FR3058667A1 - DISPENSER OF TRAYS - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a tray dispenser (6a, 6b) from a stack (6) thereof, comprising a manipulator adapted to take charge of the last tray (6b) of the stack and transport it to the location of its removal, characterized in that the manipulator comprises a movable arm (7) along a vertical direction, carrying a gripping means (19) at its lower end, between a high position and a plurality of positions each corresponding to the altitude on the stack of each tray to be taken, activated in the low position and deactivated in the high position and a support (8) substantially situated in a plane close to and below the high position of the means (7, 19 ) gripping, transverse to the upward path of each tray and movable between an erasure position in which it releases the upward path of the gripping means and a service position in which it can receive the tray released positi high by the gripping means and transport it in at least one presentation position of the tray to the user.

Description

© Publication no .: 3,058,667 (to be used only for reproduction orders)

©) National registration number: 16 01623 ® FRENCH REPUBLIC

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY

COURBEVOIE © Int Cl ⁸ : B 25 J 11/00 (2017.01), B 65 G 59/00, A 47 B 31/00

A1 PATENT APPLICATION

©) Date of filing: 14.11.16. (© Priority: © Applicant (s): FERRAS JEAN — FR. @ Inventor (s): FERRAS JEAN. ©) Date of public availability of the request: 18.05.18 Bulletin 18/20. ©) List of documents cited in the preliminary search report: See the end of this booklet (© References to other related national documents: ® Holder (s): FERRAS JEAN. ©) Extension request (s): (© Agent (s): FERRAS JEAN.

FR 3 058 667 - A1

DISTRIBUTOR OF TRAYS.

©) The invention relates to a tray distributor (6a, 6b) from a stack (6) thereof, comprising a manipulator capable of taking over the last tray (6b) of the stack and transporting it to '' at the place of its removal, characterized in that the manipulator comprises a movable arm (7) along a vertical direction, carrying a gripping means (19) at its lower end, between an upper position and a plurality of low positions each corresponding to the altitude on the stack of each tray to be sampled, activated in the low position and deactivated in the high position and a support (8) substantially located in a neighboring plane and below the high position of the means (7 , 19) gripping, transverse to the upward path of each tray and movable between an erasing position in which it releases the upward path of the gripping means and a service position in which it can receive the tray released in. high position by the gripping means and transport it in at least one position for presenting the tray to the user.

i

The present invention relates to a tray distributor for canteens, company restaurants, self-service fast food, etc.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In most fast food places, there are trays which allow the consumer to collect the products he has chosen to consume, the instruments useful for this consumption and to transport these objects from the place of their exhibition to the place of their consumption. .

The trays are most often made available to the consumer in the form of a stack at the start of a journey. At the end of this journey, the consumer passes by a cash register where he proceeds to pay for the products taken away.

With regard to the particular case of certain school canteens in particular, the delivery of the tray constitutes the "receipt" of an a priori payment. Also in this case, the tray is not at the free disposal of the consumer but is delivered to the latter if he has paid the price of his meal.

This way of proceeding, which has many advantages in terms of personnel costs, requires tray distributors which are automatic machines triggered by the payment of the price.

The trays are therefore delivered to the consumer by this machine, from a stack of trays which is only accessible to catering staff. In general, current machines operate on the entire stack of trays to place the upper tray of the latter at an altitude determined by the level of support of the tray by each user. The motor devices implemented are powerful and the efforts involved in these automata are significant, imposing rigid chassis and large dimensions to absorb these efforts and pro3058667 tections intended for the safety of users and staff. In addition, these known devices involve using dedicated carts which is not suitable for user communities which are already equipped with carts on the market, of several types, to convey the trays from the washing point to the distribution point. The machine takes the upper tray from the stack and releases it in a place of sampling.

One of the most common problems encountered in this type of installation is the breakdown of the controller. There follows a whole emergency procedure which obliges the mobilization of personnel to deliver the trays by hand after having collected the price or debiting a prepaid card.

To limit the occasions of breakdowns, it is necessary to have a dispenser as robust as possible, that is to say which implements a simple manipulator and easy and quick maintenance.

It is in this spirit that the invention was conceived. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

To this end, the present invention relates to a distributor of trays from a stack of the latter, comprising a manipulator capable of taking charge of the last tray of the stack and of transporting it to the place of its removal, characterized in that the manipulator comprises an arm movable along a vertical direction, carrying a gripping means at its lower end, between a high position and a plurality of low positions each corresponding to the altitude on the stack of each tray to be picked up, activated in the low position and deactivated in the high position and a support substantially located in a neighboring plane and below the high position of the gripping means, transverse to the upward path of each plate and movable between an erasing position in which it releases the upward path of the gripping means and a service position in which it can receive the plate released in the high position by the e gripping means and transport it in at least one position for presenting the tray to the user.

Thus, only the upper tray of the stack is handled and presented to the user as soon as his payment has been recorded. In the invention, the efforts involved are considerably less than those of the state of the art and, above all, the user community is not forced to use specific carts, dedicated to the machine.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the erasure and presentation positions are combined.

The handling of the gripping means and of the support is ensured by pneumatic cylinders each associated with a belt transmission with stroke multiplier.

The gripping means is a vacuum suction cup controlled.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description given below of an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will be made to the appended drawings in which:

- Figures 1 and 2 illustrate by perspective views, a dispenser according to the invention in two different states.

Identical elements shown in the figures bear identical references.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the figures, the tray dispenser according to the invention shown comprises an external frame comprising a base sole 1 equipped with four uprights ver3058667 tical 2, 3, 4 and 5. This frame forms the support for a lower stack of trays 6 and functional organs of the dispenser of the invention such as a gripping arm 7 for taking each tray from the stack 6 and a support 8 from each tray taken to keep it available to the user.

The frame comprises a vertical guide 9, in the vicinity of one of its lateral faces which is not reserved either for the removal of a tray (face A) or for the introduction of the stacks of trays (face B). It also includes a horizontal guide 10 in the upper part of the other side face. These guides are, in this case, formed by square tubes thus offering four rolling faces for guide rollers carried by carriages 11 and

12. The carriage 11 is assigned to the gripper arm 7 while the carriage 12 is assigned to the support 8. These members 7 and 8 are securely fixed to said carriages to extend in overhang relative to the guides 10 and 11.

The motorized operation of these two carriages is ensured as follows. For the gripping arm 7, the carriage 11 is linked to a strand of a belt 13 which is wound on two pulleys carried by the frame (very schematically shown in the figures), these pulleys being wedged on the axis of two other pulleys , of a smaller diameter (for example a third of the diameter of the winding pulleys of the belt 13), around which a second belt 14 is wound, this second belt 14 having a strand attached to the end of the rod d 'a jack 15 whose extension and retraction are along a direction parallel to the vertical guide 9. This jack, like the pulleys and the belts, is supported by the frame. By this transmission mechanism, a given stroke of the jack 15 causes a stroke of the carriage 11 along the guide 9 of triple amplitude in the present case. The vertical stroke of the gripper arm 7 will thus be adjusted so as to be able to scan a distance which will be at most equal to that separating the lower altitude of the sole from a determined altitude, higher than that at which the support 8 is moving.

In the same way, by a transmission mechanism identical to the above described but evolving in a horizontal direction, the carriage 12 is moved along the horizontal guide 10. Thus the latter is attached to a strand of a belt 16 which is wound around a couple of pulleys, each wedged on the shaft of one of the two pulleys of smaller diameter (for example by a factor of 3) around which a second belt 17 is wound, one strand of which is attached at the end of the rod of a jack 18. By an appropriate choice of the stroke of the jack and of the gear multiplication ratio, the control of the jack makes it possible to pass the support 8 from a first position in which it cuts the vertical trajectory of a plate 6 raised by the arm 7 to a second position where this support is outside this trajectory, a position which will preferably be the position of presentation of the plate to the user. The first position is that shown in Figure 1 while the second is that of Figure 2. It should be noted that the belts are toothed belts (or chains) and that the pulleys are toothed accordingly to ensure a non-slip transmission between the cylinders and the members they actuate, useful for correct and precise indexing of the limit switches in particular.

It will have been noted that the gripping arm 7 is provided at its end with a vacuum suction cup 19 which allows it to take charge of a tray at the top of the stack 6 when the vacuum is admitted into the suction cup in contact with this tray, to raise it to a level higher than that of the support 8 and to release it by stopping the depression so that it is collected by the support 8. It will be noted that this suction cup is advantageously mounted at the end of the arm 7 by a ball-and-socket joint that allows it to take into account any lack of horizontality in the stack of trays. Furthermore, the lower altitude of the arm being determined by a presence sensor associated with the suction cup, the height of the stacks of trays does not matter.

Also shown in these figures is a vacuum source 20 disposed on the sole 1 and which is appropriately connected to the suction cup 19 and to the jacks 15 and 18. More specifically, a simple logic controller allows, according to a programmed and adjusted cycle , to establish and to stop a depression in the suction cup and to switch the connection of the chambers of each of the jacks 15 and 18 with the atmosphere or with the vacuum source.

It will be noted that the frame has an external envelope (not shown) which encloses the mechanisms described above, with the exception of an open rear face B to allow the supply of the trays in batteries and a slot on its front face A at through which a plate is advanced towards the user by means of the support 8.

The device is awaiting presentation of a tray in a state where the vacuum consumption is minimal. In this case, a plate, released by the gripper, rests on the support 8 which is in its position in FIG. 1, that is to say inside the frame. A user is authorized to have a tray. The jack 18 brings out this plate and an operating cycle begins (Figure 2). Thus, the suction cup is lowered onto the last plate of the stack 6 where a proximity sensor makes it possible to create a vacuum there. The plate 6b, sucked up by the suction cup, is raised by the jack 15 and its associated transmission mechanism. The plateau having reached its maximum altitude 6a (figure

1), the support 8 is brought back inside the frame under the latter and the plate is deposited there and the cycle stops until satisfying the request of another user. In this waiting state of the device, the vacuum consumption is zero except for leaks.

It will be noted that the use of motor mechanisms such as those described above have the advantage of being of minimum bulk inside the envelope of the apparatus which makes it possible to offer customers a compact device. Of course, the invention covers other embodiments using other motor means if the space requirement is not significant.

It will also be indicated that in the example described, the position of the support which is outside the vertical trajectory of the plate carried by the gripping arm is that of presentation of the plate to the user. It is not outside the scope of the invention to provide at least one other position releasing the vertical trajectory. It could for example be a rearward position which would discard a plate which does not conform, for example to cleanliness or aesthetic requirements, insofar as before satisfying each user request, a check would be carried out on each tray according to quality specifications.

Claims (4)

1. Tray distributor (6a, 6b) from a stack (6) of these, comprising a manipulator capable of taking over the last tray (6b) of the stack and transporting it to the place of its removal, characterized in that the manipulator comprises a movable arm (7) along a vertical direction, carrying a gripping means (19) at its lower end, between a high position and a plurality of corresponding low positions, each, at the altitude on the stack of each plate to be sampled, activated in the low position and deactivated in the high position and a support (8) substantially located in a neighboring plane and lower than the altitude of the high position of the means (7 , 19) for gripping, transverse to the upward path of each tray and movable between an erasing position in which it releases the upward path of the gripping means and a service position in which it can receive the tray released in the up position te by the gripping means and transport it in at least one position for presenting the tray to the user. 2. Tray dispenser (6a, 6b) according to claim 1, characterized in that, the erasing and presentation positions are combined. 3. Tray distributor (6a, 6b) according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the operation of the gripping means (7) and of the support (8) is ensured by pneumatic jacks (15,18) each associated with a belt transmission (13,14,16,17) with stroke multiplier. 4. Tray distributor (6a, 6b) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the gripping means is a suction cup (19) with controlled vacuum.