Cloth Spreader Clamp Feeding with Staged Waiting Stations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spread feeder apparatuses for laundry do not fully utilize the capacity of the spreader station due to time constraints in transporting sheets from charger stations to the spreader station, limiting operational efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus employs multiple charger stations and grippers to efficiently convey and straighten sheets, with a central waiting location for cloths, allowing grippers to collect from end and central stations, and conveyer belts to guide the cloth, optimizing the use of spreader clamps by holding cloths in a waiting position until grippers can transfer them efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If sheets are transported from charger stations to spreader station, then sheets can be processed by the spreader clamps, but the transport time limits the capacity utilization of the spreader station
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces waiting locations positioned along the transport path where sheets can be held in advance before reaching the spreader clamps. This preliminary positioning allows the spreader station to be ready for immediate processing, eliminating idle time and maximizing capacity utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The transport system is divided into multiple segments with intermediate waiting locations. This segmentation allows sheets to be staged at different positions along the path, enabling continuous operation of the spreader clamps without waiting for complete transport cycles.
2Productivity
If multiple charger stations feed sheets simultaneously, then processing speed increases, but sheets may tangle during conveyance
Solution Approach 1:
Waiting locations act as intermediary zones between charger stations and the spreader clamps. These intermediaries buffer sheets from multiple chargers, allowing them to be sequentially transferred to the spreader without direct interaction that would cause tangling.
Solution Approach 2:
The waiting locations are positioned at different spatial coordinates along the transport path, creating a three-dimensional staging arrangement. This spatial distribution in multiple dimensions prevents sheets from overlapping and tangling while maintaining high throughput.
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed herein is an apparatus and a method for receiving and straightening four edge pieces of cloth, the apparatus having a machine direction parallel with a delivery direction of the straightened cloth, the apparatus comprising; at least three charger stations, each for receiving a piece of cloth and locating a pair of adjacent fore edge corners of the cloth, a set of spreader clamps for releasably receiving the pair of adjacent fore edge corners, at least two grippers, each for conveying the pair of fore edge corners from the charger station to the set of spreader clamps, where the grippers are configured to move along at least a portion of a first path transversally to the machine direction, wherein at least one central charger station has a first waiting location for the cloth with the corners being located, the waiting location being retracted opposite the machine direction from the set of spreader clamps away from the first path.