Apparatus for sorting laundry pieces

• US 7,370,765 B1
• Filed: 06/16/2000
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lavatec AG
• Original Assignee: Lavatec AG
• Inventors: Erb, Helmut, Ellenberger, Karl-Heinz
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodriguez; Joseph C.
• Application Number:
  US09/595,136
• Time in Patent Office: 2,888 Days
• Field of Search: 209/577, 209/587, 209/583, 209/644, 209/917, 209/932, 209/937, 209/912
• US Class Current: 209/644
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/3412 according to a code applied to the object which indicates a property of the object, e.g. quality class, contents or incorrect indication sorting according to size measured by light-responsive means B07C5/10; sorting according to optical properties B07C5/342; for packages B65D79/02; for information carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 93/00 Counting, sorting, or marking arrangements specially adapted for laundry purposes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/912 Endless feed conveyor with means for holding each item individually
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/937 Laundry sorting

Abstract

A device for sorting of laundry pieces comprises a transport device for transporting different types of laundry pieces, a first collection device for receiving a first type of laundry pieces and disposed in a receiving relationship to the transport device, a second collection device for receiving a second type of laundry pieces and disposed in a receiving relationship to the transport device, and a recognition device disposed near the transport device such that laundry pieces disposed on the transport device are recognizable for the recognition device. A register device is predisposed to the first collection device and to the second collection device for registering of the laundry pieces disposed in the transport device and for generating a corresponding register signal. A data processing plant is connected to the recognition device and to the registering device and for receiving and then processing the data signals received from the recognition device and for receiving and then processing the register signal received from the register device.

Claims

1. A device for sorting laundry pieces comprising:

a feed device that receives the laundry pieces and dispenses them;

a transport device that receives the laundry pieces dispensed from the feed device at a predetermined interval, wherein the interval is one of a predetermined distance between the laundry pieces on the transport device and a predetermined period of time between the dispensing of the laundry pieces, so that individual laundry pieces are separated from each other, wherein the transport device comprises a conveyor belt that transports the individual, separated laundry pieces in a transport direction;

a recognition device disposed in relation to the transport device for determining different types of the separated laundry pieces being transported by the transport device through a region, the recognition device generating a data signal in response to the recognition of one of the individual, separated laundry pieces;

a registering device disposed in relation to the transport device for sensing a location of the one laundry piece on the transport device, the registering device generating a register signal indicating that the one laundry piece is present at the location;

a data processor for receiving the data signal and the register signal for the, the data processor associating the data signal and the register signal, and generating a control signal in response thereto;

a plurality of collection containers disposed downstream of the recognition device in the transport direction at different locations for receiving laundry pieces, wherein the individual collection containers are predetermined to receive particular types of laundry pieces; and

a collection device for directing a particular type of laundry pieces to one of the predetermined collection containers, based on the control signal from the data processor, wherein

the feed device further comprises a first transport band having a plurality of individual compartments for receiving individual laundry pieces, and

the individual laundry pieces of the first transport band are emptied onto the transport device leading to the recognition device.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the collection containers are disposed along the conveyor belt in a transport direction.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the collection device further comprises a plurality of blower devices coordinated to the collection containers,

wherein when the collection device receives the control signal from the data processor,

the control signal directs a corresponding blower device to generate a stream of air and the stream of air is directed horizontally and perpendicularly to the direction of the transport device in the region of the laundry pieces, and when an

individual laundry piece has been conveyed separately and disposed in a collection device area corresponding to the blower device, the individual laundry piece is thereby blown into one of the plurality of collection containers, and

wherein when the laundry piece is not blown into the one collection container, the control signal delivered by the data processor is re-generated and the corresponding blower device generates a further stream of air.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the registering device further comprises a plurality of paired counter sensors, each sensor pair generating a light barrier for recognizing movement of one of the plurality of laundry pieces to one of the plurality of locations and being fixedly disposed with respect to one of the blower devices, such that one sensor in the sensor pair is positioned upstream of the blower device on a blower device side of the conveyor belt while the other sensor is positioned downstream from the blower device on a collection side of the conveyor belt, the sensor pair thereby generating a light barrier that is diagonally oriented with respect to the stream of air generated by the one blower device.

5. The device according to the claim 1, wherein individual collection containers are furnished with the registering device.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the registering device is predisposed and preswitched to the collection containers.

7. The device according to claim 5, wherein the registering device is disposed behind the collection containers.

8. The device according to claim 5, wherein the registering device is pre disposed and post disposed to the collection containers.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the transport device transports the laundry pieces to the recognition device.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the feed device further comprises a funnel, and

wherein the individual laundry pieces disposed within the funnel are emptied onto the transport device leading to the recognition device.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein the funnel is furnished with a flap floor,

wherein the flap floor is opened and closed such that the laundry pieces-falling out of the funnel are transferred to the recognition device by the transport device at the predetermined interval.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the flap floor further comprises a plurality of flap parts.

13. The device according to claim 12, further comprising a sensor device present at each flap part for recognizing a predetermined volume of laundry pieces on the flap parts.

14. The device according to claim 11, wherein there are a plurality of funnels and the flap floors are opened only jointly and are closed only jointly.

15. The device according to claim 10, further comprising a sensor device for recognizing one of a predetermined number and a predetermined volume of laundry pieces present within the funnel.

16. The device according to claim 1, wherein the recognition device comprises a laser scanner.

17. A device for sorting of laundry pieces comprising:

a feed device that receives the laundry pieces and dispenses them;

a transport device for transporting different types of laundry pieces dispensed from the feed device at a predetermined interval, wherein the interval is one of a predetermined distance between the laundry pieces on the transport device and a predetermined period of time between the dispensing of the laundry pieces, so that individual laundry pieces are separated from each other, and wherein the transport device comprises a conveyor belt that transports the individual, separated laundry pieces in a transport direction;

a first collection device for receiving a first type of laundry piece, the first collection device being disposed in a receiving relationship to the transport device;

a second collection device for receiving a second type of laundry piece, the second collection device being disposed in a receiving relationship to the transport device;

a recognition device disposed near the transport device for determining different types of laundry pieces dispensed on the transport device, and for generating a data signal related thereto, the transport device transferring a laundry piece according to the data signal, the transport device transferring the laundry piece to a region near the first collection device if the data signal indicates that laundry piece is of a first laundry type, and transferring the laundry piece to a region near the second collection device if the data signal indicates that the laundry piece is of a second type;

a registering device located with respect to the first collection device and to the second collection device for registering the transferred laundry piece and generating a corresponding register signal;

a data processor connected to the recognition device and to the registering device for receiving and processing the data signal received from the recognition device, and for receiving and processing the register signal received from the registering device, and generating a control signal in response thereto; and

a controller connected to the data processor for receiving the control signal, the controller selecting one of the first collection device and the second collection device based on the control signal and operating the selected collection device to receive the transferred laundry piece, wherein

the feed device further comprises a first transport band having a plurality of individual compartments for receiving individual laundry pieces, and

the individual laundry pieces of the first transport band are emptied onto the transport device leading to the recognition device.

18. The device according to claim 17,

wherein the first collection device and the second collection device are disposed along the conveyor belt in the transport direction;

and

wherein the controller further comprises;

a first blower device coordinated to the first collection device for generating a first stream of air in response to the control signal, wherein the first stream of air is directed against the laundry piece on the conveyor belt when the laundry piece is of the first type;

a second blower device coordinated to the second collection device for generating a second stream of air in response to the control signal, wherein the second stream of air is directed against the laundry piece on the conveyor belt when the laundry piece is of the second type; and

whereby the laundry piece is blown into its respective collection device.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein the registering device comprises:

a first registering device predisposed and associated with respect to the first collection device, and

a second registering device predisposed and associated with respect to the second collection device.

20. The device according to claim 18, wherein the registering device comprises:

a first registering device disposed following the first collection device, and

a second registering device disposed following the second collection device.

21. The device according to claim 17, wherein the feed device comprises:

a feed transport band having a plurality of individual compartments, wherein individual laundry pieces are received into the individual compartments of the feed transport band;

a funnel for receiving the individual laundry pieces from the individual compartments of the feed transport band, the contents of the funnel are emptied onto the transport device leading to the recognition device;

wherein the funnel is furnished with a flap floor which may be flapped open and flapped closed such that laundry pieces falling out of the funnel are transferred on the transport device to the recognition device at the predetermined interval, and

wherein the flap floor is formed from a plurality of flap parts.

22. The device according to claim 21, further comprising:

a second funnel;

a second flap floor associated with the second funnel, wherein the second flap floor of the second funnel is only jointly flapped open or and only jointly flapped closed together with the first flap floor of the first funnel;

a first sensor device recognizing one of a predetermined number and volume of laundry pieces present within the first funnel; and

a second sensor device recognizing one of a predetermined number and a predetermined volume of laundry pieces present within the second funnel.

23. A method for sorting of laundry pieces comprising the steps of:

receiving the laundry pieces in a feed device comprising first transport band having a plurality of individual compartments for receiving individual laundry pieces;

dispensing the individual laundry pieces from the feed device to a transport device at a predetermined interval, wherein the interval is one of a predetermined distance between the laundry pieces on the transport device and a predetermined period of time between the dispensing of the laundry pieces, so that individual laundry pieces are separated from each other, and wherein the transport device comprises a conveyor belt that transports the individual, separated laundry pieces in a transport direction;

operating the conveyor belt to receive the laundry pieces dispensed from the feed device to the on a transport device in order to transport the individual, separated laundry pieces to positions on and along the conveyor belt that are within reach of a recognition device and in a delivery relationship to a plurality of collection devices;

recognizing different types of laundry pieces with the recognition device;

delivering a data signal corresponding to one of the individual, separated laundry pieces from the recognition device to a data processor;

processing the data signal received from the recognition device in the data processor;

registering the one laundry piece with a register device predisposed relative to the plurality of collection devices;

generating a corresponding register signal associated with the registration of the one individual laundry piece in the register device;

sending the register signal from the register device to the data processor;

generating a corresponding control signal for the one laundry piece in response to the received data signal and the received register signal;

using the data processor to select one of a plurality of the collection devices depending on the data signal;

employing the control signal for controlling the one collection device for receiving the one laundry piece corresponding to the control signal;

transferring the one laundry piece from the recognition device to the one collection device; and

receiving the one laundry piece in the one collection device.

24. The method according to claim 23, further comprising the steps of:

disposing the plurality of collection devices along the conveyor belt in a transport direction;

coordinating a blower device to the one collection device;

connecting the blower device to the data processor for controlling the blower device;

furnishing the plurality of collection devices with a register device;

delivering a control signal from the data processor for directing the blower device to generate a stream of air;

directing the stream of air horizontally and perpendicularly to the direction of the transport device in a region of the one laundry piece that is disposed in a collection device area corresponding to the blower device; and

blowing the one laundry piece into a container of the one collection device.

25. The method according to claim 23, further comprising the steps of:

predisposing the registering device relative to the one collection device.

26. The method according to claim 23, further comprising the steps of:

post disposing the register device behind the one collection device.

27. The method according to claim 23, further comprising the steps of:

furnishing a feed transport band having at least individual compartments as part of the feed device, each individual compartment being arranged to transport one of the individual, separated laundry pieces;

furnishing at least one funnel with a flap floor for receiving laundry pieces from the compartments of the feed transport band;

emptying a contents of the funnel onto the conveyor belt of said transport device leading to the recognition device; and

flipping open and flipping closed the flap floor such that laundry pieces falling out of the funnel are transferred by the transport device to the recognition device.

28. The method according to claim 23, further comprising the steps of:

employing and disposing a plurality of funnels further comprising a plurality of flap floors, wherein the flap floors are flipped open only jointly and are flipped closed only jointly;

furnishing a sensor device for recognizing one of a predetermined number of laundry pieces and a predetermined volume of laundry pieces within each funnel; and

disposing the sensor device at each flap part for recognizing one of a predetermined number and a predetermined volume of laundry pieces on each flap part.