CH646110A5 - Machine for treating and manipulating weighty articles, such as large-size cheeses - Google Patents

Description

The subject of the invention is a machine making it possible to process and manipulate heavy articles, in particular large cheeses.

Frequently encountered in practice handling problems which arise, for example, when it is necessary to handle heavy objects stored on supports. This is the case for large cheeses which are placed on shelves. The cheeses must be handled to undergo additional treatments, necessary for their ripening. The problem becomes more complicated when the manipulations are carried out in a cellar where the available volume is low and where it is necessary to take into account the arrangement of the cheeses on the shelves.

We have already tried to solve the problem of handling heavy items, such as large cheeses, by proposing very elaborate devices but whose complexity makes it impossible to use in current cellars, given the small volume available. Thus, the devices currently proposed require modifications to existing cellars or the construction of new specially adapted cellars.

As a document illustrating the prior art, mention may be made of Swiss Patent No. 396507 which relates to a device for handling cheeses in the cellar. It includes a mobile gripping assembly, adjustable in height, relative to a vertical frame, which can be transported in the cellar. A sort of fork or platform cooperates with the cheeses which overflow the storage trays. The platform can move with the work surface so that the manipulator is in the correct position, when the working height is reached. As the platform advances, it slides under the cheese and the front roller, by turning, drives the rear roller, which is engaged with the cheese. This is then raised. When the platform is pulled, the front roller, which is pivotally mounted, disappears and rolls, in turn entraining the cheese with which it is in contact. The gripping system of Swiss patent N ° 396507 therefore essentially comprises two rollers placed at the ends of the forks. However, the rollers are only partially responsible for the movement of the cheese. The fork extends deep under the cheese, and patent No. 396507 provides that the cheese rolls on the fork, without slipping, when the fork penetrates under the cheese. The description of patent No. 396507 is very self-explanatory; the roller system is arranged and formed under the cheese. The description of patent No. 396507 is very self-explanatory; the roller system is arranged and constructed in such a way that it prevents the cheese from slipping. It acts essentially to allow good engagement of the fork under the cheese, so that it does not escape when the fork slides underneath. The two front and rear rollers rest on the shelf and slide the cheese on the fork, so as to amplify the relative sliding movement of the fork with respect to the cheese.

Without it being necessary to present a technical discussion on the real possibilities of operation of the device of the Swiss patent N ° 396507, it should be noted that it in no way describes a machine for handling and processing cheeses. This patent only provides for a reversal of the cheese taken from the shelving. The cheese should then be placed on the opposite shelf. There is no provision for a machine comprising a treatment table on which the cheeses taken from the shelves can be conveyed, by means of roller assemblies arranged on either side of the table, and capable of cooperating with each of the lateral shelves.

With regard to the handling means, the system of the Swiss patent comprises two rollers which cooperate with the fork or platform; this remains essential for handling the cheese. In addition, the two-roller system must penetrate between the shelving and the cheese.

French patent No. 1143546 also describes a device applicable in cheese making. Its general structure is that of a forklift which takes the cheeses and manipulates them while they are placed on trays called dark. Note that this handling technique only applies to very specific types of cheese stored in the cellar such as emmenthal. It is applicable in other cases: Gruyère, Comté, Beaufort.

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The land cannot be compared to a treatment table.

In the French patent N ° 1143546, the cheese is not conveyed by a raceway on a central processing table, but it is the forks, or dumpsters, which, moving along the chassis, place the cheese in the middle of the machine where it can be turned over.

US Patent No. 3,750,804 relates to a device for passing objects stored on trays on conveyors. The structure of such a device is completely different from a machine intended for handling and processing cheese in a cellar.

Finally, DT-OS N ° 2015475 describes a complete washing installation for emmenthal cheeses, comprising a sort of au-get filled with water, capable of receiving the whole cheese. This is then brushed and conveyed on rollers.

There is a need for a machine which can be adapted to the cellars currently available. The invention relates to such a machine, which fully meets the needs and yet is of a simple design and use.

The invention therefore relates to a machine for the treatment and handling of heavy items, such as large cheeses, placed on a support and having a projecting part projecting from the support, said machine comprising a frame, a mounted chassis. on said frame and movable in translation in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction, rollers carried by the chassis, and comprising at least one roller, said gripping roller, capable of cooperating with the projecting part of the article to be handled , said machine being characterized in that it comprises a central table disposed between two movable frames, which respectively carry two lateral roller assemblies, each assembly comprising a plurality of conveyor rollers and an end roller, which is positively driven in rotation and acts as a gripping roller, two trains of free rollers, placed on either side of the table and interposed respectively between it i and the conveyor rollers, the arrangement being such that one of the gripping rollers being brought under said projecting part to raise and move the article, this is then driven by the conveyor rollers and the free rollers to be laid on the table.

The gripping roller is advantageously covered with a coating with a high coefficient of friction, in order to improve the driving contact with the article to be handled. In the case of cheeses, this result can be obtained by a non-slip coating formed of a textile fabric, such as a burlap, which is not traumatic for the rind of the cheese.

It is also important that the contact surface of the gripping roller with the article is sufficient, and it may then be advantageous that instead of a substantially linear contact along a generator, contact is made on a certain surface, for example by choosing the material of the roll so that it collapses under the effect of the weight of the article. Thus, rollers of flexible material, for example of elastomer or coated with such a material, may be advantageous.

In general, it is not necessary for the other conveyor rollers to be equipped with such coatings. They can therefore have a smooth surface. However, it may also be advantageous to arrange them in the same way as the gripping roller. They are mounted on horizontal axes and, preferably, they are also motor conveyor rollers which facilitate the driving of the article.

The frame itself can advantageously be movable vertically, for example if it is integral with a forklift, which can also move in all directions. All electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic control means can be used for this purpose.

The chassis carrying the roller assembly is mounted on the frame so that it can move in translation in the vertical direction and in the horizontal direction. These two movements are also obtained by any suitable known means. Good results have been achieved using cylinders. According to a particular implementation of the invention, the vertical movement is obtained by means of a jack whose active end carries a roller, which cooperates with a surface of the movable frame. This surface can itself be stressed by a cylinder with horizontal movement. In the latter case, the surface of the chassis which carries the rollers slides on the roller and the assembly can move horizontally.

The invention relates to a machine for processing articles which have been individually removed from their support.

In the case of cheeses, such a machine may include a treatment table, which is preferably arranged between two chassis of the aforementioned type with their respective gripping and conveying rollers. Two rolling tracks placed on either side of the treatment table and comprising free rollers allow each cheese to be brought to the central table. This can be rotated at low speed for cheese care. According to an advantageous embodiment, the raceways can be maneuvered in a vertical direction so as to automate the operations of placing the cheese on the treatment table and removing the cheese from the latter.

It is advantageous to provide a machine in which the side frames and the raceways are integral and can be actuated as a unit in their movement relative to the frame.

As mentioned above, the invention is of particular interest for the handling and processing of large cheeses. It makes it possible to extract shelves, where they are stored during their ripening in the cellar, cheeses weighing at least several tens of kilos of the Gruyère type (Gruyère from Comté, Gruyère from Friborg or Beaufort) and others. The invention makes it possible to extract such cheeses and place them on a table where it will be easy to care for them. We know that the care applied in the ripening cellar consists of rubbing, salting and moistening the cheese with salt brine on a table animated by a rotating movement.

At present, handling is still only carried out manually, unless provision is made for palletizable elements which are not suitable for traditional cellars.

The machine according to the invention makes it possible, in a very compact form, to carry out the operations for gripping the cheeses and depositing them on a treatment table.

The invention will now be illustrated without being in any way limited by the description which follows, given with reference to the appended drawings in which:

fig. 1 is a schematic side view of a part of the machine of the invention in its application to gripping large cheeses;

fig. 2 est. A view similar to FIG. 1 which shows the position of the gripping roller under the projecting part of the cheese;

fig. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the position for gripping and handling the cheese;

fig. 4 is a perspective view of the upper part of the machine of the invention with its treatment table,

fig. 5 is a schematic side view of the machine of FIG. 4, the raceway being in the high position;

fig. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5, the raceway being in the low position, thereby releasing the treatment table;

fig. 7 is a view corresponding to the position of FIG. 5 and showing the control by jacks of the raceway;

fig. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7, showing the raceway in the low position.

In the following description, the machine of the invention has been illustrated in its application to the handling of large cheeses.

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates the constitution of a part of the machine. We see a cheese 1 carried by a shelf 2. The cheese 1 has a part projecting it out of the shelf 2. The machine proper comprises a frame 3, movable vertically, because it is integral with a forklift (not shown5

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feel). Of course, this forklift, which carries the frame 3, can be moved in any direction to allow the approach of the machine. On the frame 3 is mounted a chassis 4 movable in vertical and horizontal translation. The chassis 4 carries a roller assembly which comprises a gripping roller 5 and, in the example shown, two conveyor rollers 6. A cylinder is shown schematically at 7 interposed between the frame 3 and the chassis 4. The active end of the rod of the jack 7 carries a roller 8 cooperating with the surface 4 of the chassis. Another cylinder 9 enables the surface 4 to be actuated in the horizontal direction. The gripping roller 5 has an anti-slip and non-traumatic external coating for the cheese rind. In the example chosen, it is a burlap. The conveyor rollers 6 have a smooth surface.

Fig. 2 shows the position of the machine for a cheese handling operation 1. The first operations consist of an approach positioning. The known means have not been shown which make it possible to move the frame 3 and, by vertical translation, to bring it to a position close to that shown in FIG. 2, that is to say with the set of rollers 5, 6 under the projecting part la. There is shown in FIG. 2 by an arrow fie lateral positioning of the rollers 5,6 which is obtained by the action of the jack 9 on the chassis 4.

Fig. 3 shows the gripping phase of the cheese. Once the machine has been put into position, as shown in fig. 2, the actuator 7 is actuated, which has the effect of moving the rollers 5 and 6 upwards in the direction of the arrow h; the gripping roller 5 then cooperates with the projecting part la of the cheese and drives it to the left, looking at FIG. 3, in the position marked with mixed lines (position a). It can be seen that the extraction of the cheeses is obtained by a combined movement of elevation of the cheese at the level of the part which protrudes from the shelving unit 2 and by a lateral displacement. The motor rollers 6, which follow the gripping roller 5, make it possible to continue the translational movement of the cheese and its automatic handling. As shown in fig. 3, the elevation movement of the cheese puts it in an inclined position in order to peel it from the rack 2 and make it possible to translate it onto the rollers 6 without it being able to adhere to the rack.

The machine of the invention then allows the deposit of the cheese on a treatment table. Fig. 4 schematically represents, in perspective, the upper part of this machine. We see a frame 4 carrying two sets of gripping rollers 15, 25 and conveyor rollers 16, 26. The sets are mounted on either side of a table 12 care. Two trains of lateral rollers 10, 11 surround the table 12. The operation of the machine is clearly shown in FIG. 4. The cheese, after being apprehended as explained with reference to figs. 2 and 3, is handled on the rollers 15, 16 (or 25, 26) and then progresses on the roller trains 10, 11 so as to be placed on the table 12.

Figs. 5 to 8 illustrate, in a more precise manner, the structure and the operation of the machine shown in FIG. 4. Fig. 5 is a schematic profile view showing the chassis in the high position in which the table 12 is retracted, while FIG. 6 is a similar view showing the table 12 in the released position, the chassis being in the low position.

We see in fig. 5 and 6 the frame 3 which carries chassis 14, 24 which can be moved in the vertical direction under the influence of jacks 17, 27 by means of the end rollers 18, 28. Jacks 19, 29 make it possible to move respectively in horizontal translation the gripping rollers 15, 25 and the conveyor rollers 16, 26. The free roller trains 10,11, on which the cheese 1 moves (see fig. 5), can themselves be moved in the direction vertical as will be described below. To facilitate the presentation, there is shown in FIG. 5 of the separate units 14, 24, and the jacks 17, 19, 27 and 29 have also been individualized. These various elements cooperate and form a functional unit in practical implementation, as will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

Fig. 6 shows the table 12 in the position where it supports the cheese 1. It is in this position that the traditional care can be brought to the cheese. Table 12 is a rotating table at low speed, covered with a burlap to facilitate the adhesion of the cheese. In this position of fig. 6, the jacks 17 and 27 are in the low position.

The operation of the machine shown in Figs. 5 and 6 can be read clearly on the drawings. After having been taken from the shelving unit 2, the cheese is driven, for example, by means of the rollers 15 and 16 (translation drive rollers). It is then guided manually as shown in fig. 5 (arrow F) on the free rollers 10,11. This manual movement is continued until the cheese 1 is centered on the table 12. In this position, the table 12 is below the level of the raceway, as shown in FIG. 5. The jacks 17, 27 are then operated in order to lower the assembly of the rollers. During this operation, the surface of the rollers is placed below the level of the surface of the treatment table 12 on which the cheese 1 is thus deposited. As the table 12 is rotated, traditional care is given to the cheese. Once the care has been completed, the rollers are lifted again from the raceway to remove the cheese from table 12 and lift it above it. A slight manual push on the cheese 1 makes it possible to move it on the roller trains 10, 11 and to engage it on the drive rolls.

There is shown in Figs. 7 and 8 an embodiment of the machine control means of FIGS. 5 and 6. Fig. 7 corresponds to the retracted position of the treatment table 12. FIG. 8 corresponds to the released position. As shown in the drawings of Figs. 7 and 8, two cylinders 37, 47, working in opposition, are mounted on either side of an axial rod 44. The cylinders 37 and 47 are respectively articulated on the rod 44 by means of articulations 37a, 47a. The rods 39, 49 of the jacks are articulated at 40,41 on connecting rods 50, 51. The connecting rods 50, 51 end respectively with rollers 38, 48 which cooperate with a frame element 54. The element 54 is guided in translation on the frame 53. At an intermediate point of the connecting rods 50, 51 are two articulations 42, 43 receiving the ends of bars 55, 56 integral with assemblies 57, 58 fixed on the raceway designated by the general reference 60. In addition, the assemblies 57, 58 are guided in vertical translation on axes 45, 46 integral with the chassis 54. FIG. 7 corresponds to the retracted position of the table 12, that is to say to the high position of the raceway 60. It is therefore the position which corresponds to that of FIG. 5. It can be seen that the jacks 37, 47 are in their deployed condition, in which the connecting rods 50, 51 occupy a substantially vertical position.

Fig. 8 shows the position of the machine components with the table 12 in the disengaged position, for which the raceway 60 is in the low position. The cylinders 37 and 47 are not fully deployed, and they are arranged obliquely by pivoting around the end joints 37a, 47a. These can also be confused. Fig. 8 makes it clear that, as a result of the presence of the joints 40, 41, 42, 43 and the rollers 38, 48, which slide on the chassis 54, the assemblies 57, 58 slide along the axes 45, 46, driving towards the bottom of the raceway 60. It can also be seen that this low position is stable due to the place occupied by the rollers 38 and 48 in contact with the axes 45, 46.

It goes without saying that the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 is purely illustrative. It is however the preferred embodiment of the invention in its current form, because it is very compact and uses a minimum of control members. Two cylinders 37,47 are indeed sufficient to ensure all of the operations during the treatment of care.

A machine according to the invention makes it possible to handle large cheeses without difficulty, in order to subject them to the usual care treatments. To further improve accessibility to the shelving, provision may be made for the person responsible for the handling, called the trainer, to stand on a plane integral with the treatment machine. It is advantageous that this element can be po5

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positioned vertically to allow easy work. This variable positioning in relation to the machine and therefore to the treatment table is made possible by a system of slides which can be controlled by jacks. The healer can thus access the cheeses located both on shelves close to the ground and those near the ceiling. The height of the worktop can also be adapted to the size of the trainer.

The invention has been illustrated in its preferred embodiment

which concerns the handling and processing of large cheeses. It goes without saying that it can also be applied to heavy articles of all kinds which are stored on shelves and a part of which projects outside said shelves. The invention can receive multiple modifications within the reach of ordinary skill in the art. All these variants constitute technical equivalents, provided that they perform the functions provided for in this description.

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Claims (8)

646110 1. Machine for the processing and handling of heavy articles, such as large cheeses, placed on a support and having a projecting part, projecting from the support, said machine comprising a frame, a frame mounted on said frame and movable in translation in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction, rollers carried by the chassis, and comprising at least one roller, called gripping roller, capable of cooperating with the projecting part of the article to be handled, said machine being characterized in that it comprises a central table (12), disposed between two movable chassis (14, 24), which respectively carry two lateral roller assemblies (5,6,15,16,25,26), each assembly comprising a plurality of conveyor rollers (6, 16, 26) and an end roller (5,15, 25), which is positively rotated and acts as a gripping roller, two sets of rollers (10,11) free , placed on either side of the table (12) and interposed respectively between it and the conveyor rollers (6, 16, 26), the arrangement being such that, one of the gripping rollers (5, 15, 25) being brought under said projecting part (la) to raise and move the article (1), it is then driven by the conveyor rollers (6,16,26) and the free rollers (10,11) to be placed on the table (12). 2. Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the displacements of the chassis, on the frame, are obtained by means of jacks. 2 3. Machine according to claim 2, characterized in that the vertical movement of a chassis is obtained by means of a jack (7) whose active end carries a roller cooperating with a surface of the chassis, which can it -Even be requested by another cylinder (9) with horizontal movement. 4. Machine according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the frames (14, 24) form a single assembly (54), integral with the raceway (60), comprising all of the rollers (5, 6, 15, 16, 25, 26, 10, 11), said assembly being able to be actuated, in the vertical direction, between a high position, corresponding to the retracted position of the table (12), and a low position corresponding to the clear position of the table (12), the latter being provided for the treatment of the article (1) deposited on the table. 5. Machine according to claim 4, characterized in that the vertical movement of the chassis (54) carrying the raceway (60) is controlled by two jacks (37, 47), whose active ends of the rods are articulated (at 40 , 41) on connecting rods (50, 51) ending in rollers (38,48) cooperating with the chassis (54), while at an intermediate point of the connecting rods (50, 51) are two articulations (42, 43) receiving the ends of bars (55, 56) integral with assemblies (57, 58) integral with the raceway (60), the said assemblies (57, 58) being guided in vertical translation on axes (45, 46) integral with the chassis (54). 6. Machine according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the gripping rollers, at least, are covered with a coating with a high coefficient of friction, for example with a non-slip coating formed of a textile fabric , such as a burlap. 7. Machine according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the gripping rollers, at least, are made of a material capable of crushing under the weight of the article (1), for example made a flexible material, in particular an elastomer, or coated with such a material. 8. Use of the machine according to one of claims 1 to 7, for handling large cheeses in the cellar.