GB2251866A

GB2251866A - Method and apparatus for feeding laundry article to a mangle

Info

Publication number: GB2251866A
Application number: GB9204897A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Friedhelm Mehrhoff; Dietrich Lux
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-06-04
Filing date: 1992-03-05
Publication date: 1992-07-22
Anticipated expiration: 2012-03-05
Also published as: DK271189A; GB8911897D0; DE3839045A1; GB2219313B; FR2632330B1; GB2219313A; IT1231558B; DK271189D0; IT8948023A0; DE3839045C2; GB9204897D0; GB2251866B; FR2632330A1

Description

2251,366 1 Title: Method and apparatus for feedina laundry articles to a

mangle This invention relates to a method and apparatus for feeding laundry articles to a mangle. in which the laundry articles are moved in front of a feed conveyor leading to the mangle by a spreading device having at least two clamps (spreading clamps) for grasping two corners of the laundry article, the laundry articles being fed to a transfer station assigned to a spreading device by an article conveyor having a plurality of transport clamps for grasping one corner of the laundry article.

An apparatus for feeding laundry articles to a mangle is known from German Patent Specification No. 3119600. One of two corners of the laundry article is introduced into a clamp of the spreading device. The clamDs are then moved apart from one another in order to tension the laundry article and are centred in front of a feed conveyor leading to the mangle. The spread laundry article is then transferred to the feed conveyor.

It is also already known, in practice, to feed the laundry articles to a spreading device by means of an endless conveyor. For this, the laundry articles are each held at one corner by means of conveying clamps.

In the region of the transfer station assigned to the spreading device, the laundry articles are manually removed from the transport clamps and transferred to the spreading device.

In an apparatus of this type and in the method described, the handling of the laundry articles still involves a relatively high outlay and is therefore timeconsuming.

The parent Patent Application No. 2219313A provides improvements in methods and apparatus for handling laundry articles but the present invention aims to increase still further the efficiencv of the feedinc of laundry articles to a mangle and to reduce still further the amount of manual activity employed.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of feeding laundry articles to a mangle, in which the laundry articles are fed to a feed conveyor leading to the mangle by means of a spreading device having at least two spreading clamps for grasping two adjacent corners of a laundry article, the laundry articles being fed to a transfer station which is assigned to the spreading device by an article conveyor having a plurality of transport clamps for grasping a first corner of each laundry article, wherein the laundry article wh-ich hangs on the article conveyor by the first corner is automatically grasped at an adjacent free second corner by a conveying member and is differently orientated and, subsequently, the second corner and the said first corner of the laundry article are automatically transferred to a respective spreading clamp of the spreading device.

z z 1 In the method according to the invention, the transfer of laundry articles from the article conveyor to the spreading device can take place automatically by mechanical means.

Preferably, both corners of the laundry article are transferred from the article conveyor and from a separate conveyor to transfer members of a discharge conveyor.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, 10 corner portions of the laundry articles adjoining said first and second corners are orientated by transfer members from a substantially vertical transport position to a substantially horizontal position at which the corners are taken over by the spreading clamps.

Two article conveyors and two spreading devices may, in each case, be associated with two auxiliary conveyors and/or transfer members to effect a dual mode of operation.

Another aspect of the present invention provides 20 apparatus for feeding laundry articles to a mangle, said apparatus comprising at least one spreading device for feeding laundry articles to a feed conveyor leading to the mangle, the or each spreading device having spreading clamps for grasping two adjacent corners of a laundry article, and an article conveyor having a plurality of transport clamps each adapted to grasp a respective first edge of a laundry article for feeding laundry articles to a transfer station in the region of the spreading device, wherein each spreading clamp of the spreading device is associated with a respective transfer member and a discharge conveyor for the corners of each laundry article fed to the spreading clamps and wherein the apparatus further comprises an edge-catching device and an auxiliary conveyor for grasping and transferring an edge of a laundry article which is hanging freely down from the article conveyor, said edge catching device and said auxiliary conveyor being located upstream of the respective discharge conveyor.

Preferably, the transfer members are arranged to transfer both corners of the laundry articles from the transfer clamps to the spreading clamps automatically.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the transfer members are arranged to hold edge portions of each laundry article which adjoin -said corners in a substantially horizontal orientation such that said edge portions are introducible into the spreading-clamps as a result of relative movement in relation to said spreading clamps.

Preferably, each transfer member is plate-shaped and has a groove-shaped depression which is covered by a respective laundry article and which is arranged to be entered by the respective spreading clamp.

The spreading clamps are desirably movable to and fro in the conveying direction of the laundry articles. The transfer members may also be movable to and fro in the conveying direction of the laundry articles.

C n Z1 Accordincr --j- another embodiment of the invention, the edge-catching device is provided with a catching clamp for a corner of a laundry article which is to be grasped and the catching clamp is pivotable in order to feed a free edge of the laundry article to the said auxiliary conveyor.

The auxiliary conveyor desirably comprises individual and separately movable transport clamps for grasping said corner of a laundry article.

A separate conveyor may be associated with the auxiliary conveyor by means of which said corner of a laundry article can be transferred to the resDective transfer member.

According to another embodiment of the invention, two 15 spaced auxiliary conveyors and independently operating spreading devices are arranged next to one another in front of a feed conveyor of appropriate width, each auxiliary conveyor being associated with a respective spreading device.

The present invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which:- Figure 1 shows one embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention with a completely automatic entry of the laundry articles into an entry machine; 6 - Figure 2 shows a diagrammatic plan view of a dual installation, with the laundry articles transferred in accordance with Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a side view of the installation shown in 5 Figure 2.

The feed of laundry articles 10 to a mangle (not shown) or to another laundry treatment machine takes place largely mechanically. For this purpose, the mangle is preceded by an entry machine 11. This can be designed ' for example, as illustrated and described in German Patent Specification 3119600. The spread-out laundry articles 10 are delivered to a feed conveyor 12 which conveys them into the mangle.

Arranged in front of the feed conveyor 12 formed from belts is a spreading device 13, by means of which the laundry articles are spread transversely in one plane in front of the feed conveyor 12 and laid onto this. For this purpose, the spreading device 13 is equipped with spreading clamps 14 and 15 movable" relative to one another. These are driven (see, for example, German Patent Specificatibn 3119600) in such a way that they can be moved towards and away from one another, the latter for the purpose of spreading a laundry article 10. To this effect, corners 16 and 17 of the laundry article 10 are introduced into the respective spreading clamps 14, 15, especially when the-spreading clamps 14, 15 have been moved laterally to a short distance from one another.

in the illustrated exemplary embodiments of the apparatus, the feed of the laundry articles 10 to the spreading device 13 is completely mechanised and automated.

For this purpose, the laundry articles 10 are delivered successively by an article conveyor 1 to a feed station 19 in front of the spreading device 13. The article conveyor 18 is designed as a revolving conveyor or endless conveyor with a relatively large number of transport clamps 20, each for receiving one corner 16 of the laundry article 10. The article conveyor 18 is loaded by an attendant 43 (or, if appropriate, by several attendants) in the region of a loading station which under certain circumstances is distant from the entry machine 11. The laundry articles 10 are extracted from a laundry treatment machine, a dryer or a stock and are introduced at one corner 16 into a transport clamp 20.

In the region of the loading station, the article 20 conveyor 18 forms an (endless) loading conveyor 23. This is guided via three deflecting rollers 24, 25, 26. The lower deflect.ing roller 26 is at a reasonable working height for the attendant 43, so that the loading conveyor 23 can be loaded in this lower region. The laundry articles 10 are then conveyed obliquely upwards by the loading conveyor 23 as far as a storage conveyor 27 located at a greater height. In the region of the latter, a plurality of transport clamps 20 with laundry articles 10 can be arranged closely next to one another and at the same time conveyed further.

8 - The storage conveyor 27 is followed in the region of the feed station 19, that is to say in front of the entry machine 11, by a discharge conveyor 28 for the transport clamps 20 with laundry articles. In the region of this discharge conveyor 28, the transport clamps 20 received from the storage conveyor 27 are moved downwards to a height appropriate for removal and transfer to the entry machine 11. The discharge conveyor 28 is designed here in the same way as the loading conveyor 23, that is to say with deflecting rollers 24, 25, 26. In the region of the lower deflecting roller 26, the laundry articles 10 are removed from the transport clamps 20.

is The transfer of the transport clamps 20 from the loading conveyor 23 to the storage conveyor 27 and from this to the discharge conveyor 28 takes place automatically by suitable known transfer means.

The laundry articles 10 conveyed or stored by the article conveyor 18 are grasped mechanically, in the region of the storage conveyor 27, at a second downward- hanging corner 17 of the laundry article and, held at two corners 16, 17, fed to the spreading clamps 14, 15. For this purpose, the transport clamps 20 are successively separated in the separating station 44 in the region of the storage conveyor 27, that is to say set apart from adjacent transport clamps 20. An edgecatching device 45 now takes effect in this separating station 44. This consists essentially -of a retaining rod 46 which is vertical in the initial position and which is pivotable about an upper pivot bearing 47. A catching clamp 49 is movable along or on the retaining 1 I- 9 - rod 46 by means of a bogey 48, that is to say is movable in the vertical direction. The transport clamp 20, together with the laundry article, is moved into a position adjacent to the edge-catching device 45. The 5 catching clamp 49 is now moved out of an upper position (represented by broken lines in Figure 1) downwards along the retaining rod 46, the catching clamp 49 travelling along a vertical laundry-article edge and engaging round this. When the catching clamp 49 has arrived at the lower end of the vertical retaininq rod 46, it is located in the region of the downward-pointing corner 17 of the laundry article. This is now grasped by the catching clamp 49.

The laundry article held at a further corner 17 is now 15 transferred to an article conveyor, in particular to an auxiliary conveyor 50. This is equipped with transport clamps 51 which can correspond to the transport clamps 20. The corner 17 of the laundry article is introduced by means of the catching clamp 49 into a transport clamp 51 of the auxiliary conveyor 50. This consists, in the region of reception of the corner 17, of a horizontal storage conveyor 52 with a following discharge conveyor 53. The latter is- of the same design as the discharge conveyor 28.

The auxiliary conveyor 50 is arranged at a distance from the article conveyor 18 and extends parallel to this. The distance is selected so that the laundry articles are conveyed into the region of the associated spreading clamp 15 by the transport clamps 51 or by the discharge conveyor 53.

- The transfer of the two corners of a laundry article which are held by transport clamps 20, 51 of the article conveyor 18 or of the auxiliary conveyor 50 to the spreading clamps 14, 15 takes place automatically here, specifically in the way described with reference to Figure 3 or Figure 4 of Patent Specification No. 2219313A previously referred to. In the exemplary embodiment of Figure 1 of this application, an arrangement similar to that of Figure 4 of Patent

Specification No. 2219313A is selected. The transport clamps 20, 51 resting on pivotable plate-shaped transfer members 35, 54 and pivoted into a horizontal position provide the laundry article for reception by the spreading clamps 14, 15. These can be moved out of the spreading device 13 transversely relative to the plane of the laundry article in the way described, until the laundry article 10a is received.

Figures 2 and 3 show the use of the apparatus according to Figure 1 on a dual installation. This is predominantly constructed in the same way as illustrated and described according to Figures 5 and 6 of Patent Specification No. 2219313A. An auxiliary conveyor 50, 50a is assigned to. each article conveyor 18, 18a, each with a device for grasping a downwardhang i ng corner 17 of a laundry article (edge-catching device 45). It is thereby possible for the laundry articles fed along two article conveyors 18, 18a to be transferred to two spreading devices 13, 13a completely automatically. Attendants 42, 43 are reauired merelv to load the article conveyors 18, 18a.

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Claims

1 1. A method of feeding laundry articles to a mangle, in which the laundry articles are fed to a feed conveyor leading to the mangle by means of a spreading device having at least two spreading clamp for grasping two adjacent corners of a laundry article, the laundry articles beincr fed to a transfer station which is assigned to the spreading device by an article conveyor having a plurality of transport clamps for grasping a first corner of each laundrv article, wherein the laundry article which hangs on the article conveyor by the first corner is automatically grasped at an adjacent free second corner by a conveying member and is differently orientated and, subsequently, the second corner and the said first corner of the laundry article are automatically transferred to a respective spreading clamp of the spreading device.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein both corners of the laundry article are transferred from the article conveyor and from a separate conveyor to transfer members of a discharge conveyor.

3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein corner portions of the laundry articles adjoining said first and second corners are orientated by transfer members from a substantially vertical transport position to a substantially horizontal position at which the corners are taken over by the spreading clamps.

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4. A -nethod according to any preceding claim, characterized by a dual mode of operation in which two article conveyors and two spreading devices are in each case associated with two auxiliary conveyors and/or transfer members.

5. Apparatus for feeding laundry articles to a mangle, said apparatus comprising at least one spreading device for feeding laundry articles to a feed conveyor leading to the mangle, the or each spreading device having spreading clamps for grasping two adjacent corners of a laundry article, and an article conveyor having a plurality of transport clamps each adapted to grasp a respective first edge of a laundry article for feeding laundry articles to a transfer station in the region of the spreading device, wherein each spreading clamp of the spreading device is associated with a respective transfer member and a discharge conveyor for the corners of each laundry article fed to the spreading clamps and wherein the apparatus further comprises an edge-catching device and an auxiliary conveyor for grasping and transferring an edge of a laundry article which is hanging freely down from the article conveyor, said edge catching device and said auxiliary conveyor being located upstream of the respective discharge conveyor.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the transfer members are arranged to transfer both corners of the laundry articles from the transport clamps to the spreading clamps automatically.

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7. Apparatus according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the transfer members are arranged to hold edge portions of each laundry article which adjoin said corners in a substantially horizontal orientation such that said edge portions are introducible into the spreading clamps as a result of relative movement in i:elation to said spreading clamps.

8. Apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein each transfer member is plate-shaped and has a groove-shaped depression which is covered by a respective laundry article and which is arranged to be entered by the respective spreading clamp.

9. Apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the spreading clamps are movable to and fro in the conveying direction of the laundry articles.

10. Apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein the transfer members are movable to and fro in the conveying direction of the laundry articles.

Apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 10, wherein the edgecatching device is provided with a catching clamp for a corner of a laundry article which is to be grasped and wherein the catching clamp is pivotable in order to feed a free edge of the laundry article to the said auxiliary conveyor.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the auxiliary conveyor comprises individual and separately movable transport clamps for grasping said corner of a laundry article.

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13. Apparatus according to claim 11 or claim 12, wherein a separate conveyor is associated with the auxiliary. conveyor by means of which said corner of a laundry article can be transferred to the respective transfer member.

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14. Apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 13, wherein two spaced auxiliary conveyors and independently operating spreading devices are arranged next to one another in front of a feed conveyor of appropriate width, each auxiliary conveyor being associated with a respective spreading device.

15. A method of feeding laundry articles to a mangle substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.

16. Apparatus for feeding laundry articles to a mangle substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.

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