Laundry Spreading Clamp Control to Prevent Corner Earing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for spreading out laundry items, such as flat laundry, often result in irreversible deformations and damage due to 'earing' at the corner regions, leading to unsatisfactory treatment results and potential tearing.
Innovation Solution
The use of an imaging device to detect and monitor corner regions during the spreading process, comparing them to reference shapes and stopping the spreading when deviations occur, combined with sensors to determine sagging and distance limits, ensures gentle and efficient spreading without excessive widening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If spreading clamps are moved apart to spread out the laundry item, then the laundry item is spread apart and sagging is minimized, but the corner regions deform and 'earing' occurs leading to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses imaging devices to continuously monitor the corner regions during spreading and provides feedback to the control device. When the corner shape deviates from reference patterns or exceeds tolerance ranges, the control device automatically adjusts or stops the spreading clamps to prevent further deformation, thus resolving the contradiction between achieving proper spread-out shape and maintaining corner integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the control parameters of the spreading clamps based on real-time imaging data. By dynamically adjusting spreading speed, clamping force, and stopping points according to detected corner region conditions, the system optimizes the balance between spreading effectiveness and corner region protection
2Productivity
If spreading continues to completely spread out the laundry item, then spreading efficiency is improved, but irreversible deformations and tearing occur
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging devices provide continuous feedback on the laundry item's condition during spreading. The control device uses this feedback to determine the optimal stopping point, preventing over-spreading that would cause damage while ensuring complete spreading is achieved when appropriate, thus maintaining both efficiency and reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the spreading process based on real-time conditions. The spreading clamps can be moved apart at optimal speeds and stopped at precise moments based on imaging feedback, allowing the system to adapt to variations in laundry material properties and prevent irreversible deformations
3Manufacturing precision
If imaging devices and control systems are added to monitor corner regions, then spreading precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces complex mechanical control mechanisms with imaging-based detection and electronic control. Instead of using complex mechanical sensors and actuators, the invention uses imaging devices to detect corner shapes and electronic control systems to adjust spreading parameters, achieving high precision with a more manageable system complexity
Data Source
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AI summary
To feed an item of laundry (10) to a mangle, the item of laundry (10) is spread out with opposite corners of a side edge (20) of spreading clamps (18, 19). This can result in deformation or "earing" in the corner areas (12, 13) of the item of laundry (10) gripped by the expanding clips (18, 19). This "ear formation" is mostly irreversible and leads to long-term damage to the laundry (10). The invention creates a method and a device by means of which the item of laundry (10) is fed to a mangle in a gentle manner. For this purpose, at least one corner area (12, 13) of the item of laundry (10) gripped by a spreading clamp (18, 19) is detected by an imaging device while the item (10) of laundry is being spread out.