Automatic perfuming station for industrial laundry

Abstract

Perfuming station (300) for industrial laundry comprising a spray chamber, a conveyor belt (320) configured to transport a stack (500) of stacked garments (510) and a PLC controller (360) configured to control the operation of the perfuming station (300), wherein the spray chamber is provided with a plurality of nozzles (330R, 330L, 340R, 340L, 350R, 350L) each one of which is configured to be connected to at least one tank containing a respective perfumed fragrance, wherein said nozzles (330R, 330L, 340R, 340L, 350R, 350L) are arranged symmetrically to each other with respect to a longitudinal axis (325) of advance of the conveyor belt (320) and configured to spray said perfumed fragrance on exposed peripheral faces (520, 530, 540R, 540L, 550) of the stack (500) transported on the conveyor belt (320).

1 . Perfuming station for industrial laundry comprising: a spray chamber, a conveyor belt configured to transport a stack of stacked garments and a PLC controller configured to control the operation of the perfuming station, wherein the spray chamber is provided with a plurality of nozzles each one of which is configured to be connected to at least one tank containing a respective perfumed fragrance, wherein said nozzles are arranged symmetrically to each other with respect to a longitudinal axis advance of the conveyor belt and configured to spray said perfumed fragrance on exposed peripheral faces of the stack transported on the conveyor belt. 
     
     
         2 . Perfuming station according to  claim 1 , wherein said spray chamber is defined by a frame to which said plurality of nozzles are coupled, wherein, on each one of two longitudinal sides of said spray chamber symmetrical to each other with respect to the longitudinal axis of advance of the conveyor belt, said plurality of nozzles comprises three front nozzles, three intermediate nozzles, and three rear nozzles. 
     
     
         3 . Perfuming station according to  claim 2 , wherein the front nozzles are configured to spray a perfumed fragrance on a front exposed face and on a top exposed face of the stack, the intermediate nozzles are configured to spray a perfumed fragrance on a respective side exposed face of the stack, and the rear nozzles are configured to spray a perfumed fragrance on a rear exposed face and on the top exposed face of the stack. 
     
     
         4 . Perfuming station according to  claim 3 , wherein the front nozzles and the rear nozzles are at a height with respect to the conveyor belt greater than a height at which the intermediate nozzles are. 
     
     
         5 . Perfuming station according to  claim 2 , wherein the front nozzles and/or the rear nozzles are arranged with an inclination angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of advance of the conveyor belt ranging from 30° a 60°, optionally equal to 45°. 
     
     
         6 . Perfuming station according to  claim 5 , further comprising one or more automatic mover devices configured to move the front nozzles and/or the rear nozzles to change the inclination angle thereof with respect to the longitudinal axis of advance of the conveyor belt. 
     
     
         7 . Perfuming station according to  claim 1 , wherein the intermediate nozzles have a narrower and more concentrated spray cone than that of the front and rear nozzles. 
     
     
         8 . Perfuming station according to  claim 1 , wherein each nozzle of said plurality of nozzles is a venturi atomiser nozzle fed with compressed air, comprising a main inlet configured to be connected to a compressed air supplier, a suction inlet configured to be connected to at least one tank containing a fragrance, wherein the main inlet and the suction inlet are in fluid communication with a venturi mixing chamber, the venturi mixing chamber in fluid communication with an outlet, wherein the atomiser nozzle further comprises a pin through which the atomiser nozzle is coupled to the frame, wherein a spray cone of the spray nozzle adjustable through a ring nut of the outlet. 
     
     
         9 . Perfuming station according to  claim 8 , wherein each nozzle of said plurality of nozzles is configured to be connected, through a hydraulic selector, to a plurality of tanks containing respective perfumed fragrances, wherein said hydraulic selector is configured to be controlled by the PLC controller. 
     
     
         10 . Perfuming station according to  claim 9 , further comprising a system for cleaning each nozzle of said plurality of nozzles configured to be controlled by the PLC controller. 
     
     
         11 . Perfuming station according to  claim 8 , wherein each nozzle of said plurality of nozzles is configured to be connected to said at least one tank containing a respective perfumed fragrance through a respective buffer tank in which a dosing pump is configured to mix said perfumed fragrance with a diluent to dilute said fragrant fragrance and to control an intensity of perfume with which to spray said exposed peripheral faces of the stack transported on the conveyor belt. 
     
     
         12 . Perfuming station according to  claim 1 , wherein said nozzles are arranged in an arrangement configured to cause a portion of the sprayed fragrance to fall on the conveyor belt. 
     
     
         13 . Perfuming station according to  claim 1 , further comprising a system for recognising the stack and the related stacked garments transported by the conveyor belt arranged upstream of said spray chamber and a labeller arranged downstream of said spray chamber, wherein the labeller is configured to be controlled by the PLC controller and to apply a label on the stack after that the exposed peripheral faces of the stack have been sprayed with said perfumed fragrance, wherein said recognising system is selected from the group comprising:
 an RFid Tag reading antenna configured to transmit to the PLC controller read information, and wherein the PLC controller is configured to control said plurality of nozzles on the basis of the information received from the RFid Tag reading antenna;   a system of recognition through image acquisition and processing, comprising at least one camera and a processing device connected thereto, wherein the processing device is configured to compare at least one image of the stack acquired by said at least one camera with a series of sample images of expected stacks and to identify the stack and the relative stacked garments on the basis of such comparison, wherein the processing device is configured to transmit a resulting identification information to the PLC controller and wherein the PLC controller configured to control said plurality of nozzles on the basis of said resulting identification information; and   a size measuring device configured to measure the stack size, comprising a time-of-flight camera configured to reconstruct a three-dimensional image of the stack, to detect its three-dimensional size and to transmit said detected three-dimensional size to the PLC controller, the PLC controller being configured to compare said detected three-dimensional size with a series of sample sizes of expected stacks and to identify the stack the related stacked garments on the basis of such comparison, wherein the PLC controller is configured to control said plurality of nozzles on the basis of said identification of the stack and of the related stacked garments.   
     
     
         14 . Perfuming station according to  claim 13 , further comprising one or more sensor devices configured to track an advancement of the stack along the perfuming station, wherein said sensor devices comprise a first pair of sensors respectively located upstream and downstream of said spray chamber, a second pair of sensors respectively located upstream and downstream of the labeller. 
     
     
         15 . Industrial laundry comprising at least one stacking station configured to stack treated linen garments in a plurality of stacks, and at least one packaging station configured to package each stack, wherein the industrial laundry comprises at least one perfuming station configured to receive said plurality of stacks from said at least one stacking station, to perfume at least one of said plurality of stacks, and to send said plurality of stacks to said at least one packaging station, wherein said at least one performing station comprises a spray chamber, a conveyor belt configured to transport a stack of stacked garments and a PLC controller configured to control the operation of the perfuming station, wherein the spray chamber is provided with a plurality of nozzles each one of which is configured to be connected to at least one tank containing a respective perfumed fragrance, wherein said nozzles are arranged symmetrically to each other with respect to a longitudinal axis of advance of the conveyor belt and configured to spray said perfumed fragrance on exposed peripheral faces of the stack transported on the conveyor belt. 
     
     
         16 . Perfuming station according to  claim 4 , wherein a difference in height with respect to the conveyor belt of position of the front and rear nozzles with respect to that of the intermediate nozzles ranges from 100 millimetres to 150 millimetres. 
     
     
         17 . Perfuming station according to  claim 4 , wherein the front nozzles and the rear nozzles are at a height with respect to the conveyor belt greater than a height of the stack with respect to the conveyor belt. 
     
     
         18 . Perfuming station according to  claim 9 , wherein said hydraulic selector is a valve selector. 
     
     
         19 . Perfuming station according to  claim 13 , wherein said labeller is provided with a blow label printer applicator. 
     
     
         20 . Perfuming station according to  claim 14 , wherein said sensor devices further comprise a third pair of sensors respectively located upstream and downstream of said system for recognising the stack and the related stacked garments.