Technical Field

The present invention relates to an apparatus arranged for facilitating donning of a garment on a part of a human body, to a method facilitating donning of a garment on a part of a human body, to a control unit implementing the method, and to a garment donning machine.

Background

In this document, the embodiments of the present invention are often described in relation to gloves, such as e.g. disposable and/or sterile gloves. However, the present invention is not limited to usage in connection with gloves. Instead, the present invention may be generally utilized for donning essentially any type of garment on essentially any body part, such as e.g. socks on feet, as is clear from the wording of the claims .

Disposable and/or sterile gloves are today used by per sons /employees in a number of different areas/professions, such as e.g. in the health care sector and in the food industry. Disposable and/or sterile gloves are typically worn to protect the hands of the user and/or to prevent spreading of bacteria and other agents. The garments may be sterile and/or disposable, and may include, but is not limited to, a polymer e.g. an elastomer, a plastic material, rubber and/or latex. Due to current stricter hygienic requirements, safety aspects, and virus spreading prevention, the use of disposable and/or sterile gloves has been rapidly increasing, and is likely to continue to increase in the future.

Summary

One disadvantage with using disposable and/or sterile gloves is that it may be difficult and time consuming to put them on, especially if the gloves are tight and/or the hands are damp. In addition, the risk of damaging a glove when it is being put on is high. These drawbacks may not be that severe for persons that only occasionally uses such gloves, e.g. for private use at home. However, many of the persons working with disposable and/or sterile gloves need to regularly change gloves. For example, a nurse typically puts on a new pair of gloves for each new patient, and a person working behind a deli counter puts on a new pair of gloves for each new customer. Hence, in certain situations and/or professions, a large number of glove changes are performed per day per person or employee. If each one of these glove changes is unnecessarily time consuming, there are over time major time losses and thereby costs associated with the changing of disposable and/or sterile gloves. Also, it may be stressful for the glove user to struggle with time consuming glove changes, especially if other people are waiting for the glove user to perform a task.

The use of disposable and/or sterile gloves in environments with strict hygienic requirements poses additional challenges related to contamination. When such gloves are put on manually, the user typically needs to touch the outside of the gloves with his fingers. Although care is exercised, it may be difficult to avoid touching areas of the glove which is later going to come in contact with e.g. a patient or food. Hence, there is a high risk that gloves are contaminated as they are being put on.

To avoid the above-described disadvantages related to donning/applying and changing disposable and/or sterile gloves, machines which automatically apply gloves on the hands of a user have been developed. These types of machines are hereafter referred to as glove donning machines. Typically, a conventional glove donning machine uses vacuum or suction to inflate the glove for allowing the hand of the user to be inserted into the glove at donning. One disadvantage with conventional vacuum or suction solutions is the noise produced by the vacuum pump. In addition, it has been difficult to control the suction power such that the glove can be opened properly for donning, without damaging the glove.

Other types of known glove donning machines rely on complex movement of mechanical parts and requires advanced mechanical structures which may be prone to malfunction.

Also, the conventional glove donning machines are often large in size. In many possible usage environments, there is simply not room for such a conventional glove donning machine. These technically complex machines are also often too expensive for smaller businesses to purchase. For example, a small deli might neither have the economy nor the space for a conventional glove donning machine.

Further, conventional glove donning machines have generally failed to provide a pleasant donning experience for the user, since the glove is not properly opened at donning and/or is not ready for donning exactly when the user expects it to be ready. The conventional glove donning machines thus suffer from both mechanical flaws and timing problems, which causes delays and annoyance for the user, and also results in damaged gloves .

Consequently, there is a need for an improved and more compact donning apparatus, which is smaller and less complex/expensive, and which facilitates easier and more reliable glove donning.

An objective of embodiments of the present invention is to provide a solution which mitigates or solves the drawbacks and problems of the conventional donning machines.

The above and further objectives are achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Further advantageous implementation forms of the present invention are defined by the dependent claims and other embodiments.

According to an aspect of the invention, the above mentioned and other objectives are achieved with an apparatus arranged for facilitating donning of a garment on a part of a human body; characterized by

— a garment storage, from which at least a cuff of a garment to be fetched is hanging out;

— a fetching mechanism arranged to:

— grip the cuff, in a fetching position;

— move from the fetching position to a handover position while holding on to the cuff, thereby pulling the garment further out from the garment storage, such that the garment partly still remains in the garment storage when the fetching mechanism reaches the handover position; and

— prepare the cuff for handover to an opening mechanism; and

— the opening mechanism arranged to:

— be inserted into the prepared cuff in a receiving position;

— move along a path track from the receiving position to a donning position while holding on to the cuff, thereby pulling the garment completely out of the garment storage; and

— open the cuff for facilitating donning of the garment.

An advantage with the apparatus is that an automated donning of the garment can be achieved which is both simple and fast. The fetching mechanism provides a reliable way of fetching the garment from the garment storage. By gripping the cuff of the garment and only partly extracting the garment, the position of the cuff can be controlled to allow for a reliable handover to the opening mechanism. The movements of the fetching mechanism and the opening mechanism are well defined and predictable, such that the risk for malfunction is reduced, and such that the donning can be performed safely and quickly. The apparatus can further be made both compact, non-expensive and robust .

According to an embodiment of the invention, the fetching mechanism and the opening mechanism are individually controlled to perform cooperated movements, respectively.

The cooperative movements provide a synchronised and efficient handover from the fetching mechanism to the opening mechanism. Hereby, a well-defined and smooth flow of garments from the garment storage to the donning position is provided, whereby the number of possible gloves donned per time unit can be increased .

According to an embodiment of the invention, during a fetching phase ;

- the opening mechanism is arranged to be in the donning position without holding a cuff of a garment if a previously fetched garment has already been donned; and

- the fetching mechanism is arranged to be in the fetching position and to hold on to the cuff in a closed configuration.

Hereby, the fetching mechanism is well positioned for quickly fetching the next garment and the opening mechanism is positioned to minimize the risk of interrupting the fetching mechanism during the fetching phase. A fast and smooth fetching can hence be provided such that the number of possible gloves donned per time unit can be increased.

According to an embodiment of the invention, during a handover phase ;

- the opening mechanism is arranged to be in the receiving position; and

- the fetching mechanism is arranged to be in the handover position; whereby

- the opening mechanism and the fetching mechanism, by cooperated movements, respectively, meet in the handover position and the receiving position, and the garment is handed over from the fetching mechanism to the opening mechanism.

An advantage with this embodiment is that the positions and movements of the opening mechanism and the fetching mechanism provide a fast and smooth handover of the garment from the fetching mechanism to the opening mechanism. Hereby, the number of possible gloves donned per time unit can be increased .

According to an embodiment of the invention, during a donning phase, wherein the cuff is held by the opening mechanism;

- the opening mechanism is arranged to be in the donning position and to prepare the cuff for donning; and

- the fetching mechanism is arranged to be in the fetching position in a closed configuration.

An advantage with this embodiment is that, during the donning phase, the cuff of the garment to be donned can be prepared at the same time as a new garment is prepared to be fetched. Hereby, well-defined and efficient movements are provided such that the number of possible garments donned per time unit can be increased.

According to an embodiment of the invention, further comprising a user detection arrangement arranged to detect if a user is within a predetermined distance of the apparatus.

By detecting that a user is close to or approaching the apparatus, the apparatus can automatically prepare for donning before and/or when the user reaches out to use the apparatus. Hereby, the donning time delay may be minimized and the user experience can be improved.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the opening mechanism in the donning position is arranged to further increase an opening of the cuff for donning if a user detection arrangement detects that a body part of a user is within a predetermined distance of the apparatus.

An advantage with this embodiment is that the cuff is prepared for donning before the body part of the user reaches the cuff . Hereby, the donning time delay may be minimized and the user experience can be improved. Furthermore, by increasing the opening of the cuff for donning first when a user is detected, damages to the cuff, such as e.g. deformation due to stretching over time, can be avoided.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the opening mechanism in the donning position is arranged to reduce an opening of the cuff if a user detection arrangement detects that no body part of a user is within a predetermined distance of the apparatus .

By decreasing the opening of the cuff when the apparatus is unused, i.e. when no user is detected, damages to the cuff such as e.g. deformation due to stretching over time can be avoided .

According to an embodiment of the invention, if a donning of the garment is completed;

- the opening mechanism is arranged to be closed and to move towards the receiving position; and

- the fetching mechanism is arranged to grip a cuff of another garment and to move towards the handover position. An advantage with this embodiment is that after donning a new garment is fetched and prepared for handover. Hereby, the number of possible garments donned per time unit can be increased .

According to an embodiment of the invention, when the opening mechanism and the fetching mechanism meet in the handover position and receiving position;

- the fetching mechanism is arranged to have prepared the cuff for handover;

- the opening mechanism is arranged to have been closed such that the opening mechanism can be inserted into the cuff .

An advantage with this embodiment is that the positions and cooperated movements of the opening mechanism and the fetching mechanism provide a fast and smooth handover of the garment from the fetching mechanism to the opening mechanism. Hereby, the number of possible garments donned per time unit can be increased .

According to an embodiment of the invention, the preparing of the cuff for handover from the fetching mechanism to the opening mechanism includes at least one in the group of :

- moving two gripping members of the fetching mechanism to an open configuration; and

- activating suction means of at least one of the two gripping members, of the fetching mechanism.

Hereby, the fetching mechanism can provide a simple and robust preparation of the cuff for handover, which facilitates insertion of the opening mechanism into the cuff of the garment. It should be noted that the preparation of the cuff for handover includes a fairly small opening of the cuff, which is smaller than the opening needed for donning of the garment. Thus, the fetching mechanism does not have to stretch the cuff much to perform this preparation.

According to an embodiment of the invention, during the handover to the opening mechanism;

— the opening mechanism is arranged to:

— enter into the cuff;

— open within the cuff such that the cuff is stretched and held on to; and

— the fetching mechanism is arranged to:

— release the cuff to the opening mechanism.

An advantage with this embodiment is that the coordinated movements of the opening mechanism and the fetching mechanism provide a fast and smooth handover of the garment from the fetching mechanism to the opening mechanism. Hereby, the number of possible garments donned per time unit can be increased. After the handover, the opening mechanism firmly holds on to the cuff and opens it further.

According to an embodiment of the invention, when the handover to the opening mechanism has been completed;

— the opening mechanism is arranged to:

— move away from the receiving position towards the donning position, thereby completely extracting the garment from the garment storage; and

— the fetching mechanism is arranged to:

— move away from the handover position towards the fetching position .

An advantage with this embodiment is that preparation for donning of one garment can be performed while preparation for fetching a new garment is initiated. Hereby, the delay time is reduced such that the number of possible garments donned per time unit can be increased. According to an embodiment of the invention, at donning of the garment ;

— the opening mechanism is arranged to:

— be positioned in the donning position; and

— open the cuff;

— the fetching mechanism is arranged to:

— be positioned in the fetching position; and

— gripping a cuff of another garment from the garment storage .

An advantage with this embodiment is that donning of the garment is facilitated at the same time as the fetching mechanism is getting ready to fetch a new garment. Hereby, the fetching and donning cycle time is reduced, such that the number of possible garments donned per time unit can be increased .

According to an embodiment of the invention, if the fetching mechanism is unable to prepare the cuff before the handover to the opening mechanism, the fetching mechanism is arranged to discard the garment.

An advantage with this embodiment is that if a failure occurs during the fetching, e.g. if a garment cannot be properly gripped or positioned, the garment may be disposed of such that a new garment can be fetched without any manual intervention needed. Hereby, the risk of malfunction, and thus of time consuming interruptions, of the donning process can be decreased .

According to an embodiment of the invention, if the garment is discarded, the apparatus is arranged to perform at least one in the group of : indicate to a user that an error has occurred; and - pause all movements of the fetching mechanism and the opening mechanism if a body part of a user is detected within a predetermined distance of the apparatus.

Hereby, the risk of injury can be decreased and the user experience can be improved.

According to an aspect of the invention, the above mentioned and other objectives are achieved with a method for facilitating donning of a garment on a part of a human body by use of an apparatus, the apparatus including:

- a garment storage, from which a cuff of a garment to be fetched is hanging out;

- a fetching mechanism; and

- an opening mechanism; the method including:

- controlling the fetching mechanism to:

— grip the cuff, in a fetching position;

— move from the fetching position to a handover position while holding on to the cuff, thereby pulling the garment further out of the garment storage, such that the garment partly still remains in the garment storage when the fetching mechanism reaches the handover position; and

— prepare the cuff for handover to an opening mechanism; and

- controlling the opening mechanism to:

— be inserted into the prepared cuff in a receiving position;

— move along a path track from the receiving position to a donning position while holding on to the cuff, thereby pulling the garment completely out of the garment storage; and

— open the cuff for facilitating donning of the garment.

The method may be adapted in accordance with the above- mentioned embodiments of the apparatus, and has corresponding advantages as mentioned above for the apparatus. According to an aspect of the present invention, a control unit is arranged for controlling an apparatus facilitating donning of a garment on a part of a human body to perform the herein described method.

The control unit may be adapted in accordance with the above- mentioned embodiments of the apparatus, and has corresponding advantages as mentioned above for the apparatus.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a garment donning machine comprising at least one apparatus according to a herein described embodiment is presented.

According to further aspects of the present invention, the herein described methods are implemented by use of computer program products comprising instructions which, when the programs are executed by a computer, such as e.g. a herein mentioned control unit, cause the computer to carry out the steps of the methods according to any one of the herein described embodiments.

According to further aspects of the present invention, the herein described methods are implemented by use of computer- readable storage media that, when executed by a computer, such as e.g. a herein mentioned control unit, cause the computer to carry out the steps of the methods according to any one of the herein described embodiments.

Further applications and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The appended drawings are intended to clarify and explain different embodiments of the present invention, in which: Fig. la shows a front view of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention in a fetching phase; Fig. lb shows a side view of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention in a fetching phase; Fig. 2a shows a front view of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention in a handover phase; Fig. 2b shows a side view of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention in a handover phase; Fig. 3a shows a front view of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention in a donning phase; Fig. 3b shows a side view of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention in a donning phase; Fig. 4 shows a side view of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention in a donning phase; Fig. 5 shows a side view of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention in a discard phase; Fig. 6 shows a flow chart for a method according to an embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 7 shows an example of a donning machine arranged for donning of two garments.

Detailed Description

It should be generally understood that the figures are simplified and schematical figures, in which only the features necessary for understanding the principles of the illustrated apparatuses, mechanisms, methods and control units are shown. Many features have been omitted in the various figures, in order to enhance intelligibility. Thus, the figures are not complete illustrations of the herein described apparatuses, mechanisms, methods and control units. For example, cabinets, and a number of exterior and interior features have often been omitted, in order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments.

Figs, la-b, 2a-b and 3a-b schematically illustrate front and side views of an apparatus 100 arranged for facilitating donning of a garment 120 on a part of a human body according to some embodiments of the present invention.

The apparatus 100 includes a garment storage 110, a fetching mechanism 200 and an opening mechanism 300, as herein explained .

Multiple garments 120 may be stored in the garment storage 110, and may be arranged such that the cuff 122 of the next garment 120 to be fetched is hanging out from an opening at a bottom of the garment storage 110. The garment storage 110 may be arranged such that, in use, the cuff 122 of the garment 120 is hanging out vertically due to gravity. The garments 120 may further be arranged/packed in the garment storage 110 such that the extraction of one garment 120 from the garment storage 110 causes the cuff 122 of a new/next garment 120 to be pulled out from the garment storage 110. Once a garment 120 has been f etched/extracted completely from the storage 110, the cuff 122 of the next garment 120 in line is thereby hanging out from the garment storage 110 and is ready to be subsequently fetched, while at least some part of the garment 120 is still within the garment storage 110.

Thus, during a fetching phase, at least a cuff 122 of a garment 120 to be fetched is hanging out from the garment storage 110, as illustrated in Figs. la-b.

When being in a fetching position Pfetching, the fetching mechanism 200 is arranged to grip the cuff 122 of such a garment 120 hanging out, e.g. by use of first 210 and second 220 gripping members, as shown in Figs, la-b, and to thereafter hold on to that cuff 122. When the cuff 122 of the garment 120 hangs out from the garment storage 110, e.g. vertically from an opening at a bottom of the garment storage 110, the cuff 122 of the garment 120 hangs freely in the air with no obstacles around the cuff 122 and the cuff 122 can hence easily be gripped by the fetching mechanism 200. According to an embodiment, the fetching mechanism 200 is here arranged to be in the fetching position Pfetching and to hold on to the cuff 122 in a closed configuration of the fetching mechanism 200. Meanwhile, the opening mechanism 300 is arranged to be in the donning position Pdonning and to, if a previously fetched garment 120 has not yet been donned, hold a cuff 122 of a previously fetched garment 120 in first 315a and second 315b waiting positions and/or in first 316a and second 316b opened positions (explained below) , or, if a previously fetched garment 120 has already been donned, to not hold any glove (as illustrated in Figs, la-b) .

The fetching mechanism 200 is further arranged to thereafter move from the fetching position Pfetching, in a direction away from the garment storage 110, towards a handover position Phandover while holding on to the cuff 122. With reference to e.g. the Figs, la-b, the fetching mechanism 200 may e.g. be arranged below the garment storage 110 and hence move in a downward, e.g. essentially vertical, direction when moving away from the garment storage 110, i.e. moving from the fetching position Pfetching towards the handover position Phandover .

In this document, when it is stated that the fetching mechanism 200 is in the fetching Pfetching and handover Phandover positions, respectively, this means that the first 210 and second 220 gripping members are in the fetching Pfetching position adjacent to the garment storage 110 and in the handover Phandover position further away from the garment storage 110, respectively, as they travel along a track or path 240. When the fetching mechanism 200 is in a closed configuration, this means that the first 210 and second 220 gripping members are closed, i.e. placed adjacent to each other (e.g. as shown in Fig. la) . Correspondingly, when the fetching mechanism 200 is in an open configuration, this means that the first 210 and second 220 gripping members are open, i.e. placed spread apart from each other (e.g. as shown in Fig. 2a) .

By this movement from the fetching position P fetching towards/to the handover position Phandover, while the first 210 and second 220 gripping members are still holding on to the garment 120, the garment 120 is being pulled further out from the garment storage 110. When the fetching mechanism 200 reaches the handover position Phandover, the garment 120, however, still partly remains in the garment storage 110. E.g. , for a glove donning apparatus, at least the tip of one or more of the glove fingers are still held on to by the garment storage 110 (as shown in Fig. 2b) . To prevent the garment 120 from being fully extracted from the garment storage 110 at this stage, the garment storage 110 may hold on to the part of the garment 120 remaining in the garment storage 110 e.g. using friction. The opening of the garment storage 110 through which the garment 120 hangs out may e.g. be arranged to provide an amount of friction which prevents the garment 120 from sliding out of the opening without being pulled. Also, the garments 120 may be packed/arranged in the garment storage 110 in such a way that an amount of friction is provided between the garment 120 currently being pulled out of the garment storage 110 and the garments 120 still being within the garment storage 110. Thus, due to the way the garments 120 are packed/arranged within the garment storage 110 and/or due to the opening of the garment storage 110, a certain pulling force is needed to pull the garment 120 completely out of the garment storage 110, where this pulling force is greater than the gravitational force acting on the garment 120. The garments 120 must in other words be pulled out of the garment storage 110 in order to completely leave the garment storage 110.

In the handover position Phandover, during the handover phase shown in Figs. 2a-b, the fetching mechanism 200 prepares the cuff 122 of the garment 120 for handover to an opening mechanism 300, including e.g. opening the cuff 122 slightly, by separating the first 210 and second 220 gripping members, such that the opening mechanism 300 may be inserted into the cuff 122, i.e. such that first 310a and 310b insertion members of the opening mechanism 300 may be inserted into the cuff 122. Thus, the cuff 122 may in the handover position Phandover be opened in relation to the form and size of the opening mechanism 300, e.g. of the first 310a and second 310b insertion members, such that insertion is facilitated.

The opening mechanism 300 is arranged to be inserted into the prepared cuff 122 in a receiving position Preceiving during the handover phase. This insertion is facilitated by the cuff preparation performed by the fetching mechanism 200. More in detail, when the opening mechanism 300 receives the cuff 122 in the receiving position Preceiving, the first 310a and second 310b insertion members of the opening mechanism 300 are arranged to be in first 314a and second 314b centered/closed positions, respectively, such that they may be easily inserted into the prepared cuff 122 (as shown in Fig. 2b) . After the garment 120 has been received, the first 310a and second 310b insertion members are moved apart such that the cuff 122 is held by the first 310a and second 310b insertion members.

The herein mentioned movements of the first 310a and second 310b insertion members may according to various embodiment be provided by rotation of first 312a and second 312b arms, and by rotation of third 312c and fourth 312d arms, respectively. These rotations may be cooperatively controlled and/or synchronized to achieve linear movement from the first 314a and second 314b centered positions, via the first 315a and second 315b waiting positions, to the first 316a and second 316b opened position 316a, and vice versa, respectively. The opening mechanism 300 is further arranged to move along a path track 410 from the receiving position Preceiving towards/to a donning position Pdonning, while still holding on to the cuff 122. By this movement and by holding on to the cuff 122, the garment 120 is being further pulled out of the garment storage 110, until the garment 120 is completely pulled out of the garment storage 110 when, or before, the opening mechanism reaches the donning position Pdonning, as shown in Fig. 3a-b.

During the donning phase shown in Figs. 3a-b, the cuff 122 is opened by the opening mechanism 300 for facilitating donning of the garment 120 when being in the donning position Pdonning . According to an embodiment, when the opening mechanism 300 facilitates donning in the donning position Pdonning, the first 310a and second 310b insertion members of the opening mechanism 300 are arranged to be moved apart to the first 315a and second 315b waiting positions, and further to the first 316a and second 316b opened positions, respectively, when a body part, e.g. a hand of a user is detected adjacent to the apparatus 100, or is detected inside the apparatus 100, as described below.

As illustrated in Figs. 3a-b, just before donning, during a donning phase, the cuff 122 is held by the opening mechanism 300 in the donning position Pdonning and is prepared for donning of the garment 120, which is fully extracted/pulled out from the garment storage 110. The first 310a and second 310b insertion members are here moved, possibly via the first 315a and second 315b waiting positions, to the first 316a and second 316b opened positions when an adjacent user is detected, whereby the cuff 122 is opened such that donning of the garment 120 on a body part is facilitated (also illustrated in Fig. 4) . Meanwhile, the fetching mechanism 200 is arranged to be in the fetching position Pfetching, and for gripping and holding a new garment 120 by the closed configuration of the fetching mechanism 200.

The movements of the first 310a and second 310b insertion members from their first 314a and second 314b centered/closed positions, that are adjacent to each other, via their first 315a and second 315b waiting positions, to their first 316a and second 316b opened positions, respectively, that are widely spread apart, may according to an embodiment be arranged to be coordinated. By these coordinated linear movements, the cuff 122 of the garment 120, in which the first 310a and second 310b insertion members have been inserted and spread apart, is opened to receive a body part of the user. For example, the cuff of a glove may hereby be opened to receive a hand, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

The movements of the first 310a and second 310b insertion members, respectively, may according to an embodiment be performed linearly, i.e. the first 310a and second 310b insertion members may be linearly moved, i.e. may follow essentially straight lines/directions, between the first 314a and second 314b centered positions and the first 316a and second 316b opened positions, respectively.

Further, according to an embodiment, the first 310a and second 310b insertion members are provided with first 332a and second 332b grooves (indicated in Fig. 3b) , respectively, arranged to receive a cuff edge 124 of the garment 120. The first 332a and second 332b grooves are then shaped to receive the cuff edge 124 of the garment, such that the garment 120 is safely and securely held/gripped by the first 310a and second 310b insertion members when they are spread/moved apart from each other. Thus, the first 332a and second 332b grooves are formed such that the cuff edge 124 fits into them, whereby the garment 120 is securely held in place on the first 310a and second 310b insertion members.

According to an embodiment, after a donning of the garment 120 has been completed, i.e. when the user already has the garment on a body part, e.g. a glove on a hand, and has moved the body part away from the apparatus, the opening mechanism 300 is arranged to be closed and to move towards the receiving position Preceiving again. Thus, the opening mechanism 300 returns back to the receiving position Preceiving to receive a subsequent garment 120 to be handed over by the fetching mechanism 200. Also, the fetching mechanism 200 is arranged to, after the donning, grip a cuff 122 of another garment 120 hanging out of the garment storage 110 and to thereafter move towards the handover position Phandover to hand the new garment 120 over to the opening mechanism 300.

In other words, when donning has been performed, the opening mechanism 300 and the fetching mechanism 200 move from their positions shown in Figs. 3a-b, respectively, to their positions shown in Figs. 2a-b, respectively. For every new garment to be fetched and donned, the opening mechanism 300 and the fetching mechanism 200 thus move back and forth between their positions shown in Figs. 2a-b and in Figs 3a-b, respectively, and are controlled to act as described in this document in, and in between, these positions.

When the opening mechanism 300 and the fetching mechanism 200 meet in the handover position Phandover and the receiving position Preceiving, respectively, as shown in Figs. 2a-b, the handover of a garment 120 from the fetching mechanism 200 to the opening mechanism 300 may take place. The fetching mechanism 200 is therefore arranged to then have prepared the cuff 122 for such a handover, e.g. by opening the cuff 122 enough to enable insertion of the opening mechanism 300, i.e. insertion of the first 310a and second 310b insertion members of the opening mechanism 300, into the cuff 122. Correspondingly, the opening mechanism 300 is arranged to have been closed, i.e. the first 310a and second 310b insertion members of the opening mechanism 300 have been controlled to be in their first 314a and second 314b centered/closed positions, such that the opening mechanism 300 can be inserted into the cuff 122, as shown in Figs. 2a-b. Hereby, the handover of the garment 120 from the fetching mechanism 200 to the opening mechanism 300 is facilitated.

According to an embodiment, when the fetching mechanism 200 prepares the cuff 122 for the handover from the fetching mechanism 200 to the opening mechanism 300, the cuff 122 may be opened enough by moving first 210 and second 220 gripping members of the fetching mechanism 200 apart towards/to an open configuration (shown in Fig. 2a) . The preparation may also include activation of suction means of at least one of the first 210 and second 220 gripping members of the fetching mechanism 200, such that one or more sides of the cuff 122 are sucked towards, and are thus held on to by one or more of, the first 210 and second 220 gripping members, respectively, by usage of under pressure or vacuum. Hereby, the cuff 122 is opened enough for insertion of the opening mechanism 300 at the handover, as explained above.

According to an embodiment, during the handover of the garment 120 from the fetching mechanism 200 to the opening mechanism 300, the opening mechanism 300 is arranged/controlled to enter into the cuff 122. After insertion into the cuff 122, the opening mechanism 300, i.e. the first 310a and second 310b insertion members, are spread apart by moving away from each other. The opening mechanism 300 is hereby opened within the cuff 122 such that cuff 122 is stretched and held on to by the opening mechanism 300. Correspondingly, the fetching mechanism 200 is arranged to release the cuff 122 to the opening mechanism 300 when the opening mechanism 300 holds on to the cuff 122. In other words, the responsibility of holding on to the garment 120 is hereby handed over from the fetching mechanism 200 to the opening mechanism 300. During the handover, the garment 120 is at least partially still also held by the garment storage 110, such that the garment is stretched between the garment storage 110 and the fetching 200 and/or opening 300 mechanisms.

When the handover of the garment 120 from the fetching mechanism 200 to the opening mechanism 300 has been completed, the opening mechanism 300 is, according to an embodiment, arranged to move away from the receiving position Preceding shown in Figs 2a-b towards/to the donning position Pdonning shown in Figs. 3a-b. As the opening mechanism 300 during this movement still holds on to the garment 120, the garment 120 is then completely extracted/pulled out from the garment storage 110, such that the garment 120 then is only held by the opening mechanism 300. The fetching mechanism 200 is arranged to, when the handover of the garment 120 has been completed, move away from the handover position Phandover towards/to the fetching position Pfetching, to start a new sequence of fetching, handing over, and donning of another garment 120.

At donning of the garment 120, as illustrated in Figs. 3a-b, the opening mechanism 300 is, according to an embodiment, arranged/controlled to be positioned in the donning position Pdonning. The opening mechanism is further arranged to elastically open the cuff 122 by moving the first 310a and second 310b insertion members further apart. To elastically opening the cuff 122 here means that the cuff 122 is stretched without being permanently deformed by the stretching, such that the cuff 122 would return to its original form and shape if released after the stretching. At the same time, the fetching mechanism 200 is arranged/controlled to be positioned in the fetching position Pfetching, wherein it grips a cuff 122 of another garment 120 from the garment storage 110 with its first 210 and second 220 gripping members.

Thus, when a donning of a previous garment 120 has been performed, the opening mechanism 300 and the fetching mechanism 200 move from their positions shown in Figs. 3a-b, respectively, to their positions shown in Figs. 2a-b, respectively. Hereby, the fetching mechanism 200 fetches a next subsequent garment 120 to be donned from the garment storage 110, brings this next garment 120 to the handover position Phandover, and prepares/opens the cuff 122 of the next garment 120 for the handover. At the same time, the opening mechanism 300 is closed and moved to the receiving position Preceiving such that the handover can be performed.

After the handover, the opening mechanism 300 and the fetching mechanism 200 move again from their positions shown in Figs. 2a-b, respectively, to their positions shown in Figs. 3a-b, respectively. Hereby, the fetching mechanism 200 moves to the fetching position Pfetching and changes initially to the open configuration, to facilitate fetching a further subsequent garment to be donned from the garment storage 110. At the same time, the opening mechanism 300 is moved to the donning position Pdonning and opens the cuff 122 such that donning of the garment 120 can be performed. As mentioned above, these sequences of the opening mechanism 300 and the fetching mechanism 200 are then repeated for each new garment 120 to be fetched and donned.

The first 210 and second 220 gripping members of the fetching mechanism 200 move between an initially opened and then closed configuration in the fetching position Pfetching, and an open configuration in the handover position Phandover . These movements of the first 210 and second 220 gripping members to and from each other may be performed when the fetching mechanism 200 is in the fetching position Pfetching or in the handover position Phandover, or when it travels between the fetching position Pfetching and the handover position Phandover .

Correspondingly, the opening mechanism 300, i.e. the first 310a and second 310b insertion members, move between their first 314a and second 314b centered positions in the receiving position Preceiving, their first 315a and second 315b waiting positions in the donning position Pdonning, and their first 316a and second 316b opened positions in the donning position Pdonning . These movements of first 310a and second 310b insertion members to and from each other may be performed when the opening mechanism 300 is in the receiving position Preceiving or in the donning position Pdonn ng, or when it travels between the receiving position Prece v ng and the donning position Pdonn ng .

According to an embodiment, the movements of the fetching mechanism 200 itself along the path or track 240, of the opening mechanism 300 along the path track 410, of the first 210 and second 220 gripping members of the fetching mechanism 200 to and from each other, and of the first 310a and second 310b insertion members of the opening mechanism 300 to and from each other, are individually controlled such that they perform cooperated movements, respectively.

For example, during a handover phase, the opening mechanism 300 is arranged to be in the receiving position Preceiving . At the same time, the fetching mechanism 200 is arranged to be in the handover position Phandover . By cooperated movements, the opening mechanism 300 and the fetching mechanism 200 meet in their respective adjacent handover Phandover and receiving Preceiving positions, whereby the garment 120 is handed over from the fetching mechanism 200 to the opening mechanism 300, as shown in Figs. 2a-b. The cooperated movements of the fetching mechanism 200 and the opening mechanism 300 make it possible to coordinate the timing of these movements such that the opening mechanism 300, at the handover, may be inserted into the cuff 122 just having been prepared by the fetching mechanism 200. Hereby, a well- defined and smooth flow of garments 120 from the garment storage 110 to the actual donning is provided.

According to an embodiment schematically illustrated in Fig. 4, the apparatus 100 further comprises a user detection arrangement 140, such as e.g. a camera, a movement, light and/or temperature sensor, or any other suitable sensor, arranged to detect if a user is present or not within a predetermined distance, being e.g. in the range of 5-15 cm, or being approximately 10 cm, from the apparatus 100.

According to an embodiment, the opening mechanism 300 is arranged to, in the donning position Pdonning, further increase an opening of the cuff 122, in order to facilitate donning, if a body part 160 of a user is detected by the user detection arrangement 140 within this predetermined distance of the apparatus 100. For example, the first 310a and second 310b insertion members of the opening mechanism 300 may be in their respective first 315a and second 315b waiting positions before the body part 160 is detected. Then, when the user/body part 160 has been detected, the first 310a and second 310b insertion members move further apart to their first 316a and second 316b opened positions, respectively, in which the cuff 122 is maximally stretched to make it easy for the user to insert the body part 160 into the cuff 122 and cuff edge 124. Thus, if a body part 160 is detected, it is assumed that donning is about to take place, wherefore the cuff 122 is maximally opened for facilitating the donning. Correspondingly, the opening mechanism 300 is in the donning position Pdonning arranged to slightly reduce the opening of the cuff 122 if it is detected by the user detection arrangement 140 that no body part 160 of a user is present within the predetermined distance of the apparatus 100, i.e. if it is detected/concluded that no donning is about to take place. The reduced opening of the cuff 122 may be achieved by moving the first 310a and 310b insertion members from the first 316a and second 316b opened positions to the first 315a and second 315b waiting positions, respectively.

According to an embodiment schematically shown in Fig. 5, the fetching mechanism 200 is arranged to discard the garment 120 if the fetching mechanism 200 is unable to prepare the cuff 122 in time for the handover to the opening mechanism 300. There may be a number of different reasons for why the garment is not properly prepared for the handover, such as e.g. if the garment is damaged, if it is stuck in the garment storage 110, or if the first 210 and second 220 gripping members are unable to properly fetch, grip, hold on to and/or open the cuff 122 of the garment 120.

If the garment 120 is to be discarded, the fetching mechanism 200 is moved to a discard position Pdiscard, in which the garment is released and falls into a waste/discard bin/cont ainer 250 or the like. The first 210 and second 220 gripping members may, according to an embodiment, be arranged to be tilted, e.g. tilted down from an essentially horizontal orientation, in the discard position Pdiscard, such that the gripping members easier lose their grip of the garment 120.

If the garment 120 is discarded, the apparatus 100 is, according to an embodiment, arranged to indicate to a user, via e.g. a screen, a lamp, a sound or any other type of indicator, that an error has occurred. Also, if a body part 160 of a user is detected within the predetermined distance of the apparatus 100, all movements of the fetching mechanism 200 and opening mechanism 300 are paused after such an error and/or discarding of the garment 120. The apparatus is thus paused if a garment 120 is discarded and a user still tries to perform a donning. The donning function of the apparatus may, however, be resumed, possibly after a predetermined time period, when the body part 160 has been moved away from the apparatus 100, such that a new garment 120 may be fetched, handed over and prepared for donning.

As herein described and illustrated, the fetching mechanism 200 is arranged movable on/along the path or track 240, between its fetching position Pfetching, its handover position Phandover, and its discard position Pdiscard . The path or track 240 is arranged elongated, and may be linear/straight, with the fetching position Pfetching at its first end closest /ad j acent to the garment storage 110, with the discard position Pdiscard at its opposite second end farthest away from the garment storage 110, and with its handover position Phandover therebetween. The handover position Phandover is arranged adjacent to the receiving position Preceiving of the opening mechanism 300 and its path 410.

Also, the opening mechanism 300 is movable along its path track 410 between the receiving position Preceiving and the donning position Pdonning. The path track 410 may be arranged in an L-shape with two legs having an angle, which could be a right angle (approximately 90°) , between them. The receiving position Preceiving is then arranged adjacent to the handover position Phandover of the fetching mechanism 200, in a first end of the path track 410, whereas the donning position Pdonning is arranged at the other opposite end of the path track 410, possibly directed towards a potential user of the apparatus 100. According to an aspect, shown in Fig. 6, a method 700 for facilitating donning of a garment 120 on a part of a human body by use of an apparatus 100 is presented. The apparatus 100 includes, as explained above, a garment storage 110, from which a cuff 122 of a garment 120 to be fetched is hanging out, a fetching mechanism 200, and an opening mechanism 300.

In a step 702 of the method, the fetching mechanism 200 is controlled to:

- grip the cuff 122, in a fetching position Pfetching,-

- move from the fetching position Pfetching to a handover position Phandover while still holding on to the cuff 120, thereby pulling/stretching the garment 120 further out of the garment storage 110, such that the garment 120 partly still remains in the garment storage 110 when the fetching mechanism 200 reaches the handover position Phandover,- and

- prepare the cuff 122 for handover to an opening mechanism 300.

In a step 704 of the method the opening mechanism 300 is controlled to:

- be inserted into the prepared cuff 122 in a receiving position P receiving, -

- move along a path track 410 from the receiving position Preceiving to a donning position Pdonning while holding on to the cuff 122, thereby pulling the garment 120 completely out of the garment storage 110; and

- open the cuff 122 for facilitating donning of the garment 120.

According to an aspect, a control unit 900, schematically illustrated in Fig. 4, is arranged/ conf igured/programmed to control the apparatus to perform the steps of the above described method. The method 700 and/or the control unit 900 may be arranged/ conf igured/programmed to control the parts of the apparatus 100, e.g. the fetching mechanism 200, the opening mechanism 300 and the user detection arrangement 140, to perform the herein described embodiments.

The control unit 900 may hence be arranged/ conf igured/programmed with instruction to control the fetching mechanism 200, the opening mechanism 300 and the user detection arrangement 140 to perform the steps of the of the herein described embodiments.

According to further aspects of the present invention, the herein described method and embodiments are implemented by use of computer program products comprising instructions which, when the programs are executed by a computer, such as e.g. an herein mentioned control unit, cause the computer to carry out the steps of the method and embodiments according to any one of the herein described embodiments.

According to further aspects of the present invention, the herein described method and embodiments are implemented by use of computer-readable storage media that, when executed by a computer, such as e.g. an above mentioned control unit, cause the computer to carry out the steps of the method and embodiments according to any one of the herein described embodiments .

Above, the apparatus 100, the method 700, and the control unit 900 have been described for donning of one garment on one body part. However, a donning machine 800 may include two or more such apparatuses 100, e.g. a first 100a and a second 100b apparatus arranged for facilitating donning of a garment 120 on a part of a human body, as illustrated schematically by Fig. 7. At least one of, and preferably each one of the two or more apparatuses 100a, 100b may then be arranged according to the herein described apparatus 100, method 700, and control unit 900, or their embodiments. For the donning machine 800 shown in Fig. 7, two garments may be donned, e.g. a pair of two gloves 120 may be donned on a pair of hands, respectively. These two donning sequences/actions/perf ormances may be cooperatively controlled to be coordinated and/or synchronized in timed. For example, the user could be able to essentially simultaneously insert both hands into the donning machine 800 for essentially simultaneous donning by the first 100a and second 100b apparatuses.

However, the first 100a and second 100b apparatuses could also be controlled/arranged for sequential donning, such that one body part/hand at a time is donned. For example, the user may here first insert one hand into the donning machine 800 and, thereafter insert the other hand for donning, such that the user can concentrate on donning of one hand at a time.

The first 100a and second 100b apparatuses are controlled to work/perform their steps in a coordinated and/or synchronized fashion by the herein described control methods and/or by one or more control units 900. There might be one control unit arranged for the control of both first 100a and second 100b apparatuses, or there might be a dedicated control unit for each of the first 100a and second 100b apparatuses, that may be mutually coordinated, or may be controlled, by at least one further control unit.

The herein described apparatus 100, method 700 and control unit 900 are not limited by the above-mentioned embodiments. The apparatus 100, method 700 and control unit 900 are instead limited by the independent claims.