EP3177538B1 - Basket for transporting and/or storing parts, of the assembled type, using corner pieces each having successive cooperating portions - Google Patents

Description

The field of the invention is that of the design and manufacture of handling equipment. More specifically, the invention relates to an assembled type basket, of the type used in industry, and in particular but not exclusively intended to be exposed to the same heat treatment as the parts that the basket contains.

In the field of the invention, it is common to use metal baskets for transporting parts. Such baskets are used in particular to contain a plurality of parts for a heat treatment, basket and parts set being of course placed in the heat treatment equipment.

The baskets used are essentially parallelepipedic, and therefore have a conventional structure of the type comprising a bottom from which extend four vertical walls.

According to a first embodiment of the baskets intended for this type of use, the side walls are welded to the bottom, thus forming an indémontable basket.

However, after a few successive passes in the heat treatment equipment (and sometimes after a single pass), the basket may have more or less significant deformations because of the high temperatures to which it is exposed. In particular, the vertical walls of the basket are deformed and thus tend to curl, which then affects their ability to be stacked, this stack being necessary to store and / or have baskets before, during and after the heat treatment.

When the deformation is too large, the baskets of the welded type must be completely replaced, which is very expensive because of the raw material costs of the baskets made of nickel-chromium and niobium refractory steel.

It has therefore been proposed by the prior art to make baskets of this type in a demountable version. For this, the baskets are constituted by a bottom and four walls, the assembly being obtained at each angle by means of corner pieces, such as an axis or a bolt.

In this way, it is possible to disassemble the deformed walls, to try to straighten them, then to reassemble them.

In this way, the walls can be straightened several times, somehow, until the necessary replacement of the wall or basket.

This can extend the life of the baskets. However, a limit to the service life appears quickly, insofar as the corner piece ensuring assembly at each corner of the basket must be introduced into the end sleeves at each end of the walls, assembly and therefore the establishment of these corner pieces involving the coaxiality of the sleeves of two walls to be connected by said corner piece.

Of course, as deformations and straightening operations of the walls, this coaxiality is lost and it is no longer possible to assemble the walls.

This loss of coaxiality can also result in an impossibility of dismantling the basket.

Solutions have been proposed and described by the patent documents published under the numbers EP 0 947 434 , FR 1,427,171 , EP 2,039,614 and FR 1 294 749 .

However, these solutions do not allow to reuse damaged baskets more often, limiting the effects of coaxiality defect sockets of two walls interconnected by the corner piece.

The invention particularly aims to overcome this drawback of the prior art.

More specifically, the invention aims to provide a metal basket for transport and / or storage of parts in particular intended for heat treatment, which can be dismantled / remounted by limiting the effects of coaxiality of the sockets of the two walls interconnected by a corner piece.

The invention also aims to provide such a basket that is simple in design and easy to manufacture and assemble / disassemble.

• une portion supérieure destinée à coopérer avec une douille dont la paroi interne est cylindrique et qui occupe une position supérieure de l'une des parois, la portion supérieure présentant au moins une zone dont le contour est au moins une fraction angulaire d'un tronc de cône s'élargissant de bas en haut en position dans ladite douille ;
• une portion inférieure destinée à coopérer avec une douille de l'autre paroi, cette douille étant en dessous de la douille en position supérieure, la portion inférieure présentant une excroissance circulaire destinée à être en contact avec une paroi interne de ladite douille en position inférieure.

These objectives, as well as others which will appear later, are achieved thanks to the invention which relates to a basket for the transport and / or storage of parts, comprising a bottom and four side walls each coupled to the bottom and connected two by two to each other via a corner piece inserted in at least one end sleeve has at each end of the walls, the sleeves of two walls to be interconnected and at the bottom extending l one above the other, the corner piece being capable of cooperating with the bottom, characterized in that the corner pieces have two portions of cooperation with the sleeves:

• an upper portion intended to cooperate with a bushing whose internal wall is cylindrical and which occupies an upper position of one of the walls, the upper portion having at least one zone whose contour is at least an angular fraction of a trunk of cone widening from bottom to top in position in said socket;
• a lower portion intended to cooperate with a bushing of the other wall, this bushing being below the bushing in the upper position, the lower portion having a circular protrusion intended to be in contact with an inner wall of said bushing in the lower position.

Thus, thanks to the invention, it is possible to assemble two adjacent walls, that is to say to connect together, while their respective sockets are not or more coaxial.

In addition, if significant deformations of the walls of the basket appeared during the heat treatment of the parts it contains and therefore during the heat treatment time during which the basket has been subjected to very high temperatures, it is possible to remove the corner pieces even if the deformations of the walls have led to a lack of coaxiality of the sleeves of the walls connected to each other.

It follows that it is possible in all circumstances to disassemble and reassemble the baskets designed according to the invention.

It is therefore possible to reshape the walls of the baskets according to the invention in case of necessity, this many times.

In any event, by making it possible to dismantle the baskets even in the event of a coaxiality defect that has occurred during the heat treatment period, to such an extent that this lack of coaxiality could prevent disassembly in normal time, the shelf life, which significantly reduces costs for the company that uses them.

• une phase de coopération de la portion inférieure avec la douille en dessous de la douille en position supérieure, visant à positionner la paroi correspondante par rapport à la pièce d'angle ;
• une deuxième phase de coopération de la portion supérieure avec la douille dont la paroi interne est cylindrique en vue de centrer dans cette douille la pièce d'angle.

According to a preferred solution, the sleeves and the cooperation portions of the corner piece are distributed in height so as to generate an assembly kinematic in at least two successive phases:

• a cooperation phase of the lower portion with the bushing below the sleeve in the upper position, for positioning the corresponding wall relative to the corner piece;
• a second phase of cooperation of the upper portion with the sleeve whose inner wall is cylindrical in order to center in this socket the corner piece.

According to an advantageous solution, at least one of the two walls to be interconnected and at the bottom has first engagement means and in that the bottom has second engagement means for cooperating with the first engaging means. so as to allow mobility of the wall longitudinally while it is maintained orthogonally to the plane of the bottom.

In this way, the user can proceed to the establishment of corner pieces and the assembly of walls in a simple and fast way.

Indeed, as and when setting the corner piece relative to the bottom of the basket, inserting through the sleeves of the two walls to be connected, one of the walls (the one carrying the socket in the lower position) will first be positioned naturally with respect to the axis of the corner piece, then continuing the implementation, the second wall will in turn be positioned relative to the axis of the corner piece. In this way, the lack of coaxiality of the sleeves between them and / or with the axis of the corner piece is caught without special effort and without technicality.

According to an advantageous embodiment, at least one of the two walls to be interconnected and at the bottom has first engagement means, the bottom having second engaging means for cooperating with the first engaging means of engagement. way to put a mobility of the wall longitudinally while it is maintained orthogonally to the plane of the bottom.

Thus, it ensures the connection of each wall in its length with the bottom of the basket, thus ensuring the good mechanical strength and rigidity of the basket, while allowing a longitudinal movement allowing the positioning of the bushings of the corresponding wall relative to the axis of the corner piece when it is put in place (or removed).

In this case, the first engagement means take the form of at least one hook having a groove extending along a longitudinal axis of the wall, the second engagement means taking the form of at least one tongue intended to come and stay in the gorge.

Advantageously, the first engagement means have at least one pair of grooves extending in opposite directions.

Preferably, the walls are symmetrical with respect to their vertical median axis.

Thus, for a given dimension, the number of parts, and in particular the walls to be manufactured for a given basket, is limited. In addition, the symmetry of the walls facilitates the mounting of the baskets for the operator.

Preferably, each wall has, at each of its ends, two sockets leaving between them a space for a socket of another wall to which it is intended to be connected.

This improves the distribution of the bushings at the ends of the walls, thereby increasing the mechanical strength and the resistance to deformation of the ends of the walls.

In addition, the distribution of the bushings is such that the bushings of one wall are arranged alternately with the bushings of the other wall, which also contributes to the good mechanical strength and the resistance to deformation of the walls once assembled.

According to a preferred embodiment, the corner pieces have a threaded lower end, the bottom having angles each provided with a thread intended to cooperate with a threaded lower end of a corner piece.

The installation of a corner piece is therefore done by screwing the corner pieces in the bottom, this after having introduced the corner piece in the sleeves of the walls to be interconnected. The assembly operation is thus particularly easy to achieve.

According to a particular embodiment, the sleeve of the wall intended to cooperate with the lower portion of the corner piece has an oblong shape extending along a longitudinal axis of said wall.

In this way, the amplitude of the longitudinal deflection of the wall during the positioning of the sleeves of said wall with respect to the axis of the corner piece is increased.

Advantageously, the upper portion has two diametrically opposed portions whose contour is an angular fraction of a truncated cone, the two portions being connected by a pair of substantially flat surface.

Thus, it constitutes a head on the corner piece whose shape is particularly suitable for gripping the corner piece to perform the installation thereof by a screwing procedure in the bottom of the basket as previously described.

Advantageously, the bottom of the walls is made of refractory steel.

In this way, a basket is obtained which is particularly suitable for containing parts intended for heat treatment.

• la figure 1 est une vue en perspective d'un panier assemblé selon l'invention, pour le transport et/ou le stockage de pièces ;
• la figure 2 est une vue d'un angle d'un panier selon l'invention, faisant apparaître deux portions distinctes d'une pièce d'angle ;
• la figure 3 illustre schématiquement un angle d'un panier selon l'invention, vue de dessous ;
• la figure 4 illustre une variante de réalisation d'une douille d'une paroi d'un panier selon l'invention.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly on reading the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, given by way of a simple illustrative and nonlimiting example, and the appended drawings among which:

• the figure 1 is a perspective view of an assembled basket according to the invention for the transport and / or storage of parts;
• the figure 2 is a view of an angle of a basket according to the invention, showing two distinct portions of a corner piece;
• the figure 3 schematically illustrates an angle of a basket according to the invention, seen from below;
• the figure 4 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a socket of a wall of a basket according to the invention.

• un fond 1, ajouré, constitué d'une pluralité de croisillons, dont les formes et dimensions peuvent varier autant que de besoins en fonction des pièces à transporter ou à stocker ;
• quatre parois, 20, 21, 22, 23 de côté, couplée chacune au fond 1 et reliée deux à deux entre elles ;
• des pièces d'angle 3, chacune disposée à un angle du panier et assurant la liaison entre deux parois, ainsi que la liaison des parois reliées entre elles avec le fond.

With reference to the figure 1 a basket for transporting and / or storing parts includes at least:

• a bottom 1, perforated, consisting of a plurality of braces, whose shapes and dimensions can vary as much as needs according to the parts to be transported or stored;
• four walls, 20, 21, 22, 23 side, each coupled to the bottom 1 and connected two by two together;
• corner pieces 3, each disposed at an angle of the basket and providing the connection between two walls, and the connection of the walls interconnected with the bottom.

Each wall has at each of its ends at least one socket 200, 210 end, these sleeves of two adjacent walls to connect to each other and to the bottom extending one above the other and being intended to be traversed by the corner piece which cooperates with the bottom 1 to ensure the maintenance of the connection.

As illustrated by figure 2 it is noted that each wall has, at each of its ends, two bushings one below the other and leaving between them a space for housing a socket of the other wall to which it is intended to be connected.

In the case of a basket provided for the transport and / or storage of parts for heat treatment, the basket being made to be arranged with the parts it contains in the heat treatment equipment, the bottom and the Basket walls are made of a refractory steel comprising an alloy of nickel-chromium and niobium.

• une portion supérieure 30 destinée à coopérer avec l'une des douilles des deux parois adjacentes à relier, en l'occurrence la douille 200 de la paroi telle qu'elle occupe une position supérieure ;
• une portion inférieure 31, destinée à coopérer avec une douille 210 de l'autre paroi, cette douille s'étendant en dessous de la douille 200 qui coopère avec la portion supérieure 30 de la pièce d'angle.

According to the principle of the invention, each corner piece 3 has two cooperation portions 30, 31 described hereinafter with reference to FIGS. figures 2 and 3 , to know :

• an upper portion 30 for cooperating with one of the sleeves of the two adjacent walls to connect, in this case the sleeve 200 of the wall as it occupies an upper position;
• a lower portion 31, intended to cooperate with a bushing 210 of the other wall, this sleeve extending below the sleeve 200 which cooperates with the upper portion 30 of the corner piece.

The upper portion 30 of the corner piece has at least one zone 300 whose contour is at least an angular fraction of a truncated cone widening upwards in position in the corresponding socket.

As illustrated by the figures 2 and 3 , this zone 300 constitutes an angular fraction of a truncated cone, but can extend, according to a another embodiment possible over 360 ° (then constituting a frustoconical portion).

The lower portion has a circular protrusion 310 intended to be in contact with an inner wall 2100 of the sleeve 210 in the lower position.

According to an embodiment illustrated by the figure 2 , the corner pieces 3 comprise an elongated body 301 along which are positioned the upper portion 30 and the lower portion 31, one above the other, and separated by a distance greater than or equal to the distance separating the upper end 2000 of the bushing 200 in the upper position and the upper end 2101 of the lower bushing.

Thus, during the establishment of a corner piece in the sleeves of two adjacent walls to be interconnected and at the bottom of the basket, it is ensured that the lower portion will enter into cooperation with the corresponding socket before the upper portion does not cooperate with the upper sleeve.

• une phase de coopération de la portion inférieure 31 avec une douille (de l'autre paroi) positionnée en-dessous de la douille en position supérieure, cette première phase de coopération visant à positionner la paroi correspondante par rapport à la pièce d'angle 3, et en particulier par rapport à l'axe longitudinal A du corps 301 de la pièce d'angle ;
• une deuxième phase de coopération, au cours de laquelle, la portion supérieure 30 coopère avec la douille en position supérieure, et plus précisément coopère avec la paroi interne cylindrique 2001 de cette douille en vue de centrer celle-ci dans la douille.

In other words, the sleeves 200, 210 and the portions 30, 31 for cooperation of the corner piece are distributed in height so as to generate an assembly kinematic in two successive phases:

• a cooperation phase of the lower portion 31 with a bushing (of the other wall) positioned below the bushing in the upper position, this first cooperation phase for positioning the corresponding wall with respect to the corner piece 3 , and in particular with respect to the longitudinal axis A of the body 301 of the corner piece;
• a second cooperation phase, during which the upper portion 30 cooperates with the bushing in the upper position, and more specifically cooperates with the cylindrical inner wall 2001 of the sleeve to center it in the sleeve.

As a result of these two phases of cooperation, the bushes of the two walls are positioned in a predetermined manner and with respect to the longitudinal axis A of the body of the corner piece.

According to the present embodiment, these two successive cooperation phases occur during a screwing operation of the corner piece in the bottom. Indeed, as it appears on the figure 3 , the bottom has at each of its angles a tapping 11, the corner pieces 3 having in turn a threaded lower end 32. Thus, after being inserted into the sleeves of the walls to be interconnected, the corner piece is inserted until the tapping of the corresponding angle of the bottom to be screwed, screwing together with the first and second cooperation phases described above.

Moreover, as it appears on the figure 3 at least one of the walls connected to another wall and at the bottom has first engagement means 201, the bottom having meanwhile second engagement means 202 for cooperating with the first engagement means so as to allow a mobility of the wall longitudinally (that is to say along the longitudinal axis of the wall), while it is maintained orthogonally to the plane of the bottom.

According to the present embodiment, these first engagement means take the form of a hook 2010 having a groove 2011 extending along a longitudinal axis X of the wall.

The second engagement means 202 here take the form of a tongue intended to be housed in the corresponding groove of the hook.

Advantageously, the wall has two hooks positioned along the wall so as to cooperate with two tabs of the bottom in the vicinity of an angle. In this case, the other end of the wall, as well as the other end of the bottom also has first engagement means, with a pair of grooves extending in a direction opposite to that of the grooves at the other end .

According to another characteristic, the walls are symmetrical with respect to their vertical median axis Y.

According to yet another characteristic illustrated by figures 2 and 3 , the corner pieces each have an upper portion in the form of a gripping head, having two diametrically opposite zones 300, each of these zones having a contour constituting an angular fraction of a truncated cone, the two portions being connected by a A pair of essentially flat surfaces 302. Such a gripping head of the corner pieces thus has an ergonomic design facilitating the gripping of the corner piece in order to proceed to its screwing into the bottom of the basket.

According to the particular embodiment illustrated by the figure 4 , the sleeve of the wall intended to cooperate with the lower portion of the corner piece has, according to a variant of the embodiment illustrated by the figures 2 and 3 , an oblong shape extending along the longitudinal axis of the corresponding wall, for increasing the longitudinal displacement during the positioning of the corresponding wall relative to the longitudinal axis of the corner piece.

Claims (11)

1. A basket for transporting and/or storing parts, comprising a bottom (1) and four sidewalls (20), (21), (22), (23) each coupled to the bottom and connected two by two between them through a corner part (3) inserted in at least one end bushing (200), (210) present at each end of the walls, the bushings of two walls to be connected to each other and to the bottom extending one above the other, the corner part being likely to cooperate with the bottom,
   characterised in that the corner parts have two portions (30), (31) for cooperating with the bushings:

   - an upper portion (30) for cooperating with a bushing (200) the inner wall of which is cylindrical and which occupies an upper position of one of the walls, the upper portion having at least one zone (300) the contour of which is at least one frustum angular fraction, widening from the bottom up in position into said bushing;

   - a lower portion (31) for cooperating with a bushing (210) of the other wall, this bushing being below the bushing (200) in the upper position, the lower portion having a circular protrusion (310) for contacting with an inner wall of said bushing in the lower position.
2. The basket according to claim 1, characterised in that the bushings (200), (210) and the portions (30), (31) for cooperating with the corner part are distributed in height so as to generate assembly kinematics in at least two successive phases:

   - a phase of cooperation of the lower portion with the bushing below the bushing in the upper position, aiming at positioning the corresponding wall with respect to the corner part;

   - a second phase of cooperation of the upper portion with the bushing the inner wall of which is cylindrical for the purpose of centring the corner part in this bushing.
3. The basket according to claim 1, characterised in that at least one of both walls to be connected to each other and to the bottom has first engagement means (201) and in that the bottom (1) has second engagement means (202) for cooperating with the first engagement means so as to allow mobility of the wall longitudinally whereas it is maintained orthogonal to the plane of the bottom.
4. The basket according to claim 3, characterised in that the first engagement means (201) take the form of at least one hook (2010) having a throat (2011) extending along a longitudinal axis of the wall and in that the second engagement means (202) take the form of at least one tab for being housed in said throat.
5. The basket according to claim 4, characterised in that the first engagement means have at least one pair of throats extending in opposite directions.
6. The basket according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the walls are symmetrical with respect to their median vertical axis (Y).
7. The basket according to any of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that each wall has, at each of its ends, two bushings providing between them a space to house a bushing of another wall to which it is intended to be connected.
8. The basket according to any of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the corner parts (3) have a threaded lower end (32), the bottom having at each of the corners each provided with a tapping (11) for cooperating with a threaded lower end of a corner part.
9. The basket according to any of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the bushing of the wall for cooperating with the lower portion of the corner part has an oblong shape extending along a longitudinal axis of said wall.
10. The basket according to any of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the upper portion has two diametrically opposite zones (300), and the contour of which makes up a frustum angular fraction, both portions being connected by a pair of essentially flat surfaces.
11. The basket according to any of claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the bottom and the walls are made of heat-resistant steel.

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