Method and device for spreading a laundry item

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9909252-B2
Application number	US-201615234594-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 11, 2016
Priority date	Sep 10, 2015
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

For the purpose of delivering a laundry item ( 10 ) to an ironer, the laundry item ( 10 ) is spread, by opposite corners of a lateral edge ( 20 ), by means of spreader clips ( 18, 19 ). In this case, deformations, or “ear formation” may occur at the corner regions ( 12, 13 ) of the laundry item ( 10 ) that are gripped by the spreader clips ( 18, 19 ). This “ear formation” is mostly irreversible, and in the long term results in damage to the laundry items ( 10 ). The invention creates a method and a device by which the laundry item ( 10 ) is delivered to an ironer in a gentle manner. For this purpose, at least one corner region ( 12, 13 ) of the laundry item ( 10 ) that is gripped by a spreader clip ( 18, 19 ) is captured by an imaging means as the laundry item ( 10 ) is being spread.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for spreading a laundry item ( 10 ), the laundry item ( 10 ) being gripped at two adjacent corner regions ( 18 , 19 ) of an edge ( 20 ) by at least two spreader clips ( 12 , 13 ) of a spreader device ( 11 ) and spread, before being placed on a feed conveyor or laying strip assigned to the latter, wherein at least one corner region ( 18 , 19 ) of the laundry item ( 10 ) that is gripped by a spreader clip ( 12 , 13 ) is captured by an imaging means as the laundry item ( 10 ) is being spread.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the corner region ( 18 , 19 ) captured by the imaging means is compared with predefined references for a corner region ( 18 , 19 ).

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the corner region ( 18 , 19 ) captured by the imaging means is compared with predefined references for a corner region ( 18 , 19 ) by a control means.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the spreading of the laundry item ( 10 ) is stopped as soon as the corner region ( 10 ) differs in its shape from a predefined reference for a corner region ( 18 , 19 ).

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the spreading of the laundry item ( 10 ) is stopped as soon as the shape of the corner region ( 10 ) lies outside a tolerance range of a predefined reference.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a distance ( 29 , 30 ) between an outer edge of the corner region ( 18 , 19 ) of the laundry item ( 10 ), that is gripped by the spreader clip ( 12 , 13 ), and an adjoining lateral edge ( 31 , 32 ) of the laundry item ( 10 ) is determined.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the distance ( 29 , 30 ) is determined by a control means on the basis of images of the corner regions ( 18 , 19 ) that are captured by the imaging means during the spreading operation, and the spreading of the laundry item ( 10 ) is stopped in the case of a limit value being exceeded.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a sag of the laundry item ( 10 ) is determined, during the spreading operation, by at least one sensor ( 23 ), which is positioned between two corner regions ( 18 , 19 ) of an edge ( 20 ) of the laundry item ( 10 ) that are each gripped by a spreader clip ( 12 , 13 ).

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the laundry item ( 10 ) is spread by the spreader clips ( 12 , 13 ) until a predetermined value for the sag of the laundry item ( 10 ) is attained.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the laundry item ( 10 ) is spread by the spreader clips ( 12 , 13 ) until the at least one corner region ( 18 , 19 ) of the laundry item ( 10 ) that is captured by the imaging means deviates from a predefined reference.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the laundry item ( 10 ) is spread by the spreader clips ( 12 , 13 ) until the distance ( 29 , 30 ) between the outer edge of the captured corner region and the adjoining lateral edge ( 31 , 32 ) of the laundry item ( 10 ) exceeds a predefined limit value.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the laundry item ( 10 ) is spread according to a compromise between a predefined value for the sag and a deviation of a shape of a corner region ( 18 , 19 ) from a reference.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, before the laundry item ( 10 ) is spread, its width is determined, and the laundry item ( 10 ) is then spread fully by the spreader clips ( 12 , 13 ), provided that the at least one corner region ( 18 , 19 ) of the laundry item ( 10 ) that is captured by the imaging means does not deviate from the predefined reference value.

14. A device for spreading a laundry item ( 10 ), having at least two spreader clips ( 12 , 13 ) for holding, respectively, a corner region ( 18 , 19 ) of the laundry item ( 10 ), the spreader clips ( 12 , 13 ) being able to be moved apart and towards each other, characterized in that there is an imaging means assigned to each of the spreader clips ( 12 , 13 ), for capturing a corner region ( 18 , 19 ) of the laundry item ( 10 ) that is held by a spreader clip ( 12 , 13 ).

15. The device according to claim 14 , wherein the imaging means is connected to a control means, on which there are stored a multiplicity of references for a comparison with the corner regions ( 18 , 19 ) of the laundry item ( 10 ) that are gripped by the spreader clips ( 12 , 13 ).

16. The device according to claim 15 , wherein at least one sensor ( 23 ) for determining a sag of the laundry item ( 10 ) is positioned between the spreader clips ( 12 , 13 ) holding the laundry item ( 10 ), the at least one sensor ( 23 ) being connected to the control means.

17. The device according to claim 14 , wherein the imaging means is configured as at least one camera ( 21 , 25 , 26 ).

18. The device according to claim 14 , wherein the imaging means is an arrangement of individual sensors.

19. The device according to claim 15 , wherein a measuring means for determining the width of the laundry item ( 10 ) is positioned between the spreader clips ( 12 , 13 ) holding the laundry item ( 10 ), the measuring means being connected to the control means.

Assignees

• Kannegiesser H Gmbh Co
• Herbert Kannegieser Gmbh

Inventors

• Bringewatt Wilhelm
• Heinz Engelbert

Classifications

• D06F95/00

  Laundry systems or arrangements of apparatus or machines; Mobile laundries  (D06F31/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65H9/12

  carried by article grippers · CPC title

• D06F67/04 Primary

  Arrangements for feeding or spreading the linen · CPC title

• B65G47/90

  Devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials · CPC title

• D06C3/00

  Stretching, tentering or spreading textile fabrics; Producing elasticity in textile fabrics (shaping or stretching tubular fabrics upon cores or internal frames D06C5/00) · CPC title