FR3068268A1 - INSTALLATION AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATIC HANDLING AND AUTOMATIC SORTING OF OBJECTS, OF ALL FORMS, INCLUDING UNSTABLE AND VOLUMINOUS - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an installation (1) for the automatic handling and sorting of objects (2) circulating on a conveying line (3). According to the invention, the installation (1) comprises a set of rolling platforms (5) connected to each other, towed by a vehicle (10) with automatic guidance, each platform (5) is intended to receive at least one object (2) and comprises conveying means (7) in a direction transverse to the direction of advance of the platform (5), the vehicle (10) with automatic guidance is programmed to circulate the platforms (5) in the same direction and below the conveying line (3) to deposit at the end of line each object (2), one by one, on a platform (5), without stopping said platforms (5).

Description

Installation and process for automatic handling and sorting at high cadence of objects of all shapes, including unstable and bulky

Technical area

The present invention relates to the technical field of the treatment of objects of all forms, including unstable and bulky, circulating on a conveyor line, and relates more particularly to an installation and a handling and sorting process, dynamic and automatic, of this type of object.

An advantageous application of the invention is located in postal sorting or express messaging centers in which oversized packages constitute bulky objects to be handled and sorted. Another possible application is located in airports where bulky baggage must also be handled and sorted.

Finally, another possible application is located in order picking and distribution warehouses specializing in complex packages to be handled, such as for example DIY articles, or household appliances.

Prior art

In the field of parcel sorting, “non-standard” parcels in terms of dimensions, weight, or shapes, are generally handled and sorted manually, because the latter are not suitable for the very automated and very rapid processes implemented for so-called “standard” packages.

Handling and sorting installations are known, suitable for bulky objects, but these installations require bulky carrying structures and complex conveying systems. This type of installation, which is not very scalable, is far too restrictive to set up and requires heavy work and significant investment to set it up.

-2In the field of industry and logistics, it is also known handling and sorting facilities implementing vehicles with automatic guidance. However, the proposed use and mode of operation of these vehicles are not suitable for the field of postal sorting or express messaging because they are generally too slow. The latter notably implement phases of approaching a conveyor line, stopping, setting down an object, restarting, transit, stopping at an unloading bench, and depositing 'objects.

It is obvious that the succession of these stages strikes the duration of the process, causing a significant loss of yield.

Expose the invention

One of the aims of the invention is therefore to remedy the drawbacks of the prior art by proposing an installation and a method of handling and sorting, dynamic and automatic, at high speed of bulky and complex objects to be handled. .

To this end and in accordance with the invention, there is proposed a dynamic and automatic handling and sorting installation of objects circulating on a conveyor line.

According to the invention, the installation comprises a set of rolling platforms connected to each other, towed by a vehicle with automatic guidance, each platform is intended to receive at least one object and comprises means for conveying in a transverse direction with respect to to the advancement direction of the platform. The vehicle with automatic guidance is programmed to circulate the platforms in the same direction and below the conveyor line to deposit at the end of the line each object, one by one, on a platform, without stopping said platforms.

In this way, the invention makes it possible to automate the handling and sorting of all types of objects, in particular non-standard objects in terms of weight, dimensions or shapes. The installation according to the invention makes it possible to load and unload bulky objects in dynamics, that is to say without stopping platforms, while benefiting from the flexibility of the vehicle with automatic guidance whose movement is easy and without structure bulky carrier. The installation of the invention is compact, its implementation is not very restrictive and does not require significant work, in particular in terms of civil engineering. The installation is compatible with a production environment, in cohabitation with operators and handling equipment, without any particular partitioning constraints.

The solution proposed by the invention is also scalable in that the number of platforms is modular, thereby making it possible to reduce the initial financial investment during the installation of the installation, and to complete the number of platforms by depending on the number of objects to be sorted and / or the evolution of the number and positions of picking up and depositing objects.

Advantageously, each platform is subject to lifting means. In this way, each platform can be raised, independently of each other, to be positioned, from below, at the level of the conveyor line in order, on the one hand, to receive the object without falling and, on the other hand, to be able to retract under the conveyor line when an object is already present on said platform, without risk of collision with said conveyor line. This characteristic also allows platforms to advantageously be able to unload objects on reception and unloading benches on several levels.

According to a particular embodiment, and to further reduce the size of the installation, the automatically guided vehicle embarks from below the first platform of the assembly.

According to a particular embodiment, each platform is surrounded by closed side walls to form a wagon. In this way, the installation according to the invention makes it possible to handle and sort so-called “complex” objects by their shape because, unlike the installations of the state of the art, once the object inside the wagon, this is optimally contained and is insensitive to acceleration, deceleration, and turns of the wagon.

-4The invention also aims to protect a dynamic and automatic handling and sorting process for objects circulating on a conveyor line.

According to the invention, the method is remarkable in that it consists in depositing, one by one, and at the end of the conveyor line, the objects on a set of rolling platforms, towed by a vehicle with automatic guidance traveling without stopping underneath. of the conveyor line.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the method is also remarkable in that it then consists in unloading, without stopping the platforms, one by one the objects on reception benches, by actuating means of transverse conveying relative to the direction of advancement of the platforms that each platform includes.

The method according to the invention therefore makes it possible to carry out handling and sorting of objects, in particular bulky, at high rates, and without interruption.

Brief description of the figures

Other advantages and characteristics will emerge more clearly from the description which follows, given by way of nonlimiting example, of the handling and sorting installation according to the invention, from the appended drawings in which:

- Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of an installation according to the invention for handling and sorting bulky objects;

- Figure 2 is a schematic perspective representation of a second embodiment of the installation according to the invention;

- Figure 3 is a schematic perspective representation of the end of the conveyor line, illustrating the removal of objects on the platforms;

- Figure 4 is a schematic perspective representation illustrating the unloading of objects on unloading benches on several levels;

- Figure 5 is a schematic perspective representation illustrating a second embodiment of the unloading benches;

- Figure 6 is a schematic representation illustrating in perspective an automatically guided vehicle implemented in the installation according to the invention;

- Figure 7 is a schematic representation illustrating in perspective a platform subject to elevation means;

- Figure 8 is a schematic representation similar to that of Figure 7, the elevation means being covered with a protection.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate two exemplary embodiments of an installation (1) according to the invention for handling and sorting objects (2), such as parcels in these sorting or express courier centers, or luggage in airports, or logistics warehouses. By sorting is meant the transportation of objects (2) from a conveyor line (3) to different benches (4) for receiving and unloading. These conveyor lines (3) and reception benches (4) are well known in the art and will therefore not be described in detail.

Referring to Figure 3, and in order to recover one by one the objects (2) traveling on a conveyor line (3), the installation (1) according to the invention comprises a set of rolling platforms (5), each intended to receive at least one object (2).

Referring to Figures 7 and 8, each rolling platform (5) comprises a base (6) equipped with wheels, and means (7) for transverse conveying relative to the direction of advancement of the platform. The conveyor means (7) are well known in the art and are, for example, in the form of a conveyor belt.

The platform (5) is mounted on elevation means (8) making it possible to pass said platform (5) from a retracted position against the rolling base (6), to a position

-6 deployed high in height and away from the rolling base (6). The elevation means (8) are of any suitable type, and are for example in the form of a cross-type elevator. The spider is surrounded by an accordion protective wall (8a, for example made of rubber).

Each platform (5) then integrates at least one electric motor for driving in rotation the conveying means (7), and an electric motor for actuating the lifting means (8).

Preferably, and to receive the object (2) in a confined manner so that it is not sensitive to acceleration, deceleration, and turn of the platform (5), each platform (5) is surrounded by closed side walls (not shown) to form a wagon.

The platforms (5) are identical and further comprise coupling means (9), for example foldable, to be connected together or to be towed by a vehicle (10) with an automatically guided head. The platforms (5) are also electrically connected to each other, in particular to know the number of platforms (5) constituting the assembly, but also for the electrical supply of the motors for example. According to another embodiment, each platform (5) can carry a battery.

The vehicle (10) with automatic guidance, shown more precisely in FIG. 6, makes it possible to tow all of the platforms (5). Traction can be carried out from the front in the lead vehicle (10). Preferably, and with reference to FIG. 4, the vehicle (10) with automatic guidance embarks, from below, the first platform (5) of the assembly. For this purpose, the rolling base (6) of each platform (5) is raised relative to the ground to allow the vehicle (10) to pass automatically, or else includes a central clearance (11) provided for this purpose, see figures. 7 and 8. The central clearance (11) is preferred because it does not increase the height and size of the platform (5). The vehicle (10) with automatic guidance and the rolling bases (6) therefore comprise complementary locking means (12), of any suitable type, to allow all of the platforms (5) to be towed.

Advantageously, the complementary means (12) for locking the vehicle (10) with automatic guidance make it possible to automatically couple or uncoupled from a platform (5) so as to be able to leave the platform (s) (5), and their packages. , for long treatments, temporary storage phases, recharging its batteries automatically, carrying out maintenance operations for example. In certain applications, in particular when the number of pick-up and drop-off of objects (2) is large, the vehicle (10) with automatic guidance can tow only one platform (5) to offer greater agility.

The vehicle (10) with automatic guidance is well known from the state of the art. It is a robot which moves autonomously without human intervention, in particular by automation technologies such as wire guidance, laserguidage or optoguidage. The vehicle (10) with automatic guidance according to the invention is programmed to circulate the platforms (5) in the same direction and below the conveyor line (3) to deposit at the end of the line each object (2), a by one, on a platform (5), without stopping said platforms (5).

In this way, and with reference to FIG. 3, the installation (1) according to the invention makes it possible to deposit one by one and at the end of the conveying line (3) the objects (2) on the set of rolling platforms (5), towed by the vehicle (10) with automatic guidance running continuously under the conveyor line (3). Thus, the deposit of objects (2) on the rolling platforms (5) is done dynamically and automatically.

The elevation of the platforms (5) allows each object (2) to be retrieved without falling by deploying under the conveyor line (3) and just touching the latter. In the case where, before circulating under the conveyor line (3), a platform (5) is already loaded with an object (2), this can be retracted under the conveyor line (3) by the lowering of the lifting means (8).

Then, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the vehicle (10) with automatic guidance leads all of the platforms (5) to benches (4) for receiving and

- 8 unloading, at the level of which the unloading of the objects (2) is also carried out in automatic and dynamic, that is to say without stopping the rolling platforms (5).

To do this, the vehicle (10) with automatic guidance is programmed to run transversely to the benches (4) for receiving and unloading, in the immediate vicinity of these so that, when a platform (5) passes in front of the bench ( 4) for reception corresponding to the object (2) concerned, the actuation of the means (7) for conveying the platform (5) makes it possible to unload the object (2) on said reception bench (4). The actuation of the lifting means (8) allows the height adjustment of the platforms 10 (5) to adjust to the height of the receiving benches (4), and also allows the unloading of objects (2) on multi-level reception benches (4), as shown in FIG. 4.

It emerges from the above that the invention does indeed provide an installation (1) and a space-saving process that is not very restrictive to implement, allowing the handling and sorting of objects (2), for example non-standard, in dynamic and automatic, at high speeds.

Claims (6)

claims 1. Installation (1) for dynamic and automatic handling and sorting of objects (2) circulating on a conveyor line (3), the installation (1) is characterized in that it comprises a set of rolling platforms ( 5) connected to each other, towed by a vehicle (10) with automatic guidance, each platform (5) is intended to receive at least one object (2) and comprises means (7) for conveying in a transverse direction with respect to in the direction of advancement of the platform (5), the vehicle (10) with automatic guidance is programmed to circulate the platforms (5) in the same direction and below the conveyor line (3) to deposit at the end line each object (2), one by one, on a platform (5), without stopping said platforms (5). 2. Installation (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that each platform (5) is subject to means (8) of elevation. 3. Installation (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the vehicle (10) with automatic guidance embarks from below the first platform (5) of the assembly. 4. Installation (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that each platform (5) is surrounded by closed side walls (8a) to form a wagon. 5. Process for dynamic and automatic handling and sorting of objects (2) circulating on a conveyor line (3), characterized in that it consists in depositing, one by one, and at the end of the conveyor line (3 ) the objects (2) on a set of rolling platforms (5), towed by a vehicle (10) with automatic guidance circulating without stopping under the conveyor line (3). 6. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that it then consists in unloading, without stopping the platforms (5), one by one the objects (2) on benches (4) for reception, by actuating means (7 ) transverse conveying with respect to the direction of advancement of the platforms (5) that each platform (5) comprises.