FR2876009A1 - Flat articles e.g. safety net, assembling device for fruit culture, has male slider cooperating with female slider such that male fixing plate slides with respect to female fixing plate, during assembling of plates - Google Patents

Abstract

The device has female and male fixing plates (1a, 1b), respectively including female and male sliders on one of their sides. The male slider cooperates with the female slider such that during assembling of the plates, the plate (1b) slides with respect to the plate (1a) parallel to edges of bands of nets. The plates (1a, 1b) have longitudinal rows of hooks (7) and pins (8).

Description

- 1 -

  The present invention relates to a detachable connection device for assembling flat articles such as nets, films, sheets or the like, and more particularly for assembling a hail protection net having a plurality of webs. net stretched side by side to cover row by row of fruit crops.

  In the field of these removable link devices for the assembly of protective nets of fruit crops, especially against hail, devices are well known comprising two fixing plates that can be attached to the two adjacent edges of the thread strips and each composed on the one hand a perforated plate and on the other hand a tenon plate that can be assembled with the perforated plate by means of said tenons.

  This is the case, for example, of the European patent EP 0 898 878, describing a connection device for hail protection net. The device consists of two fixing plates, each composed of a portion of the perforated plates and a portion of tenon plates passing through the mesh of the net and through the holes of the perforated plate which is secured to the plate to by means of connecting elements formed by tabs and hooked tabs, the locking tabs engaging with apertures of the tabs which are associated in pairs and arranged on the lateral edges of the plates. The fixing plates are secured to one another by a connecting bolt which is introduced through a central transverse opening and immobilized by engagement means arranged on the rear faces opposite to each other. fixing plates.

  This type of device has the disadvantage of requiring a particularly long assembly and disassembly time. Indeed, in order to assemble two fastening plates respectively attached to two adjacent edges of thread or protection strips, MLN-FR-5P2 TEXTE DEPOSE - 2 should be positioned to position the central transverse opening of a first plate exactly at right of the central transverse opening of the second wafer to introduce the connecting bolt. Moreover, to separate the two fixing plates, it is necessary to separate the engagement means arranged on the rear faces to release the connecting bolt, and then separate the fixing plates. It will be observed, moreover, that during this manipulation, the manipulator or the operator may lose the connecting bolt.

  In order to overcome these drawbacks, devices have already been devised which make it possible to join the two fastening plates attached to the two adjacent edges of the thread strips allowing faster assembly.

  This is the case, for example, of the international patent WO 01/44670 which describes a device for removably attaching an assembly part used to assemble flat articles such as nets, films, sheets or like. The device comprises, in the same manner as before, a perforated plate and a tenon plate, the tenon plate comprising projections in the form of hooks to engage in oblong holes made in the perforated plate so that the hooks are supported on the perforated plate by being fixed by means of shims from a cover which is fixed by a detachable engagement assembly on the perforated plate. The tenon plates comprise, on their side opposite to the hooks, slide assembly means, male and female, respectively, that is to say generally T-shaped profiles, able to be inserted into grooves of section also in general shape. T, provided with locking means plastic deformation.

  This type of device has the disadvantage of requiring the manipulation of three separate parts, the perforated plate, the tenon plate and the cover, to fix a set of tenon plates / perforated plates on the adjacent edge of a strip of net, this considerably strikes the assembly time of these devices.

  On the other hand, the guides of the tenon plates are oriented perpendicularly to the adjacent edges of the thread strips to which the plates are fastened so that the plastically deformed locking means of a plate relative to a other are subjected to the tensions induced by the tensioned bands of tension causing their break in the event of tension too high.

  One of the aims of the invention is therefore to remedy all these drawbacks by proposing a connection device for protective net of fruit crops or the like, of simple and inexpensive design allowing rapid assembly and disassembly of these devices on the edges of the strips of these protective nets.

  For this purpose, and in accordance with the invention, there is provided a detachable connection device for assembling flat articles such as nets, films, sheets or the like, and more particularly for assembling a hail protection net which has several bands of nets which can be stretched side by side to cover row by row fruit crops, said device comprising two said fixing plates respectively provided on one of their faces of assembly means and provided on their respective opposite sides with hooks and lugs projecting and capable of cooperating with holes made in opposing platelets in order to wedge one of the edges of the thread assembled between a wafer and an opposing wafer, the hooks and the spurs passing through the cracks; said device is remarkable in that the means for assembling the two plates consist of a male slide secured to a first male fastening plate (1b) cooperating with a female slide secured to a second female fastener plate (1a). such that, when assembling the male (Ib) and female (1a) plates, respectively integral with an edge of a flat article, the male plate (1b) slides relative to the female plate (1a) in parallel at the edges of the flat elements at MLN-FR-5P2 TEXTE REMOVAL - 4 - assemble.

  Furthermore, the assembly means of the two plates advantageously consist in a male slide secured to a first so-called male fastening plate and consisting of two parallel walls which extend perpendicularly to the plate and provided at their ends with orthogonal wings. extending away from each other, that is to say extending outwardly from the space separating the two walls, said walls comprising in their central part a free zone called engagement that does not include a wing to allow the engagement of a female slide secured to the second so-called female mounting plate and consisting of two parallel walls, at a spacing just greater than the spacing of the walls of the slides males, which extend perpendicularly to the second female attachment plate and which are provided at their ends with orthogonal wings extending towards one another, that is to say extending into the space separating the two walls, said walls also comprising in their central part a so-called free engagement zone which does not comprise a wing so as to allow the engagement of the male slideway in the female slide by translation.

  Incidentally a plate and / or one of the male and female slides comprises means for allowing the ejection of a fixing plate relative to the other when disengaging the male and female slides.

  It is well understood that, unlike the devices of the prior art, a simple translational movement of a wafer relative to another parallel to the edges of the net strips allows the disengagement or joining of the latter effortlessly. In addition, the tension of the assembled thread strips only applies to the slides of the plates and not to the locking means of one plate relative to another.

  Other advantages and features will emerge MLN-FR-5P2 TEXTE REMOVAL - 5 better from the following description of an alternative embodiment, given by way of non-limiting example, the removable connection device according to the invention with reference to the drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the detachable connection device according to the invention, FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a fastening plate according to the invention comprising a female slide. FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of the fastening plate according to the invention shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the fastening plate; FIG. According to the invention, FIG. 4 is a side view of the fixing plate according to the invention shown in FIGS. 2 and 3; FIG. 5 is a view from below of a fixing plate according to FIG. invention comprising FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the fixing plate according to the invention shown in FIG. 5; FIG. 7 is a side view of the fixing plate according to the invention shown on FIG. Figures 5 and 6, - Figures 8 and 9 are respectively top and bottom views of an opposing plate of the removable connection device according to the invention, - Figure 10 is a top view of a plate fixing device comprising a male slide or a female slide of the device according to the invention, shown in FIG. 2 or 5; FIGS. 11A to 11C are longitudinal sectional views of the various steps of assembling the fixing plate comprising the male slide with attachment pad including female slide, MLN-FR-5P2 TEXTE REMOVAL - 6 - Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view of the attachment plate including assembled male slide with the fixing plate comprising the female slide along the axis XII-XII 'of FIG. 11C, FIGS. 13A to 13C are cross-sectional views of the different steps of assembling an opposing plate on a fixing plate of FIG. detachable connection device according to the invention.

  In this non-limiting embodiment, there will be described a connecting device for assembling a hail protection net which has several bands of nets which can be stretched side by side to cover row by row of the fruit crops; however, it is obvious that the device according to the invention can be used for assembling plastic films, sheets or the like.

  With reference to FIG. 1, the detachable connecting device for the thread assembly according to the invention comprises two so-called attachment plates 1a and 1b, consisting respectively in a generally rectangular plate, obtained in a plastic material and respectively provided with one of their faces of complementary assembly means and provided on their respective opposite faces with hooks and lugs protruding and capable of cooperating with holes formed in antagonistic platelets 2a and 2b, respectively also consisting in a plate overall Rectangular obtained in a plastic material, in order to wedge one of the edges of the net to be assembled between a fixing plate 1a and an opposing plate 2a, for example, the hooks and the lugs of the fixing plate 1a or 1b passing through the mesh of the nets as it will be detailed further.

  With reference to FIGS. 2, 3A and 4, the first fixing plate, said female attachment plate of the device according to the invention comprises on one of its faces a female slide consisting of two walls MLN-FR-5P2 TEXTE REMOVAL - 7 longitudinal parallel 3.4 which extend perpendicularly to the plate la and provided at their ends with orthogonal wings 5 extending towards one another, parallel to the plate la, that is to say towards the interior of the space separating the two walls 3,4, said walls 3,4 comprising in their central part a free zone 6 called engagement which does not include a wing 5 to allow the engagement of a male slide secured to the second mounting plate lb as will be seen later. The length of the engagement zone 6 of the female attachment plate is generally equal to the length of the wings 5 which extend on either side of said engagement zone 6. In addition, said attachment plate female comprises, with reference to FIGS. 3A, 4 and 10, on its face opposite to the female slide a longitudinal row of hooks 7, said hooks 7 being oriented towards the proximal longitudinal edge of the female attachment plate 1a and a longitudinal row These lugs 8 generally have a mushroom-like shape comprising a cylindrical rod 9 terminated by a ball 10 of diameter greater than the section of the rod 9.

  With reference to FIGS. 5 to 7, the second fixing plate 1b, called said male fixing plate, comprises on one of its faces a male slide consisting of two parallel longitudinal walls 11, 12, at a spacing just below the spacing longitudinal walls 3,4 of the female slide of the female attachment plate la, which extend perpendicular to said plate and which are provided at their free ends with orthogonal wings 13 extending opposite one of the other, parallel to the male fixing plate 1b, that is to say extending outwardly of the space between the two walls 11,12. Said walls 11, 12 comprise, in the same manner as above, in their central part a so-called free zone 14 which does not include a wing 13 in order to allow engagement of the slide of the MLN-FR plate. -5P2 TEXTE REMOVAL - 8 - male fastener lb in the slide of the female fastener plate by translation. Moreover, said male attachment plate 1b comprises, with reference to FIGS. 6, 7 and 10, on its face opposite to the male slideway a first longitudinal row of hooks 7 oriented toward the proximal longitudinal edge of the male fixing plate 1b and a second longitudinal row of lugs 8. These lugs 8 are strictly identical to the lugs 8 of the female attachment plate 1a and generally have a mushroom shape comprising a cylindrical rod 9 terminated by a ball 10.

  With reference to FIGS. 5 to 7, the female attachment plate 1a comprises means for allowing the female attachment plate 1 to be ejected with respect to the male attachment plate 1b during the disengagement of the male and female slides. These ejection means consist in a perpendicular tab 15 extending transversely to the periphery of the engagement zone 6 of the female attachment plate 1a, between the wings 5 of the female slide, from the bottom of the wafer 1a, up to the wings 5 of the slide, and the free end is tapered to form a ramp 16 inclined from the bottom of the wafer la up to the height of the wings 5, from the engagement zone of the This ramp 16 cooperates, upon disengagement of the female attachment plate 1a of the male fixing plate 1b, with reference to FIG. 5, with a cam 17 which consists of a transverse wall extending between the wings 13 of the male fixing plate 1b at the periphery of the engagement zone 14 of said wafer 1b. The male attachment plate 1b advantageously comprises a transverse wall 17 extending between the parallel longitudinal walls 11,12 of the wafer 1b on either side of the engagement zone 14 of the wafer.

  It is obvious that the cam 17 and the ramp 16 may be integral with the parallel walls 11,12 and / or the parallel walls 3,4 of the fixing plate MLN-FR-5P2 TEXTE DE POSE-9 male lb and / or respectively female without leaving the scope of the invention.

  Furthermore, with reference to FIG. 2, the female attachment plate comprises it at one of these free ends, the free end following on the left of FIG. 2, a transverse wall 18 extending from one wing to the other from the bottom of said plate up to height of said wings 5 to form a stop. In addition, said female attachment plate comprises a resiliently deformable pin 19 positioned between the parallel longitudinal walls of the wafer 3 in the vicinity of the transverse wall forming a stop and capable of cooperating with one of the transverse walls. extending at the free ends of the male slide of the male attachment plate 1b (FIG. 5), between the parallel walls 11, 12 of the latter such that, when the male slide bears against the abutment 18 of the slideway female, the transverse wall 20 extending at the free end of the male slide is positioned between the stop 18 and the pin 19 to block the plates la, lb between them.

  We will now explain, with reference to FIGS. 11A to 11C and 12, the assembly of the female attachment plate 1a with the male fixing plate 1b. With reference to FIG. 11A, the wings 13 of the male fixing plate 1b are positioned in line with the engagement zone 6 of the female attachment plate 1a and the wings 5 of the female attachment plate 1c are positioned at the right of the engagement zone 14 of the male fixing plate 1b, then with reference to FIG. 11B, the wings 13 of the male fixing plate 1b are applied against the female attachment plate 1a in its engagement zone and the wings 5 of the female attachment plate 1a are applied against the male fixing plate lb in its engagement zone 14. Referring to FIG. 11C, the female attachment plate 1a is then displaced in translation along the longitudinal axis of the pads like MLN-ER-5P2 TEXTE REMOVAL - 10 - indicates the arrow a so that the male slide engages in the female slide until the free end of the male slide of the plate fixa male bearing lb come to rest on the stop 18 of the female attachment plate la, the transverse wall 20 extending at the free end of the male slide being then positioned between the stop 18 and the lug 19 of the plate of female fixing the in order to block the pads between them.

  When disengaging the male fixing plate lb from the female attachment plate 1a, with reference to FIG. 11c, the male fixing plate 1b, for example, is displaced in translation in the direction opposite to the arrow a - until that the ramp 16 of the female attachment plate la - bears on the cam 17 of the male fixing plate lb (Figure 11B). When the ramp 16 bears on the cam 17, the relative displacement of the male fixing plate 1b with respect to the female attachment plate provides it, as indicated by the arrow b of FIG. 11A, a force orthogonal to the direction of rotation. this displacement, which is carried out in this nonlimiting example in the direction of the length of the plates, to allow the ejection of the male fixing plate 1b relative to the female fixing plate 1a, the respective slideways of the plates 1a, lb being then positioned in the engagement zones 6 and 14 of said plates 1a and 1b. Furthermore, with reference to FIGS. 1, 8 and 9, the antagonistic platelets 2a and 2b which are strictly identical consist of a generally rectangular plate obtained in a plastic material, provided with longitudinal peripheral walls 21 and transverse walls 22 and comprising a first longitudinal row of rectangular holes 23 adapted to accommodate the hooks 7 of the male fasteners lb and female la and a second longitudinal row of round holes 24 adapted to receive the lugs 8 of said fixing plates la and lb. Said round holes 24 have a diameter just MLN-FR-5P2 TEXTE REMOVAL - 11 less than the diameter of the balls 10 terminating the lugs 8 of the fixing plates 1a, 1b, the rod 9 of the lugs 8 having the same diameter as the round holes 24 of said antagonistic platelets 2a, 2b.

  It goes without saying that the holes 23 may have a square, oblong or similar shape without departing from the scope of the invention.

  We will now explain the assembly of an opposing plate 2b on a fixing plate, the male fixing plate 1b for example, with reference to FIGS. 13A to 13C.

  With reference to FIG. 13A, the hooks 7 and the lugs 8 of the male fixing plate 1b being previously introduced into the meshes of a net not shown in the figure, the hooks 7 are introduced into the rectangular holes 23 of the plate 2b in such a way that the opposing plate 2b forms an angle θ with the male fixing plate 1b and that, by exerting a slight translational movement of the opposing plate 2b in the direction of the hooks 7, the round holes 24 are positioned at 8. The male fixing plate 1b is then pressed against the opposing plate 2b as indicated by the arrow c of FIG. 13B so as to force the balls 10 of the lugs 8 into the round holes 24 of the plate. antagonist 2b thus fixing the antagonist plate 2b on the male fixing plate 1b. It is obvious that the disengagement of the opposing wafer 2b from the fixing plate 1b is effected by exerting a traction on the opposing wafer 2b by pivoting it around the row of hooks 7 so that the lugs 8 escape from the round holes 24 of said opposing wafer 2b until the opposing wafer 2b forms a 0 angle with the male attachment plate 1b. A slight translational movement of the opposing wafer in the direction opposite to the hooks 7 makes it possible to remove said hooks 7 of the rectangular holes 23 of the wafer 2b.

  Incidentally, the device may comprise hoods, not shown in the figures, adapted to cooperate with the lateral peripheral walls 22 and / or longitudinal 21 and / or with secondary longitudinal walls 25 of the opposing plates 2a, 2b.

  It goes without saying that the antagonistic platelets 2a, 2b can be attached to the male securing plates 1b and the female by any other means equivalent to the scope of those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. With reference to FIG. 3B, these equivalent means may consist, for example, in place of the lugs 8 in the general shape of mushrooms consisting of a cylindrical rod 9 terminated by a ball 10, in tenons 108 which have a shape generally. cylindrical diameter just smaller than the diameter of the round holes 24 of the opposing plates 2a, 2b, at least one of the pins 108 comprising an elastically deformable projection 109 extending radially at a height just greater than the thickness of the antagonistic platelets 2a, 2b. It will be observed that, in this particular non-limiting embodiment, the protrusion 109 extends in the direction opposite to the direction of the hooks 7.

  Moreover, it is obvious that the male and female rails 1a male and female mounting plates respectively can extend transversely.

  Finally, it goes without saying that the removable connection device according to the invention can be adapted to plastic films, fabric, sheets or the like and that the examples that have just been given are only particular illustrations in no way. limiting cases as to the fields of application of the invention.

MLN-EN-5P2 TEXT REMOVAL - 13 -

Claims (10)

  1 - Removable connecting device for assembling flat articles such as nets, films, sheets or the like and more particularly for assembling a hail protection net which has several bands of nets which can being stretched side by side to cover row by row fruit crops, said device comprising two plates (la, lb) respectively provided on one of their faces of complementary assembly means and provided on their respective opposite sides of hooks and protruding lugs capable of cooperating with holes formed in opposing plates (2a, 2b) in order to wedge one of the edges of the thread assembled between a plate (1a, 1b) and an opposing plate (2a, 2b), the hooks (7) and the lugs (8) passing through the mesh of the threads, characterized in that the means for assembling the two plates consist of a male slide secured to a first plate male securing ule (Ib) cooperating with a female slide secured to a second female attachment plate (1a) so that when assembling the male (Ib) and female (1a) respectively integral with a edge of a flat article, the male plate (lb) slides relative to the female plate (la) parallel to the edges of the flat elements to be assembled.   2 - Device according to the preceding claim characterized in that the assembly means of the two plates consist in a male slide secured to a first male fixing plate (Ib) and consisting of two parallel walls (11,12) which s' extend perpendicularly to the wafer (1b) and provided at their ends with orthogonal wings (13) extending opposite each other, that is to say towards the outside of the space separating the two walls (11,12), said walls (11,12) comprising in their central part a so-called free zone of engagement (14) which does not comprise a wing (13) in order to allow the engagement MLN-FR- 5P2 TEXTE REMOVAL - 14 - of a female slide fastened to the second female fastening plate (1a) and consisting of two parallel walls (3, 4), at a spacing just greater than the spacing of the walls (11, 12 ) of the slide of the male fastening plate (lb), which extend perpendicular to said female attachment plate (1a) and which are provided at their ends with orthogonal wings (5) extending towards each other, that is to say extending inside the the space separating the two walls (3,4), said walls (3,4) comprising in their central part a so-called free engagement zone (6) which does not comprise a wing (5) in order to allow the engagement of the male slide in the female slide by translation.   3 - Device according to claim 2 characterized in that at least one of the plates (la, lb) and / or at least one of the male and / or female slides of said plates (la, lb) comprises means said ejection to allow the ejection of a wafer (la, lb) relative to the other when disengaging the male and female slides.   4 - Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the ejection means consist of a ramp (16) integral with one of the plates (la, lb), and positioned at the periphery of its engagement zone (6). , 14) between the flanges (5, 13) of the slide, said ramp (16) cooperating with a cam (17) integral with the second wafer and positioned at the periphery of its engagement zone (14, 6) between the wings (13,5) of the slide of the said second plate (la, lb).   - Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the ramp (16) consists of a perpendicular lug (15) extending at the periphery of the engagement zone (6) of the female attachment plate (la), between the wings (5) of said female slide, from the bottom of the plate, up to the height of the flanges (5) of the slideway, and whose free end is tapered to form an inclined ramp from the bottom of the MLN -EN-5P2 TEXT REMOVAL 2876009 - 15 - plate (la) up to the height of the wings (5), from the engagement zone (6) of the plate (la) to the wings (5).   6 - Device according to claims 4 and 5, characterized in that the cam (17) cooperating with the ramp (16) consists of at least one transverse wall inclined from the bottom of the male fixing plate (lb) to the free end of the parallel walls 11, 12 at the periphery of the engagement zone (14) of said wafer (1b).   7 - Device according to any one of claims 2 to 5 characterized in that the female attachment plate (la) comprises at one of these free ends a transverse wall (18) extending from a parallel wall (3). ) to the other (4) from the bottom of said plate (la) to the height of said wings (5) to form a stop.   8 - Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the female attachment plate (la) comprises a lug (19) elastically deformable positioned on the bottom of said plate (la) near the transverse wall (18) forming a stop and adapted to cooperate with a transverse wall (20) extending at least one of the free ends of the slide of the male fixing plate (1b), between the parallel walls (11, 12) of the latter, of such so that, when the male slide comes to bear on the stop (18) of the female slide, the transverse wall (20) extending at the free end of the male slide is positioned between the stop (18) and the pin (19) to block the plates (la, lb) between them.   9 - Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each fixing plate (la, lb) comprises on its face opposite the slideways a first longitudinal row of hooks (7), said hooks (7) being oriented towards the proximal longitudinal edge of the wafer, and a second longitudinal row of lugs (8) adapted to cooperate respectively with a longitudinal first row of MLN-FR-5P2 TEXTE REMOVAL - 16 - holes (23) and a second longitudinal row of round holes (24) formed in an opposing wafer (2a, 2b) so that when the hooks (7) are introduced into the holes (23), by exerting a slight translational movement of the wafer (2a, 2b) in in the opposite direction of the hooks (7), the opposing plate (2a, 2b) forms an angle θ with the corresponding fixing plate (1a, 1b) and that the round holes (24) are positioned in line with the lugs (8) who are then ready to be introduced into said round holes (24) by pressing the fixing plate (1a, 1b) against the opposing plate (2a, 2b) so as to secure the latter on the fixing plate (1a, 1b).   10 - Device according to claim 9, characterized in that the lugs (8) have a generally mushroom shape comprising a cylindrical rod (9) terminated by a ball (10) of diameter just greater than the diameter of the round holes (24) of the counter-wafer (2a, 2b), the shank (9) of the lugs (8) having the same diameter as the round holes (24) of said counter-wafer (2a, 2b).   11 - Device according to claim 9, characterized in that the lugs (8) consist of tenons (108) having generally a cylindrical shape of diameter just smaller than the diameter of the round holes (24) of the opposing plates (2a, 2b) at least one of the holes (108) comprising an elastically deformable projection (109) extending radially at a height just greater than the thickness of the wafers (2a, 2b). MLN-FR-5P2 TEXT REMOVAL