WO2009053543A1

WO2009053543A1 - System for depositing documents into boxes

Info

Publication number: WO2009053543A1
Application number: PCT/FR2008/001139
Authority: WO
Inventors: Florent Gal; Pascal Catric
Original assignee: Savoye
Priority date: 2007-08-03
Filing date: 2008-07-30
Publication date: 2009-04-30
Also published as: RU2010107607A; EP2178781B1; EP2178781A1; ATE512920T1; CN101868416B; PL2178781T3; US20110221127A1; RU2468972C2; CN101868416A; FR2919599B1; FR2919599A1; CA2695392A1; ES2367832T3; CA2695392C

Abstract

The invention relates to a system adapted for printing and for consecutively placing in boxes moving on a conveyor, documents of the slip type (11) in correspondence with the boxes and with the products to be received therein. The system (6) comprises, at the outlet (12) of a printer (5) supplying documents (11) in the form of one or more printed sheets for each box, advance and storage means (13, 14) with a succession of locations (19,20,21,22) for receiving the sheets, between which the documents (11) advance step by step. Means (27, 28) for transferring the documents (11) to the boxes are provided at the last location (22). The advance and storage means (13, 14) define a flat U-shaped path. The system is intended for order preparation lines.

Description

System for depositing documents in crates

The present invention relates to a system for depositing documents in crates. More particularly, in the context of a picking line, with a conveyor along which cardboard boxes are to be filled each with products corresponding to a command, the invention is concerned with a system which is designed to edit, and to bring successively in the boxes, documents of the type "order picking slips" or "delivery slips", established in correspondence with these boxes and with the products to be received by them.

In such applications, it is therefore necessary to coordinate the printing and delivery of the slips with the advance of the boxes on the conveyor, and guide these slips to bring them inside the boxes.

A first known solution is to deposit the vouchers directly into the boxes, these vouchers being edited as and when the arrival of the boxes at a station provided with a deposit system, associated with a printer or a photocopier. Especially if each slip is a bundle with a large number of sheets, the rate of removal is here conditioned by the speed of printing and output sheets of the printer or photocopier. The maximum rate of such a system is six cases per minute. To obtain a higher rate, two systems must be positioned next to each other, above the conveyor. With this first solution, the guidance of the documents to the crates can be achieved by means of a slide, the sheets being drawn down by gravity alone, or the documents are guided and driven forward between gripping endless belts , driven at the same speed and located on both sides of the leaves to be deposited. NL 1028696 C2 gives an example of such an embodiment, providing for a direct vertical descent of the sheets to the boxes.

Another solution, allowing higher removal rates, is to print documents "anticipating" the arrival of the boxes, and to intermediate storage of printed documents. in a "buffer" zone to deposit them at the right moment in each box arriving at a precise point.

In a particular type of embodiment of this kind, the storage of the sheets is vertical, and thus the volume occupied by the buffer zone is important. In addition, the leaves are not guided to the inside of each box; they are ejected from their storage area, and they then descend by gravity into the box. This requires a fairing to better channel the leaves, but the fairing is not adaptable to the height of each box. Thus, the accuracy of depositing documents remains random here, and significant problems of receipt of documents arise in the case of supply of vouchers in crates already filled with products.

In another known category of embodiments, a bundle of sheets constituting the slip is deposited on an endless belt, or on another flat conveyor of the sheets, the storage of sheets being horizontal. At the end of printing a bundle of sheets, the carpet advances one step, of length equivalent to the width of a printed sheet increased by a few centimeters. The storage of the sheets being here horizontal, the length of the buffer zone is important; a shortening of this buffer zone is not appropriate, because it would then approach the first solution, that is to say direct deposit slips. Overall, the rate of these horizontal storage systems can be high, for example of the order of 1800 to 2000 cases per hour, but they retain the disadvantage of a large footprint in length. The present invention aims to remedy all of the previously mentioned disadvantages, and is therefore intended to provide a system for depositing documents in crates, particularly suitable for order picking lines, which allows an increase in the rate of deposit slips, while having a minimum footprint, and which provides a reliable and accurate deposit slips in crates, even full, adapting if necessary to the height of these boxes.

For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a system for depositing documents in boxes, more particularly a system which, intended for a line for the preparation of orders with a conveyor along which cash boxes, in particular cardboard boxes, each with products corresponding to an order, is designed to print, and to bring successively into the crates, documents of the kind slips in correspondence with these boxes and with the products to be received by them, the system being of the kind comprising a zone for storing printed documents before they are brought into the boxes, this document-removal system being essentially characterized by the fact that it comprises, at the output of a printer delivering the documents in the form of one or more printed sheets for each box, means for advance and storage in the form of a succession of sheet receiving locations, between which the documents step by step, from a starting location receiving the sheets at the exit of the printer, and to a last location waiting for removal, through one or more intermediate locations, means for transferring documents to the the boxes being associated with the last location, the means of advance and storage defining a path "U" lying for the documents to be deposited, with an upper branch on which is the starting location, and with a lower branch on which is the drop-off location.

Thus, this depositing system, a particularly compact configuration, is able to recover the sheets at the output of the printer, to group all the printed sheets to the same box, and to deposit sheets in the crate when it presents itself, the leaves being laid flat. Preferably, the system is designed to store the slips of at least four crates, so that the recovery time of the printing can be masked by the removal of four groups of sheets, so that the breaks in printing do not occur. effect on the overall rate of the system. A number of receiving locations strictly equal to four here constitutes a preferred solution for maintaining a compact system. The means of advance and storage comprise, in one embodiment of the invention, parallel endless belts each provided with at least one cleat and able to advance the sheets from one receiving location to the next, and actuators actuated by jacks, provided at different receiving locations to retain or release the sheets. The documents, constituted by a sheet or by several sheets grouped, can thus advance in a controlled way since their starting location, at the exit of the printer, to a last location where they are waiting to be removed, the passage of documents to a following location being conditioned by the fact that this next location is empty or has been evacuated leaves that he received previously. The stops actuated by jacks, provided at each intermediate location, prevent any mixing sheets constituting consecutive slips, preventing sheets located in one location slide by gravity effect to the next location.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the system of the invention, the penultimate receiving location, that is to say the one that precedes the location of waiting for removal, comprises a stop actuated by a jack and thus made movable alternatively at high speed, this stop being in particular displaced in the opposite direction to the advance of the sheets to reconstitute stacks of sheets matched. Staple means can be provided at the last location of waiting for removal, to bring together the sheets called to constitute the same document, just before their transfer to the boxes.

In a variant of the system of the invention, stapling means are provided at the first receiving location, to gather as soon as they exit the printer sheets intended to constitute the same document.

At the last receiving location, the document transfer means in the boxes are advantageously constituted by a thrust jack, able to move each document flat and guided, until it reaches the top of the corresponding box . The documents are thus guided to the boxes, without the need to cover the crates by a fairing. Once in the box, the document has its printed side up, so easily read without handling the document in the box. As a variant, the final function of transferring documents into the boxes may possibly be made by blowing.

The invention will be better understood with the aid of the description which follows, with reference to the appended diagrammatic drawing representing, by way of example, an embodiment of this system for depositing documents. Figure 1 is an overview, in plan above, of a picking line provided with a document filing system according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of the document removal system alone;

Figure 3 is a top view of this document removal system.

FIG. 1 is a plan view from above and very schematically, of a picking line in which cardboard boxes 2 rest and advance on a conveyor 3, according to the arrow F ₁ , constituting a continuous flow of boxes. At the entrance of the line is placed a barcode reader 4, provided for the identification of each box 2 which here is still empty. The bar code reader 4 allows the sending of the good computer file corresponding to this box 2, for printing a document designated as "order picking slip", which must be brought into the corresponding box as explained below. Downstream of the barcode reader 4, there is provided on one side of the conveyor 3 a printer 5, to which is associated the actual document removal system, generally designated by the reference 6 and shown more particularly in FIGS. and 3.

Beyond the printer 5 and the document removal system 6, is still installed a set 7 of two barcode readers, intended to check the consistency between each box 2 and the deposited slip which, in principle, must 2. The installation shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1 further comprises an entry stop 8 which can be raised above the plane of the conveyor 3 in front of the bar code reader 4, another stop 9 being able to be raised. above the plane of the conveyor 3 in front of the removal system 6, and optionally an output stop 10, located downstream of the set 7 of bar code readers for consistency check. These stops 8, 9 and 10 can be accommodated, each between two drive rollers of the conveyor 3; they rise above the plane of the conveyor 3 to stop a box 2, and retract under this plane to leave a free passage to the boxes. The stop 9 allows in particular to achieve a free and repeatable stop of each box 2 under the depositing system 6, to allow a correct removal of the document or corresponding slip (as detailed below). The stop of output 10, optional, allows to control a possible change of direction of the boxes 2, for example for the passage of a box from one conveyor to another (in a configuration comprising two or more conveyors).

In a manner not shown, are still associated with the dispensing system 6 an electrical cabinet containing a controller, and a control panel, and a computer that can be of the "PC" type and control software.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the depot system 6, which receives the slips 11 at the exit 12 of the printer 5, is now described, and which brings each slip 11 into the corresponding box 2 (here no shown). Each slip 11, shown schematically as a single sheet, is actually a document consisting of one or more sheets printed and grouped.

The depositing system 6 comprises, for the advance and intermediate storage of the slips 11, a set of endless belts 13 parallel, for example three belts 13, which are each provided with a latch 14. The belts 13 pass onuxuxambikes 15 and 16, respectively drive and return, rotatably mounted about respective horizontal axes 17 and 18. The belts 13 thus define, starting from the output 12 of the printer, a "U" path lying for slips 11, with an upper horizontal branch, a return to 180 ° downwards and a lower horizontal branch, this path being located in a plane transverse to the conveyor. Along the recumbent "U" path, there are a succession of locations, more particularly (in the illustrated example) four locations which are respectively:

a starting location 19 situated on the upper horizontal branch, at the exit 12 of the printer,

a first intermediate location, situated on the upper horizontal branch;

a second intermediate location 21 situated in the return zone and on the lower horizontal branch;

- A last receiving location, said drop waiting location 22, located on the lower horizontal branch. At the various locations thus defined, there are stops 23 actuated by pneumatic cylinders 24, which allow to retain or release the sheets.

However, between the last two receiving locations 21 and 22, there is a specific abutment 25 actuated horizontally by a pneumatic cylinder 26.

Finally, at the last receiving location 22, there is provided on the one hand a step in the course of the slips 11 to allow the passage to the tabs 14 (continuing their advance with the belts 13), and on the other hand a actuating cylinder 27 actuating fingers 28 ejection documents.

During operation, the conveyor 3 advances step by step, advancing in the same manner all the boxes 2, and simultaneously the printer 5 edits the corresponding slips 11, delivering them through its output 12 to the starting location 19 6. In this system, the slips 11 also advance step by step, from one receiving location to the next, thus passing through the two intermediate locations 20 and 21 to reach the location of the 22. The stops 23 actuated by the cylinders 24 control the advance of the documents: before the tabs 14 of the belts 13 push a packet of sheets to the next location, the stop 23 is disengaged from the path of the sheets by the jack 24 to which it is coupled, then this stop 23 is returned to its active position after the passage of the latches 14, to stop the sheets of the next packet. The last stop 25, actuated alternately at high speed by its jack 26, allows by its movement opposite the direction of advance of leaves to replace in perfect correspondence all the sheets constituting the same slip 11. Finally, each slip 11 received at Last location 12 is transferred flat, by means of the positioning cylinder 27 and the ejection fingers 28, to the corresponding box 2.

For example, the operating rate (expressed as the number of crates processed per minute) of the document-removal system previously described may be the following, depending on the number of sheets constituting a slip: - for a sheet: 25 cases / minute

- for 2 sheets: 20 cases / minute boy Wut

- for 4 sheets: 11 cases / minute

- for 6 sheets: 7 cases / minute

- for 8 sheets: 5 cases / minute

- For 10 sheets: 4 boxes / minute Thus, for single slips each consisting of a single sheet, the hourly rate obtained will be:

25 X 60 = 1500 cases / hour

This performance is achieved in a minimum volume, especially since the documents are guided along a "U" recumbent path (as shown in the drawing).

In the case of slips consisting of two or more sheets, it may be further provided a stapling module for collecting the sheets called to form the same slip. As shown very schematically in Figure 1, the stapling module 29 may be particularly associated with the last location of reception, said location waiting to drop 22. In this case, all the sheets of the same slip are joined by stapling after being returned in perfect correspondence by means of the stop 25 actuated by the jack 26, and just before their transfer to the boxes 2. In a variant not shown, the stapling module is associated with the first receiving location 19. Thus , the sheets called to form the same slip are collected as soon as they exit the printer 5, and they browse all locations 19 to 22 in the assembled state.

The system for depositing documents, object of the invention, is implantable at the beginning or end of the picking line, in a new or pre-existing installation. In the case where the system is located at the beginning of the order picking line, it makes it possible to deposit order preparation slips in empty boxes, that is to say slips each containing the list of orders. different products to be taken and placed in the corresponding boxes along the conveyor on which these boxes advance. If the system is located at the end of the picking line, just before the closing station of the boxes, the system allows to place delivery notes in boxes filled with previously collected products, for example export shipments . It would not depart from the scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims: by modifying constructive details, and making use of all equivalents, for example by replacing the pneumatic cylinders by electric or electromagnetic actuators (to solenoid); by incorporating into the system a printer of any type; using the system for the removal of any documents, comprising a variable number of sheets interconnected or not, the information carried by these sheets can be very variable depending on the application cases; by targeting this system to the deposit of documents in boxes of any size and made of any material.

Claims

1. System for depositing documents in boxes, the system being intended for a picking line with a conveyor (3) along which advance boxes (2) including cardboard to be filled each with products corresponding to a command, this system being designed to print, and to successively bring in the boxes (2), documents of the type slips (11) in correspondence with these boxes (2) and with the products to be received by them, the system comprising a storage area for the printed documents, before they are brought into the boxes, characterized in that it comprises, at the output of a printer (5) delivering the documents in the form of one or more printed sheets for each box (2), means of advance and storage (13,14) in the form of a succession of locations (19,20,21, 22) for receiving the sheets, between which the documents (11) advance step by step, from a location e departure (19) receiving the sheets at the output (12) of the printer (5), and to a last location (22) waiting to drop, passing through one or more intermediate locations (20,21 ), transfer means (27,28) of the documents to the boxes being associated with the last location (22), the means of advance and storage (13,14) defining a "U" path lying for the documents to deposit, with an upper branch on which is located the starting location (19), and with a lower branch on which is located the waiting location of removal (22).

2. document removal system according to claim 1, characterized in that it is designed to store the slips (11) of four boxes (2) at least, the number of receiving locations (19,20,21, 22) being preferably equal to four.

3. document removal system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the means of advance and storage comprise parallel endless belts (13) each provided with at least one cleat (14) and able to make advancing the sheets from one receiving location (19,20,21) to the next, and stops (23) actuated by jacks (24), provided at different receiving locations to retain or release the sheets.

Document removal system according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the penultimate receiving location (21), that is to say the one which precedes the waiting location of removal (22), comprises a stop (25) actuated by a jack (26) and thus made alternately movable at high speed, this stop (25) being in particular displaced in the opposite direction to the advance of the sheets for reconstituting piles sheets matched.

5. document removal system according to claim 4, characterized in that stapling means (29) are provided at the last location (22) waiting to remove, to bring together the sheets called to constitute the same document (11). ), just before they are transferred to the crates.

6. Document removal system according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that stapling means are provided at the first receiving location (19), to reunite as soon as they exit the printer (5). sheets to form a single document (11).

Document removal system according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the last receiving location (22), the document transfer means in the boxes are constituted by a thrust cylinder (27, 28), moving each document (11) flat and guided until it reaches the top of the corresponding box (2).