Clip for clothes and method of hanging laundry items in a clip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Operators face difficulties in correctly hanging laundry items in clamps, particularly in high-noise environments where visual orientation is hindered, leading to incorrect insertion and reduced efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of light sources as visual orientation aids, strategically placed near or on the clamps, providing guidance through illumination, color, modulation, and direction to facilitate correct insertion and orientation of laundry items.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If operators manually hook laundry items into clamps without visual aids, then the operation can be performed, but the correctness and efficiency of insertion is reduced due to difficulty in orientation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color-coded light sources (e.g., green LED for correct orientation, red LED for incorrect orientation) to provide immediate visual feedback to operators. This color-change mechanism directly addresses the orientation difficulty by transforming abstract spatial requirements into intuitive color signals, thereby improving insertion correctness without complicating the operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces light sources as an intermediary between the clamp system and the operator. These light sources serve as a visual mediator that translates the complex orientation requirements into simple visual cues, enabling operators to correctly insert laundry items without requiring extensive training or spatial reasoning skills.
2Productivity
If multiple clamps require alternating insertion of opposite corner areas, then the laundry items can be processed, but the operator complexity and error rate increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing individualized visual guidance for each clamp position. Each clamp or group of clamps has dedicated light sources that provide orientation-specific cues, allowing operators to focus on one location at a time with clear directional guidance. This localized approach simplifies the overall complex multi-clamp operation by breaking it down into manageable, visually-guided steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic light signaling that can change states based on the operational context. The light sources can switch between different colors or patterns to indicate different clamp states, required orientations, or operational sequences. This dynamic visual feedback system adapts to the varying complexity of multi-clamp operations, guiding operators through the alternating insertion process more efficiently.
3Productivity
If operators work in high-noise environments, then laundry processing can continue, but visual orientation becomes more difficult due to sensory overload
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes acoustic/oral instructions with optical signaling systems. Instead of relying on auditory cues or verbal guidance that compete with the high-noise environment, the system uses light sources to convey orientation information. This substitution of the signaling modality from acoustic to optical channels eliminates the interference between noise and orientation guidance, allowing continuous operation in high-noise settings without compromising visual orientation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances the operator's ability to correctly insert laundry into clamps, reducing errors and increasing loading efficiency by providing clear visual cues, even in noisy conditions.
Implementation Method 1
at least one light source (25) is indirectly assigned to the respective clamp (16)
Data Source
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AI summary
In laundries, laundry items (11) must be entered in brackets (16) by operators (14, 19). In many cases, corner areas (24) of the items of laundry (11) have to be inserted into the clamps (16) in a specific orientation. This sometimes leads to incorrect entries or mix-ups, which has a negative effect on the subsequent processing of the items of laundry (11) or does not allow the processing of the wrong item of laundry (11) suspended in a clamp (16). According to the invention, at least one lamp (25) is assigned to the respective clip (16). The light source (25) provides the operator (14, 19) with an orientation aid for correctly entering the item of laundry (11) into the clamps (16), whereby incorrect entries and the associated loss of performance of the laundry machines are avoided.