TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a laundry facility, and in particular to logistics within the laundry facility.

BACKGROUND

Laundry facilities are known. In industrial laundry facilities, dirty linen from clients such as hospitals, care facilities, restaurants, and hotels, is generally provided to the laundry facility in laundry carts (or just “carts” for short). The linen items, e.g. bed linen, surgery linen, towels, table linen, workwear, personal goods, etc., etc. generally are property of the clients, whereas the laundry carts are owned by the laundry facility and provided to the clients as part of the services.

In the laundry facility, the dirty linen is sorted and washed in a laundry process, and possibly otherwise treated as required (e.g. drying, stiffening, ironing, folding, etc). The thus processed clean linen is returned to the client in a laundry cart which is thereafter used for transporting a subsequent batch of linen from the client to the laundry facility for cleaning. Each time around, the laundry cart may be the same or, generally, a different one.

The dirty linen inherently is dirty and, in particular in case of hospital linen it may be contaminated and/or hazardous. Therefore, a laundry cart used for transporting dirty linen must be considered a dirty laundry cart and must be cleaned before subsequent use for clean linen. For that, laundry facilities tend to have laundry cart cleaning stations.

Generally, laundry facilities have a clean side and a soil side separated by a division, e.g. a marking or, preferably, a wall. The laundry cart cleaning station then crosses the division, having an entrance for the dirty laundry carts on the soil side and an exit for the cleaned laundry carts on the clean side. The laundry cart cleaning may be automated and/or require handiwork by workers. In any case, cleaning a laundry cart takes time and effort, which may not be synchronised with supply of laundry carts to the laundry cart cleaning station and/or demand of laundry carts for collecting and/or transporting clean linen. Therefore, queues and/or shortages of laundry carts may result, which may interfere with further operation.

For security and/or for flexibility of workers, the division may be crossed by workers, e.g. crossing the marking and/or using one or more doors. Laundry carts tend to be dimensioned to fit through standard-sized doors in view of their use on clients’ premises and therefore they may also cross a door or other passageway in the division.

As a result, it may occur that one or more clean laundry carts end up back on the soil side and must be cleaned again. This causes a loss of time and money.

Also, and more importantly, dirty laundry carts, in particular dirty laundry carts of which the soiling and/or contamination is not readily visible, may happen to cross the division and bypass the cleaning station, ending up on the clean side without having been properly cleaned. This poses a risk of soiling and/or (re-) contaminating cleaned linen.

As a consequence, improvements in the handling and cleaning of laundry carts are desired.

It noted that handling and cleaning of laundry carts are discussed in B.T. Ross and F.H. Cheung, “Simulation study of a hospital automated materials handling system”, ANSS 78: Proceedings of the 11th annual symposium on Simulation, March 1978 Pages 115-144 (IEEE Press); in JP 2007/144256 A1 and in US 2018/0320305.

Also, efficiency in unloading laundry carts is desired.

SUMMARY

In view of the preceding, herewith an improved laundry facility is provided.

The laundry facility may comprise a laundry cart unloading station and a laundry cart cleaning station.

The facility further may comprise a conveyor for engaging at least one laundry cart at the laundry cart unloading station and optionally transporting the cart from the laundry cart unloading station to and through the laundry cart cleaning station.

Due to the conveyor, the routing of the laundry cart is well defined and unloading of the laundry cart and cleaning of the laundry cart may be inherently connected. Once the laundry cart has been transported by the conveyor, the laundry cart can be guaranteed to have passed the laundry cart cleaning station for cleaning. The risk of soiling and/or (re-) contaminating cleaned linen is therefore reduced. Also, a possible queue or buffer of laundry carts will form along the conveyor facilitating localising the carts in a predetermined location, therefore risk of misplacement of carts may be further reduced. This may be yet further reduced if the conveyor is configured to attach the cart to the conveyor and maintain the attachment from the laundry cart unloading station up to and possibly after the laundry cart cleaning station.

The conveyor and the cart may go from a first configuration wherein the conveyor and the laundry cart are separate and not in engagement to a second configuration wherein they are in engagement at the laundry cart unloading station. However, preferably, the conveyor and the cart may remain in a pre-existing engagement at the laundry cart unloading station (e.g. see below), thus increasing reliability that the cart is coupled with the conveyor from a time where the cart contains dirty linen, and thus clearly is dirty or at least is to be considered dirty, to a time the cart has passed the cleaning station and has been cleaned. This is in particular the case when the engagement comprising releasable attachment, possibly fixation, of the cart and the conveyor to each other. Thus, risks of mistakenly considering a cart clean or dirty are significantly reduced.

The conveyor may comprise multiple conveyor sections; e.g. a first conveyor section between the laundry cart unloading station up to the laundry cart cleaning station, a buffer section before the laundry cart cleaning station.

Preferably, the conveyor comprises an overhead conveyor.

Thus, the conveyor may be moved “out of the way” of workers and prevent interference with workers’ operations. In particular, the conveyor may be arranged such that any laundry carts engaged and/or transported by the conveyor remain well above the heads and operations of workers, further preventing interference with workers’ operations.

This facilitates an efficient routing of the conveyor and it may allow unobtrusive buffering of laundry carts, reducing floor space requirements of the laundry facility.

Preferably, the conveyor comprises a power and free conveyor.

This facilitates adjusting speed of the laundry carts and/or separation of the laundry carts along the conveyor, including retaining stopping a laundry cart and/or a laundry cart in place such as in a station. Therewith localizing, transporting and possible buffering of carts may be accurately controlled.

The conveyor may comprise at least one hook and/or gripper to engage a laundry cart for releasably attaching the cart to the conveyor and/or thus attached transporting the cart.

The laundry cart may comprise side walls and a bottom wall. One or more of the walls may comprise one or more apertures for ventilating contents of the cart, e.g. comprising a wire grid section. A hook and/or gripper may extend through such aperture. The laundry cart may then be supported from the conveyor by itself and be thus transported. Since a hook or gripper may have a significantly smaller volume than a laundry cart, hooks and/or grippers may be buffered in a comparably small volume.

It is noted that laundry carts in general comprise wheels and that to date, transporters for wheeled containers usually have cradles accommodating the containers onto and/or into which the wheeled containers are rolled. Such transporters therefore require at least as much space as, and generally more space than, the container to be transported. Suspending a laundry cart from one or more hooks and/or grippers may therefore significantly reduce space requirements for the conveyor, and therefore for the laundry facility as a whole. Also or alternatively, freedom of routing of the conveyor and/or along the conveyor may be increased.

At least part of the laundry cart unloading station may be located in a level above a level comprising a linen sorting station and/or a linen washing station in the facility.

This facilitates unloading the linen from the laundry cart by gravity for sorting and/or washing of the linen. The laundry cart unloading station and a linen sorting station may be connected by a linen conveyor and/or they may be at least partly integrated. It is noted that in present-day industrial laundry facilities linen may generally be unloaded from laundry carts at least partly by hand. At least partly automated unloading may therefore facilitate operations considerably.

Moreover, after thus emptying a laundry cart, the cart may readily remain engaged by, and/or attached to, the conveyor, and/or the cart may be out of reach of workers, thus reducing risks of an empty laundry cart being misplaced and/or being accidentally reused, considered clean. The laundry cart cleaning station may be located in a level above a level comprising a linen sorting station and/or a linen washing station in the facility.

This may reduce floor space requirements of the laundry facility, both for the laundry cart cleaning station and for any queueing and/or buffering of laundry carts associated with (waiting for) the cleaning process. Also or alternatively, the laundry cart cleaning station and/or any associated laundry cart buffer may be located remote from, and possibly out of reach of, workers and/or a crossing of the division between the soiled and clean sides of the laundry facility. Thus, risks of an empty laundry cart being misplaced and/or being accidentally reused, considered clean, may be further reduced.

The facility may comprise an identification station for identifying at least part of linen contained in the laundry cart.

Linen items, in particular from hospitals, care facilities, restaurants, hotels and similar large-scale facilities, may generally comprise an identifier. The identifier may be remotely accessible. E.g. linen items may comprise an X-ray reflection element and/or an RFID tag and the identification station may comprise a corresponding reader such as an RFID reader. However, the linen and/or the identification station may comprise other systems for identifying linen contained in a laundry cart. In some cases an identification station could be at least partly integrated in a sorting station; e.g. identification could comprise visual inspection such as by camera.

The conveyor may be configured for transporting the cart through the identification station.

Thus, identification of linen items and/or a connection of linen items to a laundry cart may be improved. Further, routing between the identification station and an unloading station and possibly an associated sorting station may be secured, improving reliability of the laundry process as a whole.

It is noted that a conveyor may ensure transport of the laundry carts through a laundry facility and therewith obviate significant amounts of manual labour.

The laundry facility may comprise a first laundry cart station and the conveyor may be arranged for engaging the at least one laundry cart and transporting the cart from the first laundry cart station through the laundry cart unloading station and the laundry cart cleaning station, and possibly the identification station if provided. The first laundry cart station may be associated with a laundry intake station. Then, the conveyor may be arranged for engaging and transporting at least one laundry cart containing linen from the first laundry cart station to any further station.

The facility may comprise a second laundry cart station, and the conveyor may be arranged for transporting the cart from the laundry cart cleaning station to the second laundry cart station. The second laundry cart station may be associated with a station for filling the cart with clean linen. Also or alternatively, the first and/or second laundry cart stations may be associated with other functions in the laundry process, such as an initial sorting and/or identification station and/or a checking station for (spot) checks and/or maintenance.

Associated with the foregoing, herewith a laundry system is provided, comprising a laundry cart unloading station (107) and a conveyor (125) for engaging at least one laundry cart (117) at the laundry cart unloading station (107).

The system may comprise one or more features of a laundry facility as presented herein and at least one laundry cart for use in the facility. The laundry cart may be configured to be operably engaged by the conveyor for being transported from the laundry cart unloading station to and through the laundry cart cleaning station.

The laundry cart may comprise side walls and a bottom wall. One or more of the walls may comprise one or more apertures for ventilating contents of the cart, e.g. comprising a wire grid section. The laundry cart may adhere to any suitable standard. The laundry cart may be provided with a dedicated engagement structure for engagement by the conveyor, e.g. an eye and/or a broadened section compared to an adjacent narrower section. The system may comprise a plurality of laundry carts, which may preferably be substantially identical to each other.

Preferably, the at least one laundry cart comprises an at least partly movable and/or releasable bottom portion for unloading contents such as linen from the laundry cart.

Such laundry cart facilitates unloading by gravity, in particular when the cart is at least partly supported by, e.g. suspended from, the conveyor in the unloading station. The movable and/or releasable bottom portion may be or comprise at least part of a bottom wall which may form a (trap) door.

Most laundry carts comprise one or more levels, e.g. trays, for supporting clean and folded linen, and which may be folded down, when the laundry cart should be used for dirty, unfolded, linen. When folded down, one or more of the levels may form part of a side wall of the cart to retain linen within the cart. When lifting linen from such cart or tiling such cart for unloading dirty linen from the cart, linen items may snag onto such level and/or such level may fold back, thus interfering with unloading the contents of the cart and possibly causing damage to the linen items and/or (a level of) the cart. This is prevented by unloading the cart from below. In the system, one or more of the laundry carts may comprise one or more such levels, e.g. trays which may have a wire grid section.

Unloading the cart from below may be done while the cart is upright, e.g. suspended from the conveyor. This may facilitate construction

The laundry system may be configured to control opening and/or closing of the bottom portion and/or keeping open the bottom portion, with respect to at least one of another portion of the laundry cart, a laundry support of the laundry unloading station, and a linen conveyor of the laundry unloading station. Releasing and/or moving the bottom portion for unloading the linen from the laundry cart may be done manually and/or automated. E.g., the bottom portion may be held closed by one or more hooks and/or releasable latches that can be released manually and/or automated. Preferably, the bottom portion may be self-closable, e.g. by snap-locks and/or resiliently urged releasable latches.

Also or alternatively, the system may comprise, particularly in the unloading station, an actuator for moving and/or releasing the bottom portion, and/or for closing the bottom portion. Also or alternatively, the unloading station may also be configured for holding the bottom portion in an open configuration; such actuator may be configured for that. This may facilitate controlled opening and/or closing the bottom portion. The system may comprise one or more connectors for releasably attaching the bottom portion to at least part of the laundry cart unloading station. This may increase control over the opening and/or closing the bottom portion.

The actuator may comprise such connector. The connector may cooperate with another connector, e.g. a connector in the laundry unloading station and a connector of the laundry cart.

One of the connectors may comprise a clamp, a hook, a loop, a latch or similar for operably engaging an appropriately shaped portion of the cart. One or more of the connectors may comprise a vacuum/suction device and/or a magnet which may provide a controllable magnetic effect, such as an electromagnet, although switchable permanent magnets may be used. A vacuum/suction device may comprise a suction cup and may (be configured to) operably engage a suitably formed surface for providing a pushing and/or pulling force. A magnet may magnetically engage a magnetic and/or magnetizable portion, which may be provided by a metallic part of the laundry cart, e.g. the bottom portion being at least partly metallic and/or a wheel frame on the bottom portion.

Also or alternatively, the laundry cart unloading station may comprise a linen support and/or linen conveyor, and the laundry cart unloading station may be configured to adjust a relative position, in particular height, between the laundry cart and at least part of the linen conveyor and/or the linen sorting station the linen conveyor during at least part of the unloading contents from the laundry cart from below and/or in an at least partly open configuration of (the bottom portion of) the laundry cart.

This facilitates unloading the linen from the laundry cart from below onto the linen support and/or linen conveyor in a controlled manner and/or without contents of the laundry cart falling from the cart onto the laundry support and/or linen conveyor as a whole. Contents of a single laundry cart may comprise tens of kilos of linen which may be compressed and/or contain entangled linen items, so that the contents may “behave” essentially as an integral object unless and until the linen items are separated. Such separation may be referred to as “untangling” or “breaking” (items from) the contents. Adjusting height may reduce impact from the contents falling as a whole. The linen support may be one or more of a desk, a weighing device, a counting device, and a chute.

Although the laundry cart may be height adjustable, e.g. the conveyor comprising a lift or other height adjustable section, preferably at least part of the linen support and/or linen conveyor is height adjustable, e.g. an actuator for height-adjusting at least part of the linen support and/or linen conveyor being provided. This may simplify construction of the conveyor supporting the laundry cart. At least part of the height adjustability may be provided by the linen support and/or linen conveyor being at least partly resiliently supported, e.g. using one or more mechanical and/or gas springs.

Preferably, a laundry cart is arranged in the unloading station at such height that the bottom portion may be opened but that the laundry cart may be accessed by a worker of average height for removal of any linen items that are inadvertently stuck in the cart and do not fall out as intended “automatically”.

A laundry unloading station comprising a linen conveyor may be configured to operate the linen conveyor during unloading at least part of the linen from the laundry cart from below onto the linen conveyor. This may facilitate one or more of drawing at least part of the contents from the cart, “breaking” (items from) the contents as referred to above, and distributing and/or separating items of the contents on and/or over at least part of the linen conveyor. This may distribute load over the linen conveyor, and/or may facilitate transporting and/or sorting of the linen items.

Also or alternatively, the laundry unloading station may comprise a pusher for urging from above at least some of the contents of the laundry cart out of the laundry cart from below. Thus, the contents may be urged through and/or out of the laundry cart, e.g. to accelerate unloading the contents and/or to assist unloading in case part of the contents are compressed and/or stuck in the laundry cart. The unloading station may comprise a sensor and possibly an alarm for detection of incomplete emptying and/or for identifying items left in the cart after emptying.

Associated with the above herewith a method of operating a laundry facility is provided.

The method comprises providing a laundry cart containing linen and unloading the linen from the laundry cart at an unloading station from below. Thus an at least partly empty laundry cart may be provided. The method may comprise providing a conveyor and supporting the laundry cart from the conveyor for thus transporting the laundry cart. The conveyor may comprise an overhead conveyor.

The method may comprise cleaning the empty laundry cart at a laundry cart cleaning station.

The method further optionally comprises providing the conveyor and transporting, using the conveyor, the laundry cart from the linen unloading station through the laundry cart cleaning station.

The conveyor may engage the laundry cart. This may occur at the linen unloading station and/or beforehand. In particular, the conveyor and the cart may be coupled releasably. In an embodiment, the conveyor comprises an overhead conveyor and the method comprises supporting the laundry cart from the overhead conveyor, directly or indirectly, for thus transporting the laundry cart.

Preferably, supporting the laundry cart from the overhead conveyor comprises releasably attaching and/or releasably fixing the laundry cart to the conveyor.

Supporting the laundry cart directly may comprise gripping and/or hugging the laundry cart, e.g. using at least one hook and/or gripper attached to the conveyor. Supporting the laundry cart indirectly may comprise supporting the laundry cart on and/or in a container supported by the conveyor.

In the method, unloading the linen from the cart may comprise opening at least part of a bottom portion of the laundry cart and dropping or allowing to drop at least part of the linen.

Unloading the linen may be done onto and/or into a linen conveyor and/or a linen sorting station, in particular onto a linen support of the linen sorting station. This may facilitate the unloading.

Such method may comprise adjusting a relative position of the laundry cart and the linen conveyor and/or the linen support during unloading at least part of the linen from the laundry cart from below and/or in an at least partly open configuration of a bottom portion of the laundry cart.

In particular it may comprise adjusting a relative height of the laundry cart and the linen conveyor and/or the linen support, more in particular adjusting a height of at least part of the linen conveyor.

Also or alternatively, unloading the linen may be done onto and/or into a linen conveyor and operating the linen conveyor during unloading at least part of the linen from the laundry cart from below onto the linen conveyor.

The method may comprise identifying at least part of the linen contained in the laundry cart at an identification station.

The method may further comprise washing the linen and filling at least part of the washed linen in at least part of the laundry cart and/or a further laundry cart, wherein the laundry cart or the further laundry cart has been cleaned in the laundry cart cleaning station. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-described aspects will hereafter be more explained with further details and benefits with reference to the drawings showing a number of embodiments by way of example.

Fig. 1 shows a traditional laundry facility;

Fig. 2 shows an improved laundry facility;

Figs. 3-5 show an embodiment of a trolley for use in the improved laundry facility;

Figs. 6A-6D show an embodiment of a laundry cart comprising an at least partly movable bottom portion for unloading contents from the laundry cart in a closed configuration;

Figs. 7A-7E show the laundry cart of Figs. 6A-6D in an open configuration;

Figs. 8A-8D and 9 show the laundry cart of Figs. 6A-7E in a closed and open configuration, respectively, and an actuator for opening and/or closing the bottom portion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

It is noted that the drawings are schematic, not necessarily to scale and that details that are not required for understanding the present invention may have been omitted. Further, elements that are at least substantially identical or that perform an at least substantially identical function are denoted by the same numeral, where helpful individualised with alphabetic suffixes.

Further, unless otherwise specified, terms like “detachable” and “removably connected” are intended to mean that respective parts may be disconnected essentially without damage or destruction of either part, e.g. excluding structures in which the parts are integral (e.g. welded or moulded as one piece), but including structures in which parts are attached by or as mated connectors, fasteners, releasable self-fastening features, etc. The verb “to facilitate” is intended to mean “to make easier and/or less complicated”, rather than “to enable”.

Fig. 1 shows part of a traditional laundry facility 1 comprising a first laundry cart station 3, an identification station 5, a laundry cart unloading station 7, a sorting station 9, a laundry cart cleaning station 11 , and a second laundry cart station 13, manned by workers 15. A dashed line indicates a division D between a soil side DS and a clean side CS of the facility.

At the first laundry cart station 3, laundry carts 17 are received from transport containing dirty linen from clients. There, the carts 17 are administered and buffered. The first laundry cart station may in practice comprise plural sub-stations for different operations associated with one or more of reception, identification, administration, weighing, pre-sorting, and buffering of the carts 17 containing dirty linen.

In operation, individual carts 17 containing dirty linen are taken from the first laundry cart station 3 and brought to the identification station 5. The identification station 5 comprises an identification device 19. There, the contents of the cart 17 are weighed, scanned, and identified. For this, commonly Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is used, known per se; e.g. the linen items comprise an RFID-tag and the identification device, e.g. comprising a reader and a memory, identifies the items and records the thus identified items, possibly recording by one or more of number, type, owner, etc.

Next, the carts 17 are brought over to the laundry cart unloading station 7. There the cart 17 is emptied in an optional linen receptacle 20 and the unloaded linen is fed to the sorting station 9, e.g. by a conveyor 21 . At the sorting station 9 the unloaded linen items are sorted and fed to appropriate washing apparatus and programs (not shown). The unloading station 7 and the sorting station 9 may be integrated at least in part.

Next, the emptied carts 17 (or: dirty carts 17) are brought over to the laundry cart cleaning station 11 by a worker 15. The cleaning station 11 may comprise one or more cart cleaning machines 23 and/or require handiwork (not shown). After cleaning, the cleaned carts 17 are ready for re-use and buffered at the second laundry cart station 13 until such further reuse.

As described above, dirty laundry carts may bypass the laundry cart cleaning station 11 , cross the division D and end up being buffered at the second laundry cart station 13 amongst properly cleaned carts 17. Or the other way around; cleaned laundry carts 17 may end up on the soil side DS.

Fig. 2 shows an embodiment of an improved laundry facility 100 as disclosed herein. Like the traditional facility 1 of fig. 1 , the improved laundry facility 100 comprises a first laundry cart station 103, an identification station 105, a laundry cart unloading station 107, a sorting station 109, a laundry cart cleaning station 111 comprising a cart cleaning machine 123, and a second laundry cart station 113.

The improved laundry facility 100 also comprises an overhead conveyor 125, shown schematically, for engaging at laundry carts 117 and transporting the carts 117 through the laundry facility 100. The overhead conveyor 125 may comprise several sections 125A, 125B as shown and discussed below. The

At the first laundry cart station 103, laundry carts 117 containing dirty linen from clients may be buffered. As an option, the first laundry cart station 103 may at least in part be integrated with a station where laundry carts 117 are received from transport containing dirty linen from clients and/or where the carts 117 are entered into an administration.

In the first laundry cart station 103, the carts 117 are engaged by and transported by a first conveyor section 125A of the conveyor 125, possibly comprising one or more rail sections 127 for providing an optional buffer for laundry carts 117. The conveyor 125 may be provided with one or more lifts 129 for entering laundry carts 117 into the conveyor 125 and/or for removing laundry carts 117 from the conveyor 125 and/or for transporting a cart 117 from one conveyor section 125A to another section 125B. In particular, this may facilitate arranging the conveyor 125 so high up in the facility 100 that the carts 117 supported by the conveyor 125 remain well above the heads of workers 115.

The conveyor 125 may at least in part be of a gravity-driven type and/or of a power-and-free type, each known per se. E.g., the conveyor 125 may comprise one or more free rails and at least in some parts one or more power rails. For supporting an individual laundry cart 117, the conveyor 125 may be provided with one or more trolleys 131 , e.g. as discussed below with respect to Figs. 3-4. A trolley 131 may run on one or more rails of the conveyor 125. For transport along the conveyor the trolley 131 may be allowed to run freely on free rails, e.g. accelerated by a downward sloping rail section, and/or it may be driven along the rail by part of a power rail and/or another driver. A trolley 131 may comprise one or more hooks and/or grippers for engaging a laundry cart 117 for releasably attaching the cart 117 to the conveyor 125 and/or for thus attached transporting the cart 117. Such hook or gripper may be configured for fully or semi- automatic operation and/or at least partly worker-operated, e.g. a worker positioning the trolley and positioning and/or engaging one or more hooks with respect to the cart and/or actuating a semi-automatic engagement device.

Preferably, the laundry cart 117 and trolley 131 are configured such that a laundry cart 117 is supported upright and vertical facilitating one or more of routing of the conveyor, predictability of movement of the cart 117 and ensuring that contents are kept in the cart 117.

The identification station 105 comprises an identification device 119, for one or more of scanning and identifying the contents of laundry carts 117, possibly also weighing the contents, although this may also be done at the first laundry cart station, at the unloading and/or sorting station and/or elsewhere in the facility 100. The conveyor 125 is configured for transporting the cart 117 from the first laundry cart station 103 to the identification station 105 and through the identification device 119 thereof. At least part of the conveyor 125 may be provided with and/or serve as a buffer for laundry carts 117 in or before the identification station 105.

The conveyor 125 is configured for transporting the cart 117 from the identification station 105 to and through the laundry cart unloading station 107. There, the cart 117 is emptied into an optional linen receptacle 120 and the unloaded linen is fed to the sorting station 109, e.g. by a linen conveyor 121 such as the shown belt conveyor.

As indicated in Fig. 2, the laundry cart 117 may comprise an upper portion 117A and an at least partly releasable bottom portion 117B for unloading the linen from the laundry cart 117, while the cart is supported from (the trolley 131 of) the conveyor 125. Thus, the contents of the laundry cart 117 are unloaded from below. Opening the bottom portion 117B may be done fully or semi-automatically and/or at least partly worker-operated, e.g. manually or a worker actuating a semi-automatic opening device such as an actuator 200. The laundry cart unloading station 107 may be configured for keeping the bottom portion 117B open in one or more open configurations, e.g. using the actuator 200 and/or by a connector engaging the bottom portion 117B.

The laundry cart unloading station 107 comprises an optional pusher 300 for urging from above at least some of the contents of the laundry cart 117 out of the laundry cart from below, onto the linen receptacle 120 and the linen conveyor 121 . The pusher 300 may comprise one or more weights and/or plungers (as indicated) which preferably is/are arranged for providing a symmetric urging force about the conveyor 125 and/or the trolley 131 . Operation of the pusher 300 may be done fully or semi- automatically and/or at least partly worker-operated, e.g. manually and/or a worker actuating a semi-automatic opening device.

Part of the linen receptacle 120 and/or the linen conveyor 121 may be vertically adjustable (see double arrow A), thus being height adjustable with respect to the laundry cart 117 and/or conveyor 125. For that, a vertically adjustable portion of the linen conveyor 121 may be movable with respect to at least part of the linen receptacle 120. The adjustable portion may be tiltable in a direction perpendicular to a linen support surface of the linen conveyor 121 . The vertical adjustment may be facilitated by one or more resilient supports and/or one or more actuators (not shown). The adjustment may be passive and/or at least in part actively controllable, e.g. automated and/or worker controlled. The adjustment may provide one or more of guiding the bottom portion 117B (e.g. when engaging the adjustable portion), guiding linen from the laundry cart 117, and reducing a drop height for linen unloaded from the laundry cart 117.

During unloading at least part of the contents from the laundry cart 117, the linen conveyor 121 may be operated. Operation may be continuous and/or intermittently, e.g. worker-operated associated with the unloading of a laundry cart 117.

At the sorting station 109 the unloaded linen items are sorted and fed to appropriate washing apparatus and programs (not shown). The unloading station 107 and the sorting station 109 may be integrated at least in part.

The laundry cart cleaning station 111 comprises one or more cart cleaning machines 123. The conveyor 125 is configured for transporting the cart 117 from the linen unloading station 107 to the laundry cart cleaning station 111 and through a cart cleaning machine 123 thereof, so that the cart 117 is cleaned in the machine 123. The conveyor 125 is further configured for transporting the cart 117 from the laundry cart cleaning station 111 to the second laundry cart station 113 for further use.

Since the carts 117 are engaged and transported by the conveyor 125, the location and route of each cart 117 through the laundry facility 100 may be well known and be predictable, and any undesired deviations may be prevented. Unauthorised and/or accidental crossing of the divide D of a cart may be prevented. Any cart 117 engaged and transported by the conveyor 125 “behind” the cart cleaning station 111 and/or the divide D, e.g. reaching the second laundry cart station 113, may be certain to have passed the cleaning station 111 and to have been cleaned, provided the cleaning station 111 having been properly operated and/or any cleaning action having been properly executed.

In some cases, the cleaning station 111 may be used to provide the cart 117 with a physical and/or abstract data entry certifying its cleaning. E.g., the cleaning station 111 may comprise an identifier, e.g. an RFID device and/or a camera, identifying one or more carts 117 and recording data of the cart associated with the cleaning thereof such as one or more of an executed cleaning program, used cleaning methods, used cleaning substances, time and/or duration of the cleaning, etc. The marking may be an entry into an automated information and/or administration system.

Although a laundry cart 117 may be supported in an overhead conveyor from one or more simple hooks or shackles, possibly secured hooks like carabiners and/or snap shackles, different systems may be provided. As an example, Figs. 3-4 show an embodiment of an exemplary trolley 131 as used in Fig. 2 in partial cross section views in an open configuration (Fig. 3) and in a closed configuration (Fig. 4), respectively. Fig. 5 shows the trolley 131 in a closed configuration in perspective view from below (with cross section plane of Fig. 4 indicated).

The trolley 131 comprises a connector 132, e.g. comprising one or more rollers 132R and/or sliders, for movable attachment to a rail of the conveyor 125, an outer bracket 133 having mutually opposing flanges 135, 136, a pair of hooks 137 opposing side flanges 135 of the outer bracket 133, and an optional lever system 139 for operating the hooks 135 between the open and closed configurations. The lever system 139 comprises plural arms 141 , 143, 145, 147 movably connected about pivots 149, 151 , such as here using a sliding connection of pins 153, 155 and slots 157, 159. The arm 147 facilitates operation of the lever system 139 and may be operable remotely and/or automatically such as by a part of the conveyor 125 engaging a portion of the arm 147 which may protrude from the outer bracket 133 as shown (here: through slit S). The lever system 139 also comprises an optional spring 161 or other resilient and/or locking element to urge the lever system 139 from the open configuration (Fig. 3) towards, and/or to maintain the lever system 139 in, the closed configuration (Figs. 4-5).

In the closed configuration, Figs. 4-5, side walls 117W of a laundry cart 117 may be engaged by, and enclosed in, the hooks 137 and side flanges 135 of the bracket 133 (Fig. 4). The side flanges 136 of the trolley 131 may engage a top end of the side walls 117W to control sideways rotation of the laundry cart 117 with respect to the trolley 131 and (a rail of) the conveyor 125 (cf. Fig. 2).

In operation, for attaching the cart 117 to the trolley 131 or releasing the cart 117 from the trolley 131 , control arm 147 may be rotated about the pivot 149. The control arm 147 is fixed to link arm 145, so that, via the sliding connection of pin 153 and slot 157 the spring 161 is compressed, hook operating arm 141 rotates about pivot 151 and rotates the hook 137 fixed to the arm 141 to an open position. At the same time, via the sliding connection of pin 155 and slot 159, the other hook operating arm 143 rotates about its pivot 151 and rotates the hook 137 fixed to that arm 143 to an open position. Thus, the laundry cart 117 may be disengaged. Or, conversely, a thus opened trolley 131 (Fig. 3) may be placed over a laundry cart 117, and, after releasing the control arm 147, attach the trolley 131 and cart 117 together. Operation of the control arm 147 may be fully or semi-automatic and/or at least partly worker-operated, e.g. a worker positioning the trolley and positioning and/or engaging one or more hooks with respect to the cart and/or actuating a semi-automatic engagement device.

Figs. 6A-6D and 7A-7E show an embodiment of a laundry cart 117. The laundry cart comprises a partly movable bottom portion 117B for unloading contents from the laundry cart 117, see below. Figs. 6A-6D show the laundry cart 117 in a closed configuration: Figs. 6A-6B are side and bottom views, respectively, and Figs. 6C and 6D show a detail in side view (up-down inverted with respect to Fig. 6A) and bottom view, respectively, as indicated. Figs. 7A-7E show the laundry cart 117 in an open configuration: Fig. 7A and Fig. 7E are side views, Fig. 7B is a bottom view, Fig. 7C shows detail C indicated in Fig. 7B, Fig. 7D shows detail D indicated in Fig. 7E.

The laundry cart 117 comprises an upper portion 117A and a bottom portion 117B. The upper portion 117A comprises side walls 11701 predominantly formed by grid sections, bottom portion 117B comprises a door 11703 as an option also comprising a grid section. The upper portion 117A is formed as an open shaft, fillable with linen from above and reversibly openable and closable by the bottom portion 117B for unloading the linen from below. The laundry cart 117 is provided with wheels 11705 and optionally foldable levels 11707, also comprising grid portions, for supporting (folded) linen. The bottom portion 117B comprises the door 11703 movably connected to a frame 11709 via one or more hinges 11710, and it comprises a latch 11711 for unlocking a catch 11713 of the door 11703. The latch 11711 is resi I iently urged closed by a spring 11715 and/or other resilient element, and it may be actuated via a handle 11717. The hinge 11710 and the door 11703 are preferably positioned to reduce or prevent interference with unloading linen, e.g. by appropriately arranging (a centre of mass of) _the door 11703 relative to an axis of rotation of the hinge 11710. Also or alternatively the door 11703 may be held open by a connector and/or an actuator. In the shown embodiment the wheels 11705 are attached to the opening portion of the bottom portion 117B (here: the door 11703), but they may be attached to the frame 11709.

Figs. 8A-8D show an assembly of the laundry cart 117 of Figs. 6A-7E and an actuator 200 for opening and/or closing (the door 11710 of) the bottom portion 117B in a closed configuration (cf. Figs. 6A-7D). Fig. 9 shows the assembly in an open configuration (cf. Figs. 7A-7E). Figs. 8A and 8B are side views, Fig. 8C is a bottom view and Fig. 8D shows a detail of Fig. 8C as indicated.

The actuator 200 is mounted in the laundry unloading station 107 movable with respect to the laundry cart 117 for operable engagement of the laundry cart 117 (not shown). The shown actuator 200 comprises a first member 201 and a second member 203, movably connected to each other about a hinge 205, and a drive 207 for moving the first and second members 201 , 203, with respect to each other. The actuator 200 may support part of the laundry cart 117 in open and/or closed configuration. The drive 207 may be one or more of electric, hydraulic, pneumatic, and any other suitable type, and may comprise an articulated linkage 209-211 .

Best seen in Fig. 8D is that the second member 203 is optionally provided with an operating element 213 for operating (handle 11717 of) the latch 11711 and opening the door 11703. At least part of the operating element 213 may be remotely operable for manipulation of the handle 11717, e.g. using a drive 214 which may be pneumatic.

Figs. 8C-8D show that the actuator 200 may be arranged to accommodate and/or engage one or more portions of the laundry cart 117 for relative positioning of the actuator 200 and the laundry cart 117; here (the second member 203 of) the actuator 200 accommodates one or more wheels 11705. Note that (the second member 203) of the actuator 200 may be arranged differently with respect to the laundry cart 117 for operably engaging an openable bottom portion 11703 and/or a latch thereof without interference of wheels 11705.

Fig. 9 shows that the actuator 200 accommodates opening of the laundry cart 117 from below. The drive 207 may be operated for actively opening the door 11703 and/or controlling opening the door 11703 against sudden opening under the weight of the contents of the laundry cart, e.g. the actuator being operated to push back against the door 11703 being urged open by the contents. Preferably, the actuator 200 is formed such that it can reliably support a full rated load of a laundry cart 117 so as to prevent uncontrolled opening of the bottom portion 117B of the laundry cart 117.

The shown actuator 200 comprises an electromagnet 215 for magnetically engaging part of the door 11703 to control the door 1703 in an open position, e.g. for overcoming friction in a hinge 205 and/or pulling the door 11703 further than its freely- hanging position under gravity.

After emptying the laundry cart 117, (the drive 207 of) the actuator 200 may be operated to close the bottom portion 117B of the laundry cart 117 again, by closing the door 11703, which may comprise operating the latch 11711.

The disclosure is not restricted to the above-described embodiments which can be varied in a number of ways within the scope of the claims.

For instance, one or more of the first laundry cart station 103, the identification station 105, the laundry cart unloading station 107, the sorting station 109, the laundry cart cleaning station 111 , the second laundry cart station 113, and any buffer associated with the conveyor 125 may comprise a detector and recorder (not shown) tracking progress of the cart 117 along the conveyor 125 and/or through the laundry facility 100.

At least part of the conveyor 125 may be provided with and/or serve as a buffer for laundry carts 117 in or before one or more of the identification station 105, the unloading station 107, the cart washing station 111 , and the second laundry cart station 113.

Elements and aspects discussed for or in relation with a particular embodiment may be suitably combined with elements and aspects of other embodiments, unless explicitly stated otherwise.