Method of controlling garment folding machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11739474-B2
Application number	US-202117332586-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 27, 2021
Priority date	May 27, 2020
Publication date	Aug 29, 2023
Grant date	Aug 29, 2023

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method of controlling a garment folding machine, which may effectively prevent damage to a drive motor and a loss of power caused by an overload of the drive motor by accurately detecting and determining a situation in which garments are lumped during a process of conveying or folding the garments, may effectively prevent damage to the lumped garments and related components, and may significantly reduce the time for which the operation of the folding machine is stopped by accurately specifying the position at which the garments are lumped and then notifying a user of the position to allow the user to take an immediate action.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of controlling a garment folding machine having a plurality of folding layers that performs a function of folding a garment using at least one conveyor or a function of conveying the garment, the method comprising:
a folding-layer-operating/garment-lumping-determining step of operating a conveyor motor configured to operate at least one conveyor to fold or convey the garment, detecting whether the garment has reached a target position after the operation of the conveyor motor is initiated, measuring a current value of the conveyor motor based on a determination that the garment has not reached the target position, calculating a delay time after the operation of the conveyor motor is initiated, and determining whether garment lumping has occurred based on the motor current value or the delay time,
wherein the garment lumping determining step determines whether the garment lumping has occurred by determining (i) whether the delay time exceeds a preset predetermined critical delay time or (ii) which the motor current value exceeds a preset predetermined critical current value, and
wherein the garment lumping determining step determines whether the garment lumping has occurred in a first folding layer among the plurality of folding layers.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
a conveyor motor stopping step of stopping the conveyor motor based on a determination in the garment lumping determining step that the garment lumping has occurred; and
an error alarm generating step of generating an alarm including error information indicating that the garment lumping has occurred in at least one folding layer,
wherein the information comprises at least one of visual information or acoustic information.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first folding layer is an uppermost layer among the plurality of folding layers, and
wherein the folding-layer-operating/garment-lumping-determining step comprises a first-folding-layer-operating/garment-lumping-determining step of operating the first folding layer before the garment lumping has occurred in the first folding layer.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first-folding-layer-operating/garment-lumping-determining step comprises:
a first-conveyor-motor-rearward-movement step of operating a first conveyor rearward to convey the garment rearward, the garment being loaded on the first conveyor in the first folding layer;
a first-conveyor-rear-end garment detection sensor signal receiving step of receiving an output signal from a first-conveyor-rear-end garment detection sensor configured to detect whether the garment has reached a rear end of the first conveyor, which is the target position, after a first conveyor motor operates rearward; and
a reach-to-first-conveyor-rear-end determining step of determining whether the garment has reached the rear end of the first conveyor based on the output signal received from the first-conveyor-rear-end garment detection sensor.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first-folding-layer-operating/garment-lumping-determining step further comprises:
a first-delay-time-calculating/first-motor-current-value-receiving step of calculating a first delay time after the operation of the first conveyor motor is initiated in the first-conveyor-motor-rearward-movement step and receiving, from a current detection part, a first current value supplied to the first conveyor motor based on a determination in the reach-to-first-conveyor-rear-end determining step that the garment has not reached the rear end of the first conveyor; and
a first-delay-time/first-motor-current-value determining step of determining whether the first delay time exceeds a first critical delay time and whether the first motor current value exceeds a first critical current value.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first-folding-layer-operating/garment-lumping-determining step further comprises a first garment lumping determining step of determining that the garment lumping has occurred in the first folding layer based on a determination in the first-delay-time/first-motor-current-value determining step that the first delay time is equal to or greater than the first critical delay time or the first motor current value is equal to or greater than the first critical current value.

7. The method of claim 3 , wherein the folding-layer-operating/garment-lumping-determining step comprises a second-folding-layer-operating/garment-lumping-determining step of operating a second folding layer disposed below the first folding layer and determining whether the garment lumping has occurred in the second folding layer.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the second-folding-layer-operating/garment-lumping-determining step comprises:
a second-conveyor-motor-forward-operation step of operating a second conveyor in the second folding layer forward to thereby convey the garment forward, the garment being delivered from a rear side of the first folding layer;
a second-conveyor-front-end garment detection sensor signal receiving step of receiving an output signal from a second-conveyor-front-end garment detection sensor configured to detect whether the garment has reached a front end of the second conveyor, which is the target position, after a second conveyor motor operates forward; and
a reach-to-second-conveyor-front-end determining step of determining whether the garment has reached the front end of the second conveyor based on the output signal received from the second-conveyor-front-end garment detection sensor.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the second-folding-layer-operating/garment-lumping-determining step further comprises:
a second-delay-time-calculating/second-motor-current-value receiving step of calculating a second delay time after the operation of the second conveyor motor is initiated in the second-conveyor-motor-forward-operation step and receiving, from a current detection part, a second current value supplied to the second conveyor motor based on a determination in the reach-to-second-conveyor-front-end determining step that the garment has not reached the front end of the second conveyor; and
a second-delay-time/second-motor-current-value determining step of determining whether the second delay time exceeds a second critical delay time and which the second motor current value exceeds a second critical current value.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the folding-layer-operating/garment-lumping-determining step comprises a third-folding-layer-operating/garment-lumping-determining step of operating a third folding layer disposed below the second folding layer and determining whether the garment lumping has occurred in the third folding layer.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the third-folding-layer-operating/garment-lumping-determining step comprises:
a third-conveyor-motor-rearward-operation step of operating a third conveyor disposed at a front side of the third folding layer rearward to thereby convey the garment rearward, the garment being delivered from a front side of the second conveyor;
a third-conveyor-rear-end garment detection sensor signal receiving step of receiving an output signal from a third-conveyor-rear-end garment detection sensor configured to detect whether the garment has reached a rear end of the third conveyor, which is the target position, after a third conveyor motor operates rearward; and
a reach-to-third-conveyor-rear-end determining step of determining whether the garment has reached the rear end of the third conveyor based on the output signal received from the third-conveyor-rear-end garment detection sensor.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the th

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Chae Kyosoon
• Kim Keunjoo
• Ahn Sunghoon
• 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