EP3766590A1 - Device and method for automatic removal of a label - Google Patents

Abstract

Device and method for removing a label (1) present on a container (2) moving along a path and depositing said label in a container (4), the device comprising: • A stop means (5) of the tray arranged at a point of withdrawal of the label, • A gripping means (6) of the label capable of removing the label, • A displacement means (7) of the means for gripping the label between a position (B) where it is in contact with the label when the latter is present on the tray and another position (C) where the label gripping means is able to allow the label to be deposited in the container.

Description

Technical field of the invention

The invention relates to an automatic label removal device. It relates more particularly to a device for removing identification labels from containers, for example on an industrial postal sorting machine. We will use the word “bin” below to designate a container without the use of this word limiting the application of the invention to this particular type of container. Likewise, we will describe the advantage of the invention in the particular case of a postal sorting machine without limiting its field of application to this particular case. Finally, we will deal with the particular case of trays containing envelopes, again only to facilitate understanding of the invention.

Technical problems addressed by the invention

A large format postal sorting machine receives envelopes and / or parcels from collection points distributed over a territory, for example post offices, and sorts them according to their destinations. For example, we have at the input of the machine a plurality of envelopes which come from one or more collection points located in a geographical territory, for example a region. The sorting machine makes it possible to sort these envelopes and to group together those having the same destination, for example the same city. Once sorted, the envelopes are placed in bins, with all envelopes in a bin having a single destination.

The bins are transported through the sorting machine from an entry point where they are empty to an exit point where they contain envelopes. The bins are for example conveyed by means of a belt or roller conveyor. The line may have a single entry point or multiple entry points and typically includes multiple exit points. Many bins are present simultaneously on the machine.

An identification means present on the bins, for example a bar code, makes it possible to distinguish them from one another. The machine's monitoring and control system tracks the position of the each bin from its point of entry into the sorting machine to its point of exit. At the exit of the sorting machine, once the tray containing the envelopes has been sorted, a removable label is added to the tray making it possible to enter its destination, for example the postal code of the city. This label is for example placed on one side of the container, in a housing in which it is positioned.

On existing large format sorting machines, removable labels are not necessarily removed before the bins are reintroduced at the entrance of the machine. The labels present often fall along the machine, which pollutes it and is a source of malfunctions, in particular jams in the event of an accumulation of labels that have fallen in the same place. A maintenance agent must intervene periodically to pick up the labels from the sorting machine, which is a waste of time.

In particular on a belt conveyor, it may be necessary to stop the advance of one or more bins, or to adjust the distance between two successive bins, without stopping the movement of the conveyor, in particular to avoid stopping the machine. due to a jam requiring technical intervention. Solutions exist but they require dedicated devices which increase the investment and operating cost of the installation, while the risk of the machine stopping following a jam is limited.

The object of the invention is to remedy all of these drawbacks. In particular, the invention allows automatic removal of the labels present on the trays entering the postal sorting machine.

Summary of the invention

• Un moyen d'arrêt du bac agencé à un point de retrait de l'étiquette,
• Un moyen de préhension de l'étiquette apte à retirer l'étiquette,
• Un moyen de déplacement du moyen de préhension de l'étiquette entre une position où il est en contact avec l'étiquette lorsque celle-ci est présente sur le bac et une autre position où le moyen de préhension de l'étiquette est apte à permettre un dépôt de l'étiquette dans le contenant.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a device for removing a label present on a container moving along a path and for depositing said label in a container, the device comprising:

• A means of stopping the container arranged at a point of withdrawal of the label,
• A means of gripping the label capable of removing the label,
• A means for moving the label gripping means between a position where it is in contact with the label when the latter is present on the tray and another position where the label gripping means is able to allow a deposit of the label in the container.

According to an example of application, the bin is conveyed by a conveyor and the device according to the invention is able to remove a label present on the bin moving along a path defined by the conveyor. The conveyor is for example a belt or roller conveyor.

The conveyor is advantageously kept in operation during the label removal operation. Thus, the label removal cycle time is limited by the absence of steps to stop and restart the conveyor. The absence of these steps is also advantageous in terms of maintenance since the conveyor is less stressed. As the weight of the bin is limited, the friction between the bin and the surface of the conveyor on which it is placed, when the bin is stationary and the conveyor is moving, does not cause degradation by friction of the bin or the conveyor. .

The means of stopping the container at a point of withdrawal of the label is for example a mechanical stop actuated by an actuator. In one of the positions of the actuator, the mechanical stop is placed on the path of the tray and in another position of the actuator, the mechanical stop is placed outside the path of the tray.

To stop a bin at the label removal point, the mechanical stopper is placed in the path of the bin. As the container comes into contact with the stop, it is held in position against the latter by the movement of the conveyor. To release the bin, the stopper is placed outside the path of the bin.

The actuator making it possible to actuate the mechanical stop is, for example, a pneumatic or electric jack.

The means of stopping the bin at a label withdrawal point may include two mechanical stops. The two stops are then placed on either side of the conveyor so as to properly hold the bin. They can be placed on a line perpendicular to the path of the bin, or they can be offset from one another along the length of the bin. For example, a first stopper can be placed on one side at the front of the bin and the second on the other side at the rear of the bin. The two stops allow better maintenance of the bin. They can in particular avoid the risk of the tray pivoting when it is resting on a single stop. The two stops can be actuated by a single actuator, common to the two stops, or by two separate actuators, each stop having its own.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the means for gripping the label comprises a suction cup. This has an active surface that comes into contact with the label

The suction cup has two states, a first state in which the tag is held against the suction cup and a second state in which the label is not held.

The passage of the suction cup from the first state to the second state is for example carried out by means of compressed air. It is used to provide suction substantially in the center of the contact surface of the suction cup. This suction ensures that the label is held in place by the suction cup.

The dimensions of the active surface of the suction cup are chosen so as to cover a large part of the surface of the label.

As a variant, the means for gripping the label comprises several suction cups, for example two or three. The suction cups are then arranged so as to largely cover the surface of the label. The passage of the suction cups from a first state to a second state is synchronized so that they simultaneously pass from a first state to a second state.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a jack is used as a means of moving the means for gripping the label between a position where it is in contact with the label when the latter is present on the tank and another. position where the label gripping means is suitable for allowing the label to be deposited in the container. This cylinder can be pneumatic or electric.

• Actionnement du moyen d'arrêt du bac de sorte qu'il soit placé sur le trajet du bac à un point de retrait de l'étiquette,
• Arrêt du bac au point de retrait de l'étiquette par contact du bac avec le moyen d'arrêt,
• Actionnement du moyen de déplacement pour déplacer le moyen de préhension de l'étiquette d'une position où le moyen de préhension est en retrait par rapport au bac à une position où il est en contact avec l'étiquette présente sur le bac,
• Actionnement du moyen de préhension de l'étiquette de sorte que celui-ci tienne l'étiquette,
• Actionnement du moyen de déplacement pour déplacer le moyen de préhension de l'étiquette de la position où il est en contact avec l'étiquette présente sur le bac à une position où le moyen de préhension de l'étiquette est apte à permettre un dépôt de l'étiquette dans le contenant,
• Actionnement du moyen de préhension de l'étiquette de sorte que celui-ci ne tienne plus l'étiquette.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for removing a label present on a tray moving along a path and for depositing said label in a container using the device as described above, said method comprising the following steps performed in this order:

• Actuation of the bin stop means so that it is placed in the path of the bin at a label withdrawal point,
• Stopping the container at the point of removal of the label by contact of the container with the stop means,
• Actuation of the displacement means to move the means for gripping the label from a position where the gripping means is set back relative to the container to a position where it is in contact with the label present on the container,
• Actuation of the means for gripping the label so that it holds the label,
• Actuation of the displacement means to move the label gripping means from the position where it is in contact with the label present on the tray to a position where the label gripping means is adapted to allow deposition of the label in the container,
• Actuation of the label gripping means so that it no longer holds the label.

The method comprises an additional step in which the means of stopping the tank is actuated so that it is not placed on the path from the bin to a label pick-up point. The bin is thus released and driven by the conveyor.

Advantageously, the device according to the invention makes it possible to adjust the rate at which the bins move on the conveyor downstream of the device according to the invention. Indeed, when it is positioned on the path of a container, the means of stopping a container at the level of the label withdrawal point makes it possible to block a container and release it only when appropriate, depending on the state of the installation downstream of the device.

When a bin is stopped by the stopping means, the next bin brought by the conveyor can come into contact with the first and also be blocked. It is the same for the following ones.

In addition, the device according to the invention makes it possible to adjust the distance between two bins on the conveyor downstream of the device according to the invention. For this, after having released a first bin, the second on the conveyor, placed upstream in the direction of advance of the conveyor, is in turn maintained by the means of stopping a bin at the level of the withdrawal point of the label. It is then released when the distance to the downstream bin reaches the desired value. This distance between bins can be adjusted on demand, for each pair of bins.

Brief description of the figures

• [Fig. 1] est une vue schématique en plan et en vue de dessus d'une portion de convoyeur où se trouve le dispositif selon l'invention, un bac se trouvant dans une première position en amont du dispositif selon la direction d'avance du convoyeur.
• [Fig. 2] est une vue schématique en coupe partielle d'un moyen de préhension d'une étiquette selon un exemple de réalisation de l'invention.
• [Fig. 3] est une vue similaire à celle de la figure 1, dans laquelle le bac est positionné au point de retrait de l'étiquette.
• [Fig. 4] est une vue similaire à celle de la figure 3, le moyen de préhension de l'étiquette étant en contact de celle-ci au niveau du bac.
• [Fig. 5] est une vue similaire à celle de la figure 4, le moyen de préhension de l'étiquette étant positionné au-dessus d'un contenant où sont recueillies les étiquettes retirées des bacs.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent on reading the detailed description which follows, for the understanding of which reference is made to the appended drawings in which:

• [ Fig. 1 ] is a schematic plan view in top view of a portion of the conveyor where the device according to the invention is located, a container being in a first position upstream of the device in the direction of advance of the conveyor.
• [ Fig. 2 ] is a schematic view in partial section of a means for gripping a label according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.
• [ Fig. 3 ] is a view similar to that of the figure 1 , in which the tray is positioned at the point of removal of the label.
• [ Fig. 4 ] is a view similar to that of the figure 3 , the label gripping means being in contact therewith at the level of the container.
• [ Fig. 5 ] is a view similar to that of the figure 4 , the label gripping means being positioned above a container where the labels removed from the bins are collected.

Detailed description of the invention according to an exemplary embodiment

Since the embodiments described below are in no way limiting, it is possible in particular to consider variants of the invention comprising only a selection of characteristics described, subsequently isolated from the other characteristics described, if this selection of characteristics is sufficient. to confer a technical advantage or to differentiate the invention from the state of the prior art. This selection comprises at least one characteristic, preferably functional without structural details, or with only part of the structural details if this part only is sufficient to confer a technical advantage or to differentiate the invention from the state of the prior art. . In the figures, an element appearing in several figures retains the same reference.

On the figure 1 , is shown schematically a conveyor 3 which moves a tray 2 in a direction indicated by the arrow 20. A device 60 for removing the label is arranged on the path of this conveyor 3. The tray 2 comprises a label 1 placed in a housing 12 which is located on the side of the container oriented towards the M side of the conveyor, that where there is a means 6 for gripping the label 1 belonging to the device 60 for removing labels. The label is simply slid from the top into its housing 12, the front face of which is open onto a surface slightly smaller than that of the label. The label is held in the housing by the U-shape of the exterior walls of the housing as shown in the figure. The dimensions of the suction cup, or suction cups if the device for gripping the label includes several suction cups, are chosen so that they largely cover the opening on the front face of the label housing.

In this figure 1 , the tray 2 is in a position upstream of the device 60 for removing the label, depending on the direction of movement of the tray.

A means 5 for stopping the container at the point of withdrawal of the label is placed on the same side M of the conveyor as that where the means 6 for gripping the label is located. This container stopping means comprises an actuator 9 making it possible to actuate a mechanical stop 8. This actuator is a pneumatic cylinder. At the end of the cylinder rod is the mechanical stop 8. It is shown in this figure in a position D where it is located outside the path of the container defined by the conveyor.

The device 60 for removing the label comprises a second means 51 for maintaining the container at the point of removal of the label. It is placed on the N side of the conveyor 3, that is to say on the side opposite to that where the means 5 for stopping the bin is located at the point of withdrawal of the label. This means 51 for holding the container comprises an actuator 91 making it possible to actuate a mechanical stop 81. This actuator is a pneumatic cylinder. At the end of the cylinder rod is the mechanical stop 81. She is pictured on this figure 1 in a position F where it is outside the path of the bin defined by the conveyor.

The means 6 for gripping the label is moved by a displacement means 7, comprising a pneumatic cylinder 11. The means for gripping the label is thus placed at the end of the rod of the cylinder 11. The gripping means 6 of the label comprises a suction cup 10, shown in this figure at a position A where it is set back relative to the tray 2.

The device according to the invention comprises a means, not shown, for detecting the presence of a container in the vicinity of the point of withdrawal of the label. This detection means is for example an optical sensor. The presence of a container in the path of the light beam of the sensor actuates the locking means of the container in its withdrawn position. The sensor is placed on the device so that it makes it possible to identify a tank which would be pressed against the one which precedes it.

The device according to the invention also comprises a means, not shown, for verifying the correct orientation of the container, that is to say that the side of the container comprising the housing for the label is indeed on the side where the container is located. the means of gripping the label. This means of verification is for example an optical sensor.

The device according to the invention also comprises a means, not shown, for checking the presence of a label in the container at the stopping point. This detection means is for example an optical sensor. Thus, if the control means detects that the bin does not include a label, it can be released directly for greater productivity of the sorting machine.

As shown in the figure 2 , the suction cup comprises a duct 30 opening substantially at the center thereof. Compressed air is used to provide suction in this duct 30 by means of a venturi 31. This suction enables the pressure in the space 32 between the contact surface of the suction cup and the label to be lowered. This suction keeps the label against the suction cup. Stopping the compressed air supply to the venturi allows the tag to be released. It then falls by gravity into the container 4 located below. The passage of the suction cup from a state where the label is held to a state where the latter is not held, or vice versa, is thus obtained depending on whether or not the venturi is supplied with compressed air.

When the suction cup is in the retracted position A with respect to the container, and therefore without a label, it may not be supplied with compressed air in order to limit consumption. Before the end of the movement of the suction cup between its retracted position and that where it comes into contact with the label, it is advantageous to supply the suction cup with compressed air. Thus, the suction cup performs its function of maintaining the label as soon as it comes into contact with the latter.

In an exemplary embodiment not shown, the means for gripping the label comprises several suction cups. In this case, each of the suction cups is equipped with a separate venturi. Thus, if one of the suction cups does not stick perfectly to the label, its venturi cannot lower the pressure in the space 32 because of an air inlet. If the venturi were shared with the other suction cups, it would also not be possible to lower the pressure in the space 32 of the other suction cups. With a suction cup venturi, the other suction cups are not affected. They can operate normally because independently.

The figure 3 illustrates the position of the system shortly after that shown on the figure 1 . Between these two figures, the advance of the conveyor made it possible to pass from the state represented in figure 1 to the one represented in figure 3 .

Longitudinal slides, not shown, are arranged at the stopping point. They allow precise lateral positioning of the bin on the conveyor at the level of the automatic label removal device.

The mechanical stop 8 is now on the path of the tray 2, in position E, as is the mechanical stop 81 which is in position G. The two stops hold the tray at the point of withdrawal of the label.

The figure 4 illustrates the position of the system shortly after that shown on the figure 3 . Between these two figures, the jack 11 has been actuated so as to bring the suction cup 10 into contact with the label 1, passing through the opening of the housing 12. The suction cup is thus passed from position A to position B Once in contact with the label, the suction obtained by the compressed air keeps the label against the suction cup.

The figure 5 illustrates the position of the system shortly after that shown on the figure 4 . Between these two figures, the jack 11 has been actuated so as to bring the suction cup and the label above the container 4, in position C. The label is made of a material whose flexibility makes it possible to extract the label through the opening in the front face of the housing 12, despite the fact that the opening has a surface slightly smaller than that of the label. The compressed air supply to the suction cup is then stopped so as to stop the suction it generates. The label is thus released. It falls by gravity into the container 4.

The position C where the means for gripping the label is positioned above the container in which is placed the label withdrawn from the tray can be confused with the position A where the gripping means is set back relative to the tray.

The bins used on industrial postal sorting machines generally have ribbed outer walls, in particular to increase their rigidity. These ribs constitute projecting parts 82. The mechanical stops 8, 81 come into contact with a tank at the level of projecting parts. The mechanical force exerted by the stops on a tank thus has a direction along the path of the tank and an opposite direction. The precise lateral positioning of the bins on the conveyor at the withdrawal point makes it possible to adjust the stroke of the stops 8, 81 so that they do not come into contact with the lateral faces of the bins. This prevents a transverse force being exerted by the stops on the trays.

The trays come into contact with each other at the level of protrusions. The means for detecting the presence of a container at the point of removal of the label is placed on the device 60 so that it makes it possible to identify the end of a first container relocated by the device 60 according to the invention and the presence of a second tank leaning against the one that precedes it. Thus, when a container is positioned at the point of withdrawal of the label and a second container located upstream rests against it, the device 60 according to the invention makes it possible to release the first container and then to block the second bin at the label removal point.

The device according to the invention comprises a control and command system for the equipment equipped with a computer program. This one processes the information supplied by the sensors and controls the actuators for safe and optimal operation of the device.

Claims (8)

Device (60) for removing a label (1) present on a container (2) moving along a path and depositing said label in a container (4), the device comprising: • A stopping means (5) of the container arranged at a point of withdrawal of the label, • A gripping means (6) of the label capable of removing the label, • A displacement means (7) of the gripping means (6) of the label between a position (B) where it is in contact with the label when the latter is present on the tray and another position (C) where the means for gripping the label is suitable for allowing the label to be deposited in the container. Device (60) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the stopping means (5) of the container (2) is a mechanical stop (8) actuated by an actuator (9); in one position (E) of the actuator, the mechanical stop is placed on the path of the tank and in another position (D) of the actuator, the mechanical stop is placed outside the path of the tank. Device (60) according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the gripping means (6) of the label (1) comprises a suction cup (10). Device (60) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the suction cup (10) comprises two states, a first state in which the label (1) is maintained and a second state in which the label is not maintained. Device (60) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the passage of the suction cup (10) from the first state to the second state is carried out by means of compressed air. Device (60) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the displacement means (7) of the gripping means (6) of the label (1) comprises a jack (11). Method of removing a label (1) present on a container (2) moving along a path and depositing said label in a container (4) using the device as described in at least one of the preceding claims, said method comprising the following steps carried out in this order: • Actuation of the stopping means (5) of the container so that it is placed on the path of the container at a point of withdrawal of the label, • Stopping of the container at the point of removal of the label by contact of the container with the stop means, • Actuation of the displacement means (7) to move the gripping means (6) of the label from a position (A) where the gripping means is set back relative to the tray (2) to a position (B) where it is in contact with the label on the bin, • Actuation of the gripping means (7) of the label so that it holds the label, • Actuation of the displacement means (7) to move the gripping means (6) of the label from the position (B) where it is in contact with the label present on the tray to a position (C) where the means for gripping the label is suitable for allowing the label to be deposited in the container, • Actuation of the gripping means (7) of the label so that it no longer holds the label. Method according to the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises an additional step in which the means (5) for stopping the tank is actuated so that it is not placed on the path of the tank at a point of withdrawal of the tank. the label.

Images