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a product that can be applied to different scenarios such as home to help people realize automated and diversified folding of clothes, which can effectively replace the complicated folding work and liberate people from complicated housework.

[0003] There are many types and sizes of clothes that need to be worn daily. The folding machines used in industry can only provide a single width folding process to fold clothes of different types and sizes. The folding process of clothes is mechanically single and cannot bring convenience to home users. Moreover, the existing folding machines are all fixed structures. When clothes of different sizes need to be folded into clothes of different widths, it is necessary to manually replace the folding plate or move the clothes. The degree of automation is low and manual operation is required. It cannot fundamentally realize the automatic folding of clothes of different sizes in different widths.

[0004] In view of this, the present invention is proposed. Summary of the invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and provide a clothes folding machine that can fold clothes into different widths and sizes, thereby achieving adjustment of creases of different widths corresponding to clothes of different size categories.

[0006] In order to achieve this object, according to one aspect of the present invention, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] A clothes folding machine, comprising:

[0008] A width adjustment mechanism, comprising a width adjustment plate with adjustable lateral width;

[0009] A folding mechanism, comprising a folding drive mechanism and a flexible support member arranged below the width adjustment plate, wherein the flexible support member has a flexible support surface capable of carrying clothes to be folded;

[0010] The flexible support member, driven by the folding drive mechanism, can drive the clothes to be folded along the two side edges of the width adjustment plate at different width sizes, thereby adjusting the folding size of the clothes width.

[0011] Furthermore, the width of the width adjustment plate in the horizontal direction is adjustable, and the clothes to be folded are laid flat on the width adjustment plate and the flexible support member;

[0012] The flexible support member has a flat state for horizontally carrying clothes and a folded state for folding the clothes toward the width adjustment plate, and the folding drive mechanism drives the flexible support member to rotate between the flat state and the folded state.

[0013] Furthermore, the flexible support member is at least partially made of a flexible material and has a certain length, and both ends of the flexible support member are respectively fixed by a pre-tightening device;

[0014] Preferably, the flexible support member is a flexible fabric, and the pre-tightening device comprises a longitudinal fixing plate located below the width adjustment plate and a tension spring connected between the longitudinal fixing plate and the flexible fabric;

[0015] More preferably, the pre-tightening device further comprises a fixed rubber roller arranged on the inner side of the flexible fabric, and the lowest edge of the fixed rubber roller is at the same height in the vertical direction as the connection point between the longitudinal fixing plate and the tension spring.

[0016] Further, the width adjustment plate comprises a first width adjustment plate and a second width adjustment plate symmetrically located about the midline, and the clothes to be folded are laid flat on the first width adjustment plate, the second width adjustment plate and the flexible support members located on both sides of the width adjustment plate;

[0017] The width adjustment mechanism also includes a width adjustment driving mechanism, which can drive the first width adjustment plate and the second width adjustment plate to move horizontally towards or in opposite directions to adjust the width spacing between the first width adjustment plate and the second width adjustment plate, thereby achieving folding of clothes of different width sizes.

[0018] Further, the width adjustment driving mechanism includes a width adjustment motor and a screw transmission mechanism, and the screw transmission mechanism includes a screw arranged below the width adjustment plate and arranged along the width direction of the width adjustment plate;

[0019] The output end of the width adjustment motor is connected to the screw rod and drives the screw rod to rotate in the vertical direction. The screw rod comprises a first section and a second section located at two ends of the screw rod with opposite thread rotation directions. The first section of the screw rod is provided with a first nut, and the second section is provided with a second nut.

[0020] The first nut is fixedly connected to the first width adjustment plate, and the second nut is fixedly connected to the second width adjustment plate. Driven by the width adjustment motor, the first width adjustment plate and the second width adjustment plate move synchronously in opposite or opposite directions horizontally.

[0021] Furthermore, the folding drive mechanism comprises a folding drive component and a rigid rotating component, and the rigid rotating component comprises a rigid connecting member whose inner end is connected to the folding drive component and whose outer end is connected to the flexible supporting member;

[0022] The folding driving component drives the rigid rotating component to rotate in the vertical direction, and the outer end of the rigid connecting member pulls the flexible supporting member to drive the clothes to fold toward the width adjusting plate.

[0023] Furthermore, the folding drive mechanism includes a first folding drive mechanism / a second folding drive mechanism arranged on the left / right sides below the width adjustment plate, and the top surface of the flexible support member is arranged horizontally under the support of the rigid rotating components on the left and right sides of the width adjustment plate, so as to form a flat state capable of carrying clothes;

[0024] The rigid rotating component further includes a rotating shaft, the inner end of the rigid connecting member is connected to the outer peripheral wall of the rotating shaft, the folding driving member drives the rotating shaft to rotate in the vertical direction, thereby driving the rigid connecting member to rotate in the vertical direction, and the flexible supporting member drives the clothes to be folded toward the width adjustment plate under the pulling of the outer end of the rigid connecting member, so as to form a folding state of the foldable clothes;

[0025] Preferably, a limiting tension roller is provided between the inner side of the flexible support member and the outer side of the first folding drive mechanism / the second folding drive mechanism, and when the flexible support member is in a folded state, the limiting tension roller supports and limits the flexible support member on the outer side of the first folding drive mechanism / the second folding drive mechanism;

[0026] More preferably, the folding driving component is a folding motor, the output shaft of the folding motor rotates in the vertical direction, and the output shaft of the folding motor and the rotating shaft are transmitted via a synchronous belt.

[0027] Furthermore, the rigid connecting member has a supporting body for supporting and connecting the flexible supporting member, and the supporting body includes a curved surface segment formed by a smooth transition extending downward from the end portion of the rigid connecting member connected to the rotating shaft;

[0028] The support body further includes a first straight section formed by horizontally extending outward from the lower end of the curved section, a second straight section formed by obliquely extending upward from the end of the first straight section, and a third straight section formed by vertically extending upward from the end of the second straight section;

[0029] The first straight section and the second straight section are arranged at a certain angle α, wherein: 90°<α<180°, the end of the third straight section is supported and connected to the lower side of the flexible support member, and the upper end of the third straight section is arranged slightly lower than the width adjustment plate;

[0030] Preferably, the angle 150°<α<180°, and the first straight section, the second straight section and the third straight section are connected with each other in a smooth transition.

[0031] Another object of the present invention is to provide a control method for a clothes folding machine as described above. When the clothes folding program is performed, the width of the width adjustment plate is controlled and adjusted, and the folding drive mechanism drives the flexible support member to drive the clothes to be folded along the two side edges of the width adjustment plate at different width sizes, thereby realizing the adjustment of the folding size of the clothes width.

[0032] Further, the width adjustment driving mechanism is controlled to drive the first width adjustment plate and the second width adjustment plate to move horizontally in opposite directions or horizontally in opposite directions, so as to adjust the lateral widths of the width adjustment plates;

[0033] After the width adjustment plate is adjusted to a preset width, the first folding drive mechanism / the second folding drive mechanism is controlled to rotate clockwise / counterclockwise, and the flexible fabric is pulled by the rigid rotating component to drive the clothes to fold along the left / right edge of the width adjustment plate;

[0034] After the folding action is completed, the first folding drive mechanism / the second folding drive mechanism is controlled to rotate in the opposite direction, and the flexible fabric located on the left side / right side of the width adjustment plate is driven to rotate in the opposite direction and reset to a horizontal position through the rigid rotating component, thereby completing the left / right folding step;

[0035] After the left / right folding step is completed, the second folding drive mechanism / the first folding drive mechanism is controlled to perform the above action in the opposite direction to complete the right / left folding step.

[0036] After adopting the above technical solution, the present invention has the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art:

[0037] 1. The clothes folding machine provided by the present invention can realize folding of clothes in the width direction when the clothes are flat, and the folding width of the clothes can be adjusted by the width adjustment plate, thereby increasing the adaptability of the width adjustment mechanism to clothes of different sizes. The flexible support member is adopted to increase the adaptability of the folding mechanism to the thickness and folding width of the clothes, and the folding mechanism can fold clothes of any width size with the adjustment of the width of the width adjustment plate, thereby realizing the adjustment of creases of different widths corresponding to clothes of different sizes, and the clothes folded by the flexible support member have no rebound, no obvious dislocation, and higher flatness, thereby improving the folding quality of the clothes.

[0038] 2. The folding mechanism of the clothes folding machine provided by the present invention drives the folding of clothes through an axially rotating folding motor and a rigid rotating component. The output torque is fixed, and uniform folding can be achieved, which is beneficial to improving the flatness of the folded clothes. At the same time, the axially rotating folding motor has low noise, and the user experience is better.

[0039] 3. The clothes folding machine provided by the present invention has a flexible support member made of flexible fabric, which has better wrapping properties for the folding and pressing of clothes and can adapt to the folding of clothes in a larger thickness range and a larger width folding range.

[0040] 4. In the clothes folding machine provided by the present invention, both ends of the flexible fabric are limited and fixed by a pre-tightening device, so that the folding mechanism can adapt to the stress change during the folding process. During the folding process, when the stress on the folded fabric continues to increase, the pre-tightening device can dynamically adjust the stress on the flexible fabric through its own elasticity, thereby ensuring the smooth folding action and extending the life of the flexible fabric. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of the clothes folding machine in an embodiment of the present invention when the width adjustment plate is at a first width and the clothes are laid flat;

[0042] Figure 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a clothes folding machine according to an embodiment of the present invention when the width adjustment plate is at a first width and the clothes are folded on the left side;

[0043] Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of a clothes folding machine according to an embodiment of the present invention when the width adjustment plate is at a first width and the clothes are folded on the right side;

[0044] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a clothes folding machine according to an embodiment of the present invention when the width adjustment plate is at the second width and the clothes are laid flat;

[0045] Figure 5 is a structural schematic diagram of a clothes folding machine according to an embodiment of the present invention when the width adjustment plate is at the second width and the clothes are folded on the left side;

[0046] Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a clothes folding machine according to an embodiment of the present invention when the width adjustment plate is at the second width and the clothes are folded on the right side;

[0047] in:

[0048] 100. Width adjustment mechanism;

[0049] 101, first width adjustment plate; 102, second width adjustment plate; 103, screw rod; 104, first support rod; 105, second support rod; 106, width adjustment motor; 107, direction changing mechanism;

[0050] 200, folding mechanism;

[0051] 210, first folding drive mechanism; 220, second folding drive mechanism;

[0052] 201, folding drive component; 2011, synchronous belt; 202, rigid rotating component; 2021, rigid connecting piece; 20211, curved section; 20212, first straight section; 20213, second straight section; 20214, third straight section; 2022, rotating shaft; 203, limit tension roller;

[0053] 230, flexible support member; 231, first pre-tightening device; 2301, longitudinal fixing plate; 2302, tension spring; 232, second pre-tightening device; 233, fixed rubber roller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. The following embodiments are used to illustrate the present invention but are not used to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0055] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the directions or positional relationships indicated by terms such as “upper”, “lower”, “front”, “back”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “inside” and “outside” are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0056] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0057] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the embodiments.

[0058] like Figures 1 to 6 As shown, this embodiment provides a clothes folding machine, including: a width adjustment mechanism 100, including a width adjustment plate with adjustable lateral width; a folding mechanism 200, including a folding drive mechanism and a flexible support member 230 arranged below the width adjustment plate, the width adjustment plate is supported above the flexible support member 230, the flexible support member 230 has a flexible support surface that can carry clothes to be folded, and the clothes are laid on the width adjustment plate and on the flexible support members 230 located on both sides of the width adjustment plate along the width direction of the width adjustment plate.

[0059] By adjusting the lateral width of the width adjustment plate, the flexible support member 230 can drive the clothes to be folded along the two side edges of the width adjustment plate at different width sizes under the drive of the folding drive mechanism, thereby adjusting the folding size of the clothes width.

[0060] In one embodiment, the width adjustment plate is horizontally arranged and its width in the horizontal direction is adjustable. The width adjustment plate and the flexible support member 230 jointly carry the clothes. The clothes to be folded are laid flat on the width adjustment plate and the flexible support member 230. The middle part of the clothes to be folded is located on the width adjustment plate and the two ends are located on the flexible support member 230. The folding width size of the clothes can be adjusted through the width adjustment plate, thereby increasing the adaptability of the width adjustment mechanism 100 to clothes of different size categories.

[0061] It should be noted that the width adjustment plate in this embodiment does not have to be set horizontally, and the width adjustment plate can also be set at a certain angle. The flexible support member 230 is correspondingly set at the same angle. By setting a structure on the width adjustment plate to prevent clothes from falling off, by adjusting the lateral width of the width adjustment plate, and controlling the folding mechanism to drive the flexible support member 230 to fold, the purpose of the present invention can also be achieved.

[0062] Preferably, in this example, the width adjustment plate is horizontally arranged and has adjustable width in the horizontal direction, the flexible support member 230 has a flat state for horizontally carrying clothes and a folded state for folding clothes toward the width adjustment plate, and the folding drive mechanism drives the flexible support member 230 to rotate between the flat state and the folded state. The folding drive mechanism drives the flexible support members 230 located at the left and right edges of the width adjustment plate to fold toward the width adjustment plate, thereby realizing the folding and pressing of the clothes to be folded.

[0063] In the above scheme, the flexible support member 230 is adopted to increase the adaptability of the folding mechanism 200 to the thickness and folding width of clothing. The folding mechanism 200 can fold clothing patterns of any width size as the width of the width adjustment plate is adjusted, thereby realizing the adjustment of creases of different widths corresponding to clothing of different size categories. In addition, the clothing folded by using the flexible support member 230 has no rebound, no obvious dislocation, and higher flatness, thereby improving the folding quality of the clothing.

[0064] Furthermore, the flexible support member 230 is at least partially made of a flexible material and has a certain length. The end portions of the flexible support member 230 near both ends can be made of a rigid material to form rigid sections at both ends, and the flexible support member 230 located between the two rigid sections is made of a flexible material to form a flexible support member 230 with a flexible section in the middle and rigid sections at both ends. The length of the flexible section of the flexible support member 230 is greater than the maximum lateral width of the width adjustment plate to ensure that when folding clothes, no matter how the lateral width of the width adjustment plate is adjusted, the clothes can be folded along the side edge of the width adjustment plate at any width size driven by the flexible section of the flexible support member 120.

[0065] Preferably, in this embodiment, the flexible support member 230 is entirely made of flexible material, thereby reducing the trouble caused by the flexible support member 230 being partially made of flexible material and partially made of rigid material.

[0066] In this embodiment, the flexible support member 230 can not only drive the clothes to be folded along the width adjustment plate to any width size, but also support the clothes to prevent the clothes on both sides of the width adjustment plate from hanging down and affecting the folding effect of the clothes.

[0067] Preferably, the flexible support member 230 is a flexible fabric with flexibility, for example, the flexible fabric is a flexible textile fabric. Preferably, the flexible fabric also has a certain elasticity. In this embodiment, the flexible support member 230 is a flexible fabric, which can be stretched with a certain tension in the horizontal direction, and has better wrapping properties for folding and pressing clothes, and can adapt to the folding of clothes with a larger thickness range and a larger width folding range.

[0068] Furthermore, the two ends of the flexible support member 230 are respectively fixed by a pre-tightening device, which can realize self-adaptation to stress changes during the folding process, so that the service life of the folding mechanism 200 is longer and the adaptability to clothing thickness and folding width is better.

[0069] Furthermore, the pre-tensioning device includes a longitudinal fixing plate 2301 located below the width adjustment plate and a tension spring 2302 connected between the longitudinal fixing plate 2301 and the flexible fabric. The tension spring 2302 applies a pulling force to the flexible fabric, so that the flexible fabric can be stretched with a certain tension in the horizontal direction, thereby better supporting and folding the clothes.

[0070] One end of the tension spring 2302 is fixed on the longitudinal fixing plate 2301, and the other end is connected to the end of the flexible fabric, so that the folding mechanism 200 can adapt itself to the stress change during the folding process. During the folding process, when the stress on the folded fabric continues to increase, the pre-tensioning device can dynamically adjust the stress on the flexible fabric through its own elasticity, thereby ensuring the smooth folding action and extending the life of the flexible fabric.

[0071] More preferably, the pre-tensioning device also includes a fixed rubber roller 233 arranged on the inner side of the flexible fabric, and the lowest edge of the fixed rubber roller 233 is at the same height in the vertical direction as the connection point between the longitudinal fixing plate 2301 and the tension spring 2302, so that the tension spring 2302 and the flexible fabric between the tension spring 2302 and the fixed rubber roller 233 are all in a horizontally stretched state, which can effectively increase the horizontal stretching length of the flexible fabric and make the balance stability of the tension spring 2302 better.

[0072] However, it should be noted that, in the present embodiment, the lowest edge of the fixed rubber roller 233 and the connection point between the longitudinal fixed plate 2301 and the tension spring 2302 may be at different heights in the vertical direction, and the lowest edge of the fixed rubber roller 233 may also be set higher than the connection point between the longitudinal fixed plate 2301 and the tension spring 2302.

[0073] Furthermore, the pre-tensioning device includes a first pre-tensioning device 231 and a second pre-tensioning device 232, and the first pre-tensioning device 231 and the second pre-tensioning device 232 are horizontally spaced apart and arranged in a middle position below the width adjustment plate, wherein: the first pre-tensioning device 231 is fixedly connected to the left end portion of the flexible support member 230, and the second pre-tensioning device 232 is fixedly connected to the right end portion of the flexible support member 230.

[0074] Furthermore, the width adjustment plate includes a first width adjustment plate 101 and a second width adjustment plate 102 at left-right symmetrical positions about the midline, and the clothes to be folded are laid flat on the first width adjustment plate 101, the second width adjustment plate 102 and the flexible support members 230 located on both sides of the width adjustment plate. The first width adjustment plate 101 and the second width adjustment plate 102 are composed of metal plates of the same size and material, and the first width adjustment plate 101 and the second width adjustment plate 102 can move horizontally in opposite directions at the same time, so as to adjust the folding size of the clothes.

[0075] Furthermore, the width adjustment mechanism 100 also includes a width adjustment driving mechanism, and the first width adjustment plate 101 and the second width adjustment plate 102 are symmetrically fixed at the midline position of the entire width adjustment mechanism 100 and are located between the clothing and the flexible fabric. The width adjustment driving mechanism can drive the first width adjustment plate 101 and the second width adjustment plate 102 to move horizontally in opposite directions or horizontally in opposite directions to achieve the adjustment of the width spacing between the first width adjustment plate 101 and the second width adjustment plate 102, thereby achieving folding of clothing of different width sizes.

[0076] Furthermore, the width adjustment drive mechanism includes a width adjustment motor 106 and a screw transmission mechanism, wherein the screw transmission mechanism includes a screw 103 disposed below the width adjustment plate and horizontally disposed along the width direction of the width adjustment plate, and the screw 103 has a certain extension length in the horizontal direction.

[0077] The output end of the width adjustment motor 106 is connected to the screw rod 103 and drives the screw rod 103 to rotate in the vertical direction. The screw rod 103 includes a first section and a second section located at two ends of the screw rod 103 with opposite thread rotation directions. The first section of the screw rod 103 is provided with a first nut, and the second section is provided with a second nut.

[0078] The first nut is fixedly connected to the first width adjustment plate 101 through a first support rod 104, and the first support rod 104 supports and fixes the first width adjustment plate 101. The second nut is fixedly connected to the second width adjustment plate 102 through a second support rod 105, and the second support rod 105 supports and fixes the second width adjustment plate 102. The width adjustment motor 106 drives the screw rod 103 to rotate in the vertical direction. Since the first section and the second section of the screw rod 103 have different thread rotation directions, the first width adjustment plate 101 fixedly connected to the first section of the screw rod 103 and the second width adjustment plate 102 fixedly connected to the second section of the screw rod 103 will perform synchronous horizontal opposite or horizontal reverse movement, thereby realizing the adjustment of the lateral width of the width adjustment plate.

[0079] The first width adjustment plate 101 and the second width adjustment plate 102 are driven by the width adjustment motor 106 to move synchronously in the horizontal direction or in the opposite direction, so as to adjust the distance between the two width adjustment plates, thereby realizing the folding of clothes of different widths. By increasing or decreasing the distance between the first width adjustment plate 101 and the second width adjustment plate 102, the lateral width of the width adjustment plates is adjusted, so that the width of the folded clothes can be adjusted, which increases the adaptability of the folding mechanism 200 to the size of the clothes, so that the folded clothes are more in line with the size category and have a higher flatness.

[0080] In this embodiment, the rotation direction of the output shaft of the width adjustment motor 106 is the same as the rotation direction of the screw 103. The output shaft of the width adjustment motor 106 is horizontally arranged. The output shaft of the width adjustment motor 106 can be connected to one end of the screw 103 through a coupling drive to drive the screw 103 to rotate in the vertical direction.

[0081] Alternatively, in another embodiment, the rotation direction of the output shaft of the width adjustment motor 106 is perpendicular to the rotation direction of the screw, and a changing mechanism 107 is provided between the output shaft of the width adjustment motor 106 and the screw 103, so that the axial rotational motion of the width adjustment motor 106 can be converted into a set of horizontal motions in opposite directions.

[0082] Specifically, a third section is provided between the first section and the second section of the screw rod 103, and an external spline or a tooth slot is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the third section of the screw rod 103. The direction-changing mechanism 107 is a direction-changing gear, and an internal spline or an internal tooth slot is provided on the inner peripheral wall of the direction-changing gear to match the external spline or the tooth slot provided on the outer peripheral wall of the third section of the screw rod 103. The direction-changing gear is a bevel gear connected between the output shaft of the width adjustment motor 106 and the third section of the screw rod 103, and a gear structure driving and matching with the bevel gear is provided on the output shaft of the width adjustment motor 106. The bevel gear provided can convert the axial rotational motion of the width adjustment motor 106 into a set of horizontal motions in opposite directions.

[0083] Preferably, in this embodiment, the width adjustment motor 106 is a stepper motor, which is the power source for driving the horizontal movement of the first width adjustment plate 101 and the second width adjustment plate 102. Through a set of changing gears and a screw transmission mechanism, the axial rotational motion of the width adjustment motor 106 can be converted into a synchronous horizontal opposite or reverse movement, thereby realizing the power transmission for the horizontal movement of the width adjustment plates.

[0084] It should be noted that the first width adjustment plate 101 and the second width adjustment plate 102 can also be synchronously driven by two motors. In this embodiment, preferably one motor is used for driving, which saves one motor and reduces the cost. Moreover, by driving the first width adjustment plate 101 and the second width adjustment plate 102 by one motor, the synchronization of the horizontal displacement of the first width adjustment plate 101 and the second width adjustment plate 102 can be effectively ensured, thereby improving the folding effect of the clothes.

[0085] In this embodiment, the folding drive mechanism includes a folding drive component 201 and a rigid rotating component 202. The folding drive component 201 drives the rigid rotating component 202 to rotate, driving the flexible fabric to fold the part of the clothing that exceeds the width adjustment plate with the two side edges of the width adjustment plate as the turning axis.

[0086] Furthermore, the rigid rotating component 202 includes a rigid connecting member 2021 whose inner end is connected to the folding driving component 201 and whose outer end is connected to the flexible supporting member 230 . The rigid connecting member 2021 has no power, and its rotational movement is completely driven by the folding driving component 201 .

[0087] The two ends of the flexible fabric are fixed on the first pre-tightening device 231 and the second pre-tightening device 232, and the folding driving component 201 and the rigid rotating component 202 are enclosed. The folding driving component 201 drives the rigid connecting member 2021 to rotate in the vertical direction, and the outer end of the rigid connecting member 2021 pulls the flexible supporting member 230 to drive the clothes to fold toward the width adjustment plate.

[0088] Furthermore, the folding drive mechanism includes a first folding drive mechanism 210 / a second folding drive mechanism 220 arranged on the left / right sides below the width adjustment plate, and the top surface of the flexible support member 230 is horizontally arranged under the support of the rigid rotating parts 202 on the left and right sides of the width adjustment plate, forming a flat state that can carry clothes.

[0089] The flexible fabric can be stretched with a certain tension in the horizontal direction. The flexible fabric forms an inverted trapezoidal structure through the first pre-tightening device 231, the fixed rubber roller 233, and the outer end of the rigid rotating component 202. The inner side of the flexible fabric is connected to the outer end 202 of the rigid rotating component, and under the elasticity of the pre-tightening device, the flexible fabric can be deformed following the movement trajectory of the rigid rotating component 202, thereby realizing the folding and pressing of the clothes.

[0090] Furthermore, the rigid rotating component 202 also includes a rotating shaft 2022, the inner end of the rigid connecting member 2021 is connected to the outer peripheral wall of the rotating shaft 2022, the folding driving component 201 drives the rotating shaft 2022 to rotate in the vertical direction, and then drives the rigid connecting member 2021 to rotate in the vertical direction, and the flexible supporting member 230 drives the clothes to be folded toward the width adjustment plate under the pulling of the outer end of the rigid connecting member 2021, thereby forming a folding state of the foldable clothes.

[0091] Preferably, a limiting tension roller 203 is provided between the inner side of the flexible support member 230 and the outer side of the first folding drive mechanism 210 / the second folding drive mechanism 220. When the flexible support member 230 is in the folded state, the limiting tension roller 203 supports and limits the flexible support member 230 on the outer side of the first folding drive mechanism 210 / the second folding drive mechanism 220. The setting of the limiting tension roller 203 can effectively prevent the flexible fabric from interfering with the folding drive member 201 when the rigid rotating member 202 turns toward the width adjustment plate during the folding process of the clothes.

[0092] Preferably, the folding drive component 201 is a folding motor, which can be a reduction motor or a stepping motor. The output shaft of the folding motor rotates in the vertical direction, and the output shaft of the folding motor and the rotating shaft 2022 are transmitted through a synchronous belt 2011. The folding motor drives the rotating shaft 2022 to rotate in the vertical direction through the synchronous belt 2011, thereby driving the rigid connecting member 2021 to rotate, and the rigid connecting member 2021 pulls the flexible fabric to flip toward the width adjustment plate, thereby realizing the folding of the clothing.

[0093] Furthermore, the rigid connector 2021 has a supporting body for supporting and connecting the flexible supporting member 230 , and the supporting body includes a curved surface segment 20211 formed by a smooth transition and extension downward from the end portion where the rigid connector 2021 and the rotating shaft 2022 are connected.

[0094] The supporting body also includes a first straight section 20212 formed by horizontally extending outward from the lower end of the curved section 20211, a second straight section 20213 formed by obliquely extending upward from the end of the first straight section 20212, and a third straight section 20214 formed by vertically extending upward from the end of the second straight section 20213, and the upper end of the third straight section 20214 is fixedly connected to the inner side of the flexible fabric.

[0095] The first straight section 20212 and the second straight section 20213 are set at a certain angle α, wherein: 90°<α<180°, the end support of the third straight section 20214 is connected to the lower side of the flexible support member 230, and the upper end of the third straight section 20214 is set slightly lower than the width adjustment plate, so that the flexible support member 230 is located below the width adjustment plate when in a flat state.

[0096] Preferably, 150°<α<180°, and more preferably, α=160°. The first straight section 20212, the second straight section 20213, and the third straight section 20214 are connected by a smooth transition to avoid significant friction damage to the flexible fabric during the flipping of the rigid connector 2021.

[0097] The clothes folding machine provided in this embodiment is described in detail by taking the width adjustment plate and the flexible support member 230 jointly carrying the clothes to be folded, that is, the clothes to be folded are laid on the width adjustment plate and the flexible support member 230 as an example.

[0098] However, in another embodiment, the clothes to be folded may be laid only on the flexible support member 230, and the width adjustment plate does not play the role of supporting the clothes, but only plays the role of adjusting the folding size of the clothes.

[0099] Specifically, all the clothes to be folded are laid on the flexible support 230, and the width adjustment plate is located above the clothes. The flexible support 230 can drive the clothes to be folded in different width sizes along the two side edges of the width adjustment plate under the drive of the folding drive mechanism. When one folding action is completed, the width adjustment plate is pulled out. When the next folding action is performed, after adjusting the lateral width of the width adjustment plate, the width adjustment plate is controlled to be reset to the position above the clothes, and the clothes folding action is performed again to adjust the width folding size of the clothes.

[0100] The present embodiment also provides a control method for a clothes folding machine having any of the above-mentioned features. When performing the clothes folding process, by controlling and adjusting the width of the width adjustment plate, the folding drive mechanism drives the flexible support member 230 to drive the clothes to be folded along the two side edges of the width adjustment plate at different width sizes, thereby achieving adjustment of the folding size of the clothes width.

[0101] Further, the width adjustment driving mechanism is controlled to drive the first width adjustment plate 101 and the second width adjustment plate 102 to move horizontally in opposite directions or horizontally in opposite directions, so as to adjust the lateral width of the width adjustment plates;

[0102] After the width adjustment plate is adjusted to a preset width, the first folding driving mechanism 210 / the second folding driving mechanism 220 is controlled to rotate clockwise / counterclockwise, and the flexible fabric is pulled by the rigid rotating component 202 to drive the clothing to fold along the left / right edge of the width adjustment plate;

[0103] After the folding action is completed, the first folding drive mechanism 210 / the second folding drive mechanism 220 is controlled to rotate in the opposite direction, and the flexible fabric located on the left / right side of the width adjustment plate is driven by the rigid rotating component 202 to rotate in the opposite direction and reset to the horizontal position, thereby completing the left / right folding step;

[0104] After the left / right folding step is completed, the second folding driving mechanism 220 / the first folding driving mechanism 210 is controlled to perform the above action in the opposite direction to complete the right / left folding step.

[0105] Specifically, the folding steps on the left and right sides are performed sequentially. When the left folding motor rotates clockwise, its output torque will drive the rigid rotating component 202 on the left to rotate clockwise through the synchronous belt 2011. The end of the rigid rotating component 202 will pull the flexible fabric on the left to drive the clothes to fold toward the first width adjustment plate 101 on the left.

[0106] Preferably, the folding motor controls the rigid rotating component 202 to rotate at an angle between 140° and 180°, and more preferably, controls the rigid rotating component 202 to rotate at an angle of 160°. After the folding action is completed, the folding motor on the left rotates counterclockwise, and drives the flexible fabric on the left to rotate counterclockwise to a horizontal position through the rigid rotating component 202. After the folding action on the left is completed, the folding motor on the right completes the above action in the opposite direction.

[0107] See also Figures 1 to 6 As shown, in one embodiment, the control method of the clothes folding machine includes the following steps:

[0108] like Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown, the width adjustment motor 106 is controlled to drive the first width adjustment plate 101 and the second width adjustment plate 102 to move horizontally in opposite directions, so that the width of the width adjustment plate is changed from Figure 1 The first width increases to Figure 4 The second width.

[0109] Combination Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, after the width adjustment plate is adjusted to the preset second width, the first folding driving mechanism 210 is controlled to rotate clockwise, and the flexible fabric located on the left side of the first width adjustment plate 101 is pulled by the rigid rotating component 202 to drive the clothes to fold along the left edge of the first width adjustment plate 101;

[0110] After the folding action is completed, the first folding driving mechanism 210 is controlled to rotate in the opposite direction, and the flexible fabric on the left side of the first width adjustment plate 101 is pulled by the rigid rotating component 202 to rotate in the opposite direction and reset to the horizontal position, thereby completing the folding step on the left side;

[0111] Combination Figure 4 , Figure 6 As shown, after the folding step on the left side is completed, the second folding driving mechanism 220 is controlled to rotate counterclockwise to perform the above action, and the flexible fabric located on the right side of the second width adjustment plate 102 is pulled by the rigid rotating component 202 to drive the clothes to fold along the right edge of the second width adjustment plate 102;

[0112] After the folding action is completed, the second folding drive mechanism 220 is controlled to rotate clockwise, and the flexible fabric on the right side of the second width adjustment plate 102 is pulled by the rigid rotating component 202 to rotate in the opposite direction and return to the horizontal position, thereby completing the folding step on the right side.

[0113] The control method of the clothes folding machine provided by the present invention can adjust the folding width of clothes by controlling the lateral width of the width adjustment plate, thereby increasing the adaptability of the width adjustment mechanism 100 to clothes of different sizes. The flexible woven fabric used increases the adaptability of the folding mechanism 200 to the thickness and folding width of clothes. The flexible woven fabric can drive the clothes to be folded into clothes of any width size as the width of the width adjustment plate is adjusted under the pull of the folding drive mechanism, thereby achieving the adjustment of creases of different widths corresponding to clothes of different sizes, thereby improving the folding effect of the clothes folding machine.

[0114] The implementation schemes in the above embodiments can be further combined or replaced, and the embodiments are only descriptions of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and do not limit the concept and scope of the present invention. Without departing from the design concept of the present invention, various changes and improvements made to the technical solutions of the present invention by professional and technical personnel in this field all belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A clothes folding machine, characterized in that: include: A width adjustment mechanism, comprising a width adjustment plate with adjustable lateral width; A folding mechanism, comprising a folding drive mechanism and a flexible support member arranged below the width adjustment plate, wherein the flexible support member has a flexible support surface capable of carrying clothes to be folded; The flexible support member, driven by the folding drive mechanism, can drive the clothes to be folded along the two side edges of the width adjustment plate at different widths, thereby adjusting the folding size of the clothes; The width adjustment plate comprises a first width adjustment plate and a second width adjustment plate symmetrically arranged about a midline, and the clothes to be folded are laid flat on the first width adjustment plate, the second width adjustment plate and the flexible support members located on both sides of the width adjustment plate; The width adjustment mechanism further includes a width adjustment driving mechanism, which can drive the first width adjustment plate and the second width adjustment plate to move horizontally in opposite directions or horizontally in opposite directions, so as to adjust the width interval between the first width adjustment plate and the second width adjustment plate, thereby realizing folding of clothes of different width sizes; The folding drive mechanism comprises a folding drive component and a rigid rotating component, wherein the rigid rotating component comprises a rigid connecting member whose inner end is connected to the folding drive component and whose outer end is connected to the flexible supporting member; The folding driving component drives the rigid rotating component to rotate in the vertical direction, and the outer end of the rigid connecting member pulls the flexible supporting member to drive the clothes to fold toward the width adjusting plate; The folding drive mechanism includes a first folding drive mechanism arranged on the left side below the width adjustment plate, and a second folding drive mechanism arranged on the right side below the width adjustment plate. The top surface of the flexible support member is horizontally arranged under the support of the rigid rotating parts on the left and right sides of the width adjustment plate, forming a flat state that can carry clothes.

2. The clothes folding machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The width of the width adjustment plate in the horizontal direction is adjustable, and the clothes to be folded are laid flat on the width adjustment plate and the flexible support member; The flexible support member has a flat state for horizontally carrying clothes and a folded state for folding the clothes toward the width adjustment plate, and the folding drive mechanism drives the flexible support member to rotate between the flat state and the folded state.

3. The clothes folding machine according to claim 2, characterized in that: The flexible support member is at least partially made of flexible material and has a certain length. Both ends of the flexible support member are respectively fixed by pre-tightening devices.

4. The clothes folding machine according to claim 3, characterized in that: The flexible support member is a flexible fabric, and the pre-tightening device comprises a longitudinal fixing plate located below the width adjustment plate and a tension spring connected between the longitudinal fixing plate and the flexible fabric.

5. The clothes folding machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The pre-tightening device further comprises a fixed rubber roller arranged on the inner side of the flexible fabric, wherein the lowest edge of the fixed rubber roller is at the same height in the vertical direction as the connection point between the longitudinal fixing plate and the tension spring.

6. The clothes folding machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The width adjustment driving mechanism includes a width adjustment motor and a screw transmission mechanism, wherein the screw transmission mechanism includes a screw arranged below the width adjustment plate and along the width direction of the width adjustment plate; The output end of the width adjustment motor is connected to the screw rod and drives the screw rod to rotate in the vertical direction. The screw rod comprises a first section and a second section located at two ends of the screw rod with opposite thread rotation directions. The first section of the screw rod is provided with a first nut, and the second section is provided with a second nut. The first nut is fixedly connected to the first width adjustment plate, and the second nut is fixedly connected to the second width adjustment plate. Driven by the width adjustment motor, the first width adjustment plate and the second width adjustment plate move synchronously in opposite or opposite directions horizontally.

7. The clothes folding machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The rigid rotating component also includes a rotating shaft, the inner end of the rigid connecting member is connected to the outer peripheral wall of the rotating shaft, the folding driving component drives the rotating shaft to rotate in the vertical direction, and then drives the rigid connecting member to rotate in the vertical direction, and the flexible supporting member drives the clothes to be folded toward the width adjustment plate under the pulling of the outer end of the rigid connecting member, thereby forming a folded state of the foldable clothes.

8. The clothes folding machine according to claim 7, characterized in that: A limiting tension roller is respectively arranged between the inner side of the flexible support member and the outer sides of the first folding drive mechanism and the second folding drive mechanism. When the flexible support member is in a folded state, the limiting tension roller supports and limits the flexible support member on the outer sides of the first folding drive mechanism and the second folding drive mechanism.

9. The clothes folding machine according to claim 8, characterized in that: The folding driving component is a folding motor, the output shaft of the folding motor rotates in the vertical direction, and the output shaft of the folding motor and the rotating shaft are transmitted through a synchronous belt.

10. The clothes folding machine according to claim 7, characterized in that: The rigid connecting member has a supporting body for supporting and connecting the flexible supporting member, and the supporting body includes a curved surface segment formed by a smooth transition extending downward from the end portion of the rigid connecting member connected to the rotating shaft; The support body further includes a first straight section formed by horizontally extending outward from the lower end of the curved section, a second straight section formed by obliquely extending upward from the end of the first straight section, and a third straight section formed by vertically extending upward from the end of the second straight section; The first straight section and the second straight section are arranged at a certain angle α, wherein: 90°< α< 180°, the end support of the third straight section is connected to the lower side of the flexible support member, and the upper end of the third straight section is arranged slightly lower than the width adjustment plate.

11. The clothes folding machine according to claim 10, characterized in that: The angle α satisfies: 150°<α<180°, and the first straight section, the second straight section, and the third straight section are connected with each other in a smooth transition.

12. A control method for a clothes folding machine according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: When the clothes folding process is performed, the width of the width adjustment plate is controlled and adjusted, and the folding drive mechanism drives the flexible support member to drive the clothes to be folded along the two side edges of the width adjustment plate at different width sizes, thereby adjusting the folding size of the clothes width.

13. The control method of the clothes folding machine according to claim 12, characterized in that: The flexible support member is a flexible fabric; The control method comprises: controlling the width adjustment driving mechanism to drive the first width adjustment plate and the second width adjustment plate to move horizontally in opposite directions or horizontally in opposite directions, so as to adjust the lateral width of the width adjustment plate; After the width adjustment plate is adjusted to a preset width, the first folding driving mechanism is controlled to rotate clockwise, and the flexible fabric located on the left side of the first width adjustment plate is pulled by the rigid rotating component to drive the clothing to fold along the left edge of the first width adjustment plate; After the folding action is completed, the first folding driving mechanism is controlled to rotate in the opposite direction, and the flexible fabric located on the left side of the first width adjustment plate is driven by the rigid rotating component to rotate in the opposite direction and reset to a horizontal position, thereby completing the folding step on the left side; After the folding step on the left side is completed, the second folding driving mechanism is controlled to rotate counterclockwise, and the flexible fabric located on the right side of the second width adjusting plate is pulled by the rigid rotating component to drive the clothes to fold along the right edge of the second width adjusting plate; After the folding action is completed, the second folding drive mechanism is controlled to rotate clockwise, and the flexible fabric located on the right side of the second width adjustment plate is pulled by the rigid rotating component to rotate in the opposite direction and reset to a horizontal position, thereby completing the folding step on the right side.

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