US3388260A - Photosensitive device for conveying and counting fabrics - Google Patents

Description

June 11, 1968 w. BOON 3,388,260

PHOTOSENSITIVE DEVICE FOR CONVEYING AND COUNTING FABRICS Filed April 25, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR WILLIAM BOON ATTORNEY.

June 11, 1968 w. BOON 3,38

PHOTOSENSITIVE DEVICE FOR CONVEYING AND COUNTING FABRICS Filed April 23, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2.

26 SPRING 23 E] D U 27 22 INVENTOR WILLIAM BOON ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,388,260 PHOTOSENSITIVE DEVICE FOR QONVEYIWG AND COUNTENG FABRICS William Boon, The Towers, 215 Passaic Ava,

Passaic, NJ. 07055 Filed Apr. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 352,980 8 Claims. (cl. 250-222 ABSTRACT 0F THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for counting and conveying generally light weight and bulky fabric items, such as, underwear, handkerchiefs, soiled linen, etc., for textile factories and laundries.

The present invention is broadly concerned with certain new and useful improvements in counting machines, sold as an air counter. This invention especially relates to such machines which are adapted for use in counting fabrics in factories manufacturing linens, handkerchiefs, underwear, etc., and in laundries, particularly for counting soiled linen which has been returned to the laundry for washing or laundering. In accordance with a specific adaptation of the present invention, a photoelectric cell is used in combination with conveying ducts and ancillary equipment to activate a counting system which is very effective and accurate for tallying either newly manufactured materials, or laundry.

In most cities and communities there are numerous concerns which specialize in supplying office and other buildings with clean towels, linens and the like. These companies normally contract with the tenants, or other users of such buildings, to supply a predetermined number of towels, uniforms, sheets, etc. per week or per month. These companies usually deliver a certain number of clean towels, or similar items, at regular intervals and take back a like number of soiled towels. The soiled items are returned to the laundry for cleaning and washing. The usual method employed by the laundries or linen supply companies for record purposes is to count the soiled towels and the like which are returned to the laundry. It is often very difficult to accurately count the towels returned to the laundry, in that the soiled laundry is usually received in large baskets or in large bundles. These bundles or baskets must be untied and the pieces of linen or towels contained therein counted before they are placed in the washing or other processing machines.

When thus counting baskets or bundles of linen running up into the hundreds of thousands of pieces, many human errors are made which result in ineflicient operation and other tirne-consuming difficulties. This is especially true as interruptions frequently occur for the purpose of separating the various and sundry linens. Some of the linens require starching, some of it is colored and must be specially handled; and for those and other reasons it is necessary to distribute the linen into various processing stations. It is therefore very desirable that effective means be provided whereby each piece of linen is accurately and speedily counted when returned to the laundry for washing, thus eliminating losses occurring due to mistakes in counting. Also, by the use of accurate counting means, a great saving of labor, time and expense is effected.

In order to overcome, or mitigate, this counting problem, many proposals and different types of techniques and machines have been suggested and used. However, prior techniques and machines have not been entirely successful because, among other things, of their inability to count very small and/or light articles and fine fabrics. For instance, in some of the machines the articles or fabrics are 3,388,260 Patented June 11, 1968 "ice passed along a belt conveyor, and upon striking a gate or trigger mechanism, the pieces are counted. This works satisfactorily with relatively heavy pieces of material, but for light materials, such as worn napkins, these machines and mechanisms very frequently miscount. Another type of machine known in the art counts the articles by passing the articles between a support such as a conveyor and a finger element that, on being lifted or otherwise moved, registers the count. For worn towels, napkins, and other articles of irregular shape which have uneven upper surfaces and hence varying overall thicknesses or heights. The above lifting of a sensing finger is unsatisfactory and at times results in very inaccurate tallies.

In still another type of counting machine, such as a laundry tallying machine, the laundry articles pass over a projection or series of projections which function as the trigger mechanism of a counting machine. However, here difficulties are encountered due to the fact that the articles become lodged or wedged upon the triggers, if single, or between the several projections constituting a multiple trigger. There is 'also difficulty due to the chattering or the vibration of the mechanism as it continues to oscillate or vibrate under the application and consequent removal of an impulse from the trigger.

The photoelectric cell counting machine of the present invention is very sensitive and will count very accurately and speedily all articles including extremely light articles and fine fabrics. Also, no operating difficulties are encountered since relatively few moving mechanical parts are involved. The present invention provides a counting machine that is extremely excellent and satisfactory for use with articles ranging in size or mass from that of small handkerchiefs to oversized bedsheets, without the necessity of adjusting the machine for variations in size or mass of these fabrics. The articles being counted will not lodge on any part of the mechanism and will readily pass over and away from the trigger member of the counting machine which trigger member is a light beam.

A very desirable feature of the counting mechanism of the present invention is that there exists no possibility that the fabrics, no matter how fine and delicate, will be marred or damaged by the counting mechanism. No fraying or pulling of threads can possibly occur.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a machine for counting linen and fabrics which is very sensitive and which will effectively, accurately, and rapidly count pieces of light weight as well as heavy and irregular material. Another object of the present invention is to provide an accurate machine for counting linen which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and foolproof in its operation.

Another object is to provide a tallying mechanism which, under no circumstances, will mar or damage the fabrics being counted.

Further objects will appear from the following description in which a preferred embodiment of the invention has been set forth in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatical view of the entire apparatus and shows the overall method of handling the" fabrics and the positioning of the counting device.

FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatical sketch of a photoelectric cell counter.

FIGURE 3 illustrates in some detail a particular adaptation of the apparatus whereby effective and accurate results are secured.

FIGURE 4 shows a plurality of washing machines connected by a manifold arrangement.

Referring specifically to FIGURE 1, incoming laundry, such as towels, sheets and the like are positioned or placed on table 1 which is supported by suitable leg elements and contains side baffles 2 and 3. A blower 5 forces air through ducts 6 past the lower end of hopper 4 and through flexible duct 10 and into a separation unit wherein the conveying air is separated from the conveyed laundry. This is done by means of having a perforated type of cylindrical element 11 within a metal sleeve 12. The separated air is removed by a conduit 13 while the conveyed laundry is removed from the end of the metal sleeve 12 and positioned in any desirable location or machine such as in a washing machine or in a plurality of washing machines 16 and 17 by using a suitable manifold arrangement 14 (see FIG. 4).

Thus, in operation an operator feeds soiled laundry from the table to the top of the hopper. The laundry passes down hopper 4 and into ducts 7 and 8. The laundry flows through duct 8 past photocell 9 wherein the unit is activated by interruption of a light beam. This beam functions to activate a counting device which may be conventional. Photocell 9 comprises a light source 9A which functions to project a light beam across the interior of duct 8 to photocell 9B.

Referring specifically to FIGURE 2, a light source 9A is shown positioned on one side of duct 8 while pick-up 9B is positioned on the other side of duct 8. The hookup is conventional, having a potential source 20, a resistor 21, an amplifier 27, a coil 24 to ground 25 and a counter 22. An operation arm 26 is pulled down by coil 24, against the tension of spring 23, thereby causing the counter to move when the light beam is interrupted. When the light beam is continuous the arm 26 remains stationary. Satisfactory photocell hookups are described, for example, in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Karl R. Spangenberg, 1957, McGraw-Hill & Co., N.Y., and in Basic Industrial Electronics Control, Ruiter & Murphy, 1962, published by Holt, Rinehart and Winston, N.Y.

Referring specifically to FIGURE 3, similar elements with respect to FIGURE 1 are similarly numbered. Thus the laundry of linen is placed on table 1, then passed into hopper 4 and into duct 8 wherein the same is conveyed along duct 8 past photocell 9 by means of blower 5. A particularly unique adaptation of the present invention is venturi tube which is positioned below the lower end of the outlet of hopper 4. Tube 15 terminates at the end of hopper 4. By this construction a high velocity jet is positioned underneath the linen as it flows into duct 8 which keeps linen in a position so that it will pass along and interrupt the light rays between the source and the photocell. This eliminates possible errors which might otherwise result if this feature were not adapted in the manner as illlustrated.

The size of the ducts and the blower ment may be varied appreciably, depending upon the particular service job for which it is designed. For example, one design may have duct 6 about 5 inches in diameter, duct 7 about 7 inches in diameter, and duct 8 about 5 inches in diameter. The diameter of venturi 15 may be in the range of from 2 to 4 inches. A satisfactory table length is about 28 inches in width and about 42 inches in length.

The blower 5 should be able to distribute approximately about 1 pound of laundry for each cubic feet of air per minute.

What is claimed is:

1. An improved counting assembly for counting fabric material which comprises in combination (1) a feed hopper for receiving fabric material positioned above a (2) conveying duct, (3) means for blowing an air stream and other equip- 4 through said conveying duct, (4) a photocell positioned along a side of said conveying duct, light source means for transmitting a light beam to said photocell across the inside of said conveying duct, (5) a counter in electrical circuit with said photocell and which is actuated by said photocell when said light beam is interrupted by the passage of said fabric material within said duct past said photocell.

2. Assembly as defined by claim 1 wherein the lower end of said feed hopper is connected to said conveying duct at a point near the starting end thereof, and said means for blowing an air stream through said duct comprises a blower positioned ahead of the point at which the lower end of said feed hopper is in communication with said duct.

3. Assembly as defined by claim 1 wherein (6) a venturi is positioned within said duct immediately beneath the point at which the lower end of said hopper is in communication with said duct.

4. Assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said light source means is on one side of said duct and said photocell comprises a light sensitive element which is on the opposite side of said duct.

5. A conveying and counting system for rolled and non-planar, light weight fabrics comprising a receiving table for the rolled and non-planar fabrics, a hopper in a corner of said table, a conveyor air duct, a blower having a venturi opening forming an air stream connected at one end of said duct, said hopper feeding into said duct adjacent the mouth of said venturi, a light source and a photoelectric cell positioned on opposite sides of said duct counting substantially each piece of rolled and nonplanar fabric as it passes on said air stream.

6. A conveying and counting system for light Weight fabrics as set forth in claim 5 wherein a flexible hose is connected and forms an extension of said air duct, and a separator at the other end of the hose whereby the air stream is separated from said light weight fabrics and the fabrics placed in a depository.

7. A conveying and counting system for light Weight fabrics as set forth in claim 6, wherein the fabrics are bulky soiled laundry, a washing machine connected to the extension of said air duct, and said receiving table for feeding into the mouth of the hopper is approximately 28 x 42", said air duct is in the range of 57 in diameter, and the venturi diameter about 2'4", and a blower able to distribute approximately one pound of laundry for each 20 cubic feet of air per minute, and deposit the bulky soiled laundry in said washing machine.

8. Assembly as defined by claim 3 wherein said fabric material is light weight, irregularly shaped, laundry, and wherein said venturi is so positioned in spaced relationship wvith said hopper, said duct, and said photocell, that said light weight, irregularly shaped, laundry will be carried by the conveying airstream as it passes by said photocell.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,817,237 12/1957 Stevens 250-218 X 2,834,450 5/1958 Govin 250-223 X 3,081,996 3/1963 Hajos 271-74 3,127,505 3/1964 Gustavson. 3,178,178 4/1965 Zeutschel 209--111.5 X 3,243,181 3/1966 Lyman 271-74 X 3,248,551 4/1966 Frommer 250--2l8 WALTER STOLWEIN, Primary Examiner,

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