Method and apparatus for feeding laundry items to, in particular, a mangle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laundry feeding systems face inefficiencies in spreading laundry items to prevent sagging and excessive tensile loading, as they require on-the-fly measurement of transverse edge lengths during the spreading process, prolonging the cycle time and potentially causing damage.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus where the length of the transverse edge of a laundry item is measured before being fed to the spreading device, using detection means and holding mechanisms to determine the necessary width for spreading clamps to move apart, allowing for targeted and controlled spreading without on-the-fly measurement, thus eliminating or minimizing sagging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If measurement of transverse edge length is performed during spreading operation, then spreading precision is improved, but cycle time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent measures the transverse edge length of the laundry item before the spreading operation begins. The detection means determines the length while the item is held by the holding means, and this measurement result is stored for use during spreading. This preliminary measurement eliminates the need for time-consuming measurements during the spreading cycle, thus resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and cycle time.
2Manufacturing precision
If spreading clamps are moved apart to eliminate sag, then spreading quality is improved, but risk of excessive tensile loading increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses detection means to measure the actual transverse edge length of the laundry item before spreading. This measured value provides feedback to the control system, which then calculates and controls the movement distance of the spreading clamps. The control unit moves the clamps apart by exactly the measured length, ensuring the transverse edge is stretched sufficiently to eliminate sag without applying excessive tensile loading that could damage the fabric.
3Measurement precision
If on-the-fly measurement is performed during spreading, then measurement accuracy is improved, but operation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the measurement action before the spreading operation begins, while the laundry item is held stationary by the holding means. This preliminary measurement simplifies the overall operation by separating the measurement and spreading phases, allowing each to be optimized independently without the complexity of coordinating both simultaneously during the spreading motion.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus that makes provision for the length of a transverse edge of a laundry item to be spread out to be determined upstream of the spreading device. It is thereby possible to determine the length of the transverse edge for each individual laundry item before the laundry item is situated in the spreading device. For this purpose, the length of the laundry item is determined in the region of corner locators provided upstream of the spreading device, and the width of the laundry item, which corresponds to the length of the transverse edge, is derived therefrom. The length dimension of the transverse edge thus determined upstream of the spreading device is then used to move apart the spreading clamps of the spreading device in a targeted and controlled manner in order to spread out the transverse edge in as gentle a manner as possible.