Devices, systems, and methods for autonomously separating and sorting a plurality of individual articles from a pile of laundry articles into two or more sorted loads for washing are described. For example, an autonomous sorting and separating system includes a stationary surface configured to receive thereon at a first location the pile of laundry articles. A plurality of actuatable grippers are disposed at spaced apart positions adjacent the stationary surface and comprise a first actuatable gripper configured to grasp, hoist, and deposit at a second location at least one of the plurality of individual articles within reach of a second actuatable gripper. A terminal gripper comprising at least one of the second actuatable gripper and another actuatable gripper is configured to release an individual article into one of the two or more sorted loads. At least one controller is in operable communication with the grippers.

The present disclosure discloses a method for storing a washing machine identification code in a tag memory, the washing machine identification code being for indicating fabric information, the tag memory including an EPC memory for storing an electronic product code for identifying a tag object and a USER memory for storing user-defined data. The method includes: detecting a storage space remained of the EPC memory of the tag memory; storing the washing machine identification code into the EPC memory if the storage space is enough to store the washing machine identification code; otherwise, storing the washing machine identification code into the USER memory. Meanwhile, different writing priorities are used for different types of fabric attribute information in the storage process, thus ensuring that the electronic tag memory can completely and effectively store the key information of fabric attributes and meeting the requirement of smart washing of the washing machine.

A method of using an inspection processor includes receiving one or more articles at an inspection station, and identifying, by the inspection processor, one of the articles by reading a unique identifier associated with the one of the articles. The method also includes inspecting the article based on at least one quality criterion, and updating an article tracking system based on the result of the inspection and the identifier.

Aspects of the present disclosure involve an apparatus, systems, and methods for providing intelligent laundering alerts. Example embodiments involve an intelligent garment tag that may be affixed to garments, and may store and provide information about the garment to which it is affixed. The information stored thereon describes various aspects of the garment including color, fabric, and laundering information. The intelligent garment tags further include an alert component for providing laundering alerts (e.g., a flashing or colored light, a warning noise, or a vibration) based on, for example, garment color compatibility or laundering device (e.g., washing machine or clothes dryer) compatibility.

Aspects of the present disclosure involve an apparatus, systems, and methods for providing intelligent laundering alerts. Example embodiments involve an intelligent garment tag that may be affixed to garments, and may store and provide information about the garment to which it is affixed. The information stored thereon describes various aspects of the garment including color, fabric, and laundering information. The intelligent garment tags further include an alert component for providing laundering alerts (e.g., a flashing or colored light, a warning noise, or a vibration) based on, for example, garment color compatibility or laundering device (e.g., washing machine or clothes dryer) compatibility.

The automatic sorting of laundry items requires a knowledge of all sorting criteria. One strives to read these out from data storage media attached to the laundry items. The problem is when laundry items lack data storage media, or they are not readable because they have been damaged, for example. The invention calls for deriving sorting criteria which cannot be otherwise obtained from at least one imaging recording of an imaging device, such as a 3D-camera. Such sorting criteria, which cannot be derived from the picture or recording of the 3D-camera, are derived from supplemental information which can be obtained in different ways. Thus, it is also possible to sort laundry items without data storage medium or with damaged data storage media in a fully automatic or at least largely automatic manner.

The automatic sorting of laundry items requires a knowledge of all sorting criteria. One strives to read these out from data storage media attached to the laundry items. The problem is when laundry items lack data storage media, or they are not readable because they have been damaged, for example. The invention calls for deriving sorting criteria which cannot be otherwise obtained from at least one imaging recording of an imaging device, such as a 3D-camera. Such sorting criteria, which cannot be derived from the picture or recording of the 3D-camera, are derived from supplemental information which can be obtained in different ways. Thus, it is also possible to sort laundry items without data storage medium or with damaged data storage media in a fully automatic or at least largely automatic manner.

A method that facilitates the automatic identification of the long edge or the short edge of the item of laundry by determining the lengths or the angles of the edge areas of the item of laundry extending from a lower corner of the item of laundry. It may be derived from the determined angles or lengths of the edge areas whether the respective edge area belongs to the long edge or to the short edge of the item of laundry. With this information, a targeted transverse or longitudinal feed of rectangular items of laundry may be carried out to a downstream inserting machine. The fully automated feeding of items of laundry to, for example, an inserting machine is carried out in a targeted way with either the long edge of the item of laundry extending transversely to the feed direction or the short edge extending transversely to the feed direction.

A method that facilitates the automatic identification of the long edge or the short edge of the item of laundry by determining the lengths or the angles of the edge areas of the item of laundry extending from a lower corner of the item of laundry. It may be derived from the determined angles or lengths of the edge areas whether the respective edge area belongs to the long edge or to the short edge of the item of laundry. With this information, a targeted transverse or longitudinal feed of rectangular items of laundry may be carried out to a downstream inserting machine. The fully automated feeding of items of laundry to, for example, an inserting machine is carried out in a targeted way with either the long edge of the item of laundry extending transversely to the feed direction or the short edge extending transversely to the feed direction.

To provide a fabric type identifying apparatus and a fabric type identifying method enabling to stably identify a type of fabric with high accuracy. A fabric type identifying apparatus A for identifying a type of a fabric F provided with a color thread T at an edge portion includes a camera 51 for photographing the fabric F, and an image processing apparatus 52 for receiving an image input and photographed by the camera 51. The image processing apparatus 52 acquires a color value of the color thread T from the received image of the fabric F, and identifies the type of the fabric F on a basis of the color value. Since the type of the fabric F is identified on the basis of the color of the color thread T, the type of the fabric F is enabled to be stably identified with high accuracy regardless of stretching and shrinking of the fabric F.