WO1993002953A1

WO1993002953A1 - Machine for processing flat objects

Info

Publication number: WO1993002953A1
Application number: PCT/FR1992/000752
Authority: WO
Inventors: Christian Jean Gérard CAILBAULT
Original assignee: Automatisme Nouveau Organisation (Ano)
Priority date: 1991-08-01
Filing date: 1992-07-30
Publication date: 1993-02-18
Also published as: EP0550746A1; FR2679884A1; FR2679884B1

Abstract

Machine intended to separate flat objects such as packets or envelopes. According to the invention, the machine is comprised of at least a first conveyor (12) receiving the object (10) optionally in piles, a second conveyor (13) for evacuating the objects one by one and following each other and a separator (14) mounted free to pivot about a horizontal axis and provided with a running belt (28) susceptible of coming in contact with the objects.

Description

"Flat object processing machine"

The invention relates to a machine for processing flat objects, in particular pockets, thick envelopes, cases, etc., adapted to automatically separate such objects so that they can be conveyed one by one and one after the other. others to another processing station such as for example a marking station or a sorting center or any other.

In the operation of a high-performance automatic sorting installation, for example, it is essential to supply said installation at a sustained rate corresponding to these performances and with complete reliability, that is to say by making so that the objects are sufficiently spaced from each other to be able to be recognized and manipulated as such. It is also desirable that said objects be presented in a suitable position or orientation so that they can be identified and / or seized with a minimum of incidents requiring recycling or manual intervention.

The invention makes it possible to fulfill all these conditions by freeing the users from any restrictive operation in the manner of presenting the objects at the entrance to an installation of the type indicated above.

One of the aims of the invention is therefore to propose an object processing machine allowing the user to present the objects in any way, in particular in stacks of any height, said machine redistributing the objects one by one. .

Another object of the invention is to give a suitable orientation to each object so that it is presented to another processing station in the best conditions.

In this spirit, the invention relates to a machine for processing flat objects, such as for example pockets, envelopes or the like, characterized in that it comprises a first conveyor on which said objects may be in stacks, a second conveyor in the extension of the first, for the evacuation of these objects one by one and one after the other and a separator forming a driving means with a moving strip, arranged substantially between the two conveyors and above them, in that this separator is mounted pivoting freely about a horizontal axis and in that it comprises at least one such moving strip adapted to come into contact with an object or the upper object d 'a stack arriving at the corresponding end of said first conveyor, to drive it towards said second conveyor.

According to an advantageous characteristic, the separator can comprise at least two adhesion bands as defined above, driven in movement by respective controlled motors. Object orientation control means are also arranged at the output of said first conveyor to deliver signals capable of controlling differences in rotation between said motors, capable of redirecting an object engaged with said separator. These orientation control means may include two rows of sensors arranged parallel to the direction of drive of the conveyors, the sensors being sensitive to the progression of an edge of the object moved by said separator. These sensors are preferably of the optoelectric type so as to emit electrical signals when they are covered by the passage of such an object.

The invention will be better understood and other advantages thereof will appear more clearly in the light of the following description of two embodiments of an object processing machine in accordance with its principle, given solely by way of example and made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

- Figure 1 is a schematic elevational view of an object processing machine according to the invention; - Figure 2 is a schematic top view of the same machine;

- Figure 3 is a partial schematic view in elevation of a variant of the object processing machine; and

- Figure 4 is a schematic top view of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a machine for treating flat objects 11 mainly comprising a first conveyor belt 12 with a moving strip on which the objects 10 are deposited, a second conveyor belt with a moving strip 13 for the evacuation of these objects, arranged in the extension of the first and a separator 14 forming a moving strip drive means, arranged substantially between the two conveyors and above them.

According to an original characteristic of the invention, this separator is mounted to pivot freely around a horizontal axis materialized by a shaft 16 secured to a fixed support 17. The machine is completed by a third conveyor 22 with a moving belt, placed in the extension of the second conveyor and driven at a speed greater than that of said second conveyor, to further space the objects.

In the example, the two conveyors 13 and 22 are driven by the same motor 24, via respective belts mounted on pulleys of different diameters secured to the shaft of this motor. The conveyors 13 and 22 each have a running strip 13a, 22a, in a loop, consisting of five parallel belts. In the same way, the first conveyor 12 comprises a moving strip 12a in a loop, consisting of five parallel belts, said strip being driven by a specific motor 26. This conveyor is variable speed or intermittent. More specifically, it is placed under the control of means for detecting the presence of at least one object 10 in the vicinity of the separator 14. It is provided by example an opto-electric sensor 19 or the like in the vicinity of the outlet end 18 of the conveyor 12. Control means provided in a control unit 40, process the signal from this sensor 19 and control the motor 26 so that the conveyor operates at nominal speed if no object is detected in the vicinity of the separator and passes at a reduced speed or stops as soon as an object is detected at this location where it will be taken care of by said separator. The latter comprises at least one moving strip 28 stretched between two rollers 30, 32 spaced parallel to one another and mounted between two lateral flanges 34 articulated on the shaft 16 to pivot relative to its geometric axis. The underside of the moving strip 28 of the separator therefore extends in a plane making a certain angle with the upper face of the moving strip 12a. of the conveyor 12. This angle is variable as a function of the general inclination of the separator 14.

In the example shown, the separator comprises two scrolling bands 28a, 28b above-mentioned, arranged side by side and each consisting of two parallel belts 29. The belts 29 of the band 28a. are stretched between a roller 30a. rotatably mounted on the shaft 16 (possibly with the interposition of ball bearings or the like) while a roller 32a is rotatably mounted on a transverse shaft 36, mounted between the two flanges 34. Similarly, the belts 29 of the strip 28b are stretched between a roller 30b mounted rotating on the shaft 16 and a roller 32b mounted rotating on the shaft 36. The roller 30a is rotated by a motor 38a, controlled, via a transmission belt 39a while the roller 30b is rotated by a motor 38b, controlled, via a transmission belt 39b. The motors 38a, 38b are advantageously stepping motors controlled under the control of an electronic control unit 40, delivering advance pulses developed as a function of the signals delivered to it by orientation control means 44 for the objects 10, arranged at the outlet of the first conveyor 12 to deliver signals able to drive and control differences in rotation between the two motors 38a., 38b.

In the example described, these orientation control means 44 consist of two rows of sensors 46a, 46b, here of the opto-electric type. These two rows are arranged parallel to the common driving direction of the conveyors 12 and 13, in order to be sensitive to the progression of the front edge of an object being moved under the action of said separator 14. The signals from these sensors are addressed to the control unit 40. If two sensors 46 of the same row in the two rows are closed substantially at the same time by an object passing from the conveyor 12 to the conveyor 13, the unit 40 sends the same number of pulses per second to the two motors 38a., 38b because this means that the front transverse edge of the object 10 is indeed perpendicular to the direction of movement. On the other hand, if the object is presented at an angle, this results in shifts in the appearance of the response signals from the sensors of the same rank of the two rows. These offsets are used by the unit 40 to vary the number of pulses applied to one or the other of the motors 38a, 38b so as to vary the orientation of the object in a desired direction. To allow transfer between the conveyors 12 and 13, and in particular to facilitate a possible modification of the orientation of the object, a fixed support 48 with a smooth surface, having a low coefficient of friction, is arranged between the two conveyors. In the example, it is essentially a simple plastic plate. This plate is made of transparent material since the optoelectric sensors 46 are arranged under this plate. On the contrary, the belts of the conveyors 12, 13, 22 and those of the separator 14 are made of a material with a high coefficient of friction, as for example an elastomeric material or the like. In addition, it should be noted that in the example shown, the separator 14 is designed so that its lower end tends to come into contact, by gravity, with said fixed support 48 with a smooth surface. A stop (not shown) prevents this contact and defines a rest position of said separator in which its lower end is a few millimeters above this fixed support, that is to say a little downstream of the end outlet 18 of said first conveyor 12. In addition, advantageously, the fixed support 48 with a smooth surface has a particularly slippery portion 48a disposed in the immediate extension of the conveyor 12. This part is for example made of polished stainless steel or polytetrafluoroethylene.

The operation is as follows.

The conveyors 12, 13 and 22 as well as the separator 28 are driven by their respective motors 26, 24 and 38. Their directions of movement are indicated by licks in FIG. 1. When a stack of objects 10 is deposited, without special care, on the conveyor 12, it is driven at nominal speed from said conveyor to the separator. As soon as the stack is detected by the sensor 19, the conveyor 12 stops or passes at a very slow speed, under the control of the unit 40. The object 10 located at the top of the stack comes into contact with the two bands 28a, 28b of the separator, rotating at the same speed. Due to the adhesion of the bands 28 and 12 of the conveyor and the separator, it is the object 10 located at the top of the stack which first engages under the separator 14, slides on the fixed support 48 and reaches the conveyor 13 before passing over the conveyor 22. During its transfer between the conveyor 12 and the conveyor 13, the orientation of the object 10 is controlled as indicated above and the control unit 40 may vary the number of actuation pulses from either motor 38a or 38b to redirect the object. As soon as an object 10 has been transferred to the conveyor 13, the next object in the stack naturally comes into contact with the separator 28 and is, in turn, routed to the conveyor 13 and possibly redirected during its transfer.

Figures 3 and 4 (where similar elements have the same references as in Figures 1 and 2) illustrate another variant in which the first conveyor 12 is itself automatically fed by a fourth conveyor 50, of a particular type. Therefore, the conveyor 12 can be shorter than in the example of Figure 1. The conveyor 50 is therefore aligned with the conveyor 12 and disposed upstream thereof. The objects are deposited on the conveyor 50 and automatically transferred to the conveyor 12. The conveyor 50 is composed of fixed sliding bands 52, namely five bands in alignment with the belts of the conveyor 12, respectively. A drive mechanism 54 with chains 56 and lugs 57 is arranged parallel to and in the vicinity of the sliding strips, essentially below them, so that said lugs 57, which have the shape of rods or fingers, protrude between the strips 52. The cleats are fixed perpendicular to the chains and arranged so as to form transverse rows. Thus, the objects can be deposited in stacks between rows of cleats, which ensures a better presentation and orientation of these when they reach the conveyor 12 and then the separator 14. This does not result in any loss of time or constraint additional for the operator. In this variant, the belts of the mobile conveyor are mounted on individual rollers 58, at the end of the conveyor 12 located on the side of the conveyor 50. These rollers, aligned transversely, are mounted in cantilever at the ends of supports 60 respective, shaped to provide sufficient space between the belts of the conveyor 12 to allow the passage of the cleats 57. In this way, the latter "accompany" the objects in their path on the conveyor 12 and prevent the stack from sagging backwards, which further increases the reliability of the operation. The movement of the conveyor 50 is subject to detection means, not shown, capable of controlling that the said conveyor 12 is sufficiently clear to receive a new stack of objects.

Claims

1- Machine for processing flat objects, such as for example pockets, envelopes or the like, characterized in that it comprises a first conveyor (12) on which said objects can be in stacks, a second conveyor (13) in the extension of the first, for the evacuation of these objects one by one and one after the other and a separator (14) forming a driving means with a moving strip, arranged substantially between the two conveyors and above them , in that this separator is mounted to pivot freely around a horizontal axis (16) and in that it comprises at least one such moving strip adapted to come into contact with an object or the top object of an incoming battery at the corresponding end of said first conveyor, to drive it towards said second conveyor.

2- Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that a fixed support with smooth surface (48) having a low coefficient of friction, is arranged between the two conveyors. 3- Machine according to claim 2, characterized in that said separator is arranged so that its lower part is opposite said fixed support with smooth surface.

4- Machine according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said separator comprises at least two running bands (28a, 28b) driven by respective motors (38a, 38b) controlled and in that control means d orientation (44) of the objects are arranged at the outlet of said first conveyor to deliver signals capable of controlling differences in rotation between said motors.

5- Machine according to claim 4, characterized in that said orientation control means comprise two rows of sensors (46a, 46b) arranged in parallel to the drive direction of the conveyors to be sensitive to the progression of an edge of the object moved by said separator.

6- Machine according to all of claims 2 and 5, characterized in that the two rows of sensors are arranged under the aforementioned fixed support.

7- Machine according to claim 6, characterized in that the sensors are of the opto-electric type.

8- Machine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a third conveyor

(22) placed in the extension of the second and driven at a speed higher than that of said second conveyor, to space said objects.

9- Machine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said first conveyor is variable speed or intermittent and is placed under the control of means for detecting the presence of at least one object in the vicinity of said separator .

10- Machine according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that it comprises a fourth conveyor

(50) provided with lugs (57) in the form of rods or fingers arranged in transverse rows, said fourth conveyor being arranged upstream of said first conveyor.