Sleeve-Guiding Mechanism for Automatic Back-Revealing Garment Folding

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing garment folding devices cannot automatically perform back-revealing folding, requiring manual intervention to align sleeve portions with the chest, which reduces efficiency and disturbs the garment's appearance.

Innovation Solution

A sleeve-folding assistance device with pair of right and left sleeve guide portions that move to lift and guide both sleeve portions onto a loading conveyor, then rotate to position them for back-revealing folding, ensuring they overlap the chest portion, facilitating automatic back-revealing folding.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If manual folding of sleeve portions is performed to achieve back-revealing folding, then the garment can be folded with sleeves overlapping the chest, but work efficiency deteriorates and operator arrangement disturbs the garment appearance

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautomatic back-revealing foldingVSAvoidwork efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The sleeve guide portions automatically lift and guide the sleeve portions themselves without requiring external manual intervention. The garment's own structure is utilized to guide the sleeves onto the conveyor belt, enabling self-service folding that improves productivity while maintaining garment appearance

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The sleeve guide portions perform preliminary lifting and positioning of the sleeve portions before the main folding process. By pre-positioning the sleeves to overlap the chest portion, the system eliminates the need for manual arrangement during the folding operation, thereby improving both automation and efficiency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Ease of operation

If manual folding of sleeve portions is performed to achieve back-revealing folding, then the garment can be folded with sleeves overlapping the chest, but the garment appearance is disturbed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautomatic back-revealing foldingVSAvoidgarment appearance
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSShape

Solution Approach 1:

The automatic sleeve guide portions handle the garment's own sleeves without external manual contact, preventing disturbance to the garment appearance. The self-service mechanism ensures that sleeves are guided smoothly onto the conveyor belt maintaining the garment's natural drape and appearance

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The sleeve guide portions perform preliminary positioning of the sleeves in a controlled manner before the main folding process. This pre-positioning ensures that sleeves are correctly aligned to overlap the chest portion without disturbing the garment's appearance during subsequent folding operations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3805447B1Sleeve-folding assistance device for assisting back-revealing, sleeve-folding device and folding device
Publication Date: 2023.09.13 TOTO FUORUDAA INDS
  • EP3805447B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3805447B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3805447B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A sleeve-folding assistance device (10) for assisting a back-revealing, sleeve-folding device (20). The sleeve-folding assistance device (10) comprises a pair of right and left sleeve-guiding units (11) which are moveable to approach both sides of a loading conveyor (120), on which a body portion (C1) of a garment having the body portion (C1) and sleeve portions (C2) is arranged to transfer the garment from the front to the back, so as to guide the sleeve portions (C2) of the garment hanging on both sides of the loading conveyor (120) to the back-revealing, sleeve-folding device (20). When the pair of right and left sleeve-guiding units (11) approach the sides of the loading conveyor (120) and the body portion (C1) is transferred from the front to the rear on the loading conveyor (120), the pair of right and left sleeve-guiding units (11) raise the respective sleeve portions (C2) of the garment.