Autonomously dry-cleaning a garment within a kiosk

Abstract

One variation of a method for autonomously processing a garment within a kiosk includes: accessing a set of garment characteristics of the garment, the set of garment characteristics including a garment type and a fabric type; based on the set of garment characteristics, selecting a target processing temperature, a target processing humidity, and a set of steam-processing parameters including a steam nozzle path and a steam nozzle speed. This variation of the method also includes: heating air within the kiosk toward the target processing temperature; injecting steam into the kiosk to drive humidity within the chamber toward the target processing humidity; articulating a steam nozzle along the steam nozzle path at the steam nozzle speed to impinge a steam jet across an interior surface of the garment, tension local areas of the garment against the steam jet, and heat local areas of the garment above the transition temperature.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 selecting a target processing temperature for a garment arranged within a chamber of a kiosk;   selecting a target processing humidity for the garment;   selecting a set of steam-processing parameters for the garment; and   during a processing cycle:
 during a first time period:
 heating air within the chamber toward the target processing temperature; and 
 injecting steam into the chamber to drive a humidity within the chamber toward the target processing humidity; and 
 
 during a second time period:
 articulating a steam nozzle, arranged within the kiosk, according to the set of steam-processing parameters to:
 impinge a steam jet across an interior surface of the garment; and 
 tension local areas of the garment against the steam jet. 
 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 :
 further comprising detecting a fabric type, a garment type, and a garment dimension of the garment based on an image depicting the garment;   wherein selecting the target processing humidity comprises selecting the target processing humidity associated with the fabric type;   wherein selecting the target processing temperature comprises selecting the target processing temperature less than a transition temperature associated with the fabric type; and   wherein selecting the set of steam-processing parameters comprises selecting the set of steam-processing parameters based on the garment type and the garment dimension.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 :
 wherein selecting the target processing humidity comprises selecting the target processing humidity predicted to yield a target water saturation in the garment, the target water saturation based on a fabric type of the garment;   wherein injecting steam into the chamber comprises injecting steam into the chamber to drive a moisture content of the garment toward the target water saturation; and   further comprising, during a third time period succeeding the second time period, actuating a heated air dryer over a target drying duration to direct heated air toward the garment, the target drying duration proportional to the target water saturation.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 :
 wherein selecting the set of steam-processing parameters comprises selecting the set of steam-processing parameters comprising:
 a steam nozzle path; and 
 a steam nozzle speed; and 
   wherein articulating the steam nozzle according to the set of steam-processing parameters comprises:
 heating steam toward a nominal steam temperature; and 
 articulating the steam nozzle along the steam nozzle path at the steam nozzle speed to expel the steam jet, characterized by the nominal steam temperature, toward the interior surface of the garment. 
   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 :
 wherein selecting the set of steam-processing parameters comprises:
 based on a fabric type of the garment, selecting a steam nozzle speed, a steam temperature, and a steam flow rate predicted to yield an estimated energy of the steam jet, impinging on the interior surface of the garment, that approximates a target steam jet energy; and 
   wherein articulating the steam nozzle according to the set of steam-processing parameters comprises:
 articulating the steam nozzle at the steam nozzle speed to expel the steam jet, characterized by the steam flow rate and the steam temperature, toward the interior surface of the garment. 
   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, during the processing cycle:
 during a third time period succeeding the second time period:
 directing heated air toward the garment to drive a chamber temperature of the chamber toward a target drying temperature selected for the garment; and 
   during a fourth time period succeeding the third time period:
 directing cold air toward the garment to drive the chamber temperature toward a target setting temperature, less than the target drying temperature and selected for the garment, to set the garment in an unwrinkled state. 
   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 :
 further comprising:
 accessing an image captured by an optical sensor arranged in the kiosk; 
 detecting a set of features of the garment based on the image; and 
 identifying a garment type of the garment based on correspondence between the set of features and a garment template in a set of garment templates; and 
   wherein selecting the set of steam-processing parameters comprises selecting the set of steam-processing parameters based on the garment type of the garment.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 :
 wherein selecting the target processing humidity comprises:
 calculating the target processing humidity predicted to yield a target water saturation within the garment following application of the steam jet across the interior surface of the garment according to the set of steam-processing parameters; and 
   further comprising, during a third time period succeeding the second time period, directing heated air toward the garment over a target drying duration inversely proportional to the target water saturation.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 accessing an image captured by an optical sensor arranged in the kiosk;   detecting a perimeter of the garment in the image;   deriving a garment dimension of the garment based on the perimeter of the garment;   selecting a target pressure exerted by a shoulder bladder onto the garment based on the garment dimension; and   during the processing cycle:
 inflating the shoulder bladder to the target pressure to tension the garment proximal an arm orifice of the garment; and 
 in response to a pressure within the shoulder bladder exceeding a target pressure, deflating the shoulder bladder toward the target pressure. 
   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 selecting a target clip-attachment geometry for the garment, the target clip-attachment geometry representing placement of a set of retractable clips, located within the chamber, on the garment; and   serving the target clip-attachment geometry to a user.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 deriving a target tension for the set of retractable clips to tension the garment; and   in response to closure of a kiosk door, retracting the set of retractable clips according to the target tension to release wrinkles within the garment.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 selecting a cleaning liquid, from a set of cleaning liquids, for application on the garment during the processing cycle; and   during the processing cycle:
 expelling the cleaning liquid toward the garment. 
   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 :
 wherein selecting the target processing humidity comprises selecting the target processing humidity based on a set of garment characteristics of the garment; and   wherein selecting the set of steam-processing parameters comprises selecting the set of steam-processing parameters based on the set of garment characteristics.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, during the processing cycle:
 accessing an image captured by an optical sensor arranged in the kiosk;   detecting a wrinkle level of the garment based on features detected in the image; and   in response to the wrinkle level exceeding a threshold wrinkle level:
 triggering a set of retractable clips, arranged on the garment, to increase a tension within the garment to release wrinkles within the garment. 
   
     
     
         15 . A method comprising:
 selecting a target processing humidity for a garment arranged within a chamber of a kiosk;   selecting a target processing temperature for the garment;   selecting a target drying temperature for the garment;   selecting a target setting temperature, less than the target drying temperature, for the garment; and   during a processing cycle:
 during a first time period:
 heating air within the chamber toward the target processing temperature; and 
 injecting steam into the chamber to drive a humidity within the chamber toward the target processing humidity; 
 
 during a second time period, driving a chamber temperature of the chamber toward the target drying temperature; and 
 during a third time period, driving the chamber temperature toward the target setting temperature. 
   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 :
 wherein driving the chamber temperature toward the target drying temperature comprises heating air within the chamber to drive the chamber temperature toward the target drying temperature; and   wherein driving the chamber temperature toward the target setting temperature comprises injecting external air into the chamber to drive the chamber temperature toward the target setting temperature to set regions of the garment in an unwrinkled state.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 :
 further comprising accessing a fabric type, a garment type, and a garment dimension of the garment;   wherein selecting the target processing humidity comprises selecting the target processing humidity associated with the fabric type;   wherein selecting the target processing temperature comprises selecting the target processing temperature less than a transition temperature associated with the fabric type;   wherein selecting the target drying temperature comprises selecting the target drying temperature based on the fabric type; and   wherein selecting the target setting temperature comprises selecting the target setting temperature, less than the target drying temperature and the transition temperature, based on the fabric type.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 :
 wherein selecting the target processing humidity comprises selecting the target processing humidity configured to yield a first target water saturation of the garment, the first target water saturation based on a fabric type of the garment;   wherein selecting the target processing temperature comprises selecting the target processing temperature less than a first transition temperature associated with the fabric type saturated with moisture at the first target water saturation;   further comprising selecting a second target water saturation, less than the first target water saturation, of the garment;   wherein selecting the target setting temperature comprises selecting the target setting temperature less than a second transition temperature associated with the fabric type saturated with moisture at the second target water saturation;   wherein injecting steam into the chamber comprises injecting steam into the chamber to drive a moisture content of the garment toward the first target water saturation; comprises driving the chamber temperature toward the target drying temperature to drive the moisture content of the garment toward the second target water saturation; and   wherein driving the chamber temperature toward the target setting temperature comprises driving the chamber temperature toward the target setting temperature less than the second transition temperature.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 selecting a set of steam-processing parameters for the garment; and   during the processing cycle:
 articulating a steam nozzle according to the set of steam-processing parameters to:
 impinge a steam jet across an interior surface of the garment; and 
 tension local areas of the garment against the steam jet. 
 
   
     
     
         20 . A method comprising:
 for a garment arranged within a chamber of a kiosk, selecting:
 a target processing humidity; 
 a target processing temperature; 
 a target steam temperature; and 
 a target steaming duration; and 
   during a processing cycle:
 heating air within the chamber toward the target processing temperature; 
 injecting steam into the chamber to drive a humidity within the chamber toward the target processing humidity; and 
 expelling steam, at the target steam temperature, over the target steaming duration to:
 impinge a steam jet across an interior surface of the garment; and 
 tension local areas of the garment against the steam jet.