Laundry Edge Gripping and Lateral Unrolling for Crease-Free Feeding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laundry handling devices create undesirable creases and require manual alignment, leading to operational inefficiencies and potential loss of laundry during processing.
Innovation Solution
A device with a roller-shaped member that detects and grips laundry edges, unrolls it laterally, and uses optical sensors to position gripping devices for central placement on a transfer device, ensuring smooth and precise transfer to a treatment device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual insertion and alignment of laundry items is used, then operational control is maintained, but operational efficiency decreases and manual alignment is required
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses optical sensors to automatically detect the position of laundry items and control the gripping devices to grasp them at the correct locations, eliminating the need for manual alignment while maintaining precise positioning. The device serves itself by automatically adapting to variations in laundry item placement.
2Productivity
If conveyor belts are used to transport laundry, then continuous transport is achieved, but crease formation occurs and laundry stress increases
Solution Approach 1:
The roller-shaped member acts as an intermediary between the laundry item and the transport system. It gently unrolls the laundry item laterally and transfers it to gripping devices, avoiding the direct contact and squeezing action of conveyor belts that cause creases and stress.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical squeezing action of conveyor belts with a lateral unrolling mechanism using a roller-shaped member followed by gentle gripping and transfer using air blowing, thereby eliminating the harmful mechanical stress and crease formation.
3Manufacturing precision
If gripping devices are positioned statically, then device complexity is reduced, but alignment precision decreases and laundry loss may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The gripping devices are made movable along the roller-shaped member's axis, allowing them to dynamically adjust their positions based on the detected location of laundry edges. This dynamic positioning enables precise alignment without requiring overly complex fixed positioning mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
Optical sensors provide feedback on the position of laundry edges, which is used to control the movement of gripping devices to the correct locations. This closed-loop feedback system achieves high alignment precision while keeping the positioning mechanism relatively simple.
4Ease of operation
If the trough-like longitudinal channel remains closed, then device simplicity is maintained, but laundry unrolling and gripping becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The trough-like longitudinal channel is opened in advance before the laundry item needs to be unrolled and gripped. This preliminary action facilitates the unrolling process and positioning of gripping devices, making the operation easier while the opening mechanism remains relatively simple.
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
The solution enables gentle and reliable transformation of crumpled laundry into a flat, tensioned state, preventing crease formation and ensuring accurate alignment, thus enhancing operational efficiency and preventing laundry loss.
Implementation Method 1
This movement of the gripping device in the axial direction can be carried out by means of optical sensors or other suitable devices with which the edge of an item of laundry can be determined
Implementation Method 2
The item of laundry hanging in its two gripping devices is then transferred to a transfer device, which can be done in a technically simple manner, for example, by blowing air after the gripping device has been correspondingly released
Data Source
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AI summary
The method involves moving a front edge and a rear edge of a laundry piece (12) in an axial direction of a roller (16), if the piece is completely fallen from the roller in a downward manner and from a region of an open trough-like longitudinal channel (84). The laundry piece is transferred to a transfer device considering a laundry treatment apparatus. A base of the trough-like channel is closed during the movement of the laundry piece at the front and rear edges. An independent claim is also included for a device for feeding rectangular pieces of laundry to a laundry an ironing device.