Procedure for feeding garments into a feeding machine

Abstract

The feeding of laundry items (30) to the infeed machines (39) is becoming increasingly automated. However, it has been shown that, especially with large items (30), such as tablecloths and sheets, complete automation requires considerable space and long travel distances for the grippers (48) that hold the corners (38, 44) of the items (30). [0002] The invention provides for the partial automation of feeding laundry items (30) to the infeed machine (39) by manually performing at least those process steps that require long travel distances. To this end, the item (30) is temporarily stored after separation and before being transferred to an infeed machine (39).Furthermore, an automatic separator (31) provides or holds a first corner (38) of the garment (30) for manual identification of the second corner (44) of the garment (30) by an operator (49). The aforementioned process steps allow for partial automation without affecting the cycle time due to manual handling processes.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for feeding laundry items to an input machine.

[0002] As part of rationalization efforts, commercial laundries are striving to streamline the previously time-consuming and labor-intensive manual feeding of laundry items to a feeding machine. It is already known to feed laundry items fully automatically to feeding machines.

[0003] The fully automated feeding of laundry items to input machines is divided into two fully automated sections. First, with camera assistance, the laundry items are extracted from a pile at the most convenient point and separated. Second, the separated laundry items are, largely with camera assistance, automatically inserted into clamps with two adjacent corners of an edge and automatically transferred to the loading or spreading clamps of the input machine. The spreading clamps hold the laundry item in the adjacent corners of the edge and spread them apart before the thus spread-out laundry item is transferred from the input machine to a mangle or other laundry processing machine.

[0004] Methods for the fully automatic feeding of laundry items to a mangle are known from EP 0 272 368 A1 and DE 10 2014 017 477 A1.

[0005] In several respects, the previously known fully automated feeding of laundry items to an input machine has proven problematic. While the fully automated feeding of the laundry items to the input machine is possible almost continuously with consistent cycle times after they have been gripped and separated, this is not the case for the automatic gripping and separating of the laundry items themselves. This is because determining the optimal gripping point for each item takes varying amounts of time, and occasionally several items are gripped simultaneously. As a result, gripping and separating the laundry items require cycle times of varying lengths.Furthermore, automatically determining the second corner of the respective edge after automatic singulation of large laundry items, such as tablecloths, bed sheets and duvet covers, requires a lot of space and, due to long travel distances of clips, takes significantly more time than other steps in the automatic feeding of such large laundry items to the input machine.

[0006] From DE 38 44 764 C2, it is known to feed laundry items semi-automatically to a mangle. Here, the laundry items are manually separated, a specific part of the laundry item is manually located, and the laundry item is then placed into a clamp of a conveyor.

[0007] From US patent 2014 / 0193224 A1, it is known to semi-automatically feed laundry items into a feeding machine. In this process, an operator is required to locate either corners or edges of the laundry item and manually feed it into a spreading device of the feeding machine.

[0008] DE 40 42 375 A1 discloses a device for feeding laundry items to a mangle, comprising a clamp that grips the laundry item. After transport through a conveyor system, the laundry item is pulled out of the clamp by an operator and fed to a mangle feeding machine, mangle, or the like.

[0009] Based on the foregoing, the invention aims to create a method for feeding laundry items to an input machine that ensures a balanced ratio between manual activities and the degree of automation, while simplifying and reducing manual activities in favor of cycle time.

[0010] A method for solving the aforementioned problem comprises the measures of claim 1. In this method, the automatic singulator provides a piece of laundry, held by one corner, for manual transfer. By providing a corner of the respective laundry item from the singulator in this manner, targeted further processing, transport, and / or subsequent handling, whether manual or automated, can be reliably carried out.

[0011] According to the invention, the respective piece of laundry hangs freely from a first corner held by the automatic separator. This makes it easy to find and grasp another (second) corner manually. In particular, grasping the second corner is made easier for an operator if the garment is held by the separator in such a way that the lower point and / or the second corner of the freely hanging garment hangs at an ergonomically favorable height above the floor.

[0012] According to the invention, at least one second corner of an edge of the garment, adjacent to the first corner provided by the singulator, is manually inserted into a clamp. The first corner can be inserted into a clamp automatically or manually. The clamp is, for example, at least one clamp of a feeding machine that holds the garment with adjacent corners of an edge, in particular a front edge, and extends this edge.

[0013] When the operator is presented with a piece of laundry by the automatic singulator, it is preferably intended that the item be manually fed into the infeed machine using the first corner and the corresponding second corner of the edge provided by the singulator. This design of the method ensures the shortest possible way to feed the adjacent corners of an edge that is spread by the infeed machine into the machine's clamps. The automatic singulator thus relieves the operator of the difficult and laborious task of searching for and pulling out the first corner of the laundry from the pile. Furthermore, the singulator makes it easier for the operator to find and grasp the second corner hanging down from the first.This is especially true if the separator holds the laundry item at a sufficient distance from the floor, so that the operator can easily grasp the upper first corner and the lower second corner and place them directly into the clamps, either loading clamps or spreading clamps, of the input machine.

[0014] Another advantageous way of designing the process is to automatically take over or transfer the piece of laundry, which is held by the singulator at a first corner and thus provided, from the singulator using this corner.

[0015] In an advantageous further development of the process, it is envisaged that a person or imaging device can visually check and, if necessary, correct the position and / or placement of at least one corner of the respective garment that is automatically inserted into a clip. This makes it possible, despite the automatic insertion and / or transfer of at least one corner into a clip or from one clip to another, to intervene manually if necessary due to high quality requirements regarding the flawed or finished quality of the garments.

[0016] A preferred embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing. This shows: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a device for carrying out the method of the invention, and Fig. 2 is a side view of the device. Fig. 1 .

[0017] The device shown in the figures illustrates an embodiment of the method according to the invention. For the sake of clarity, identical components and parts of the device shown are provided with the same reference numerals.

[0018] The device is designed to feed laundry items 30, at least partially automatically, to a feeding machine 39. The feeding machine 39 spreads out the laundry items 30 and feeds them in their spread-out state into a mangle or other laundry treatment machine. The laundry items 30 are preferably so-called flat laundry items. The devices shown and the methods that can be carried out with them are particularly suitable for large flat laundry items such as tablecloths, duvet covers, and bed sheets.

[0019] The device for carrying out the method according to the invention has at least one singulator 31 for automatically gripping and singulating laundry items 30. In the illustrated embodiment, the laundry items 30 are fed in batches as piles 32 from a belt conveyor 33 to the respective singulator 31. In the illustrated embodiment, two preferably identical singulators 31 are arranged parallel to one another. However, the invention is not limited to this. It is also suitable for a single singulator 31, but also for more than two singulators 31, preferably identical singulators 31.

[0020] Each singulator 31 has a climbing section 34. A gripper 35 can move up and down along the climbing section 34. The climbing section 34 can also be moved laterally with the gripper 35. The belt conveyor 33 allows the laundry piles 32 to be moved forward in the transport direction and also backward. At least one imaging device, for example a 3D camera 36, ​​generates at least one image of the laundry pile 32, and from this image the most favorable position is determined, enabling the gripper 35 to grasp a piece of laundry 30 within the laundry pile 32.

[0021] The singulator 31 also has a supply device 37. The laundry item 30, picked up by the gripper 35, is transferred to the supply device 37 by being raised along the preferably inclined upward-running ramp 34. The supply device 37 has several functions. Firstly, it serves to reliably singulate several laundry items 30 that are picked up simultaneously by the gripper 35. Secondly, the supply device 37 serves to provide a first corner 38 of the laundry item 30 for further processing and / or transport.For this purpose, the individually picked laundry item 30, or laundry items 30 picked up at several points simultaneously, passes through the supply device 37, where final singulation takes place and the laundry item 30 is held by the supply device 37 only by its rearmost corner in the direction of travel through the supply device 37, namely the first corner 38. The laundry item 30 then hangs freely from the supply device 37, held by the first corner 38. In this state, the automatically singulated laundry item is held ready for feeding to the input machine 39. The transport of the laundry items 30 from the singulator 31 to the input machine 39 takes place in a direction that is subsequently referred to as the feeding direction 40. This is also the direction in which the input machine 39 feeds the laundry it has spread out.the extended piece of laundry 30 is fed to a subsequent laundry treatment facility, in particular a mangle not shown in the figures.

[0022] Each figure shows a feeder 39. This feeder 39 has two or more loading points 41 arranged side by side, or optionally only a single loading point 41. Each loading point 41 is assigned at least one double chamber 42 with two connected but spaced-apart loading clamps 43. The two adjacent loading clamps 43 and the respective double clamp 42 are loaded with the first corner 38 and an adjacent second corner 44 of an edge 45 of the respective laundry item 30. This edge 45, which can also be referred to as the leading edge or the leading edge 45 in the feed direction 40, is extended by a spreading device of the feeder 39 (not shown in the figures), thereby spreading out the laundry item 30.For this purpose, the double clamp 42 with the two adjacent corners 38, 44 of the edge 45 holding clamping clamps 43 is moved to each pair of spreading clamps, which take over the two corners 38 and 44 and then extend the edge 45 by moving the spreading clamps apart.

[0023] With the device of Fig. 1 and 2 The method according to the invention proceeds such that a single piece of laundry 30 is held or provided to the operator 49 by the singulator 31. The singulator 31 holds the piece of laundry 30 at its first corner 38. The piece of laundry 30, held at the first corner 38, hangs freely from the singulator 31, preferably at a height that allows the operator 49 to ergonomically locate and grasp the second corner of the piece of laundry 30, which is still held at the first corner 38 by the singulator 31.

[0024] The operator 49 manually inserts both corners 38 and 44 of the edge 45 of the garment 30 successively into the respective loading clamp 43 of the double clamp 42 of the input machine 39. The operator 49 first locates and grasps the second corner 44 of the garment 30, which is hanging freely from the singulator 31, and inserts it into the first loading clamp 43. The operator 49 then removes the first corner 38 of the garment 30, which is still held by the singulator 31, from the singulator 31 and inserts this first corner 38 of the garment 30 into the second loading clamp 43 of the double clamp 42 at the loading point 41 of the input machine 39.

[0025] In contrast to the exemplary embodiment of the Fig. 1 and 2 Two preferably identical input machines 39, each with, for example, two loading points 41 and accordingly more than two identical singulators 31, can be provided. Reference symbol list:

[0026] 30 Item of laundry 31 Singulator 32 Pile of laundry 33 Belt conveyor 34 Incline 35 Gripper 36 Camera 37 Preparing device 38 First corner 39 Input machine 40 Feed direction 41 Loading point 42 Double clamp 43 Loading clamp 44 Second corner 45 Edge

Claims

1. A method for feeding pieces of laundry (30) to an insertion machine (39) in order to spread out and insert pieces of laundry (30) into a wringer or the like, wherein the pieces of laundry (30) are gripped and separated automatically and then each individual piece of laundry (30) is delivered to the insertion machine (39) with adjacent corners (38, 44) of an edge (45), characterized in that that the separator (31) provides or holds ready for manual transfer a respective piece of laundry (30) held at a first corner (38), which hangs freely down from its first corner (38) held by the separator (31), wherein at least one second corner (44), adjacent to the first corner (38) supplied by the separator (31), of an edge (45) is inserted manually into a clamp (43), and wherein the insertion machine (39) spreads out the piece of laundry (30) with these adjacent corners (38, 44) of the edge (45) in order to stretch the edge (45) between the two adjacent corners (38, 44) of the piece of laundry (30).

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the respective piece of laundry (30), held by the separator (31) by a first corner (38) and hanging down from this corner (38) is supplied to an operator by the separator (31) and / or the piece of laundry (30) supplied by the separator (31) is inserted manually by the operator into the insertion machine with the first corner (38) supplied by the separator (31) and the second corner (44) of the edge (45) of the separator.

3. The method as claimed in one of the preceding claims characterized in that the seating and / or position of the at least one corner (38, 44), inserted automatically into a clamp (43), of the respective piece of laundry (30) is checked visually by at least one operator and if necessary corrected and / or the seating and / or position of the at least one corner (38, 44), inserted automatically into a clamp (43) is checked and if necessary corrected only for those pieces of laundry (30) on which high demands have been placed in particular with regard to the ironing quality and / or which have been indicated by the operator (49).

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