FR2699897A1 - Storage and unloading unit for articles in boxes, pallets or packages - Google Patents

Abstract

The unit consists of a supporting structure (2) and a series of shelves (1) with rollers which allow the boxes or other articles being stored to be moved from one end to another. Each of the shelves is in two or more sections (3, 4) joined end to end and adjustable so that they can be set in the same or different planes.The sections making up the shelves are supported at both ends, and each one comprises a frame with a series of guide rails for the rollers. The frames are connected to the supporting structure so that their inner ends are hinged, and their outer ends are adjustable vertically by means of sliders and elongated holes for bolts.

Description

 The present invention relates to the field of dynamic load storage facilities such as pallets, cases, packages, bins or the like; it relates more particularly to a dynamic storage store consisting of roller or roller storage plies mounted on a support structure.

 Conventional dynamic storage stores consist of a set of rails which support rollers or rollers mounted parallel to each other.

These rails are inclined according to the desired installation: either according to a downward slope from upstream where the loads are introduced, downstream where they are repeated in the order of introduction on the corridor, to form an installation of the FIFO type (first entry, first exit), or according to an ascending slope to form an installation of the LIFO type (last entry between the first exit) allowing the storage of the loads one behind the other, in the direction of movement.

 Each layer forms one or more lanes for the storage of loads and, generally, each lane is used for the storage of an article reference.

 The dimensions of the installation and the number of layers are studied according to the type of load and the number of references envisaged; as a general rule, the possibilities for design evolution are very limited.

 The object of the present invention is to improve these dynamic storage stores of the storage tablecloth type, in particular to allow design modifications depending on the type and number of articles that it is desired to store. The invention above all has the advantage of offering the possibility of increasing the number of references as required while keeping the initial storage capacity.

 The dynamic storage magazine according to the invention consists of storage plies with rollers or rollers1 mounted on a support structure. Each layer consists of at least two distinct sections, placed end to end and provided with means for adjusting their positioning on the support structure to form either a single storage plane or two planes, in dihedral, offering possibilities of storage on each section.

This characteristic makes it easy to transform a large FIFO or LIFO tablecloth into two smaller LIFO tablecloths. It is thus possible to multiply the number of references of items stored, in the event of a change in the need for storage. Conversion in the opposite direction is of course also possible and conceivable when the number of article references stored decreases. In either case, the general capacity of the store remains the same.

 Still according to the invention, the two sections which form each storage ply are supported by the supporting structure at the loading and / or unloading ends, as well as between these two ends, at their junction.

 According to a particular embodiment, each section is in the form of a frame consisting of: - a stop profile at the front, - a profile at the rear, - two side rails which receive at their ends of said front and rear profiles, and - of a plurality of roller rails.

 According to another arrangement of the invention, the loading and / or unloading ends of the sections which form each storage ply are fixed to the end ladder posts of the carrying structure by means of claw connectors. These connectors are advantageously provided with an oblong vertical light for fixing by bolting and the millimeter height adjustment of the corresponding section. In addition, these sections advantageously comprise, on the side, oblong longitudinal slots which cooperate with the vertical slots of the claw connector to ensure their depth adjustment.

 On the other hand, and according to a preferred arrangement, the means for fixing the sections of ply to the end ladder posts of the carrying structure are provided with rollers intended to support said sections laterally, during mounting operations and / or adjustment.

 According to another arrangement of the invention, between the two loading and / or unloading ends, the frame-shaped sections come to rest on lateral rails secured to the central ladder posts of the supporting structure. These lateral slides are preferably in the form of squares; they are advantageously mounted on supports secured to the central ladder posts by bolting on one or more oblong slots.

 Still according to the invention, the rear section of the frame-shaped ply sections extends downwardly to serve as a point of contact on the central support rails.

This characteristic allows correct alignment of the rails in the case where the two sections are aligned to form a single storage plane.

 However, the invention will be further illustrated, without being in any way limited, by the following description of a particular embodiment, given by way of example and shown in the appended drawings in which - FIG. 1 is a sectional view, of side of the dynamic storage store according to the invention, in which the storage layers consist of two sections aligned to form single FIFO or LIFO storage planes - FIG. 2 is a sectional side view of the same store storage in which each storage ply has been positioned to form a dihedral offering two LIFO storage possibilities - FIG. 3 is a top view, in partial section, of one of the sections of ply fixed to the support structure - FIG. 4 is a side view of the same section, in section along 4-4 - FIGS. 5a and 5b schematically show the junction of the two sections which form the storage ply.

 As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the dynamic storage magazine is made up of a plurality of juxtaposed and superposed roller plies 1, mounted on a support structure 2. The dimensions of plies 1 are a function of charges that one wishes to store; their number determines the capacity of the installation.

 Each roller table 1 is formed of two separate sections 3 and 4, arranged end to end. In the embodiment shown, the two sections 3 and 4 have identical lengths; of course these lengths can be different depending on the type of installation desired.

 Each section of ply 3, 4 is supported by the supporting structure 2 at the loading and / or unloading ends as well as at their central junction. This support is achieved by means of fixing or support pieces which allow the adjustment of their positioning in space according to the type of storage desired.

 As shown in FIG. 1, the two sections 3 and 4 which form each storage ply can be aligned to form a single storage plane oriented along a slight slope, of the order of 7 to 8% for example . The charges 5 which it is desired to store can be brought to the level of the top point of each sheet (right side, FIG. 1) and taken up in the lower part (left side, FIG. 1) to constitute an installation of the FIFO type. The orientation arrows 6 on the loads 5 show the principle of such storage. Of course, and without modifying the structural characteristics of this installation, it is possible to use it in LIFO, by working on one side only by introducing and taking up loads at the low point of each roll of plies.

 Given the particularity of the storage plies 1, produced in two distinct sections 3 and 4 which are independently adjustable, this same installation can be modified so that each ply 1 forms a dihedral in which the sections 3 and 4 are used independently l 'from each other, in LIFO, as shown in Figure 1 in thin dashed lines and in Figure 2.

The operator can work on either side of the store from the low point of each section 3, 4; the last charge stored being the first recovery, as indicated by the orientation arrows 7.

 In general, in this kind of store, each tablecloth constitutes one or more storage corridors and each corridor receives an article reference. Such a possibility of adjustment, by dividing the layers, makes it possible to change the number of possible storage references, in a ratio of between 1 and 2, while retaining the same general capacity.

 To be effective, such a system must allow easy and rapid modification of the positioning of the sections 3, 4. Their means of attachment and / or support on the supporting structure must be adapted accordingly.

 According to a preferred embodiment, the two sections 3 and 4 which form the storage plies 1 are supported at the loading and / or unloading ends by the end ladder posts 8 of the support structure, as well as at level of their junction, by the central ladder posts 9.

 As shown in Figures 3 and 4, each section 3, 4 is in the form of a frame delimited by a stop profile 10 at the front and by a rear profile 11. These two front profiles 10 and rear 11 are secured by side rails 12 assembled by welding, riveting, screwing ... This metal frame 10, 11 and 12 supports a plurality of rails 13, parallel, on which are mounted rollers 14 intended to form the dynamic storage plane.

 Frames 3 and 4 are like real drawers. They are fixed to the end ladder posts 8 of the supporting structure by means of claw connectors15 Each of these connectors consists of a bracket 16 provided with protruding claws 17, intended to be integrated into adapted orifices regularly spaced, for example every few centimeters, on the height of the posts 8. These brackets 16 extend towards the inside of the structure, in a single piece or by means of an insert, by a wing 18 which overflows from the bulk of the post 8 and in which a vertical oblong light is provided 19. This light 19 cooperates with a longitudinal light 20 provided at the front end of the side rails 12 of the frames 3, 4, for fixing the latter on the supporting structure 2 by means of a connection system of the screw-nut type 21.

 The claw connectors 15 carry out the rough adjustment of the height positioning of the front end of the frames 3 and 4; the oblong slot 19 ensures their millimeter height adjustment and the oblong slot 20 the adjustment of their depth positioning.

 Note in Figure 4, the presence of rollers 22, mounted on the wings 18 of the connectors 15, in the oblong slot 19. These rollers 22 are arranged on the side of the frames 3, 4, in their size. They are intended to serve as temporary lateral support members for said sections 3, 4, in particular during mounting and / or adjustment operations. They facilitate in particular the embedding and disembedding of the frames in the supporting structure 2; they then serve as rotary support elements, and the frames are guided in translation in the manner of a drawer.

 The rear end of the sections 3, 4 comes to rest on a common slide 23 fixed on a support 24 secured to the central ladder post 9 of the support structure 2. The side slides 23 extend substantially horizontally; they are extended by a vertical wing 25 secured to the support 24 by welding, riveting, bolting ... This central support 24 consists of a U-shaped profile comprising one or more oblong slots for fixing and the millimeter adjustment to the post 9, via a screw-nut system 26.

 The rear ends of the two frames 3, 4 arranged end to end to form the roll of plies 1 simply come to rest on the slides 23 arranged laterally. This constructive arrangement forms a pseudo-articulation 27 which is perpendicular to the flow of the stored charges, making it possible to very quickly modify the respective inclination of said frames 3, 4 to transform the configuration of the store at will.

 This central articulation 27 is optimized by the particular shape of the rear sections 11, projecting under the underside of said frames 3, 4. This arrangement is illustrated diagrammatically by FIGS. 5a and 5b on which the two sections of plies 3 can be seen respectively. , 4 in their aligned position and in their dihedral position. The ends of these sections are supported on the slides 23 only by means of their rear section 11; the latter ensure a point contact which facilitates the adjustment of the alignment of said sections 3, 4 in the case where they define a single storage plane (FIG. 5a). In the latter case, the presence of the slides 23 makes it possible to put the two sections 3 and 4 in contact, given the small thickness of the rear sections 11 (of the order of 3 mm), it is thus possible to minimize the level offset of the sections so as not to disturb the movement of the loads.

 The transformation from one assembly to another is carried out in a very simple and very rapid manner by loosening the end screws 21. The claws 17 of the connectors 15 are disengaged and reclosed in other perforations of the posts 8 to adjust the new slope; finally it suffices to tighten the screws 21 to obtain a stable support.

 The reference signs inserted after the technical characteristics mentioned in the claims are intended only to facilitate the understanding of the latter and in no way limit their scope.

Claims (10)

- CLAIMS  1.- Dynamic storage store for cases, pallets, packages or bins in particular, consisting of storage plies with rollers or rollers mounted on a support structure, characterized in that each ply (1) consists of at least two sections ( 3, 4) distinct, arranged end to end, and provided with positioning adjustment means on the supporting structure (2) to form a single storage plane or two dihedral planes offering storage possibilities on each section (3, 4 ).  2.- storage magazine according to claim 1, characterized in that the two sections (3, 4) which form the storage ply (1) are supported by the supporting structure (2) at the loading and / or unloading ends , as well as between these two ends, at their junction (27).  3.- storage magazine according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that each section (3, 4) is in the form of a frame consisting of - a stop profile (10) to the front, - a profile (11) at the rear, - two side rails (12) which receive, at their ends, the front (10) and rear (11) profiles and - a plurality of rails ( 13) with rollers (14) to form one or more storage corridors.  4. A storage magazine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the loading and / or unloading ends are fixed to the end ladder posts (8) of the carrying structure (2 ) by means of claw connectors (15).  5. A storage magazine according to claim 4, characterized in that it comprises claw connectors (15) provided with a vertical oblong light (19) for fixing by bolting (21) and the millimeter height adjustment of the sections (3, 4) in the form of a frame.  6. A storage magazine according to claim 5, characterized in that the sections (3, 4) in the form of a frame comprise, laterally, oblong slots (20) longitudinal which cooperate with the vertical slots (19) of the claw connector (15) to ensure the depth adjustment of said sections (3, 4).  7. A storage magazine according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the means for fixing the sections (3, 4) on the end ladder posts (8) of the supporting structure (2 ) are provided with rollers (22) intended to support said sections laterally (3, 4) during mounting and / or adjustment operations.  8.- storage magazine according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that between the two ends of loading and / or unloading, the sections (3, 4) come to rest on side rails (23) secured to the central ladder posts (9) of the supporting structure (2).  9. A storage magazine according to claim 8, characterized in that the side rails (23) are in the form of brackets which support the rear ends of the two sections (3, 4) arranged end to end, which rails (23) are mounted on supports (24) secured to the central ladder posts (9) by bolting (26) on one or more oblong slots.  10.- storage magazine according to any one of claims 8 or 9, characterized in that the sections (3, 4) in the form of a frame have a rear section (11) projecting under their underside to serve as a point of contact on the central support rails (23).