WO2019106135A1

WO2019106135A1 - Installation for the unloading, one by one, of stacked products, especially spectacle lenses

Info

Publication number: WO2019106135A1
Application number: PCT/EP2018/083099
Authority: WO
Inventors: Christian MATHERET; Christophe DROUIN; Cédric BARADAT
Original assignee: Pharmed S.A.M.
Priority date: 2017-12-01
Filing date: 2018-11-30
Publication date: 2019-06-06
Also published as: FR3074488B1; EP3717386A1; FR3074488A1

Abstract

The invention proposes an installation (30) for the unloading, one by one, of stacked products (10, 10F, 10B) which comprises a rail (32) for the intermediate storage and translational guiding of products inside the rail (32), of which the front end is delimited by a transverse front plate (70) which comprises a recess (80) giving access to the front end product (10F), a controlled clamping member (50) which applies a force to the rear end product (10B), a controlled pusher (52) which is mounted mobile between a retracted front position and at least one active rear position wherein it exerts a force on the front end product (10F) to move it towards a remote rear gripping position, and a member (56) for gripping and extracting products (10, 10F, 10B) outside of the rail (32) by successively and individually gripping each front end product (10F).

Description

“Installation for the unloading, one by one, of stacked products, especially spectacle lenses”

Technical field of the invention

The invention concerns an installation for the one by one unloading of products stacked by batches, especially sight-correction lenses, in order to make it possible for their automated storage and their individual, automated handling.

Technical background of the invention

The invention applies especially, but not solely, in the field of the industry for manufacturing pairs of vision glasses.

A pair of glasses is composed of one frame and two lenses, sometimes also called glasses.

Each lens is adapted to the eyesight of the patient, and it must be custom-made.

Indeed, further to the parameters linked to the patient’s eyesight, which characterise the correction with respect to the defect of the patient’s vision, each lens can be of the single focal type, multiple focal type, tinted, and undergo different specific scratch resistant, anti-reflective, etc. treatments.

Thus, a lens manufacturer must be able to store and manage several tens, even several hundreds of thousands of possible combinations, all of which are lens references.

A lens manufacturer produces semi-finished lenses, of which only the convex surface is prepared, and finished lenses whose convex surface and concave surface are prepared.

In order to be able to provide, in the shortest possible time, end users with the production and sale of pairs of glasses, distribution centres and laboratories have been created.

A distribution centre stores the greatest number of possible references, finished lenses, and delivers them as quickly as possible in the form of orders, for example to another local distribution centre, to a laboratory, or to an optician.

A laboratory manufactures“tailor-made” lenses, generally from semi finished lenses, but also sometimes from finished lenses that it keeps in stock. Thus, there is a general, important problem with the automated and individualised storage of different lenses and the handling these products, especially in terms of the preparation orders to be shipped.

Semi-finished lenses are generally packaged in a cardboard box, of a general rectangular parallelepipeds shape, while finished lenses are themselves generally packaged in an envelope made of paper or of a similar material, which generally has square edges.

Whether a cardboard box or an envelope, in the sense of the invention, this is a product of a general rectangular parallelepipeds shape with peripheral square or rectangular edges, and which is delimited by two, mainly flat, opposite large main transverse faces.

The automated storage and handling of such a product require being able to store each lens individually in a tray- or tub-shaped support comprising means for identifying the lens that it contains

Therefore, the production of an overall automated storage and handling unit requires being able, at a fast rate and reliably, to deposit individually each lens in an associated or paired support tray.

Lenses, and especially finished lenses, are delivered to the storage unit in batches, each of which is constituted of at least one stack or row of lenses, or stack of products, which is packaged in a cardboard box.

Each stack or row contains several tens of products, for example between eighty and one hundred finished lenses, which are stored adjacent to one another by their flat main faces.

In manual processing, after having emptied a cardboard box, the operator must take or grab each product, one by one, in order to identify it and decide on its storage in a suitable zone provided for this purpose.

The purpose of the present invention is to allow the unloading, one by one, of a batch of stacked products while ensuring it is reliably grabbed and handled, in particular in order to deposit each product thus extracted individually in an individual container such as a tub or a tray..

In the field of unfolding adjacently-stacked paper sheets, it has been proposed in document US-A1 -2013/0334763, a page by page unfolding design, but which does not guarantee a unitary or individual gripping of each sheet, because of the pressure exerted by the controlled axial clamping member on the stack of stored sheets.

Brief summary of the invention

The invention proposes an installation for the unloading, one by one, of products stacked by batches which comprises :

- a rail :

- for the intermediate storage of a batch of products ;

- and for the axial translational guiding of products stacked axially adjacent to one another inside the rail,

said rail having a front end delimited by an axial front retaining transverse plate for a front end product of the stack of products,

said front retaining plate comprising a recess giving access to a portion of front transverse surface of the front end product ;

- a controlled clamping member, which is capable of applying an axial force, from rear to front, on a rear end product of the stack of products ;

- a controlled pusher which is mounted axially mobile with respect to the rail between:

- a retracted front position;

- and at least one active rear position in which position the pusher exerts an axial push force from front to rear, against the force applied by the clamping member, on the front end product of the stack of products to move it towards a retracted gripping rear position in which position this product is not in contact with the front retaining plate ;

- a member for gripping and extracting products outside of the rail, which is capable of cooperating with the front end product.

According to other features of the installation :

- the pusher is mounted axially mobile through said recess to exert said axial push force on said portion of front transverse surface of the front end product.

- at its front end, the rail comprises a window for laterally extracting the front end product by the gripping and extraction member, and the gripping and extraction member is mounted mobile with respect to the rail along a direction orthogonal to the axial direction between:

-- a position for gripping the front end product stored in the rail; - and an extraction position wherein the gripped product is extracted outside of the rail;

- the gripping and extraction member is mounted axially mobile between an intermediate front position and a rear position for gripping the front end product;

- the axial movements of the gripping and extraction member and of the pusher are controlled so as to generate a movement of the pusher towards the front and outside of its active rear position, before the gripping and extraction member reaches its gripping position;

- the pusher comprises two rear push pads, spaced apart transversally from one another and capable of cooperating with said position of front transverse surface of the front end product, and the gripping and extraction member is mounted axially mobile between the two rear push pads of the pusher;

- the gripping and extraction member comprises at least one controlled suction cup capable of cooperating with said portion of front transverse surface of the front end product;

- the front retaining plate has a“U”-shaped frame, of which the three consecutive mounts delimit a rear retaining surface for a front end product of the stack of products;

- the front retaining plate is mounted so that it can be axially adjusted at the front end of the rail between:

- a frontmost position;

- and a rearmost position for loading a batch of products in the rail;

- the controlled clamping member comprises a retractable clamping finger:

- that is capable of applying an axial force, from rear to front, on a rear end product of the stack of products;

- and that is capable of applying an axial movement force, from front to rear on the front retaining plate between its frontmost position and its rear loading position;

- the clamping member, the pusher, and the gripping and extraction member are carried by an unloading module which is mounted transversally mobile with respect to the rail between: -- at least one working position wherein the module can be implemented to unload products stored in the rail;

- and a position laterally-offset with respect to said working position;

- the installation comprises several, transversally parallel and adjacent storage and guide rails;

- the module is mounted transversally mobile with respect to the guide rails between several working positions, in each of which positions the module can be implemented to unload products stored in one of said several rails.

Brief description of the figures

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear upon reading the following detailed description, and will be better understood with reference to the appended drawings, wherein:

- figure 1 is a perspective view of a cardboard box containing lenses to be unloaded by means of an installation according to the invention;

- figure 2 is a schematic, perspective view of an envelope containing a lens;

- figure 3 is a top view of a tray containing an envelope according to figure 2;

- figure 4 is a perspective view of an installation according to the invention with multiple horizontal rails;

- figure 5 is a top view of some of the components and elements of the installation of figure 4;

- figure 6 is a detailed, perspective view on a larger scale of a part of figure 5;

- figure 7 is a detailed, perspective view of the unloading module belonging to the installation illustrated in figure 4;

- figure 8 is a detailed, large-scale, perspective and cross section view through a vertical and longitudinal median plane, of a rail connected to the pusher and to the gripping and extraction member carried by the module of figure 7;

- figure 9 is a detailed, perspective and large-scale view illustrating the rear end of two adjacent rails;

- figure 10 is a detailed, perspective view of the pusher;

- figure 11 is a detailed, perspective view of a front retaining plate; - figure 12 is a detailed, large-scale and cross-section view through a vertical, transverse plane illustrating the front end portion of two adjacent rails connected to the pusher and the gripping and extension member;

- figures 13-A to 13-N and 13-P to 13-S are schematic representations of the main components of the installation making it possible to illustrate an extraction cycle of a product outside of a rail;

- figure 13-0 is a schematic, perspective view illustrating the gripping and extraction member and the pusher in the position that they occupy in figure 13-N;

- figures 14-A to 14-F are schematic representations, similar to those of figures 13 making it possible to illustrate the different steps of an initialisation cycle of the installation.

Detailed description of the figures

In the description below, the elements having an identical structure or similar functions will be referenced with the same references.

In the description below, the longitudinal, vertical and transverse orientations, indicated by the trihedral,“L, V, T” in certain figures, will be adopted in a non-limiting manner. Also, a horizontal plane is defined, which extends longitudinally and transversally.

The terms pile, stack or stacking will be used, without reference to the Earth’s gravity. Thus, a stack of products is constituted of a series or row of products, aligned and stored adjacent to one another.

Such a batch of products - stacked along a longitudinal stack axis - can be arranged vertically with products “placed” on top of one another, or horizontally, or more or less tilted, with adjacent products resting through gravity, on a surface by one of their small faces or borders or one of their side edges.

A stack can be constituted of a batch of products, all identical, especially in terms of their sizes, or different products, especially in terms of their individual thickness separating their two opposite, transverse main faces.

In figures 2 and 3, a product 10 constituted of an envelope 12 containing a lens (not represented), which is delimited by its two substantially flat, opposite main faces 14, of which one carries an identification code marking M, and by its four side edges, the envelope here having a square edge, has been schematically represented. Each main face 14 comprises a central surface portion 15, of which one is provided with the marking M and constitutes the transverse front surface portion of the transverse front face of the product 10 according to the invention.

A tub or tray 20 wherein is housed a product 10 for the purpose of its automated storage and its automated handling has also been represented.

The product 10 is placed in the tray 20 with its central surface portion 15 provided with the marking M oriented upwards.

The tray 20 comprises a bottom wall 22 and a peripheral side wall 24.

In figure 1 , an open cardboard box C has been represented, by means of which the manufacturer delivers a series of lenses each of which is in its individual envelope, the packed lenses or products 10 here being, as a non limiting example, stored in two parallel or adjacent series or stacks, each containing several tens of products.

In figure 4, an embodiment example of an installation 30 for the unloading, one by one, of products stacked by batches, such as those illustrated especially in figures 1 to 3, has been represented.

The installation 30 here comprises a series of sixteen storage and guide rails 32 which are carried by a lower frame 34.

The rails 32 here are arranged horizontally, parallel to one another, and adjacent to one another.

Each rail 32 extends along a horizontal, longitudinal direction or axis, from rear to front, along the axis L indicated in the figures.

At a right angle with the front ends of the rails 32, the installation 30 comprises a conveyor 36 which is carried by the frame 34 and which extends horizontally substantially at the same elevation as the rails 32 and along a transverse direction T indicated in the figures.

In a generally known design, the conveyor 36 makes it possible to circulate, in a controlled manner, a flow of trays 20 to the upper face of the conveyor 36, the trays 20 resting on the latter with their open upper faces oriented towards the top along the vertical direction V.

The installation 30 also comprises an unloading module 40, which is illustrated in particular in figure 7. The module 40 is an assembly which is mounted horizontally mobile and along the transverse direction T with respect to the frame 34, to the rails 32 and to the conveyor 36.

To this end, the module 40 comprises a lower motorisation block 42 which, as can be seen especially in figure 6, is mounted along the vertical and transverse front face of the frame 34 along which it can be moved along the axis T in both directions.

The module 40 comprises a rigid structure in the form of a horizontal bracket 44 which is carried by the block 42 (by way of two vertical columns 43) and which extends mainly horizontally along the longitudinal direction from front to rear and especially above the block of rails 32.

The bracket 44 carries a longitudinal guide slide 46 by sliding in both directions and driving a clamping member 48 in the sense of the invention which extends mainly vertically towards the bottom in the form of a lower clamping finger 50.

In figures 4, 7 and 9, the clamping finger 50 is represented in its normal operating position wherein it extends vertically. The clamping finger 50 can also, in a controlled manner using an actuator 51 , be retracted horizontally by pivoting about the transverse axis A1.

The movements of the clamping member 50 along the slide 46 are, for example, generated by an actuator (not represented in detail) such as a pneumatic actuator which makes it possible to vary, in a controlled manner, the clamping force likely to be applied by the clamping finger 50 in either direction.

In the proximity of the columns 43, and substantially at a right angle with the front ends of the rails 32, the bracket 44 also carries a member 54 for gripping and extracting products outside of the rails 32, as well as a controlled pusher 52.

The gripping and extraction member 54 here comprises a gripping head 56 that operates by suctioning by means of suction cups 57 connected in a controlled manner to a vacuum source.

The gripping head 56 with its suction cups 57 is capable of cooperating with a front transverse surface portion 15 of a product 10 for taking it in view of moving it. The gripping and extraction member 54 comprises actuation means 55, which will not be described in detail, that make it possible for it to make different displacements and movements mainly in a vertical and longitudinal plane, with respect to the bracket 44.

As will be described below in more detail, these movements comprise movements made mainly along the vertical direction V, as well as other movements or displacements made mainly along the longitudinal axial direction L.

When the module 40 is functionally aligned with a rail 32, the gripping and extraction member 54 with its gripping head 56 is situated at a right angle with the front free end of this rail 32.

The pusher 52 is a component member which is capable of being moved in both directions, with respect to the bracket 44 along the longitudinal and axial direction L.

The pusher 52 is arranged in the same zone as the gripping and extraction member 54, so as to also make it possible for it to act at the level of the front free end of a rail 32.

The pusher 52 is a member whose movements are generated by a controlled actuator V (not represented in detail, but illustrated schematically in figures 13 and 14) which is, for example, a pneumatic actuator so as to be able to be moved under a determined front and rear actuation force and counteracting the clamping forces possibly applied by the clamping finger 50.

To this end, the clamping finger 50 and the pusher 52 are aligned substantially in one same vertical and longitudinal plane and are longitudinally aligned.

More specifically, and as can be seen, especially in detail in figures

8, 10 and 12, the pusher 52 comprises two push pads 58, each of which extends vertically, and which are spaced apart transversally from one another to define between them a clearance 60 for the free passage, in its different displacements and movements, of the gripping head 56 of the gripping and extraction member 54.

Each push pad 58 is longitudinally delimited towards the rear by a vertical push face 59, both push faces 59 being coplanar and extending in a vertical plane following a transverse orientation. Each rail 32 is designed to receive a more or less significant batch of products such as, for example, a stack of products 10 coming from a cardboard box C.

To this end, each rail 32 is delimited by two side walls 62, each following a vertical and longitudinal orientation, with a side wall 62 that could be shared by two adjacent passages, as illustrated in the figures.

Each rail 32 is also delimited by a bottom wall 64 which here is horizontal and follows a longitudinal orientation so as to form a passage or storage and guide duct, of which the entire upper face here is open.

The transverse width separating the inner faces 63 facing the two side walls 62 of a rail 32 is slightly greater than the distance between the two vertical and opposite side walls of the products 10 intended to be received inside the rail 32.

The upper face 65 of the bottom wall 64 comprises a central slide 66 which extends over its whole length and whose function will be specified below.

At its rear longitudinal end, and as is illustrated in detail in figure 9, each rail 32 is opened longitudinally towards the rear and the rear end edge of each side wall 62 is provided with a pair of swing doors 68 so as to constitute, for each rail 32, a pair of “saloon doors” making it possible, for example, for the introduction along the longitudinal direction, from rear to front, of products 10 in the rail 32 by retracting and crossing of these doors 68, but retaining the products 10 inside the rail by preventing their“exit” from front to rear as illustrated in figure 9.

At its front end, each rail 32 is mainly axially open towards the front.

In order to be able to retain products 10 inside the rail 32 by avoiding the accidental release or evacuation at the front end, each rail 32 is provided with a transverse front retaining plate 70, which extends inside the rail 32 in a transverse vertical plane.

As can be seen in detail in figures 8, 11 and 12, each plate 70, is presented in the form of a peripheral frame with three mounts, of which two are vertical side mounts 72 connected to one another by a lower horizontal mount 74 giving a general U-shape to the retaining plate 70.

The lower horizontal mount 74 is extended longitudinally towards the rear by an axial and horizontal guide and maintaining lug 76 which is received by longitudinal sliding in both directions in the slide 66 such that, regardless of its longitudinal position inside the rail 32, the retaining plate 70 always extends in a vertical plane.

The design in the form of a U-shaped frame of the transverse front retaining plate 70 makes it possible, by its face or transverse surface and rear vertical surface 71 , to constitute a bearing and retaining surface for a product 10 adjacent to this face or surface 71.

This design provides a clearance or central recess 80 through which can penetrate longitudinally and be moved, the pusher 52 and the gripping and extraction member 54 with their gripping head 56.

In figure 8, a lower stop finger 82 in a determined axial position of the front retaining plate which is used during the initialisation cycle, has been represented.

Each rail 32 is equipped with such a blocking finger which is normally inactive and which can be implemented by introducing it, in a controlled manner, in the slide 66 at the front of the front retaining plate 70.

In the description below, a front end product housed in a rail 32 will be referenced as 10F, i.e. the product 10 situated mostly at the front and which, each time, will be the next product to be unloaded outside of the rail 32 in view of transferring it into a tray 20.

In the same manner, referenced as 10B, a rear end product housed in a rail 32 will be designated, i.e. the product 10 situated at the rearmost end and on which is in particular likely to operate the clamping finger 50.

Thus, except for when one single product remains in a rail 32, a stack or row of products 10 contained in a rail 32 comprises, at any time, a front end product 10F and a rear end product 10B.

The implementation method and the functioning of the installation 30, which has just been described, will now be described, especially in reference to figures 13-A to 13-S.

The main functional and operational components of the module 40 connected to a rail 32 are illustrated in figure 13-A and in the following figures, on which they are referenced by the same references as those used in the above description.

In figure 13-A, the rail 32 is illustrated with four products 10 inside, including a front end product 10F and a rear end product 10B. Under the rail 32, a longitudinal axis is represented, on which are indicated five positions P0 to P4, successively from front to rear.

In the initial state, the retaining plate 70 is arranged at the front free end of the rail 32 and the pusher 52 occupies a position wherein it extends through the recess 80 and inside the rail 32, such that the front end product 10F bears axially towards the front against the push surfaces 59 of the pusher 52, while the clamping finger 50 exerts a counteracting clamping force on the rear transverse face of the rear end product 10B to maintain all the products 10 substantially adjacent to one another, and each one in its vertical orientation.

The gripping and extraction member 54 is illustrated in the front passive position wherein it extends mainly horizontally and wherein it is fully situated outside of the rail 32.

In view of taking or gripping the front end product 10F, and as is illustrated in figures 13-B and 13-C, the gripping and extraction member 54 is moved longitudinally towards the rear and pivots progressively so as to reach a vertical orientation such as illustrated in figure 13-D.

In this figure 13-D, further to its vertical orientation, the gripping head 56 with its suction cups 57 has started to penetrate axially, through the recess 80 of the front retaining plate 70, inside the rail 32 by also being moved axially with respect to the pusher 52 (inside the clearance 60 between the push pads 58).

To be able to reach the position for gripping the front end product 10F, wherein it is possible to control the suction cups 57 to grip the front end product 10F, i.e. the position illustrated in figure 13-E, the gripping and extraction member 54 with its gripping head 56 follows the axial longitudinal trajectory from front to rear inside the pusher 52 and through the recess 80 of the front retaining plate 70.

Simultaneously, the actuator V controls a longitudinal trajectory from rear to front of the pusher 52. such that the latter is no longer in contact through its push pads 58 with the transverse front surface portion 15 of the front end product 10F.

Thus, in this position, the front end product is not in contact with the push surfaces 59 of the push sliders 58, nor with the transverse rear face 71 of the front retaining plate 70. As can be seen in figure 13-F, the longitudinal movement towards the front of the pusher 52 continues, in order to fully clear it outside of the rail 32 and outside of the recess 80 of the front retaining plate 70, in view of clearing the corresponding zone to facilitate the subsequent movements of the gripping head 56, which carries the front end product 10F.

The retracted foremost position of the pusher 52 is illustrated in figure 13-G.

In this same figure, the start of the extraction movement of the front end product 10F outside of the rail 32 has been illustrated

This extraction is especially made possible by the fact that the assembly of the upper face of the rail 32 here is open by constituting an extraction window towards the top of each front end product 10F outside of the rail 32.

The first part of the extraction trajectory, visible by comparing figures 13-F and 13-G, is mainly constituted by a displacement or movement in the transverse plane and along the vertical direction, from bottom to top.

As can be seen in figures 13-H to 13-1, the first part of the vertical trajectory is followed by a pivoting trajectory in the anticlockwise direction about a transverse axis.

Between these two figures, as the gripping and extraction member 54 and the front end product 10F that it carries, have been cleared towards the front and towards the top, it is possible by means of the actuator V to return the pusher 52 longitudinally towards the rear and inside the front end portion of the rail 32 to its“initial” position that it occupied in the initial state illustrated in figure 13-A.

The succession of figures 13-J to 13-Q illustrates the continuation of the movements and displacements that the gripping and extraction member 54 makes first by pivoting in the clockwise direction, then by vertical movement from top to bottom to deposit the front end product 10F in a tray 20.

During this“final” trajectory of the gripping and extraction member 54, and here as an example derived from the state illustrated in figure 13-M, the clamping finger 50 is actuated to generate its longitudinal movement from the rear to the front to act on the rear end product 10B in view of pushing it towards the front with other products 10 axially housed in front of it until reaching the position and state illustrated in figure 13-N, wherein the stack or series - here a series of three - of products 10 contained in the rail 32 is again in the state similar to that illustrated in figure 13-A, wherein a new front end product 10F bears axially towards the front against the push surfaces 59 of the push pads 58 of the pusher 52.

Thus, at the end of the gripping and extraction cycle of a duration of around three seconds, all the components are in the position and the state illustrated in figure 13-S to start a subsequent cycle of extraction of the“new” front end product 10F.

When a rail 32 has been emptied by unloading the products that it contained, the module 40 can be moved laterally to another working position aligned with another rail, previously filled with a stack of products to be unloaded.

Complementarily, and in a non-limiting manner, an initialisation cycle will now be described, corresponding to a method for filling a rail 32 with a stack of products 10 to be extracted, in reference to figures 14-A and following.

As can be seen in figure 14-A, the filling of a rail 32 with a batch of stacked product 10 is done by having previously positioned the front retaining plate 70 in a retracted position towards the rear, which is determined by the stop finger 82 which has been previously actuated for this purpose.

Thus, a maximum axial length for loading or filling is determined, which is less than the total length of the rail 32.

Thus, if the operator compresses the products 10 too strongly axially, this will not have any consequence on the implementation of the unloading module, since, as is illustrated in figure 14-B, the stop finger 82 is disengaged and thereby releases the front retaining plate 70 which, as illustrated in figure 14-C, is then moved towards the front to its maximum front position, with the stack of products 10, under the action of the clamping finger 50.

As indicated in figure 14-D, the pressure exerted by the control actuator on the clamping finger 50 is then released.

The following step illustrated in figure 14-E consists of actuating the pusher 52 from its inactive retracted front position, towards the rear to exert a pressure from front to rear on the stack of products 10 and to generate a trajectory determined from the front end product 10-F towards the rear, the controlled clamping member 50 being moved in the same direction (from front to rear) so as not to increase the axial compression of the products 10 belonging to the stack of products 10. To this end, for example, the pusher 52 is introduced through the front retaining plate 70 inside the rail 32 to exert a pressure from front to rear on the stack of products 10.

As illustrated in figure 14-F, the pusher 52 and the clamping finger 50 are finally returned to their initial position towards the front corresponding to the state of the components at the start of the extraction cycle such as illustrated in figure 13-A.

Claims

1. An installation (30) for the unloading, one by one, of products (10, 10F, 10B) stacked by batches which comprises:

- a rail (32):

- for the intermediate storage of a batch of products (10, 10F, 10B);

- and for the axial translational guiding of products stacked axially adjacent to one another inside the rail (32),

said rail (32) having a front end delimited by an axial front retaining transverse plate (70) for a front end product (10F) of the stack of products,

said front retaining plate (70) comprising a recess (80) giving access to a portion of front transverse surface (15) of the front end product (10F);

- a controlled clamping member (48, 50), which is capable of applying an axial force, from rear to front, on a rear end product (10B) of the stack of products (10, 10F, 10B);

- a controlled pusher (52) which is mounted axially mobile with respect to the rail (32) between:

- a retracted front position;

- and at least one active rear position in which position the pusher exerts an axial push force from front to rear, against the force applied by the clamping member (48, 50), on the front end product (10F) of the stack of products (10, 10F, 10B) to move it towards a retracted gripping rear position in which position this product is not in contact with the front retaining plate (70);

- a member (54) for gripping and extracting products outside of the rail, which is capable of cooperating with the front end product (10F).

2. An installation according to claim 1 , characterised in that the pusher (52) is mounted axially mobile through said recess (80) to exert said axial push force on said portion of front transverse surface (15) of the front end product ( I OF).

3. An installation according to claim 1 , characterised in that:

- at its front end, the rail (32) comprises a window for laterally extracting the front end product by the gripping and extraction member (54);

- and the gripping and extraction member (54) is mounted mobile with respect to the rail (32) along a direction orthogonal to the axial direction between : - - a position for gripping the front end product (10F) stored in the rail

(32);

- and an extraction position, wherein the gripped product is extracted outside of the rail (32).

4. An installation according to claim 1 , characterised in that the gripping and extraction member is mounted axially mobile between an intermediate front position and a rear position for gripping the front end product ( I OF).

5. An installation according to claims 3 and 4, characterised in that the axial movements of the gripping and extraction member (54) and of the pusher

(52) are controlled so as to generate a movement of the pusher (52) towards the front and outside of its active rear position, before the gripping and extraction member (54) reaches its gripping position.

6. An installation according to claims 2 and 4, characterised in that: - the pusher (52) comprises two rear push pads (58), spaced apart transversally from one another and which are capable of cooperating with said position of front transverse surface (15) of the front end product (10F); and

- the gripping and extraction member (54) is mounted axially mobile between the two rear push pads (58) of the pusher (52).

7. An installation according to anyone of the preceding claims, characterised in that the gripping and extraction member (54) comprises at least one controlled suction cup (57) capable of cooperating with said portion of front transverse surface (15) of the front end product (10F).

8. An installation according to anyone of the preceding claims, characterised in that the front retaining plate (70) has a“U”-shaped frame, of which the three consecutive mounts (72, 74, 72) delimit a rear retaining surface (71 ) for a front end product (10F) of the stack of products.

9. An installation according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the front retaining plate (70) is mounted so that it can be axially adjusted at the front end of the rail (32) between:

- a front extreme position;

- and a rear position for loading a batch of products in the rail (32).

10. An installation according to claim 9, characterised in that the controlled clamping member comprises a retractable clamping finger (50): - capable of applying an axial force, from rear to front, on a rear end product (10B) of the stack of products;

- and capable of applying an axial movement force, from front to rear on the front retaining plate (70) between its front extreme position and its rear loading position.

11. An installation according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the clamping member (48, 50), the pusher (52), and the gripping and extraction member (54) are carried by an unloading module (40) which is mounted transversally mobile with respect to the rail (32) between:

- at least one working position wherein the module (40) can be implemented to unload products stored in the rail (32);

- and a position laterally offset with respect to said working position.

12. An installation according to anyone of the preceding claims, characterised in that it comprises several transversally parallel and adjacent storage and guide rails (32).

13. An installation according to claims 11 and 12, characterised in that the module (40) is mounted transversally mobile with respect to the guide rails between several working positions in each of which positions the module (40) can be implemented to unload products stored in one of said several rails (32).