EP0111432A1 - Vorrichtung zur dynamischen Zwischenspeicherung flacher Gegenstände - Google Patents

Vorrichtung zur dynamischen Zwischenspeicherung flacher Gegenstände Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0111432A1
EP0111432A1 EP19830402281 EP83402281A EP0111432A1 EP 0111432 A1 EP0111432 A1 EP 0111432A1 EP 19830402281 EP19830402281 EP 19830402281 EP 83402281 A EP83402281 A EP 83402281A EP 0111432 A1 EP0111432 A1 EP 0111432A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
chain
carriages
objects
carriage
stacker
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP19830402281
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English (en)
French (fr)
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EP0111432B1 (de
Inventor
Michel Divoux
Bernard Constant
Marcel Ranchon
Louis Sabatier
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Generale D'automatisme Cga Hbs A Cie Ste
Original Assignee
Hotchkiss Brandt Sogeme HBS SA
Compagnie Generale dAutomatisme CGA HBS SA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Hotchkiss Brandt Sogeme HBS SA, Compagnie Generale dAutomatisme CGA HBS SA filed Critical Hotchkiss Brandt Sogeme HBS SA
Publication of EP0111432A1 publication Critical patent/EP0111432A1/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0111432B1 publication Critical patent/EP0111432B1/de
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H33/00—Forming counted batches in delivery pile or stream of articles
    • B65H33/16—Forming counted batches in delivery pile or stream of articles by depositing articles in batches on moving supports
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
    • B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
    • B07C1/00—Measures preceding sorting according to destination
    • B07C1/02—Forming articles into a stream; Arranging articles in a stream, e.g. spacing, orientating
    • B07C1/025—Devices for the temporary stacking of objects provided with a stacking and destacking device (interstack device)
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H31/00—Pile receivers
    • B65H31/04—Pile receivers with movable end support arranged to recede as pile accumulates
    • B65H31/06—Pile receivers with movable end support arranged to recede as pile accumulates the articles being piled on edge

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a device for the dynamic storage of flat objects, more particularly thin objects which can be, for example, letters (postal envelopes or others) or else checks for slips or similar documents.
  • This unstacking head in the example described, is of the pneumatic type and comprises a rotary extractor drum with an axis parallel to the surface of the objects and the perforated wall of which is depressed from a fixed chamber connected to a source of fluid under vacuum, so that the first of the flat objects brought into contact with this drum will come to be pressed against it by suction.
  • the drum is rotated along its axis. By its rotation it ensures the extraction of the aspirated object. Additional means are provided for retaining the object following that being extracted. Downstream of this drum a belt conveyor collects the extracted objects for their further processing. The operation is repetitive so as to ensure the removal of all the objects from a rack, the lockers being unstacked one after the other.
  • the object of the invention is to remedy the aforementioned drawbacks, as well as, in particular, to provide a high-capacity dynamic storage device by using a set of fixed stackers and destackers associated with a storage store carrying out the transport of objects in an original way.
  • the invention provides a device for dynamic storage of flat objects comprising a stacker for placing all the objects to be stored on edge, against each other, and in a storage magazine provided with successive lockers delimited by intermediate means, said means dividers being driven by drive means, and a destacker to take up the objects stored in the racks, characterized in that the destacker and stacker are fixed and in that the intermediate means are independent of the drive means and cooperate two by two with these by retractable locking means to each time form the front and rear of a said locker and to carry out the transport of a packet of corresponding objects along the store.
  • FIG. 1A there is a schematic diagram of the storage device of the invention.
  • a fixed stacking head or stacker 1 provides edge storage in a store 2 of flat objects 3.
  • the flat objects 3 are grouped in packs 4, by a set of intermediate means 5 and 6 and are supported by the bottom 7 of the shop.
  • the lockers thus formed are brought by a drive means 9 in contact with a destacking head 10 or destacker.
  • the operation of the dynamic storage device of the invention is as follows: when the flat objects arrive, which can be random, the stacker 1 stacks these objects in a stacking rack provided only with a front intermediate means 6.
  • the intermediate means 6 is said before because it will be at the front of the package during the transit of the latter in the storage store.
  • this can be determined for a certain number of objects to be stacked, for a certain thickness of the package to be produced, or for a certain waiting time after the last stacked object, a pair of rear 5 and front 6 intermediate means is brought to the rear of the package during stacking.
  • the rack 8 the thickness of which is variable for the reasons mentioned, therefore passes through the store and comes up against the packages awaiting unstacking and contained in the storage area of this store.
  • the storage area of the store is called an area where the packages can be stored pending unstacking.
  • an unstacker 10 takes the objects from the packages.
  • all the stored compartments advance simultaneously to the destacker 10 at the rate of the destacking.
  • the lockers being stored one behind the other, pairs of front intermediate means 6 and rear intermediate means 5 are reformed.
  • pairs of intermediate means arrive near the unstacking head 10, they are retracted to allow the removal of objects from the next package.
  • the device of the invention allows dynamic storage of the objects to be stored, and that moreover the stackers and destackers are fixed.
  • the speed of transit of the packets formed up to their stop on the last packets of the stock being higher than the speed of stacking or unstacking, the device of the invention does not cause a delay in the processing by the destacker 10 of the flat objects stacked by the stacker 1. It is notably this situation which would prevail if a fixed stacking head had been placed at the end of the installation of the art cited.
  • the storage magazine is only provided with two front intermediate means and two rear intermediate means, arranged alternately and running on a looped circuit 11.
  • the drive means have a single chain 17 extending all along the device and looping back on itself.
  • This chain comprises a lug 18 coming to bear on a retractable cleat 12 located at the foot of the rear intermediate means 5.
  • the rear intermediate means 5 thus comprise the retractable cleat 12 fixed to a carriage 15 which supports a set of thrust fingers 13.
  • the front intermediate means 6 comprise a carriage 16 supporting a set of retaining fingers 14.
  • the cleat 12, retractable may consist of a steel blade, of given flexibility, and coming to bear against the lug 18 chain.
  • the number of intermediate means will not be reduced to 4, but will be notably greater, the drive means being arranged differently.
  • These drive means appear in section in FIGS. 1B and 1C, presented directly above FIG. 1A.
  • FIG. 1B which is a top view, a distinction is made between the stacking drum 1 and the unstacking drum 10.
  • the pushing fingers 13 and the retaining fingers 14 the cross-section of which indicates that the rounded parts of these fingers are in contact with the objects contained in the lockers.
  • each chain is driven by a motor independent of the motor of the other chains.
  • Each chain comprises, as the case may be, one or a plurality of retractable lugs, represented by dashes across the chains in FIG. 1B and by small teeth in FIG. 1C.
  • these same five chains are also represented but in side view, that is to say, in a manner identical to the presentation of FIG. 1A.
  • An active area of these chains cooperates with the carriages of the intermediate means. This area is located in a plane, the bottom plane 7 of the store. To help with the representation, these chains have been arbitrarily presented at staggered levels. It should however be understood that the active upper part of the drawn chains can be in practice at the same level.
  • each carriage is provided with at least three tabs. These tabs are shown in FIG. 1B by small dots arranged in alignment with the fingers 13 or the fingers 14 of each carriage. These tabs are materialized by sticks in FIG. 1C.
  • the row 1 cleats denoted 12.1 cooperate depending on the position of the carriage in the store with the chain 20 or the chain 21.
  • the rank 2 cleats denoted 12.2 or 12.3 depending on whether they relate respectively to a front carriage or a rear carriage, cooperate respectively with the front transfer chain 22 or the rear transfer chain 23.
  • row 3 tabs denoted by 12.4 cooperate with the return chain 24.
  • this complex mechanism is as follows: when stacking objects in the crate in formation, the stacking chain 21 evolves at a speed controlled by the stacking rate by pushing by one of its retractable lugs 25 the stop 12.1 of the front trolley of the crate in formation.
  • the return chain 24, fitted with a retractable lug 26 pushes on the third row cleat 12.4 of the front carriage 16 of the pair of rear carriage - front carriage, waiting upstream of the stacker.
  • this chain places this torque downstream of the stacker.
  • Carriage front 16 thus installed plays the role of front carriage for a new locker, while the rear carriage which precedes it ensures the closure of the previous locker.
  • the first row tabs 12.1 of the front carriage 16 or rear 15 of the rack 8 retract the retractable lugs 29 of the unstacking chain 20. These retractable lugs return to their place by rising as soon as the cleats 12.1 have passed.
  • the last rack brought in is thus taken into account by the unstacking chain, the last raised lugs of which are now supported respectively on the first row cleats carriages front 16 or rear 15 of this rack.
  • the unstacking chain advances at the rate of unstacking and is controlled by this function.
  • front carriage 16 created by the piling up of racks in the stock arrives close to the unstacking head, at a distance for example equal to one tenth of the height of the objects to be stored, a mechanism which will be seen later allows the removal of the fingers.
  • Rear carriage couples - front carriage continues to be advanced by the unstacking chain.
  • the lug 26 of the return chain 24 can then grasp this pair of rear carriage - front carriage downstream of the destacker to recycle it in the direction of the stacker.
  • the movements of the chains are as follows: the stacking chain is controlled by the stacker, the unstacking chain which follows it is controlled by the destacker, the transfer chains have a sequential action in a back and forth movement has just been initialized by the constitution of a new locker, and the return chain after the installation of a pair of rear carriage - front carriage, downstream of the stacker, continues its movement causing the passage by its lug 26 every pairs of rear carriages - front carriages, which have passed the destacker.
  • the structure of this chain 24 is such that its active zone is located from upstream to downstream of the stacker, near the unstacking, and on the return path of the circuit 11 connecting the unstacker to the stacker.
  • this chain 24 interrupts its action as soon as any one of the pairs arrives on standby upstream of the stacker.
  • the test can, for example, be constituted by the passage of any of the tabs of one of the carriages of this couple on a pedal 33.2 disposed upstream of the stacker.
  • this return chain 24 then comes into place upstream of the stacker just behind the first pair of waiting carriages. This movement in the opposite direction is made possible by the retractable nature of the lug 26.
  • the movements of the various chain motors will be controlled by a logic control circuit 32 appearing in FIG. 2 and having two actions of different types.
  • the first of these actions is to determine the thickness of the packages to be created. We previously said that this thickness could be fixed in advance, in which case we know that it will be reached when the third row cleat of a front carriage passes over a pedal 33.1, see figure IB, in this case we are sure to always have packages of the same thickness. Both the front and rear carriages have third row catches, so it will of course be necessary to take information on two. If the thickness of a packet is to be determined by the number of plies, the predetermined positions (185) of a counter 30 linked to the stacker 1 indicate when the packet is finished.
  • the control logic circuit 32 takes account of all of these indications at the same time. It acts first on the return chain 24 so that it has downstream of the stacker a couple of rear carriage and front carriage to allow the constitution of a new package. After a delay time ⁇ having enabled this action to be carried out, it puts the motor of the transfer chain before 22 into service, then with a slight delay hr compared to the commissioning of this engine, it puts the engine into service of the rear transfer chain 23. This delay is intended to allow the lug 28 of the front transfer chain 22 waiting downstream of the stacker to cross the thickness of the package which has just been formed and even a little more than this thickness so as to cause a slight decompression of the package which has just been formed. The purpose of this operation is to make easier a complementary operation of jogging the packages against the jogging edge 19 during the transfer of the package.
  • the second operation which must be carried out by the control unit consists in continuously measuring the position of the rear of the stock in storage warehouse 2. This position measured by upstream of the unstacking head is a function, at a given moment, of the thickness of the packages which have been brought there since the commissioning of the machine, reduced by the distance traveled by the unstacking chain since this same instant. Knowing the bottom position of the stock, the control unit stops the movement of the front transfer chain 22 when it has estimated that the lug 28 of this chain has reached this position. The control unit then stops the movement of the rear transfer chain slightly later, so as to ensure that the packets of objects are recompressed. The compression state of the packets can then be equal to or different from that which existed when the packet was built. In a preferred manner in the invention, all of the chain drive motors will be stepping motors acting on the chains in such a way that knowledge of the position of the motor ipso facto results in knowledge of the position of the chain corresponding.
  • control logic knows the thickness of a pack by the number of steps taken by the motor of the stacking chain since the beginning of this pack.
  • the control unit knows the position of the rear of the stock before the new packet arrives, by adding the thicknesses of the packets which have been stored there minus the number of steps taken by the unstacking chain motor.
  • the control unit therefore knows the number of steps, in principle equal, that the motors of the front and rear transfer chains must take to ensure correct stockpiling.
  • FIG. 2 indicates that the positions of the chains 20 and 21 are taken into account by the control logic 32. The putting into service of these chains is linked to the operation of the stacker drum 1 or stacker 10 respectively.
  • the control unit must know the state of the empty carriages available upstream of the stacker. This information can be provided for example by passing a cleat of the carriages on a pedal correctly placed upstream of the stacker. For example, the passage of a cleat 12.3 of a rear carriage on a pedal 33.2 stops the operation of the chain motor 24. In this way, the chain 24 permanently maintains, upstream of the stacking head 1, a rear carriage - front carriage pair, available for creating a new package.
  • the removal of the front transfer chain has no effect on the operation of the dynamic storage device of the invention. It simply reduces the mechanical comfort thus obtained for carrying out the jogging operation.
  • the stacking chain can be eliminated, then instructs the stacker to be powerful enough to exert a push on the pack being built up to allow stacking of all the objects to be stacked.
  • the rear transfer chain and the return chain can be merged into a single operating chain identical to the chain 17 of the simplified variant seen above. In this case, the control logic is simplified and the unstacking chain allows regular unstacking of the objects contained in the packets.
  • Figures 3A, 3B, 3C show a first type of these intermediate means.
  • the intermediate means 6 which is shown comprises a carriage 16 and a set of retaining fingers 14.
  • the carriage 16 circulates on the circuit 11 materialized by the raceways 34, 35 and 36 which extend throughout the store and on which the carriage 16 is supported by means of rollers 37.
  • the arrangement of the paths 34, 35 and 36 made, for example, of heavy sheet metal, makes it possible to avoid the rolling of the carriage on itself during its evolution while along the store.
  • FIG. 3C showing a section in a plane A seen from above of the carriage 16, it is noted that the carriage has a length, measured in the direction of movement indicated by the arrow, of the order of three or four times the diameter of the rollers 37.
  • sets of rollers 37 are mounted both at the 'front and rear of this cart.
  • the carriage described in Figures 3 thus has 12 rollers.
  • the fingers 14 rising vertically above the carriage advantageously pass through slots made longitudinally in the bottom 7 of the magazine 2. They are linked to the carriage 16 by a vertical fork 38 held in a hole 39 formed in this carriage. Due to the thickness of this carriage, the fork 38 can neither tilt back and forth, nor to the sides. In order to avoid rotation on itself of the fork 38, a pivot 40 integral with the carriage is plugged into a hole 41 formed in the horizontal return 54 of the fork 38. All along the store the fork 38 rests by the 'Intermediate of a roller 42 on a raceway 43.
  • the roller 42 is brought into contact with the route 43 by means of a spring 44 bearing, on the one hand on the carriage 16, and on the other hand on a flange formed in the lower part of the fork 38.
  • this spring is a helical spring sleeved on the fork 38.
  • This pallet can consist of a set of two fingers oriented perpendicular to the fingers 13 and 14.
  • rollers 50, 51 and 52 inserted slightly projecting into the bottom 7 of the magazine 2, so that their generatrix is slightly above this bottom.
  • These rollers are arranged longitudinally in magazine 2 and are used for jogging. Indeed, animated with a movement in the figure in a counterclockwise direction, they have the effect of pushing the stored objects in the direction of the jogging edge 19.
  • the rollers 50, 51 and 52 are covered with a layer of rubber or any other material having comparable friction effects.
  • FIG. 3C shows that the carriage 16 shown is a front carriage. Indeed, for reasons of space, the structure of the carriages considered judiciously extends under the package they are driving. Thus, in this figure, the carriage moving in the direction of the arrow, it comes into contact with a rear carriage whose pushing fingers 13 are drawn in dashes. The semicircular sections of these fingers come exactly complement each other when they meet. This arrangement is made possible by an offset 53 of the fingers, this offset being perpendicular to the horizontal return 54 of the fork 38. The offset 53 of the carriages front has an orientation opposite to that of the rear carriages. When the hole 39 is in the middle of the length of the carriage 16, the length of this offset is equal to the half-length of the carriage. The length of the carriage is the dimension of the latter measured in the direction of longitudinal movement.
  • Figures 4A and 4B show another embodiment of the carriage.
  • the essential characteristic of this example resides in the fact that on the circuit 11 traversed by the charlots, the raceway taken by the front carriages is different from the raceway taken on the rear carriages.
  • the front carriages 16 take in the direction of the arrow the raceway 56 located on the left of the figure, while the rear carriages 15 take in the same direction the raceway 55 located on the right of the figure .
  • the raceways 55 and 56 supporting the carriages essentially each each have two solid raceways 57 and 58 extending in a plane parallel to the plane of the bottom 7 of the magazine.
  • the two raceways 57 and 58 of a raceway are connected to each other by a hoop 59 ensuring their joining.
  • the carriages are provided with a bracket 60 rising vertically above them and nesting exactly in the space reserved between the tracks 57 and 58 and the arch 59.
  • the ends of the horizontal branches of this bracket are provided with rollers or needle bearings 61.
  • These bearings 61 bear on the tracks 57 and 58 during the evolution of the carriage during the transfer of a package.
  • These needle bearings provide the lift for the carriage 16.
  • the central mast of the bracket 60 is located between two needle bearings 62 bearing on the vertical edges opposite tracks 55 and 57.
  • the bearings 61 and 62 are doubled in two sets located respectively at the front and at the rear of the carriage in question.
  • the purpose of the bearings 61 is to prevent the carriage from swaying or undergoing a rolling movement
  • the purpose of the bearings 62 is to prevent the carriage from advancing in crab with respect to their direction of advance in the magazine 2. Indeed, their bearing clearance inside the space contained in the raceways 55 or 56 is minimized.
  • the carriages 15 and 16 thus circulating on raceways 55 and 56 respectively located side by side, are each provided with beams, respectively 63 and 66 horizontal extending over a part of the channel which separates these paths. They are used for fixing hollow posts 64, 65 and 67, 68 respectively. These hollow posts are oriented perpendicular to the bottom 7 of the store. The holes which pass through these posts according to their height are intended to serve as a slide respectively for the fingers 13 or 14 of the aforementioned carriages.
  • the profile noted in a plane parallel to the plane of the support 7 of these beams 63 and 66 and of the posts 64, 65 and 67, 68 indicate that by a nesting effect the plane of the fingers 14 will be the same as the plane of the fingers 13 ( Figure 4B). In this way, the interval separating two compartments placed side by side in the storage queue will be equal only to the diameter of these fingers 13 or 14.
  • These toothed wheels are such that by a ratchet device they can only rotate freely in one direction relative to their axis, the other direction of rotation being prohibited.
  • the chains 20, 21, 22 and 23 provided with retractable lugs will be replaced by notched chains or toothed belts.
  • These toothed chains cooperate with the corresponding toothed wheels in accordance with the preceding description.
  • the "freewheeling" movement of these toothed wheels is indicated by assuming that the carriages move away from the observer looking at FIG. 4A.
  • the toothed wheels 68.1 roll on the double notched chain 20 for unstacking. Consequently, the top of this wheel moves away from the observer while the rolling center is fixed.
  • This arrangement is materialized by a cross contained in a circle symbolically representing the empennage of an arrow which moves away from the observer. It is likewise shown that under the effect of the return of the transfer chains 22 and 23, the toothed wheels 68.2, 68.3 have a degree of freedom in the same direction as the toothed wheels 68.1.
  • the return chain 24 is also replaced by a toothed belt.
  • the position of this toothed belt is such that it comes, for example, to cooperate with the toothed wheel 68.2 of the front carriage 16. In doing so, it pushes a couple of rear carriage - front carriage during the operations of fitting a new couple of carriage during stacking or when recycling a couple of carriages after unstacking.
  • the fingers 14 and 13 sliding respectively in the holes 67, 68 or 64, 65 are provided at their base with shoes 70 or 69 respectively.
  • These shoes advantageously slide in a raceway 71 hollowed out by two bowls 72 and 73.
  • the upper edges of these bowls are curved towards the inside of these bowls so as to form shoulders 74.
  • These shoulders 74 by pressing on the shoes 69 or 70 have the effect of holding the latter at the bottom of the cups 72 or 73.
  • the raceway 71 undergoes a setback relative to the plane of the bottom 7 of the magazine.
  • the amplitude of this setback is slightly greater than the apparent height of the fingers 13 or 14 above the bottom 7. Due to the presence of shoulders 74 during the advance of the carriage 15, or of the carriage 16, these shoulders press on the shoes 69 or 70 and thus cause the fingers to descend.
  • the off-hook position of the raceway 71 appears drawn in dashes in FIG. 4A.
  • FIG. 5 another embodiment of the retractable fingers.
  • the carriage shown in this figure is identical to the carriage in Figure 3A.
  • the fingers are in the general shape of a scythe comprising a handle 75 rising with a certain inclination of the carriage 15 towards the bottom 7 of the magazine, and two flat pallets 76 and 77 forming circular crown segments, the center coincides with the articulation point O of the handle 75.
  • the two pallets 76 and 77 penetrate inside the magazine by two slots respectively 78 and 79 made longitudinally in the jogging edge 19.
  • the carriage moves the objects placed on the support 7 against the jogging edge 19 are thus pushed in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the figure by the pallets 76 and 77.
  • Figure 6 shows in section the preferred embodiment of the carts of the invention.
  • the intermediate means in this case comprise, as in the case of FIG. 5, fingers composed of pallets 76 and 77 passing through slots 78 and 79 made in the bank 19 and connected to a handle.
  • the handle has the appearance of two vertical segments 80 and 81 linked together by a horizontal part 82.
  • the carriage proper has the appearance of a rectangular parallelepiped of approximately square section. As in the previous examples, a set of pins rising perpendicular to the faces of this rectangular parallelepiped are crimped inside rollers or needle bearings 83 or 84.
  • the raceway of this carriage thus formed has a complex shape.
  • This form consists of two horizontal parts 86 and 87 which are parallel and facing one another, in which is practiced, each time, a pair of grooves 88 and 89 serving as longitudinal housing for the rollers 83.
  • the two horizontal parts. 87 and 86 are connected on one side by a vertical part 90, perpendicular to the latter and in which is formed a groove 91 serving as a housing for the bearings 84.
  • a vertical part 92 Opposite the part 90, with respect to the parallelepiped carriage is fixed a vertical part 92, in connection with the horizontal part 87, but not in connection with the horizontal part 86.
  • this vertical part 92 is made a groove 93 to serve as a housing for a needle bearing located opposite bearing screw 84.
  • the guide rail thus formed for the raceway of the parallelepiped carriage has a longitudinal clearance 94 allowing the permanent attachment of the vertical segment 81 on the parallelepiped carriage.
  • This parallelepiped carriage measured in the direction of its displacement, as indicated during the presentation of FIG. 3C, two sets of rollers 83, 84 will be arranged, so as to prevent the pitching, rolling and pivoting of the carriage.
  • the carriage is therefore provided in this case with 8 rollers.
  • the guide rail described ends slightly upstream of the unstacking head, on a barrel 95 formed by a disc 96 on which are fixed perpendicularly several identical elements 97 of the same section as the guide rail.
  • the length of these elements 97 fixed perpendicularly to the disc is sufficient. It is slightly larger than twice the length of one of the parallelepipedic carts. If the carriages can nest into each other, like beams 63 and 66, this length is less than twice the length of one of the carriages.
  • the number of these guide rail elements in the example presented is 4, it can of course be different.
  • the operation of the barrel is as follows. When a pair of rear carriage and front carriage thus arrives close to the destacker, it engages in an element 97 of guide rail secured to the barrel extending the raceway.
  • a limit switch type detector or the control logic causes, through a motor not shown, the rotation of the barrel 95. This rotation is by a predetermined angle so that a new empty element of guide rail is placed in the extension of the raceway 86 to 94, in the example this angle is 90 °.
  • the couple of turned carriages is located opposite a return raceway allowing the recycling of the carriages towards the stacker.
  • the rollers 83 and 84 have been reversed, it is now the rollers 83 which provide the lift for the carriages.
  • the pallets 76 and 77 have been retracted from their position by rotation around its center O of the disc 96 and that thus they no longer interfere with the unstacking operation of the objects of the following package.
  • the carriage which has just been turned over being taken up by the return chain 24, it is possible to produce a barrel 95 comprising only one element 97 of the guide rail. After the removal of the couple of returned carriages, this barrel restores position opposite the raceway.
  • the radius of rotation of the barrel is very large, the movement which it imposes on the carriage becomes a translation. In this case the pallets 76 and 77 are straight.
  • the drive means of the preferred variant of the invention comprise, as in the case of FIG. 1C, a set of five chains.
  • Figure 6 being drawn in section shows a couple of carriages near the unstacking head.
  • a lug 29 of the unstacking chain 20 is supported on a first row cleat 12.1 of the carriage shown to force it to move in the direction of the observer looking at the figure. It is observed that the front transfer chains 22 and rear transfer 23 respectively opposite the second row cleats 12.2 and 12.3 do not cooperate at this time with these cleats since they are then waiting at the stacking head, their lugs 28 and 27 are not visible.
  • the action of the return chain 24 is to push a couple of front and rear carriages which have just been turned over by pressing its lug 26 on the cleat 12.2, in this case playing the role of third row cleat 12.4 seen previously. It would have been possible, however, to create, if the space requirements required, a third row cleat 12.4 specifically installed to cooperate with the return chain 24.
  • This return chain 24 causes movement of the carriages in a parallel direction but opposite to those of the other four chains although the axis of rotation of the drive motors of this chain are in a plane parallel to the bottom 7 while the axes of rotation of the motors driving the other chains are perpendicular to this bottom 7.
  • the barrel described being located near the unstacking head the invention provides for installing a barrel of the same type upstream of the active generator of the stacking head.
  • the sequence undergone by the pairs of rear carriage - front carriage, is the same in opposite direction to that which has just been described.
  • Near the stacker 1 the chain.
  • unstacking 20 is replaced by the stacking chain 21 cooperating in any case with the first stopper rank 12.1.
  • the stacking barrel will be placed judiciously so that the pallets 76 and 77 are placed respectively above and below the active part of the stacking drum 1, but slightly behind the generator of this drum in contact with the package being stacked.
  • FIGS. 7A and 7B show the flow diagram of the transfer function governed by the control logic 32.
  • the case presented is the preferred case of the invention, it relates to the case where there are barrels and where the return of the carriages is organized on a so-called rectangular circuit. In this circuit, the carriages undergo backward and reverse movements as opposed to the carousel circuit where the carriages go back and forth, always going in the same direction.
  • the flow diagram of FIG. 7A relates to the stacking phase.
  • the two tests present at the start of this flowchart are carried out cyclically by the control unit.
  • the state of the active or non-active stacking drum and the thickness of the package of objects being formed If the drum is active and if the thickness of the package is between a predetermined minimum length and a maximum length (for example 75mm and 150mm), the package in formation must be closed by introducing a rear intermediate means and to start a new locker by introducing a front interlayer. This is achieved by rotating the stacking barrel one notch.
  • the control of the rotation of the barrel will be carried out in a preferred manner according to a law of movement ensuring a correct meeting between the retaining fingers and the letters reaching the stacker.
  • the initialization of this command is provided by a sensor detecting the passage of the rear edge of the last fold to be stacked.
  • the introduction of the new fingers is carried out with a calculated and constant advance in time relative to the arrival of the next object.
  • the commissioning of the front transfer chain will take place a determined time before the commissioning of the rear transfer chain. This time will be determined experimentally.
  • the delay governing the start of the rear transfer chain relative to the front transfer chain may depend on the thickness of the packet produced and the logical possibilities of the control logic.
  • the transfer chains can be stopped by a contact of the limit switch type.
  • This limit switch may, for example, include a pedal, installed on the front transfer chain, and abutting in a suitable place on the structure of a rear transfer carriage when these two carriages meet in the store. of storage. This pedal constituting a contactor usefully establishes contact between two flexible wires which also leads to the control unit.
  • This limit switch contact can also be obtained by a device for measuring the overvoltage at the terminals of the drive motors of the front transfer chains and of the rear transfer chains when the rack transported against the existing stock stops. Indeed, the variations in the current voltage characteristics of these motors can be exploited in this way.
  • the order developed at this time by the control logic causes the return of the transfer chains upstream of the stacking head.
  • FIG. 7B represents the flow diagram of the unstacking operation.
  • the unstacking drum When the unstacking drum is active, when a pair of rear carriage and front carriage enters this barrel and when, finally, there is no pair of front carriage and rear carriage, in the low position of the barrel, on standby recycling, a stop of given duration of the store advance is then carried out. This period is used to inhibit the magazine advance during the period of release of the fingers of the carriages. It is initialized by the control of the barrel rotation cylinder. Then the unstacking is resumed while also the return chain 24 takes care of the pair of carriages thus placed on the return track to direct it towards the stacker.
  • the position sensors necessary for the operation of the device of the invention are of a type known to those skilled in the art and may in particular include photoelectric cells.
  • the initiation of the unstacking procedure will only be ensured when a cell controlling the advance of the magazine is concealed, rotation of the stacking barrel is only permitted when a cell has verified the presence effective torque of carriage in the barrel.
  • the control logic is finally controlled by a clock whose frequency is greater than the rhythm of the stacker or destacker.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Warehouses Or Storage Devices (AREA)
  • Pile Receivers (AREA)
  • Sorting Of Articles (AREA)
  • Forming Counted Batches (AREA)
  • Pusher Or Impeller Conveyors (AREA)
  • Feeding Of Articles By Means Other Than Belts Or Rollers (AREA)
EP19830402281 1982-12-03 1983-11-25 Vorrichtung zur dynamischen Zwischenspeicherung flacher Gegenstände Expired EP0111432B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR8220306 1982-12-03
FR8220306A FR2537101B1 (fr) 1982-12-03 1982-12-03 Dispositif de stockage dynamique d'objets plats

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0111432A1 true EP0111432A1 (de) 1984-06-20
EP0111432B1 EP0111432B1 (de) 1988-01-27

Family

ID=9279774

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19830402281 Expired EP0111432B1 (de) 1982-12-03 1983-11-25 Vorrichtung zur dynamischen Zwischenspeicherung flacher Gegenstände

Country Status (6)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0111432B1 (de)
JP (1) JPS59114259A (de)
AU (1) AU566728B2 (de)
CA (1) CA1214187A (de)
DE (1) DE3375462D1 (de)
FR (1) FR2537101B1 (de)

Cited By (12)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0224939A1 (de) * 1985-12-06 1987-06-10 Nec Corporation Apparat zum Ausrichten und Entstapeln von flachen Gegenständen
US4911601A (en) * 1987-09-28 1990-03-27 Jujo Paper Co. Ltd. Device for moving and supporting a stack of folded cartons in carton automatic feeding device for a liquid filling machine
US4921088A (en) * 1987-01-26 1990-05-01 Thomassen & Drijver-Verblifa N.V. Device for forming a batch consisting of a predetermined number of discs
FR2647425A1 (fr) * 1989-05-25 1990-11-30 Mainnette Jean Marc Dispositif de stockage temporaire pour objets plats, notamment pour enveloppes de courrier
US5097959A (en) * 1990-03-27 1992-03-24 Westinghouse Electric Corp. Multiple pass document sorting machine utilizing automatic sweeping and multiple recirculation trays
US5097960A (en) * 1990-03-23 1992-03-24 Westinghouse Electric Corp. Multiple pass document sorting machine utilizing automatic sweeping
EP0623542A1 (de) * 1993-05-07 1994-11-09 Grapha-Holding Ag Einrichtung zur Bildung eines sich senkrecht zu den stehend aneinandergereihten Druckbogen erstreckenden Stapels
US5393196A (en) * 1991-05-28 1995-02-28 Winkler & Duennebier Maschinenfabrik Und Eisengiesserei Kg Method and apparatus for stacking of envelopes or the like
FR2720730A1 (fr) * 1994-06-02 1995-12-08 Buehler Optima Maschf Dispositif pour former des piles.
EP0696482A3 (de) * 1994-08-12 1996-05-01 Finmeccanica Spa Postsortiervorrichtung
US5873693A (en) * 1995-07-06 1999-02-23 Jomet Oy Packaging apparatus for article goods fed in stacks
WO2002014195A1 (de) * 2000-08-17 2002-02-21 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Vorrichtung zum unterteilen von stapeln

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB8417249D0 (en) * 1984-07-06 1984-08-08 Redland Roof Tiles Ltd Collation assemblies
FR2984772B1 (fr) * 2011-12-22 2014-02-14 Solystic Dispositif et procede d'empilage et de chargement automatique d'objets plats sur chant dans un bac multi-compartiments, machine de tri postal et procede de tri postal
DE102021109361A1 (de) * 2021-04-14 2022-10-20 Sig Technology Ag Vorrichtung und Verfahren zum Gruppieren von Packungsmänteln

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE1254086B (de) * 1966-08-29 1967-11-09 Siemens Ag Einrichtung zum horizontalen Speichern flacher, hochkant gefoerderter Gegenstaende, wie Briefe, Karten u. dgl.
DE1265762B (de) * 1966-08-30 1968-04-11 Siemens Ag Einrichtung zum Speichern flacher, hochkant gefoerderter Gegenstaende, wie Briefe, Karten u. dgl.
US3866905A (en) * 1972-10-04 1975-02-18 Bretting C G Mfg Co Inc Separator and transfer device for paper napkins, towels and the like
GB1461107A (en) * 1973-08-17 1977-01-13 Ibm Mail stacking apparatus
FR2382387A1 (fr) * 1977-03-01 1978-09-29 Hotchkiss Brandt Sogeme Procede et installation pour la mise en ordre d'ensembles d'objets en piles ou en rangees

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE1254086B (de) * 1966-08-29 1967-11-09 Siemens Ag Einrichtung zum horizontalen Speichern flacher, hochkant gefoerderter Gegenstaende, wie Briefe, Karten u. dgl.
DE1265762B (de) * 1966-08-30 1968-04-11 Siemens Ag Einrichtung zum Speichern flacher, hochkant gefoerderter Gegenstaende, wie Briefe, Karten u. dgl.
US3866905A (en) * 1972-10-04 1975-02-18 Bretting C G Mfg Co Inc Separator and transfer device for paper napkins, towels and the like
GB1461107A (en) * 1973-08-17 1977-01-13 Ibm Mail stacking apparatus
FR2382387A1 (fr) * 1977-03-01 1978-09-29 Hotchkiss Brandt Sogeme Procede et installation pour la mise en ordre d'ensembles d'objets en piles ou en rangees

Cited By (14)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0224939A1 (de) * 1985-12-06 1987-06-10 Nec Corporation Apparat zum Ausrichten und Entstapeln von flachen Gegenständen
US4921088A (en) * 1987-01-26 1990-05-01 Thomassen & Drijver-Verblifa N.V. Device for forming a batch consisting of a predetermined number of discs
US4911601A (en) * 1987-09-28 1990-03-27 Jujo Paper Co. Ltd. Device for moving and supporting a stack of folded cartons in carton automatic feeding device for a liquid filling machine
FR2647425A1 (fr) * 1989-05-25 1990-11-30 Mainnette Jean Marc Dispositif de stockage temporaire pour objets plats, notamment pour enveloppes de courrier
US5097960A (en) * 1990-03-23 1992-03-24 Westinghouse Electric Corp. Multiple pass document sorting machine utilizing automatic sweeping
US5097959A (en) * 1990-03-27 1992-03-24 Westinghouse Electric Corp. Multiple pass document sorting machine utilizing automatic sweeping and multiple recirculation trays
US5393196A (en) * 1991-05-28 1995-02-28 Winkler & Duennebier Maschinenfabrik Und Eisengiesserei Kg Method and apparatus for stacking of envelopes or the like
EP0623542A1 (de) * 1993-05-07 1994-11-09 Grapha-Holding Ag Einrichtung zur Bildung eines sich senkrecht zu den stehend aneinandergereihten Druckbogen erstreckenden Stapels
US5515667A (en) * 1993-05-07 1996-05-14 Grapha-Holding Ag Device for forming a stack extending perpendicular to the standing, sequential printed sheets
FR2720730A1 (fr) * 1994-06-02 1995-12-08 Buehler Optima Maschf Dispositif pour former des piles.
EP0696482A3 (de) * 1994-08-12 1996-05-01 Finmeccanica Spa Postsortiervorrichtung
US5657982A (en) * 1994-08-12 1997-08-19 Finmeccanica, S.P.A. Mail sorting device
US5873693A (en) * 1995-07-06 1999-02-23 Jomet Oy Packaging apparatus for article goods fed in stacks
WO2002014195A1 (de) * 2000-08-17 2002-02-21 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Vorrichtung zum unterteilen von stapeln

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR2537101B1 (fr) 1986-12-12
AU2189383A (en) 1985-06-06
FR2537101A1 (fr) 1984-06-08
EP0111432B1 (de) 1988-01-27
AU566728B2 (en) 1987-10-29
CA1214187A (en) 1986-11-18
DE3375462D1 (en) 1988-03-03
JPS59114259A (ja) 1984-07-02

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