A device and method for collating towels

Abstract

The application discloses a device and method for arranging towels, comprising: an up-down clamp roller unit, which comprises a main body frame, and a powered roller and an unpowered roller, the powered roller and the unpowered roller are respectively provided with a rotating power unit and a lifting driving part; a rear pulling unit, which comprises a translation frame, a rear pulling servo part and an automatic clamping mechanism, the automatic clamping mechanism is installed on the front side of the translation frame, and is used for clamping the towel and pulling the towel from a towel inlet to a predetermined position; a camera, which is fixedly installed on one side of a region between the up-down clamp roller unit and the rear pulling unit, and is used for shooting and judging whether the shape of the towel is qualified. If the shape of the towel is qualified, the control system sends a mechanical hand grabbing coordinate to the mechanical hand, the control system drives the mechanical hand to move according to the predetermined coordinate, drives the end clamping mechanism to move to the predetermined coordinate to grab the towel, and then performs the next operation; if the shape of the towel is not qualified, the towel is discarded and the towel is grabbed again.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automation equipment technology, specifically to a device and method for automatically sorting towels. Background Technology

[0002] Previously, towels in hotels and guesthouses required manual folding and arrangement, which was labor-intensive and inefficient. Later, to solve this efficiency problem, towel folding machines were introduced to the market. Chinese patent application CN116729749A discloses a bath towel folding machine capable of quickly folding bath towels in both directions. It includes a placement base, an electric slide rail, and an electric slider. The electric slide rail is mounted on the placement base, and the electric slider is slidably connected to it. The folding machine uses a folding rod that moves upward to lift one side of the bath towel, then moves horizontally to push that side, folding it over the middle of the bath towel. The folding rod then returns to its original position and pushes the other side of the bath towel, folding it over the middle of the bath towel, thus folding the bath towel in both directions.

[0003] However, when collecting towels, they are often arranged in a very messy manner and cannot be folded directly. Therefore, the towels need to be sorted out before folding. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide an apparatus and method for tidying towels, thereby tidying the towels so that subsequent processes can be performed with high quality.

[0005] The object of this invention is achieved as follows: a device for tidying towels, comprising:

[0006] The upper and lower clamping roller unit includes a fixed main frame and parallel, horizontally arranged powered and unpowered rollers. The powered and unpowered rollers are respectively equipped with a rotary power unit and a lifting drive component. The two ends of the powered roller are rotatably connected to the main frame and rotate under the drive of the rotary power unit to drive the towel to move backward. The two ends of the unpowered roller are rotatably connected to the main frame and move up and down under the drive of its lifting drive component to control the upper and lower gap between the powered and unpowered rollers and the upper and lower clamping force of the powered and unpowered rollers. The upper and lower gap between the powered and unpowered rollers is set as a towel inlet to accommodate the towel passing from front to back.

[0007] The rear pull unit is located directly behind the upper and lower clamping roller units. It includes a translation frame, a rear pull servo component, and an automatic clamping mechanism. The translation frame is connected to the rear pull servo component and is movably connected to the frame. Under the drive of the rear pull servo component, it moves horizontally back and forth. The automatic clamping mechanism is installed on the front side of the translation frame and is used to clamp the towel and pull it backward from the towel inlet to a predetermined position.

[0008] The camera is fixedly installed on one side of the area between the upper and lower clamping roller units and the rear pull unit. It is used to take pictures and determine whether the shape of the towel is qualified.

[0009] Furthermore, it also includes a robotic arm for clamping and transferring towels to the next process. The robotic arm is located in the area between the upper and lower clamping roller unit and the pull-back unit. The end of the robotic arm is equipped with an end clamping mechanism for clamping towels of the correct shape.

[0010] Furthermore, the lifting drive component of the unpowered roller is configured as an upper and lower cylinder for the unpowered roller, the unpowered roller is equipped with a lifting frame, the unpowered roller is rotatably connected to the lifting frame, the lifting frame is movably connected to the main frame, the cylinder of the upper and lower cylinder for the unpowered roller is connected to the main frame, and its piston rod is connected to the lifting frame of the unpowered roller.

[0011] Furthermore, the unpowered roller and its lifting frame are both located directly above the powered roller.

[0012] Furthermore, the main frame has a through hole running from front to back, and both the unpowered roller and the powered roller are located within the through hole.

[0013] Furthermore, the rotational power unit of the power roller is set as a power roller servo motor, which is mounted on the main frame and its output spindle is connected to the power roller drive.

[0014] Furthermore, the main frame is equipped with a towel detection sensor for detecting towels, with the detection end of the towel detection sensor facing the towel inlet.

[0015] In another aspect of this patent, a method for tidying towels using the above-described device is proposed, comprising the following steps:

[0016] S1. Driven by the pull-back servo component, the automatic clamping mechanism moves forward through the towel inlet and clamps the towel.

[0017] S2. Driven by the pull-back servo component, the automatic clamping mechanism pulls the towel backward to the pressing position.

[0018] S3. Driven by the upper and lower cylinders of the non-powered roller, the towel is lightly pressed onto the power roller. The power roller rotates at the output speed matched with the back pull servo component, causing the towel to move backward.

[0019] S4. Driven by the pull-back servo component, the automatic clamping mechanism pulls the towel to the predetermined position;

[0020] S5. Detect towels using a towel detection sensor:

[0021] If no towel is detected, pull the towel again and repeat step S1.

[0022] If a towel is detected, proceed to the next step;

[0023] S6. Driven by the upper and lower cylinders of the unpowered roller, the towel is pressed heavily onto the powered roller. A camera takes a picture of the towel and uploads the picture to the control system. Machine vision is used to determine whether the shape of the towel is up to standard.

[0024] If the towel is in the correct shape, the control system sends the gripping coordinates to the robot arm. The control system then drives the robot arm to move according to the predetermined coordinates, causing the end effector to move to the predetermined coordinates to grip the towel for the next step.

[0025] If the towel is not in the correct shape, discard the towel and grab a new one, then repeat step S1.

[0026] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0027] The system can sort towels and visually identify their shapes during the sorting process, selecting towels with acceptable shapes and using robotic arms to transfer them to the next step of the process.

[0028] It can flexibly control the coordinated action of unpowered rollers and powered rollers to lightly press, heavily press, and release the towel, thus meeting and matching process requirements. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the upper and lower clamping roller unit of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the clamping state of the upper and lower clamping roller units.

[0031] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating pulling the towel back.

[0032] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating how a camera takes a picture.

[0033] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a robotic arm holding a towel. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The following will refer to the appendices in the embodiments of the present invention. Figure 1-5 The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention are clearly and completely described herein. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0035] like Figure 1-5 As shown, a device for tidying towels includes:

[0036] A. Upper and lower clamping roller unit (e.g.) Figure 1 , 2 As shown), it includes a fixed main frame 6, and a power roller 2 and a non-powered roller 3 arranged in parallel and horizontally. The power roller 2 and the non-powered roller 3 are respectively equipped with a rotation power unit and a lifting drive component.

[0037] The two ends of the power roller 2 are rotatably connected to the main frame 6 and rotate under the drive of the rotating power unit to drive the towel 11 to move backward;

[0038] The two ends of the non-powered roller 3 are rotatably connected to the main frame 6 and move up and down under the drive of its lifting drive component to control the upper and lower gap between the powered roller 2 and the non-powered roller 3 and the upper and lower clamping force between the powered roller 2 and the non-powered roller 3. The upper and lower gap between the powered roller 2 and the non-powered roller 3 is set as a towel inlet 7 to accommodate the towel 11 passing from front to back.

[0039] B. Pull-back unit, such as Figure 3-5 As shown, the whole is located directly behind the upper and lower clamping roller unit. It includes a translation frame 9, a pull-back servo component and an automatic clamping mechanism 8. The translation frame 9 is connected to the pull-back servo component and is connected to the frame in a forward and backward movement. Under the drive of the pull-back servo component, it moves horizontally forward and backward. The automatic clamping mechanism 8 is installed on the front side of the translation frame 9. It is used to clamp the towel 11 and pull the towel 11 from the towel inlet 7 to the predetermined position.

[0040] C. Camera 10, such as Figure 4 As shown, it is fixedly installed on one side of the area between the upper and lower clamping roller unit and the rear pull unit. It is used to photograph and judge whether the shape of the towel 11 is qualified. If the shape of the towel 11 is not qualified, the upper and lower clamping roller unit and the automatic clamping mechanism 8 release the towel 11, so that the towel 11 falls down and is discarded, so as to grab a new towel 11.

[0041] D. A robotic arm 12 used to grip and transfer towel 11 to the next process, such as Figure 5As shown, the robot arm 12 is located in the area between the upper and lower clamping roller unit and the pull-back unit. The end of the robot arm 12 is equipped with an end gripping mechanism 13 for gripping a towel 11 with a qualified shape. If the shape of the towel 11 is found to be qualified by the camera 10, the control system will generate the robot arm gripping coordinates. The robot arm 12 automatically deforms to drive the end gripping mechanism 13 to move to the predetermined coordinates to grip the towel 11 and send the towel 11 to the execution position of the next process.

[0042] The back-pull servo component and automatic clamping mechanism 8 mentioned above are not limited in their specific structural form; they can be electric devices or pneumatic devices, etc. The back-pull servo component can be a synchronous belt actuation mechanism or other linear servo drive devices, which are not limited in specific form; the automatic clamping mechanism 8 can be an electric gripper or a pneumatic gripper, or other types of components, which are not limited here.

[0043] To further ensure the effectiveness of clamping the towel 11, the lifting drive component of the aforementioned non-powered roller 3 is set as a non-powered roller upper and lower cylinder 4. The non-powered roller 3 is equipped with a lifting frame. The non-powered roller 3 is rotatably connected to the lifting frame. The lifting frame is movably connected to the main frame 6. The cylinder of the non-powered roller upper and lower cylinder 4 is connected to the main frame 6, and its piston rod is connected to the lifting frame of the non-powered roller 3.

[0044] The aforementioned unpowered roller 3 and its lifting frame are both located directly above the powered roller 2.

[0045] As an optimized structural solution, the main frame 6 has a through hole running from front to back, and both the unpowered roller 3 and the powered roller 2 are located within this through hole.

[0046] As an optimized configuration, the rotational power unit of the aforementioned power roller 2 is set as a power roller servo motor 1. The power roller servo motor 1 is mounted on the main frame 6, and its output spindle is connected to the power roller 2 for transmission.

[0047] The axes of the unpowered roller 3 and the powered roller 2 are arranged horizontally (equivalent to the left and right direction) and are perpendicular to the output trajectory line of the pull servo component of the pull unit. For ease of description, this patent sets the pulling direction of the towel 11 as the front and back direction.

[0048] To enhance the reliability of the process, the main frame 6 is equipped with a towel detection sensor 5 for detecting towels 11, with the detection end of the towel detection sensor 5 facing the towel inlet 7.

[0049] A preferred method for tidying towels is proposed using the above-described apparatus, comprising the following steps:

[0050] S1. The feeding device delivers the towel 11 to the front of the upper and lower clamping roller unit. Driven by the pull-back servo component, the automatic clamping mechanism 8 moves forward through the towel inlet 7 and clamps the towel 11 (see reference). Figure 2 (as shown);

[0051] S2. Driven by the pull-back servo component, the automatic clamping mechanism 8 pulls the towel 11 backward, pulling the towel 11 to the pressing position.

[0052] S3. Driven by the upper and lower cylinders 4, the unpowered roller 3 lightly presses the towel 11 onto the powered roller 2. The powered roller 2 rotates at a speed matching the output speed of the pull-back servo component (rotating backward). The unpowered roller 3 is driven, causing the towel 11 to move backward. Figure 3 As shown;

[0053] S4. Driven by the pull-back servo component, the automatic clamping mechanism 8 pulls the towel 11 to the predetermined position;

[0054] S5. To ensure the smooth progress of the next step, towel 11 is detected using towel detection sensor 5:

[0055] If towel 11 is not detected, pull towel 11 again and repeat step S1.

[0056] If towel 11 is detected, proceed to the next step;

[0057] S6. Driven by the upper and lower cylinders 4, the non-powered roller 3 presses the towel 11 heavily onto the powered roller 2, causing the towel 11 to pause temporarily. Figure 4 As shown, in an ideal state, the unpowered roller 3 and the powered roller 2 clamp one corner of the towel 11, and the automatic clamping mechanism 8 clamps the other corner of the towel 11. The line connecting the two clamping points is the diagonal of the towel 11. The towel 11 is folded along one diagonal, so that the two corners on the other diagonal of the towel 11 hang down. Other qualified shape settings are not excluded. This embodiment lists one type, and it is not limited here. Any qualified shape setting is within the protection scope of this patent.

[0058] The camera 10 takes a picture of the towel 11 and uploads the picture to the control system. Machine vision is used to determine whether the shape of the towel 11 is up to standard. The specific determination method is as follows:

[0059] If the shape of towel 11 is acceptable (facilitating the next step of flattening and laying it out), the control system sends the coordinates of the gripper to robot arm 12. The control system then drives robot arm 12 to perform actions according to the predetermined coordinates. Figure 5 As shown, the end gripping mechanism 13 is driven to move to a predetermined coordinate to grab the towel 11 for the next operation (laying it flat).

[0060] If the shape of towel 11 is not up to standard, towel 11 is discarded and a new towel 11 is picked up, and step S1 is repeated. The discarded towel 11 is then sent back to the feeding device via the automatic conveying mechanism below, and step S1 can be repeated.

[0061] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "front," and "rear," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention. In this invention, it should also be noted that the terms "installation" and "connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, an integrally formed connection, a mechanical connection, or an indirect connection through intermediate connecting parts. The specific meaning of the terms in this utility model can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0062] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered illustrative and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims are intended to be included within the present invention, and no reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0063] Furthermore, it should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative style is merely for clarity. Those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A device for tidying towels, characterized in that, include: The upper and lower clamping roller unit includes a fixed main frame (6) and a power roller (2) and a non-power roller (3) arranged horizontally and parallel to each other. The power roller (2) and the non-power roller (3) are respectively equipped with a rotation power unit and a lifting drive component. The two ends of the power roller (2) are rotatably connected to the main frame (6) and rotate under the drive of the rotation power unit to drive the towel (11) to move backward. The two ends of the non-power roller (3) are rotatably connected to the main frame (6) and move up and down under the drive of its lifting drive component to control the upper and lower gap between the power roller (2) and the non-power roller (3) and the upper and lower clamping force of the power roller (2) and the non-power roller (3). The upper and lower gap between the power roller (2) and the non-power roller (3) is set as a towel inlet (7) to accommodate the towel (11) passing from front to back. The rear pull unit is located directly behind the upper and lower clamping roller units. It includes a translation frame (9), a rear pull servo component, and an automatic clamping mechanism (8). The translation frame (9) is connected to the rear pull servo component and is connected to the frame in a forward and backward motion. Under the drive of the rear pull servo component, it moves horizontally forward and backward. The automatic clamping mechanism (8) is installed on the front side of the translation frame (9). It is used to clamp the towel (11) and pull the towel (11) from the towel inlet (7) to the predetermined position. A camera (10) is fixedly installed on one side of the area between the upper and lower clamping roller units and the back pull unit. It is used to take pictures and determine whether the shape of the towel (11) is qualified.

2. The device for tidying towels according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a robotic arm (12) for clamping and transferring the towel (11) to the next process. The robotic arm (12) is located in the area between the upper and lower clamping roller unit and the back pull unit. The end of the robotic arm (12) is equipped with an end clamping mechanism (13) for clamping the towel (11) of the appropriate shape.

3. The device for tidying towels according to claim 2, characterized in that, The lifting drive component of the unpowered roller (3) is set as the unpowered roller upper and lower cylinder (4). The unpowered roller (3) is equipped with a lifting frame. The unpowered roller (3) is rotatably connected to the lifting frame. The lifting frame is movably connected to the main frame (6). The cylinder of the unpowered roller upper and lower cylinder (4) is connected to the main frame (6), and its piston rod is connected to the lifting frame of the unpowered roller (3).

4. The device for tidying towels according to claim 3, characterized in that, The unpowered roller (3) and its lifting frame are both located directly above the powered roller (2).

5. The device for tidying towels according to claim 3, characterized in that, The main frame (6) has a through hole running through the front and back, and both the unpowered roller (3) and the powered roller (2) are located in the through hole.

6. The device for tidying towels according to claim 4, characterized in that, The rotational power unit of the power roller (2) is set as a power roller servo motor (1), which is mounted on the main frame (6) and its output spindle is connected to the power roller (2) for transmission.

7. The device for tidying towels according to claim 6, characterized in that, The main frame (6) is equipped with a towel detection sensor (5) for detecting towels (11), with the detection end of the towel detection sensor (5) facing the towel inlet (7).

8. A method for tidying towels using the apparatus of claim 7, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Driven by the pull-back servo component, the automatic clamping mechanism (8) passes forward through the towel inlet (7) and clamps the towel (11). S2. Driven by the pull-back servo component, the automatic clamping mechanism (8) pulls the towel (11) backward, pulling the towel (11) to the pressing position; S3, the unpowered roller (3) presses the towel (11) lightly onto the power roller (2) under the drive of the unpowered roller upper and lower cylinders (4). The power roller (2) rotates at the output speed matched with the back pull servo component, causing the towel (11) to move backward. S4. Driven by the pull-back servo component, the automatic clamping mechanism (8) pulls the towel (11) to the predetermined position; S5. Use towel detection sensor (5) to detect towel (11): If the towel (11) is not detected, pull the towel (11) again and repeat step S1. If towel (11) is detected, proceed to the next step; S6. Driven by the upper and lower cylinders (4), the non-powered roller (3) presses the towel (11) onto the powered roller (2). The camera (10) takes a picture of the towel (11) and uploads the picture to the control system. The machine vision is used to determine whether the shape of the towel (11) is qualified. If the shape of the towel (11) is qualified, the control system sends the predetermined coordinates to the robot (12). The control system drives the robot (12) to perform actions according to the predetermined coordinates, and drives the end gripping mechanism (13) to move to the predetermined coordinates to grab the towel (11) for the next operation. If the shape of the towel (11) is not up to standard, discard the towel (11) and grab a new towel (11) and repeat step S1.

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