Robotic laundry devices and methods of use

• Main Authors: Bixby, Benjamin D, Sielaff, Jesse, Hickman, Madeline R, Duffley, Samuel, Pennington, Elliot Sinclair, Mefford, Wilson J
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 29.08.2023
• Subjects: CALCULATING; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES; COMPUTING; COUNTING; ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; HAND TOOLS; LAUNDERING; LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILEARTICLES; MANIPULATORS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; TEXTILES; TRANSPORTING; TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE

Devices, systems, and methods for repositioning a deformable laundry article are described. For example, a robotic device includes a conveyor configured to transfer the deformable laundry article outside of a work volume, two or more lifters including grippers individually anchored about the perimeter of the work volume, two or more sensors disposed at fixed locations about the work volume, and a memory storing data indicative of repositioned deformable laundry articles. A controller is in operative communication with the memory, the two or more sensors, and the two or more lifters. The controller is configured to receive a signal from the sensors, identify grip points on the deformable laundry article suspended above the conveyor, instruct a lifter to grip and lift an identified grip point to the suspension height, determine whether the deformable laundry article is repositioned, and instruct the lifters to lower the repositioned deformable laundry article onto the conveyor.