FR2776994A1 - Storage installation for cylindrical objects e.g. rolls of cloth or paper - Google Patents

Abstract

For each roll the storage installation comprises two shaft ends each passing through the ends of the roll axial bore. The shaft ends each carry a ball bearing (8) the outer race of which has a width equal to the internal width of U-section rails (10) constituting the bearing track. Each rail is connected to a safety bar (12) located above it and preventing the bearing exiting beyond the zones provided in the rail.

Description

The invention relates to the storage of cylindrical products through which a

  axial bore and, for example, rolls of products in

tablecloth, such as fabric or knitting.

  When manufacturing tablecloths, and for example, knitted tablecloths for coated textiles, the knitted fabric, produced on a circular knitting machine, is wound up to form a roll which is stored or awaiting delivery to a third party. , or awaiting treatment in the same

manufacturing workshop.

  The roller is formed by winding on a tube, generally made of cardboard, and can reach diametric values of the order of 1.5 m and

weight values of 1 50 kg.

  Currently, these heavy and bulky rollers are placed individually on pallets which allow them to be moved and distributed on shelves or on the tracks of a storage structure, at several levels. Regardless of their size, complexity and cost, such structures have the disadvantage of requiring a large space to store the pallets.

  empty, awaiting reuse.

  The object of the present invention is to remedy this by providing a storage installation in which the means, allowing the handling of the cylindrical bodies, are compact and facilitate the storage as well according to the so-called "first in," technique.

  last out "as that called" last come in, last out ".

  The installation is of the type in which a fixed frame delimits at least one storage row whose facing walls support, on several levels, parallel raceways and

inclined in each level.

  According to the invention, the installation comprises, for each cylindrical body, at least two shaft ends projecting from each of the ends of the axial bore of the body and each carrying at their outer end a ball bearing whose outer cage has a width equal, apart from the functional clearance, to the interior width of U-shaped section rails, constituting the raceways, each rail being associated with a safety bar arranged above it and opposing the outlet of

  bearing, outside the zones provided for this purpose in this rail.

  Thus, the means for handling a cylindrical body comprising an axial bore, for example, of a knitting roller, are constituted by ends of shafts carrying bearings whose

  dimensions are adapted to those of the raceways.

  In one embodiment of the invention, the two shaft ends are fixed in the ends of the axial bore of the cylindrical body. This solution, which considerably reduces the volume occupied by the handling means when they are not used, is however limited to the cylindrical body in which the axial bore is formed in a tubular body having sufficient mechanical strength.

  to support, without breaking, the mass of the roller.

  In another embodiment, the two ends of the shaft form part of a cylindrical shaft, of smaller diameter than that of the axial bore of the cylindrical body in which it is housed, and each comprise a wedging collar in translation of the body, at least one of the flanges having an outside diameter smaller than that of the axial bore of the body for

  be able to be introduced therein during the positioning of the tree.

  With this solution, to handle a cylindrical body having an axial bore, it suffices to engage in this bore a shaft of smaller diametrical dimension carrying, at each of its ends, bearings also having a diametral dimension less than that of the axial bore of the cylindrical body. After storage and handling of the cylindrical body, and for example after unwinding of the ply which it carries, the handling shaft is removed from the tubular body and is brought to a storage station where, by stacking with neighboring trees, it occupies a

very small footprint.

  In the context of the application of the installation to a storage type "first in, first out", the superimposed raceways are, in each storage row, inclined alternately in opposite directions and the lower end of each path is connected, at the upper end of the raceway which is lower to it, by a vertical corridor composed, like him, by a U-shaped rail and a safety bar, the two transfer corridors between two storage levels being associated, on the one hand, to means for damping the vertical transfer of a cylindrical body from the upper storage level, and, on the other hand, to means for temporarily blocking the vertical transfer of another cylindrical body. Thanks to this arrangement, the vertical transfer of a cylindrical body from one storage level to another can be carried out automatically, but with damping of its downward movement to guarantee the proper movement of the bearings in the slides and the continuity of the displacement of cylindrical bodies under the action of gravity. During the descent of a cylindrical body between two levels, the descent of the next cylindrical body is prevented, in order to prevent the increase in masses and energies from deteriorating the guides. In this type of installation, each cylindrical body, deposited at the highest end of a storage row, travels by gravity on the successive storage levels, before reaching the zone of

  gripping arranged at the low point of this row.

  In the case of the application of the installation to a storage type "first in, last out", the superimposed raceways of each storage row are inclined in the same direction and, at each level of storage, each path bearing comprises: - at its upper end, a stop stop opposing the exit of the corresponding bearing from a cylindrical body, - and at its lower end, another stop stop, a slot in the bar of safety to let pass one of the bearings of a cylindrical body, and a vertical stop of positioning

  above the bearing lumen of a cylindrical body.

  During the introduction of a cylindrical body, which is generally carried out by means of the forks of a forklift, the body is brought into alignment with the bodies already stored and in contact with the body awaiting at the lowest point. raceways. The advancement of the body being loaded causes all of the stored bodies to move backward until the bearings of the body being loaded come into contact with the vertical positioning stops. From this contact, the body being loaded is lowered so as to introduce its bearings through the openings of the safety bars until these bearings are in abutment in the guide rails of the raceways. Thus, as a storage level is loaded, the bodies

  cylindrical move back up on the inclined raceways.

  Other features and advantages will emerge from the

  description which follows with reference to the attached schematic drawing

  representing, by way of example, two embodiments of the installation

according to the invention.

  Figure 1 is a side view, in vertical section, of an embodiment of an installation ensuring storage according to the technique known as "first in, first out", Figure 2 is a partial view, in vertical section, d 'a cylindrical body associated with handling means, Figure 3 is a partial perspective view showing, on an enlarged scale, an embodiment of the means ensuring the damping of the vertical transfer of a cylindrical body between two levels of storage and blocking means of the following cylindrical bodies, Figure 4 is a partial side view of the devices, respectively, damping and locking, when these two devices are in the waiting position, Figure 5 is a view partial, in section, along VV of FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a side view, in vertical section, of an embodiment of the installation ensuring storage according to the so-called technique

"first in, last out".

  In the embodiment represented in FIGS. 1 to 5, the reference numeral 2 designates the frame of the installation forming one or more storage rows 3, visible in FIG. 1. In each row, each of the facing walls has a raceway generally designated by 4 and intended to cooperate with a cylindrical body handling means 5, such as compound rollers, by

  example, by a textile tablecloth wound on a cardboard tube 6.

  According to the invention, the means of handling each cylindrical body 5 is constituted by a transverse shaft 7, of smaller diameter than the axial bore 6a of the tube 6 and comprising, at each of its ends 7a projecting from this tube 6, a ball bearing 8 with which it forms a sort of axle. In the embodiment shown, each of the ends 7a of the shaft 7 projecting from the tube 6 is also provided with a flange 9 of which at least one, and preferably both, have an outside diameter less than the inside diameter of tube 6 in order to facilitate their

engagement in this bore.

  Figure 2 shows that when the shaft 7 is engaged in the bore of a tube 6 and supports this tube, these flanges ensure the transverse positioning of the cylindrical body 5 on the shaft 7 and limit

therefore the displacements of this body.

  Such a means of handling a cylindrical body cooperates with lateral raceways composed, on each side, by a lower rail 10, having a U-shaped cross section and whose gap between the wings is equal, apart from the functional clearance , to the width of the outer cage of the corresponding bearing 8. In each raceway, the rail 10 is associated with a safety bar 12 which, like it, is fixed on the frame. This bar is close to but at a distance from the trajectory of the bearings 8 from which it must avoid extraction from the rails 10. It should be noted that the handling means constituted by the shaft 7 and the bearings 8 is inexpensive, simple to implement and little

  bulky, when not in use.

  Such a means can be implemented in a storage installation involving storage according to the "first in," technique.

  first out ", of the type shown in Figures 1 to 5.

  In such an installation, the raceways 4 are inclined to allow the displacement, by gravity, of the cylindrical bodies and are alternately inclined inversely, as shown in FIG. 1. In this configuration, the lower end of each raceway bearing 4 is connected to the upper end of the lower raceway by a vertical corridor which, generally designated by 13, is itself formed by a section of rail 10 and by a section of bar 12. Each corridor 13 is also fixed to the frame 2 and its components are arranged in the extension of those of the juxtaposed tracks, so as to form, in the storage row considered, a continuous track from the upper loading end A to The lower end of the unloading station B. As shown in FIG. 1, when the loading of a storage row is ensured by an elevator 14 which , being able to circulate on transverse rails 15 and 16 in front of the different rows of an installation, is provided with positioning means in alignment with each of these rows, the upper loading end A extends beyond the frame 2 and is through, that is to say is not

closed by a stopper.

  The elevator 14 comprises two slides 17 vertically movable on guide columns, not shown, by motor means, such as a chain transmission 18 driven by a motor unit 19. The two slides 17 are connected by a transverse shaft 20 on which are wedged two sections 22 of rail 10. These sections, which are intended to come in line with the rails of the lateral raceways of a storage row, have the same spacing as these raceways. They are mounted tilting under the control of stops, not shown, between two positions, namely a loading position shown in phantom in Figure 1, and

  an unloading position, shown in strong lines in the same figure.

  Each of the sections has, at its end which is external, that is to say

  say turned away from the storage row, a stop 23 protruding upwards and, fixed on its inner end, a pallet of

recovery 24.

  Thus, when the elevator is positioned in front of a row and the two slides 17 are in the low position, the cylindrical body 5 to be stored in the installation is brought, for example by a forklift, above the two tilting sections 22 taking care that the bearings 8 of the handling shaft 7 passing through the cylindrical body are engaged in the U-shaped rails constituting the sections 22. Under the weight of the cylindrical body 5, the sections 22 tilt and bring the bearings into contact with stops 23, as shown in phantom in the lower left part of FIG. 1. Under these conditions, the cylindrical body 5 is perfectly immobilized on the elevating means of the elevator and cannot fall during its vertical ascent. At the end of this, the pallet 24 of each section 22 comes into contact with

  The corresponding end of the highest raceway, i.e.

  say with the loading end, which has the effect of rotating 7 the two sections 22 until they are in the extension of these raceways and allow the bearings 8 of the handling shaft 7 to circulate, under the sole action of gravity, on

  lateral raceways 4 to come into the storage row.

  Of course, a limit switch interrupts the ascent of the sliders 17, as soon as they reach their high point. The descent of these slides 17 is triggered, either by a time delay, or by a sensor detecting the passage of the handling shaft 7 in

the storage row.

  Each cylindrical body 5 travels on the various raceways 4 until it comes to bear against the first waiting cylindrical body, which is itself pressing against the other waiting bodies. Figure 1 shows that, at the unloading station, the two raceways 4 have a stop stop 25, projecting from the lower rail 10, and juxtaposed an opening 26 formed in the safety bar 1 2. Each opening has a dimension sufficient to allow a bearing 8 to pass through, with play. This arrangement allows the first waiting coil to be extracted by means of the forks of a forklift

  thus allowing the following coils to advance one step.

  To prevent the kinetic energy communicated to the mass of a cylindrical body 5 or of several cylindrical bodies rolling on a raceway 4 from damaging the vertical transfer corridors between two storage levels, but also to prevent this energy from damaging the wings of the rails 10 and causes blockages, each vertical corridor 13 is associated with means for damping the vertical transfer of a body and with means blocking the upstream cylindrical body, during the

vertical transfer of a downstream body.

  The damping means comprise, as shown in FIGS. 1, and 3 to 5, two arms 30 articulated at 32 on a transverse axis of the frame 2, at least one hydraulic cylinder 33, single acting and with adjustable leakage, and a means of reminder, such as a gas spring 34. Each arm 30 is attached to one of the two transfer lanes 13 and is arranged so as to secure the vertical path taken, in this lane, by the ends 7a of the shaft handling 7 extending between the bearing 8 and the cylindrical body 5. The two arms are linked to each other and at least one of the arms 30 is extended, beyond its articulation 32, by a outer part 30a on which is articulated, at 35, the rod of the jack 33, the body of which is articulated at 36 on the frame 2, and, at 37, one of the ends of the gas spring 34, the other end of which is articulated at 38 on the frame 2. In the normal standby position, the arms 30 are in the position shown in FIG. 4, that is to say raise, by their inner free end b, the locking means to bring them into their unlocking position. These blocking means consist, for each raceway 4, that is to say for each side of a storage row and downstream of each vertical transfer corridor 13, of a rocker 40, of a latch 42 and of a stop 43. The rocker 40 is constituted by a vertical lever which is articulated, near its upper end, around a horizontal axis 44 carried by a tab 45, welded to the safety bar 12 near its lowest end. This rocker hangs

  in the path of the shaft ends 7a.

  The lock 42 is composed of an inter-support lever mounted pivoting about a horizontal axis 46. This lever comprises, at its inner end, that is to say turned towards the side of the rocker, a support roller 47 mounted free to rotate around an axis 48, and, set back from this roller, a tab 50 projecting downwards and the lower face of which forms a bearing surface 49,

  able to come into contact with the end 30b of the corresponding lever 30.

  Figure 3, which shows the locking means in the locked position and an arm 30 being raised, shows that the rocker 40 is pressed against the corresponding rail 10 and that the latch 42 is offset in the interval between two paths rolling to be above the

arm trajectory 30.

  The stop 43 is adjustable and, for example, consists of a screw disposed in the pivoting path of the outer end of the lock 42. This screw 43 is screwed into a body 52, carried by a lug 53

integral with the vertical corridor 13.

  When the various elements are in the standby position, as shown in FIG. 4, the arms 30 raise the interior ends of the latches 42 carrying the rollers 47, giving them a position inclined upwards relative to the horizontal plane H passing through their axis 46. Under these conditions, the ends of the shaft of a cylindrical body 5 abutting on the rockers 40 bring the latter into contact with the rollers 47 and force the latches 42 to pivot in the direction of the arrow 53, FIG. 4. This free pivoting of the rockers 40 which can let the ends of the

  the handling shaft, as shown in C in Figure 1.

  The bearings 8 of the cylindrical body 5 can then continue their race in the inclined raceways 4 to come into the vertical corridors 13. During the fall in this corridor, the handling shaft 7 comes into contact with the two arms 30 which provide thus the braking of this fall, as shown in D in FIG. 1. In fact, the pivoting of the arms 30 compresses the fluid of the single-acting cylinder 33 which, by its outlet nozzle, creates a resistant force damping the pivoting of the arms 30, and as a result, the vertical movement of the body

cylindrical 5.

  Due to the lowering of the arms 30, the latches 42 pivot down until their outer ends bear on the stop 43. In this position, each lock 42 is inclined downward relative to the horizontal plane H passing through its axis 46, so that, as shown at E in FIG. 1, if the handling shaft 7 of a next cylindrical body 5 comes to bear against the rockers 40, these cannot pivot, since they are prevented from doing so by the latches 42, which can only pivot downwards, but are themselves prevented by

their support on the stops 43.

  As shown in FIG. 1 in zone D, if the cylindrical body 5 which reaches the bottom of the vertical corridors, fails to release the damping arms 30, for example, due to the close presence of cylindrical body 5 ' previously transferred, the arms 30 remain in their lowered position and the blocking means oppose the

  descent of another cylindrical body.

  On the other hand, if the cylindrical body 5 escapes from the arms 30, these

  these are returned to their standby position by their return means, and in particular by the gas springs 34. At the end of the straightening stroke, their free ends 30b come into contact with the bearing surfaces 49 of the latches 42 and lift these latches, thus freeing the flip-flops 40 which can again allow a cylindrical body to pass, as shown in F

in Figure 1.

  These damping and blocking means are particularly simple, inexpensive to implement, and have the advantage of being very reliable. By their presence, they improve vertical transfers and guarantee the operation, automatic and by gravity, of the displacement of the cylindrical bodies 5 between the different storage levels up to the unloading station B. The handling shaft 7 according to the invention can also be implemented in a storage installation, according to the "first in, last out" principle. In this embodiment and as shown in Figure 6, the raceways 54, arranged opposite in each of the storage rows 3, are independent of the paths of the lower levels and are all inclined in the same direction, in from bottom to top, from the loading and unloading end G of each storage level. As in the previous embodiment, each raceway 54 is composed of a lower U-shaped rail 10 and a safety bar 12. The end G of each raceway

  of rolling exceeds on the outside with respect to the amount 2a of the frame 2.

  Each upright carries above each raceway 54 a

  vertical stop 55 for guiding the bearings 8 of a handling shaft.

  These stops are therefore arranged with the same spacing as the bearings 8, so that they can serve as positioning stops during the horizontal movement of a cylindrical body 5 by the forks 60 of a forklift, as shown in J in the figure. 6. Thus, when the forks are lowered, the bearings 8 penetrate, without difficulty, into slots 62 formed in the safety bars 12 and can penetrate into the lower rails 10, where they are immobilized in translation

  horizontal by a stopper 63, as shown at K in FIG. 6.

  In this type of storage, the cylindrical bodies 5 arranged at a storage level are biased against each other, and the lowest is supported by its bearings 8 on the low stop 63. The high end of each raceway is also

fitted with a stopper 64.

  When the cylindrical bodies consist of rolls of textile sheets, the forks 60 of the forklift are connected to the slide carrying them by inclined gussets 65. These gussets allow, during the horizontal movement of the forklift to communicate with the roller resting on the forks a translational force in the direction of arrow 61 in FIG. 6, so that the roller, during engagement on any one of the levels of the storage row, can roll back the first roller on standby at the bottom of the paths of

  bearing 54, as shown in L figure 6.

  Thus, to set up a roller 5 at any level of a storage row of the installation, it is first necessary to bring the roller to be stored against the already stored rolls to move them until the bearings 8 of the roller to be stored come into contact with the vertical stops 55, then, from there, lower the roller until engagement

  its bearings 8 in the appropriate paths 54.

  The removal of a roller from a storage level is carried out by vertically lifting the first roller on standby at the loading station G until its bearings 8 escape from the openings 62, then by transversely withdrawing this roller from the row. By gravity,

  the stored rollers advance one step until they press against the stop 63.

  It follows from the above that the handling shaft according to the invention very simply solves the problem of handling a cylindrical body having an axial bore, while considerably reducing the storage volume of unused handling means , and can be applied without problem to storage facilities of

various types.

  In an alternative embodiment, not shown and intended for the handling of cylindrical bodies comprising a tubular core which can withstand, without breaking, the weight of the load wound on it, the handling shaft is replaced by two ends of shaft fitted in the ends of the tubular core and each having a bearing.

Claims (8)

  1. Storage installation for cylindrical bodies (5) traversed by an axial bore (6), and in which a fixed frame (2) delimits, at least one storage row (3) whose facing walls support, on several levels, raceways (4, 54), parallel and inclined at each level, characterized in that it comprises, for each cylindrical body (5), at least two ends of the shaft (7a) projecting from each of ends of the axial bore (6a) of the body (5) and carrying, each and at their end, a ball bearing (8) whose outer cage has a width equal, apart from the functional clearance, to the interior width of rails (10) of "U" section, constituting the raceways, each rail (1 0) being associated with a safety bar (12), disposed above it and opposing the exit of the bearing (8 ), outside the areas provided for this purpose in this rail.   2. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the two shaft ends (7a) are fixed in the ends of the axial bore (6a) of the cylindrical body (5).   3. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the two shaft ends (7a) are part of a cylindrical shaft (7), of smaller diameter than that of the axial bore (6a) of the cylindrical body ( 5) in which this shaft is housed, and each comprise a flange (9) for wedging the body (5) in translation, at least one of the flanges (9) having an outside diameter smaller than that of the axial bore ( 6a) of the body (5) in order to be able to be introduced therein during the positioning of the shaft (7) in this bore.   4. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that, in each row (3) of storage, the superimposed raceways (4) are inclined alternately in opposite directions and the lower end of each raceway (4) is connected to the upper end of the raceway which is lower by a vertical passage (13), formed by a U-shaped rail (10) and a safety bar (12), the two passageways (1 3) between two levels being associated, on the one hand, with means (30, 33) for damping the vertical transfer of a cylindrical body (5) from the upper storage level, and, on the other hand, with means ( 40, 42) of   temporary blocking of the following cylindrical body (5).   5. Installation according to claim 4, characterized in that the damping means consist of two arms (30) arranged in the vertical path of the shaft ends (7a) projecting from the cylindrical body (5), these two arms ( 30) being linked to each other, articulated around a horizontal and transverse axis (32), arranged on the frame and outside the vertical trajectory of the cylindrical bodies, at least one of these arms being connected, by its other end, on the one hand, to a hydraulic cylinder (33) with single effect and adjustable leakage, braking the pivoting of the arms under the weight of a cylindrical body (5), and, on the other hand, return means (34), bringing these arms back into the waiting position with their free ends (30b)   near the upper level of the vertical corridors (13).   6. Installation according to claims 4 and 5, characterized in that   that the blocking means arranged at the lower ends of the two raceways (4) of a storage level consist, for each raceway: - by a vertical rocker (40), articulated around a transverse horizontal axis ( 44) above said raceway (4), so as to hang in the path of the shaft end (7a) of the cylindrical body (5) circulating in this raceway, - by a lock formed by an inter-support lever (42) articulated on a transverse horizontal axis (46) of the frame and intersecting the vertical path of the shaft ends (7a), this lever (42) comprising, at its inner end bearing against the rocker (40), a support roller (47) and, set back from this roller, a bearing (49) able to receive the thrust from the free end (30b) of the corresponding shock-absorbing arm (30), when this arm is in the waiting position , position in which it raises the lever (42) above the horizontal plane (H) cont enant the geometric axis of rotation of this lever, - and by an adjustable stop (43) fixed on the frame (2), in the path of the outer end of the lock (42) to limit the tilting down of this latch, giving it a locking position which is inclined downwards with respect to the horizontal plane (H)   containing the geometric axis of its articulation on the frame.   7. Installation according to claim 1, and wherein the supply of cylindrical body (5) of several storage rows (3) is provided by an elevator (14), movable transversely in front of the rows and provided with positioning means in the alignment of each of the rows, characterized in that the lifting means ensuring the positioning and lifting of a cylindrical body (5) consist of two sections (22) of U-shaped rail (10) which, articulated on a transverse shaft (20) carried by the lifting means (17) of the elevator, are spaced with the same spacing as the bearings (8) of a cylindrical body (5) which they must receive and are mounted in tilting between stops limiting their positioning in both directions, so as to occupy a loading and lifting position, in which they are inclined downwards towards the outside of the row and hold the bearings (8) one cylin body drique (5) by stops (23), projecting upwards from their outer ends, and an unloading position in which they are inclined downwards towards the storage row and in the extension of the upper ends of the raceways (4) of the highest storage level, said ends of the raceways projecting from the frame and being in the vertical trajectories of tilt control pallets (24),   extending the inner ends of the tilting sections (22).   8. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that, in each storage row (3), the superimposed raceways (54) are inclined in the same direction, and at each level, each raceway (54) comprises , at its upper end, a stopper (64), opposing the exit of the bearing (8) corresponding to a cylindrical body (5) and, at its lower end, another stopper (63 ), a light (62) formed in the safety bar (12) to allow one of the bearings (8) of a cylindrical body (5) to pass and a vertical stop   (55) for positioning the bearing above the light (62).