FR2820412A1 - AUTOMATIC RESERVE STORAGE CABINET - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a storage cabinet (20) designed to contain various objects (50), comprising different storage shelves (70), each shelf (70) extending between a loading opening (62) and an ejection opening (61), including, proximate to its ejecting end (61), an element (73) pivoting about hinge pin (74), and comprising an actuator (76) for pivoting the mobile element (73). The invention is characterised in that the actuator (76) is located proximate to the loading opening (62), the hinge pin (74) is located proximate to the ejection opening (61), and each shelf (70) comprises means (77) proximate to the loading opening (62), whereon the actuator (76) acts directly, and means (78) securing the point of action (77) to the mobile element (73).

Description

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AUTOMATIC RESERVE STORAGE CABINET
The present invention relates to an automatic reserve storage cabinet.

 Automatic reserves are known comprising several storage compartments inside which objects are stored. These objects are ejected from the storage locker and the reserve and transferred to an inbound region following the order made by a user.

 Such automatic reserves are frequently used in factories for automatic inventory management, that of the needs of manufacturing workshops or shipping services.

 There are also such automatic reserves in automatic stores such as those described, for example, by patent FR 2 360 099.

 Whatever their application, automatic reserves consist of at least one storage cabinet which includes several compartments having an opening through which the object is ejected and then transferred to the arrival region, for example using '' a treadmill or tray fitted with idle rollers.

 Each rack, whose cross section corresponds to the size of the stored object, has an inclined tray on which rest the objects which are irresistibly directed, one behind the other, towards the ejection opening.

 The first object in the locker, that is to say the next to be ejected, abuts against a protruding member, preventing it from being ejected from the locker.

 Following an order given by the user, the element on which the first object rests, movable relative

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 the tray on which the other objects rest, is lifted so that the first object is no longer stopped by the stop member, thus allowing the ejection of the first object by gravity, the movable element remaining inclined in the high position.

 The disadvantage of all current cabinets is that their ejection system does not allow the mobile element to be easily lifted from the racks containing heavy objects. The actuators are in fact placed under this mobile element and the only solution used to date to solve this problem is to use powerful actuators which are, on the other hand, very bulky and very expensive.

 The problem is therefore to provide storage cabinets whose ejection system is compact and is capable of ejecting heavy objects out of their locker.

 The present invention therefore relates to a storage cabinet adapted to contain various objects, comprising several inclined trays placed one under the other, comprising, for each tray, different lockers for storing and distributing objects adapted to be supported by the tray and to slide along it, each rack having a cross section adapted to that of the objects intended to be contained in this rack, each rack extending between an opening for loading objects on one side of the cabinet and an opening for ejecting said objects from the other side, this opening being closed in its lower part by a stop member, each rack comprising near its ejection end a plate element pivotally mounted, around an axis of rotation substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rack,

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 between a rest position in which the objects are stopped by the stop member and an ejection position in which the objects pass above the stop, each rack comprising side walls defining the width of said rack and between which move the objects, these walls being able to be mounted sliding in the direction of the axis of rotation, and each rack comprising at least one actuator, which can for example be a solenoid, able to pivot the movable element from its rest position to its eject position.

 This cabinet is characterized in that the actuator is located near the loading opening, the axis of rotation is located near the ejection opening, and each rack includes means forming point of action, located close to the loading opening, on which the actuator acts directly, and means securing the point of action to the mobile element.

 According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, the actuator of a locker is secured to the upper locker.

 The advantage of such a cabinet is that it is possible to store a much larger range of objects than in previous cabinets, extending in particular to relatively heavy objects, while using less powerful and less expensive actuators than those used previously.

 This advantage is linked to the use of the lever arm principle: the action point is located at the end close to the loading opening, so as to make the most of the lever effect, while in the prior art, the actuator is placed under

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 the mobile part, near the ejection opening.

 Another advantage of this location of the actuators is that their maintenance is thereby facilitated: previously, because of their position close to the ejection opening, the maintenance employee had to climb onto the transfer device or slide under this one, which had many disadvantages. With such a cabinet, all the actuators are very accessible since they are located near the loading opening that the employee uses, in particular when he supplies the lockers with objects.

 Other features and advantages of the present invention will appear in the detailed description below.

 In the accompanying drawings, given only by way of nonlimiting examples: FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an automatic reserve containing a storage cabinet according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic sectional view in the longitudinal direction of a locker of a storage cabinet according to a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3a is a view of a detail of Figure 2, the pivoting tray member being in the rest position; Figure 3b is a view similar to Figure 3a, the pivoting member being in the ejection position; Figure 4a is a view similar to Figure 3a according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

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Figure 4b is a view similar to Figure 3b of the second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 is a perspective view of the ejection end of several compartments according to the present invention; FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the loading end of several compartments according to the present invention; and
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the loading end of several compartments according to another embodiment of the present invention.

 An automatic reserve 10 comprises at least one storage cabinet 20 in which various objects 50 are arranged, a transfer device 30 and an arrival region 40.

 Following a user's command, an object 50 is ejected from the storage cabinet 20 in which it was stored and is brought, by the transfer device 30, to the arrival region 40 where the user or another person can retrieve it.

 As can be seen in FIG. 1, it is quite possible to have several cabinets 20 next to each other, along the transfer device 30, on both sides of this device 30.

 It is obvious that the same arrival region 40 can be common to several transfer devices 30.

 As can be seen in Figure 2, each storage cabinet 20 comprises several trays 60 arranged one under the other, each tray 60 being inclined.

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 Preferably, the inclination of the plates 60 is such that the objects 50 which they support are irresistibly attracted, by gravity, to the ejection opening 61 through which they are ejected towards the transfer device 30.

 The end of the cabinet 20, adjacent to the transfer device 30, corresponds to the lower end of the plates 60, which is close to the ejection opening 61.

 The end of the cabinet 20 opposite the ejection end 61, corresponding to the upper end of the plates 60, is close to the loading opening 62 through which the cabinet is loaded.

 In known manner, the transfer device 30 which may be, for example, a treadmill or a tray provided with idle rollers, is movable vertically, so as to come up to the height of the tray 60 supporting the object 50 to be ejected.

 Each tray 60 is divided into several compartments 70 which extend lengthwise from the ejection opening 61 to the loading opening 62, each compartment 70 comprising only one type of object 50.

 In the width direction, each rack 70 is limited by two side walls 71 whose spacing corresponds substantially to the width of the stored object 50, so that, due to this width and the inclination of the tray 60, all the objects 50 are presented one behind the other, thereby authorizing the unitary ejection of each object 50. The width of the rack 70 can be adjusted by the stock manager. For this purpose, the side walls 71 can be slidably mounted transversely.

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 At the base of the ejection opening 61 of each rack 70, a member 72 projects upwards above the plate 60, preventing the ejection of the object 50 which is disposed on the plate 60 and which is in stop against this organ 72.

 Each rack 70 comprises near the ejection opening 61 a movable element 73 extending downstream the fixed plate 60 supporting the objects 50.

 For each rack 70, the element 73 is movable relative to the cabinet 20, around an axis of rotation 74.

 The axis of rotation 74 is perpendicular to the side walls 71 of the rack 70 and is located near the ejection opening 61.

 The movable element 73 serves to support at least the front part of the first object 50 located downstream in the rack 70, and extends from the abutment member 72 to near the axis of rotation 74 by covering the axis of rotation 74.

 The fixed plate 60, on which the majority of the objects 50 rests, extends from the limit of the movable element 73 close to the axis of rotation 74 to near the loading opening 62.

 Obviously, so that the ejection of an object 50 located in a rack 70 does not result in the ejection of an object 50 in each other rack 70 located on the same tray 60, each rack 70 has an element mobile 73 of its own.

 In the low position, that is to say in the rest position, the end of the movable element 73 which is close to the stop member 72 rests on a support 75.

 The support 75, the stop member 72 and the movable element 73 are arranged in such a way that, in the rest position, the next object 50 to be ejected is retained by the stop member 72. In FIG. 5 , the organ of

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 stop 72 has been deliberately moved away from the movable elements 73 for reasons of clarity.

 Preferably, the base of the stop member 72 serves as a support 75 for the movable element 73 in the rest position.

 In the high position, that is to say in the ejection position, the mobile element 73 has pivoted about the axis of rotation 74 and the end of the mobile element 73 which is close to the stop member 72, is raised to the height of the top of the stop member 72, so that the object 50 which was in abutment against the stop member 72 when the movable member 73 was in the rest position can slide over said member 72 towards the transfer device 30.

 In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, throughout the amplitude of the pivoting of the movable element 73 from the rest position to the ejection position, the movable element 73 is inclined according to a angle at month equal, if not greater, than that of the fixed plate 60.

 The break in slope 63, in this direction, makes it possible to limit the effort to be provided during the elevation of the movable element 73 following the command of the user: the object 50 to be ejected can pivot freely without that it is necessary to bring up, along the slope of the fixed plate 60, the objects 50 which are supported by said plate 60.

 In addition, the slope of the movable element 73 in the ejection position is, in this embodiment, at least equal to the slope of the plate 60 which, as was said above, is such that the objects 50 which are supported there, are irresistibly attracted to the ejection opening 61 by gravity. So even the last object 50 in locker 70, which does not undergo the push

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 no object 50 located behind it, is driven by its own weight towards the ejection opening 61.

 Quite contrary to the techniques used previously, the actuators 76 activating the pivoting of the movable element 73 are not placed under this element 73, near the ejection opening 61, but on the contrary, near the loading opening 62.

 Because the axis of rotation 74 is in a position relatively close to the ejection opening 61, the force required to rotate the movable member 73 is considerably reduced.

 Each locker 70 therefore comprises, in addition to this actuator 76, a means 77, close to the loading opening 62, capable of serving as an action point 77 of the actuator 76, and a means 78 integrating this action point 77 , close to the loading opening 62, to the mobile element 73 close to the ejection opening 61.

 According to an advantageous embodiment, the distribution of the weight of the pivoting assembly, comprising the movable element 73, the point of action 77 and the securing means 78, on either side of the axis of rotation 74 is such that the pivoting of the movable element is, by default, in the direction of the rest position.

 According to a particularly advantageous embodiment shown diagrammatically in FIGS. 3a and 3b, for each locker 70, the fastening means 78 consist of the side walls 71, each locker 70 preferably comprising two side walls 71 which are specific to it.

 Each side wall 71 is thus crossed by the axis of rotation 74 and is supported, in the rest position, by the fixed plate 60.

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 Advantageously, each side wall 71 comprises a lug 78a in the lower part of its end close to the ejection opening 61, this lug 78a projecting towards the inside of the rack 70 (see FIG. 5).

 According to this advantageous embodiment, the movable element 73 is connected, on the one hand to the axis of rotation 74, and, on the other hand to the two lugs 78a.

 The connection of the movable element 73 to the axis of rotation 74 can be carried out by an orifice 73a passing through the movable element 73 right through its entire width and inside which is housed the axis of rotation 74 .

 The movable element 73 is adapted to the width of the rack 70 and, consequently, to the size of the stored object 50.

 Advantageously, the movable element 73 can be removable, thereby making it possible to easily adapt the width of the rack 70 to the size of the stored object 50.

 In fact, the maintenance employee, to modify the width of a locker 70, removes the movable element 73 and replaces it with another whose dimension corresponds to the size of the new type of object 50 after having adapted the position relative of the two side walls 71 by the translation of at least one wall 71 in the direction of the pivot axis 74.

 To facilitate the replacement of the movable element 73 removable, instead of being provided with an orifice 73a through which the axis of rotation 74 is introduced, each movable element 73 has on its underside 73i a groove 73j whose dimensions correspond to those of the axis of rotation 74, the movable element 73 resting on the axis of rotation 74 which is housed in this groove 73j.

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 To facilitate the replacement of the mobile element 73, it is not secured to the lugs 78a but rests solely on them. The transmission of the pivoting towards the ejection position being effected by the support of the movable element 73 by the lugs 78a, the transmission of the pivoting towards the resting position being effected by the weight of the side walls 71 and of that of the movable element 73 and of the object that it supports.

 For narrow objects 50, the movable element 73 can only be supported by a single lug 78a (and by the axis of rotation 74), which implies that, in this case, the rack 70 is limited by a wall side 71 which is specific to it and by a side wall 71 common with an adjacent rack 70 but which is only integral with the movable element 73 of this adjacent rack 70.

 In the embodiment of Figure 5, each movable member 73 may consist of a crossbar 73b and at least one valve 73c, each valve 73c resting on this crossbar 73b.

 According to this embodiment, each valve 73c extends from the axis of rotation 74 to the stop member 72 and rests on the axis of rotation 74, the transverse bar 73b resting on the pins 78a.

 It is obviously possible to use a movable element 73 comprising several valves 73c which can be easily detached from the crossbar 73b.

 In an embodiment shown diagrammatically in FIGS. 6 and 7, the point of action 77 of the actuators 76 on the rack 70 consists of an arch 77 bearing on the upper face of the side walls 71 of the rack 70 and extending in the direction of the tray 60 located above the rack 70.

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This arch 77 is composed of two side walls 771 and an upper wall 77s connecting the two side walls 771.

 Preferably, the side walls 771 of the arch 77 extend the side walls 71 of the rack 70 at their end close to the loading opening 62, thus making it possible to take full advantage of the leverage.

 The space between the plate 60 and the upper wall 77s of the arch 77 is adapted to the size of the objects 50 stored in the rack 70. Therefore, the loading of a rack 70 is done by the introduction of the object 50 through the opening 62 defined by the plate 60, the side walls 71 of the rack 70 and the walls 771, 77 of the arch 77.

 According to an advantageous embodiment, each loading opening 62 can be provided with a gate 79 movable around a pivot axis 79a, parallel to the end of the plate 60 defining the loading opening 62, and located at this end.

 Conventionally, each door 79 may be provided with a latch 79b enabling it to be held in the closed position of the loading opening 62.

 In the embodiment of Figures 6 and 7, the actuators 76 capable of activating a locker 70 are secured to the door 79 located on the locker 70 immediately above.

 Therefore, a significant saving can be achieved during the production of a storage cabinet 20 thanks to the limited number of constituent parts, the support of the actuators 76 being the flap 79 of the locker located above the locker 70 activated.

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 By using the principle of the lever, the actuators 76 used can be actuators 76 delivering a fairly low force.

 They can in particular consist of a housing 76a capable of being fixed to a gate 79 and inside which is housed a solenoid 76b which, by electromagnetic effect, displaces a rod 76c thus abutting against the upper wall 77s of the arch 77 and driving the movable element 73 via the side walls 71.

 As shown diagrammatically in FIG. 7, the gates 79 of each rack 70 situated on the same tray 60 can be replaced by a single flap 79u provided, for example with a latch 79b at each of its ends.

 In the embodiment of Figures 4a and 4b, the side walls 71 of each rack 70 are supported on the fixed plate 60 and extend along it. These side walls 71 can obviously be slidably mounted relative to the plate 60 in order to adapt the width of the rack 70 to that of the objects 50.

 The securing means 78 comprise an arm 78b provided at one of its ends with a board 78c.

 The board 78c is in the extension of the side walls 71 in the direction of the ejection opening 61 and therefore delimits the width of the rack 70 at the movable element 73.

 These boards 78c are crossed by the axis of rotation 74 and are provided with lugs 78a transmitting the pivoting movement to the mobile element 73. These boards 78c and the side walls 71 of the rack 70 are shaped so that their adjacent ends , close to the axis of rotation 74, come

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 in contact with each other when the movable member 73 is in the ejection position.

 The arms 78b, integral with the boards 78c, extend above the side walls 71, along the latter.

 The action point 77 is supported on the end close to the loading opening 62 of these arms 78b.

The arms 78b, integral with the boards 78c, thus transmit the movement of the point of action 77 to the movable element 73. These arms 78b and the side walls 71 of the rack 70 are shaped in such a way that their adjacent ends (the end upper side walls 71 and the lower end of the arms 78b) come into contact with each other when the movable member 73 is in the ejection position.

 It is obvious that many modifications can be made to the embodiment described in more detail in relation to the figures appended to the description.

 It is in particular possible that the inclination of the plates is small, the movement of the objects being helped by the use of means of the jack type.

 It would also be possible to have a storage cabinet in two structures: a first structure suitable for storing objects 50, and a second structure, separable from the first, in which the actuation means are arranged.

Claims (13)

CLAIMS 1. Storage cabinet (20) adapted to contain various objects (50), comprising several inclined trays (60) placed one under the other, comprising, for each tray (60), different storage compartments (70) and for dispensing objects (50) adapted to be supported by the tray (60) and to slide along it, each rack (70) having a cross section adapted to that of the objects (50) intended to be contained in this rack (70), each rack (70) extending between a loading opening (62) of the objects (50) on one side of the cabinet (20) and an ejection opening (61) of said objects ( 50) on the other side, this opening (61) being closed in its lower part by a stop member (72), each rack (70) comprising near its ejection end a plate element (73) mounted pivotally, about an axis of rotation (74) substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the casi er (70), between a rest position in which the objects (50) are stopped by the stop member (72) and an ejection position in which the objects (50) pass above the stop (72) , each rack (70) comprising side walls (71) defining the width of said rack (70) and between which the objects (50) move, these walls (71) being able to be slidably mounted in the direction of the axis of rotation (74), and each locker (70) comprising at least one actuator (76), which may for example be a solenoid (76), capable of pivoting the mobile element (73) from its rest position to its position ejection, characterized in that the actuator (76) is located near the loading opening (62), the axis of rotation (74) is located <Desc / Clms Page number 16>  close to the ejection opening (61), and each rack (70) comprises means (77) forming an action point, located close to the loading opening (62), on which the actuator acts directly ( 76), and means (78) connecting the action point (77) to the movable element (73). 2 storage cabinet (20) according to claim 1, characterized in that the actuator (76) of a crate (70) is secured to the crate (70) upper. 3. Storage cabinet (20) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the movable element (73) extends from the stop member (72) to near the axis of rotation (74 ) and covers the latter, the plate (60) being less inclined than the movable element (73) in the rest position. 4. Storage cabinet (20) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, for each locker (70), the side walls (71) which are specific to it constitute the means (78) securing the point d action (77) to the movable member (73), the side walls (71) being pivotally mounted about the axis of rotation (74). 5. Storage cabinet (20) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, for each locker (70), the side walls (71) extend along the fixed part of the support (60) and the means (78) securing the point of action (77) to the movable element (73) are pivotally mounted around the axis of rotation (74) and extend the side walls, on the one hand, along the movable element (73) <Desc / Clms Page number 17>  in the direction of the ejection opening (61), and on the other hand, above the side walls (71) in the direction of the loading opening (62). 6. Storage cabinet (20) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the movable element (73) is connected, on the one hand, to the axis of rotation (74), and, d on the other hand, by its end close to the stop member (72), with two lugs (78a) which each project from the lower part close to the ejection opening (61) of the fastening means (78) towards the inside of the locker (70). 7. Storage cabinet (20) according to claim 6, characterized in that the movable element (73) is removable and comprises, for example, on its underside (73i), a groove (73j) by which it rests on the axis of rotation (74). 8. Storage cabinet (20) according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the movable element (73) comprises a transverse bar (73b), located near the stop member (72), resting on the lugs (78a), and at least one valve (73c) which extends from the axis of rotation (74) to the stop member (72) and which rests on the crossbar (73b), the valve (73c ) can be removable. 9. Storage cabinet (20) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the rack (70) comprises an arch (77), composed of two side walls (771) and an upper wall (77s ) connecting the two side walls (771), said <Desc / Clms Page number 18>  arch (77) extending in the direction of the plate (60) located above the rack (70), the side walls (771) of this arch (77) extending the side walls (71) of the rack (70) at their end close to the loading opening (62). 10. Storage cabinet (20) according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the loading opening (62) is provided with a door (79) movable around a pivot axis (79a ) located at the end of the plate (60) defining the loading opening (62), and a latch system (79b) capable of holding the door (79) in its closed position, the doors (79) of all the lockers (70) of the same tray (60) can constitute a single flap (79u).  11. Storage cabinet (20) according to claim 10, characterized in that the actuator (76) of a locker (70) is fixed to the external wall of the door (79) of the upper locker (70), the actuator (76) being able to act on the crate (70) when the door (79) of the upper crate (70) is in its closed position. 12. Storage cabinet (20) according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the base of the stop member (72) is capable of holding the movable element (73) in the rest position. 13. Automatic reserve (10) comprising at least one storage cabinet (20) according to one of claims 1 to 12.