Patent GB-1105901-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to laundry feeding machines
IPC: D06F67/04
Filed: 1965-05-21
Abstract: 1,105,901. Endless conveyers. H. J. WEIR. 20 May, 1966 [21 May, 1965; 31 May, 1965; 7 Dec., 1965], Nos. 21725/65, 23156/65 and 51913/65. Heading B8A. [Also in Division D1] An endless conveyer for feeding laundry articles to an ironing machine is provided with a pair of clamps adapted to grip the corners of the leading edge of an a rticle and to move apart for tensioning the leading edge, means coupled with the conveyer for advancing the clamps over the upper run and at the same speed thereas, and means for opening the clamps to drop the leading edge on to the conveyer. An endless conveyer 2 has a rear roller carrying a sprocket 5 driven via a variable-speed gear-box 6 from a motor 7. A pair of clamps 9, having rearwardly-extending jaws 10, are slidably mounted on a bar 13 rigid with a transverse beam 12 the ends of which are rigid with carriages 29 movable on rails 30 above the upper run of conveyer 2. The left-hand clamp is fixed to the lower run, and the right-hand clamp is fixed to the upper run of an endless chain 14 carried by pulleys 15 on beam 12. The carriages 29 are fixed to the upper runs of respective chains 32 coupled by a chain and freewheel device to the driven rear roller of conveyer 2, whereby the carriages 29 cannot move faster in the direction of feed of conveyer 2 than the feeding speed of the latter. Initially, the clamps 9 are positioned close together and the jaws 10 are closed on the respective corners of the leading edge of an article such as a sheet. When a button 11 is pressed, an air ram 16 moves the right-hand clamp rightwards, whereby the left-hand clamp is drawn leftwards, till the leading edge is raised to a substantially horizontal position in which it intercepts a beam of light passing between a lamp 18 and a photo-cell. Ram 16 is thereby stopped and a solenoid-actuated brake is applied to a bar rigid with the right-hand clamp, the leading edge then being held tensioned between the clamps. A ram 27 then accelerates the carriages 29 in the feed direction, until the overrun of the freewheel is taken up and the leading edge and conveyer travel at the same speed. A cam (37), Fig. 7 (not shown) on one of the carriages 29 then actuates a switch (39) to release the brake acting on the right-hand clamp, whereby relaxation of tension in the leading edge draws the carriages slightly together. A ram 41 is also actuated for applying a brake 42 momentarily to a feed roller 43 driven from the rear roller of conveyer 2 whereby a momentary drag is applied to a trailing portion of the sheet. Simultaneously, rollers 56 associated with the jaws 10 engage a fixed bar to open the jaws, whereby the leading edge is drawn out of the latter and falls upon the conveyer 2. Cam (37) then actuates a switch (40) for reversing ram 27. During the return movement, cam (37) actuates a switch (38) for reversing ram 16 to return the clamps 9 to their initial positions. The sheet is drawn upwardly through a vertical channel between hollow walls 60, the inner faces of which are formed with outwardlydirected louvres 62 which discharge compressed air for smoothing the sheet. Ram 16 cannot be energized to move the clamps apart until the trailing edge of the previously-fed sheet either frees or obstructs the passage of light from a lamp to a photo-cell. In a modification the chain interconnecting clamps 9 is motordriven. In a further modification, when the clamps 9 tension the leading edge, a spring is compressed to effect closure of a switch for applying the brake and cutting off air supply to ram 16.