FR2640602A1 - DEPILEUR OF FLAT ARTICLES - Google Patents

Abstract

The flat article unstacker comprises at least one elastically retaining pad resting against a roller at the end of an article store. It is characterized in that the pad 20 is flexible and is fixed by one of its edges on a first edge of a support part 30 while being free and unobstructed elsewhere, and in that it comprises at least one pressure strip. 51, 52 mounted in the support part, with a radial direction for the roller 2, coupling the elastic means 53, 54 to the shoe which it presses against the roller. Application: document processing device.

Description

The present invention relates to the devices

  treatment of flat articles presented in stack. It relates more particularly to separator systems, so-called unstackers, which equip such devices. The articles concerned are, for example, documents known as

  originals or supporting documents known as duplicators or envelopes.

  Document processing devices are, for example, devices for analysis, or printing, or reproduction, or transmission, or storage on magnetic or photographic devices. In other processing devices, the articles are documents and / or envelopes in the machines

  automatic mail processing.

  In these devices, the articles to be treated are received in stack in storage magazines. A destacker picks one by one

  the articles of the pile, for their individual treatment.

  In a known manner, the unstackers comprise at least one sampling roller and at least one retaining element, which are mounted on either side of the outlet of articles of the store. The purpose of the sampling roller is to drive the lower article of the stack. The main purpose of the restraint element is to

  oppose the simultaneous collection of multiple items.

  For training the lower item out of the store,

  this article must be applied in pressure against the drive roller.

  ment. When it is taken, it tends to carry with it the items that are immediately above him. The retainer forms a pad that holds these items immediately

  and allows the removal of the only lower article.

  Patent FR-A-85 15 241, entitled "Dispenser of friction sheets, in particular for automatic copier", describes a destacker of the type referred to above. It has a horizontal support for a stack of documents, equipped with means of advance of the pile and equivalent to a magazine of articles. It has several pairs, each with a roller and a shoe, mounted transversely to the outlet of articles. A first couple is called training. Its roller -2 - drive is high coefficient of friction. His associated training pad is a hard, smooth piece with a low coefficient of friction. It has its front, facing the

  stack, forming an abutment for the store documents.

  It has its bottom V-shaped wide open, facing the drive roller. The sharp edge between the abutment and the underside of the drive shoe passes between it and the drive roller only a very limited number of documents from the bottom of the stack. The first pair is mounted on the middle part of the article outlet, two other second pairs, said retaining, are mounted on either side of this first pair. In each of these second pairs, the retaining roller is of hard and smooth surface, while the retaining pad is formed by a

  plate against which is reported a friction surface.

  The plate is mounted inclined on the outlet of articles, with the friction surface applied against the retaining roller and substantially tangential to the roller, to define with it an increasingly narrow outlet passage. In addition, in each pair, the shoe is articulated and is resiliently biased by

a spring towards his roller.

  In this unstacker, the store could also be tilted to facilitate the advance of the lower document and some

  others immediately superior to the pairs roller-skate.

  Such an unstacker is of relatively complex construction and long assembly. In operation, the friction surface of the elastically biased retaining pads does not remain perfectly tangent on the periphery of the retaining roller which receives it and gives rise to poor isostatism. In addition, the introduction of the stack of documents to be treated, this stack can lift the retaining pads, especially when the pile is important and the documents strongly adhere to each other; skates

  retentions then become ineffective.

  The object of the present invention is to avoid such disadvantages, both to improve the operation and to simplify the production.

and editing.

  It therefore relates to a de-stacker of flat articles, comprising, on an output of articles of a storage magazine, at least one roller and an associated shoe, mounted on either side of the outlet, with each pad urged by elastic means towards the roller, characterized in that the pad is flexible and comprises at least one flexible friction tongue, each held on a rigid support piece by a first of its edges, said upper edge, being also free and disengaged from the facing face said front face of said support member, and in that it comprises, in addition, at least one pressure plate, each held and guided in said support member, with a substantially radial direction for the associated roller, and coupled to said elastic means for elastic application in pressure of said flexible pad against the roller. According to another characteristic, in the unstacker said flexible pad defines a central tongue and two lateral tongues and the pressure plates for these tongues act for a first blades on the single central tongue and for a

  second blades in common and only on the side tabs.

  According to another characteristic, the first and second blades are slightly offset with respect to the roller, but both act in their substantially radial direction for the roller, on the central tongue and the lateral tongues, respectively. According to another characteristic, the support piece equipped with the retaining pad and the resiliently biased pressure plates constitutes an unstacking module mounted removably on a lid.

  opening a frame carrying said roller.

  According to another characteristic, said unstacking module is mounted articulated by the edge of the support piece corresponding to the upper edge of the retaining pad and abuts on means

  adjustable by its opposite edge, in said lid.

  The features and advantages of the present invention

  will emerge from the description given below of an embodiment

  illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings. In these drawings: FIG. 1 represents an article unstacker according to the present invention, mounted in a simply sketched processing device, this unstacker being shown in the operating position and in the open and mounted position of one of its assemblies, said unstacking module, - Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the unstacking module of Figure 1, - Figure 3 is a central sectional view of the unstacking module

  according to Figure 1, associated with its roller.

  In FIG. 1, it can be seen that the unstacker of flat articles according to the present invention comprises an assembly known as an unstacking module 1 and a drum or drive roller 2. This module 1 and the roller 2 are associated and mounted at the end of FIG. a magazine 3 for storing articles 4, on either side of the magazine 3. They define at the end of this magazine, an outlet 5 of articles that they maintain in the absence of operation of the resulting unstacker, and they pick one by one for the treatment of individual items, when operating the unstacker. The magazine 3 is tilted for the natural advance of the lower articles stored therein the output and until the roller 2 and unstacking module 1. This unstacker is mounted in a device for processing articles, which was simply started a main chassis 6 and

  a front cover 7 for closing the chassis 6. The driving roller

  2 is mounted in the main frame 6 which also carries the magazine 3. The unstacking module 1 is on the other hand mounted on the lid 7. It is also removable on the lid, and

as described below.

  The cover 7 is articulated about an axis 6A, at the bottom of the main frame 6. It is locked on the upper part of the main frame, on the lateral sides of the store, substantially at the outlet of the items of the store; it leaves free access to the store, especially for its loading. Their locking means are as such known, they are constituted by additional hooking tabs or by locking screws

  and have not been represented. They are unlockable for the opening

  the front cover then actuated around its articulating axis 6A. This cover 7 has been shown in FIG. 1, in its open position, in thin lines, and in its position of

  closing. The arrow 7A symbolizes its closing operation.

  The unstacking module is further removable in the lid 7.

  For this purpose, as shown for the open position of the lid, the lid comprises a housing 70 for the module 1. This housing is provided in the upper part of the lid, coming opposite the roller 2 and thereby having a profile arched marrying the peripheral section facing the pebble. On the cover, designated by reference 71, this arched upper part, whose inner face is concave to escape the roller; on the cover, for reference 72, reference is made to the upper edge of the cover enabling it to be locked or unlocked on the main frame 6, by the reference 73, its lower part, which extends the arcuate part downwards and is substantially flat. and by reference 74 its lower edge or foot ensuring the maintenance of the lid on the axis 6A. On the outer face of the cover, a set of ribs 71A and 73A substantially continuous and said vertical is provided between the upper edges 72 and lower 74, on the

  parts 71 and 73, respectively. Two other ribs called longitudinal

  71B and 73B are provided at the bottom of the upper part and

  transition between the upper and lower parts, respectively

  always on the outside of the lid.

  The housing 70 for the unstacking module 1 is in the middle zone of the upper part. It is defined by an opening between two ribs 71A, these two ribs being slightly set back on the corresponding lateral edges of the opening, while

  at least in the upper part of the opening.

  This opening also encroaches slightly on the upper edge 72 of the lid and comes to the opposite up to the portion - 6 -

lower 73.

  The arrow 1A illustrates the insertion of the unstacking module 1 in its housing 70. For easy insertion and maintenance, as well as for easy removal, the housing 70 is arranged and the unstacking module 1 equipped accordingly. Unstacking module 1 has on one side along its length, a flat tab 10 said prick, especially for its maintenance in the housing. This tab 10 defines one of the edges said upper edge 10A of the module in its housing. This upper edge is rounded along its length. It has two terminal fingers 11 which extends on one side and the other to be salient. The tab 10 and its two end fingers 11 on its upper edge 10A are seen more clearly in FIG. 2. The fingers 11 are cylindrical and define the axis of articulation of the unstacking module 1 in its housing 70. They have the one and the other two opposite flats 11A, substantially corresponding to the faces of the lug 10, their end 11B is cylindrical, and also seen clearly in

Figure 2.

  Corresponding in the housing 70, the two ribs 71A, slightly in its upper part, have a final thickness 75 coming to border the housing. The two opposite thicknesses are identical and each have a notch 76. The two notches are facing each other and open in the housing 70. They also have an open end 76A on the inside of the lid 7, for the insertion of the fingers 11 of the unstacking module as illustrated by the arrow lB. Their opposite end 76B is quasi-closed and of circular section for the retention of the fingers 11 and the articulated support of the unstacking module 1. Each of the notches is U-section, whose ends of the branches are folded and form inward edges 76C . These re-entrant edges are truncated at the level

end 76B of the notch.

  The unstacking module is introduced into its housing from the inside of the cover then open; the fingers 11 are inserted into the access ends 76A of the notches 76, the unstacking module is then transverse to the lid. The inward edges 76C of the notches 76 constitute a slide for the flats 11A of the fingers, thus guided until they reach the end 76B of the notches. At this end 76B, the truncated return edges 76C allow free rotation of the unstacking module on the axis defined by his fingers, for its tilting in its housing. The maintenance of the unstacking module 1 in its housing is

  provided by two latching lugs 12 provided on the lower edge.

  13 of the unstacking module, opposite the tab 10. It is also provided by a cross member 77 inside the housing 70, along

  its lower edge and substantially between the two longitudinal ribs

  71B and 73B. This cross member 77 has two openings 77A for the latching lugs 12. The lower edge 70A of the housing is chamfered on the side of the inner face of the lid, to escape the latching lugs 12, when the unstacking module tilts around its axis for its establishment and maintenance in his home. The latching tabs 12 snap through the openings 77A on the cross member 77, coming on the

outer face of the lid.

  The inner face of the cover, on its portion 71 receiving

  the unstacking module 1 constitutes a reference face of position-

  2. To this end, a stop 78, adjustable from the outer face of the cover, receives against it the lower edge 13 of the unstacking module. This stop 78

  is shown constituted by a screw received in the cross member 77, sensi-

  blisters in the middle. This stop 78 and the latching lugs 12 formed on the lower edge 13 oppose any deflection

  the unstacking module in its housing.

  Thus articulated on its upper edge but maintained on its lower edge, the unstacking module 1 occupies a precise position facing the drum 2 and at the end of the magazine 3, when the lid is closed. Its removal is easy to achieve by simply unhooking its latching lugs. This unstacking module, removable and positioning accurate and easy to find, can be changed

  by the user without any outside intervention.

  The embodiment of the unstacking module, for the picking function of individual articles from the magazine, that it provides with the roller 2 driven in rotation according to the arrow 2A, is described below with reference to FIG. but essentially in Figure 2. In Figure 2, the illustrated elements that were

  described above are designated by the same references.

  The unstacking module 1 comprises a flexible retaining pad 20, on a so-called front face of the module, corresponding to the inner face of the cover 7 and coming against the periphery of the roller 2. This flexible retaining pad has a high coefficient of friction, higher

  than the leaves between them, it is for example elastomer.

  It is divided into a central tongue 21 and two slightly smaller lateral tongues 22, by two slots 23 and 24 open on

the lower edge of the pad.

  The flexible pad 20 is carried by a support piece 30, rigid.

  To this support part 30 belong to the aforementioned flat tab 10

  with the two fingers 11 which extend the upper edge.

  10A, and the above-mentioned latching tabs 12 formed on the opposite lower flat edge 13. The flexible pad 20 is fixed by its upper edge 20A not split, against the flat tab 10. It is fixed by screws 25, inserted in a retaining strip 26 and, through the upper edge of the pad 20, in the flat lug

, in the vicinity of its edge 10A.

  The flexible pad 20 extends freely in the face of

  the support member 30, substantially to its flat lower edge 13.

  It remains naturally at a distance from the face 30A of the support piece 30, which is opposite it, said front face, in the absence of external action exerted on it, in particular by the roller 2. For this purpose,

  the front face 30A of the support piece has a sensitive concavity

  identical to that of the inner face of the cover 7,

on its part 71.

  An equally flexible plate 40 is associated with the retaining pad 20 and mounted with it on the support piece 30. It has a low coefficient of friction and called sliding, its surface

  is particularly smooth; it is for example plastic.

  It is attached to the outside of the retaining pad 20.

  Like the retaining pad 20, the wafer 40 is divided into a central strip 41 and two lateral strips 42 by two slots and / or cutouts 43, 44. The strips are substantially the same width as the respective tabs of the retaining pad. 20 to which they correspond, but their length is less. The coverslip

  central 41 is also shorter than the two lateral ones 42.

  The plate 40 is attached, externally, against the retaining pad 20 and is fixed with it by the screws 25 also passing through.

its upper edge 40A not split.

  The support member further serves to mount and maintain a pressing mechanism 50, with pressure blades, for the retaining pad 20. In the illustrated example, this mechanism is a flat pressure blade 51 for the central tongue 21 of the shoe and with a flat blade 52 for the lateral tongues 22. It further comprises a spring 53 for the blade 51 and a spring 54 for the blade 52, urging the pressure blades in the workpiece

  support 30 which receives them to the retaining pad.

  The blade 51, shorter, has a longitudinal edge whose main portion 51A is of V-section and is projecting on its truncated ends 51B. On the other hand, the blade 52 has, on the corresponding longitudinal edge, the two end portions 52A of this edge, which are of V-section and protrude from the truncated intermediate portion 52B. This truncated intermediate portion 52B corresponds to the width of the central tongue 21, to be without effect on it. The blades 51 and 52 have on their opposite edge a small enlarged base 51C or 52a, depending on the blade, and a finger 51D or 52D protruding under this base. The finger serves to maintain the

  corresponding spring 53 or 54 against the base of the blade considered.

  The support piece 30 comprises, for the mechanism 50, two parallel windows 31 and 32 for receiving the projecting edges 51A, 52A of the blades 51 and 52. Each of these windows is of length corresponding to that of the blade that it receives. Referring further to Figure 3, we see that the same support member 30 has a housing 33 for the blades. The housing is defined on its rear face 30B, between two lateral shoulders 34.

- 10 -

  is slightly narrower than the blades considered along their length. The windows 31, 32 open into this housing and each have their ends extending in part in the thickness of the shoulders 34, by forming guide grooves for the corresponding blade. These grooves are such that the groove 35, illustrated in Figure 2 in the single visible shoulder 34, opening at one end of the window 32. They provide a substantially radial direction to each pressure plate facing the roller 2, and that it appears in Figure 3 by the dashed lines 50A, B. In addition, in this window area 31, 32, the support piece

  is of slightly less thickness than the height of the blades.

  Each blade, abutted by its base 51C or 52C against the face 30B, under the edges of the window which receives it, thus has its

  edge 51A or 52A which protrudes on the face 30A.

  A hood 37 closes housing 33. It is reported against

  the shoulders 34 and is fixed by screws 38 on them.

  This hood also retains the springs 53 and 54, for the elastic mounting of the blades. It receives for this purpose two hollow screws 39 coming, through tapped holes 39A of its central part, to open in the housing 33. Each of the screws receives one of the springs 53, 54 also mounted on the finger 51D or 52D and abutting against the base of the corresponding blade. These springs

  solicit the projection of the blades through the windows.

  By their compression using the corresponding screw 39, they more or less strongly oppose the elastic deletion of the projecting edges 51A and 52A of the blades in their windows 31 and

32, respectively.

  The support piece 30 has, in addition, on its front face 30A, a

  low central shoulder 36, above the windows 31 and 32.

  This shoulder 36 defines a sharp edge 36A, at a short distance

  of the window 31 and substantially along its length.

  This sharp edge 36A is of lower height than that of the projecting edge 51A of the blade 51, in the absence of action other than

- 11 -

  that of the spring 53 on this blade. This shoulder 36 continuously fades on the flat tab 10 of the part 30. Its sharp edge 36A limits the possible withdrawal of the projecting edge 51A of the

blade 51 in the window 31.

  FIG. 3 shows this unstacking module 1, seen in central section

  against the roller 2 with which it cooperates on the outlet 5 of the magazine 3.

  It can be seen that the pressure plates 51 and 52 define on the tongues 21 and 22 two successive separation stages on the periphery of the roller, which are offset radially and axially one and the other. By cons, the substantially radial guide of the one and the other of the blades and the action in their middle of their spring, the effect of each of the blades retains the same radial direction, according to the dashed lines 50A and 50B . Thus, the central tongue 21 and the lateral tongues 22, taken between the roller and their respective slightly retracted pressure plates, remain

  always held on a bearing line against roller 2.

  The resulting unstacker consequently presents a quasi isostatism

  perfect. With reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 1, it is noted that the smooth plate 40 avoids the retention of the front edges of the documents present in the magazine 3 just upstream of the effect of the pressure plates on the retaining pad 20 In addition, the shoulder 36 and the edge 36A make it possible to limit the engagement of an excessive number of documents between the roller 2 and the retaining pad, just upstream of the bearing line of the central tab against the stone. When a large package of documents is loaded into the magazine, it abuts against the upper part of the retaining pad, covered by the smooth plate 40. The unfolding module 1 itself mounted against the stop screw 78 ( Figure 1) can not be raised and retains the same effectiveness in

roller 2.

  The present invention has been described with respect to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings. It is of course possible to make detailed modifications and / or to replace certain means by other equivalent means without departing from the scope of

the present invention.

- 12 -

  In particular, the various tabs formed on the flexible retaining pad may be independent and the central tongue and the lateral tongues may have different adhesion coefficients. Note also, given the removable assembly of the unstacking module, that the unstacker can accept separate modules, the retaining pad is of higher or lower coefficient of adhesion and suitable for the type of documents to be unstacked.

at a given moment.

- 13 -

Claims (12)

CLAIMS:   1 / destacker of flat articles, comprising, on an output of articles of a storage magazine, at least one roller and an associated shoe, mounted on either side of the outlet, with each pad solicited by means resilient to the roller, characterized in that the pad (20) is flexible and comprises at least one flexible tongue (21, 22) of friction, each held on a rigid support piece (30) by a first of their edges, said edge upper part (20A, A), while being free and free from the face opposite so-called front face (30A) of said support piece, and in that it further comprises at least one pressure plate (51, 52), each maintained   and guided in said support member (30), with a sensi-   (50A, 50B) for the associated roller (2), and coupled to said elastic means (53, 54) for elastic application.   pressurizing said flexible pad (20) against the roller (2).   2 / unstacker according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of flexible friction tabs (21, 22) and a plurality of pressure plates (51, 52) offset radially and biased by said elastic means (51, 52) to define separate floors   separation on the single roller (2).   3 / unstacker according to claim 2, characterized in that said tongues (21, 22) belong to the same flexible pad (20) and said blades (51, 52) are held and guided in said single support parts (30).   4 / unstacker according to claim 3, characterized in that said support member (30) comprises a housing (33) on its rear face (30B), for the pressure blades (51, 52) and said elastic means (53, 54 ), and has windows (31, 32), open on said front face (30A) and the housing (33), through which said pressure plates are urged projecting on said front face (30A).   Dispenser according to claim 4, characterized in that each pressure plate (51, 52) has a base (51C, 51D) abutting against. edges of the window which receives it, on the rear face (30B) of the support piece (30), and has, opposite said base, its edge at least partly of V-shaped section and coming into - 14 -   projection on the front face (30A) of said support piece.   6 / debiter according to claim 5, characterized in that said flexible pad (20) defines a central tongue (21) and two lateral tongues (22) and said pressure plates constitute a first blade (51) for the central tongue and a second blade (52) for the two lateral tongues, said blades being mounted one above the other and engaged in their respective windows, with the first blade upstream of the second for the documents of the magazine (3) and with each of said first and second blades having its edge, received in the corresponding window, of V-shaped section and protruding on a portion (51A, 52A) for the single tab concerned and truncated on another part (51B, 52B) to escape to the other tab.   7 / unstacker according to claim 6, characterized in that it further comprises a shoulder (36) on the front face (30A) of said support member (30), upstream of the windows (31, 32), for documents of the magazine (3), having a sharp edge (36A) projecting in front of one of the pressure knives (51) but of less height than the   protruding portion (51A) of this blade (51).   8 / debiter according to one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in   what said elastic means are individual springs (53, 54) for said pressure blades, retained in said housing (33) between the pressure plate concerned and a cover (37) for closing the housing, said hood carrying means ( 39) setting individual springs.   9 / Unstacker according to one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in   it further comprises a flexible slide (41, 42) for sliding, associated with each flexible friction tongue (21, 22) and fixed with it on said support piece (30) by one of its edges, the lamella from externally covering the tongue substantially   up to the level of the pressure blade for this tongue.   Depriming machine according to one of Claims 2 to 9, characterized   in that said roller (2) is mounted on a main frame (6) and said support piece (30), with the flexible pad (22) and each pressure plate that it carries, constitutes a unstacking module - 15 -   (1) removably mounted in a lid (7) opening and locking on said main frame (6).   11 / debiter according to claim 10, characterized in that said lid comprises a housing (70) for said unstacking module (1) coming opposite the roller (2) when the lid is closed, wherein said unstacking module is mounted articulated by the first edge (10A) of said support piece (30) and abutted by the opposite edge (13) of the support piece on abutment means   adjustable (78) carried by said cover (7).   12 / debiter according to claim 11, characterized in that said support member (30) has, in addition, on the edge opposite the first edge of the latching means (12) in the housing (70) of said unstacking module.   13 / unstacker according to one of claims 11 and 12 characterized   in that said unstacking module housing comprises two notches (76) open opposite and on the inside face of the lid (7) and the support piece (30) comprises two fingers (11) extending on either side said first edge (10A), received in the notches and defining the articulation of the module at the bottom (76B) of the notches, said notches constituting on their length and with the exception   from their bottom slides for the fingers.   14 / unstacker according to claim 13, characterized in that the inner face of the cover (7) has a substantially concavity   complementary to the contour of the roller (2) in a so-called upper part   upper (71) having said housing (70) of the unstacking module, defining a positioning reference face of said unstacking module for the roller (2), the front face (30A) of the part   support (30) itself having substantially the same concavity.