US3116059A - Device for transvbersely folding laundry pieces - Google Patents

Description

E. JENSEN 3,116,059

DEVICE FOR TRANSVERSELY FOLDING LAUNDRY PIECES Dec. 31, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 26, 1962 Inventor {if/70r- Jcnsen Dec. 31, 1963 JENSEN 3,116,059

DEVICE FOR TRANSVERSELY FOLDING LAUNDRY PIECES Filed Feb. 26, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jim en zor:

Dec. 31, 1963 E. JENSEN Filed Feb. 26, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 1:; 1 392 ./35 liq 039' H ,15a 0 39 W l V/ I V/A l V II I: I Q 7 ML: 111111111 4/, 45 43 2a .7; 2a

'zrar .73 are Dec. 31, 1963 E. JENSEN 3,116,059

DEVICE FOR TRANSVERSELY FOLDING LAUNDRY PIECES Filed Feb. 26, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 In en for "i cc i Edihfi Patented Dec. 31, 1963 3,ll,i59 DEVK'CE FOR TRANSVERSELY FOLDWG LAUNDRY PIECES Ejuar lens/en, Roxane, Denmark, assignor to Ejnar .l'ensen og $021 1/5, Etienne, Denmark Filed Feb. 26, 1962, Ser. No. 175,7tl8 Qlaims priority, application Germany Nov. 2, 1961 (5 Claims. (@l. Nil- 58) The present invention relates to an apparatus for transversely folding laundry pieces behind laundry calenders and the like.

It is known to provide folding apparatuses of the above mentioned type with conveyors arranged above a folding table and with clamping plates for grasping and holding the front edge of the respective laundry piece and additionally to provide control means which are actuated by the laundry piece and which control the clamping and release movement of the clamping plates. it is also known to provide photoelectric cells which in turn influence the control of the clamping plates while the clamping plates are actuated by electric or pneumatic or iydraulic means.

All of these devices have the drawback that a precise adjustment of the light source with regard to the photoelectric cell is rather difficult. The light source is in most instances arranged below the folding table, whereas the photoelectric cell is adjustable above the folding table in the longitudinal direction thereof. W ien setting the a paratus, it is necessary very precisely to adjust the photoelectric cells with regard to the light source because otherwise no proper switching on and switching off of the current will be effected. It is thus necessary to adjust two parts individually in the longitudinal direction of the folding table, namely the light source as well as the photoelectric cell. This means that for the release of the clamping plates from their clamping position into the downwardly folded position and for the adjustment of the clamping plates from the downwardly folded position into clamping position, a second control means in the form of a light sounce and photoelectric cell is required which light source and photoelectric cell have to be adjusted individually in the longitudinal direction of the folding table. Devices of this type are rather c-urnbersome and very difficult to operate.

it is, therefore, an object of the present invention to pro vide an apparatus of the above mentioned type which operates with photoelectric cells and light sources, and in which the precise adjustment of the controls in conformity with the conveyor speed of the folding table can be effected by a simple adjustment of the light source and photoelectric cell, uniformly for all clamping plates arranged in series in a row.

it is a further object of this invention to provide an apparatus as set forth in the preceding paragraph in which by control means in the form of light source and photoelectric cells a preselection will be possible in such a way that for svitch-ing on and switching off of two adjacent clamping plates, or of three adjacent clamping plates, or of clamping plates aranged in pairs, the simultaneous final switching on of the relays for actuation of the clamping plates is brought about.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 diagrammatically illustrates a view partially in section of a folding apparatus according to the present invention with a plurality of folding bridges which carry the folding mechanism and are arranged above the conveyor equipped folding table.

FIG. 2 diagrammatically illustrates a top view of a folding bridge with a plurality of clamping plates arranged adjacent to each other while preselector units are provided between the clamping plates.

PEG. 3 illustrates on a larger scale, partially in section, the folding bridge, the control units and the photoelectric control of the relay while the clamping plate is folded downwardly.

FIG. 4 shows the position of the apparatus after the laundry piece has been moved over the light beam of the first control unit so that the light beam is interrupted.

PEG. 5 shows the apparatus according to the invention in a position according to which the laundry piece has been placed upon the clamping plate and after the light beam for the second photoelectric cell of the second control unit has been interrupted.

FIG. 6 is a cross section taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 illustrates a cross section of a control unit equipped with a light source and photoelectric cell.

PEG. 8 illustrates by way of example a control circuit for controlling the control units while employing preselector units.

General Arrangement The apparatus according to the present invention is characterized primarily in that the photoelectric cell and the light source of each control unit are arranged in a single housing comprising a transparent mirror and lenses and that the control unit housings are arranged underneath the folding table between the conveyor belts, whereas above the table, which is provided with passages for the light beam, there are provided reflector plates, for instance mirrors, which are arranged alongside the feeding direction.

According to a further feature of the invention, the control unit housings arranged below the folding table are adjustable and arrestable in the feeding direction. Furthermore, the control units arranged in housings below the clamping plates are adjustable individually in the longitudinal direction of the folding table for releasing all clamping plates arranged adjacent to each other.

A still further feature of the invention consists in that between each two control units arranged below the clamping plates, preferably in front of said control units when looking in feeding direction, there is provided a photoelectric control unit serving as preselector, by means of w h a photoelectric cell controlling a clamping plate is connected with a current supply line which behind the relay pertaining thereto leads to the respective directly adjacent photoelectric cell controlling a clamping plate. These so-called preselectors or key heads make it possible so to adjust the clamping plates that for instance two bed sheets of identical size, a narrow laundry as for instance a towel, together with a particularly wide laundry piece, especially bed sheet, or als three narrow laundry pieces of approximately the same width, as for instance towels, can be folded adjacent to each other. A further feature of the present invention consists in the supply of air between the laundry pieces folded upon each other in order to space the same from each other by means of an air cushion.

Structural A rrangem ent Referring now to the drawings in detail, the apparatus shown therein comprises a calender iii behind which there is arranged a folding table 11 having mounted thereabove endless conveyor belts 12 for conveying the laundry pieces to be folded. The folding table 11 is advantageously adjustable so as to be able to occupy various inclined positions.

The laundry pieces 16 discharged from the calender it move onto the conveyor belts 12 and are folded on the same. To this end, above the folding table 11 and spaced in transverse direction over the folding table there is provided a plurality of advantageously box-shaped bridges 13 which carry the folding mechanism. Expediently, these bridges 13 are adjustable in the longitudinal direction of the folding table.

Below the bridge 13 there is provided in adjacent arrannement a plurality of clamping plates 15 which are tiltable about bolts 14 and the front edges 15a of which the feeding direction of the laundry piece 16. The bridge box is furthermore provided with a plurality of abutmen'is 17 for the clamping plates 15 (see FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and the abutments 17 preferably consisting of elastic material, as for instance rubber.

The clamping plates are by means of their arm 13 and bolt 21 pivotally connected to the piston rod w of a luid pressure cylinder 2% A longitudinal adjustment of the piston rod 19 may be effected by a counter nut The piston 23 of the pressure fluid cylinder 29 is continuously acted upon by a spring 2 The pre sure fluid cylinder 29 is tiltable about a bolt of a bearing for the folding bridge 13. The actuation of piston 23 by means of compressed air is controlled by a magnetic valve 26 of any standard design. Pressure fluid cylinder 26% and magnetic valve 26 are arranged preferably coaxially with regard to each other. The adjustment of the magnetic valve 26 is effected by a relay 27 which in its turn is controlled by a control unit comprising a photoelectric cell and a light source. To this end, the photoelectric cell 29 and a light source 30 (FIG. 7) are arranged in a housing 28 below the folding table 11. The light source 30 emanates its light beams through a lens 3 1 to a transparent mirror 32. By means of a further lens 33 in the direction 34 the light beams are passed to a reflector plate 35 (FIG. 3) arranged above the folding table 11. From said reflector plate 35, for instance a mirror, the light beams, as indicated in FIG. 7 by the arrow 3;", are passed through the transparent mirror 32 and through a lens 37 to the photoelectric cell 2?. Preferably, lens 37 is provided with a red filter.

The light source 30, for instance an incandescent lamp, is mounted on a socket plate 38 which is likewise adjustable. The table is provided with openings 39 for the passage of the light beams 34 and for the reflected beams 36.

While the control unit arranged in housing 28 and comprising the light source, photoelectric cell and lens is arranged ahead of the clamping plate 15, a similar unit arranged in housing 23a is arranged below the clamping plate 15 and the table opening 39 pertaining thereto.

In addition thereto, the clamping plate 15 has passages in the form of slots 4% for the light beam emanated from the light source. Above these slots 4i there is provided a renector plate 41 in the folding bridge 13.

The clamping plate 15 may by two superimposed plates 15!; be designed as hollow body so that it will be torsion resistant.

The control unit in housing 2:; serves for turning oft relay 27. In other words, as long as the light beams 3b are not interrupted, photoelectric cell 29 of the control unit 28 turns oil the circuit for relay 27. As a result thereof, when the magnetic valve 26 is closed, spring 24 tilts the clamping plate 15 downwardly.

The photoelectric cells of each control unit are through amplifiers, transformers and possibly transistors connected to relay 27 which in its turn actuates the magnetic valve 2s. As long as no laundry pieces are Moved, the circuit for the relay 27 is interrupted (FEGS. 3 and 4) by a control unit in housing 2811, which control unit comprises tie light source emanating the light beam 34- and also comprises the photoelectric cell 29 and lenses and the light beam emanated by cell 29 onto the reflector mirror 41. When the laundry piece 16 has been moved sufficiently far on the clamping plate 15, due to the interruption of the light beam 34 for the photoelectric cell 29 of control unit 23, the circuit for relay 2'] will partly closed. However, at this time the circuit or relay 2-7 is still interrupted by the second control unit Only when the laundr picc een moved fur her on clamp ng plate 15, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the light beam of the photoelectric cell of the second control unit is interrupted whereby the control circuit for rela 27 is completely closed. As a result thereof, r netic valve 26 is opened by relay 2/7, and compressed arr acts upon piston so that, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the laundry A iece i6 is now clamped in and during the further advance by the conveyor belt 12, will be folded.

Ahead of clamping plate 35 between the conveyor belts 12 there are provided inclined wires 42 by means of which the advanced laundry pieces are lifted. makes it possible to convey the thus lifted laundry pieces 6 to the dos /inwardly folded clamping plates 1 The ing plates have their front edges 15a. in ti; ir lower tion arranged at a dis ance above the conveyor belts the fold .c table Ill, w ch distance corresponds in or to at least the thickness of the laundry piece to be folded. The front edges 42a of the wires 42 are located approximately at the height of the front edges 1&1 of the clamping plates and are arranged ahead of the front edges 15a of the clamping plates at a distance corresponding approximately to the thickness of the respective laundry piece.

The control units res ectivel associated with each of the clamping plates 15 and arranged in housing 23 are mounted on a transverse beam as which is locate below the folding table ill. and is displaceable, adjustable and arrestable in the longitudinal direction of the folding table 11. The arresting or locking may be eilected on side beams of the folding table ll by means of set screws engaging slots 46.

Also the control units in housings 2311 which likewise comprise light sources, transparent mirrors, lenses and photoelectric cells, are adjustable in longitudinal direction of the folding table ll. The said control units in housings are mounted on a transverse beam 2-7 which is displaceable and arrestable in the longitudinal direction of the table. To this end, the said control units engage guiding pipes 49 by means of supporting bolts 48. By means of set screws 5t} it is also possible after adjustment of folding table '11 in longitudinal direction thereof to arrest the control units 23:: arranged below the clamping plates 15, after said control units have been precisely adiusted with regard to the reflector plates 41.

in addition thereto, between the control units 28, 23:: below table 111 there are provided a photoelectric cell and light source unit 51 each of which serves as preselector (FIGS. 2-6). Said unit is by means of an electric conductor connected with the other control units 2.8, 284i controlling the clamping plate 15, in such away that when the laundry piece 16 moves above the preselector unit 51, the light beam of which acts through passages El a on reflector plates 41a, the turning on and turning off of the relay 27 for each two or more adjacent clamping plates 15 will be controlled.

FIG. 8 illustrates a circuit diagram showing the connecting lines between the control units 28, 28a and the preselector units 51. As will be evident from said diagram, the zreselector unit 51 is through a conductor 54 connected to the photoelectric cell 2&1 of two or more adjacent clamping plates i5, while the connecting line 5 is respectively connected to line 27a connected to relay 27. The diagram of FIG. 8 also shows that the preselector unit 51 will become active when a laundry piece 16indicated by dot-dash lines-is to be folded which laundry piece is only so wide that it merely covers one clamping plate 33y means of the preselector unit 51 now also laundry pieces of a width less than two or three or more adjacent clamping plates may be clamped in.

As illustrated in EEG. 6, the control of relay 27 either for two adiacent or three adjacent or more clamping plates 15 arranged adjacent to each other in pairs may be actuated by each preselector unit 51, so-called key head. This is made possible by the fact that a plurality of clamping plates 15 is made effective or ineffective by the key heads 51 in the circuit of relay 27. in this way it is possible, as already mentioned above, simultaneously to fold either two laundry pieces of the same size, as for instance bed sheets, a narnow laundry piece, such as a towel, together with a particularly wide bed sheet, or also three laundry pieces of approximately the same Width, as for instance three towels.

Also the control units 51 serving as preselectors are adjustable individually on the transverse beam 47 and in the longitudinal direction of the table. The preselector unit 51 ma be so arranged that only after afinal advance of the laundry piece 16 onto the clamping plates 15, the final switching on and switching off of the relay for the clamping position will be effected.

FIG. 3 additionally illustrates that ahead of the clamp ing plates 15 there is provided an air pressure passage 52 with nozzles 5'3 through which air is blown between the folded laundry pieces in order slightly to space the superimposed folded portions cf the laundry piece by an air cushion.

The adjust-ability of the transverse beam 43 carrying the control units 28, similar to the adjustability of the control units 280, makes possible a precise adjustment of the apparatus. In this way it is possible precisely to adjust the length of the protruding portions of the laundry pieces at the front and end of the laundry piece, even during the operation of the apparatus. It is merely necessary to adjust the control units below table 11 whereby photoelectric cells and light sources are adjusted together because the refiector plates 35, 41 are made so long that in each instance a reflection of the respective light beams will take place.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by no means, limited to the particular construction shown in the drawing but also comprises any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A folding apparatus for transversely folding laundry articles, which comprises: a folding table provided with a plurality of groups of passage means therethrough for the passage of light beams, a plurality of conveyor means arranged above said table and spaced from each other in transverse direction thereof for receiving and conveying laundry articles to be folded, the individual passage means in each said group of passage means in said table being spaced from each other in the direction of movement of said conveyor means and being located laterally between said conveyor means, a plurality of laterally aligned independent clamping means respectively arranged above said conveyor means for temporarily grasping and holding the front portion of the laundry article to be folded, each said clamping means also being provided with passage means therethrough about midway the ends thereof for the passage of light beams, and aligned with one of the individual passage means of one of said groups of passage means, a control unit associated with each of said individual passage means and controllable by laundry articles on said conveyor means in the region of the respective clamping means for controlling the respective one of said clamping means, said control units being respectively arranged below said passage means in said folding table and between said conveyor and each including a photoelectric cell and a light source and also a transparent mirror and lens means, and reflector means respectively arranged above the said individual passage means.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, in which an additional control means is provided in the region between each two adjacent individual clamping means and operable in response to movement of a laundry piece into the said region to cause actuation of both of said adjacent individual clamping means in response to the detection of a laundry piece by the control unit of either of the said clamping means.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, in which at least some of the control units below the passage means in said table are adjustable in the direction of movement of said conveyor means and are arrestable in their respective adjusted position.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, in which the control units below the passage means in said clamping means are individually adjustable in longitudinal direction of said table.

5. A folding apparatus for transversely folding laundry articles, which comprises: a folding table provided with passage means therethrough for the passage of light beams, a plurality of conveyor means arranged above said table and spaced from each other in transverse direction thereof for receiving and conveying laundry articles to be folded, said passage means in said table being spaced from each other in the direction of movement of said conveyor means, a plurality of clamping means respectively arranged above said conveyor means for temporarily grasping and holding the front portion of the laundry article to be folded, said clamping means also being provided with passage means therethrough for the passage of light beams, a plurality of control units associated with said clamping means and controllable by laundry articles on said conveyor means for controlling said clamping means, said control units being respectively arranged below said passage means in said folding table and between said conveyor means and including a photoelectric cell and a light source and also a transparent mirror and lens means, some of said passage means in said table being in alignment with the passage means in said clamping means, reflector means respectively arranged above the passage means in said table and in said clamping means, and nozzle means connectable to a supply of compressed air and respectively arranged near said clamping means for blowing air between folded portions of a laundry article held by said clamping means for blowing air into the folds.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, in which the photoelectric cell and the light source as well as the transparent mirror and the lens means of each control unit is mounted in a single housing below the folding table.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,740,627 Woodward et al. Apr. 3, 1956 2,811,350 Cran et a1. Oct. 29, 1957 2,949,294 Cran Aug. 16, 1960 3,005,630 Bergman et a1. Oct. 24, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 706,093 Great Britain Mar. 24, 1954

Claims (1)

1. A FOLDING APPARATUS FOR TRANSVERSELY FOLDING LAUNDRY ARTICLES, WHICH COMPRISES: A FOLDING TABLE PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF GROUPS OF PASSAGE MEANS THERETHROUGH FOR THE PASSAGE OF LIGHT BEAMS, A PLURALITY OF CONVEYOR MEANS ARRANGED ABOVE SAID TABLE AND SPACED FROM EACH OTHER IN TRANSVERSE DIRECTION THEREOF FOR RECEIVING AND CONVEYING LAUNDRY ARTICLES TO BE FOLDED, THE INDIVIDUAL PASSAGE MEANS IN EACH SAID GROUP OF PASSAGE MEANS IN SAID TABLE BEING SPACED FROM EACH OTHER IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID CONVEYOR MEANS AND BEING LOCATED LATERALLY BETWEEN SAID CONVEYOR MEANS, A PLURALITY OF LATERALLY ALIGNED INDEPENDENT CLAMPING MEANS RESPECTIVELY ARRANGED ABOVE SAID CONVEYOR MEANS FOR TEMPORARILY GRASPING AND HOLDING THE FRONT PORTION OF THE LAUNDRY ARTICLE TO BE FOLDED, EACH SAID CLAMPING MEANS ALSO BEING PROVIDED WITH PASSAGE MEANS THERETHROUGH ABOUT MIDWAY THE ENDS THEREOF FOR THE PASSAGE OF LIGHT BEAMS, AND ALIGNED WITH ONE OF THE INDIVIDUAL PASSAGE MEANS OF ONE OF SAID GROUPS OF PASSAGE MEANS, A CONTROL UNIT ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF SAID INDIVIDUAL PASSAGE MEANS AND CONTROLLABLE BY LAUNDRY ARTICLES ON SAID CONVEYOR MEANS IN THE REGION OF THE RESPECTIVE CLAMPING MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID CLAMPING MEANS, SAID CONTROL UNITS BEING RESPECTIVELY ARRANGED BELOW SAID PASSAGE MEANS IN SAID FOLDING TABLE AND BETWEEN SAID CONVEYOR AND EACH INCLUDING A PHOTOELECTRIC CELL AND A LIGHT SOURCE AND ALSO A TRANSPARENT MIRROR AND LENS MEANS, AND REFLECTOR MEANS RESPECTIVELY ARRANGED ABOVE THE SAID INDIVIDUAL PASSAGE MEANS.

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