* * *

The present invention relates to a perfuming and/or disinfection station for industrial laundry which allows in a simple, fast, reliable, efficient and inexpensive way, without requiring any modification of the stations conventionally used in an industrial laundry and minimizing the modifications on the line of stations in an industrial laundry, to automatically perfume and/or disinfect, and possibly selectively, garments of any type, in particular hotel and accommodation linen, such as double and single bed sheets, pillowcases, tablecloths, towels and the like, during the flow of the industrial laundry process.

Although in the following of the present description, reference will be mainly made to hotel and accommodation linens, for example bed sheets, pillowcases, tablecloths, towels and the like, it must be noted that the invention is applicable to any type of garments.

Furthermore, the perfuming station for industrial laundry according to the present invention can also be used as disinfection station for industrial laundry, replacing or combining one or more disinfectants with the perfumed fragrances sprayed on the garments.

It is known that large quantities of garments, such as hotel and hotel linen, for example bed sheets, pillowcases, tablecloths, towels and the like, are cleaned in industrial laundries, which carry out a series of treatments, including washing, ironing, folding and packaging.

Figure 1 shows a schematic arrangement of an industrial laundry of the prior art.

The process flow of a conventional industrial laundry comprises, after unloading the linen from a vehicle (e.g. a truck), a sorting of the linen carried out in a sorting station 100, in which the linen items are divided into sponges (e.g., towels) and soft linen (e.g., double and single bed sheets, pillowcases and tablecloths) and placed inside containers 105 (e.g., trolleys, bags, automatic or semi-automatic loading systems) to be sent to the washing phase. In particular, the sorting can be carried out manually (as shown in Fig. 1) or through an automatic sorting machine.

Subsequently, the linen is washed in an automatic washing machine 110, such as an 18- position continuous batch washer based on the technique of bath exchange that offers a high flexibility allowing the washing of linen with any level of dirt, from slightly dirty to very dirty; in particular, such a continuous batch washer uses standing baths in the prewash area and in the main washing area (where a process of bath exchange occurs), while in the rinsing step it uses a counterflow process. Also, as shown in Figure 1, a conventional automatic laundry can also comprise an additional automatic washing machine HOB. At the end of the washing step the linen can be automatically transferred to the following machine through a robot.

The following machine is a hydraulic press 120 in which the linen passes through after washing. The hydraulic press 120 has the function of eliminating most of the water absorbed by the linen during the washing step. The hydraulic press 120 has as a finished product a cylinder formed by the linen item pressed together which form a single solid body and have a low water content. The water drained from the pressing is reused in the washing process carried out by the automatic washing machine 110. Moreover, as shown in Figure 1, in the case where an additional automatic washing machine HOB is also present, the automatic laundry also comprises an additional hydraulic press 120B.

After pressing, the linen is automatically introduced into a drying station that includes two (or more) rotating dryers which handle respective types of linen. The goal of this process step is to disaggregate the compressed items forming the cylinder coming from the hydraulic press 120 (and possibly 120B) and to proceed to a drying level depending on the type of linen. To this end, the drying station shown in Figure 1 comprises a first dryer 130, optionally a rotary dryer, that performs a partial drying of the soft linen leaving about 45% of humidity in the garments (necessary for the correct ironing and folding of the garment), and a second dryer 135, optionally a rotary dryer, that performs a complete drying of the sponges. Moreover, as shown in Figure 1, the automatic laundry can also comprise a third dryer 130B for the partial drying of the soft linen (and/or a fourth dryer for the complete drying of the sponges, not shown in Figure 1).

After drying, the linen is sorted in a sorting station 140 in which it is divided, usually manually by one or more operators, for homogeneous garments, namely sponges and soft linen, and placed inside respective containers 145 (e.g., trolleys , bags, automatic or semi-automatic loading systems) to be transferred to the respective subsequent treatment steps, possibly through conveyor belts. In particular, the partially dried soft linen is brought to the stations that perform the ironing, folding, and stacking thereof, while the completely dried sponges are brought to the stations that carry out the folding and stacking thereof. In Figure 1, a conveyor belt 148 is shown that transfers the soft linen to the subsequent stations.

As regards soft linen, the garments are transferred to an insertion station 150 that inserts them according to the type of soft linen, such as for instance double bed sheets, single bed sheets, tablecloths, for the subsequent stations; usually, the garments are arranged in the insertion station 150 manually by one or more operators (since the garments exiting the hydraulic press 120 must be "re-widened"), which place a specific number of garments for each type of linen flat on the insertion station 150. The insertion station 150 sets the linen flatly before it enters the ironing machine 170, also known as a mangle, optionally having ironing rollers; to this end, the insertion station 150 is specifically set up to be able to operate with the available linen.

Before entering the ironing machine 170, an appropriately calibrated optical system 160 scans the soft linen to detect possible non-conformities, such as stains or breaks in the garment. Any non-compliant garments are eliminated from the production cycle, for example at the end of the ironing process. Typically, also the operators who place the garments on the insertion station 150 carry out a quick inspection of the garments themselves to eliminate the non- compliant ones from the production cycle.

At the outlet of the ironing machine 170 the garments are completely dry.

Subsequently, the garments enter the folding machine 180 that, according to the type of garment treated, carries out the folding thereof.

Then, the soft linen is stacked in the stacking station 190 in a proper number for the type of garment, for instance 5 double bed sheets, 10 single bed sheets, 25 pillowcases.

Also, as shown in Figure 1, the automatic laundry can also include a second series (indicated with the reference numeral 200) of stations that carry out the ironing, folding, and stacking of the partially dried flat linen.

As regards the sponges, the garments are transferred to a second insertion station 210 that inserts them according to the type of sponges, such as for example a shower towel, face towel, bathroom rugs, for the subsequent stations; also in this case, usually the garments are arranged in the second insertion station 210 manually by one or more operators (since the garments coming out of the hydraulic press 120 must be "re-widened"), which place on the second insertion station 210 a specific number of garments for each type of sponges. The second insertion station 210 sets the linen flatly before it enters the second folding machine 220 that, according to the type of garment treated, carries out folding thereof. The operators who place the garments on the second insertion station 210 carry out a quick inspection of the garments themselves to eliminate non-compliant ones from the production cycle, for instance due to the presence of stains or breaks in the garment; it is also possible to have an optical system that scans the sponges before the second folding machine 220 to detect possible non-conformities thereof. Then, the sponges are stacked in a second stacking station 230 in a proper number for the type of garment, for example 5 shower towels, 10 face towels, 10 bathroom rugs.

Finally, both the soft linen garments stacks and the sponge garments stacks are transferred to a packaging station 240, usually provided with a bagging machine that seals each stack in a nylon film.

Currently, for a more careful management of inventories and fabrics, industrial laundries can be provided with applicators and/or RFid Tag readers cooperating with industrial laundry control software applications to track the movements of the garments treated within the industrial laundry, also allowing a similar tracking outside the industrial laundry.

In the prior art, it has been proposed to perfume the garments treated in an industrial laundry, in particular linen of hotels and accommodation facilities.

In order to avoid modifying the line of an industrial laundry, a first technical solution is that of using fabric softeners and/or liquid additives to be applied to linen in the last step of washing, or in the rinsing step, carried out by the automatic washing machine 110, to give the desired fragrance to the treated linen.

However, this first solution is not effective and reliable since the residual fragrance on the linen, after the subsequent treatment steps, in particular after the drying steps and the ironing step (the latter for soft linen, that occurs at temperatures close to 200 ° C with consequent evaporation and thermal deterioration of the substances forming the fragrance essence with impairment of the olfactory effect), it is not sufficient to guarantee the permanence of the fragrance until the actual use of the linen itself, and also the quantity of residual fragrance on the linen is not uniform for all garments. Also, for the same washing load, it is neither possible to differentiate the type of fragrance, nor the intensity of the fragrance itself (that in any case, as stated, is not uniform). Furthermore, the use of liquid additives during washing causes problems of environmental impact, since the chemical additives used in the washing steps, such as the softening products, have a low level of biodegradability thus entailing problems in terms of pollution and associated disposal costs.

Some alternative prior art solutions propose to perfume the garments along the industrial laundry treatment line with a specific perfuming station or, alternatively, inside the drying station, as for instance disclosed in documents US 2002/0069465 Al, WO 2012/046227 Al, WO 2018/122841 Al and EP 2792786 Al.

However, even these alternative solutions suffer from some drawbacks. In fact, they are complex and poorly efficient and reliable, they slow down the overall treatment speed of the linen, cause a considerable waste of the fragrances used for perfuming, consequently introducing an increase in the treatment costs, and entail (at least in their alternative version of perfuming inside the drying station) a modification of the treatment stations conventionally used in an industrial laundry and an insufficient residual perfume on the linen.

It is an object of this invention, therefore, to automatically and possibly selectively perfume (and/or disinfect), during the process flow of industrial laundry, garments of any type, in particular hotel and accommodation linen, in a simple, quick, reliable, efficient and inexpensive way, and without requiring a modification of the stations conventionally used in an industrial laundry and minimizing the modifications on the line of treatment stations of an industrial laundry.

It is specific subject matter of the present invention a perfuming and/or disinfection 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 and/or disinfection 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 (and/or a respective disinfectant), 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 (and/or said disinfectant) on exposed peripheral faces of the stack transported on the conveyor belt.

According to another aspect of the invention, said spray chamber ca be 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.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the front nozzles can be configured to spray a perfumed fragrance (and/or a disinfectant) on a front exposed face and on a top exposed face of the stack, the intermediate nozzles can be configured to spray a perfumed fragrance (and/or a disinfectant) on a respective side exposed face of the stack, and the rear nozzles can be configured to spray a perfumed fragrance (and/or a disinfectant) on a rear exposed face and on the top exposed face of the stack. According to an additional aspect of the invention, the front nozzles and the rear nozzles can be at a height with respect to the conveyor belt greater than a height at which the intermediate nozzles are, wherein optionally 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, wherein more optionally 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.

According to another aspect of the invention, the front nozzles and/or the rear nozzles can be 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°.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the perfuming and/or disinfection station can further comprise 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.

According to an additional aspect of the invention, the intermediate nozzles can have a narrower and more concentrated spray cone than that of the front and rear nozzles.

According to another aspect of the invention, each nozzle of said plurality of nozzles can be 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 (and/or a disinfectant), wherein the main inlet and the suction inlet are in fluid communication with a venturi mixing chamber that, in turn, is 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 is adjustable through a ring nut of the outlet.

According to a further aspect of the invention, each nozzle of said plurality of nozzles can be configured to be connected, through a hydraulic selector, optionally a valve selector, to a plurality of tanks containing respective perfumed fragrances (and/or respective disinfectants), wherein said hydraulic selector is configured to be controlled by the PLC controller.

According to an additional aspect of the invention, the perfuming and/or disinfection station can further comprise a system for cleaning each nozzle of said plurality of nozzles configured to be controlled by the PLC controller.

According to another aspect of the invention, each nozzle of said plurality of nozzles can be configured to be connected to said at least one tank containing a respective perfumed fragrance (and/or a respective disinfectant) through a respective buffer tank wherein a dosing pump is configured to mix said perfumed fragrance (and/or said disinfectant) with a diluent, optionally consisting of one or more alcohol-based substances configured to dilute the fragrance (and/or the disinfectant), to dilute said perfumed fragrance (and/or said disinfectant) and to control an intensity of perfume (and/or of disinfection) with which to spray said exposed peripheral faces of the stack transported on the conveyor belt.

According to a further aspect of the invention, said nozzles can be arranged in an arrangement configured to cause a portion of the sprayed fragrance (and/or disinfectant) to fall on the conveyor belt.

According to an additional aspect of the invention, the perfuming and/or disinfection station can further comprise 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, optionally provided with a blow label printer applicator, 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 (and/or said disinfectant), wherein said recognising system is selected from the group comprising:

a 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, optionally a 5 Mpixel colour camera with high resolution 16 mm optics, 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 is 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 and 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.

According to an additional aspect of the invention, the perfuming and/or disinfection station can further comprise one or more sensor devices configured to track an advancement of the stack along the perfuming and/or disinfection 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, and optionally a third pair of sensors respectively located upstream and downstream of said system for recognising the stack and the related stacked garments.

It is also specific subject matter of the present invention an 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, in cui the industrial laundry comprises at least one perfuming and/or disinfection station described above configured to receive said plurality of stacks from said at least one stacking station, to perfume and/or disinfect at least one of said plurality of stacks, and to send said plurality of stacks to said at least one packaging station.

The perfuming and/or disinfection station according to the invention, that is arranged between (at least) one stacking station and (at least) one packaging station of the line of treatment stations of an industrial laundry, offers numerous advantages.

In fact, although it is also usable in a stand-alone mode outside the treatment cycle of an industrial laundry, it is easily usable in an industrial laundry, not requiring any modification of the existing and conventionally used stations and minimizing the modifications on the line of industrial laundry treatment stations.

Also, the perfuming and/or disinfection station according to the invention is simple to be made and allows to carry out a perfuming and/or disinfection of stacks of various types of garments in a fast, reliable, efficient, and inexpensive way.

Finally, some embodiments of the perfuming and/or disinfection station according to the invention allow to perfume and/or disinfect automatically and possibly selectively, in the sense that the fragrance and perfuming intensity of the garments and/or the type of disinfectant and the type of disinfection of the garments can be selected (and therefore varied).

The present invention will be now described, by way of illustration and not by way of limitation, according to its preferred embodiments, by particularly referring to the Figures of the annexed drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a schematic arrangement of an industrial laundry of the prior art;

Figure 2 shows a schematic arrangement of a first embodiment of the perfuming (and/or disinfection) station according to the invention in an industrial laundry;

Figure 3 shows a top plan view of the perfuming (and/or disinfection) station of Figure 2;

Figure 4 shows a front view of the perfuming (and/or disinfection) station of Figure 2;

Figure 5 shows a perspective view of an atomiser nozzle of the perfuming (and/or disinfection) station of Figure 2;

Figure 6 shows some schematic views of the vector compositions of the flows delivered in the perfuming (and/or disinfection) station of Figure 2;

Figure 7 shows a schematic view of a second embodiment of the perfuming (and/or disinfection) station according to the invention;

Figure 8 shows a schematic view of a third embodiment of the perfuming (and/or disinfection) station according to the invention; and

Figure 9 shows a schematic view of a fourth embodiment of the perfuming (and/or disinfection) station according to the invention.

In the Figures identical reference numerals will be used for alike elements.

Although in the following the perfuming and/or disinfection station according to the invention will be described integrated in the line of treatment stations of an industrial laundry, it must be noted that the perfuming and/or disinfection station according to the invention can also be used in stand-alone mode outside the treatment cycle of an industrial laundry. Moreover, although in the following the station and/or disinfection station according to the invention will be described as used exclusively for perfuming garments, it must be noted that it can also be used for the disinfection of garments, alternatively or in combination with perfuming them.

With reference to Figure 2, it can be observed that an industrial laundry comprising the perfuming station 300 according to the invention is provided with a series of flat linen garments treatment stations comprising a first insertion station 150, an optical system 160, an ironing machine 170, a first folding machine 180 and a first stacking station 190 similar to those shown in Figure 1. The industrial laundry of Figure 2 is further provided with a series of sponge garment treatment stations comprising a second insertion station (not shown), a second folding machine 220, and a second stacking station 230 similar to those shown in Figure 1.

The garment stacks coming out of the first and second stacking stations 190 and 230 are transferred through conveyor belts (indicated with the reference numeral 250) to the perfuming station 300 according to the invention and, from this, to a packaging station 240 similar to that shown in Figure 1.

With reference to Figures 3 and 4, it can be observed that the perfuming station 300 comprises a frame 310 (defining a spray chamber and) supporting a conveyor belt 320 configured to transport a stack 500 of stacked garments coming from the first or second stacking station 190 and 230.

The frame 310 is provided with a plurality of nozzles, configured to spray a perfumed fragrance on the stack 500 transported on the conveyor belt 320, arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis 325 of advance of the conveyor belt 320. In particular, such plurality comprises, on each of the two longitudinal sides of the spray chamber (defined by frame 310) symmetrical to each other with respect to the longitudinal axis 325 of advance: three front nozzles (indicated with the reference numeral 330R for the right side and with the reference numeral 330L for the left side of frame 310), three intermediate nozzles (indicated with the reference numeral 340R for the right side and with the reference numeral 340L for the left side of frame 310), and three rear nozzles (indicated with the reference numeral 350R for the right side and with the reference numeral 350L for the left side of frame 310). Namely: the front nozzles 330R and 330L are configured to spray the perfumed fragrance on the front exposed face (indicated with the reference numeral 520 in Figure 3) and on the top exposed face (indicated with the reference numeral 530 in Figure 3) of the stack 500; the intermediate nozzles 340R and 340L of each of the two sides of the frame 310 with respect to the longitudinal axis 325 of advance are configured to spray the perfumed fragrance on the respective side exposed face (indicated with the reference numeral 540R or 540L in Figure 3) of the 500 stack facing the intermediate nozzles; and the rear nozzles 350R and 350L are configured to spray the perfumed fragrance on the rear exposed face (indicated with the reference numeral 550 in Figure 3) and on the top exposed face (530 in Figure 3) of the stack 500.

In the embodiment of the perfuming station 300 shown in Figures 3 and 4, the front nozzles 330R and 330L and the rear nozzles 350R and 350L are at a height with respect to the conveyor belt 320 higher than the height at which the intermediate nozzles 340R and 340L are; optionally, the difference in height with respect to the conveyor belt 320 of the position of the front nozzles 330R and 330L and rear nozzles 350R and 350L with respect to that of the intermediate nozzles 340R and 340L ranges from 100 millimetres to 150 millimetres. The raised position with respect to the conveyor belt 320 of the front nozzles 330R and 330L and rear nozzles 350R and 350L allows the spray of the upper face (530 in Figure 3) of the 500 stack; such raised position is at a height from the conveyor belt 320 optionally variable from 150 to 1000 millimetres, more optionally ranging from 200 to 600 millimetres, still more optionally ranging from 250 to 400 millimetres, even more optionally equal or close to 320 millimetres (in general greater than the maximum height expected for the garment stacks to be perfumed).

Also, in the embodiment of the perfuming station 300 shown in Figures 3 and 4, the intermediate nozzles 340R and 340L have a narrower and more concentrated spray cone with respect to that of the front nozzles 330R and 330L and rear nozzles 350R and 350L.

However, it must be noted that other embodiments of the perfuming station according to the invention may have an arrangement of the front nozzles 330R and 330L, intermediate nozzles 340R and 340L and rear nozzles 350R and 350L different from what illustrated in Figures 3 and 4.

In other words, in the perfuming station according to the invention, the exposed peripheral faces of the garment stacks 500 transported by the conveyor belt 520 are subjected to spraying by the front nozzles 330R and 330L, intermediate nozzles 340R and 340L and rear nozzles 350R and 350L. In particular, the arrangement and orientation of the front nozzles 330R and 330L, intermediate nozzles 340R and 340L and rear nozzles 350R and 350L is configured to spray in a homogeneous and uniform way the exposed peripheral faces of the garment stacks 500. Although only the peripheral faces of the garment stacks 500 are perfumed, all the garments appear to emit substantially the same intensity of perfume.

In this regard, a portion of the sprayed fragrance from the front nozzles 330R and 330L and rear nozzles 350R and 350L is not applied to the exposed peripheral faces of the stack 500 and falls onto the conveyor belt 320, causing the subsequent garment stack that will be transported by this to have the base face, that is in contact with the conveyor belt 320 and is not exposed, that gets impregnated with the fragrance that is maintained from the spraying of the previous stack 500. Advantageously, each one of the front nozzles 330R and 330L, intermediate nozzles 340R and 340L and rear nozzles 350R and 350L is a venturi atomiser nozzle 600 fed with compressed air, shown in Figure 5, which exploit the venturi effect to mix the fragrance with the air atomising the fragrance through the calibrated hole of the nozzle outlet 640. In particular, the atomiser nozzle 600 comprises a main inlet 610 connected to a compressed air supplier (not shown), a suction inlet 620 connected to (at least) one tank containing the fragrance to be atomised (not shown); the main inlet 610 and the suction inlet 620 are in fluid communication with the venturi mixing chamber 630 that, in turn, is in fluid communication with the outlet 640. The atomiser nozzle 600 further comprises a pin 650 that allows to couple the nozzle itself on the frame 310. The spray cone (indicated with the reference numeral 700) of the atomiser nozzle 600 is adjustable through a ring nut of the outlet 640. The quantity of fragrance delivered by the outlet 640 of the atomiser nozzle 600 linearly depends on the pressure of the compressed air that is fed through the main inlet 610, whereby the quantity of fragrance delivered is controlled by the pressure of the compressed air with which the atomiser nozzle 600 is supplied; in fact, as known, the depression with which the venturi atomiser nozzle 600 sucks the fragrance from the tank is proportional to the pressure of the compressed air through a constant equal to the ratio between the section of the main inlet 610 and the (smaller) internal section of the mixing chamber 630. Moreover, the venturi atomiser nozzle 600 allows to use both oil-based and alcohol-based fragrances.

The symmetrical arrangement and the orientation of the front nozzles 330R and 330L and rear nozzles 350R and 350L are configured so that the vector combination of the flows delivered therefrom gives as a result a flow perfectly orthogonal to the front face 520 and rear face 550, respectively, of the stack 500, while the orientation of the intermediate nozzles 340R and 340L is orthogonal to the side faces 540R and 540L, respectively, of the stack 500. This guarantees a homogeneous spray of the fragrance and a precise control of the quantity of sprayed fragrance.

As shown in Figure 6a, the front nozzles 330R and 330L are arranged in position and with an orientation symmetrical to each other with respect to the longitudinal axis 325 of advance of the conveyor belt 320 with an inclination of 45° (as shown also in Figure 3) with respect to the longitudinal axis 325 of advance (i.e. with respect to the direction of advancement of the stack 500), whereby also the respective delivered flows 700R and 700L are arranged and oriented symmetrically to each other with respect to the longitudinal axis 325 of advance and with an - IB - inclination equal to an angle a of 45°. As shown in Figure 6b and 6c, the resulting vector 750 (i.e. the resulting flow) is parallel to the longitudinal axis 325 of advance (i.e. to the direction of advancement of the stack 500) and orthogonal to the front face 520 of the stack 500, ensuring that on such front face 520 the stack 500 is homogeneously and uniformly sprayed. Similar considerations apply to the flows delivered by the rear nozzles 350R and 350L.

Other embodiments of the perfuming station according to the invention may have the front nozzles 330R and 330L (as well as the rear nozzles 350R and 350L) which, still maintaining an arrangement and orientation symmetrical to each other with respect to the longitudinal axis 325 of advance of the conveyor belt 320, can have an inclination angle a with respect to the longitudinal axis 325 of advance different from 45°, optionally ranging from 30° to 60°.

As shown in Figure 6d for the front nozzles 330L on the left side of the perfuming station 300, besides the intermediate nozzles 340R and 340L, the spraying of the fragrance on the side faces 540R and 540L of the stack 500 is also ensured by the component orthogonal (708L) to the longitudinal axis 325 of advance of the conveyor belt 320 of the flows (700L) delivered by the frontal nozzles 330R and 330L and rear nozzles 350R and 350L. In particular, the amplitude of the inclination angle a allows to decrease or increase the orthogonal component (708L) that is delivered on the side faces 540R and 540L of the stack 500, decreasing or increasing at the same time the portion of fragrance that falls onto the conveyor belt 320, when such orthogonal component (708L) does not hit the respective side exposed face (540L), and that (in the fraction that remains there) goes to impregnate and, thus, to perfume the base face of the subsequent garment stack that, when transported by the conveyor belt 320, gets in touch with this.

Further embodiments of the perfuming station according to the invention can be provided with automatic angular mover devices configured to move the front nozzles 330R and 330L and rear nozzles 350R and 350L so as to allow a real-time change of the orientation thereof. Moreover, automatic linear mover devices of the front nozzles 330R and 330L, intermediate nozzles 340R and 340L and rear nozzles 350R and 350L can also be provided, so as to modify, for instance, the height thereof with respect to the conveyor belt 320 or the position along the respective side of the spray chamber defined by the frame 310.

Further embodiments of the perfuming station according to the invention can be provided with a system for recognising the stacks (and the garments forming them) arranged upstream of the spray chamber (defined by the frame 310). Such recognising system allows to discriminate the garment stacks to be perfumed from those which do not have to be perfumed (e.g., it is advisable to avoid that the pillowcases, which are always in contact with a user's face, are perfumed), and to count the garments for each type of garments which are perfumed, so as to limit the perfuming to the number and type of garments required (by a customer). Advantageously, such further embodiments of the perfuming station according to the invention can also be provided with a labeller, optionally provided with a blow label printer applicator arranged downstream of the spray chamber (defined by the frame 310). Such labeller is configured to apply a label onto the freshly perfumed garment stacks so that the operators can easily recognise the perfumed stacks (and possibly the specific perfuming fragrance) from the non-perfumed stacks (or stacks perfumed with different fragrances); to this end, the label contains information related to the customer and the fragrance used for the perfuming.

With reference to Figure 7, it may be observed a second embodiment of the perfuming station according to the invention that belongs to such further embodiments and that is provided with a system for recognising the stacks (and the garments forming them) based on RFid tag technology and, in this case, all garments of the treated linen are equipped with RFid Tags. The recognising system comprises a reading antenna 800 placed under the conveyor belt 320 upstream of the spray chamber, optionally at least one meter before the spray chamber defined by the frame 310. Upon passage of the garments stacked in the stacks, the antenna is configured to detect the information contained in the RFid Tags present in the garments (advantageously related to the type of garment, number of components of the stack, target customer and possibly specific required perfuming fragrance) and transmits it to a PLC controller 360 configured to control the perfuming station that, on the basis of the information received, sets the perfuming station to cause the nozzles to deliver a flow of fragrance and to possibly select the specific fragrance to deliver (or not to deliver any fragrance).

In this regard, the perfuming station allows the selection of a fragrance from a plurality of available fragrances, each of the front nozzles 330R and 330L, intermediate nozzles 340R and 340L and rear nozzles 350R and 350L has the suction inlet 620 connected through a hydraulic selector, optionally a valve selector, to a corresponding plurality of tanks containing the available fragrances, and the PLC controller 360 sets the hydraulic selector so as to put only one of the tanks in fluid communication with the suction inlet 620. Obviously, in the case where no fragrance delivery is required, the main inlet 610 will not be fed with compressed air.

As shown in Figure 7, the second embodiment of the perfuming station according to the invention is also provided with a labeller 850 and devices configured to track the advance of the garment stack, namely two pairs of sensors (e.g. proximity sensors), indicated with the references SO and SI, and S2 and S3, located upstream and downstream of the spray chamber defined by the frame 310 and of the labeller 850. Advantageously, the labeller 850 applies a label on the top exposed face 530 of the garments stack. When the stack is packaged by the packaging station 240, this label remains inside the pack.

As mentioned, the second embodiment of the perfuming station according to the invention is configured to select a fragrance from a plurality of available fragrances. Moreover, the perfuming station is configured to carry out a dilution of the selected fragrance so as to control the intensity of perfume to be applied to the garments stack. Also this selection of the perfume intensity can occur based on the reading of the RFid Tag of the garments of the stack through the reading antenna 800.

The dilution of the selected fragrance can occur through a selection of the compressed air pressure feeding the main inlet 610 of the nozzles and/or by mixing the fragrance with a diluent (consisting of one or more alcohol-based substances configured to dilute the fragrance), wherein the diluent is dosed through dosing pumps which are controlled by the PLC controller 360 to comply with the required perfuming recipe by loading (at least) one buffer tank (connected to at least one of the perfuming station nozzles) the selected fragrance quantity and the diluent quantity necessary for the correct mixing of diluent and fragrance.

In the embodiments of the perfuming station according to the invention devoid of system for recognising the stacks (and the garments forming them), the PLC controller of the perfuming station selects a perfuming recipe for the customer to whom the garments under treatment belong.

Advantageously, the embodiments of the perfuming station according to the invention, which allow the selection of a fragrance (and possibly its dilution) from a plurality of available fragrances, are provided with a cleaning system of the venturi atomiser nozzles. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, such cleaning system may include (at least) one tank of water that can be connected to the suction inlet 620 of each one of the venturi atomiser nozzles to cause these to deliver atomised water cleaning the atomiser nozzles in an interval of time interposed between the perfuming of two consecutive garment stacks to be perfumed with different fragrances. Optionally, during delivery of atomised water, the atomiser nozzles can be oriented downwards or outwards of the spray chamber (possibly towards a collection tank), and in this case also the intermediate nozzles 340R and 340L can be moved by respective automatic angular mover devices configured to orient them downwards or outwards of the spray chamber. In this case, also the conveyor belt 320 is advantageously cleaned, for example through a compressed air jet that hits it during the return path below the spray chamber defined by the frame 310.

Alternatively to the system for recognising the stacks (and the garments forming them) based on Tag RFid technology, further embodiments of the perfuming station according to the invention can be based on a morphological analysis of the garment stacks entering the spray chamber defined by the frame 310 which takes into account the size and/or shape of the stacks themselves.

In this regard, in general, in an industrial laundry, the garment packages leaving the packaging station 240 are optimised for the loading of the trolleys with which the garments are transported and handled. Consequently, the stacks 500 coming from the first and second stacking stations 190 and 230 also have respective size depending on the type of linen to which the garments belong. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, the double bed sheets are stacked in groups of 5 and the resulting stack is 34 centimetres in length, 36 centimetres in width and 13 centimetres in height, the single bed sheets are stacked in groups of 10 and the resulting stack is 45 centimetres in length, 37 centimetres in width and 16 centimetres in height, the pillowcases are stacked in groups of 25 and the resulting stack is 45 centimetres in length, 21 centimetres in width and 13 centimetres in height, the bath towels are stacked in groups of 5 and the resulting stack is 47 centimetres in length, 34 centimetres in width and 16 centimetres in height, the face towels are stacked in groups of 10 and the resulting stack is 46 centimetres in length, 24 centimetres in width and 18 centimetres in height, the bathroom rugs are stacked in groups of 10 and the resulting stack is 48 centimetres in length, 24 centimetres in width and 10 centimetres in height.

With reference to Figure 8, a third embodiment of the perfuming station according to the invention is provided with a system 810 for recognizing the stacks (and the garments forming them) through image acquisition and processing, that is located upstream of the spray chamber defined by the frame 310 and that comprises (at least) one camera (optionally a 5 Mpixel colour camera with high resolution 16 mm optics) and a processing device connected thereto. The camera is configured to acquire the stack image and the processing device is configured to compare the acquired image with a series of sample images of the expected stacks, identifying on the basis of such comparison the type of garments and the number of garments forming the stack the image of which has been acquired. It could not be possible to have information related to the customer (unless the acquired image also allows the recognition of a design, such as a brand or a logo, identifying the customer), and in this case it is necessary that an operator sets the perfuming recipes for the specific customer depending on the type of garments. The information related to such identification is transmitted to the PLC controller 360 that, on the basis of the information received, sets the perfuming station to cause the nozzles to deliver a flow of fragrance and to possibly select the specific fragrance to be delivered (or not to deliver any fragrance).

As shown in Figure 8, the third embodiment of the perfuming station according to the invention differs from that shown in Figure 7 in that it also comprises a third pair of sensors (e.g. proximity sensors), indicated with the references S4 and S5, configured to track the advance of the garments stack, and located upstream and downstream of the recognizing system through image acquisition and processing.

As shown in Figure 8, the third embodiment of the perfuming station according to the invention differs from that shown in Figure 7 in that it further comprises a third pair of sensors (e.g. proximity sensors), indicated with the references S4 and S5, configured to track the advance of the garment stack, and located upstream and downstream of the system of recognition through image acquisition and processing.

With reference to Figure 9, a fourth embodiment of the perfuming station according to the invention differs from the perfuming station shown in Figure 8 only because it is equipped, instead of the system 810 of recognition through image acquisition and processing, with a size measuring device 820 configured to measure the stack size, that is also located upstream of the spray chamber defined by the frame 310, optionally at a height from the conveyor belt 320 equal to 1000 millimetres. Such size measuring device 820 exploits the differences among the size of the different stacks due to both number and type of stacked garments. In particular, the size measuring device 820 comprises a time-of-flight camera, for instance a three-dimensional sensor available from the US company Photonix Mixer Device, that is configured to reconstruct a three-dimensional image of an object within a measurement area. Once the scan has been carried out and the geometric size of the package has been detected, the size measuring device 820 transmits the detected size to the PLC controller 360 that compares them with a series of sample sizes of the expected stacks, identifying on the basis of such comparison the type of garments and the number of garments forming the stack the size of which has been detected. The PLC controller 360 sets, in accordance with the identification made, the perfuming station to cause the nozzles to deliver a flow of fragrance and to possibly select the specific fragrance to be delivered (or not to deliver any fragrance). Alternatively, the size measuring device 820 could be provided with a processing device configured to also carry out the identification of the type of garments and the number of garments forming the stack on the basis of the detection of its size, sending the information related to this identification to the PLC controller 360. In particular, the size measuring device 820 allows to overcome the errors due to a possible misalignment of the stack with respect to the longitudinal axis 325 of advance of the conveyor belt 320.

Further embodiments of the perfuming station according to the invention can be equipped with a fragrance management system so as to exclusively allow the use of fragrances produced by a specific manufacturer. To this end, all the fragrance tanks are equipped with a barcode (or RFid Tag) identifying the single tank. The PLC controller (or a controlling PC) is configured to access a database containing a certain number of available identification codes. When a tank is placed in a location inside a tank area (optionally below the conveyor belt 320 in correspondence with the spray chamber defined by the frame 310), the identification code is read and sent to the PLC controller (or the controlling PC) that checks the existence of the identification code in the database: if this is found, the tank is enabled, otherwise the tank is not accepted and the perfuming station is not enabled to carry out the spraying of the fragrance.

In the case of an authorized tank, once that all the fragrance therein has been used and the tank is removed, its identification code is deleted from the database, thereby it becomes no longer usable.

Furthermore, for consumption check, the seat where the tank is housed is provided with a load cell constantly measuring the weight of the tank, that must decrease in function of the garment stacks which are perfumed with that fragrance, to avoid that the same tank can be filled and never replaced.

The identification codes within the database are updated on the basis of the treatment orders received by the industrial laundry.

The preferred embodiments of this invention have been described and a number of variations have been suggested hereinbefore, but it should be understood that those skilled in the art can make other variations and changes without so departing from the scope of protection thereof, as defined by the attached claims.