Method for sorting laundry items, in particular dirty laundry items

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016144407-A1
Application number	US-201514950092-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 24, 2015
Priority date	Nov 26, 2014
Publication date	May 26, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The sorting of laundry items, in particular dirty laundry items, has hitherto been carried out manually in most cases, which is costly in terms of personnel and time. High sorting capacities are therefore only possible with the corresponding personnel expenses. The invention provides that, at the start of sorting, specifically during their separation, and prior to their further transport to the individual sorting sites, the dirty laundry items are scanned by imaging techniques and, as a result of the appropriate image analysis, it is possible to determine the areas of the dirty laundry items to be preferably gripped and/or at least a number of sorting criteria, such as size and color. These measures result in a largely automated sorting procedure. These measures can be extended so as to achieve a fully automatic sorting procedure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for sorting laundry items, in particular dirty laundry items ( 10 ), wherein laundry items are taken individually from a delivered batch of laundry and the respective laundry item transferred to a transport system ( 13 ) which transports the laundry item to a sorting station where the laundry item is deposited by the transport system ( 13 ) at a dropping point which, on the basis of related information, corresponds to at least one sorting criterion of the laundry item, wherein:
a surface profile of at least one laundry item of the delivered batch of laundry is determined, at least on the basis of the surface profile a location is determined at which the laundry item can be gripped by a gripping means, and this location on the laundry item is gripped in a targeted manner by the gripping means.

2 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the gripping means having at least one high-speed servo axis is moved toward the location on the laundry item that has been determined from the recorded surface profile of the laundry item.

3 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the position of the designated location of the laundry item to be gripped is calculated from the recorded surface profile of the laundry item and that the gripping means is moved toward this position in a controlled and targeted manner.

4 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the surface profile of the respective laundry item is recorded stereoscopically by at least one camera ( 17 , 18 ).

5 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the laundry item, which is gripped by the gripping means at the intended location on the basis of the recorded surface profile, is pulled out of the batch of laundry and separated out in the process.

6 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the laundry item, which is gripped by the gripping means at the most favorable location on the basis of the recorded surface profile, is pulled out of the batch of laundry and separated out in the process.

7 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein that the laundry item is graphically recorded by an imaging device and the resulting image of the laundry item is used to derive at least one a sorting criterion of the laundry item.

8 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the laundry item, following its separation, is graphically recorded by an imaging device and the resulting image of the laundry item is used to derive at least one sorting criterion of the laundry item.

9 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, prior to the transfer of the laundry item to a fastening means of the transport system ( 13 ), the laundry item is graphically recorded by the imaging device.

10 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, during the transfer of the laundry item to a fastening means of the transport system ( 13 ), the laundry item is graphically recorded by the imaging device.

11 . The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the transfer process of the laundry item to the retaining means of the transport system ( 13 ) is controlled on the basis of the image of the laundry item recorded by the imaging device.

12 . The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the transfer process of the laundry item to the retaining means of the transport system ( 13 ) is controlled on the basis of the image of the laundry item recorded by the imaging device.

13 . The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the position of the designated location of the laundry item to be gripped is calculated from the recorded surface profile of the laundry item and that the gripping means is moved toward this position in a controlled and targeted manner.

Assignees

• Kannegiesser H Gmbh Co

Inventors

• Sielermann Jürgen
• Bringewatt Wilhelm
• Heinz Engelbert

Classifications

• G07F17/20 Primary

  for washing or drying articles, e.g. clothes, motor cars · CPC title

• D06F93/00 Primary

  Counting, sorting, or marking arrangements specially adapted for laundry purposes · CPC title

• H04N7/18

  Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast · CPC title

• B07C5/34 Primary

  Sorting according to other particular properties {(material testing per se G01N; quality control G07C3/14)} · CPC title