Laundry Folding Alignment Control for Overlap Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laundry folding machines often produce suboptimal results due to differences in overlap between layers of laundry, which are not precisely aligned, leading to reduced folding quality and requiring manual adjustments that are time-consuming and costly.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that automatically detect and correct differences in overlap between layers of laundry during the folding process by using detection means to measure the distance between opposite ends of the laundry before folding, allowing for continuous correction and alignment of subsequent folds to minimize or eliminate overlap.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If mechanical settings of the folding machine are altered to reduce overlap difference, then folding quality is improved, but machine stoppage time increases and operational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary measurement of the laundry item's dimensions and fold line position before the folding operation. This allows the control system to pre-calculate the required conveyor belt displacement and adjust the folding position in advance, eliminating the need for stoppages to make mechanical adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses detection means (such as optical sensors) to measure the actual position of fold lines and overlap dimensions, then feeds this information back to the control system. The control system automatically adjusts conveyor belt speeds and positions based on this feedback, continuously optimizing fold alignment without manual intervention or machine stoppages.
2Manufacturing precision
If mechanical settings of the folding machine are altered to reduce overlap difference, then folding quality is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms with a control system that uses detection means (sensors) and programmable logic to automatically adjust folding parameters. Instead of physically reconfiguring mechanical components, the system uses electronic control to modify conveyor belt speeds and folding positions, significantly reducing mechanical complexity while improving precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters (conveyor belt speed, folding position, timing) through software control rather than mechanical reconfiguration. The control system can dynamically adjust these parameters based on real-time measurements, providing flexible and precise control without adding mechanical complexity.
3Productivity
If mechanical settings are not altered and poor folding results are accepted, then machine productivity is maintained, but folding quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables continuous operation by automatically measuring, calculating, and adjusting folding parameters on-the-fly without stopping the laundry processing flow. The detection means and control system operate continuously, allowing the folding machine to maintain both high productivity and high folding quality simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
During the transverse-folding operation of items of laundry, a number of layers are positioned one above the other so as to overlap one another. In order to achieve optimum folding quality, the aim is for layers of equal length to overlap, which is only rarely possible in practice. It is usually the case that the layers are of unequal length, and this gives rise to a difference in overlap. The invention makes provision for the difference in overlap to be eliminated, or at least to be minimized, in that it is determined whether a difference in overlap is present and the difference in overlap which may be established is corrected for the transverse-folding operation of the next-following item of laundry, which allows established differences in overlap to be compensated for automatically at least for the most part.