Linen spreading machine device

Abstract

The invention relates to a linen spreading machine device (1), comprising: a conveyor (30) defining a machine direction (MD); a pair of spreading machine clamps (20) movable towards each other transversely to the machine direction (MD) and movable away from each other to spread a piece of linen (L); at least one feed table (10), each feeding table (10) delivering a corner (C) of a front portion (L1) of a piece of linen (L) to a respective one of the spreading machine clamps (12, 12'); a transfer beam (70) for transferring a piece of spread linen (L) from the at least one pair of spreading machine clamps (20) to the conveyor (30), the transfer beam (70) having a leading edge (72) and a trailing edge (74) and being arranged to move back and forth in the machine direction (MD) between an advanced position in which the linen is moved and a retracted position in which the linen is moved. , the leading edge (72) of the conveyor beam (70) is located in an area below the spreading machine clamp (20), and the conveyor beam (70) is configured to temporarily hold a portion of the piece of linen (L) when the conveyor beam (70) moves from the advanced position toward the retracted position; and an elongated transverse abutment structure (50) having an abutment surface (F) for holding a portion of the piece of linen (L) between the leading edge (72) of the conveyor beam (70) and the abutment surface (F); a pressurized exhaust outlet (4) for guiding the front portion (L1) of the piece of linen (L) onto the conveyor beam (70) when the piece of linen (L) is released from the spreading machine clamp (22), wherein the conveyor beam (70) has a body (76) and the leading edge (72) is movable to and from the body (76).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a linen spreading machine device. Background Art

[0002] In a linen spreading machine arrangement, the transfer of a piece of unrolled linen suspended from two spreading machine clamps to a moving surface of a conveyor is often performed using a mobile transfer beam extending transversely to the direction of movement of the conveyor surface. This direction of movement of the conveyor surface represents what may be referred to as the machine direction of the arrangement.

[0003] The transfer beam is arranged to move in the aforementioned machine direction between an advanced position and a fully retracted position. In the advanced position, the leading edge of the transfer beam is located in the area below the two spreading machine clamps. When the transfer beam is in this position, the spreading machine clamps are controlled to release their grip on the corners of the suspended piece of linen, and a lateral air flow is applied, causing the leading edge of the piece of linen to drop and lie flat on the top surface of the transfer beam.

[0004] The transfer beam is configured to temporarily grip the leading edge of the piece of linen as it subsequently moves in the machine direction from its advanced position to its fully retracted position, in which its leading edge is positioned above the moving conveyor surface. This movement causes another portion of the piece of linen to come into contact with the moving conveyor surface. Before the transfer beam reaches its fully retracted position, the temporary grip on the leading edge is appropriately released, causing the leading edge of the piece of linen to slide off the transfer beam and fall onto the moving conveyor surface. To enable this sliding, the transfer beam is accelerated or otherwise moved away from the leading edge of the piece of linen. The remaining portion of the piece of linen is then dragged onto the conveyor surface by the moving conveyor surface.

[0005] The piece of linen is then moved forward by the conveyor for further processing, lying flat in a spread-out manner on the conveyor surface, and the transfer beam is moved back towards its advanced position.

[0006] While the present invention may be particularly useful in the context of an industrial laundry, where a piece of linen is a piece of laundry fed to an ironing roller via the aforementioned conveyor, the invention may also find other uses, such as where a piece of linen is fed directly to a folding machine for folding the piece of linen. The term linen as used herein applies without limitation to towels, bed sheets and other fabrics.

[0007] Examples of devices operating in the aforementioned manner are disclosed in US Pat. No. 4,299,521, WO 2009 / 076958, JPH08324858 A, WO 2007 / 134,601, and JP 4,358,820, the last two of which also disclose examples of feed tables each including a pair of feeder clamps, each of which delivers a corner of the piece of linen to a respective one of two spreader clamps. The present invention can be used with any type of feed table configured to deliver two corners of a piece of linen to a respective one of two spreader clamps, such as those disclosed in WO 2005 / 049,911 or WO 2016 / 162,334.

[0008] In some known devices, a transfer beam temporarily grips the front of a garment by suction, as disclosed in JP 8-324,858 and WO 2009 / 076,958. Alternatively, the transfer beam may include a series of clamping devices arranged along the length of its trailing edge for this purpose, as shown in JP 4,358,820.

[0009] In JP 4,358,820, a conveyor beam is arranged so that, in its advanced position, a portion of a piece of linen is held between the leading edge of the conveyor beam and an abutment surface defined by an abutment structure. At this point, the spreading machine clamps release their grip on the corners of the piece of linen, and pressurized air is applied to guide the released leading edge of the piece of linen forward onto the top surface of the conveyor beam. The conveyor beam's clamping device is then activated to temporarily grip the leading edge of the piece of linen, and the conveyor beam is moved in the machine direction away from the abutment surface. The clamping device then releases the leading edge, whereupon the piece of linen is finally fully carried by the conveyor and propelled forward by the conveyor.

[0010] As will be appreciated, for this type of linen transport, it is generally desirable for the piece of linen to lie flat on the conveying surface without any wrinkles. However, sometimes, the spreading machine clamps may have received and gripped a significant portion of the linen fabric at the corners of the piece of linen, resulting in wrinkles on the front of the piece of linen placed on the conveyor beam. These wrinkles often remain as the piece of linen is transported to the conveyor and subsequently to the ironing / folding machine, necessitating that particular piece of linen be returned to the system for rework, thereby reducing the overall efficiency of the system.

[0011] It is an object of the present invention, in particular, to provide an improved device of the aforementioned type in which undesirable wrinkles in the linen front part can be avoided. Summary of the Invention

[0012] According to one aspect of the invention, which may be used independently of or in conjunction with the second aspect of the invention described herein, a linen spreading machine apparatus is improved by providing a novel configuration of abutment structures for the spreading rods, thereby allowing a piece of linen to be held with uniform pressure along substantially its entire width.

[0013] According to a second aspect of the invention, which may be used independently of or in conjunction with the first aspect of the invention, a linen spreading machine arrangement is improved by providing a spreading bar of novel construction whereby the width of the spreading bar seen in the machine direction can be adjusted.

[0014] The use of a pressurized exhaust outlet according to claim 1 may be regarded as optional.

[0015] Preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 is a top view of the linen spreading machine device of the present invention,

[0017] Figure 2a and Figure 2b is a perspective front view of the feed table of a linen spreading machine unit, where a piece of linen is fed along a passage into Figure 1 Inside the device,

[0018] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A sectional perspective view of a linen spreading machine.

[0019] Figure 4 and Figure 5 is a top view showing a linen spreading machine arrangement with a door arranged in a linen passage shown in a closed position and in an open position,

[0020] Figures 6 to 9 is similar to Figure 3 , which shows the step of transferring a piece of linen to a transfer beam, wherein the bulk of the linen fabric is held by the spreading machine grippers,

[0021] Figures 10 to 13 is similar to Figure 3 , which shows the step of transferring a piece of linen to a transfer beam, wherein the normal part of the linen fabric is held by the spreading machine clamps,

[0022] Figures 14 to 16 is similar to Figure 3 A view showing the Figures 6 to 13 A piece of linen is transferred from the transfer beam to the conveyor steps. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to presently preferred embodiments.

[0024] Figure 1 1 is a top view of a linen spreading machine device 1 according to the present invention, which comprises four feeding tables 10 , each of which is used to transport a corresponding piece of linen into the interior of a housing H of the device 1 .

[0025] Figure 2a Shown Figure 1 1 shows a perspective front view of a feed table 10 shown on the left in FIG. Such a feed table 10 generally comprises a pair of feeder clamps 12, 12', each of which grasps a corresponding corner portion C of the same piece of linen L, and a raising / lowering device 14, which raises the pair of feeder clamps 12, 12' to move the suspended piece of linen L along a path P into the interior of a housing H. By way of example only, the piece of linen may be a towel or a bed sheet, and the length of the device 1 between the two opposite sides 2 of the housing H defines the maximum width of the linen that can be spread by the device 1.

[0026] Figure 2b The feeder clamps 12, 12' are shown in their raised position, in which a pair of spreading machine clamps (not shown) movable along supporting elongated rails receive the piece of linen L from the pair of feeder clamps 12, 12', each spreading machine clamp then gripping a portion S of a respective one of the aforementioned corner portions C (see Figure 2a ). A plurality of pairs (such as two pairs) of spreader clamps may be mounted for movement along the support rails, as shown, for example, in WO 2016 / 162,334, so that each pair of spreader clamps receives one piece of linen L at a time in the apparatus and serves to deliver the piece of linen L forward to the spreading rod in a manner as described herein.

[0027] As is conventional, a pair of spreading machine clamps are then spaced apart from each other to spread out a piece of linen L received from the pair of spreading machine clamps, and then the linen is spread out using Figure 3 The retractable elongated conveyor beam 70 shown conveys the suspended spread piece of linen L suspended on the spreading machine clamp forward. The conveyor beam 70 has an upper surface against which the rear portion of the linen L is placed to lie flat thereon, where it stays for a short time while the conveyor beam 70 moves to Figure 3 The right side of the conveyor 1 moves towards a fully retracted position above the belt conveyor 30. The belt conveyor 30 is arranged and configured to advance the spread piece of linen L in the machine direction MD for further processing. It will be understood that both the transfer beam 70 and the supporting elongated guide rail 20 for the spreader clamp 22 extend transversely to the machine direction MD between two opposite sides of the apparatus 1, one of which is formed by Figure 3Number 2 in the drawing shows a method which is common to all feed stations 10 of the apparatus 1. Typically, the conveyor 30 is a belt conveyor comprising parallel belt-like loops defining a moving surface.

[0028] The transfer beam 70 is arranged to move back and forth in the machine direction MD between an advanced position and the aforementioned fully retracted position; Figure 3 An embodiment is shown in which the transfer beam 70 is moved to the left toward its advanced position and one of the two spreader clamps 22 is positioned at the feed table 10 , with the other spreader clamp (not shown) moving along the guide rail 20 toward the feed table 10 .

[0029] In its advanced position the transfer beam 70 has its leading edge 72 in the general area below the two spreader clamps 22 , positioned against an abutment face F of an elongated abutment structure 50 extending between two opposing sides 2 of the device 1 .

[0030] When the transport beam 70 is in this fully advanced position, the two spreading machine clamps 22 can be controlled to release their grip on the suspended piece of linen L, whereby the front part of the piece of linen L falls flat onto the upper surface of the body 76 of the transport beam 70 under the action of a high-pressure air flow from a row of air nozzles 4 exiting the tubular structure T extending between the two opposite sides 2, while the rear part of the piece of linen L remains suspended for a short time, engaged between the leading edge 72 of the transport beam 70 and the abutment face F of the abutment structure 50. In order to increase the frictional grip on the piece of linen L, the abutment face F and the leading edge 72 of the opposite face can be provided with a suitable surface covering, such as a rubber material.

[0031] The transfer beam 70 is configured to be moved from its advanced position to the Figure 3 As the right side of the conveyor beam 70 moves toward its fully retracted position, in which the leading edge 72 of the transfer beam 70 is at its maximum distance away from and to the right of the front end 31 of the conveyor 30, a further portion of the piece of linen L is drawn onto the moving surface of the conveyor 30.

[0032] Before the transfer beam 70 reaches its fully retracted position, the temporary grip of the leading portion of the piece of linen L by the transfer beam 70 is released, such as by an actuator acting on the elongated clamping structure 80 or by releasing a vacuum, at which point the speed of movement of the transfer beam 70 toward its fully retracted position is increased relative to the moving conveyor 30, whereby the leading portion of the piece of linen L slides off the transfer beam 70 and falls onto the moving surface of the conveyor 30. The remainder of the piece of linen L is then dragged onto the conveyor 30 by the moving conveyor surface.

[0033] In some special cases, the width of the piece of linen L fed into the device 1 can be set so that, for the desired final positioning of the piece of linen L on the conveyor 30, the width is about the longitudinal center line CL of the conveyor 30 (see Figure 1 ) symmetrically, when the piece of linen L is spread out, spreading the piece of linen L will require the spreader clamps 22 to be located at the position of the feed table 10. According to one aspect of the invention, once the suspended piece of linen L has reached the interior of the housing H, the linen L is moved by the feeder clamps 12, 12' at some or all of the feed tables 10, under the guide rails 20 supporting the spreader clamps 22, 22'. Figure 2a ) can be closed automatically. According to one aspect of the invention, this is achieved by providing the adjoining structure 50 with a plurality of doors, preferably arranged in pairs at some or all of the feed stations 10. Figure 2a A pair of such doors 55, 56 are shown in a closed position, while Figure 2b In the embodiment, the doors 55, 56 have been turned into an open position, allowing the suspended piece of linen L to enter the inner area of ​​the device 1. Once the piece of linen L is inside the device 1, the doors 55, 56 are closed again, so that they appear to be also inside the device 1. Figure 3 This allows the doors 55, 56 to define, in the region of the feed table 10, a portion of the aforementioned abutment surface F, against which the front edge 72 of the transfer beam 70 can hold the rear part of the piece of linen L.

[0034] For the aforementioned special case, the provision of the doors 55, 56 as described above ensures that when the spreading machine clamp 22 releases the piece of linen L, its rear portion is temporarily retained along its entire width between the conveyor beam 70 and the abutment surface F. In other words, the pull of gravity on the front portion of the piece of linen L is the same across its entire width transverse to the machine direction MD. This largely ensures that when the front portion of the piece of linen L is subsequently placed on the surface of the conveyor beam 70 by the air flow discharged from the nozzle 4, the leading edge of the piece of linen L is positioned along a straight line.

[0035] exist Figure 4 and Figure 5 1 and 2 show the closed (first) and open (second) positions of the two doors 55, 56, respectively, and also show the passage P of the suspended linen L into the interior of the device 1. The doors 55, 56 are each rotated about an axis 57 by a respective actuator 58, but other arrangements can be easily envisaged. Figure 3 and Figure 5As shown in FIG. 5 , the doors 55, 56 further include nozzles 4 for discharging air when the doors 55, 56 are closed. In this way, the front portion of the suspended, spread piece of linen L can be subjected to the aforementioned air flow along its entire extension transverse to the machine direction MD. To this end, the doors 55, 56 can be hollow and provided with pressurized air, which is discharged through a row of nozzles 4 formed in each door 55, 56 or through an elongated slit (not shown) defining a single nozzle 4. Alternatively, a separate tubular structure (not shown) containing such air nozzles 4 can be attached to the doors 55, 56. In one embodiment (not shown), the nozzles 4 of the doors 55, 56 can be aligned with the remaining rows of nozzles 4 of the adjacent structure 50.

[0036] Turning now to the second aspect of the invention, which may be used independently of the aforementioned first aspect of the invention, reference will now be made again to Figure 3 , which shows how, according to the second aspect of the invention, a transfer beam 70 can be constructed to have a variable effective width W measured between its leading edge 72 and its trailing edge 74 (see Figure 1 ), which is a controllable width W parallel to the machine direction MD. Specifically, the transfer beam 70 can have a main body 76 having a trailing edge 74 and a leading edge 72 movable from the main body by a connecting rod 73, which is configured to be moved into and out of the main body 76 by any suitable actuator (not shown) disposed inside the main body 76. The leading edge 72, which is an elongated, one-piece structure connected to the aforementioned connecting rod 73, can be biased toward a normal position adjacent to the main body 76, whereby triggering of a suitable actuator of the transfer beam 70 causes the leading edge 72 to move parallel to the machine direction MD to a desired position at a distance away from the main body 76, such as Figure 3 As shown, for reasons explained below and of particular but not exclusive relevance, the transfer beam 70 is configured to temporarily grip the front portion of the piece of linen L by means of an elongated clamping structure 80 arranged at the trailing edge 74 of the transfer beam 70 as the transfer beam 70 moves from the advanced position toward the fully retracted position.

[0037] Typically, the body 76 with its leading edge 72 and trailing edge 74 extends along the entire width of the device 1 between the two opposing sides 2. Figure 1 , a transfer beam 70 is shown with a leading edge 72 adjacent to a main body 76, the aforementioned effective width W being at its minimum, see also e.g. Figure 13 .

[0038] Figure 6 FIG. 2 shows a corner C of a piece of linen L which has been received by one of the spreading machine clamps 22 as described above. Figure 6As schematically shown in FIG. 1 , in this case, the spreader clamps 22 hold a portion of the piece of linen L that is substantially folded back (along the fold line S), which may be the result of the operator introducing too much fabric into the feeder clamps 12, 12', as shown in FIG. Figure 2a Schematically illustrated. In this particular case, when the spreader clamps 22 release the piece of linen L and its relatively large front portion L1, driven by the airflow A, falls onto the conveyor beam 70, the conveyor beam may not be able to accommodate the entire extent of the front portion L1; this will result in wrinkles forming when the leading edge L3 of the piece of linen L reaches the bracket 82 of the fixed clamping structure 80, and this wrinkle will generally remain even after the piece of linen L is deposited on the conveyor 30. Alternatively, a portion of the relatively large front portion L1, including its leading edge L3, may fall over the trailing edge 74 of the conveyor beam 70 and prevent the subsequent deposition of the piece of linen L onto the conveyor 30. This situation may be the case, for example, if the conveyor beam 70 is configured for temporary gripping by vacuum applied through a row of apertures 86 instead of the clamping structure 80.

[0039] By combining sensors, the load of textiles held by the spreading machine clamp 22 can be detected and subsequently analyzed, thereby triggering the aforementioned actuator of the transfer beam 70, such as Figure 6 As shown, the leading edge 72 of the transfer beam 70 is moved away from the body 76 as the transfer beam 70 moves from its retracted position toward the abutment structure 50. The movement is controlled so that when the leading edge 72 reaches the abutment face F, the body 76 stops moving.

[0040] Figure 7 The leading edge 72 of the transfer beam 70 is shown, which now holds a portion of the rear portion L2 of the piece of linen L against the abutment structure 50 . Figure 8 The front portion L1 is shown having been released from the spreader clamp 22 and positioned by the air flow A exiting the nozzle 4, then lying flat against the body 76 of the transfer beam 70, while the trailing edge 72 of the transfer beam 70 still holds the rear portion L2.

[0041] Next, if Figure 9 As shown, the clamping structure 80 is activated to hold the leading edge L3 of the piece of linen L against the upper surface of the main body 76 .

[0042] By way of example only, the aforementioned sensors may be included in the spreader clamps 22 and may detect the extent to which the two clamps of each spreader clamp 22 move together.

[0043] Figures 10 to 13 FIG shows the operation of the apparatus 1 under normal conditions, in which case no excess fabric is detected being held by the spreader clamp 22, i.e. the leading edge 72 of the transfer beam 70 is not extended / moved from the main body 76. It should be noted that the movement of the leading edge 72 relative to the main body 76 may also follow the movement of the leading edge 72 towards the main body 76, usually by means of a spring. Figure 3 , whereby in this normal condition the body 76 is sufficiently urged towards the abutment face F that the leading edge 72 is fully pressed against the body 76 and is preferably locked in this position by a lock included in the transfer beam 70 until the piece of linen L has been deposited on the conveyor 30. This locking function may be provided by an actuator which moves the leading edge 72 to the desired position.

[0044] Figures 14 to 16 The following steps are shown for placing a piece of linen onto the conveyor 30, wherein the transfer beam 70 (typically with the leading edge 72 positioned adjacent the body 76) is directed towards the conveyor immediately after leaving the abutment surface F. Figure 16 Move to the fully retracted position shown. Figure 14 In the embodiment, the transfer beam 70, which still holds the piece of linen L, generally moves to the right at substantially the same speed as the conveyor 30, and when a sufficient length of the piece of linen L has been dragged onto the conveyor 30, the clamping structure 80 is moved to release the front portion L1 of the piece of linen L, as shown in FIG. Figure 15 As shown, the movement of the conveying beam 70 is then controlled so that the front portion L1 of the piece of linen L completely slides off the conveying beam 70 and slides onto the conveyor 30, as shown in FIG. Figure 16 As shown, the transfer beam 70 then moves back toward the advanced position, and the signal received from the aforementioned sensor is presented as follows. Figure 7 or Figure 10 Configuration shown.

[0045] exist Figure 16 , the leading edge 72 will generally always move to a position adjacent to the main body 76, which corresponds to the minimum conveyor beam 70 width W. In this position, the trailing edge 74 will generally always maintain the same distance from the front end 31 of the conveyor 30.

Claims

1. A linen spreading machine device (1), comprising: - a conveyor (30), said conveyor defining a machine direction (MD), - a pair of spreading machine clamps (22) movable towards each other transversely to the machine direction (MD) and movable away from each other to spread a piece of linen (L), - at least one feed station (10), each feed station (10) delivering a respective corner (C) of the front portion (L1) of a piece of linen (L) to a respective one of said spreading machine clamps (22), - an elongated transfer beam (70) extending transversely to the machine direction (MD) and for transferring a piece of spread linen (L) from the pair of spreading machine clamps (22) to the conveyor (30), the transfer beam (70) having a leading edge (72) and being arranged to move back and forth parallel to the machine direction (MD) between an advanced position, in which the leading edge (72) of the transfer beam (70) is located in an area below the spreading machine clamps (22), and a retracted position, the transfer beam (70) being configured to temporarily hold a portion of the piece of linen (L) as the transfer beam (70) moves from the advanced position towards the retracted position, - an abutment structure (50) extending transversely to the machine direction (MD) and having an abutment surface (F) for holding a portion of the piece of linen (L) between the leading edge (72) of the transfer beam (70) and the abutment surface (F), - a pressurized exhaust outlet (4) for guiding the front portion (L1) of the piece of linen (L) onto the transfer beam (70) when the piece of linen (L) is released from the spreading machine clamp (22), It is characterized by - The transfer beam (70) has a main body (76), wherein the leading edge (72) is movable to and from the main body (76).

2. The apparatus (1) of claim 1, the transfer beam (70) comprising one or more actuators for moving the leading edge (72) to and from the body (76).

3. Device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, comprising one or more doors (55, 56) movable between a first position and a second position, said door (55, 56) defining a portion of said abutment surface (F) in said first position.

4. The device (1) according to claim 3, each feed station comprising a pair of feeder clamps (12, 12'), each feeder clamp (12, 12') of the pair of feeder clamps delivering a corner (C) of the front portion (L1) of the piece of linen (L) to one of the spreading machine clamps (22), the second position allowing the feeder clamps (12, 12') to move the piece of linen (L) along a path (P) into the housing (H) of the device (1), and the first position blocking the path (P).

5. The device according to claim 1 or 2, the transfer beam (70) being configured for the temporary holding, the temporary holding being achieved by vacuum or by a clamping structure (80).

6. The device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the leading edge (72) is biased toward a position away from the main body (76), wherein movement of the main body (76) opposite to the machine direction (MD) causes the leading edge (72) to overcome the bias and move to a position adjacent to the main body (76), and the device (1) includes a lock for temporarily locking the leading edge (72) in the position adjacent to the main body (76) when the transfer beam (70) moves toward the retracted position.

7. The device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a plurality of pairs of said spreading machine clamps (22).

8. The device (1) according to claim 3, the door (55, 56) comprising one or more of the pressurized exhaust outlets (4).

9. The device (1) according to claim 5, wherein the clamping structure (80) is an elongated clamping structure arranged at the trailing edge (74) of the transfer beam (70).

10. A method of operating the device (1) according to claim 4, comprising the following steps: - Position the corner (C) of the front (L1) of a piece of linen (L) in the feeder clamp (12, 12') of the feed table (10), - delivering a respective one of said corners (C) to a respective one of said spreading machine clamps (22), - moving the leading edge (72) to and from the main body (76), - moving the conveyor beam (70) into an advanced position so that the leading edge (72) holds a portion of the piece of linen (L) between the leading edge (72) and the abutment surface (F), - releasing the piece of linen (L) from the spreading machine clamp (22), and - temporarily securing a portion of the piece of linen (L) to the upper surface of the transport beam (70) while moving the transport beam (70) from the advanced position toward the retracted position.

11. The method of claim 10, including the step of moving the leading edge (72) to a position adjacent the body (76) before the transfer beam (70) reaches the retracted position.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that An initial step of moving the piece of linen (L) into the housing (H) of the device (1) along a path (P) by the feeder fixture (12, 12') with the one or more doors (55, 56) in the second position, and then moving the one or more doors (55, 56) to the first position.

13. The method of claim 10, comprising the step of exhausting air from the pressurized exhaust outlet (4) of the door (55, 56).

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