EP3154880A1 - Deconsolidation-type conveyor device and corresponding method - Google Patents

Deconsolidation-type conveyor device and corresponding method

Info

Publication number
EP3154880A1
EP3154880A1 EP15733797.3A EP15733797A EP3154880A1 EP 3154880 A1 EP3154880 A1 EP 3154880A1 EP 15733797 A EP15733797 A EP 15733797A EP 3154880 A1 EP3154880 A1 EP 3154880A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
products
slow
conveying
fast
slow portion
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.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP15733797.3A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Inventor
Zmaj Petrovic
Anthony GEHIN
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.)
Sidel Engineering and Conveying Solutions SAS
Original Assignee
Gebo Packaging Solutions France SAS
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 Gebo Packaging Solutions France SAS filed Critical Gebo Packaging Solutions France SAS
Publication of EP3154880A1 publication Critical patent/EP3154880A1/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
    • B65G47/52—Devices for transferring articles or materials between conveyors i.e. discharging or feeding devices
    • B65G47/68—Devices for transferring articles or materials between conveyors i.e. discharging or feeding devices adapted to receive articles arriving in one layer from one conveyor lane and to transfer them in individual layers to more than one conveyor lane or to one broader conveyor lane, or vice versa, e.g. combining the flows of articles conveyed by more than one conveyor
    • B65G47/71—Devices for transferring articles or materials between conveyors i.e. discharging or feeding devices adapted to receive articles arriving in one layer from one conveyor lane and to transfer them in individual layers to more than one conveyor lane or to one broader conveyor lane, or vice versa, e.g. combining the flows of articles conveyed by more than one conveyor the articles being discharged or distributed to several distinct separate conveyors or to a broader conveyor lane
    • B65G47/715—Devices for transferring articles or materials between conveyors i.e. discharging or feeding devices adapted to receive articles arriving in one layer from one conveyor lane and to transfer them in individual layers to more than one conveyor lane or to one broader conveyor lane, or vice versa, e.g. combining the flows of articles conveyed by more than one conveyor the articles being discharged or distributed to several distinct separate conveyors or to a broader conveyor lane to a broader conveyor lane
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
    • B65G47/22—Devices influencing the relative position or the attitude of articles during transit by conveyors
    • B65G47/26—Devices influencing the relative position or the attitude of articles during transit by conveyors arranging the articles, e.g. varying spacing between individual articles
    • B65G47/30—Devices influencing the relative position or the attitude of articles during transit by conveyors arranging the articles, e.g. varying spacing between individual articles during transit by a series of conveyors
    • B65G47/31—Devices influencing the relative position or the attitude of articles during transit by conveyors arranging the articles, e.g. varying spacing between individual articles during transit by a series of conveyors by varying the relative speeds of the conveyors forming the series
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G2201/00—Indexing codes relating to handling devices, e.g. conveyors, characterised by the type of product or load being conveyed or handled
    • B65G2201/02—Articles
    • B65G2201/0235—Containers
    • B65G2201/0244—Bottles

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to the field of equipment for conveying and relates to a particular conveying device, and a method of implementing such a device.
  • the displacement of products, within a conveyor line and treatment may, as required, be made in single-line, the products then being aligned one behind the other in a single column or line, or in bulk, the products can then also be next to each other, in a more or less structured arrangement.
  • a single-phase displacement is for example necessary since the products must be treated individually, for labeling or counting, for example.
  • a bulk movement is chosen in particular to provide accumulation functions, to reduce the length of equipment or to reduce the speed of movement of products while maintaining an overall flow.
  • an aligner thus has the function of moving the products from a bulk configuration to a single-wire configuration, and thus to reduce the number of columns of products
  • a de-consolidator has the reverse function, namely to increase the number of columns, in particular to move products from a single-wire configuration to a bulk configuration.
  • the invention relates more particularly to the unbundlers.
  • a de-consolidator has, on the one hand, a speed differential between two conveying portions, namely a fast conveying portion and a slower conveying portion, which then causes the products to position themselves side by side to maintain the overall flow, and, secondly, means for passing the products from the fast portion to the slow portion.
  • FR2531046 discloses the use of an inclined plane for moving products from the fast portion to the slow portion. Robust operation, however, is very difficult to achieve at high speeds using gravity. Mechanical guides are nowadays privileged to ensure the passage from one to another portions. There are thus known embodiments in the form of a de-consolidator arranged in an angular zone of a conveyor.
  • This embodiment has many disadvantages. Indeed, it can more easily lead to falls of products during the passage from one conveyor to another, given the greater gap between curved conveyors, resulting in particular from the higher wear.
  • the drive direction in the slow portion is not homogeneous, which further destabilizes the products, especially at high speed.
  • efficient unbundling can only be obtained if the angle between the two speed directions is important. At high speed, falls are very frequent.
  • FR2604693 Also known from FR2604693 is a staged unbundling solution on parallel conveyors, in which the products arrive in a single-wire, then pass transversally transversely in a first conveyor having a sequence of two zones with a speed differential, then arrive on a second conveyor of exit, at even lower speed.
  • the products are both slowed and moved transversely, which, at a high rate, easily leads to falls.
  • divert the products transversely while they are slow requires the use of guides. Under the effect of braking, the slowed products gradually accumulate against these guides and the pressure in this column can reach values such that the column bursts and a product is then violently ejected transversely. It is therefore not possible, with this kind of achievements, to reach high speeds and unbundle over a short conveying distance, requiring significant speed gradients.
  • US4308944 also presents a staged unbundling, in which the products circulate on parallel conveyors having a gradient of speed, passing each time from a fast conveyor to a slow conveyor through an oblique guidance, along which the products come s' accumulate to create the problem already mentioned above of bursting of the column of products.
  • a gradual slowdown in products leads to excessive lengths for the complete device.
  • this embodiment illustrates a particularly problematic phenomenon at high speed: the end portion of the guide must extend transversely to the direction of advance to pass the products as quickly as possible to the slow portion, but, at high speed, the more this end portion is transverse, the more the products may be projected against the guide vis-à-vis and fall.
  • a violent transverse offset increases the pressure within the upstream product column, further destabilizes the products, and intensifies the nefate centrifugal phenomena once the product is released from the guide.
  • de-consolidator essentially in the form of two parallel and side-by-side linear conveying zones having a speed differential with respect to each other, the fastest portion having its end end a guide ensuring a transverse shift of products to the slowest portion.
  • This kind of realization also leads to simultaneous reduction of speed and transverse displacement, which destabilizes too high-speed products.
  • the pressure along the terminal guide can also become problematic, as described above.
  • the object of the invention is therefore to improve the state of the art in the manner described above, and aims in particular to achieve unbundling over as short a length as possible, limiting the risks of falling products and reliable at high levels. rate, or about 80,000 products per hour or more.
  • the invention proposes to ungroup the products at a linear conveyor, preferably having a speed gradient, until the products are brought with a substantially homogeneous speed and in a direction regularly oriented towards said conveyor.
  • the invention thus relates to a product conveying device, having a first conveying portion, said fast portion, and a second conveying portion, said slow portion, where the products then circulate linearly in a longitudinal conveying direction and normally more slowly than in the fast portion, said products circulating from the fast portion to the slow portion at which they are organized in a flow having a greater width within the fast portion, the fast portion and the slow portion being placed next to each other.
  • This device is characterized in that upstream of the slow portion, the fast portion has an upstream guide which is oriented angularly in the direction of the slow portion.
  • the subject of the invention is also a process for implementing such a device, namely a conveying process in which the products circulate on a first conveying portion, referred to as a fast portion, and then on a second conveying portion, said slow portion, the circulation in the slow portion being linearly in a conveying direction, the circulation in the fast portion, before the products arrive on the slow portion, being in the form of a smaller flow and faster than in the slow portion.
  • This method is characterized in that the circulation in the fast portion is in a main direction different from the conveying direction and gradually oriented towards the slow portion.
  • FIG. 1 shows a device according to the invention, wherein the conveyors have not been shown, but only their own guides;
  • FIG. 2 schematizes an embodiment where, upstream of the slow portion, the guidance is linear and the conveying curve
  • FIG. 3 illustrates the mixed portion, where the products are simultaneously on the fast portion and on the slow portion.
  • the invention thus relates to a product conveying device 1, having a first conveying portion 2, said rapid portion 2, and a second conveying portion 3, said slow portion 3, where the products then circulate linearly in one direction longitudinal conveying 4 and normally slower than in the fast portion 2, said products flowing from the fast portion 2 to the slow portion 3 at which they are organized in a stream having a greater width than in the fast portion 2, the fast portion 2 and the slow portion 3 being placed next to each other.
  • the conveying device 1 thus has conveying means, such as carpets, chains or other, for conveying the products 11 as well in the fast portion 2 as in the slow portion 3. In the latter, the conveying means therefore extends linearly in a conveying direction 4, and are intended, in normal operation, to circulate the products 1 1 slower than in the fast portion 2.
  • the conveyors of these two portions therefore do not have the same speed and independent control means can be provided for them.
  • the speed of circulation of the products decreases by passing from the fast portion 2 to the slow portion 3
  • the size of the product flow increases transversely correspondingly.
  • the products can thus go from a single-wire configuration in the fast portion 2 to a bulk configuration in the slow portion 3.
  • the width of the product flow is increased during the passage of the slow portion 2 to the fast portion 3.
  • the conveyors of the fast portion 2 therefore circulate faster than the conveyors of the slow portion 3.
  • the speed of the conveyors can of course not be homogeneous in the same portion.
  • the rapid portion 2 optionally has a decreasing velocity gradient approaching the slow portion 3, the latter possibly having a decreasing velocity gradient away from the fast portion 2.
  • the fast portion 2 upstream of the slow portion 3, the fast portion 2 has an upstream guide 5 which is oriented angularly towards the slow portion 3, so as to laterally direct the products towards the slow portion 3.
  • the invention therefore proposes to anticipate this offset towards the slow portion and to start it while the product 1 1 is still exclusively on the fast portion 2. The direction of the speed of the product 1 1 is therefore not modified during the passage on the slow portion 3.
  • the upstream guide 5 takes in particular the form of a pair of guide walls, one on each side of the group of products 1 1 circulating in the fast portion 2.
  • the upstream guide 5 is thus upstream of the slow portion 3, separated from the latter by a distance which decreases progressively in the direction of the flow of products, whereby the products are brought progressively laterally to the slow portion 3 even though they are still entirely on the fast portion 2.
  • the upstream guidance 5 directs the products substantially linearly to the slow portion 3.
  • the products 1 1 therefore undergo, at the level of the fast portion 2, or even at the beginning of their evolution on the slow portion 3, a linear linear motion oriented angularly towards the slow portion 3 and therefore its median axis, and with a relatively low angle, as will be explained further. Guiding the product does not change virtually no direction, which avoids destabilizing products.
  • the upstream guide 5, on the one hand, and the convolution means of the fast portion 2, on the other hand have substantially the same direction of action on the products, and this on at least a portion or even the entirety of the rapid portion 3, so as to prevent slippage of the products on said conveying means that would prevent satisfactory control of the movement of products to the slow portion 3
  • the guiding direction and the conveying direction are not the same, the products 1 1 slide on the conveying means, the latter then being able to apply a low drag force from the base of the products. .
  • the upstream conveying means are not capable of To exert sufficient force on the products, these will accumulate until reaching a conveying portion still upstream which will arrive to put all the column in movement. It is therefore proposed here to arrange, at the level of the fast portion 2 and therefore close to the slow portion 3, an upstream guide 5 and a conveying which impose on the product the same movement, so as to be able to drive the products as soon as possible. close to the slow portion 3.
  • the dimensions of the conveying device 1 can thus be reduced.
  • the common profile of the upstream guide 5 and the corresponding conveying can have different shapes.
  • the conveying and the upstream guidance 5 are for example both linear, or curved on the along a curved profile, whose center of curvature is on one side or the other with respect to the interface between the fast portion 2 and the slow portion 3.
  • the upstream guide 5 can extend obliquely on a conveyor, possibly made of several chains, which can then simplify the construction, the conveyor being for example parallel to the conveying direction 4.
  • the upstream guidance 5 stops at the beginning of the slow portion 3.
  • a short extension of the upstream guidance 5 above the slow portion 3, that is, beyond the interface between the fast portion 2 and the slow portion 2 is conceivable so that the products, once they open into the slow portion 3 and are disengaged from the upstream guide 5, are optionally free to replace by a movement transverse withdrawal towards the nearest wall of the guide of the slow portion 3.
  • Problems may arise if the upstream guide 5 extends excessively above the slow portion 3.
  • the guidance over the slow portion 3 should preferably be short enough to prevent a column of products can be formed against it so as to avoid an accumulation of products and an increase in pressure that can lead to a burst of this column of pr oduits and therefore falls.
  • the upstream guide 5 carries out a lateral offset of the products in a main direction which has, relative to the conveying direction 4, a low angle ⁇ , so as to avoid a too violent transverse displacement having the effect harmful to destabilize the products 1 1 and increase the pressure in the fast portion 2, in particular an angle 6 between 5 and 30 degrees, preferably between 10 and 20 degrees.
  • the transverse offset thus represents a movement which, with respect to the conveying direction 4, has a transverse component but also a longitudinal component, the equilibrium between the two components ensuring an entry of the products on the slow portion 3 almost parallel to the direction conveying 4 or in any case only slightly angularly offset.
  • the conveying device 1 further comprises a means of dynamic deformation of the end of the upstream guide 5 which is furthest downstream in the flow direction. Said end is thus animated with a movement transverse to the conveying direction 4, so that the orientation of the movement that gives the upstream guide 5 products 1 1 when they open on the slow portion 3 varies slightly in time.
  • the transverse movement is preferably alternating and of low amplitude, applied near the free end of the wall. The latter is fixed relative to the frame at a distance from the free end. It is thus possible to send the products apart from each other in the longitudinal direction on the slow portion 3, which limits the risk of collisions and falls.
  • Said end of the upstream guide 5 thus moves between two extreme positions, around a median position.
  • the end In this median position, the end is aligned in the extension of the rest of the upstream guide 5, that is to say that it preferably has only a small angle with respect to the conveying direction 4.
  • the conveying device 1 has a downstream guide 9 extending at the level of the slow portion 3 and comprising a first guide wall, said proximal wall 7, on the side of the fast portion 2, and a second guide wall, on the opposite side, said distal wall 8, the proximal wall 7 beginning in a transverse direction recessed transversely with respect to the end end of the upstream guide 5.
  • This transverse withdrawal, perpendicular to the conveying direction 4 frees additional space so that the products can be replaced without clashing once they leave the upstream guide 5.
  • the subject of the invention is also a method implementing the device as described above in its different variants, namely a conveying process in which the products circulate on a first conveying portion 2, called the fast portion 2, and then then on a second conveying portion 3, said slow portion 3, the circulation in the slow portion 3 being linearly in a conveying direction 4, the circulation in the fast portion 2, before the products arrive on the slow portion 3, being in the form of a narrower flow and faster than in the slow portion 3, so as to perform a product unbundling between the fast portion 2 and the slow portion 3.
  • the speed of circulation of the conveyors the products thus circulate faster on the fast portion 2 than on the slow portion 3, where they are progressively slowed down given the lower speed of the conveyors there.
  • the method thus makes it possible to perform a unbundling step by passing the products to an area where the drive by the conveyors is slower, and this thanks to mechanical guide means which laterally contain the flow of products.
  • the circulation in the fast portion 2 is in a main direction different from the conveying direction 4 and progressively oriented towards the slow portion 3, so that, even before being on the slow portion 3, the product is guided laterally towards it.
  • the product which is then on the side, is then given a speed oriented toward said slow portion 3, and more particularly towards the edge of the slow portion 3 which is at the same time. opposite of the fast portion 2. This movement is given to it even before the product reaches the fast portion 2.
  • This movement preferably has a slight angular offset 6 with respect to the conveying direction 4, so that the effect
  • the essential part of the conveyors of the slow portion 3 is to slow down the products and not to modify the direction of their movement, which would tend to destabilize them and make them fall, especially at high speed.
  • the angle 6 between, on the one hand, the conveying direction 4, and, on the other hand, the main direction of movement in the fast portion 2 when the products open on the slow portion 3, is low, so as to avoid sudden transverse movements of the products while they undergo sliding on the conveyors of the slow portion 3, for example an angle 6 between 5 and 30 degrees, preferably about 15 degrees.
  • the conveying on the fast portion 2, before the products arrive on the slow portion 3, is done without slippage between, on the one hand, the products and, on the other hand , the conveying means, and this on all or part of said rapid portion 2, so as to avoid excessive accumulation of products upstream but also to control the behavior of products leading to the slow portion 3.
  • the function of the conveying device 1 is to ungroup the stream, namely to transform the configuration of a stream by passing it, on the one hand, from a configuration where the products are in a single line one behind the other at the rapid portion 2, on the other hand, a configuration where the products are arranged in bulk, that is to say in a stream having a total width more only one column of products at the slow portion 3.
  • fast 2 the overall rate of products 1 1 is of course preserved.
  • a decreasing speed gradient for the conveyors can be arranged in the fast portion 2, as we approach the slow portion 3, for example to bring the products closer to each other, and / or a decreasing gradient of speed for the conveyors can be arranged in the slow portion 3 as one moves away from the fast portion 2.
  • the products circulate essentially without sliding on the conveyors of the fast portion 2, although a Lateral sliding can be organized if the guidance and the conveyors are not strictly parallel. Once they have completely left the fast portion 2, they are entirely on conveyors that move more slowly.
  • the products At the exit of the fast portion 2 and given their inertia, the products then generally continue their movement in the direction it had, so that they slide on the conveyors of the slow portion 3.
  • the friction between the conveyors slow portion 3 and the base of the products has the effect of gradually slow down the latter and change their trajectory.
  • the slow portion 3 comprises parallel and linear conveyors, which tend to carry the products in a conveying direction 4 which goes from bottom to top in FIG. 1.
  • the fast portion 2 and the slow portion 3 are side by side, that is to say one against the other in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction 4, so that a transverse offset to the conveying direction 4 is sufficient to pass the products of the fast portion 2 to the slow portion 3.
  • this offset is smooth and steady.
  • the products are moved and guided under the combined effect of or conveyors in this portion and the upstream guide 5.
  • the conveying device 1 also has a mixed portion 10 where the products are straddling both the slow portion 3 and the fast portion 2; that is to say that part of their base is in contact with the conveyors of the slow portion 3 and that the rest of their base is in contact with the conveyors of the fast portion 2.
  • the product flows on the mixed portion 10, the portion of its base in contact with the slow portion 3 then gradually decreasing in favor of the portion of its base in contact with the rapid portion 2 as shown in Figure 3.
  • the products 1 1 flowing in the fast portion 2 move in a single line, and the spacing of the walls of the upstream guide 5 is adapted to the size of a single product.
  • the mixed portion 10 begins at the section of the upstream guide 5 from which the latter, or its virtual extension, begins to extend above the slow portion 3. From this mouth of the upstream guide 5 the products begin to circulate on the slow portion 3, and it is possible to no longer guide the products on the upstream side of the flow.
  • the guiding of the downstream side of the flow is still ensured, insofar as it still extends essentially solely above the fast portion 2, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.
  • level of the mixed portion 8 is a linear extension without change of direction, so as to limit the effects of inertia.
  • a sudden change of direction in the upstream guide 5 also has the effect of increasing the pressure in the product line, which creates problems of instability once the products are released from the guidance.
  • the transverse movement of the products that is to say their movement toward the slow portion 3 and comprising a transveral component
  • the movement towards the slow portion 3 is already done when the product is exclusively on the rapid portion 2, that is to say while the product base is in contact only with the conveyor or conveyors of the rapid portion 2.
  • the upstream guide 5, whose particular function is to ensure this movement towards the slow portion 3 guides the products to the latter even though their entire base is is still in contact with the conveyors of the quick portion 2.
  • the conveying device 1 is provided with an upstream guide 5 which acts on the products, at the approach of the slow portion 3 but while the products are still entirely on the fast portion 2, so as to guide them to the slow portion 3, that is to say to impose a movement that has a component transverse to the linear conveying direction 4 of the slow portion 3.
  • this movement towards the slow portion 3, before and after right of the mixed portion 10 is progressive or regular, in order to avoid abrupt changes of direction for the products. Indeed, abrupt changes in direction have the effect of destabilizing products when they travel at high speed.
  • the upstream guide 5 is essentially linear, at the level of the mixed portion 10 and even before, which has the advantageous effect of imposing on the products a movement whose direction is stable, which avoids destabilizing the products under the effect of their inertia at high speed.
  • the conveyors of the fast portion 2 have a curvature, while the upstream guide 5 which extends above them is linear.
  • the upstream guidance 5 is such that the products are already directed towards the slow portion 3.
  • the guidance is in the extension of that arranged upstream, so as to avoid simultaneously imposing products, on the one hand, a change of direction of movement, and, on the other hand, a slowdown caused by the difference in speed between the fast portion 2 and the portion slow 3 on which they begin to circulate when they arrive on the slow portion 3.
  • the upstream guide 5 preferably does not extend above the slow portion 3, and this in particular for the portion of the upstream guide 5 which is downstream in the direction of the flow of products. Indeed, when products arrive on the slow portion 3, they undergo braking caused by the lower speed of the conveyors of the slow portion 3. If the guidance is extended at the slow portion 3, the products may then come to press against its border downstream in the direction of flow, especially given their inertia and the thrust of the column of products. The products then accumulate behind each other along this edge. This column of products in contact is then subjected to the pressure of the products which are still in the fast portion 2, the friction at their base, and the resistance of the guide.
  • the upstream guidance 5 is such that the products arrive on the slow portion 3 with a movement having a small angle with respect to the conveying direction 4.
  • This angle 6 corresponds in fact to that which separates, from a on the other hand, the direction of the speed that the product tends to retain once it has left the fast portion 2 to continue on the slow portion 3, and, on the other hand, the conveying direction 4 at the level of the portion 3.
  • the upstream guide 5, in the portion that ends on the mixed portion 10 or even in said mixed portion 10, thus has a small angle 6 with respect to the conveying direction 4, in particular from 5 to 30 degrees, preferably from 10 to 20.
  • the angle corresponds directly to that between the two linear directions.
  • the upstream guide 5 is curved, it is essentially the main direction that the upstream guide 5 has in proximity to the mixed portion 10 which is taken into account to determine the angle, that is to say the angle of the upstream guide 5 just before the mixed portion 10, or even at the level of the mixed portion 10.
  • the products 1 can travel a longer longitudinal path once arrived on the slow portion 3, which limits the risk that the following products come up against the previous ones.
  • such an orientation also makes it possible to convey the products at higher speed in the fast portion 2 and to have a higher overall throughput, since at the exit they are less likely to go towards the guide in to face.
  • the braking caused by the slower conveyors of the slow portion 3 has less effect on the direction of movement of the products and thus destabilizes them less, and more effect on the value of their speed.
  • the risk is thus reduced that the speed differential conveyors between the fast portion 2 and the slow portion 3 destabilize the products and make them fall. It is therefore possible to further increase the speed differential, and thus to ungroup on a shorter distance.
  • the device 1 can then be shorter than another performing the same transverse expansion of the product flow.
  • the latter can be provided with a means of dynamic deformation of the upstream guide 5, which will have the effect of slightly varying the direction of movement when the Products open onto the slow portion 3.
  • the free end of the wall downstream of the product stream is then connected to mobile equipment rather than attached to the frame.
  • the angular amplitude then corresponds to a deflection of the free end of less than 2 centimeters, preferably less than 1 centimeter.
  • Varying the direction of the speed at the output of rapid portion 2 makes it possible to separate from each other two products aligned in the conveying direction 4 on the slow portion 3, and thus reduce the risk of falls. Nevertheless, a significant amplitude of the movement of the free end of the upstream guide 5 has the effect of imposing too large changes of direction to the products as they flow to the slow portion 3, which destabilizes excessively when the circulation speeds are high.
  • the deflection of the free end can be low, as quantified above.
  • the two directions of movement namely, on the one hand, on the fast portion 2, and, on the other hand, on the slow portion 3, are almost parallel, even a small deflection of the free end of the upstream guide 5 makes it possible to obtain a large distance between two products aligned on the slow portion 3 one behind the other in the direction of the conveying direction 4. It is therefore possible to obtain a sufficient longitudinal separation between the products 1 1 on the slow portion 3 without destabilizing the products under the effect of upstream guidance 5 moving with a too high amplitude.
  • the device 1 is also provided with a guide at the slow portion 3, in the form of two walls facing each other, extending parallel to the conveying direction 4 and transversely delimiting the zone available for products.
  • a first wall, or proximal wall 7 extends approximately at the interface between the fast portion 2 and the slow portion 3.
  • the second wall, or distal wall 8 extends opposite the first and is the farthest from both with respect to the fast portion 2.
  • the free end of the proximal wall is recessed transversely relative to the free end of the upstream guide 5, which allows to leave more of place to products to reposition themselves by regrouping.
  • a product released by the upstream guide 5 can be made to move back by moving transversely away from the distal wall 8.
  • the transverse deviation between the end of the upstream guide 5 and the proximal wall then allows the product 1 1 to reposition itself away from the distal wall.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Attitude Control For Articles On Conveyors (AREA)

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (1) for conveying products, having a first conveying portion (2), referred to as a quick portion (2), and a second conveying portion (3), referred to as a slow portion (3), in which the products then circulate in a linear fashion in a longitudinal conveying direction (4), normally slower than in the quick portion (2). Said products circulate from the quick portion (2) towards the slow portion (3), in which they are then organised into a flow that is wider than in the quick portion (2), the quick portion (2) and the slow portion (3) being placed next to one another. Upstream from the slow portion (3), the quick portion (2) has an upstream guide (5) which is directed angularly towards the slow portion (3). The invention also relates to a method for implementing said device.

Description

DISPOSITIF DE CONVOYAGE DU TYPE DEGROUPEUR ET PROCEDE  DEVICE FOR CONVEYING THE TYPE OF DRYER AND METHOD
CORRESPONDANT CORRESPONDING
DESCRIPTION DESCRIPTION
La présente invention relève du domaine des équipements pour le convoyage et a pour objet un dispositif de convoyage particulier, ainsi qu'un procédé de mise en œuvre d'un tel dispositif. The present invention relates to the field of equipment for conveying and relates to a particular conveying device, and a method of implementing such a device.
Le déplacement de produits, au sein d'une ligne de convoyage et de traitement, peut, selon les besoins, se faire soit en unifilaire, les produits étant alors alignés les uns derrière les autres en une seule colonne ou ligne, soit en vrac, les produits pouvant alors aussi se trouver les uns à côtés des autres, selon un agencement plus ou moins structuré. Un déplacement unifilaire est par exemple nécessaire dès lors que les produits doivent être traités unitairement, pour un étiquettage ou un comptage, par exemple. Un déplacement en vrac est choisi en particulier pour assurer des fonctions d'accumulation, pour réduire la longueur des équipements ou encore pour réduire la vitesse de circulation des produits tout en conservant un débit global.  The displacement of products, within a conveyor line and treatment, may, as required, be made in single-line, the products then being aligned one behind the other in a single column or line, or in bulk, the products can then also be next to each other, in a more or less structured arrangement. A single-phase displacement is for example necessary since the products must be treated individually, for labeling or counting, for example. A bulk movement is chosen in particular to provide accumulation functions, to reduce the length of equipment or to reduce the speed of movement of products while maintaining an overall flow.
Des équipements sont alors nécessaires pour assurer les transitions entre ces deux formes de convoyage : un aligneur a ainsi pour fonction de faire passer les produits d'une configuration en vrac à une configuration unifilaire, et donc de réduire le nombre de colonnes de produits, et un dégroupeur a la fonction inverse, à savoir celle d'augmenter le nombre de colonnes, en particulier de faire passer les produits d'une configuration unifilaire à une configuration en vrac. L'invention concerne plus particulièrement les dégroupeurs.  Equipment is then necessary to ensure the transitions between these two forms of conveying: an aligner thus has the function of moving the products from a bulk configuration to a single-wire configuration, and thus to reduce the number of columns of products, and a de-consolidator has the reverse function, namely to increase the number of columns, in particular to move products from a single-wire configuration to a bulk configuration. The invention relates more particularly to the unbundlers.
De façon générale, un dégroupeur présente, d'une part, un différentiel de vitesse entre deux portions de convoyage, à savoir une portion de convoyage rapide et une portion de convoyage plus lent amenant alors les produits à se positionner côte à côte pour conserver le débit global, et, d'autre part, des moyens pour faire passer les produits de la portion rapide vers la portion lente. FR2531046 divulgue ainsi le recours à un plan incliné pour faire transiter les produits de la portion rapide à la portion lente. Un fonctionnement robuste est toutefois très difficile à atteindre à hautes cadences en utilisant la gravité. Des guides mécaniques sont aujourd'hui privilégiés pour assurer le passage de l'une à l'autre des portions. On connaît ainsi des réalisations sous forme d'un dégroupeur agencé dans une zone anguleuse d'un convoyeur. Les produits circulent en unifilaire dans la portion rapide, et le passage des produits de la portion rapide à la portion lente s'opère dans l'arrondi du convoyeur, où la portion rapide est formée par la zone de faible rayon de courbure, et la portion lente est formée par une succession de chaînes dans la zone des rayons de courbure plus élevés. Cette réalisation présente de nombreux inconvénients. En effet, elle peut plus facilement amener à des chutes de produits lors du passage d'un convoyeur à l'autre, compte tenu de l'écart plus important entre des convoyeurs courbes, résultant notamment de l'usure plus élevée. En outre, compte tenu de la forme arrondie, la direction d'entraînement dans la portion lente n'est pas homogène, ce qui déstabilise davantage les produits, en particulier à haute vitesse. Enfin, dans une telle configuration, un dégroupage efficace ne peut être obtenu que si l'angle entre les deux directions de vitesse est important. A haute cadence, les chutes sont alors très fréquentes. Generally speaking, a de-consolidator has, on the one hand, a speed differential between two conveying portions, namely a fast conveying portion and a slower conveying portion, which then causes the products to position themselves side by side to maintain the overall flow, and, secondly, means for passing the products from the fast portion to the slow portion. FR2531046 discloses the use of an inclined plane for moving products from the fast portion to the slow portion. Robust operation, however, is very difficult to achieve at high speeds using gravity. Mechanical guides are nowadays privileged to ensure the passage from one to another portions. There are thus known embodiments in the form of a de-consolidator arranged in an angular zone of a conveyor. The products circulate in single-wire in the fast portion, and the passage of the products of the fast portion to the slow portion takes place in the rounding of the conveyor, where the fast portion is formed by the zone of small radius of curvature, and the slow portion is formed by a succession of chains in the area of higher radii of curvature. This embodiment has many disadvantages. Indeed, it can more easily lead to falls of products during the passage from one conveyor to another, given the greater gap between curved conveyors, resulting in particular from the higher wear. In addition, given the rounded shape, the drive direction in the slow portion is not homogeneous, which further destabilizes the products, especially at high speed. Finally, in such a configuration, efficient unbundling can only be obtained if the angle between the two speed directions is important. At high speed, falls are very frequent.
On connaît aussi de FR2604693 une solution de dégroupage étagée sur des convoyeurs parallèles, dans laquelle les produits arrivent en unifilaire, transitent ensuite progressivement transversalement dans un premier convoyeur présentant un enchaînement de deux zones avec un différentiel de vitesse, puis arrivent sur un deuxième convoyeur de sortie, à vitesse encore plus faible. Dans le premier convoyeur, les produits sont à la fois ralentis et déplacés transversalement, ce qui, à haute cadence, amène facilement à des chutes. En outre, dévier les produits transversalement alors même qu'ils sont ralentis impose le recours à des guides. Sous l'effet du freinage, les produits ralentis s'accumulent alors progressivement contre ces guides et la pression dans cette colonne peut atteindre des valeurs telles que la colonne éclate et qu'un produit est alors violemment éjecté transversalement. Il n'est donc pas possible, avec ce genre de réalisations, d'atteindre des cadences élevées et de dégrouper sur une courte distance de convoyage, nécessitant des gradients de vitesse importants.  Also known from FR2604693 is a staged unbundling solution on parallel conveyors, in which the products arrive in a single-wire, then pass transversally transversely in a first conveyor having a sequence of two zones with a speed differential, then arrive on a second conveyor of exit, at even lower speed. In the first conveyor, the products are both slowed and moved transversely, which, at a high rate, easily leads to falls. In addition, divert the products transversely while they are slow requires the use of guides. Under the effect of braking, the slowed products gradually accumulate against these guides and the pressure in this column can reach values such that the column bursts and a product is then violently ejected transversely. It is therefore not possible, with this kind of achievements, to reach high speeds and unbundle over a short conveying distance, requiring significant speed gradients.
US4308944 présente aussi un dégroupage étagé, dans lequel les produits circulent sur des convoyeurs parallèles présentant un gradient de vitesse, en passant à chaque fois d'un convoyeur rapide à un convoyeur lent grâce à un guidage oblique, le long duquel les produits viennent s'accumuler jusqu'à créer le problème déjà évoqué ci-dessus d'éclatement de la colonne de produits. Un ralentissement étagé des produits amène à des longueurs excessives pour le dispositif complet. En outre, cette réalisation illustre un phénomène particulièrement problématique à haute cadence : la portion terminale du guide doit s'étendre transversalement à la direction d'avance pour faire passer les produits le plus rapidement possible vers la portion lente, mais, à haute cadence, plus cette portion terminale est transversale, plus les produits risquent d'être projetés contre le guide en vis- à-vis et de chuter. En outre, un déport transversal violent augmente la pression au sein de la colonne de produits en amont, déstabilise davantage les produits, et intensifie les phénomènes centrifuges néfates une fois le produit libéré du guide. US4308944 also presents a staged unbundling, in which the products circulate on parallel conveyors having a gradient of speed, passing each time from a fast conveyor to a slow conveyor through an oblique guidance, along which the products come s' accumulate to create the problem already mentioned above of bursting of the column of products. A gradual slowdown in products leads to excessive lengths for the complete device. In addition, this embodiment illustrates a particularly problematic phenomenon at high speed: the end portion of the guide must extend transversely to the direction of advance to pass the products as quickly as possible to the slow portion, but, at high speed, the more this end portion is transverse, the more the products may be projected against the guide vis-à-vis and fall. In addition, a violent transverse offset increases the pressure within the upstream product column, further destabilizes the products, and intensifies the nefate centrifugal phenomena once the product is released from the guide.
Enfin, on connaît encore d'autres réalisations de dégroupeur, essentiellement sous la forme de deux zones de convoyage linéaire parallèles et côte à côte, présentant un différentiel de vitesse l'une par rapport à l'autre, la portion la plus rapide présentant à son extrémité de fin un guide assurant un déport transversal des produits vers la portion la plus lente. Ce genre de réalisation amène toutefois lui aussi à rendre simultané la réduction de vitesse et le déplacement transversal, ce qui déstabilise trop les produits à haute cadence. La pression le long du guide terminal peut aussi devenir problématique, comme décrit ci-dessus.  Finally, there are still other embodiments of the de-consolidator, essentially in the form of two parallel and side-by-side linear conveying zones having a speed differential with respect to each other, the fastest portion having its end end a guide ensuring a transverse shift of products to the slowest portion. This kind of realization, however, also leads to simultaneous reduction of speed and transverse displacement, which destabilizes too high-speed products. The pressure along the terminal guide can also become problematic, as described above.
L'invention a ainsi pour objet d'améliorer l'état de la technique de la façon décrite ci-dessus, et vise notamment à atteindre un dégroupage sur une longueur la plus courte possible, limitant les risques de chute des produit et fiable à haute cadence, soit environ 80 000 produits à l'heure ou plus.  The object of the invention is therefore to improve the state of the art in the manner described above, and aims in particular to achieve unbundling over as short a length as possible, limiting the risks of falling products and reliable at high levels. rate, or about 80,000 products per hour or more.
A cet effet, l'invention propose de dégrouper les produits au niveau d'un convoyeur linéaire, présentant préférentiellement un gradient de vitesse, jusqu' auquel les produits sont amenés avec une vitesse essentiellement homogène et selon une direction régulièrement orientée vers ledit convoyeur.  For this purpose, the invention proposes to ungroup the products at a linear conveyor, preferably having a speed gradient, until the products are brought with a substantially homogeneous speed and in a direction regularly oriented towards said conveyor.
L'invention a ainsi pour objet un dispositif de convoyage de produits, présentant une première portion de convoyage, dite portion rapide, et une deuxième portion de convoyage, dite portion lente, où les produits circulent ensuite linéairement dans une direction de convoyage longitudinale et normalement plus lentement que dans la portion rapide, lesdits produits circulant de la portion rapide vers la portion lente au niveau de laquelle ils s'organisent alors en un flux présentant une plus grande largeur qu'au sein de la portion rapide, la portion rapide et la portion lente étant placées l'une à côté de l'autre. The invention thus relates to a product conveying device, having a first conveying portion, said fast portion, and a second conveying portion, said slow portion, where the products then circulate linearly in a longitudinal conveying direction and normally more slowly than in the fast portion, said products circulating from the fast portion to the slow portion at which they are organized in a flow having a greater width within the fast portion, the fast portion and the slow portion being placed next to each other.
Ce dispositif est caractérisé en ce que en amont de la portion lente, la portion rapide présente un guidage amont qui est orienté angulairement en direction de la portion lente.  This device is characterized in that upstream of the slow portion, the fast portion has an upstream guide which is oriented angularly in the direction of the slow portion.
L'invention a aussi pour objet un procédé de mise en œuvre d'un tel dispositif, à savoir un procédé de convoyage dans lequel les produits circulent sur une première portion de convoyage, dite portion rapide, puis ensuite sur une deuxième portion de convoyage, dite portion lente, la circulation dans la portion lente se faisant linéairement dans une direction de convoyage, la circulation dans la portion rapide, avant que les produits n'arrivent sur la portion lente, se faisant sous la forme d'un flux moins large et plus rapide que dans la portion lente.  The subject of the invention is also a process for implementing such a device, namely a conveying process in which the products circulate on a first conveying portion, referred to as a fast portion, and then on a second conveying portion, said slow portion, the circulation in the slow portion being linearly in a conveying direction, the circulation in the fast portion, before the products arrive on the slow portion, being in the form of a smaller flow and faster than in the slow portion.
Ce procédé est caractérisé en ce que la circulation dans la portion rapide se fait dans une direction principale différente de la direction de convoyage et progressivement orientée vers la portion lente.  This method is characterized in that the circulation in the fast portion is in a main direction different from the conveying direction and gradually oriented towards the slow portion.
L'invention sera mieux comprise grâce à la description ci- dessous, qui se base sur des modes de réalisations possibles, expliqués de façon illustrative et nullement limitative, en référence avec les figures annexées suivantes:  The invention will be better understood thanks to the description below, which is based on possible embodiments, explained in an illustrative and non-limiting manner, with reference to the following appended figures:
- la figure 1 présente un dispositif selon l'invention, dans lequel les convoyeurs n'ont toutefois pas été représentés, mais uniquement leurs propres guidages ;  - Figure 1 shows a device according to the invention, wherein the conveyors have not been shown, but only their own guides;
- la figure 2 schématise un mode de réalisation où, en amont de la portion lente, le guidage est linéaire et le convoyage courbe, et  FIG. 2 schematizes an embodiment where, upstream of the slow portion, the guidance is linear and the conveying curve, and
- la figure 3 illustre la portion mixte, où les produits se trouvent simultanément sur la portion rapide et sur la portion lente.  - Figure 3 illustrates the mixed portion, where the products are simultaneously on the fast portion and on the slow portion.
L'invention a ainsi pour objet un dispositif de convoyage 1 de produits, présentant une première portion de convoyage 2, dite portion rapide 2, et une deuxième portion de convoyage 3, dite portion lente 3, où les produits circulent ensuite linéairement dans une direction de convoyage 4 longitudinale et normalement plus lentement que dans la portion rapide 2, lesdits produits circulant de la portion rapide 2 vers la portion lente 3 au niveau de laquelle ils s'organisent alors en un flux présentant une plus grande largeur qu'au sein de la portion rapide 2, la portion rapide 2 et la portion lente 3 étant placées l'une à côté de l'autre. Le dispositif de convoyage 1 présente donc des moyens de convoyage, type tapis, chaînes ou autres, pour convoyer les produits 11 aussi bien dans la portion rapide 2 que dans la portion lente 3. Dans cette dernière, les moyens de convoyage s'étendent donc de façon linéaire dans une direction de convoyage 4, et sont destinés, dans un fonctionnement normal, à faire circuler les produits 1 1 moins vite que dans la portion rapide 2. Les convoyeurs de ces deux portions n'ont donc pas la même vitesse et des moyens de contrôle indépendants peuvent être prévus pour eux. Comme la vitesse de circulation des produits diminue en passant de la portion rapide 2 à la portion lente 3, la taille du flux de produits augmente transversalement de façon correspondante. Les produits peuvent ainsi passer d'une configuration unifilaire dans la portion rapide 2 à une configuration en vrac dans la portion lente 3. De façon générale, la largeur du flux de produit est augmenté à l'occasion du passage de la portion lente 2 à la portion rapide 3. The invention thus relates to a product conveying device 1, having a first conveying portion 2, said rapid portion 2, and a second conveying portion 3, said slow portion 3, where the products then circulate linearly in one direction longitudinal conveying 4 and normally slower than in the fast portion 2, said products flowing from the fast portion 2 to the slow portion 3 at which they are organized in a stream having a greater width than in the fast portion 2, the fast portion 2 and the slow portion 3 being placed next to each other. The conveying device 1 thus has conveying means, such as carpets, chains or other, for conveying the products 11 as well in the fast portion 2 as in the slow portion 3. In the latter, the conveying means therefore extends linearly in a conveying direction 4, and are intended, in normal operation, to circulate the products 1 1 slower than in the fast portion 2. The conveyors of these two portions therefore do not have the same speed and independent control means can be provided for them. As the speed of circulation of the products decreases by passing from the fast portion 2 to the slow portion 3, the size of the product flow increases transversely correspondingly. The products can thus go from a single-wire configuration in the fast portion 2 to a bulk configuration in the slow portion 3. In general, the width of the product flow is increased during the passage of the slow portion 2 to the fast portion 3.
Les convoyeurs de la portion rapide 2 circulent donc plus vite que les convoyeurs de la portion lente 3. La vitesse des convoyeurs peut bien entendu ne pas être homogène dans une même portion. Ainsi, la portion rapide 2 présente éventuellement un gradient de vitesse décroissant en s 'approchant de la portion lente 3, cette dernière présentant quant à elle éventuellement un gradient de vitesse décroissant en s 'éloignant de la portion rapide 2.  The conveyors of the fast portion 2 therefore circulate faster than the conveyors of the slow portion 3. The speed of the conveyors can of course not be homogeneous in the same portion. Thus, the rapid portion 2 optionally has a decreasing velocity gradient approaching the slow portion 3, the latter possibly having a decreasing velocity gradient away from the fast portion 2.
Selon l'invention, en amont de la portion lente 3, la portion rapide 2 présente un guidage amont 5 qui est orienté angulairement en direction de la portion lente 3, de sorte à diriger latéralement progressivement les produits vers la portion lente 3. Cela amène donc à rapprocher progressivement les produits vers l'axe médian des moyens de convoyage de la portion lente 3. Dans l'art antérieur, c'est généralement lorsque les produits 1 1 arrivent au contact de la portion lente 3 qu'ils sont amenés transversalement de la portion rapide 2 vers la portion lente 3, avec un angle plus ou moins élevé. L'invention propose donc d'anticiper ce déport en direction de la portion lente et de l'entamer alors que le produit 1 1 est encore exclusivement sur la portion rapide 2. La direction de la vitesse du produit 1 1 n'est donc pas modifiée lors du passage sur la portion lente 3.  According to the invention, upstream of the slow portion 3, the fast portion 2 has an upstream guide 5 which is oriented angularly towards the slow portion 3, so as to laterally direct the products towards the slow portion 3. This leads therefore to gradually bring the products towards the median axis of the conveying means of the slow portion 3. In the prior art, it is generally when the products 1 1 come into contact with the slow portion 3 that they are brought transversely from the fast portion 2 to the slow portion 3, with a greater or lesser angle. The invention therefore proposes to anticipate this offset towards the slow portion and to start it while the product 1 1 is still exclusively on the fast portion 2. The direction of the speed of the product 1 1 is therefore not modified during the passage on the slow portion 3.
Le guidage amont 5 prend notamment la forme d'une paire de parois de guidage, l'une de chaque côté du groupe de produits 1 1 circulant dans la portion rapide 2. De façon générale, le guidage amont 5 se trouve ainsi, en amont de la portion lente 3, écarté de cette dernière d'une distance qui diminue progressivement dans le sens du flux de produits, grâce à quoi les produits sont amenés progressivement latéralement vers la portion lente 3 alors même qu'ils se trouvent encore entièrement sur la portion rapide 2. The upstream guide 5 takes in particular the form of a pair of guide walls, one on each side of the group of products 1 1 circulating in the fast portion 2. In general, the upstream guide 5 is thus upstream of the slow portion 3, separated from the latter by a distance which decreases progressively in the direction of the flow of products, whereby the products are brought progressively laterally to the slow portion 3 even though they are still entirely on the fast portion 2.
Selon une caractéristique additionnelle possible, le guidage amont 5 dirige les produits essentiellement linéairement vers la portion lente 3. Les produits 1 1 subissent donc, au niveau de la portion rapide 2, voire aussi au début de leur évolution sur la portion lente 3, un mouvement linéaire régulier orienté angulairement en direction de la portion lente 3 et donc de son axe médian, et ce avec un angle relativement faible, comme il sera encore expliqué plus loin. Le guidage du produit ne change donc pratiquement pas de direction, ce qui évite de déstabiliser les produits.  According to an additional possible characteristic, the upstream guidance 5 directs the products substantially linearly to the slow portion 3. The products 1 1 therefore undergo, at the level of the fast portion 2, or even at the beginning of their evolution on the slow portion 3, a linear linear motion oriented angularly towards the slow portion 3 and therefore its median axis, and with a relatively low angle, as will be explained further. Guiding the product does not change virtually no direction, which avoids destabilizing products.
Selon une autre caractéristique additionnelle possible, avant la portion lente 3, le guidage amont 5, d'une part, et les moyens de convo age de la portion rapide 2, d'autre part, ont sensiblement une même direction d'action sur les produits, et ce sur au moins une partie voire l'intégralité de la portion rapide 3, de sorte à éviter un glissement des produits sur lesdits moyens de convoyage qui empêcherait de contrôler de façon satisfaisante le mouvement des produits jusqu'à la portion lente 3. En effet, si la direction de guidage et la direction de convoyage ne sont pas les mêmes, les produits 1 1 glissent sur les moyens de convoyage, ces derniers ne pouvant alors appliquer qu'une faible force d'entraînement depuis la base des produits. Or, il est nécessaire d'imposer une force suffisante aux produits compte tenu du ralentissement qu'ils subissent à partir de leur base dès qu'ils arrivent sur la portion lente 3. Si les moyens de convoyage en amont ne sont pas capable d'exercer suffisamment de force sur les produits, ceux-ci vont s'accumuler jusqu'à atteindre une portion de convoyage encore en amont qui arrivera à mettre toute la colonne en mouvement. Il est donc proposé ici d'aménager, au niveau de la portion rapide 2 et donc à proximité de la portion lente 3, un guidage amont 5 et un convoyage qui imposent au produit le même mouvement, de sorte à pouvoir entraîner les produits dès la proximité de la portion lente 3. Les dimensions du dispositif de convoyage 1 peuvent ainsi être réduites.  According to another possible additional characteristic, before the slow portion 3, the upstream guide 5, on the one hand, and the convolution means of the fast portion 2, on the other hand, have substantially the same direction of action on the products, and this on at least a portion or even the entirety of the rapid portion 3, so as to prevent slippage of the products on said conveying means that would prevent satisfactory control of the movement of products to the slow portion 3 Indeed, if the guiding direction and the conveying direction are not the same, the products 1 1 slide on the conveying means, the latter then being able to apply a low drag force from the base of the products. . However, it is necessary to impose sufficient strength on the products given the slowdown they undergo from their base as soon as they arrive on the slow portion 3. If the upstream conveying means are not capable of To exert sufficient force on the products, these will accumulate until reaching a conveying portion still upstream which will arrive to put all the column in movement. It is therefore proposed here to arrange, at the level of the fast portion 2 and therefore close to the slow portion 3, an upstream guide 5 and a conveying which impose on the product the same movement, so as to be able to drive the products as soon as possible. close to the slow portion 3. The dimensions of the conveying device 1 can thus be reduced.
Le profil commun du guidage amont 5 et du convoyage correspondant peut avoir différentes formes. Ainsi, le convoyage et le guidage amont 5 sont par exemple tous deux linéaires, ou encore incurvés le long d'un profil courbe, dont le centre de courbure se trouve d'un côté ou de l'autre par rapport à l'interface entre la portion rapide 2 et la portion lente 3. The common profile of the upstream guide 5 and the corresponding conveying can have different shapes. Thus, the conveying and the upstream guidance 5 are for example both linear, or curved on the along a curved profile, whose center of curvature is on one side or the other with respect to the interface between the fast portion 2 and the slow portion 3.
Bien entendu, il reste possible de prévoir un angle conséquent entre, d'une part, le guidage amont 5 et, d'autre part, le convoyage de la portion rapide 2. Par exemple, le guidage amont 5 peut s'étendre en oblique sur un convoyeur, éventuellement fait de plusieurs chaînes, ce qui peut alors simplifier la construction, le convoyeur étant par exemple parallèle à la direction de convoyage 4.  Of course, it remains possible to provide a substantial angle between, on the one hand, the upstream guide 5 and, on the other hand, the conveying of the fast portion 2. For example, the upstream guide 5 can extend obliquely on a conveyor, possibly made of several chains, which can then simplify the construction, the conveyor being for example parallel to the conveying direction 4.
Dans des modes de réalisation particuliers, le guidage amont 5 s'arrête au niveau du début de la portion lente 3. Une courte extension du guidage amont 5 au-dessus de la portion lente 3, c'est-à-dire au-delà de l'interface entre la portion rapide 2 et la portion lente 2 est envisageable pour que les produits, une fois qu'ils débouchent dans la portion lente 3 et se trouvent dégagés du guidage amont 5, soient libres éventuellement de se replacer par un mouvement de retrait transversal en direction de la plus proche paroi du guidage de la portion lente 3. Des problèmes peuvent apparaître si le guidage amont 5 s'étend de façon excessive au dessus de la portion lente 3. En effet, le guidage au dessus de la portion lente 3 doit préférentiellement être suffisamment court pour éviter qu'une colonne de produits puisse se former contre lui de sorte à éviter une accumulation de produits et une augmentation de la pression pouvant aboutir à un éclatement de cette colonne de produits et donc des chutes.  In particular embodiments, the upstream guidance 5 stops at the beginning of the slow portion 3. A short extension of the upstream guidance 5 above the slow portion 3, that is, beyond the interface between the fast portion 2 and the slow portion 2 is conceivable so that the products, once they open into the slow portion 3 and are disengaged from the upstream guide 5, are optionally free to replace by a movement transverse withdrawal towards the nearest wall of the guide of the slow portion 3. Problems may arise if the upstream guide 5 extends excessively above the slow portion 3. In fact, the guidance over the slow portion 3 should preferably be short enough to prevent a column of products can be formed against it so as to avoid an accumulation of products and an increase in pressure that can lead to a burst of this column of pr oduits and therefore falls.
Selon une autre caractéristique additionnelle possible, le guidage amont 5 réalise un déport latéral des produits suivant une direction principale qui présente, par rapport à la direction de convoyage 4, un angle 6 faible, de sorte à éviter un déplacement transversal trop violent ayant pour effet néfaste de déstabiliser les produits 1 1 et d'augmenter la pression dans la portion rapide 2, en particulier un angle 6 compris entre 5 et 30 degrés, préférentiellement entre 10 et 20 degrés. Le déport transversal représente donc un mouvement qui, par rapport à la direction de convoyage 4, a une composante transversale mais aussi une composante longitudinale, l'équilibre entre les deux composantes assurant une entrée des produits sur la portion lente 3 presque parallèle à la direction de convoyage 4 ou en tout cas uniquement légèrement décalée angulairement.  According to another possible additional feature, the upstream guide 5 carries out a lateral offset of the products in a main direction which has, relative to the conveying direction 4, a low angle θ, so as to avoid a too violent transverse displacement having the effect harmful to destabilize the products 1 1 and increase the pressure in the fast portion 2, in particular an angle 6 between 5 and 30 degrees, preferably between 10 and 20 degrees. The transverse offset thus represents a movement which, with respect to the conveying direction 4, has a transverse component but also a longitudinal component, the equilibrium between the two components ensuring an entry of the products on the slow portion 3 almost parallel to the direction conveying 4 or in any case only slightly angularly offset.
Dans le but d'améliorer le dégroupage et de favoriser l'expansion transversale du flux de produits sur une courte distance de convoyage, et selon une autre caractéristique additionnelle possible du dispositif de convoyage 1 , il comprend, en outre, un moyen de déformation dynamique de l'extrémité du guidage amont 5 qui est la plus en aval dans le sens du flux. Ladite extrémité est ainsi animée d'un mouvement transversal à la direction de convoyage 4, de sorte que l'orientation du mouvement que donne le guidage amont 5 aux produits 1 1 lorsqu'ils débouchent sur la portion lente 3 varie légèrement dans le temps. Le mouvement transversal est préférablement alternatif et de faible amplitude, appliqué à proximité de l'extrémité libre de la paroi. Cette dernière est fixe par rapport au bâti à distance de l'extrémité libre. Il est ainsi possible d'envoyer les produits écartés les uns des autres dans la direction longitudinale sur la portion lente 3, ce qui limite le risque de collisions et de chutes. With the aim of improving unbundling and promoting cross-product flow expansion over a short distance of conveying, and according to another additional possible feature of the conveying device 1, it further comprises a means of dynamic deformation of the end of the upstream guide 5 which is furthest downstream in the flow direction. Said end is thus animated with a movement transverse to the conveying direction 4, so that the orientation of the movement that gives the upstream guide 5 products 1 1 when they open on the slow portion 3 varies slightly in time. The transverse movement is preferably alternating and of low amplitude, applied near the free end of the wall. The latter is fixed relative to the frame at a distance from the free end. It is thus possible to send the products apart from each other in the longitudinal direction on the slow portion 3, which limits the risk of collisions and falls.
Ladite extrémité du guidage amont 5 se déplace ainsi entre deux positions extrêmes, autour d'une position médiane. Dans cette position médiane, l'extrémité est alignée dans le prolongement du reste du guidage amont 5, c'est-à-dire qu'elle ne présente préférablement qu'un angle faible par rapport à la direction de convoyage 4.  Said end of the upstream guide 5 thus moves between two extreme positions, around a median position. In this median position, the end is aligned in the extension of the rest of the upstream guide 5, that is to say that it preferably has only a small angle with respect to the conveying direction 4.
Selon une autre caractéristique additionnelle possible du dispositif de convoyage 1, il présente un guidage aval 9 s 'étendant au niveau de la portion lente 3 et comprenant une première paroi de guidage, dite paroi proximale 7, du côté de la portion rapide 2, ainsi qu'une deuxième paroi de guidage, du côté opposé, dite paroi distale 8, la paroi proximale 7 débutant, dans une direction transversale, en retrait transversal par rapport à l'extrémité terminale du guidage amont 5. Ce retrait transversal, perpendiculairement à la direction de convoyage 4 libère un espace supplémentaire pour que les produits puissent se replacer sans s'entrechoquer une fois qu'ils quittent le guidage amont 5.  According to another possible additional feature of the conveying device 1, it has a downstream guide 9 extending at the level of the slow portion 3 and comprising a first guide wall, said proximal wall 7, on the side of the fast portion 2, and a second guide wall, on the opposite side, said distal wall 8, the proximal wall 7 beginning in a transverse direction recessed transversely with respect to the end end of the upstream guide 5. This transverse withdrawal, perpendicular to the conveying direction 4 frees additional space so that the products can be replaced without clashing once they leave the upstream guide 5.
L'invention a aussi pour objet un procédé mettant en œuvre le dispositif tel que décrit ci-dessus dans ses différentes variantes, à savoir un procédé de convoyage dans lequel les produits circulent sur une première portion de convoyage 2, dite portion rapide 2, puis ensuite sur une deuxième portion de convoyage 3, dite portion lente 3, la circulation dans la portion lente 3 se faisant linéairement dans une direction de convoyage 4, la circulation dans la portion rapide 2, avant que les produits n'arrivent sur la portion lente 3, se faisant sous la forme d'un flux moins large et plus rapide que dans la portion lente 3, de sorte à réaliser un dégroupage des produits entre la portion rapide 2 et la portion lente 3. Sous l'effet de la vitesse de circulation des convoyeurs, les produits circulent donc plus rapidement sur la portion rapide 2 que sur la portion lente 3, où ils sont progressivement ralentis compte tenu de la vitesse plus faible des convoyeurs à cet endroit. Le procédé permet donc de réaliser une étape de dégroupage en faisant passer les produits vers une zone où l'entraînement par les convoyeurs est moins rapide, et ce grâce à des moyens de guidages mécaniques qui contiennent latéralement le flux de produits. The subject of the invention is also a method implementing the device as described above in its different variants, namely a conveying process in which the products circulate on a first conveying portion 2, called the fast portion 2, and then then on a second conveying portion 3, said slow portion 3, the circulation in the slow portion 3 being linearly in a conveying direction 4, the circulation in the fast portion 2, before the products arrive on the slow portion 3, being in the form of a narrower flow and faster than in the slow portion 3, so as to perform a product unbundling between the fast portion 2 and the slow portion 3. As a result of the speed of circulation of the conveyors, the products thus circulate faster on the fast portion 2 than on the slow portion 3, where they are progressively slowed down given the lower speed of the conveyors there. The method thus makes it possible to perform a unbundling step by passing the products to an area where the drive by the conveyors is slower, and this thanks to mechanical guide means which laterally contain the flow of products.
Selon l'invention, la circulation dans la portion rapide 2 se fait dans une direction principale différente de la direction de convoyage 4 et progressivement orientée vers la portion lente 3, de sorte que, avant même de se trouver sur la portion lente 3, le produit est guidé latéralement vers elle. Avant d'arriver sur la portion lente 3, on donne donc au produit, qui se trouve alors sur le côté, une vitesse orientée en direction de ladite portion lente 3, et plus particulièrement vers le bord de la portion lente 3 qui est à l'opposé de la portion rapide 2. Ce mouvement lui est donné avant même que le produit n'aborde la portion rapide 2. Ce mouvement présente préférablement un décalage angulaire 6 faible par rapport à la direction de convoyage 4, de sorte que l'effet essentiel des convoyeurs de la portion lente 3 est de ralentir les produits et non de modifier la direction de leur mouvement, ce qui aurait tendance à les déstabiliser et les faire chuter, en particulier à haute vitesse.  According to the invention, the circulation in the fast portion 2 is in a main direction different from the conveying direction 4 and progressively oriented towards the slow portion 3, so that, even before being on the slow portion 3, the product is guided laterally towards it. Before arriving at the slow portion 3, the product, which is then on the side, is then given a speed oriented toward said slow portion 3, and more particularly towards the edge of the slow portion 3 which is at the same time. opposite of the fast portion 2. This movement is given to it even before the product reaches the fast portion 2. This movement preferably has a slight angular offset 6 with respect to the conveying direction 4, so that the effect The essential part of the conveyors of the slow portion 3 is to slow down the products and not to modify the direction of their movement, which would tend to destabilize them and make them fall, especially at high speed.
Ainsi, selon une caractéristique additionnelle possible du procédé, l'angle 6 entre, d'une part, la direction de convoyage 4, et, d'autre part, la direction principale du mouvement dans la portion rapide 2 lorsque les produits débouchent sur la portion lente 3, est faible, de sorte à éviter des mouvements transversaux brutaux des produits alors qu'ils subissent le glissement sur les convoyeurs de la portion lente 3, par exemple un angle 6 compris entre 5 et 30 degrés, préférentiellement environ 15 degrés.  Thus, according to a possible additional feature of the method, the angle 6 between, on the one hand, the conveying direction 4, and, on the other hand, the main direction of movement in the fast portion 2 when the products open on the slow portion 3, is low, so as to avoid sudden transverse movements of the products while they undergo sliding on the conveyors of the slow portion 3, for example an angle 6 between 5 and 30 degrees, preferably about 15 degrees.
Enfin, selon une autre caractéristique possible du procédé, le convoyage sur la portion rapide 2, avant que les produits n'arrivent sur la portion lente 3, se fait sans glissement entre, d'une part, les produits et, d'autre part, les moyens de convoyage, et ce sur tout ou partie de ladite portion rapide 2, de sorte à éviter une accumulation excessive des produits en amont mais aussi de sorte à contrôler le comportement des produits débouchant sur la portion lente 3. Dans le mode de réalisation particulier illustré aux figures annexées, le dispositif de convoyage 1 a pour fonction de dégrouper le flux, à savoir transformer la configuration d'un flux en le faisant passer, d'une part, d'une configuration où les produits sont dans une seule ligne les uns derrière les autres au niveau de la portion rapide 2, à, d'autre part, une configuration où les produits sont disposés en vrac, c'est-à-dire en un flux présentant une largeur totale plus élevée qu'une seule colonne de produits au niveau de la portion lente 3. Finally, according to another possible characteristic of the process, the conveying on the fast portion 2, before the products arrive on the slow portion 3, is done without slippage between, on the one hand, the products and, on the other hand , the conveying means, and this on all or part of said rapid portion 2, so as to avoid excessive accumulation of products upstream but also to control the behavior of products leading to the slow portion 3. In the particular embodiment illustrated in the appended figures, the function of the conveying device 1 is to ungroup the stream, namely to transform the configuration of a stream by passing it, on the one hand, from a configuration where the products are in a single line one behind the other at the rapid portion 2, on the other hand, a configuration where the products are arranged in bulk, that is to say in a stream having a total width more only one column of products at the slow portion 3.
Les vitesses de circulation changent entre, d'une part, la portion rapide 2, et, d'autre part, la portion lente 3. Comme leurs noms l'indiquent, les convoyeurs circulent plus lentement dans la portion lente 3 que dans la portion rapide 2, le débit global de produits 1 1 étant bien entendu conservé. De façon générale, un gradient de vitesse décroissant pour les convoyeurs peut être aménagé dans la portion rapide 2, à mesure que l'on s'approche de la portion lente 3, par exemple pour rapprocher les produits les uns des autres, et/ou un gradient de vitesse décroissant pour les convoyeurs peut être aménagé dans la portion lente 3 à mesure que l'on s'éloigne de la portion rapide 2. Les produits circulent essentiellement sans glissement sur les convoyeurs de la portion rapide 2, bien qu'un glissement latéral puisse s'organiser si le guidage et les convoyeurs ne sont pas strictement parallèles. Une fois qu'ils ont entièrement quitté la portion rapide 2, ils se retrouvent entièrement sur des convoyeurs qui circulent plus lentement. A la sortie de la portion rapide 2 et compte tenu de leur inertie, les produits continuent alors généralement leur mouvement dans la direction qu'il avait, de sorte qu'ils glissent sur les convoyeurs de la portion lente 3. Le frottement entre les convoyeurs de la portion lente 3 et la base des produits a pour effet de ralentir progressivement ces derniers et modifire leur trajectoire.  The velocities change between the fast portion 2 and the slow portion 3. fast 2, the overall rate of products 1 1 is of course preserved. In general, a decreasing speed gradient for the conveyors can be arranged in the fast portion 2, as we approach the slow portion 3, for example to bring the products closer to each other, and / or a decreasing gradient of speed for the conveyors can be arranged in the slow portion 3 as one moves away from the fast portion 2. The products circulate essentially without sliding on the conveyors of the fast portion 2, although a Lateral sliding can be organized if the guidance and the conveyors are not strictly parallel. Once they have completely left the fast portion 2, they are entirely on conveyors that move more slowly. At the exit of the fast portion 2 and given their inertia, the products then generally continue their movement in the direction it had, so that they slide on the conveyors of the slow portion 3. The friction between the conveyors slow portion 3 and the base of the products has the effect of gradually slow down the latter and change their trajectory.
La portion lente 3 comprend des convoyeurs parallèles et linéaires, qui ont tendance à emmener les produits dans une direction de convoyage 4 qui va de bas en haut dans la figure 1. La portion rapide 2 et la portion lente 3 se trouvent côte à côte, c'est-à-dire l'une contre l'autre dans une direction perpendiculaire à la direction de convoyage 4, de sorte qu'un déport transversal à la direction de convoyage 4 suffit à faire passer les produits de la portion rapide 2 à la portion lente 3. Préférablement, ce déport est doux et régulier. Comme la portion rapide 2 du dispositif 1 se trouve à côté de la portion lente 3, il est nécessaire, pour faire passer les produits de la portion rapide 2 à la portion lente 3, d'imposer aux produits un mouvement de transfert qui a une composante transversale à la direction de convoyage 4 linéaire sur la portion lente 3. Ce mouvement en direction de la portion lente 3 est provoqué par le guidage amont 5. Dans la portion rapide 2, les produits sont déplacés et guidés sous l'effet conjugué du ou des convoyeurs dans cette portion ainsi que du guidage amont 5. The slow portion 3 comprises parallel and linear conveyors, which tend to carry the products in a conveying direction 4 which goes from bottom to top in FIG. 1. The fast portion 2 and the slow portion 3 are side by side, that is to say one against the other in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction 4, so that a transverse offset to the conveying direction 4 is sufficient to pass the products of the fast portion 2 to the slow portion 3. Preferably, this offset is smooth and steady. As the rapid portion 2 of the device 1 is next to the slow portion 3, it is necessary, to pass the products of the fast portion 2 to the slow portion 3, to impose the products a transfer movement which has a component transverse to the linear conveying direction 4 on the slow portion 3. This movement towards the slow portion 3 is caused by the upstream guide 5. In the rapid portion 2, the products are moved and guided under the combined effect of or conveyors in this portion and the upstream guide 5.
Comme les produits passent progressivement de la portion rapide 2 à la portion lente 3, le dispositif de convoyage 1 présente aussi une portion mixte 10 où les produits sont à cheval à la fois sur la portion lente 3 et la portion rapide 2, c'est-à-dire qu'une partie de leur base est en contact avec les convoyeurs de la portion lente 3 et que le reste de leur base est en contact avec les convoyeurs de la portion rapide 2. Au cours du déport transversal, ou mouvement de transfert, le produit circule sur la portion mixte 10, la partie de sa base au contact de la portion lente 3 diminuant alors progressivement au profit de la partie de sa base au contact de la portion rapide 2 comme le montre la figure 3.  As the products pass progressively from the fast portion 2 to the slow portion 3, the conveying device 1 also has a mixed portion 10 where the products are straddling both the slow portion 3 and the fast portion 2; that is to say that part of their base is in contact with the conveyors of the slow portion 3 and that the rest of their base is in contact with the conveyors of the fast portion 2. During the transverse offset, or movement of transfer, the product flows on the mixed portion 10, the portion of its base in contact with the slow portion 3 then gradually decreasing in favor of the portion of its base in contact with the rapid portion 2 as shown in Figure 3.
Dans le cas particulier illustré, les produits 1 1 circulant dans la portion rapide 2 se déplacent en une seule ligne, et l'écartement des parois du guidage amont 5 est donc adapté à la dimension d'un seul produit. De ce fait, la portion mixte 10 débute à la section du guidage amont 5 à partir de laquelle ce dernier, ou son prolongement virtuel, commence à s'étendre au dessus de la portion lente 3. A partir de cette embouchure du guidage amont 5, les produits commencent à circuler sur la portion lente 3, et il est possible de ne plus guider les produits du côté amont du flux. Dans la portion mixte 10, le guidage du côté aval du flux est encore assuré, dans la mesure où il s'étend encore essentiellement uniquement au dessus de la portion rapide 2, comme le montrent les figures 1 et 3. Préférablement, le guidage au niveau de la portion mixte 8 est un prolongement linéaire sans changement de direction, de sorte à y limiter les effets d'inertie. En outre, un changement de direction trop brusque dans le guidage amont 5 a aussi pour effet d'augmenter la pression dans la ligne de produits, ce qui crée des problèmes d'instabilité une fois que les produits sont libérés du guidage.  In the particular case illustrated, the products 1 1 flowing in the fast portion 2 move in a single line, and the spacing of the walls of the upstream guide 5 is adapted to the size of a single product. As a result, the mixed portion 10 begins at the section of the upstream guide 5 from which the latter, or its virtual extension, begins to extend above the slow portion 3. From this mouth of the upstream guide 5 the products begin to circulate on the slow portion 3, and it is possible to no longer guide the products on the upstream side of the flow. In the mixed portion 10, the guiding of the downstream side of the flow is still ensured, insofar as it still extends essentially solely above the fast portion 2, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. level of the mixed portion 8 is a linear extension without change of direction, so as to limit the effects of inertia. In addition, a sudden change of direction in the upstream guide 5 also has the effect of increasing the pressure in the product line, which creates problems of instability once the products are released from the guidance.
Dans l'art antérieur, le mouvement transversal des produits, c'est-à-dire leur mouvement en direction de la portion lente 3 et comprenant une composante transverale, est souvent aménagé uniquement dans la portion mixte 10. Dans l'invention, le mouvement en direction de la portion lente 3 se fait déjà lorsque le produit se trouve exclusivement sur la portion rapide 2, c'est-à-dire alors que la base des produits n'est en contact qu'avec le ou les convoyeurs de la portion rapide 2. Le guidage amont 5, qui a notamment pour fonction d'assurer ce mouvement en direction de la portion lente 3, guide les produits vers cette dernière alors même que toute leur base se trouve encore en contact avec les convoyeurs de la portion rapide 2. In the prior art, the transverse movement of the products, that is to say their movement toward the slow portion 3 and comprising a transveral component, is often arranged only in the mixed portion 10. In the invention, the movement towards the slow portion 3 is already done when the product is exclusively on the rapid portion 2, that is to say while the product base is in contact only with the conveyor or conveyors of the rapid portion 2. The upstream guide 5, whose particular function is to ensure this movement towards the slow portion 3, guides the products to the latter even though their entire base is is still in contact with the conveyors of the quick portion 2.
Ainsi, le dispositif de convoyage 1 est pourvu d'un guidage amont 5 qui agit sur les produits, à l'approche de la portion lente 3 mais alors que les produits sont encore entièrement sur la portion rapide 2, de sorte à les guider vers la portion lente 3, c'est-à-dire à leur imposer un mouvement qui a une composant transversale à la direction de convoyage 4 linéaire de la portion lente 3. Préférablement, ce mouvement en direction de la portion lente 3, avant et au droit de la portion mixte 10, est progressif ou régulier, dans le but d'éviter les changements trop brusques de direction pour les produits. En effet, des changements de direction trop brusques ont pour effet de déstabiliser les produits lorsque ceux-ci circulent à grande vitesse.  Thus, the conveying device 1 is provided with an upstream guide 5 which acts on the products, at the approach of the slow portion 3 but while the products are still entirely on the fast portion 2, so as to guide them to the slow portion 3, that is to say to impose a movement that has a component transverse to the linear conveying direction 4 of the slow portion 3. Preferably, this movement towards the slow portion 3, before and after right of the mixed portion 10, is progressive or regular, in order to avoid abrupt changes of direction for the products. Indeed, abrupt changes in direction have the effect of destabilizing products when they travel at high speed.
Dans le mode de réalisation particulier illustré à la figure 1 , le guide amont 5 est essentiellement linéaire, au niveau de la portion mixte 10 et même avant, ce qui a pour effet avantageux d'imposer aux produits un mouvement dont la direction est stable, ce qui évite de déstabiliser les produits sous l'effet de leur inertie à grande vitesse. Dans cette même figure, on voit que les convoyeurs de la portion rapide 2 présentent une courbure, alors que le guidage amont 5 qui s'étend au dessus d'eux est linéaire. De façon générale, à l'approche de la portion mixte 10, le guidage amont 5 est tel que les produits sont déjà dirigés vers la portion lente 3. En outre, dans la portion mixte 10, le guidage se fait dans le prolongement de celui aménagé en amont, de sorte à éviter d'imposer simultanément aux produits, d'une part, un changement de direction du mouvement, et, d'autre part, un ralentissement provoqué par la différence de vitesse entre la portion rapide 2 et la portion lente 3 sur laquelle ils commencent à circuler lorsqu'ils arrivent sur la portion lente 3.  In the particular embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the upstream guide 5 is essentially linear, at the level of the mixed portion 10 and even before, which has the advantageous effect of imposing on the products a movement whose direction is stable, which avoids destabilizing the products under the effect of their inertia at high speed. In this same figure, we see that the conveyors of the fast portion 2 have a curvature, while the upstream guide 5 which extends above them is linear. In general, on approaching the mixed portion 10, the upstream guidance 5 is such that the products are already directed towards the slow portion 3. In addition, in the mixed portion 10, the guidance is in the extension of that arranged upstream, so as to avoid simultaneously imposing products, on the one hand, a change of direction of movement, and, on the other hand, a slowdown caused by the difference in speed between the fast portion 2 and the portion slow 3 on which they begin to circulate when they arrive on the slow portion 3.
En outre, comme le montrent les figures annexées, le guidage amont 5 ne s'étend préférentiellement pas au dessus de la portion lente 3, et ce en particulier pour la partie du guidage amont 5 qui se trouve en aval dans le sens du flux de produits. En effet, lorsque les produits arrivent sur la portion lente 3, ils subissent un freinage provoqué par la vitesse plus faible des convoyeurs de la portion lente 3. Si le guidage se prolonge au niveau de la portion lente 3, les produits risquent alors de venir se plaquer contre sa bordure la plus en aval dans le sens du flux, notamment compte tenu de leur inertie et de la poussée de la colonne de produits. Les produits s'accumulent alors les uns derrière les autres le long de cette bordure. Cette colonne de produits en contact est alors soumise à la pression des produits qui se trouvent encore dans la portion rapide 2, au frottement au niveau de leur base, ainsi qu'à la résistance du guide. Dans les cas de produits à base circulaire notamment, cet état de forces peut amener à faire éclater la colonne, au moins un produit étant alors violement projeté loin de la bordure, ce qui amène évidemment à des chutes suite à des collisions avec d'autres produits ou avec un autre guide. Il est donc préférable d'éviter que le guide amont 5 s'étende au dessus de la portion lente 3, ce qui permet aux produits d'arriver sur cette dernière libres de se repositionner. En restant essentiellement au niveau de la portion rapide 2, le guide amont 5 ne permet alors pas de former une colonne de plusieurs produits dans la portion lente 3. La figure 1 montre par exemple que le guide amont 5 s'étend très légèrement au dessus de la portion lente 3, sans pour autant gêner la progression. In addition, as shown in the accompanying figures, the upstream guide 5 preferably does not extend above the slow portion 3, and this in particular for the portion of the upstream guide 5 which is downstream in the direction of the flow of products. Indeed, when products arrive on the slow portion 3, they undergo braking caused by the lower speed of the conveyors of the slow portion 3. If the guidance is extended at the slow portion 3, the products may then come to press against its border downstream in the direction of flow, especially given their inertia and the thrust of the column of products. The products then accumulate behind each other along this edge. This column of products in contact is then subjected to the pressure of the products which are still in the fast portion 2, the friction at their base, and the resistance of the guide. In the case of products with a circular base in particular, this state of forces can cause the column to burst, at least one product being then violently thrown away from the edge, which obviously leads to falls following collisions with others. products or with another guide. It is therefore preferable to prevent the upstream guide 5 extends over the slow portion 3, which allows the products to arrive on the latter free to reposition. By remaining essentially at the level of the fast portion 2, the upstream guide 5 does not then make it possible to form a column of several products in the slow portion 3. FIG. 1 shows for example that the upstream guide 5 extends very slightly above slow portion 3, without hindering the progression.
Il convient de remarquer que le guidage amont 5 est tel que les produits arrivent sur la portion lente 3 avec un mouvement présentant un angle faible par rapport à la direction de convoyage 4. Cet angle 6 correspond en effet à celui qui sépare, d'une part, la direction de la vitesse que le produit a tendance à conserver une fois qu'il a quitté la portion rapide 2 pour continuer sur la portion lente 3, et, d'autre part, la direction de convoyage 4 au niveau de la portion lente 3. Le guidage amont 5, dans la partie qui aboutit sur la portion mixte 10 voire aussi dans ladite portion mixte 10, présente ainsi un angle 6 faible par rapport à la direction de convoyage 4, notamment de 5 à 30 degrés, préférablement de 10 à 20. Dans la version de la figure 1 , où le guidage amont 5 est linéaire pour sa partie avant la portion mixte 10 ainsi que pour sa partie au droit de la portion mixte 10, l'angle correspond directement à celui entre les deux directions linéaires. Dans un cas où le guidage amont 5 est incurvé, c'est essentiellement la direction principale que présente le guidage amont 5 à proximité de la portion mixte 10 qui est prise en compte pour déterminer l'angle, c'est-à-dire l'angle du guidage amont 5 juste avant la portion mixte 10, voire aussi au niveau de la portion mixte 10. It should be noted that the upstream guidance 5 is such that the products arrive on the slow portion 3 with a movement having a small angle with respect to the conveying direction 4. This angle 6 corresponds in fact to that which separates, from a on the other hand, the direction of the speed that the product tends to retain once it has left the fast portion 2 to continue on the slow portion 3, and, on the other hand, the conveying direction 4 at the level of the portion 3. The upstream guide 5, in the portion that ends on the mixed portion 10 or even in said mixed portion 10, thus has a small angle 6 with respect to the conveying direction 4, in particular from 5 to 30 degrees, preferably from 10 to 20. In the version of Figure 1, where the upstream guide 5 is linear for its front portion of the mixed portion 10 and for its portion to the right of the mixed portion 10, the angle corresponds directly to that between the two linear directions. In a case where the upstream guide 5 is curved, it is essentially the main direction that the upstream guide 5 has in proximity to the mixed portion 10 which is taken into account to determine the angle, that is to say the angle of the upstream guide 5 just before the mixed portion 10, or even at the level of the mixed portion 10.
En arrivant ainsi sur la portion lente 3 avec un mouvement qui n'est que peu transversal à la direction de convoyage 4, les produits 1 1, sous l'effet de leur inertie, peuvent parcourir un trajet longitudinal plus élevé une fois arrivés sur la portion lente 3, ce qui limite le risque que les produits suivants viennent heurter les précédents. En outre, une telle orientation permet aussi de convoyer les produits à plus haute vitesse dans la portion rapide 2 et d'avoir un débit global plus élevé, puisqu'à la sortie, ils ont moins tendance à se diriger vers le guide en vis-à-vis. Avec une telle orientation du mouvement par rapport à la direction de convoyage 4, le freinage provoqué par les convoyeurs plus lents de la portion lente 3 a moins d'effet sur la direction du mouvement des produits et les déstabilise donc moins, et davantage d'effet sur la valeur de leur vitesse. Avec un angle faible entre, d'une part, la direction du mouvement des produits à l'entrée de la portion lente 3, et, d'autre part, la direction de convoyage 4, on réduit donc le risque que le différentiel de vitesse des convoyeurs entre la portion rapide 2 et la portion lente 3 déstabilise les produits et les fasse chuter. Il est donc possible d'augmenter encore le différentiel de vitesse, et ainsi de dégrouper sur une distance plus courte. Le dispositif 1 peut alors être plus court qu'un autre réalisant la même expansion transversale du flux de produits.  Thus arriving on the slow portion 3 with a movement that is only slightly transverse to the conveying direction 4, the products 1 1, under the effect of their inertia, can travel a longer longitudinal path once arrived on the slow portion 3, which limits the risk that the following products come up against the previous ones. In addition, such an orientation also makes it possible to convey the products at higher speed in the fast portion 2 and to have a higher overall throughput, since at the exit they are less likely to go towards the guide in to face. With such an orientation of the movement with respect to the conveying direction 4, the braking caused by the slower conveyors of the slow portion 3 has less effect on the direction of movement of the products and thus destabilizes them less, and more effect on the value of their speed. With a weak angle between, on the one hand, the direction of the movement of the products at the entrance of the slow portion 3, and, on the other hand, the conveying direction 4, the risk is thus reduced that the speed differential conveyors between the fast portion 2 and the slow portion 3 destabilize the products and make them fall. It is therefore possible to further increase the speed differential, and thus to ungroup on a shorter distance. The device 1 can then be shorter than another performing the same transverse expansion of the product flow.
Afin d'accélérer encore le dégroupage, et donc de réduire davantage la longueur du dispositif 1, ce dernier peut être pourvu d'un moyen de déformation dynamique du guidage amont 5, qui aura pour effet de faire légèrement varier la direction du mouvement lorsque les produits débouchent sur la portion lente 3. L'extrémité libre de la paroi en aval du flux de produits est alors reliée à un équipement mobile plutôt que fixée au bâti. En animant cet équipement mobile d'un mouvement alternatif, c'est la direction finale du mouvement des produits en portion rapide 2 qui est modifiée. L'amplitude angulaire correspond alors à un débattement de l'extrémité libre inférieure à 2 centimètres, préférablement inférieure à 1 centimètre.  In order to further accelerate the unbundling, and therefore to further reduce the length of the device 1, the latter can be provided with a means of dynamic deformation of the upstream guide 5, which will have the effect of slightly varying the direction of movement when the Products open onto the slow portion 3. The free end of the wall downstream of the product stream is then connected to mobile equipment rather than attached to the frame. By moving this mobile equipment in a reciprocating motion, the final direction of movement of the quick-portion products 2 is changed. The angular amplitude then corresponds to a deflection of the free end of less than 2 centimeters, preferably less than 1 centimeter.
Varier légèrement la direction de la vitesse en sortie de portion rapide 2 permet en effet d'écarter l'un de l'autre deux produits alignés dans la direction de convoyage 4 sur la portion lente 3, et de réduire ainsi le risque de chutes. Néanmoins, une amplitude importante du mouvement de l'extrémité libre du guide amont 5 a pour effet d'imposer des changements de direction trop importants aux produits alors qu'ils circulent vers la portion lente 3, ce qui les déstabilise de façon excessive dès lors que les vitesses de circulation sont élevées. Varying the direction of the speed at the output of rapid portion 2 makes it possible to separate from each other two products aligned in the conveying direction 4 on the slow portion 3, and thus reduce the risk of falls. Nevertheless, a significant amplitude of the movement of the free end of the upstream guide 5 has the effect of imposing too large changes of direction to the products as they flow to the slow portion 3, which destabilizes excessively when the circulation speeds are high.
Avantageusement, en envoyant les produits sur la portion lente Advantageously, sending the products on the slow portion
3 avec une vitesse qui n'est que peu transversale à la direction de convoyage 4, le débattement de l'extrémité libre peut être faible, comme quantifié ci-dessus. En effet, comme les deux directions de mouvement, à savoir, d'une part, sur la portion rapide 2, et, d'autre part, sur la portion lente 3, sont presque parallèles, même un faible débattement de l'extrémité libre du guide amont 5 permet d'obtenir une distance importante entre deux produits alignés sur la portion lente 3 l'un derrière l'autre dans le sens de la direction de convoyage 4. Il est donc possible d'obtenir un écartement longitudinal suffisant entre les produits 1 1 sur la portion lente 3 sans pour autant déstabiliser les produits sous l'effet d'un guidage amont 5 se déplaçant avec une amplitude trop élevée. 3 with a speed that is only slightly transverse to the conveying direction 4, the deflection of the free end can be low, as quantified above. Indeed, as the two directions of movement, namely, on the one hand, on the fast portion 2, and, on the other hand, on the slow portion 3, are almost parallel, even a small deflection of the free end of the upstream guide 5 makes it possible to obtain a large distance between two products aligned on the slow portion 3 one behind the other in the direction of the conveying direction 4. It is therefore possible to obtain a sufficient longitudinal separation between the products 1 1 on the slow portion 3 without destabilizing the products under the effect of upstream guidance 5 moving with a too high amplitude.
Comme le montre la figure 1, le dispositif 1 est muni aussi d'un guidage au niveau de la portion lente 3, sous la forme de deux parois se faisant face, s 'étendant parallèlement à la direction de convoyage 4 et délimitant transversalement la zone disponible pour les produits. Une première paroi, ou paroi proximale 7, s'étend approximativement au niveau de l'interface entre la portion rapide 2 et la portion lente 3. La deuxième paroi, ou paroi distale 8, s'étend en vis-à-vis de la première et est la plus éloignée des deux par rapport à la portion rapide 2. Avantageusement, l'extrémité libre de la paroi proximale se trouve en retrait transversal par rapport à l'extrémité libre du guidage amont 5, ce qui permet de laisser davantage de place aux produits pour se repositionner en se regroupant. En effet, compte tenu de la présence des autres produits, sur la portion lente 3, un produit libéré par le guide amont 5 peut être amené à se replacer en se déplaçant transversalement en s'éloignant de la paroi distale 8. L'écart transversal entre l'extrémité du guide amont 5 et la paroi proximale permet alors au produit 1 1 de se repositionner en s'éloignant de la paroi distale.  As shown in Figure 1, the device 1 is also provided with a guide at the slow portion 3, in the form of two walls facing each other, extending parallel to the conveying direction 4 and transversely delimiting the zone available for products. A first wall, or proximal wall 7, extends approximately at the interface between the fast portion 2 and the slow portion 3. The second wall, or distal wall 8, extends opposite the first and is the farthest from both with respect to the fast portion 2. Advantageously, the free end of the proximal wall is recessed transversely relative to the free end of the upstream guide 5, which allows to leave more of place to products to reposition themselves by regrouping. Indeed, given the presence of the other products, on the slow portion 3, a product released by the upstream guide 5 can be made to move back by moving transversely away from the distal wall 8. The transverse deviation between the end of the upstream guide 5 and the proximal wall then allows the product 1 1 to reposition itself away from the distal wall.
Grâce à l'invention, il est ainsi possible de réaliser un dégroupage des produits sur une distance réduite, sans pour autant provoquer des chutes de produits dans des conditions de fonctionnement à haute cadence. Bien que la description ci-dessus se base sur des modes de réalisations particuliers, elle n'est nullement limitative de la portée de l'invention, et des modifications peuvent être apportées, notamment par substitution d'équivalents techniques ou par combinaison différente de tout ou partie des caractéristiques développées ci-dessus. Thanks to the invention, it is thus possible to achieve unbundling of products over a reduced distance, without causing falling products under high-speed operating conditions. Although the description above is based on particular embodiments, it is in no way limiting to the scope of the invention, and modifications may be made, in particular by substitution of technical equivalents or by a different combination of all or some of the features developed above.

Claims

REVENDICATIONS
1. Dispositif de convoyage (1) de produits, présentant une première portion de convoyage (2), dite portion rapide (2), et une deuxième portion de convoyage (3), dite portion lente (3), où les produits circulent ensuite linéairement dans une direction de convoyage (4) longitudinale et normalement plus lentement que dans la portion rapide (2), lesdits produits circulant de la portion rapide (2) vers la portion lente (3) au niveau de laquelle ils s'organisent alors en un flux présentant une plus grande largeur qu'au sein de la portion rapide (2), la portion rapide (2) et la portion lente (3) étant placées l'une à côté de l'autre, 1. Device for conveying (1) products, having a first conveying portion (2), said fast portion (2), and a second conveying portion (3), said slow portion (3), where the products then circulate linearly in a direction of conveying (4) longitudinal and normally more slowly than in the fast portion (2), said products flowing from the fast portion (2) to the slow portion (3) at which they are organized then in a flow having a greater width than in the fast portion (2), the fast portion (2) and the slow portion (3) being placed next to each other,
dispositif de convoyage (1) caractérisé en ce que  conveying device (1) characterized in that
en amont de la portion lente (3), la portion rapide (2) présente un guidage amont (5) qui est orienté angulairement en direction de la portion lente (3).  upstream of the slow portion (3), the fast portion (2) has an upstream guide (5) which is oriented angularly in the direction of the slow portion (3).
2. Dispositif de convoyage (1) selon la revendication 1, caractérisé en ce que  2. Conveying device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that
le guidage amont (5) dirige les produits essentiellement linéairement vers la portion lente (3).  the upstream guide (5) directs the products essentially linearly towards the slow portion (3).
3. Dispositif de convoyage (1) selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 ou 2, caractérisé en ce que  3. Conveying device (1) according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that
avant la portion lente (3), le guidage amont (5), d'une part, et les moyens de convoyage de la portion rapide (2), d'autre part, ont sensiblement une même direction d'action sur les produits, et ce sur au moins une partie voire l'intégralité de la portion rapide (3).  before the slow portion (3), the upstream guide (5), on the one hand, and the conveying means on the fast portion (2), on the other hand, have substantially the same direction of action on the products, and this on at least a part or even the entirety of the fast portion (3).
4. Dispositif de convoyage (1) selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 3, caractérisé en ce que  4. Conveying device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that
le guidage amont (5) s'arrête au niveau du début de la portion lente (3).  the upstream guidance (5) stops at the beginning of the slow portion (3).
5. Dispositif de convoyage (1) selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 4, caractérisé en ce que  5. Conveying device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that
le guidage amont (5) réalise un déport latéral des produits suivant une direction principale qui présente, par rapport à la direction de convoyage (4), un angle (6) faible.  the upstream guide (5) performs a lateral offset of the products in a main direction which has, relative to the conveying direction (4), a low angle (6).
6. Dispositif de convoyage (1) selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 5, caractérisé en ce que il comprend, en outre, un moyen de déformation dynamique de l'extrémité du guidage amont (5) qui est la plus en aval dans le sens du flux. 6. Conveying device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it further comprises means for dynamic deformation of the end of the upstream guide (5) which is furthest downstream in the flow direction.
7. Dispositif de convoyage (1) selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 6, caractérisé en ce que  7. Conveying device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that
il présente un guidage aval (9) s 'étendant au niveau de la portion lente (3) et comprenant une première paroi de guidage, dite paroi proximale (7), du côté de la portion rapide (2), ainsi qu'une deuxième paroi de guidage, du côté opposé, dite paroi distale (8), la paroi proximale (7) débutant, dans une direction transversale, en retrait transversal par rapport à l'extrémité terminale du guidage amont (5).  it has a downstream guide (9) extending at the level of the slow portion (3) and comprising a first guide wall, said proximal wall (7), on the side of the fast portion (2), and a second guide wall, on the opposite side, said distal wall (8), the proximal wall (7) beginning, in a transverse direction, recessed transversely with respect to the end end of the upstream guide (5).
8. Procédé de convoyage dans lequel les produits circulent sur une première portion de convoyage (2), dite portion rapide (2), puis ensuite sur une deuxième portion de convoyage (3), dite portion lente (3), la circulation dans la portion lente (3) se faisant linéairement dans une direction de convoyage (4), la circulation dans la portion rapide (2), avant que les produits n'arrivent sur la portion lente (3), se faisant sous la forme d'un flux moins large et plus rapide que dans la portion lente (3),  8. Conveying process in which the products circulate on a first conveying portion (2), said fast portion (2), then on a second conveying portion (3), said slow portion (3), the circulation in the slow portion (3) being linearly in a conveying direction (4), the circulation in the fast portion (2), before the products arrive on the slow portion (3), being in the form of a flow less wide and faster than in the slow portion (3),
procédé caractérisé en ce que  characterized in that
la circulation dans la portion rapide (2) se fait dans une direction principale différente de la direction de convoyage (4) et progressivement orientée vers la portion lente (3).  the circulation in the fast portion (2) is in a main direction different from the conveying direction (4) and progressively directed towards the slow portion (3).
9. Procédé selon la revendication 8, caractérisé en ce que l'angle (6) entre, d'une part, la direction de convoyage (4), et, d'autre part, la direction principale du mouvement dans la portion rapide (2) lorsque les produits débouchent sur la portion lente (3), est faible.  9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that the angle (6) between, on the one hand, the conveying direction (4), and, on the other hand, the main direction of movement in the fast portion ( 2) when the products lead to the slow portion (3), is weak.
10. Procédé selon la revendication 8 ou 9, caractérisé en ce que le convoyage sur la portion rapide (2), avant que les produits n'arrivent sur la portion lente (3), se fait sans glissement entre, d'une part, les produits et, d'autre part, les moyens de convoyage, et ce sur tout ou partie de ladite portion rapide (2).  10. Method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the conveying on the fast portion (2), before the products arrive on the slow portion (3), is without sliding between, on the one hand, the products and, on the other hand, the conveying means, and this on all or part of said fast portion (2).
EP15733797.3A 2014-06-11 2015-06-04 Deconsolidation-type conveyor device and corresponding method Withdrawn EP3154880A1 (en)

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FR1455275A FR3022228B1 (en) 2014-06-11 2014-06-11 DEVICE FOR CONVEYING THE TYPE OF DRYER AND CORRESPONDING METHOD
PCT/FR2015/051480 WO2015189501A1 (en) 2014-06-11 2015-06-04 Deconsolidation-type conveyor device and corresponding method

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CA2951603C (en) 2022-12-06
WO2015189501A1 (en) 2015-12-17
DE202015009814U1 (en) 2020-06-15
FR3022228B1 (en) 2017-06-16
CA2951603A1 (en) 2015-12-17
FR3022228A1 (en) 2015-12-18

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