Single-Track Conveyor for Laundry Spreading-Clamp Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laundry transport systems in commercial laundries require complex conveyor designs with multiple track switches to transfer laundry items from clamps to spreading clamps of input machines, leading to unreliable and inefficient manual handling.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that allow for the automatic transfer of laundry items by moving adjacent corners of a laundry item one after the other from clamps to spreading clamps on a single track conveyor, eliminating the need for track switches and simplifying the conveyor design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a conveyor with two parallel track sections and track switches is used to transfer laundry items to spreading clamps, then the transfer can be performed simultaneously for both corners, but the device complexity increases and reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The transfer process is segmented into two sequential operations: first transferring one corner to the spreading clamp, then transferring the second corner. This temporal segmentation replaces the need for spatial segmentation (parallel tracks), simplifying the conveyor structure while maintaining transfer functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor operates with periodic action by alternating between transferring the first corner and the second corner to the spreading clamp. This periodic transfer sequence enables the system to achieve the transfer function through time-based alternation rather than simultaneous parallel operations.
2Productivity
If a conveyor with two parallel track sections and track switches is used to transfer laundry items, then both corners can be transferred simultaneously, but the reliability of the transfer process decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The track switches and parallel track sections are extracted (removed) from the system. The invention achieves the transfer function using a single track without switches, eliminating the complex and unreliable switching mechanism while maintaining the essential transfer capability through sequential corner transfer.
3Device complexity
If manual handling is used to transfer laundry items from clamps to spreading clamps, then the system is simple, but the efficiency and reliability decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves automatic self-service transfer where the conveyor automatically positions and transfers laundry corners to the spreading clamp without manual intervention. The sequential transfer mechanism enables automated operation while maintaining relative system simplicity, eliminating the need for manual handling.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and device providing that the corners of a respective laundry item are transferred one by one from a conveyor to spreading clamps of a pair of spreading clamps at the same position in each case. The respective conveyor therefore only requires a single circulatory track. Laundry items in commercial laundries are fed by at least one conveyor to spreading clamps of an input machine. In this case, each corner delimiting a front edge of the laundry item is held by a clamp of the conveyor. The respective conveyor is usually branched, in order for the corners to be transferred at the same time to the two spreading clamps of a pair of spreading clamps. Thus, the respective conveyor must have a branched track system with appropriate switches.