Method for inserting laundry items into feeding machine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for automating the input of high-quality laundry items into laundry treatment devices often result in defective quality due to suboptimal corner placement, leading to time-consuming and personnel-intensive manual handling, limiting the ability to fully automate the process while meeting high quality standards.
Innovation Solution
A method that involves manual or visual inspection and correction of corner placement in brackets, using imaging devices to detect deviations from ideal positions, ensuring accurate and efficient automation for high-quality items while allowing fully or partially automated feeding of laundry into input machines.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If automatic input of laundry items into input machine is implemented, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the position of the corner in the bracket is detected (e.g., using imaging devices) and this information is used to control the spreading device, allowing automatic correction of placement deviations to maintain precision while keeping the system automated
Solution Approach 2:
The spreading device is made adjustable and controllable based on detected corner positions, allowing dynamic adaptation to different laundry items and placement conditions, enabling the system to maintain precision across varying operational conditions
2Manufacturing precision
If manual checking and correction of corner placement is performed for all items, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different levels of inspection and control to different laundry items based on their quality requirements, allowing manual checking only for high-quality items that require it, while standard items can proceed through automated input without manual intervention
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring full manual inspection for all items, the system performs partial manual checking only when necessary (for high-quality items or when deviations are detected), combining automated input with selective manual verification to maintain both speed and quality
3Device complexity
If selective manual checking is performed only for high-quality items, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary automatic input for all items, then applies selective manual or automated checking only to high-quality items or items showing deviations, ensuring that reliability is maintained for critical items while avoiding unnecessary complexity for standard items
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
This approach minimizes quality defects and operational risks by ensuring accurate corner placement, enabling efficient and automated feeding of high-quality laundry items into input machines, reducing manual intervention and improving operational reliability.
Implementation Method 1
at least one imaging device, in particular a camera, and an image processing device assigned to it, detect the position of the corner in the bracket
Data Source
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AI summary
When laundry items (10) are fed into a feeding machine (11), at least one corner (12) of an edge (14) of the laundry item (11) is automatically hooked into a clip (23) holding this corner (12). Occasionally, the corner (12) is not correctly inserted into the clip (23) automatically. This leads to a reduction in the quality of the laundry. The invention provides for an operator (29) to check whether the corner (12) has been correctly inserted into the clip (23) and, if necessary, to make a correction. This reliably prevents reductions in the quality of the laundry item (10).