EP2382060B1 - Postal sorting machine with carriage for handling postal items - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a postal sorting machine for sorting at the same time different categories of postal items such as letters and "large format" objects. The postal sorting machine comprises at least one row of sorting outlets and a carriage for manual handling of stacked shipments outside the sorting outlets, as described in EP-A-1757374 .

As is well known in postal sorting, a sorting machine comprises a feed inlet with a destacker for the serialization of postal items, an image acquisition system for automatic address reading, and a conveyor which directs the shipments to sorting outlets according to the address read and the sorting plan. The sorting outlets are for example stacking devices or "tampers" in which the postal items are stacked on edge in a longitudinal direction one behind the other to form a stack. Alternatively, the sorting outlets may for example be constituted by bins in which the items fall by gravity from a bucket carousel or are directed by a switch flap in the case of a flat conveyance.

To prepare a single factor tour containing both letters and large format objects, it is usually necessary to process the mailings in several sorting passes and thus to put them in recirculation at the entrance of the machine. It may also be necessary to manually merge the "large format" objects into a stack of letters, the "large format" objects and the letters being stored in superimposed sorting outlets of the machine. Currently to achieve this merge, for example we empty the sorted letters contained in a sorting outlet in storage bins. These bins are transferred to sorting bins. The same procedure is used for "large format" objects which are then manually inserted according to their distribution point in the stacks of letters already sorted in the sorting boxes. The manual transfer of postal items in the bins and in the bins is a significant number of manipulations likely to cause breaks in the sequence of successive sorted shipments. In addition, the multiplication of manual operations significantly increases the costs associated with distribution.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a sorting machine with a handling trolley of mailpieces which is ergonomic, and which facilitates the re-circulation and the merging of mail flow to prepare the postman's tour.

For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a sorting machine for postal items such as letters and "large format" objects comprising at least one row of sorting outlets and a trolley for handling mail items in a stack. outside the sorting outlets, characterized in that the carriage is slidably mounted on the machine along the said row of sorting outlets and door a substantially horizontal plate rotatably mounted relative to the carriage along a vertical axis to occupy at least two angular positions offset by 90 degrees.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the plate comprises a guide ramp, a horizontal platform and an inclined support wall serving as a desk, the horizontal platform being interposed between the inclined wall and the guide ramp, said plate being arranged to occupy a first angular position in which the guide ramp is in the continuity of a sorting outlet to allow the sliding movement of stacked shipments of this sorting outlet to the platform of the tray.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the plate occupies a third angular position offset by 90 degrees relative to one of said two angular positions.

• la rampe de guidage du plateau supérieur comprend une sole de glisse sensiblement horizontale sur au moins un de ses bords pour assurer la continuité avec une sortie de tri;
• le chariot comprend une butée de blocage angulaire du plateau supérieur dans lesdites positions angulaires ;
• le chariot porte une poignée d'accrochage pour un sac destiné à contenir les envois ordonnés pour la tournée du facteur.

The sorting machine according to the invention may also have the following particularities:

• the guide ramp of the upper plate comprises a substantially horizontal sliding surface on at least one of its edges to ensure continuity with a sorting outlet;
• the carriage comprises an angular locking stop of the upper plate in said angular positions;
• the trolley carries a hanging handle for a bag to contain the ordered items for the postman's tour.

• La figure 1 illustre schématiquement une vue en perspective d'une machine de tri postal selon l'invention.
• La figure 2 illustre une vue en perspective du détail du chariot.
• La figure 3 illustre une vue en perspective du chariot dans une première position le long des sorties de tri.
• La figure 4 illustre une vue en perspective du chariot dans la position de la figure 3 équipé d'un bac de stockage utilisé en mode re-circulation.
• La figure 5 illustre une vue en perspective du chariot dans une deuxième position le long des sorties de tri.
• La figure 6 illustre une vue en perspective du chariot dans une troisième position le long des sorties de tri.
• La figure 7 illustre quatre vues en perspective représentant les étapes de fusion.

The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows in relation to the drawings. This description is given as an indicative and non-limiting example of the invention.

• The figure 1 schematically illustrates a perspective view of a postal sorting machine according to the invention.
• The figure 2 illustrates a perspective view of the detail of the carriage.
• The figure 3 illustrates a perspective view of the carriage in a first position along the sorting outlets.
• The figure 4 illustrates a perspective view of the carriage in the position of the figure 3 equipped with a storage bin used in recirculation mode.
• The figure 5 illustrates a perspective view of the carriage in a second position along the sorting outlets.
• The figure 6 illustrates a perspective view of the carriage in a third position along the sorting outlets.
• The figure 7 illustrates four perspective views representing the merge steps.

On the figure 1 an example of a sorting machine 1 according to the invention is shown. The sorting machine 1 here comprises a first sorting system 2 equipped with sorting outlets 3 with 4 tampers for sorting the letters and a second sorting system 5 equipped with sorting outlet 6 with lockers 7 for sorting the "large" objects. format ". The first sorting system 2 is arranged below the second sorting system 5.

On the detail of the figure 1 it is shown that the sorting outlets 3 and 5 extend along the machine to form rows of sorting outlets. Mobile carriage 8 is also shown along these rows of sorting outlets. In particular, the row of sorting outlets 3 to packers 4 is arranged below the row of sorting outlets 6 with compartments 7 so that each sorting outlet 3 of the first system 2 is aligned vertically with a sorting outlet 6 of the second sorting system 5.

The first sorting system 2 conventionally comprises a feed inlet equipped with an unstacker 9 for the serialization of the items, an acquisition system 10 for automatically reading the mailing address, a conveyor device 11 for exits. sorting machine 3 4.

In a packer 4, postal items are stacked on edge one behind the other to form a stack. The stack of mail is held by a movable pallet 17 which can be lifted to extract shipments from the mail stack.

The second sorting system 5 also comprises a feed inlet equipped with a unstacker 12 for sending the mail in series, an acquisition system 13 for automatically reading the mailing address and a bucket carousel 14 for directing the mailings. to the sorting outlets 6 to the bins 7. The unstacked postal items are injected into a bucket 15 of the cup carrousel 14. The cup carousel 14 defining a closed loop path over the sorting outlets 6 with bins 7, the items Postal conveyed by the carousel are dumped by gravity buckets 15 to the lockers 7 by simply opening the bottom of the buckets.

The first sorting system 2 can be adapted for sorting a spectrum of letter-type postal items extending to C4-format messages defined according to ISO-269 and preferably of a thickness of less than 10. millimeters. The second sorting system 5 may be a machine equipped with a bucket carousel with sorting outlets with compartments adapted to store "large format" postal items.

Advantageously, the sorting system 2 for sorting letters and the sorting system 5 for sorting "large sizes" are arranged relative to each other so that their sorting outlets are matched. This mapping means that each bin is arranged in vertical alignment with a corresponding packer 7. A logical match is also established by the sorting plan that assigns the same distribution points to a bin and the corresponding packager.

On the detail of the figure 1 an arrangement of sorting outlets has been illustrated in which two bins arranged horizontally adjacent to each other correspond to the width of the packer. That is, two bins are vertically aligned with a packer. In this case, the sorting plan assigns the same distribution points to each of the bins and to the corresponding packer. This special arrangement allows alternating lockers to sort at the same time as the merger of postal items.

On the figure 2 , the carriage 8 is shown designed for the recirculation and the merging of the postal items contained in the tri-outlets 3 and 6 of the machine 1.

The carriage 8 carries an upper plate 21 rotatably mounted on a frame 22 with respect to a vertical axis.

The frame 22 comprises a guiding armature 23 cooperating with a guiding means 24 fixed to the sorting machine for slidingly moving the carriage along the rows of sorting outlets. The guide frame 23 is for example constituted by two rows of free wheels located at different heights on the frame. And the guide means 24 is for example constituted by two rails extending along the sorting outlets under the packers and arranged at corresponding heights to the rows of wheels of the guide frame. The wheels fit into the rails to guide the carriage 8 along the sorting outlets.

Advantageously, such a truck does not rest on the ground. It is therefore independent of the flatness of the soil of the sorting center. This results in a perfect alignment of the upper plate 21 with the compacting outlets along the entire length of the machine 1.

Furthermore, the frame is equipped with a handle 25 for hanging a bag intended to contain the postman's tour after merging postal items.

The upper plate 21 of the carriage 8 comprises a guide ramp 26, a horizontal platform 27 and a support wall 28. The platform horizontal is interposed between the inclined wall and the guide rail. The guide ramp 26 disposed at one end of the horizontal platform 27 tilts downward away from the platform and forms at its lower end a substantially horizontal glide sole 29 to ensure continuity between the packer and carriage. This continuity is illustrated on the figure 5 in the angular position for mail transfer. Furthermore, the guide ramp 26 and the gliding sole 29 are inclined with respect to each other so as to retain a storage tank resting on the guide ramp 26 as illustrated in FIG. figure 4 . The support wall 28 is disposed opposite to the guide ramp 26 with respect to the platform 27. The support wall 28 is inclined in the same direction and in a direction opposite to the guide ramp 26 so as to support the postal items disposed on the platform 27. The support wall 28 is inclined upwardly away from the platform 27. The upper plate 21 is equipped with a jogging edge 30 extending vertically upwards, on one side of the guide ramp 26 and extends on the side of the platform 27.

For example, the horizontal platform is about 250 millimeters by 400 millimeters. The guide ramp 26 is about 180 millimeters by 400 millimeters and is inclined about 60 degrees with respect to the horizontal platform. The support wall 28 is approximately 170 millimeters by 150 millimeters and is inclined approximately 60 degrees with respect to the horizontal platform.

The implementation of the sorting machine 1 is described below with reference to a sorting process in two sorting passes to prepare the tour of the factors according to a predefined sorting plan.

In operation, the postal items are directed to the packed sorting outlet or the bin sorting outlet corresponding to the distribution point read on the mailpiece.

In the bin sorting machine for sorting "large format" objects, the management unit (not shown) controls the opening of the bottom of a bucket when it is positioned above the bin corresponding to the point of the bucket. distribution read on the "large format" object contained in the bucket. The object slides on a guide ramp 16 inclined relative to the vertical and comes to the bottom of the trap.

In the compact sorting machine for letter sorting, the letters are directed by turnout flaps (not shown) to the sorting outlet corresponding to the read distribution point. The letters are stacked on song behind each other to form a stack.

At the end of the first sorting pass, the postal items must be recirculated in the feed inlet of the machine to undergo a second sorting pass. For the flow of letters, it is proceeded to the establishment of the folds in a storage bin disposed under the packer. For the flow of "large format" objects, proceed as follows. The mobile carriage 8 is brought in front of the sorting outlet which must be emptied. The upper plate 21 of the carriage 8 is rotated about a vertical axis and positioned so that the guide ramp 26, the platform 27 and the support wall 28 are arranged in line with the rows of sorting outlets as shown in FIG. figure 3 . This is the tray support position. The operator is placed on the side of the carriage closer to the sorting outlet with the guide ramp facing him. The plate 21 is held in this position by an angular locking stop (not shown). For example, the stopper comprises a spring equipped with a ball at its end. The ball engages in a housing formed in the frame 22 to angularly block the plate 21 in this position.

In this angular position of the upper plate, a storage tank 18, stored on a carriage provided for this purpose, is placed on the guide rail 26 and held in abutment against the gliding surface 29. The storage tank 18 is thus disposed tilted closer to the sorting outlets as shown on the figure 4 . This inclined position of the tray facilitates the insertion and extraction of postal items in and out of the tray.

For emptying the bin sorting machine, the bins 7 are mounted movable in translation along a horizontal axis directed perpendicularly to the conveying direction of the carousel. Accordingly, each rack can be moved between a retracted position in line with the buckets to receive the bucket shipments to an extraction position in which the rack is brought above the corresponding packer for the emptying of large objects Out of the locker. In the retracted position of the bin, an access space to the packer is left free for the operator. In the position extraction, the bin is brought close to the operator facilitating the handling of objects which are then placed flat in the bottom of the storage tank 18. The "large format" objects are arranged flat because of their dimensions too large to constitute a pile on edge sufficiently stable. The "large format" objects are then recycled to the unstacker 12 by moving the tray on the cart or placing it on a recycling conveyor.

To empty the "large format" items contained in the bins, a storage bin 18 is used positioned on the carriage provided for this purpose. These shipments are then placed flat in the storage bin 18. The flat storage allows to have a stable stack. Indeed, the "large format" mail items tend to collapse on themselves when they are arranged on edge. The filled tray 18 is then recycled to the input of the machine to the unstacker 12 for a second sorting pass, for example using the mobile storage carriage external to the machine to the unstacker 9 for a second sorting pass . Alternatively, the tray 18 may be disposed on a recycling conveyor (not shown) extending between the sorting outlets and the feed inlet of the machine.

To empty the letters of the type contained in the packer, the operator lifts the mobile pallet 17 with one hand while holding the front of the stack with the other hand. Then, he moves the pallet at the back of the stack of letters, that is to say in front of the stack of letters, and retrieves the stack of mail that is no longer held by the pallet. Letters are arranged vertically in the storage bin. The dimensions of the letters confer sufficient stability to a stack on edge.

At the end of the second sorting pass, the postal items are in sequence in the assigned outlets according to the sorting plan.

For example in a packer 4, the postal items are arranged one behind the other in sequence according to the position of their distribution point in the postman's tour. In other words, shipments are grouped into one packer per distribution point. For each distribution point in a packer, C4 postal items are placed in front of the letters. In this way, C4 format mailings can be used as an interlayer or a visual cue for changing the distribution point in the mail stack.

In practice, the emptying of a sorting outlet always begins with the emptying of the packer, which is followed by a step in which the corresponding bin is emptied and the shipments are merged simultaneously. This reality is explained by the number of items to sort. The number of "large format" objects is significantly lower than the number of letter-type mailings up to C4 format. It therefore seems obvious to insert the "large format" objects in the stack extracted from the packer and not the other way round.

For the emptying of a packer of a sorting outlet at the end of the second sorting pass, the mobile carriage 8 is brought facing the sorting outlet and the upper plate 21 is placed in a particular angular position. The upper plate 21 of the carriage 8 is rotated along the vertical axis and positioned so that the guide ramp 26, the platform 27 and the wall of the 28 are arranged perpendicularly to the rows of sorting outlets as shown in FIG. figure 5 . In other words, the guide ramp 26, the platform 27 and the support wall 28 are located in the extension of the packer with the gliding sole 29 which is arranged in the continuity of the packer. With this arrangement, the guide ramp 26 is aligned in the extension of the packer to form a continuous surface.

It should be noted that the guide armature 23 cooperating with the guide rails 24 allows perfect alignment of the guide ramp 26 and the packer along the rows of sorting outlets.

The plate 21 is held in this position by the angular locking stop. In this case, the ball engages in another housing formed in the frame 22 to angularly block the plate 21 in this new position.

In this angular position of the upper plate, the operator raises the movable pallet 17 with one hand while holding the front of the stack with the other hand. Then, he moves the pallet to the back of the mail stack to extract mail. The operator holds the stack on edge and slides it on the surface of the packer, on the guide rail 26 as illustrated on the figure 7a ), then on the platform 27 to rest in stack on edge against the support wall 28 which then serves as a desk as shown on the figure 7b ). It will be noted that, in this configuration, the addresses written on each item are all oriented towards the support wall 28. The stack of items extracted has undergone a translational movement of packer to the wall 28 without modification of orientation. It should be noted that during this step of emptying the packer, the operator is placed on one side of the carriage near the packer.

The operator then rotates the upper plate 21 so as to place it in another angular position for the merger of the items. In this new angular position illustrated on the figures 6 and 7c ), the guide ramp 26, the platform 27 and the support wall 28 are arranged according to the alignment of the rows of sorting outlets, that is to say 90 degrees from the angular position illustrated on the figure 5 . Unlike the recirculation step in the first sorting pass as illustrated on the Figures 3 and 4 , the operator is this time facing the support wall 28. Moreover, the plate is held in this position by the locking stop as previously described.

The operator also places a removable lectern 31 behind the stack of items resting against the support wall 28. The lectern 31 illustrated on the figure 6 comprises a base and a support wall which is inclined symmetrically with respect to the support wall 28 of the carriage when the base of the lectern rests on the platform 27.

The operator then switches the stack of shipments, so that the latter rests against the support wall of the lectern 31. In this configuration, the operator has in front of him the stack of mail items stable on edge with, facing him, addresses on shipments, C4 shipments indicating changes in distribution points. In addition, the operator is placed to view the addresses on the "large format" objects sorted in the bins. This position of the operator facilitates the merge of the items.

The rack is moved from the retracted position vertically above the cups to the extraction position above the corresponding packer. The operator enters the "large format" objects of the rack, reads the postal address registered on the object and inserts it at the position corresponding to its distribution point in the sending stack disposed on the platform of the carriage. This operation is shown on the figure 7d ).

We thus merge the set of objects "large format" with the letters up to C4 format to form the tour of the postman. On the other hand, the stack of mailpieces formed according to the postman's turn is then put back on the support wall 28. The operator places an elastic around the sending stack by including the support wall 28 to hold the stack in place which facilitates the handling without hindering the extraction of the pile stacked. The tour of the formed factor is stored for example in a bag attached to the handle 25. The emptying and melting steps are then repeated for all the sorting outlets, thus forming several rounds of the factor.

Advantageously, with a sorting machine according to the invention, the operator does not move to perform the emptying step illustrated on the Figures 7a) and 7b ) or to perform the illustrated merge step on the Figures 7c) and 7d ).

Claims (6)

1. A sorting machine for sorting mailpieces such as letters and flats comprising at least one row of sorting outlets (3) and a trolley for handling the mailpieces as a stack outside the sorting outlets, characterized in that the trolley is mounted to slide on the machine along said row of sorting outlets and carries a top deck (21) that is substantially horizontal and that is rotatably mounted relative to the trolley (8) about a vertical axis so as to take up at least two angular positions that are offset from each other by 90 degrees.
2. A sorting machine according to claim 1, wherein the top deck (21) comprises a guide ramp (26), a horizontal platform (27), and a sloping support wall (28) serving as a sloping-top desk, the horizontal platform (27) being interposed between the sloping wall and the guide ramp, said deck being arranged to take up an angular position in which the guide ramp follows on from and in continuity with the sorting outlet so as to enable the mailpieces to be moved as a stack by being slid from the sorting outlet to the platform of the deck.
3. A sorting machine according to claim 2, wherein the guide ramp of the top deck is provided with a substantially horizontal slide sill (29) along at least one of its edges so as to provide the continuity with a sorting outlet.
4. A sorting machine according to any preceding claim, wherein the top deck (21) takes up a third angular position that is offset by 90 degrees relative to one of said two angular positions.
5. A sorting machine according to any preceding claim, wherein the trolley is provided with an angular locking abutment for angularly locking the top deck (21) in said angular positions.
6. A sorting machine according to any preceding claim, wherein the trolley carries a handle (25) on which to hang a bag serving to contain the mailpieces in the order required for the delivery round.

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