Autonomous laundry folding devices, systems, and methods of use
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current laundry processing technologies rely on human intervention, leading to inefficiencies, contamination risks, and high costs, as they require manual handling and sorting of diverse laundry items, which limits their ability to process individual household loads efficiently and effectively.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous robotic system that includes a folding device with a rotatable platform, clamp rods, and movable sweep rods, equipped with sensors and a controller to autonomously identify and fold deformable laundry articles of varying sizes and types, eliminating the need for human intervention and enabling efficient processing of mixed loads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If human operators manually handle and sort laundry items, then flexibility in processing diverse article types is maintained, but processing time and labor costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the laundry processing task into distinct operational phases: spreading the article on the platform, clamping at specific locations, sweeping to fold positions, and rotating to new orientations. Each phase is executed by specialized components (spreading mechanism, clamps, sweep rods, rotation system) that work sequentially to achieve complete folding automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The folding system is designed to handle multiple types of deformable articles (sheets, towels, garments) using the same core mechanism. The platform, clamps, and sweep rods can accommodate various article sizes and shapes by adjusting clamp positions and sweep paths, eliminating the need for article-specific machinery while maintaining high processing speeds.
2Manufacturing precision
If industrial folding machines are used for specific article types, then folding precision is improved, but adaptability to different article types decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs dynamically adjustable clamps that can be positioned at different locations on the platform depending on the article type and size. The sweep rods can adjust their motion paths and amplitudes to accommodate various article geometries. This dynamic reconfiguration allows the same hardware to achieve precise folds for sheets, towels, and garments without requiring dedicated machines for each article type.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters (clamp force, sweep rod velocity, rotation speed, clamp position) based on the detected article characteristics. Sensors identify article type and dimensions, then the controller adjusts folding parameters to optimize both precision and adaptability across different laundry items.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If human operators process laundry loads, then contamination risks are introduced, but processing costs and time are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs all folding operations autonomously without human intervention. The robotic platform spreads articles, clamps them at precise locations, uses sweep rods to fold them, and rotates them to new positions automatically. This self-service capability eliminates the need for human operators to handle laundry, removing contamination risks while maintaining high processing efficiency through continuous automated operation.
4Use of energy by moving object
If traditional washing machines process laundry sequentially, then energy and water consumption are optimized per load, but overall processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The folding system operates continuously without interruption between loads. While one article is being folded, the platform can prepare the next article, and multiple operations (spreading, clamping, sweeping, rotating) overlap in time. This continuous operation eliminates idle time between processing steps and allows the system to maintain high throughput while using energy only during active folding operations, optimizing both time and energy efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
Devices, systems, and methods for autonomously folding a deformable laundry article are described. A folding device includes a rotatable platform configured to receive the article. A rotatable blade is suspended above the surface and a clamp rod is disposed parallel to a longitudinal axis of the blade. The clamp rod is configured to raise and lower from a surface of the rotatable platform, slidably move parallel to the surface, and clamp the deformable article to the surface in a lowered position. The blade is configured to raise and lower from the surface of the rotatable platform, slidably move parallel to the surface, slide under an unclamped portion of the article, lift the unclamped portion above the clamp rod, pass the unclamped portion over the clamp rod, and lower the free end to a resting position atop another portion of the article to fold the article.