FR2889511A1 - DEVICE FOR TRANSPORTING BOMBON OR GAS BOTTLE - Google Patents

Abstract

Device (1) for moving bottles or gas cylinders (2), comprising means for storing (3) said gas bottles (2) in the form of a rack mounted on means of transport (40) and means (6) loading and unloading of said bottles (2) stored in said rack, characterized in that, on the one hand, said rack is removable so as to be movable from said transport means (40) to an area of storage (5) and, on the other hand, the loading and unloading means (6) are movable in a displacement zone (7) so as to automatically deliver said bottles (2) stored in the rack from the storage area ( 5) to a delivery area (8).

Description

2889511 1

  The present invention relates to a device for moving bottles or gas cylinders, comprising means for storing said gas bottles in the form of a rack mounted on transport means and means for loading and unloading said bottles stored in said rack. .

  The present invention is in the field of bottle handling and gas cylinder, particularly in the storage, supply and delivery of gas cylinder or cylinder.

  It should be noted that the bottles or gas cylinders considered may be intended for domestic application, such as bottles filled with butane, propane or the like, for industrial or other use.

  Because of the weight and size of such a gas cylinder, its transport and handling are often not easy manually, individually or in numbers. Indeed, in the latter case, they are usually transported on a rack mounted on the platform of a truck. It is then necessary to unload one by one the gas bottles from this rack to place them in a storage place, often another rack.

  It has been imagined automatic means of unloading such bottles through a forklift or a support arm. This carriage is often provided with a gripper for gripping said bottles.

  However, this operation is long and laborious, in particular because of the unloading of the full tanks one by one to store them, operation carried out at the same time as the loading of the empty bottles for their recycling.

  Another disadvantage lies in the fact that the customer or the handler must, at the time of purchase, remove a bottle from the storage means, thus repeating the binding manipulation operation.

  In addition, the storage of the canisters requires a lot of space, particularly because of their weight which prevents them from being stored at a height, which is then difficult for a handler to access.

  The invention aims to overcome the disadvantages of the state of the art by providing a device for moving cylinders or gas cylinders facilitating their handling and handling.

  To do this, the invention relates to a device for moving bottles or gas cylinders, comprising means for storing said gas bottles in the form of a rack mounted on means of transport and means for loading and unloading said bottles. stored in said rack.

  Such a device is characterized in that, on the one hand, said rack is removable so that it can be moved from said transport means to a storage area and, on the other hand, the loading and unloading means are movable in a moving area so as to automatically deliver said bottles stored in the rack from the storage area to a delivery area.

  According to other features of the device according to the invention, said loading and unloading means comprise an articulated arm provided with means for gripping said bottles inside said rack and mounted in at least one degree of freedom on moving means.

  Advantageously, the gripping means are in the form of an electromagnet.

  In addition, said arm is articulated in rotation along a vertical axis relative to the displacement means, in vertical translation along said axis and in horizontal translation orthogonal to said axis.

  Preferably, said arm is telescopic.

  Advantageously, said displacement means comprise at least one wheel cooperating with guide means, in particular a rail.

  According to one embodiment, said storage area comprises a plurality of racks, said racks being stackable 2889511 3 against each other.

  Preferably, the storage area comprises at least one rack adapted to receive empty bottles or bottles for two racks containing bottles or full bottles.

  According to the embodiments, the loading and unloading means are controlled by a PLC or a numerical control.

  Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments of the invention, with reference to the appended figures in which: - Figure 1 shows schematically the device according to the invention; FIG. 2 is an embodiment of part of the device according to the invention; and FIG. 3 is another embodiment of a part of the device according to the invention.

  The present invention relates to a device 1 for moving bottles and gas cylinders 2.

  As can be seen in FIG. 1, the device 1 according to the invention comprises means 3 for storing said bottles or gas containers 2. These storage means 3 may be in the form of at least one rack comprising housings 4 in 2. In a known manner, such a rack comprises a metal frame 31 and closure means not shown.

  These storage means are mounted on transport means 40, generally of the type of a vehicle comprising a plate, a trailer or the like.

  A particularity of the transport device 1 according to the invention lies in the possibility of moving all of these storage means 3, thus enabling the entire loading of bottles 2 to be unloaded in a single operation. To do this, these storage means 3 are movably provided so that they can be moved from said transport means 40 to a storage area 5. The latter may comprise elements able to receive, fasten, serve as a base and / or block said rack.

  The movement of the rack occurs through lifting means, for example a crane or a manipulator arm secured to the transport means 40 or independent provided. In this regard, it is necessary to provide within said device 1, an access for said transport means 40.

  It should also be noted that several racks can be stacked or juxtaposed on the storage area 5 to limit the space of use and storage. This stack can be made possible through complementary means provided on each frame 31 of two racks to be superimposed.

  In particular, the storage area 5 comprises at least one rack A adapted to receive empty bottles or bottles 2 for two racks B and C receiving 2 bottles full. Thus, the filling of the rack A with empty bottles 2 is carried out as and when emptying the rack B containing 2 full bottles, so that the rack B initially enclosing the 2 full bottles is found empty to receive the bottles 2 of the other rack C. The transport device 1 also comprises means 6 for loading and unloading said bottles 2 stored in said rack. These means 6 are designed to move in a displacement zone 7 so as to deliver said bottles 2 stored in the rack from the storage zone 3 to a delivery zone 8.

  These means comprise an articulated arm 9 provided with means 10 for gripping said bottles 2 inside said rack. This arm 9 is mounted in at least one degree of freedom on moving means 11.

  These displacement means 11 comprise at least one wheel 12 cooperating with guiding means 13. These may be in the form of a rail secured to the displacement zone 7, for example through suitable fastening means 2889511 .

  In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, these displacement means 11 preferably comprise a frame 14 on which four wheels 12 co-operating in pairs with two rails 15 are mounted. In particular, these rails 15 may extend longitudinally by relative to the storage area 5, therefore along the rack, or in front of the latter, this depending on the configuration of the premises to optimize the usable space. Stoppers may be provided at the end of rail 15 to serve as end of travel means 11. The loading and unloading means 6 may be provided motorized to move along the travel zone 7 or the latter may provide for motorization means, not shown, such as a rack or the like.

  The delivery zone 8 may be arranged at at least one of the ends of the displacement zone 7, for example at the end of travel of the guide means 13.

  The loading and unloading means 6 thus move in translation along the guide means 13. In addition, the arm 9 is articulated according to at least one degree of freedom on the moving means 11.

  Thus the arm 9 can be rotatably mounted on the frame 14, in particular in rotation along a vertical axis and relative to the displacement means 11. In addition, the arm 9 can be movable in vertical translation along the same axis and / or in horizontal translation orthogonal to said axis.

  According to the first embodiment, visible in Figure 2, the arm 9 is provided horizontal displacement. To do this, it is in the form of a jib 16 hinged at least one of the uprights is provided telescopic. The latter is telescopically mounted so as to penetrate into the housings 4 of the storage means 3 in order to manipulate the canisters 2. The uprights are articulated to each other in rotation along at least two pivoting axes so as to raise or lower vertically 2889511 said telescopic post. These amounts can be actuated by stepper motors, cylinders or the like.

  According to another embodiment, visible in FIG. 3, the arm 9 is provided with vertical displacement. It is orientable by translation along axes and under the action of jacks, motors or the like. This arm 9 is always in the form of a bracket 16 having however at least one telescopic provided amount. Another vertical upright can be provided telescopic. The vertical movement of the arm 9 is then performed by lifting means 17, such as a rack, a cylinder, a stepper motor or other. In particular, the vertical displacement can be effected through a digital axis controlled by a PLC, a numerical control or the like.

  The arm 9 also comprises gripping means 10 of said bottles 2. These deniers can be preferably in the form of an electromagnet, but also in the form of a clamp, fastening means by creating depression or other.

  The telescopic arm 9 may also comprise counterweights to compensate for the weight of a bottle 2 during its gripping, in particular to prevent any imbalance during a loading and / or unloading operation.

  Advantageously, the device 1 according to the invention is controlled automatically by a PLC and / or a numerical control. The arm 9 can be actuated by stepper motors, by pulse, thus providing a high accuracy in its movements. In addition, the device 1 can evolve autonomously within a restricted and closed enclosure, thus ensuring optimum security.

  The conveying device 1 of the can 2 according to the invention makes it possible to optimize the storage space for such bottles 2 by offering simple automatic handling and without manual restraint.

  Of course, the invention is not limited to the examples 2889511 7 illustrated and described above which may have variants and modifications without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (9)

  Device (1) for moving bottles or gas cylinders (2), comprising means for storing (3) said gas bottles (2) in the form of a rack mounted on transport means (40) and means (6) for loading and unloading said bottles (2) stored in said rack, characterized in that, on the one hand, said rack is removable so that it can be moved from said transport means (40) to a storage area (5) and, on the other hand, the loading and unloading means (6) are movable in a movement zone (7) so as to automatically deliver said bottles (2) stored in the rack from the storage (5) at a delivery area (8).   2. Device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said loading and unloading means (6) comprise an articulated arm (9) provided with gripping means (10) of said bottles (2) inside said rack and mounted in at least one degree of freedom on moving means (11).   3. Device (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the gripping means (10) are in the form of an electromagnet.   4. Device (1) according to any one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that said arm (9) is articulated in rotation along a vertical axis relative to the displacement means (11), in vertical translation according to this axis and in horizontal translation orthogonal to said axis.   5. Device (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that said arm is telescopic.   6. Device (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that said displacement means (11) comprise at least one wheel (12) 2889511 9 cooperating with guide means (13), in particular a rail (15).   7. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said storage area (5) comprises several racks, said racks being stackable relative to each other.   8. Device (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that the storage area (5) comprises at least one rack adapted to receive empty bottles or bottles (2) for two racks containing bottles or bottles (2). full.   9. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the loading and unloading means (6) are controlled by a PLC or a numerical control.