Garment folding machine and method of controlling same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11624150-B2
Application number	US-202117329977-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 25, 2021
Priority date	May 25, 2020
Publication date	Apr 11, 2023
Grant date	Apr 11, 2023

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a garment folding machine and a method of controlling the garment folding machine, in which it is possible to effectively prevent damage to a garment by controlling and reducing tension after detecting and determining a situation in which the tension is applied to the garment during a process of conveying or folding the garment, and it is possible to allow the folding machine to smoothly perform vertical folding by disposing the garment at an appropriate position in order to perform the vertical folding.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A garment folding machine comprising:
a frame unit configured to define an external shape;
a loading unit supported on the frame unit and configured to load a garment;
a folding unit including two or more folding layers configured to convey the garment loaded by the loading unit and to fold the garment;
an unloading unit configured to discharge the garment folded by the folding unit; and
a control unit configured to generate a control signal for controlling the loading unit and the folding unit,
wherein the folding unit comprises:
a first folding layer; and
a second folding layer disposed below the first folding layer and configured to vertically fold the garment conveyed from the first folding layer,
wherein the second folding layer comprises:
a second conveyor configured to circulate to allow the garment to slide;
a second conveyor motor configured to operate forward or rearward to provide power for operating the second conveyor; and
a second-conveyor-front-end garment detection sensor disposed at a front end of the second conveyor and configured to detect an entry of the garment and transmit a signal to the control unit, and
wherein the control unit controls and operates the second conveyor motor rearward when the control unit receives the signal transmitted from the second-conveyor-front-end garment detection sensor.

2. The garment folding machine of claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls and temporarily stops the second conveyor motor when reception of the signal transmitted from the second-conveyor-front-end garment detection sensor is stopped.

3. The garment folding machine of claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls and operates the second conveyor motor rearward at a speed lower than a forward operation speed.

4. The garment folding machine of claim 1 , wherein the first folding layer comprises:
a first conveyor configured to circulate to allow the garment to slide;
a first conveyor motor configured to operate forward or rearward to provide power for operating the first conveyor; and
a first-conveyor-rear-end garment detection sensor disposed at a rear end of the first conveyor and configured to detect an entry of the garment and transmit a signal to the control unit, and
wherein the control unit controls and operates the second conveyor motor rearward when the control unit receives the signal transmitted from the second-conveyor-front-end garment detection sensor before the reception of the signal transmitted from the first-conveyor-rear-end garment detection sensor is stopped.

5. The garment folding machine of claim 2 , wherein the second folding layer further comprises:
a vertical folding assembly configured to implement vertical folding on the garment conveyed from the first folding layer,
wherein the vertical folding assembly further comprises:
a vertical folding motor configured to provide driving power for the vertical folding; and
vertical folding plates provided in the form of a pair of boards with the second conveyor interposed therebetween and configured to perform the vertical folding on the garment loaded to the second conveyor, and
wherein the control unit performs control such that when the second conveyor motor is temporarily stopped after the garment is loaded to the second conveyor, the vertical folding motor operates to move the vertical folding plates upward to vertically fold the garment.

6. The garment folding machine of claim 5 , wherein the vertical folding assembly further comprises:
plate support parts disposed below the vertical folding plates, connected to the vertical folding motor, and configured to move the vertical folding plates upward by being supplied with driving power;
vertical folding frames configured to define an internal space in which the plate support parts are disposed; and
vertical folding link pins connected to the vertical folding frames while penetrating the plate support parts, and
wherein vertical folding link guide holes for guiding movements of the vertical folding link pins are formed in sidewalls of the vertical folding frames.

7. A method of controlling a garment folding machine having a plurality of folding layers each configured to perform a function of folding a garment or a function of conveying the garment using one or more conveyors, the method comprising:
a folding layer operating step of controlling an operation of a conveyor motor that operates the one or more conveyors to fold or convey the garment;
a garment position detection step of detecting a position of the garment using a garment detection sensor provided in the folding layer after the conveyor motor operates; and
a rearward operation control step of controlling and operating the conveyor motor rearward when receiving a signal transmitted from the garment position detection step.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the garment position detection step comprises a signal transmission stopping step of determining that the garment departs from an upper side of the garment detection sensor when the detection of the entry of the garment is stopped as the conveyor motor operates rearward in the rearward operation control step, and stopping the reception of the rearward operation signal from the garment detection sensor, and
wherein the rearward operation control step is ended when the reception of the rearward operation signal is stopped.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the folding layer operating step comprises:
a first folding layer operating step of operating a first folding layer which is an uppermost layer among the plurality of folding layers; and
a second folding layer operating step of operating a second folding layer disposed below the first folding layer,
wherein the garment position detection step comprises a second-folding-layer-garment-position detection step of detecting the entry of the garment using a second-conveyor-front-end garment detection sensor disposed at one side of the second folding layer, and
wherein the rearward operation control step comprises a second-conveyor-motor-rearward-operation control step of controlling and operating a second conveyor motor rearward.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the second-folding-layer-garment-position detection step comprises a second signal transmission stopping step of stopping transmitting a rearward operation signal from the second-conveyor-front-end garment detection sensor to a control unit when the detection of the entry of the garment by the second-conveyor-front-end garment detection sensor is stopped as the second conveyor motor operates rearward, and
wherein the second-conveyor-motor-rearward-operation control step is controlled and immediately ended when the reception of the rearward operation signal is stopped.

11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
a vertical folding step of performing vertical folding on the garment loaded into the folding layer using a vertical folding assembly provided in the one or more folding layers.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the vertical folding step comprises:
a vertical folding motor control step of controlling and operating a vertical folding motor provided in the vertical folding assembly when it is determined that the garment loaded into the folding layer reaches a vertical folding position; and
a vertical folding performing step of vertically folding the garment by vertical folding plates moved upward by power of the operating vertical folding motor.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the vertical folding step comprises:
a vertical folding motor returning control step of returning the vertical folding plates while cont

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Keun Joo
• Chae Kyosoon
• Ahn Sung Hoon
• Lim Choongho

Classifications

• D06F89/02 Primary

  of textile articles to be worn, e.g. shirts · CPC title

• D06F89/00 Primary

  Apparatus for folding textile articles with or without stapling · CPC title

• A41H43/0257

  Folding · CPC title