EP2550216B1 - Device for feeding flat objects and postal sorting machine - Google Patents

Description

Technical area

The invention relates to a flat object feeding device, comprising a supply magazine in which flat objects are moved in stack on edge in a first direction of transfer, a separation means for separating a flat object forward most the stack of the rest of the stack and drive in a second direction of transfer substantially perpendicular to the first direction of transfer, unstacking means which supports a flat object unstacking separated from the stack to bring it according to said second direction of transfer to an inlet of a conveyor and a retaining means which exerts on the flat object unstacking a retaining force opposing its movement towards the conveyor. The invention also relates to a postal sorting machine comprising such a feeding device.

Prior art

For the purposes of the invention, a flat object designates in particular, but not exclusively, a postal item. The postal items, which can be unstacked thanks to the feed device of the invention, may have variable dimensions, but also variable mechanical characteristics, in particular as regards their rigidity. This mailing can be, among other things, a simple letter, a magazine, an envelope with or without window, a newspaper, or a catalog presented in a plastic envelope or paper, with or without bellows.

Such a feeding device, intended particularly for a postal sorting machine, is already known from the patent. EP-0645330 . In this known feed device, the unstacking means brings the flat objects into the conveyor with a predefined gap or pitch, for example a constant gap between the front edge of two adjacent flat objects or a constant pitch between the rear edge. and the front edge of two adjacent flat objects. In this known feed device, the separation means and the means unstacking are confused and the shipment being unstacked is under pressure from the rest of the pile of mail items present in the supply store, which can cause jams and multiple catch phenomena. A so-called "anti dual plug" retaining means can be provided to partially avoid these disadvantages. It can be placed only downstream of the unstacking means according to said second direction of transfer as disclosed in the patent EP 09 26085 because the unstacking means faces the supply store. However, downstream of the unstacking means, the postal items are already driven at high speed, that is to say at the conveying speed of the postal items in the conveyor, which makes it difficult to separate folds in multiple takes and can cause damage to the most fragile postal items because it exerts on these shipments shear forces.

The patent US 6,494,446 discloses a flat object feeding device comprising a supply magazine in which flat objects are moved in stack on edge in a first direction of transfer. A separating means separates the foremost flat object from the stack from the rest of the stack and drives it in a second direction of transfer substantially perpendicular to the first direction of transfer, unstacking means coupled with continuous suction. and supporting a flat object separated from the stack to bring it in the second direction of transfer to the entrance of a conveyor. This feed device further comprises means for measuring the thickness of the object after separation and a retaining means which exerts on the flat object unstacking a retaining force opposing its movement towards the conveyor , the position of the retaining means being adjustable relative to the unstacking means and slaved according to the thickness of the measured flat object. The unstacking means is offset and separated, in the second direction of transfer, from the separating means and the retaining means is provided facing the unstacking means.

Moreover, the patent US 3,258,262 describes a device for feeding flat objects in which the separation and unstacking functions are grouped. This device comprises in particular a belt, sucking in a continuous manner and capable of driving the flat objects to depilate them. Blades of flexible retention and traversed by a suction channel are provided opposite the suction belt. These retention blades used to retain a second object, stacked on a first object, the time that the suction belt drives the first object and the corresponding suction zone is cleared.

In addition, patents EP 0 660 797 and EP 703 868 disclose an overlapping or tilting device for placing in an overlapping configuration of flat objects between a flat stack supply store and an unstacker. This overlapping device mainly comprises tapered rollers oriented to apply to the most forward flat objects of the stack a progressive acceleration which tends to shift them relative to each other in said direction of transfer. Such a device makes it possible to reduce the phenomenon of multiple taps without, however, completely eliminating it.

Finally, the patent GB 949,594 discloses a device for feeding flat objects comprising unstacking means provided with a suction swivel arm provided opposite the drive belt to depilate the superposed objects. The patent US 3,126,200 , describes a device for feeding flat objects, substantially similar to the previous one and the unstacking means comprises a suction swivel arm whose shoe is next to the suction belt to remove stacked objects. The publication EP 1 676 796 , describes a device for feeding flat objects including in particular an alignment of tapered rollers for moving objects after unstacking.

These devices, however, do not reliably relieve multiple tap phenomena.

Presentation of the invention

The object of the invention is to propose a feeding device in flat objects, in particular postal items, making it possible to further improve the quality of unstacking by further eliminating multiple catching phenomena.

For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a device for feeding flat objects, according to claim 1.

The retaining means is preferably arranged to exert the retaining force in a discontinuous manner thereby enhancing the unstacking efficiency.

According to another feature of the invention, the noise generated by the suction nozzles and the electrically controlled valves of the unstacking means and the one or more retaining means can be considerably reduced by covering these nozzles and valves with a soundproofing hood. . An open space is left free at the supply store to allow the intervention of a machine operator at this location of the machine.

The invention also relates to a postal sorting machine, comprising a device for feeding flat objects as described above.

Brief presentation of the drawings

An exemplary embodiment of the invention is now described in more detail and illustrated in the drawings.

The figure 1 schematically illustrates a feeding device according to the invention seen from above.

Description of the embodiments

On the figure 1 very schematically shown a postal delivery device according to the invention particularly intended for a postal sorting machine.

This feeding device comprises a supply store 1 in which postal items P aligned against a jogging edge 2 are stored in stack on edge for unstacking. P shipments are therefore represented on the figure 1 on singing seen from above.

The sole of the store 1 on which the shipments are based The mailer may be a motorized band that moves the mail stack in the direction of transfer A to the front of the supply store. A movable pallet (not shown) in direction A motorized or not can also be provided to maintain the rear of the stack.

At the front of the supply store, there is provided a transfer means 3 which therefore faces the front of the stack of postal items. The function of this function is to separate the most forward postal item from the stack from the rest of the stack and to move it on edge according to a second direction of transfer indicated by B on the figure 1 . The direction B is substantially perpendicular to the direction A.

The transfer means 3 here comprises a motorized perforated strip 4 which is moved in the direction B along a vertical sheet 5 and which cooperates with one or more suction nozzles 6 which exert a force of attraction through the strip 4 tends to press the most forward sending of the stack against the band 4. The combined action of the band 4 and the nozzles 6 separates the most forward sending of the pile from the rest of the pile and moves it according to the direction B at low speed, of the order of 0.5 m / s.

On the figure 1 , there is shown with the transfer means 3 a series of conical rollers 7 placed in line at the front of the supply store 1, which with the play of a movable flap 8 serve to make a tiling that is ie to place several postal items located at the front of the stack in an overlapping position. The tapered rollers 7 are oriented to apply to the items at the front of the stack a progressive tangential speed in the direction A so that the most forward sending of the stack which is separated from the stack is in advance according to the direction B relative to the shipment that succeeds in the stack and so on for successive shipments unstacking. The tapered rollers 7 may be placed in line in a recess or a chute (not shown) contributing to a better separation (by aeration effect) of these items at the front of the stack.

The movable flap 8 is disposed adjacent to the feed magazine and downstream thereof in the direction B. It is articulated in rotation and defines with the vertical sheet 5 which extends in the direction B a kind of cone more or less closed supply allowing more or fewer postal items at the same time. At rest, the flap 8 closes the supply cone under the action of a return spring not shown. The postal items moved under the action of the band 4 therefore push the flap 8 to cross the cone supply which still tends to a rolling effect to separate possible postal items in superposition (multiple sockets). In practice, the maximum opening of the feed cone defined between the flap 8 and the sheet 5 can go to 20mm for a maximum thickness of the shipments of the order of 10mm. A sensor may be provided to detect the angular position of the movable flap and control the running or stopping of the motorization of the band 4 when the flap occupies or leaves its maximum open position.

As visible on the figure 1 downstream of the feeding cone, the items are supported by a conveyor belt section 9 which moves the shipments on edge by friction on one side. The length of this conveyor belt section 9 is sufficiently long and at least equal to the maximum length of a mailpiece. In this section of the conveyor 9, the items are placed approximately in regular overlap with respect to the following (thus according to a tiled disposition) and thus move in the direction B towards the unstacking device 10, the space between the fronts before two consecutive shipments can be of the order of 5 to 30 mm.

According to the invention, the unstacking device 10 itself is placed downstream of the conveyor section 9 in the direction B. The unstacking device 10 is thus shifted in the direction B of the transfer means 3 and therefore of the magazine. supply and is separated from them by the conveying section 9. The unstacker 10 here comprises a perforated strip 11 moved at high speed of the order of 2.5 m / s which cooperates with two suction nozzles 12 fed to through solenoid valves. As visible on the figure 1 , the two suction nozzles 12 are aligned in the direction B and face respectively two other suction nozzles 13 which make part of a restraint preventing the phenomenon of multiple taps. More particularly, the two suction nozzles 12 exert on one face of a mailpiece P 'facing the web 11 an attraction force FA oriented perpendicular to the direction B to press it against the web 11. The two other nozzles suction 13 fed through the solenoid valves exert on the other side of the sending another attraction force FR oriented perpendicularly to the direction B but opposite direction to the force exerted by the nozzles 12, the force exerted by the nozzles 13 tending to oppose the displacement of the shipment in the direction B. The attraction force exerted by the nozzles 13 is less than that exerted by the nozzles 12 as is known in the state of the art.

Two passage sensors 14 are respectively placed one between the two nozzles 12 in the direction B and the other downstream of the nozzle 12, the most downstream in the direction B, for controlling the solenoid valves of the nozzles 12 and 13. practical, when the passage of the sending P 'entering the unstacker 10 is detected by a first sensor 14, the nozzles 12 and 13 in opposition most upstream in the direction B are actuated to suck so that they exert at the same time the two opposing forces FA and FR which are coaxial. If the sending P 'in the unstacker is in double engagement for example with another sending, the sending P' which is pressed against the strip 11 continues its movement in the direction B while the other sending in superposition is retained by the nozzle 13. When the passage of the sending P 'is detected by the other sensor 14, the nozzles 12 and 13 in opposition most downstream in the direction B are actuated while the suction of the nozzle 12 the most upstream is stopped. P 'sending is still moved at high speed in direction B to be brought to the input 15 of a series conveyor 16 in which the shipments are moved at high speed in series on edge with a constant distance between front fronts for example. The entry 15 of the conveyor is here a pinch point constituted by two deformable wheels arranged in opposition. When the sending P 'has left the unstacker, which can be detected by another passage sensor, the most upstream nozzle 12 is again actuated to take care of the other sending which was in double engagement with the shipment P 'and the process of actuating the nozzles 12 and 13 is repeated as indicated above for the successive shipments.

The relative arrangement of the nozzles 13 with respect to the nozzles 12 according to the invention makes it more efficient to separate multi-take-off shipments because the retaining means intervenes from the beginning of the high-speed acceleration of the unstacked items. In addition this arrangement in face of the nozzles 12 and nozzles 13 avoids shear effects on the shipments that cause jams.

According to the invention, it is possible to cover by a soundproofing cover 17 the unstacker members 10 and more particularly the noisy members such as the nozzles 12 with their solenoid valves but also the nozzles 13 with their solenoid valves to give the device feeding an extra comfort of use.

The feeding device according to the invention can be applied to flat objects other than postal items, for example checks and banknotes.

Claims (8)

1. A flat-article feed device, comprising a supply magazine (1) in which flat articles are moved in a stack on edge in a first transfer direction (A), a separator means (3) for separating the leading flat article of the stack from the remainder of the stack and for driving it in a second transfer direction (B) that is substantially perpendicular to the first transfer direction (A), a unstacker means (10) that takes a flat article that is being unstacked and that is separated from the stack and bring it in said second transfer direction (B) to an inlet of a conveyor, and a retaining means (13) that exerts a retaining force (FR) on the flat article being unstacked, which force opposes movement of said flat article towards the conveyor, said flat-article feed device being characterized
   in that said separator means (3) comprises conical rollers (7) placed in line in front of the supply magazine (1), and serving, in association with the action of a moving flap (8), to perform a shingling, and a motor-driven perforated belt (4) that is moved in said second transfer direction (B) along a vertical metal sheet (5) and that co-operates with one or more suction nozzles (6) in order to move said flat articles in said second transfer direction (B) at a low speed,
   in that said unstacker means (10) is separated in said second transfer direction (B) from said separator means (3) by a belt conveyor segment (9) forming a corridor sufficiently long and not less than the maximum length of a flat article, and that it moves the flat articles on edge by friction on one face in uniformly staggered and mutually overlapping manner relative to one another toward said transfer direction (B),
   in that said retaining means (13) is provided facing the unstacker means (10),
   in that said unstacker means (10) comprises a perforated belt (11) moved at a high speed and that co-operates with two suction nozzles (12) powered via solenoid valves and which are aligned according to said second transfer direction (B) to exert on a face of flat article facing the belt (11) a first attraction force (FA) oriented perpendicularly to said second transfer direction (B) in order to press it against said belt (11),
   in that said retaining means (13) comprises two suction nozzles (13) facing respectively to said two nozzles (12) of the unstacker means (10) and which are powered via solenoid valves to exert a second attraction force (FR) oriented in the opposite direction and substantially coaxially to said first attraction force (FA), the second attraction force exerted by said nozzles (13) of the retaining means being less than the force exerted by said nozzles (12) of the unstacker means,
   in that a first passage sensor (14) is placed between said nozzles (12) of the unstacker means, and a second passage sensor (14) is placed downstream from said nozzles (12) of the unstacker means according to the transfer direction (B) to apply by suction from the nozzle (12) of the unstacker means and from the nozzle (13) of the retaining means that are the most upstream in the transfer direction (B) while the passage of a flat article is detected by said first sensor (14) so that they exert simultaneously two opposite attraction forces, and then nozzles (12; 13) in opposition of unstaker means and retaining means that are the most downstream in said transfer direction (B) while the passage of flat article is detected by said second sensor (14) while the suction of the nozzle (12) of the unstacker means the most upstream is stopped.
2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that said retaining means (13) is arranged to exert said retaining force (FR) in discontinuous manner.
3. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that said retaining means (13) is mounted to move on a telescopic arm so as to adapt said retaining force (FR) as a function of the thickness of said flat article.
4. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that said retaining means (13) is a friction retaining means.
5. A device according to any preceding claim, in which said unstacker means (10) and said retaining means (13) are covered by a soundproofing cover (17).
6. A device according to any preceding claim, characterized in that said separator means (3) is arranged to position a plurality of adjacent flat articles in shingled or mutually overlapping staggered manner in said second transfer direction (B).
7. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that said movement of flat articles at low speed is about 0.5 meters per second (m/s) and at high speed is about 2.5 meters per second (m/s).
8. A postal sorting machine, characterized in that it includes a flat article feed device according to any preceding claim.

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