Garment sorting system and method
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Solution Overview
Problem
The heavy-duty laundry industry faces a challenge in automating garment sorting due to the high cost disparity between manual and fully automatic systems, necessitating a solution that reduces manual handling while maintaining cost-effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A garment sorting system that includes a first conveyor arrangement to transport garment carriers to an identification and sorting arrangement, utilizing an identification device to read codes and request sorting rail addresses from a database, and a second conveyor to automate the sorting process, integrating with existing laundry systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual sorting is used, then labor costs and time consumption are high, but the system complexity and investment cost remain low
Solution Approach 1:
The sorting system is divided into independent functional modules: identification device for reading codes, database for storing sorting information, control unit for processing data, and conveyor system for physical movement. Each module operates semi-independently, allowing the system to achieve partial automation without requiring complete system replacement, thus improving productivity while controlling complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial automation by automating only the identification and control aspects of sorting, while leaving the physical handling and conveyor operation as manual or semi-automatic processes. This partial automation approach reduces labor costs and improves sorting efficiency without requiring a fully automatic system, thereby avoiding excessive complexity and investment costs.
2Productivity
If fully automatic sorting is implemented, then sorting efficiency and productivity improve, but investment cost and system complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the automatic identification and control functions from the manual handling operations. The identification device, database, and control unit form an automated subsystem that can be implemented at lower cost compared to a fully automatic system, while still achieving improved sorting efficiency through automated decision-making.
Solution Approach 2:
A control unit acts as an intermediary between the identification device and the manual sorting operations. It processes identification data, queries the database, and provides sorting instructions to operators, thereby introducing automated intelligence into the sorting process without requiring fully automatic physical handling equipment, thus reducing investment cost while improving productivity.
3Loss of time
If manual handling of garment carriers is maintained, then system cost remains low, but time consumption and labor requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The identification device reads codes on garment carriers and provides feedback to the control unit, which then queries the database and returns sorting instructions. This closed-loop feedback system automates the information processing and decision-making aspects of sorting, reducing the time operators need to spend on identification and routing decisions, thereby reducing time consumption while maintaining manageable labor requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The database stores sorting information and routing instructions in advance for each garment carrier. When a carrier is identified, the control unit can immediately retrieve pre-prepared sorting instructions without requiring real-time human decision-making, thus reducing time consumption in the sorting process while keeping labor requirements at supervisory levels only.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a garment sorting system and method for sorting garments arranged on garment carriers. The system comprises a first transporting conveyor arrangement (5) arranged to receive a garment carrier from a pairing station which transports the garment carriers to an identification and sorting arrangement on a second conveyor arrangement comprising an identification device arranged to identify a garment carrier from an identification code for further sorting. For each garment carrier, a sorting rail address is requested by the identification and sorting arrangement from a garment identification database. The identified garment carrier is transported to a plurality of sorting rails, where the second transporting conveyor arrangement comprises a sorting interface for each sorting rail such that the identified garment carrier is moved from the second transporting conveyor arrangement to the correct sorting rail by operation of the corresponding sorting interface.