GB1358250A - Apparatus for ironing articles of laundry - Google Patents

Abstract

1358250 Feeding to ironing machines W J C M BAZELMANS and J A M BAZELMANS 3 July 1972 [4 Feb 1972] 31090/72 Heading D1A An ironing machine roller 2 is fed with sheets, bags or other articles by a first fixed belt conveyor 3 with a cooperating freely rotatable roller 8 which is movable along and perpendicularly to the belt, and a second belt conveyor 4 which is drivable at a fast and a slow rate and is movable over a suction box 36 between positions adjacent to and spaced from the first conveyor 3 by a pneumatic or hydraulic ram 22 which is urged towards its other end position by a spring 21. A vertical bar 32 is pivotable from above the suction box by a ram 26. The second conveyor is drivable eitherfaster or slower than the first conveyor which is driven at a slower rate than the roller 2 and comprises belt supporting rollers 13, 14 supported by end plates 16 coupled to a frame 17 by a link and a rocker 18. In operation an article is placed on the lowered second conveyor 4 breaking the beam of a photocell 28 or 29 and thus causing the ram 22 to extend to raise the conveyor and rotate the cam shaft 38 which through a microswitch and air valves extends the rams 26 and 12 to lift the plate 32 and lower the roller 8. When the conveyor abuts the pressure roller 8 the belts 15 are driven at low speed and a time delay after an interval during which the article is gripped between the belts 7 and the roller 8 contracts the ram 22 to lower the movable device. Rotation of the shaft 38 actuates two further switches which lower the plate 32 to deflect the article downwards and drive the belts 15 at high speed to feed the rest of the article into the suction box 35 to increase it. The fast motor stops when the photocell beams are cleared. A photocell 31 in the suction box 36 prevents commencement of a second cycle while its beam is broken. A selector switch is provided with positions for the above cycle and further cycles for bags, short articles and for manual feeding respectively. For bags and folded articles the fast motor speed is not used so that the lowered bar 32 displaces air from the slowly fed article. For short articles the bar 32 is pivoted away from the suction box, the roller 8 is drawn towards the roller 2 and the conveyor 4 is not driven (Fig. 7, not shown). The articles are piled onto the conveyor 4 and fed onto the fixed conveyor by hand.