Fabric sorting and storage machine

Abstract

The invention relates to a textile sorting and storage machine that stores textiles by sorting them primarily based on textile types. The textile sorting and storage machine described in this invention can be arranged to store textiles by sorting them into different compartments according to the color or material of the textile. To achieve this purpose, the textile sorting and storage machine described in this invention comprises a sensor, a horizontal tray, a controller, and a pusher contained within a housing. The textile sorting and storage machine as implemented in this invention performs sorting primarily by color or material of the textile, thereby increasing efficiency in the process of textile reuse or recycling.

Description

Textile sorting machine

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a collection and, more particularly, to a sorting and receiving device for recycling waste textiles.

[0002] As environmental pollution becomes more serious and resource development costs rise, interest in recycling technologies for available resources is growing. Traditionally, electromagnets were used to easily sort and melt expensive metals like aluminum and iron, which were easy to collect. Furthermore, in South Korea, beer manufacturers have standardized bottle sizes, allowing them to reuse bottles manufactured by other companies for distribution and sales. Recently, with the rapid adoption of electric vehicles, research is also being conducted into recycling technologies for metals like lithium and cobalt, which are required to manufacture batteries containing cathode materials.

[0003] In contrast, textile products used in clothing and bedding are typically collected and transported to developing countries. Reusable products are distributed in secondary markets, taking advantage of low labor costs, while unusable items are landfilled or incinerated, resulting in environmental damage. Furthermore, the constant demand for clothing due to fast fashion consumes precious resources in the production of textiles, including cotton and synthetic fibers, placing a strain on the environment. Furthermore, lodging facilities, due to their unspecified number of users, often require frequent laundry, and often dispose of recyclable or reusable fabrics, failing to address environmental pollution and resource waste.

[0004] To address the aforementioned issues, businesses are developing that collect textile resources, including clothing, sort them, and reuse or recycle them. However, existing textile collection methods, regardless of fiber type, involve transporting the collected materials into collection bins and then manually sorting them, making them labor-intensive. This is particularly true in developed countries with high labor costs, where the piles of textiles are transported to countries with lower wages, further wasting energy. Furthermore, if heavily contaminated or non-recyclable fibers are placed in collection bins, they will be mixed with reusable or recyclable fibers, requiring additional efforts to sort them.

[0005] The technology disclosed herein enables a sorting and storage system that efficiently sorts and collects discarded fibers. The challenges addressed by the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other challenges not mentioned will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description below.

[0006] The present specification provides a fiber sorting and receiving device including a sensor for sensing fibers fed into a housing, a horizontal tray on which fibers are supported while the fibers are sensed, a controller for determining the type of the fibers based on a result value sensed by the sensor, and an ejector for horizontally moving fibers supported on the horizontal tray in a direction corresponding to the type of the fibers based on the determined type of the fibers and causing the fibers to fall into a receiving unit located at the bottom of the horizontal tray.

[0007] The above-described receiver and other embodiments may include the following features:

[0008] In one aspect of the present invention, the sensor included in the receiver may be a spectrometer.

[0009] In another aspect of the present invention, the controller can determine whether the color of the fiber is white or chromatic.

[0010] In another aspect of the present invention, the controller can determine whether the type of the fiber is cotton.

[0011] In another aspect of the present invention, the controller can determine the contamination level of the fiber and operate the ejector to eject the fiber out of the housing if the contamination level of the fiber is higher than a reference value.

[0012] In one aspect of the present invention, the corresponding directions may be two or more.

[0013] In another aspect of the present invention, the controller may further include a rotary plate supporting the horizontal tray, a first driving motor operating to rotate the rotary plate, and the ejector may include a pressure plate for pressing the fiber in a direction corresponding to the type of the fiber, a moving plate connected to the pressure plate and moving horizontally, and a second driving motor operating to move the moving plate horizontally.

[0014] In another aspect of the present invention, a hole is formed in the center of the rotating plate, and the sensor can be located below the hole.

[0015] According to the embodiments disclosed in this specification, there is an effect that allows for rejecting highly contaminated textile products and collecting only textile products that can be recycled or reused.

[0016] In addition, according to the embodiments disclosed in this specification, there is an effect of efficiently enabling secondary classification by determining the type of fiber and classifying it in advance.

[0017] Meanwhile, the effects that can be obtained from the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects that are not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention belongs from the description below.

[0018] The following drawings attached to this specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention and, together with specific details for carrying out the invention, serve to further understand the technical idea of ​​the present invention. Therefore, the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to matters described in such drawings.

[0019] Figure 1 shows a roll container used for collecting, moving and storing fibers.

[0020] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a fiber sorting storage device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the door of the storage device of Fig. 2 opened.

[0022] Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the fiber sorting storage device illustrated in Fig. 2 viewed from the front.

[0023] Figure 5 is a front view of an ejector according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 6 is a left side view of the ejector illustrated in Figure 5.

[0025] Fig. 7 is a left side view showing a modified embodiment of the ejector illustrated in Fig. 6.

[0026] The technology disclosed herein can be applied to a fiber sorting and storage device. However, the technology disclosed herein is not limited thereto, and can be applied to any device or method to which the technical principles of the technology can be applied.

[0027] It should be noted that the technical terms used in this specification are merely used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the technology disclosed herein. Furthermore, unless specifically defined otherwise herein, the technical terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning generally understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the technology disclosed herein pertains, and should not be interpreted in an excessively broad or narrow sense. Furthermore, if a technical term used herein is an incorrect technical term that does not accurately express the scope of the technology disclosed herein, it should be replaced with a technical term that can be correctly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the technology disclosed herein pertains. Furthermore, general terms used herein should be interpreted according to their dictionary definitions or according to the context, and should not be interpreted in an excessively narrow sense.

[0028] While terms including ordinal numbers, such as "first" and "second," used herein may be used to describe various components, these components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used solely to distinguish one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, a first component could be referred to as a "second component," and similarly, a second component could also be referred to as a "first component."

[0029] Hereinafter, embodiments disclosed in this specification will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Regardless of the drawing numbers, identical or similar components are given the same reference numbers and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0030] Additionally, when describing the technology disclosed in this specification, detailed descriptions of related known technologies will be omitted if they are deemed to obscure the gist of the technology disclosed in this specification. Furthermore, it should be noted that the attached drawings are intended solely to facilitate understanding of the concepts of the technology disclosed in this specification and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the technology.

[0031] Hereinafter, embodiments disclosed in this specification will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0032] FIG. 1 illustrates a roll container widely used for collecting and transporting textiles, etc. A roll container refers to a wire mesh cage having castor wheels. The roll container may include, for example, a bottom panel (10) for supporting items contained in the roll container, and wheels (20) (e.g., caster wheels) for easily moving the roll container. The top of the roll container may be opened so that items can be loaded into the roll container by throwing them upward. In addition, the side of the roll container may be formed of a mesh-shaped wire to facilitate identification of items loaded inside. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a partition panel (30) may be inserted into the middle of the roll container as a bulkhead. For convenience of explanation, FIG. 1 illustrates a single partition panel (30) inserted to divide the internal space of the roll container into two. However, it is also possible to divide the interior space of the roll container into four equal parts or into various numbers by inserting, for example, cross-shaped partition panels, as needed. The reason for dividing the interior space of the roll container is to utilize the fiber sorting and storage device provided in this specification to classify and load the fibers into two or more spaces according to the type of fiber being fed, such as color or material, as described below.

[0033] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a fiber sorting receiver (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention. The receiver (100) may include a housing (110), a door (120), an inlet (130), and a display (140). The housing (110) houses various components of the receiver (100) provided through the present specification. An inlet (130) is formed on the front side of the housing (110) for a user to inject fibers into the receiver (100). A door (120) may be provided at the bottom of the inlet (130) for inserting and removing, for example, a roll container shown in FIG. 1, into which fibers inserted into the housing (110) are loaded. Meanwhile, a display (140) for displaying the status of the receiver (100) or a message to be delivered to the user may be attached to the front side of the housing (110). The display (140) can display, for example, the remaining amount of clothes that can be put into the storage device (100) (10% in the case of FIG. 1) or a message to be delivered to the user ('Please put in clothes' in the case of FIG. 1), as shown in FIG. 1.

[0034] Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the door (120) of the receiver (100) of Fig. 2 in an open state. The door (120) can be opened or closed by being fixed, for example, using a hinge (121). An ejector (400) is mounted inside the housing (110) to classify the input fibers and drop them into a loading section, for example, a compartment of a roll container, for loading. Depending on the state or type of the input fibers, the ejector (400) operates to reject the fibers from being received or to push them into one of two or more compartments inside the roll container and drop them.

[0035] The classification and loading operation of fibers according to the operation of the ejector (400) is explained with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows a front view of the receiver (100) cut along line II of FIG. 2. The operation of the receiver (100) can be controlled by, for example, a controller (200). For example, the operation of the display (140) and the ejector (400) can be controlled by the controller (200). Here, the controller (200) not only controls the overall function of the receiver (100) itself, but can also transmit information about fibers fed into the receiver (100) to the outside via wired or wireless communication. For example, based on the number of sensing operations of the first sensor (300) or second sensor (310) described below or the driving history of the pressure plate (410), data on the quantity of each type of fiber input can be stored and transmitted to an external server (for example) along with an ID such as an identification code of the receiver (100). In addition, if necessary, a scale (not shown) that is communicatively connected to the controller (200) can be mounted on the inner bottom of the housing (110) to transmit the corresponding data to the external server in real time or periodically through the controller (200).The above transmission may be via a wired or wireless network, and the network disclosed herein may be, but is not limited to, a wireless network, a wired network, a public network such as the Internet, a private network, a Global System for Mobile communication network (GSM) network, a General Packet Radio Network (GPRN), a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), a cellular network, a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a Personal Area Network, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct, Near Field communication, Ultra-Wide band, a combination thereof, or any other network. According to this configuration, it is also possible to analyze the necessity of collecting the fibers fed into the receiver (100) and the input pattern (by time zone, day, day of the week) and manage them by creating a database. When the fibers are fed through the input port (130), they are placed on the ejector (400). The plate (not shown) of the ejector (400) is located at the same height as the lower part of the input port (130). Therefore, when the fibers are pushed into the input port (130), they are placed on the plate of the ejector (400). At this time, the ejector (400) has a pressure plate (410) to be described later facing the opposite side of the input port (130) inside the housing (110), that is, the back side of FIG. 4, and vertical guide panels (411) are located on the left and right.Thus, by making the open side opposite to the pressure plate (410) face the inlet (130), the user can easily push the textile product through the inlet (130). The textile product placed on the ejector (400) is sensed by the first sensor (300). The first sensor (300) may be, for example, a spectrometer, but other types of sensors capable of determining the condition or type of the textile may also be used, and the number of the first sensor (300) or the second sensor (310) described below may be one or more to improve accuracy as needed. When the first sensor (300), for example, a spectrometer, senses the condition of the textile product, the result may be determined by the controller (200). If the contamination level of the input textile product is determined to be severe based on the sensing result by the first sensor (300), for example, based on the sensing result by a spectrometer, the receiver (100) displays on the display (140) that the product is severely contaminated and cannot be input, or generates a warning sound through a speaker (not shown). If the product cannot be input, the pressure plate (410) moves toward the input port (130) to discharge the input product. In addition, if the moisture content is high based on the sensing value of the first sensor (300), which is a spectrometer, the fiber product may be discharged or rejected for storage as unsuitable for collection. On the other hand, if the input textile product is normal, the color of the input product can be determined as white or chromatic based on the sensing value by the first sensor (300). For example, if the sensing value is a white fiber, the ejector (400) can push the fiber product to the left so that it falls on the left side of the separation panel (30) of the roll container, and if it is a colored fiber, the ejector (400) can push the fiber product to the right so that it falls on the right side of the separation panel (30) of the roll container, so that it is separated and loaded. In another embodiment, it is also possible to determine the type of fiber based on the sensing value by the first sensor (300). In the related art, technologies have been developed to determine the material of the fiber, such as cotton, nylon, polyester, or a blend, and the blending ratio, using a spectrometer.Accordingly, the manager of the storage device (100) can set the controller (200) to allow the fibers to be dropped and loaded into individual compartments divided by the dividing panels (30) of the roll container according to the material of the fibers. If necessary, the ejector (400) can be configured to operate in response to cases where there are two or more dividing compartments inside the roll container by using dividing panels (30) other than those in a straight shape.

[0036] Figures 5 and 6 are drawings for explaining the operation and configuration of the ejector (400). Figure 5 shows a rear view of the ejector (400). Referring to FIG. 5, the ejector (400) may include a pressure plate (410) for pressing and pushing out fibers placed on the plate of the ejector, a fixed panel (430) for fixing the ejector (400) to the housing (110) and supporting components of the ejector (400), a rotation plate (441) attached to the lower portion of the plate of the ejector (400) to rotate the plate of the ejector, a support bar (440) for guiding the rotation plate (441) to rotate and supporting the rotation plate (441), a support bar support (442) for fixing the support bar (440) to the fixed panel (430), a first drive motor (420) for rotating the rotation plate (441), and a second drive motor (450). The tip of the first drive motor (420) is attached with a spur gear (421), and when the spur gear (421) rotates in accordance with the rotation of the motor (420), a spur gear (422) that is mated with the spur gear (421) and has a larger diameter than the spur gear (421) rotates. The spur gear (422) meshes with a spur gear (423) that is coupled to the rotary plate (441) and operates so that the rotary plate (441) rotates in accordance with the rotation of the first drive motor (420). The gear ratios of the spur gears (421, 422, 423) can be variably designed in consideration of the torque and rotation speed of the first drive motor (420) and the desired rotation speed of the rotary plate (441).

[0037] Fig. 6 shows a left side view of the ejector (400) illustrated in Fig. 5. The lower part of the aforementioned pressure plate (410) is connected to the moving plate (412) so as to be perpendicular to it. One point of the moving plate (412) is connected to one point of the driving belt (413) as illustrated in Fig. 6. Therefore, when the second driving motor (450) rotates and the driving belt (413) rotates in the forward or reverse direction, the moving plate (412) connected thereto pushes or pulls the pressure plate (410) to pressurize and push out (in the left direction in the case of Fig. 6) the fibers placed on the plate of the ejector (400). In this way, when the direction in which the pressure plate (410) is to be pushed is determined by rotating the aforementioned rotary plate (441), the second driving motor (450) causes the moving plate (412) and the pressure plate (410) to push the textile product, thereby discharging the textile product out of the inlet (130), or dropping the textile product into a storage unit, such as a roll container, located at the bottom of the housing (110), thereby classifying and loading the textile product.

[0038] Fig. 7 is a left side view showing a modified embodiment of the ejector (400) illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. The configuration and operation of the ejector (400) illustrated in Fig. 7 are almost similar to those illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, except for the following differences. Here, a hole (443) may be formed in the center of the rotating plate (441). The shape of the hole (443) may be circular, square, or any arbitrary shape. In order to prevent the textile product from falling between the holes (443), the size of the hole (443) may be formed small, or a mesh may be positioned above, below, or in the middle of the hole (443). In this modified example, the second sensor (310) may be positioned below the rotating plate (441) and on the fixed panel (430). The second sensor (310) may replace the first sensor (300) illustrated in FIG. 3, or may be added to the first sensor (300) illustrated in FIG. 3. If the second sensor (310) is located at the lower end of the ejector (400), more reliable sensing results can be transmitted to the controller (200) in an environment where the sensing value by the first sensor (300) is disturbed, for example, when the upper portion of the housing (110) is partially damaged, the inlet (130) is large, the area is subject to strong sunlight, or an abnormally large amount of natural light is incident through the inlet (130) due to the angle of the sun at a specific time.

[0039] The term "a" as used herein is defined as one or more than one. Furthermore, the use of introductory phrases such as "at least one" and "one or more" in the claims, even if the same claim includes introductory phrases such as "at least one" and "one or more" and the ambiguous phrase "a," should not be construed to mean that the introduction of another claim element by the ambiguous phrase "a" limits any particular claim containing the introduced claim element to an invention containing only one such element.

[0040] In this document, expressions such as "A or B" or "at least one of A and / or B" may include all possible combinations of the items listed together.

[0041] Unless otherwise specified, terms such as "first" and "second" are used arbitrarily to distinguish between the elements they describe. Therefore, these terms are not necessarily intended to indicate temporal or other priority of such elements, nor does the mere fact that certain measures are recited in different claims indicate that a combination of such measures cannot be advantageously employed. Therefore, these terms are not necessarily intended to indicate temporal or other priority of such elements. The mere fact that certain actions are recited in different claims does not indicate that a combination of such actions cannot be advantageously employed.

[0042] Additionally, terms such as "front," "back," "top," "upper," "bottom," "bottom," "over," and "below" in the detailed description and claims are used for descriptive purposes and are not necessarily used to describe permanent relative positions. It is to be understood that such terms are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances, such that the embodiments of the invention described herein can operate in orientations other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein.

[0043] For simplicity and clarity, it should be understood that elements depicted in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some elements may be exaggerated relative to others for clarity. Furthermore, where deemed appropriate, reference numbers may be repeated across the drawings to indicate corresponding or similar elements.

[0044] The terms "comprising," "having," "consisting of," "consisting of," and "consisting essentially of" are used interchangeably. For example, any method may include at least the acts described in the drawings and / or specification, or may include only the acts described in the drawings and / or specification. Furthermore, the word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of elements or acts listed in a claim.

[0045] Preferred embodiments of the technology of this specification have been described above with reference to the attached drawings. The terms and words used in this specification and claims should not be construed as limited to their conventional or dictionary meanings, but rather should be interpreted in their meanings and concepts consistent with the technical spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed in this specification, and the present invention may be modified, altered, or improved in various forms within the spirit of the present invention and the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A fiber sorting and receiving device comprising a sensor for sensing fibers fed into a housing, a horizontal tray on which fibers are supported while the fibers are sensed, a controller for determining the type of the fibers based on the result value sensed by the sensor, and an ejector for horizontally moving the fibers supported on the horizontal tray in a direction corresponding to the type of the fibers based on the determined type of the fibers and causing the fibers to fall into a receiving section located at the bottom of the horizontal tray.

2. In paragraph 1, The above sensor is a spectrometer, a fiber sorting receiver.

3. In paragraph 1, A fiber sorting receiver, wherein the above controller determines whether the color of the fiber is white or chromatic.

4. In paragraph 1, The above controller is a fiber sorting receiver that determines whether the type of the fiber is cotton.

5. In paragraph 1, A fiber sorting receiver, wherein the controller determines the contamination level of the fiber and operates the ejector to eject the fiber out of the housing if the contamination level of the fiber is above a standard value.

6. In the first paragraph, a fiber sorting storage device. A fiber sorting receiver, wherein the controller transmits the sensed result value or the accumulated fiber quantity data input into the receiver to an external server.

7. In paragraph 1, A fiber sorting receiver having two or more corresponding directions.

8. In paragraph 1, It further includes a rotating plate supporting the horizontal tray and a first driving motor that operates to rotate the rotating plate, A fiber sorting receiver, wherein the ejector comprises a pressure plate that presses the fiber in a direction corresponding to the type of the fiber, a moving plate that is connected to the pressure plate and moves horizontally, and a second driving motor that operates to move the moving plate horizontally.

9. In paragraph 8, A fiber sorting receiver, wherein a hole is formed in the center of the above-mentioned rotating plate, and the sensor is located below the hole.

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