Abstract: A method and apparatus for transferring items of laundry after being separated first of all to a transfer device which then transfers the individual items of laundry to a loading device. The items of laundry are then hung individually by clips of the loading device into a clip which is in each case held ready and is to be loaded on the conveyor. Items of laundry can thereby be rapidly and reliably hung fully automatically into the clips to be loaded.

Abstract: A method and apparatus that makes provision for a length of a transverse edge of a laundry item to be spread out to be measured upstream of a spreading device, to be precise preferably from above. It is thereby possible to individually determine the length of the transverse edge for each individual laundry item before the laundry item is situated in the spreading device. The length dimension of the transverse edge determined upstream of the spreading device can then be used to move apart the spreading clamps of the spreading device in a targeted and controlled manner in order to spread out the transverse edge in as gentle a manner as possible.

Abstract: A method and apparatus that makes provision for the length of a transverse edge of a laundry item to be spread out to be determined upstream of the spreading device. It is thereby possible to determine the length of the transverse edge for each individual laundry item before the laundry item is situated in the spreading device. For this purpose, the length of the laundry item is determined in the region of corner locators provided upstream of the spreading device, and the width of the laundry item, which corresponds to the length of the transverse edge, is derived therefrom. The length dimension of the transverse edge thus determined upstream of the spreading device is then used to move apart the spreading clamps of the spreading device in a targeted and controlled manner in order to spread out the transverse edge in as gentle a manner as possible.

Abstract: Items of laundry are fed to mangles by insertion machines, which have a spreading device with moveable spreading clips which spread out and center a front transverse edge of the item of laundry upstream of a feed conveyor. A plurality of loading stations are located upstream of the spreading device. The spreading clips retrieve an item of laundry from the loading stations, which, in the case of outer loading stations, requires long movement distances of the spreading clips, which reduces the cycle time of the insertion machine. The invention makes provision to transfer items of laundry from outer loading stations to transfer clips which move the items of laundry from the outer loading stations into the vicinity of the center of the feed conveyor, then transfer the item of laundry to the spreading clips in the center of the feed conveyor, thus reducing the travel distances of the spreading clips.

Abstract: A method and device for supporting the isolating of pieces of laundry from a pile of laundry by means of an imaging apparatus. A further imaging apparatus serves for raising a front edge region of the piece of laundry onto the feed conveyor in an aligned manner. Furthermore, the gripping of corners or also edges, in particular the alignment thereof, can be detected by means of an imaging apparatus. The gripping and aligning of the pieces of laundry can be controlled or regulated by way of the positions and edge contours of the same which are determined by the imaging apparatuses. As a result, reliable, fully automated isolating of pieces of laundry and/or fully automated, targeted feeding of pieces of laundry to a folding machine or another such laundry subsequent handling apparatus is ensured.

Abstract: A method and device providing that the corners of a respective laundry item are transferred one by one from a conveyor to spreading clamps of a pair of spreading clamps at the same position in each case. The respective conveyor therefore only requires a single circulatory track. Laundry items in commercial laundries are fed by at least one conveyor to spreading clamps of an input machine. In this case, each corner delimiting a front edge of the laundry item is held by a clamp of the conveyor. The respective conveyor is usually branched, in order for the corners to be transferred at the same time to the two spreading clamps of a pair of spreading clamps. Thus, the respective conveyor must have a branched track system with appropriate switches.

Abstract: Laundry items by way of devices are fed to mangles, for example. The laundry items by way of the corners thereof are transferred to clamps, for example spreader clamps during the feeding procedure. Tails of the laundry item that project beyond the clamping locations of the spreader clamps are usually formed herein. Said tails lead to so-called ears in particular on the front periphery of the laundry item that is tautly stretched by the spreader clamps. Said ears compromise the quality of the laundry items, specifically of mangled laundry items. The invention provides for the tails in the spreader clamps to be eliminated in that the tails are transported through the spreader clamps so far until the corners of the laundry item are still held in the spreader clamps only at the outermost corner points. The tails are effectively eliminated in that ears can no longer be formed.

Abstract: A method and device for directly determining the region of the respective laundry item to be inserted into a clamp. In this way, it is possible to determine whether the clamp has actually been loaded with a laundry item and whether the region of the laundry item designated for this has also been properly inserted into the clamp. During the transport and the spreading out of laundry items being washed it is customary at commercial laundry establishments to hang the laundry items from clamps, which are transported further by a conveyor to various processing stations. It happens that the clamps may move away before having been loaded with the laundry item. This results in operational disruptions in most cases.

Abstract: The automatic sorting of laundry items requires a knowledge of all sorting criteria. One strives to read these out from data storage media attached to the laundry items. The problem is when laundry items lack data storage media, or they are not readable because they have been damaged, for example. The invention calls for deriving sorting criteria which cannot be otherwise obtained from at least one imaging recording of an imaging device, such as a 3D-camera. Such sorting criteria, which cannot be derived from the picture or recording of the 3D-camera, are derived from supplemental information which can be obtained in different ways. Thus, it is also possible to sort laundry items without data storage medium or with damaged data storage media in a fully automatic or at least largely automatic manner.

Abstract: The automatic sorting of laundry items requires a knowledge of all sorting criteria. One strives to read these out from data storage media attached to the laundry items. The problem is when laundry items lack data storage media, or they are not readable because they have been damaged, for example. The invention calls for deriving sorting criteria which cannot be otherwise obtained from at least one imaging recording of an imaging device, such as a 3D-camera. Such sorting criteria, which cannot be derived from the picture or recording of the 3D-camera, are derived from supplemental information which can be obtained in different ways. Thus, it is also possible to sort laundry items without data storage medium or with damaged data storage media in a fully automatic or at least largely automatic manner.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for a transfer operation of items of laundry to be automated by a handling device, which is designed for example in the form of a handling robot. Up until now, items of laundry have been transferred usually manually from a supply conveyor to loading conveyors of, for example, feeding machines. This is work-intensive and time-consuming.

Abstract: A method and device allowing the items of laundry which are to be ironed to enter the ironer gap in a manner directed downwards. For this purpose, the inlet region is preferably arranged below the outlet region. The invention ensures a disturbance-free and crease-free entry of items of laundry to be ironed into the band ironer. In the case of band ironers, the inlet region, and outlet region have to lie tightly together in order to bring about as large a wrapping angle of the ironer body by means of the ironer band as possible. This makes the inlet of items of laundry to be ironed into the ironer gap emerging from the inlet region problematic. This invention described herein provides a solution to this problem.

Abstract: In band ironers, laundry items are moved along a pressing surface of a stationary ironer roller by an ironer band that entrains the laundry items, wherein the laundry items slide with slip along a lateral surface of the ironer roller. As the speed of the ironer increases, slip between the laundry items and the lateral surface of the ironer roller increases. When the desired ironing quality makes less slip necessary, the circumferential speed of the ironer band has to be reduced, and the throughput of the band ironer suffers. The invention is to drive the ironer roller in a circumferential manner wherein the slip between the ironer roller and the laundry items is adjusted in an arbitrary manner as a result of adjusting the rotational speed of the drive of the ironer roller and/or the circumferential speed of the ironer band without reducing the throughput of the band ironer.

Abstract: An apparatus whereby laundry items are fed automatically to a mangle. This is achieved in that splaying clamps are movable by a linear motor, wherein slides are assigned to a primary part of the linear motor or form the primary parts of the linear motor and a rail is assigned to a secondary part of the linear motor or forms the secondary part. Laundry items are fed in industrial laundry facilities to a mangle in an outspread state. This is performed by machine using apparatuses for feeding laundry items. Each laundry item attached to splaying clamps is deposited with an outspread front edge arranged to the front onto a feeding conveyor, which feeds the laundry item in the outspread state to the mangle. Here, the splaying can mean that the laundry item either is not completely outspread or that the laundry item is tensioned such that it is damaged irreversibly.

Abstract: A method and device providing that the corners of a respective laundry item are transferred one by one from a conveyor to spreading clamps of a pair of spreading clamps at the same position in each case. The respective conveyor therefore only requires a single circulatory track. Laundry items in commercial laundries are fed by at least one conveyor to spreading clamps of an input machine. In this case, each corner delimiting a front edge of the laundry item is held by a clamp of the conveyor. The respective conveyor is usually branched, in order for the corners to be transferred at the same time to the two spreading clamps of a pair of spreading clamps. Thus, the respective conveyor must have a branched track system with appropriate switches.

Abstract: A method and device for directly determining the region of the respective laundry item to be inserted into a clamp. In this way, it is possible to determine whether the clamp has actually been loaded with a laundry item and whether the region of the laundry item designated for this has also been properly inserted into the clamp. During the transport and the spreading out of laundry items being washed it is customary at commercial laundry establishments to hang the laundry items from clamps, which are transported further by a conveyor to various processing stations. It happens that the clamps may move away before having been loaded with the laundry item. This results in operational disruptions in most cases.

Abstract: Items of laundry are fed from an input machine to a mangle or some other laundry-treatment arrangement. Operating personnel are employed to feed the input machine with the items of laundry. This is costly in terms of time and personnel. The invention makes provision for determining surface profiles of the items of laundry by means of imaging installations. From these surface profiles a location for the automatic gripping of the item of laundry or of a corner of same, and preferably also the position of the location or corner, is determined by electronic image processing, whereby the location or corner of the item of laundry can be securely gripped in an automatic and targeted manner. By virtue of the described measures, hitherto manual activities in front of the input machine can be easily performed in a reliable and fully-automatic mode.

Abstract: Items of laundry are fed to mangles by insertion machines, which have a spreading device with moveable spreading clips which spread out and center a front transverse edge of the item of laundry upstream of a feed conveyor. A plurality of loading stations are located upstream of the spreading device. The spreading clips retrieve an item of laundry from the loading stations, which, in the case of outer loading stations, requires long movement distances of the spreading clips, which reduces the cycle time of the insertion machine. The invention makes provision to transfer items of laundry from outer loading stations to transfer clips which move the items of laundry from the outer loading stations into the vicinity of the center of the feed conveyor, then transfer the item of laundry to the spreading clips in the center of the feed conveyor, thus reducing the travel distances of the spreading clips.

Abstract: A method for capturing an item of laundry in a reliable and efficient manner. Washed items of laundry usually leave a washing machine intertwined with one another as a pile of laundry. Before the items of laundry that come out of a washing machine in this way are subjected to further treatment steps, for example mangling or sorting, they have to be separated. In the method, the topography of the item of laundry is ascertained and at least one point of the item of laundry at which the item of laundry is intended to be captured and/or preferably can be captured by a capturing means is determined on the basis of this topography. The item of laundry is captured by the capturing means by specific control of the capturing means at this point.

Abstract: The automatic sorting of laundry items requires a knowledge of all sorting criteria. One strives to read these out from data storage media attached to the laundry items. The problem is when laundry items lack data storage media, or they are not readable because they have been damaged, for example. The invention calls for deriving sorting criteria which cannot be otherwise obtained from at least one imaging recording of an imaging device, such as a 3D-camera. Such sorting criteria, which cannot be derived from the picture or recording of the 3D-camera, are derived from supplemental information which can be obtained in different ways. Thus, it is also possible to sort laundry items without data storage medium or with damaged data storage media in a fully automatic or at least largely automatic manner.