Real-time hanger orientation detection for a rail-based garment conveyor

A hanger orientation detection system comprising:

• an attachment member coupled to a rail of a garment conveyor;
• a pivot arm coupled to the attachment member and pivotable between a no-contact pivot state and a contact pivot state:
• a sensor coupled to pivot arm and configured to determine:
• the pivot arm is positioned in the no-contact pivot state when hangers hanging in a correct orientation on the rail of the garment conveyor translate past the pivot arm without contacting the pivot arm, and
• the pivot arm is positioned in the contact pivot state when hangers hanging in an incorrect orientation on the rail of the garment conveyor translate past the pivot arm and contact the pivot arm;
• a notification system electrically coupled to the sensor and configured to transmit a notification to the garment conveyor when the sensor determines a hanger is in the incorrect position.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer program instructions for determining an orientation of a hanger on a rail of a garment conveyor, the computer program instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

• move the hanger along the rail by the garment conveyor past a pivotable detection arm coupled to the rail;
• monitor, with a control unit, a pivot state of the pivotable detection arm;
• receive, at the control unit, a signal indicating a sensed deflection of the pivotable detection arm when the pivot state of the pivotable detection arm changes;
• and
• responsive to sensing a change in the pivot state of the pivotable detection arm and using the control unit, output a signal indicating that the orientation of the hanger on the rail is in an incorrect orientation.