The invention relates to a sorting facility (1) for sorting objects (2), which comprises a sorting conveyor (3) designed to convey the objects in series, sorting outlets (4) distributed along the sorting conveyor, and sorting receptacles (5) each arranged under a sorting outlet in a loading position, which are designed to receive the objects by gravity from the sorting outlets according to a specific predetermined loading order. Each sorting receptacle in the loading position has a bottom (6) that is tilted with respect to the horizontal and each sorting outlet is provided with a retaining element (7) extending into the sorting receptacle when it is in the loading position so as to retain at least one loaded object in the sorting receptacle, the retaining element being translatably movable parallel to the bottom in a certain filling direction (D1).
The invention relates to a method (100) for handling items by means of an individual handling device, the method comprising the steps of acquiring (S10) a digital colour image (NumCol) of a scene comprising items to be handled in a handling area and a pair of digital images (NumDepth) to form a depth map of the scene; identifying (S20) items (VisIT) on the basis of the colour digital image; calculating (S50), for identified visible items (VisIT), a pickability score (SCOR) on the basis of a combination of a first score representative of the location of the relevant item in the scene and at least one second score representative of a graspability quality of the relevant item, each of the first score and of the at least one second score being assigned a respective weighting coefficient; and, in response to the pickability score (SCOR), controlling (S60) the device for individually handling the items.
The invention relates to a facility (1) for sorting objects (2), the facility comprising a sorting conveyor (3) for objects designed to convey the objects in a certain conveying direction (D1) and sorting outlets (4) distributed beneath the sorting conveyor designed so that each receives a sorting receptacle (5) in a loading position into which the objects can be loaded from the sorting conveyor under the effect of gravity according to certain items of sorting information, wherein at least one sorting outlet comprises a shock absorption device (6) designed to absorb the shock resulting from the packages falling into the sorting receptacle. The shock absorption device comprises a plate (7) for receiving packages that is vertically translatable between a raised position in which the plate extends above the sorting receptacle and a lowered position in which the plate extends inside the receptacle.
The invention relates to a device (6) for conveying and separating objects (2), comprising a conveyor (7) designed to convey said objects in a certain conveying direction (D1), said conveyor comprising a succession of independently motorized conveying sections (8) distributed one after the other in the conveying direction, sensors (9) designed to generate digital data representative of the detection of the presence or absence of an object transported on each conveying section, and a central unit (10) parameterized to control the speed of the conveying sections independently of one another according to said digital data representative of the detection of the presence or absence of a transported object so as to distribute the objects on the conveyor in predetermined pitches (PP). The central unit according to the invention is parameterized to constantly maintain at iso-speed at least two adjacent conveying sections transporting one and the same object.
B65G 43/10 - Commande en série des transporteurs fonctionnant en combinaison
B07C 5/00 - Tri selon une caractéristique ou une particularité des objets ou du matériau à trier, p. ex. tri commandé par un dispositif qui détecte ou mesure cette caractéristique ou particularitéTri à l'aide de dispositifs manœuvrés à la main, p. ex. d'aiguillages
B65G 47/31 - Dispositifs pour influencer la position relative ou l'orientation des objets pendant le transport par transporteurs arrangeant les objets, p. ex. faisant varier l'espace entre chaque objet pendant le transport par une série de transporteurs en faisant varier les vitesses relatives des transporteurs en série
B65G 43/08 - Dispositifs de commande actionnés par l'alimentation, le déplacement ou le déchargement des objets ou matériaux
B07C 5/36 - Appareils trieurs caractérisés par les moyens qu'ils utilisent en vue de la distribution
B65G 47/66 - Plates-formes ou tasseaux fixes, p. ex. ponts entre transporteurs
B65G 15/46 - Courroies ou porte-charges sans fin analogues en caoutchouc ou en matière plastique comportant des éléments de guidage
B65G 15/60 - Dispositions pour soutenir ou guider les courroies, p. ex. à l'aide de jets de fluide
5.
PARCEL SORTING FACILITY WITH SORTING OUTPUTS PROVIDED WITH SLIDES
The invention relates to a parcel sorting facility (1) comprising a parcel sorting conveyor (3) designed to convey the parcels in series in a certain conveying direction (D1) and sorting outputs (4) distributed beneath the sorting conveyor that each comprise a sorting receptacle (7) in a loading position into which the parcels can be loaded from the sorting conveyor under the effect of gravity according to certain sorting data. Each sorting output of the sorting facility according to the invention comprises a slide (8) which runs in the opposite direction to the conveying direction beneath the sorting conveyor so as to guide the fall of a parcel into a sorting receptacle.
The invention relates to a method (400) for discriminating between items according to a type of packaging chosen from rigid packaging and flexible packaging, comprising the steps of acquiring (S10) at least one digital image (NUM) of an item by way of an image capture device, computing (S20) statistical parameters (PARAM) representative of a plurality of points located on a surface of the item in the digital image (NUM), constructing (S30) a vector (VECT) having components defined by values of the statistical parameters (PARAM), on the basis of the vector (VECT), computing (S40) a probability (PROBA) of the item being an item with rigid packaging or of being an item with flexible packaging, comparing (S50) the probability (PROBA) with at least one threshold value and, in response to the comparison, generating a parameter (DET) representative of the type of packaging of the item.
G06V 10/46 - Descripteurs pour la forme, descripteurs liés au contour ou aux points, p. ex. transformation de caractéristiques visuelles invariante à l’échelle [SIFT] ou sacs de mots [BoW]Caractéristiques régionales saillantes
G06V 10/56 - Extraction de caractéristiques d’images ou de vidéos relative à la couleur
The invention relates to a facility (1) for sorting parcels (2), which facility comprises a main conveyor (3) designed to convey the parcels in series, an injection conveyor (6) designed to inject a parcel onto the main conveyor, a transfer conveyor (7) designed to transfer a parcel onto the injection conveyor, and an instrumentation and control unit (8) designed to control the transfer and injection conveyors to form parcel injection cycles, each injection cycle taking place for a predetermined cycle time allowing a current parcel to be injected into a target pitch of the main conveyor and starting with a phase of accelerating the parcel on the transfer conveyor from a zero speed to a transfer speed, followed by a phase of conveying the parcel at the transfer speed on the injection conveyor, followed by a phase of accelerating the parcel on the injection conveyor from the transfer speed to an injection speed.
The invention relates to a sorting installation (1) for parcels (2), comprising a sorting conveyor (3) having receptacles (4) that are each designed to convey and sort a parcel into an appropriate sorting outlet, and a supply conveyor (6) that is designed to convey the parcels in a particular conveying direction (D1) and to supply parcels to the receptacles of the sorting conveyor, the supply conveyor comprising push-shoe (10) pushers (9) that are designed to move in the particular conveying direction next to and synchronously with the receptacles of the sorting conveyor and to move transversely to the particular conveying direction so as to push each parcel into a receptacle of the sorting conveyor, the pusher according to the invention forming a mechanical fuse designed to break with the push-shoe beyond a certain pushing force on a parcel.
B65G 47/82 - Éléments à mouvement rotatif ou alternatif agissant directement sur les objets ou matériaux, p. ex. poussoirs, râteaux, pelles
B65G 47/84 - Roues en forme d'étoiles ou dispositifs à courroies ou chaînes sans fin, les roues ou dispositifs étant dotés d'éléments venant en prise avec les objets
9.
PARCEL SORTING FACILITY HAVING A MULTIFUNCTIONAL FEED CONVEYOR
The invention relates to a facility (1) for sorting parcels (2), comprising a looped sorting conveyor (3) on which sorting receptacles (5) moving at a certain conveying speed (V1) are distributed in series. The facility comprises at least one feed conveyor (6) designed to insert the parcels one by one into the receptacles of the sorting conveyor, each sorting receptacle being designed to convey and discharge a parcel into an appropriate sorting outlet (4) determined on the basis of a particular sorting plan. The facility also comprises a central unit (7) designed to control the acceleration of the feed conveyor from a speed of zero (V0), allowing a parcel to be received, to a particular insertion speed allowing the parcel to be injected onto the sorting conveyor.
The invention relates to a parcel sorting installation (1) comprising a loop sorting conveyor (3) and sorting outlets (4) distributed along the sorting conveyor, said sorting conveyor comprising parallel rails (9) and parcel receptacles connected together to form a train (5) of receptacles designed to circulate on the rails in a defined conveying direction (D1), each receptacle being designed to sort the parcels in the sorting outlets according to a predetermined sorting plan.
The invention relates to a parcel (2) sorting facility (1) comprising a loop sorting conveyor (3) and sorting outlets (5) distributed along the sorting conveyor, said sorting conveyor comprising parcel receptacles (7) designed to convey parcels in a certain conveying direction (D1) and to sort them into the sorting outlets according to a predetermined sorting plan, the sorting conveyor comprising two parallel tubular rails (4), which extend in the conveying direction, and carriages (6) engaged on the tubular rails and designed to move the parcel receptacles in said certain conveying direction. Each receptacle is interposed between two carriages and is connected to said two carriages by pivot connections (11) in order to form a receptacle module (12), and a plurality of receptacle modules are connected together to form a train (13) of parcel receptacles.
The invention relates to a parcel (2) sorting facility (1) comprising a loop sorting conveyor (3) and sorting outlets (4) distributed along the sorting conveyor, said sorting conveyor comprising parcel receptacles (5) designed to convey parcels in a certain conveying direction (D1) and to sort them into the sorting outlets according to a predetermined sorting plan, the sorting conveyor comprising two parallel rails (8), which extend in the conveying direction, and carriages (6) mounted on the rails and designed to move the parcel receptacles in said certain conveying direction. The sorting conveyor comprises a main conveyor (3A) which splits into two secondary conveyors (3B) on a certain conveying portion, said sorting conveyor comprising a switching system (9) designed to switch the carriages alternately towards one or the other of the secondary conveyors.
B65G 35/06 - Transporteurs mécaniques non prévus ailleurs comportant un porte-charges se déplaçant le long d'un circuit, p. ex. d'un circuit fermé, et adapté pour venir en prise avec l'un quelconque des éléments de traction espacés le long du circuit
B65G 47/38 - Dispositifs pour décharger les objets ou matériaux des transporteurs en basculant, renversant ou dégageant les porte-charges
B65G 47/52 - Dispositifs pour transférer objets ou matériaux entre transporteurs, p. ex. pour décharger ou alimenter
B65G 43/00 - Dispositifs de commande, p. ex. de sécurité, d'alarme ou de correction des erreurs
13.
COMPACT HIGH-THROUGHPUT SORTER WITH LOADING ON TWO PARALLEL LANES
The invention relates to a parcel (2) sorting facility (1) comprising a loop sorting conveyor (3) and sorting outlets (4) distributed along the sorting conveyor, said sorting conveyor comprising parcel receptacles (5) designed to convey parcels in a certain conveying direction (D1) and to sort them into the sorting outlets according to a predetermined sorting plan, the sorting conveyor comprising two parallel rails (8), which extend in the conveying direction, and carriages (6) mounted on the rails and designed to move the parcel receptacles in said certain conveying direction. The sorting conveyor comprises a main conveyor (3A) which splits into two secondary conveyors (3B) on a certain conveying portion, said sorting conveyor comprising a switching system (9) designed to switch the carriages alternately towards one or the other of the secondary conveyors.
B65G 35/06 - Transporteurs mécaniques non prévus ailleurs comportant un porte-charges se déplaçant le long d'un circuit, p. ex. d'un circuit fermé, et adapté pour venir en prise avec l'un quelconque des éléments de traction espacés le long du circuit
B65G 47/38 - Dispositifs pour décharger les objets ou matériaux des transporteurs en basculant, renversant ou dégageant les porte-charges
B65G 47/52 - Dispositifs pour transférer objets ou matériaux entre transporteurs, p. ex. pour décharger ou alimenter
B65G 43/00 - Dispositifs de commande, p. ex. de sécurité, d'alarme ou de correction des erreurs
14.
DEVICE FOR HANDLING PARCELS, COMPRISING A PARCEL-GRIPPING HEAD WITH SUCTION NOZZLES
The invention relates to a device (1) for handling parcels (2), comprising a movable gripping head (5) equipped with a plurality of suction nozzles (7), each of these terminated by a suction pad (8) designed to take hold of a parcel from above by suction. Each suction nozzle comprises an air circulation duct (11) and a vacuum pump (12) disposed in the air circulation duct, the vacuum pump being in fluidic connection with the air circulation duct and the suction pad. The handling device according to the invention also comprises an air injection device (13) designed to inject air into the air circulation ducts in such a way that the vacuum pump creates a vacuum in the suction pads.
B25J 15/06 - Têtes de préhension avec moyens de retenue magnétiques ou fonctionnant par succion
B65G 47/91 - Dispositifs pour saisir et déposer les articles ou les matériaux comportant des pinces pneumatiques, p. ex. aspirantes
B66C 1/02 - Éléments ou dispositifs de prise de la charge adjoints aux mécanismes de levage, de descente ou de halage, ou adaptés pour être utilisés avec ces mécanismes et transmettant les efforts à des articles ou à des groupes d'articles par succion
B65G 47/52 - Dispositifs pour transférer objets ou matériaux entre transporteurs, p. ex. pour décharger ou alimenter
B65G 47/46 - Dispositifs pour décharger les objets ou matériaux des transporteurs avec distribution, p. ex. automatique, aux points voulus
15.
METHOD FOR SORTING PARCELS IN ORDER TO FEED AN INJECTION CONVEYOR FROM A RETRACTABLE FEED CONVEYOR AND PARCEL SORTING FACILITY FOR IMPLEMENTING SUCH A METHOD
The invention relates to a method for sorting parcels in order to feed an injection conveyor (4) with parcels (2) from unsorted parcels conveyed on a feed conveyor (3) in a given conveying direction (D1), wherein an image of the unsorted parcels is produced using a camera (7) arranged above the feed conveyor and a monitoring and control unit (8) identifies a parcel to be separated that has a gripping surface on top which is not covered by any other parcels in the digital image of the unsorted parcels, the monitoring and control unit being configured to servo-control a gripper robot (9) so as to pick up the parcel to be separated and place it on the injection conveyor.
B65G 21/14 - Châssis ou carters de support ou de protection pour transporteurs sans fin ou éléments de traction des transporteurs à courroies ou à chaînes mobiles ou à pièces interchangeables ou relativement mobilesDispositifs pour déplacer le châssis ou des parties de celui-ci pour permettre le réglage de la longueur ou du profil des porte-charges ou de l'élément de traction
B65G 43/08 - Dispositifs de commande actionnés par l'alimentation, le déplacement ou le déchargement des objets ou matériaux
B65G 49/08 - Systèmes transporteurs caractérisés par leur utilisation à des fins particulières, non prévus ailleurs pour des matériaux ou objets fragiles ou dommageables pour des objets en céramique moulée
B65G 61/00 - Utilisation d'appareils de prise ou de transfert, ou de manipulateurs, pour empiler ou désempiler des objets, non prévus ailleurs
16.
METHOD FOR FEEDING PARCELS ONTO A SORTING CONVEYOR USING A GRIPPER ROBOT WITH SUCTION CUPS AND AN INTEGRATED CAMERA
The invention relates to a method for feeding unsorted parcels (1) conveyed on a feed conveyor onto a sorting conveyor, wherein a first camera arranged above the feed conveyor forms a digital image of the unsorted parcels, a control-and-monitoring unit identifies a parcel to be separated, which parcel has a gripping face at the top of same which is not covered by any other parcel in the digital image of the unsorted parcels, the control-and-monitoring unit being configured to servo-control a gripper robot (6), which comprises a gripper hand (9) with a palm (10) from which suction cups (11) extend, so as to pick up the parcel to be separated identified in the digital image and deposit it on the sorting conveyor.
The parcel sorting installation (2) according to the invention comprises a sorting conveyor designed to convey parcels along a particular conveying direction and sorting receptacles which are disposed under the conveyor and in which the parcels from the conveyor are sorted in accordance with a particular sorting indication, each receptacle comprising a parcel cushioning tray (6) designed to cushion the dropping of the parcels into the receptacle, each cushioning tray comprising two mutually opposite side walls (7) and a bottom wall (8) connected to the side walls, the cushioning tray having an open front face and an open rear face. The bottom wall forms a slideway for parcels having the shape of a V-shaped profile, the crest (10) of which is inclined so as to have a bottom point (PB) that opens out at the front face of the cushioning tray and a top point (PH) that opens out at the rear face of the cushioning tray.
The invention relates to a machine (1) for sorting objects (2) of the parcel or package type, comprising an upstream conveyor (4) and a downstream conveyor (5) that are designed to convey the objects along a conveying direction (D1). The sorting machine comprises an aligning conveyor (6) that is fed with objects by the upstream conveyor and is designed to align the objects one after another in the conveying direction and to feed the downstream conveyor with objects once the objects are aligned. The aligning conveyor comprises a jogging edge (9) which extends in the conveying direction, and rectilinear conveying strips (10) which extend along a certain jogging direction (D2) that is skewed with respect to the conveying direction. Each conveying strip is ended by a jogging-direction downstream end (10') which is at, and just below the level of, the jogging edge.
The invention relates to a device (5) for the mechanical handling of a flexible bag (6) placed in a holder (7), the bag having a mouth with at least one flap (6a) that can close or open the mouth of the bag. The device according to the invention comprises a brush wheel (8) that is mounted in rotation about a shaft (9), the brush wheel comprising fins (10) each consisting of a curved flexible portion (11) which extends from the shaft, and a straight end portion (12) which extends in continuation of the curved portion, the set of straight portions substantially forming a rim, and the brush wheel being arranged in such a way that, when it is rotated close to the mouth of the bag, centrifugal force straightens the curved portions, thus increasing the radius of the rim in order to allow the straight portions to rub against the flap of the bag.
The invention relates to a supply device (1) for supplying a postal sorting conveyor (3) with postal mail items (2), comprising an unstacking head (4) designed to put the items on edge in series on the sorting conveyor, an unstacking plate (5) designed to unstack the items one by one toward the unstacking head and a conveyor (6) for supplying items, designed to convey the items on edge in a stack against the unstacking plate. The unstacking plate comprises a fixed portion (5a) that extends from the unstacking head and a movable portion (5b) that extends the fixed portion, said movable portion being mounted so as to pivot from the fixed portion between a first position in which the fixed portion and the movable portion are aligned and a second position in which the fixed portion and the movable portion are angularly offset.
B65H 3/12 - Bandes, courroies ou tables aspirantes se déplaçant par rapport à la pile
B65H 7/02 - Commande de l'alimentation en articles, de l'enlèvement des articles, de l'avance des piles ou d'appareils associés permettant de tenir compte d'une alimentation incorrecte, de la non présence d'articles ou de la présence d'articles défectueux par palpeurs ou détecteurs
A parcel sorting system comprises a first parcel conveyor capable of conveying the parcels in series in a certain conveying direction, a second parcel conveyor extending above a plurality of sorting outlets which is capable of conveying the parcels in series. The first and second conveyors each comprise a contiguous conveying portion via which the first conveyor supplies the second conveyor with parcels via an injection device. The second conveyor is a conveyor with plates distributed in series and at constant spacing, said plates being able to pivot between a position inclined downwardly in the conveying direction and a straightened position, flush with the first conveyor. The system comprises a first and a second mechanical member designed to move the plates between the inclined and straightened position.
B65G 17/18 - Transporteurs comportant un élément de traction sans fin, p. ex. une chaîne transmettant le mouvement à une surface porteuse de charges continue ou sensiblement continue, ou à une série de porte-charges individuelsTransporteurs à chaîne sans fin dans lesquels des chaînes constituent la surface portant la charge comportant des porte-charges individuels montés de façon à pouvoir pivoter, p. ex. à oscillation libre et se déplaçant en contact avec une surface de guidage
B65G 47/40 - Dispositifs pour décharger les objets ou matériaux des transporteurs en basculant, renversant ou dégageant les porte-charges en basculant les godets de transporteurs
B65G 47/84 - Roues en forme d'étoiles ou dispositifs à courroies ou chaînes sans fin, les roues ou dispositifs étant dotés d'éléments venant en prise avec les objets
22.
SYSTEM FOR SORTING/HANDLING PARCELS OR PACKAGES, COMPRISING A TRAY SORTING CONVEYOR LOADED BY A SLAT CONVEYOR WITH PUSHER SHOES
System for sorting/handling parcels or packages, comprising a tray sorting conveyor loaded by a slat conveyor with pusher shoes A system for sorting/handling parcels or packages (P) comprises a tray conveyor (1) and a unit (3) for loading the packages onto the trays of the conveyor, which unit comprises several pusher shoes (5) which are slidably mounted on a slat conveyor and spaced apart in pairs at regular intervals, the pusher shoes being guided in a track (6) that forms a cam for pushing the packages onto the trays of the tray conveyor.
B65G 47/84 - Roues en forme d'étoiles ou dispositifs à courroies ou chaînes sans fin, les roues ou dispositifs étant dotés d'éléments venant en prise avec les objets
23.
STRUCTURAL IMAGE MATCHING BY HASHING DESCRIPTORS OF SINGULARITIES OF THE GRADIENT
The method for matching digital images of a single item in a data processing unit comprises steps of transforming each digital image of an item into a topographical map of local divergence of the luminance gradient vector field, from 0 detection of singularities or extrema of local divergence of the luminance gradient vector field, said singularities corresponding to points of interest in the digital image, and for each point of interest detected, encoding values of the singularity of the gradient field located on several concentric rings centered on the point of interest in order to derive a digital data vector (210), and transforming the vector into a digital hash key (220) by means of a family of LSH Cosine hash functions.
The invention relates to a system (1) for conveying objects (3) which comprises an object conveyor (2) extending between a downstream end (4) and an upstream end (5), and a motorised flat-bed (7) object-carrying shuttle carriage (6) which is designed to come alongside the ends of the conveyor so as to transfer the object between the carriage and the conveyor. The conveyor is a gravity conveyor underneath which a ramp (12) extends and the carriage is capable of moving under the conveyor and comprises a lever (11) which is vertically movable relative to the flat bed and designed to cooperate with the ramp during the movement of the carriage under the conveyor, such that along the ramp the lever moves between a retracted position in which it disappears under the conveyor and a deployed position in which it projects above the conveyor to cause an object to move on the conveyor.
B65G 1/137 - Dispositifs d'emmagasinage mécaniques avec des aménagements ou des moyens de commande automatique pour choisir les objets qui doivent être enlevés
25.
METHOD FOR SORTING PARCELS ON A CONVEYOR WITH MOVABLE LIGHT INDICATORS
A method for sorting parcels in which parcels 110 are transported by a conveyor 100 to an operator Op transferring the parcels into sorting outlets 130, with light indicators for assisting sorting that move with the parcels along the conveyor, each indicator being associated with one of the parcels, the method involving acquiring digital images of said parcel moving on the conveyor, extracting information from the photographs concerning the position of said parcel and its dimension in the direction of movement thereof in order to track this parcel in real time and, based on this tracking, controlling the light sources in real time in such a way as to form a light indicator in the form of a light segment 122 having a length L substantially equal to the dimensions D of said parcel with which it is associated.
The sorting machine for sorting mail items comprises a sorting bucket conveyor (1) which moves the buckets (3) above sorting outlets (S1,S2,Sn) comprising removable storage trays (5), under the control of a control unit (4). The control unit can detect (20) that a current mail item has a destination address that does not correspond to a sorting outlet available in the machine. In this case, a manipulator robot (R) replaces the tray of a sorting outlet with an empty tray (or a tray already containing mail for the same destination address) into which said current mail item is sorted, the replaced tray being placed on standby on a shelf (8).
The sorting facility (1) according to the invention comprises sorting outputs (2) aligned along a sorting conveyor (3) each provided with a housing (4) for a tray (5) in which sorted mail items (6) are stored. The facility also comprises a tray conveyor (8) which extends in a certain conveying direction (F2) under said sorting outlets in order to transport the trays filled with sorted mail items from the sorting outlets to a feed inlet (7) of the sorting conveyor. The facility further comprises a shuttle robot (9) capable of autonomously rolling on the ground (S1) along the sorting outlets, said robot comprising a handling means (12) capable of removing a tray from a housing of a sorting outlet and placing it lengthwise on the tray conveyor.
The invention relates to a sorting facility (1) comprising sorting outlets (2) aligned along a sorting conveyor (3), each one comprising a receiving component (4) for a tray (5) in which sorted mail items (6) are stored as well as a tray conveyor (8) which extends beneath said sorting outlets in order to move the full trays. The facility also comprises a shuttle robot (9) provided with a slide (14) having a bottom end (14a) which is slidingly attached to a guide rail (10) extending along said tray conveyor, said shuttle robot being designed to automatically extract a tray filled with mail from a receiving component of a sorting outlet and to release it at the top part of the slide such that the tray arriving at the bottom of the slide is injected into the tray conveyor by the effect of gravity.
The invention concerns a device (1) for feeding a magazine (2) for unstacking mail items (3) on-edge. The device comprises a conveying table (4) designed to convey the mail items on-edge to the unstacking magazine, in a first conveying direction, a feed conveyor (5) designed to convey containers (6) loaded with mail items to the conveying table in a second conveying direction (F2) and a tipping means (7) for tipping containers (6) interposed between said feed conveyor and said conveying table, designed to deposit a container from the feed conveyor onto the conveying table in order to bring the mail items on-edge from the container to the unstacking magazine.
B07C 1/02 - Formation d'un courant d'objetsMise en place des objets dans un courant, p. ex. espacement, redressage
B65H 1/30 - Supports ou magasins pour les piles dans lesquelles on prélève des articles avec moyens pour regarnir la pile à mesure que les articles en sont enlevés de façon continue
A method for palletising heterogeneous objects comprises the use of shuttle robots controlled by a control/command system (190) for controlling carriages each carrying an object from a supply point (101) to a palletising station (140), passing via a device (120) for determining the morphologies of the objects in order to characterise the external shapes of all the objects forming a batch before the start of the operation of storing said objects on a pallet, so as to calculate a storage plan optimising the storing of the batch on a pallet (150).
B65G 43/08 - Dispositifs de commande actionnés par l'alimentation, le déplacement ou le déchargement des objets ou matériaux
B65G 43/10 - Commande en série des transporteurs fonctionnant en combinaison
B65G 1/137 - Dispositifs d'emmagasinage mécaniques avec des aménagements ou des moyens de commande automatique pour choisir les objets qui doivent être enlevés
G05B 19/418 - Commande totale d'usine, c.-à-d. commande centralisée de plusieurs machines, p. ex. commande numérique directe ou distribuée [DNC], systèmes d'ateliers flexibles [FMS], systèmes de fabrication intégrés [IMS], productique [CIM]
G06Q 10/08 - Logistique, p. ex. entreposage, chargement ou distributionGestion d’inventaires ou de stocks
31.
METHOD FOR THE CENTRALIZED PALLETIZATION OF OBJECTS LEAVING PRODUCTION LINES
Use is made of shuttle robots (107) able to move trucks (106, 106') under the control of a command/control unit (190) in order to handle objects between a collection point (110) and a palletization station (151) distant from the collection point, the said shuttle robots being autonomous in their movements and able to couple to and uncouple from the trucks, the command/control unit operates the shuttle robots so as to move the objects on the truck from the collection point to a buffer storage zone (141) where the objects on the truck are grouped together into batches of objects to be palletized, and the command/control unit operates the shuttle robots in such a way as to pick up the batched objects on the trucks from the buffer storage zone and move them in sequence to the palletization station.
B65G 1/137 - Dispositifs d'emmagasinage mécaniques avec des aménagements ou des moyens de commande automatique pour choisir les objets qui doivent être enlevés
The installation (1) for sorting items of mail (2) according to the invention comprises an unstacker that has an unstacking plate (3) that is able to separate a topmost item from a stack of items of mail in order to feed a sorting conveyor (4) in which the serialized items of mail (2) are moved in series on their edges. The installation (1) also comprises a feed inlet store (6) upstream of said unstacking plate, having a motor-driven bed (8) on which a stack of items of mail (2) on their edges is intended to be placed, and a retaining pallet (9) that is movable along said store and is able to be placed behind the stack of items in order to keep them on their edges as they are moved over said motor-driven bed in the direction of said unstacking plate.
A facility for sorting mail items (A) comprises a sorting conveyor with sorting outputs (2) and storage bins (3) and, in addition, a bin conveyor (4) disposed along the sorting conveyor under the sorting outlets, and a shuttle robot (5) capable of being controlled by a monitoring/control unit (6) in order to automatically enter a bin into a sorting output and deposit it underneath on the bin conveyor, the shuttle robot been furthermore provided with a safety system designed to detect the presence of an obstacle in the direction of its movement approaching at a certain safety distance and, in response to this detection, reducing the movement speed of the shuttle robot.
A method for processing mail items (1) in a sorting facility comprising a feed input magazine (4) in which the mail items (1) to be sorted are stacked on-edge in order to be serialised in a sorting conveyor (5), the mail items (1) in series, on-edge, in said sorting conveyor, being directed towards sorting outputs with a stacker (6). The mail items (1) to be sorted, arriving stored in bins (3) in said feed input magazine, are taken by hand from said storage bin to be stacked on-edge, in order to be serialised. The mail items (1) sorted in a stacker of a sorting output (6) are likewise transferred by hand from the stacker to a storage bin (3) in order to be recirculated between the sorting output with stacker (6) and said feed input magazine (4).
A device (1) for feeding a magazine (2) for unstacking mail items (3) on-edge, comprising a first feed conveyor (4) for conveying transversely orientated bins (6) loaded with mail items laid flat in the bottom of the bins, and a tilting means (8) for tilting the bin in order to pivot, on the front, a bin on a ramp of the tilting means, so as to bring the mail items on-edge, from the bin onto the unstacking magazine. The device comprises a second feed conveyor (5) for conveying bins (6) orientated lengthwise loaded with mail items (3) arranged on-edge in the bottom of the bins and a means (9) for inverting bins (6) designed to lay a bin on the side of the unstacking magazine.
A shuttle carriage (6) for a logistics centre for sorting parcels comprises a tray (7) for carrying a parcel (HN) to be sorted and is characterised in that the tray has a central portion (7A) in the form of a gutter with a V-shaped cross-section and two lateral portions (7B, 7C) to either side of the central portion that extend in a same horizontal plane.
A piece of equipment for processing parcels (2) between loading points (S1, S2, S3, S4) and drop-off points (PT1, PT2, PT3, PT4) of said parcels in a logistics centre (1) comprising sorting containers (7) positioned at said loading points into which said parcels are unloaded loose, further comprises carriages (6) each designed to carry a removable container (7) and shuttle robots (13) designed to dock with the carriages and move them automatically, a control unit (4) for automatically remotely controlling the movement of the shuttle robots according to a sorting plan, so as to position carriages with empty containers at said loading points and position said carriages with a container loaded with parcels at a drop-off point where the container loaded with parcels is replaced with an empty container.
An item of equipment for sorting parcels in a logistics centre, comprising an automated sorting conveyor (2) mounted in a high position on a platform and having sorting outlets (S1, S2, S3) equipped with sorting chutes (4) in the form of ramps that are inclined from a sorting outlet of the conveyor to the lower platform of the conveyor, is characterized in that it also comprises shuttle carriages with rollers (6) for automatically moving non-mechanizable non-standard parcels into the sorting conveyor, these shuttle carriages travelling on circulation tracks (5A, 5B) that pass under the inclined ramps in order to optimize the floor space of the equipment.
A method for merging, on a table (7), postal items (2) with mail articles (3) already sorted according to a certain sorting order comprises the steps of pre-sorting the postal items (2) into a rack having vertical slots, using an electronic station to assist with sorting the items into the rack, and then using this station again to help the operator merge the pre-sorted postal items with the mail articles.
A device for measuring the stiffness of postal articles based on the principle of measuring the sag of a bending beam comprises a rectilinear portion (9) for conveying articles, a deflection roller (12) staggered between two wheels (11a, 11b) with deformable rims so as to form a substantially triangular crest on the rectilinear conveying portion and an inlet ramp (13) arranged upstream from said crest and which follows the rising slope of the crest.
A sorting outlet module (1) for a postal sorting machine comprising a housing (5) for accommodating a storage bin (4) for storing postal items and, in the housing, a support (6) for the storage bin (4) of the drawer type. The support is movable in translation in a longitudinal direction between a storage position in which the bin on the support (6) is retracted into the housing (5) and a transfer position in which the bin on the support (6) is moved out of the housing (5). The support (6) also comprises a pivot and alignment means (7) for the bin arranged such that the pivoting of the bin on the support by 90° relative to the longitudinal direction aligns one side of the bin relative to a lateral side of the housing while keeping the bin as close as possible to the housing.
The invention relates to a postal sorting apparatus for sorting flat postal items (P) including a postal sorting machine (1), a conveyor (7A) for open-top storage bins (5) that are filled with flat-stacked postal items, a conveyor (7B) for open-front shuttle bins (8) that are generally dihedral and in which the postal items are arranged edgewise in a stack, and a bin exchanger (7) that is capable of automatically transferring the flat-stacked postal items in an open-top storage bin to an open-front shuttle bin, said transfer being achieved by turning the storage bin over in relation to the shuttle bin, which is held obliquely relative to the horizontal and vertical directions so as to jog by gravity the stack of postal items transferred into the bottom of said shuttle bin.
The invention relates to a postal sorting apparatus for sorting flat postal items (P), including a postal sorting machine (1), a conveyor (7A) for open-top storage bins (5) that are filled with flat-stacked postal items, a conveyor (7B) for open-front shuttle bins (8) which are generally dihedral and in which the postal items are arranged edgewise in a stack, and a bin exchanger (7) that is capable of automatically transferring the flat-stacked postal items in an open-top storage bin to an open-front shuttle bin, the supply inlet (2) including a destacker with a fork-shaped magazine having teeth each of which is made up of a motor-driven belt, the shuttle bin and the fork-shaped magazine being designed such that when moving toward the destacker, the shuttle bin is straddled by the motor-driven belts of the magazine of the destacker, which slot in under the stack of postal items arranged edgewise in said shuttle bin, said magazine of the destacker also comprising a conveying portion that is mounted under the teeth of the magazine so as to be liftably movable.
The invention relates to an apparatus for sorting packages into bags, comprising a bag carrier having a modular structure with modules (2A, 2B, 2C) mounted on caster wheels with brakes and arranged so as to be coupled to each other in a detachable manner, at least one mobile robot shuttle carriage (1) remote-controlled by a control unit (13) for moving the packages to be sorted along the bags, and floor markings (15) located along the bag carrier modules and detectable by the shuttle carriage as it moves along the bag carrier modules.
The invention relates to a method for measuring the 3D profile of an object (2, 2a, 2b) moving on a conveyor (1) in a given conveying direction (D1), comprising a step consisting in using an optical sensor (3) for the triangulation-based scanning of a laser line (9) projected onto the object (2, 2a, 2b) moving on the conveyor (1). The method also comprises a step consisting in using the aforementioned optical sensor (3) for the contrast-difference-based scanning of the object (2, 2a, 2b) moving on the conveyor (1), and a step consisting in jointly using the results of the triangulation-based and contrast-difference-based scans in a data processing unit (5) in order to measure the 3D profile of the object (2, 2a, 2b).
A method for processing objects (3) in a logistical centre comprising a storage area (1) for the objects divided into adjacent storage segments along a travel path (2) for shuttle robots (4), in which a control/command unit (5) organises the movement of said shuttle robots on the travel path in order to collect the objects in the segments and makes them leave the travel path in series in an ordered manner in a certain sequence, is characterised in that the unit commands the movement of the shuttle robots cyclically, and controls, during each cycle, the distribution of the objects in the segments so as to each time move an optimal number of shuttle robots on the travel path.
B65G 1/137 - Dispositifs d'emmagasinage mécaniques avec des aménagements ou des moyens de commande automatique pour choisir les objets qui doivent être enlevés
G06Q 10/08 - Logistique, p. ex. entreposage, chargement ou distributionGestion d’inventaires ou de stocks
47.
POSTAL SORTING DEVICE COMPRISING SHUTTLE ROBOTS THAT TRANSPORT CONTAINERS
The invention relates to a device for processing postal objects, in particular for preparing a postal worker's round, including a sorting machine (1) comprising a supply inlet (2) and sorting outlets (3). The objects (4) sorted at the sorting outlets are transported in storage containers (5) by shuttle robots (6). A monitoring/control unit (7) controls the movement of the shuttle robots comprising containers full of objects between the sorting outlets and the supply inlet, and comprising empty containers along the sorting outlets where the shuttle robots move in convoys and in target tracking mode.
The method for handling objects in a logistics centre uses a deposit zone (3) for depositing objects arriving at the centre and a storage zone (11) for storing the objects in which the objects are stored in an ordered manner, pull-out racking (5) coupled to shuttle robots (6), and also platforms (50') placed on elevator trucks (5') coupled to the shuttle robots, and at least one vertical rack for platforms for storing superpositions of object-laden platforms in the storage zone. If an object is loaded onto a pull-out rack in the deposit zone, the shuttle robot stores the object with the pull-out rack in a bottom portion of the platform's rack.
B65G 1/137 - Dispositifs d'emmagasinage mécaniques avec des aménagements ou des moyens de commande automatique pour choisir les objets qui doivent être enlevés
B65G 1/10 - Dispositifs d'emmagasinage mécaniques avec supports relativement mobiles pour faciliter l'insertion ou l'enlèvement des objets
B07C 3/08 - Appareillages caractérisés par les moyens utilisés en vue de la distribution utilisant des systèmes de transporteurs
49.
METHOD FOR MANUALLY MERGING POSTAL OBJECTS INTO A STACK OF MAIL ITEMS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN SORTED
The invention relates to a method for merging postal objects (2) into a stack of mail items (3) that have already been sorted in a machine according to the postman's round, which comprises the following steps: the postal objects (2) are inserted in sequence into a rack (4) with slots (5); the stack of mail items (3) is placed on a merging table (7); a control and command unit (11) displays on a display screen an indication (13) representing a number of current postal objects (2) to be merged and a position for inserting the postal objects (2) into the stack of mail items (3); the number of postal objects indicated on the screen is then removed manually from the rack and inserted into the stack in order to perform a current merge operation; and the control and command unit (11) takes a distance measurement before and after the current merge operation in order to detect a collection error in the rack.
The invention relates to a device (1) for assisting with the merging of postal objects (2) into a stack of mail items (3) that have already been sorted according to a certain sequence, including a merging table (5) capable of storing the stack of mail items on edge, a first camera (8) capable of forming a digital image of a current postal object to be merged into the stack of mail items, a second camera (11) which observes the stack of mail items as an operator placed at one end (5A) of the merging table, and a control and command unit (13) having a display screen (10) which is placed at the end (5A) of the merging table.
Pairing of images of postal articles with descriptors of singularities of the gradient field. A method of processing articles, in particular postal objects, according to which a first digital image of an article is formed and this first image is used to derive a first image signature which is a unique identifier for said article, a current digital image is again formed for said article and the current image is used to derive a current signature which is compared with first signatures of article images recorded in memory so as to pair these image signatures by similarity, is characterized in that each signature is derived according to the following steps: extraction (30) of a digital map of the luminance gradient field of said image by local planar regression, identification (31) in said digital map of points of interest corresponding to topological singularities of the gradient field with high local circular convergence or with high local circular divergence, and representation of each signature (32) by digital descriptors of points of interest.
An unstacking device (1) comprises a sole (5) and a retaining pallet (6) that are designed to move a stack of items of mail (3) from a feed magazine to an unstacking head (4) under the action of a control unit (10) during the unstacking of the items of mail at the front of the stack. The device (1) also comprises a viewing system (9) that is able to form a profile digital image of the said stack of items of mail (3) in the magazine and said unit (10) is designed to evaluate a certain inclination of the items of mail in the stack from said profile image and to cause the sole and the pallet to move so as to position the item of mail at the front of the stack on its edge in a satisfactory manner so as to be unstacked by the unstacking head.
B65H 1/02 - Supports ou magasins pour les piles dans lesquelles on prélève des articles adaptés pour supporter les articles sur la tranche
B65H 7/14 - Commande de l'alimentation en articles, de l'enlèvement des articles, de l'avance des piles ou d'appareils associés permettant de tenir compte d'une alimentation incorrecte, de la non présence d'articles ou de la présence d'articles défectueux par palpeurs ou détecteurs par palpeurs ou détecteurs photo-électriques
The invention relates to an object-sorting system (3) for sorting objects in containers (6) that are open at the top, for example bags, characterised in that it includes shuttle trolleys (1) with autonomous movement for each moving an object from a loading point (4) to a container, in that the shuttle trolleys each have a supporting tray (10) for an object capable of overhanging the top opening of a container, and in that a holding means (16) is provided above the openings of the containers, leaving a space (18) for passing a supporting tray between the holding means and the opening of a container and holding the loaded object on the supporting tray above the opening of the container when the shuttle trolley moves away from the container so that the object falls into the container by gravity.
An installation for separating and individualizing heterogeneous postal objects of the small parcel or package type, is characterized in that it comprises a platform (3) for storing a bundle of postal objects disposed jumbled up, a viewing system (4) adapted for forming digital images of the jumbled bundle of postal objects which is static on the platform, and a pneumatic grasping head (8) of a robotized arm. The viewing system (4) comprises at least one laser source which projects onto the bundle of objects a beam of laser lines spread into a fan, thereby making it possible, on the basis of images comprising the laser lines on the bundle of objects, to calculate accurately a depth map and to carry out a digital cropping to individualize an object of the jumbled bundle of objects.
The invention relates to a mail-sorting machine, which comprises a sorting conveyor capable of transporting mail items (7) in series along the sorting outlets (3) and a unit (6) for feeding mail items including a magazine (6C) for storing loose mail items to be sorted and a separator with a robotic arm (6D) having a viewing sensor (6F) capable of picking the mail items to be sorted one-by-one from the magazine and of depositing same in the sorting conveyor, arranging them in series with constant spacing. The sorting conveyor comprises a plate conveyor (6E) which is inclined so as to form a slope for stacking by gravity.
The invention relates to a facility for separating and individualising heterogeneous mail items such as small parcels or packages (2), which includes: a platform (3) for provisionally storing a stack of loosely arranged mail items; a viewing system (4) suitable for forming digital images of the stack of loose mail items which is static on the platform; a data-processing unit (6) suitable for using said digital images to identify a mail item to be individualised, which has a gripping surface not covered by another mail item, and capable of providing data indicating the spatial position, the orientation in space and the dimensions of said gripping surface; and a pneumatic gripping head (8) of a robotic arm (7) which is controlled by means of the data in order to lift said mail item to be individualised by the gripping surface, and to deposit said mail item on a deposition area outside of the platform.
The invention relates to a postal sorting machine which comprises a sorting conveyor capable of transporting mail items (7) in series along sorting outlets (3) and a unit (6) for feeding mail items including a magazine (6C) for storing loose mail items to be sorted and a separator with a robotic arm (6D) with a vision sensor (6F) capable of drawing the mail items to be sorted one-by-one from the magazine and of inserting same into the sorting conveyor, arranging them in series at a constant pitch. The magazine has a platform mounted on an elevator (11) which is actuated to hold the stack of mail items at a certain set distance from the vision sensor (6F).
The invention relates to an installation (1) for identifying parcels (2) being handled, comprising a linear parcel conveyor (3) that is designed to convey parcels (2) in series. The installation comprises a central control/command unit (6) that can determine the spatial position of each parcel (2) on the conveyor (3) at a given point in time, and at least one portable electronic device (8) that can detect identification information (7) affixed to a parcel (2) when placed close to the parcel (2) and transmit this information (7) to the central unit (6). The central unit (6) is arranged to obtain the spatial position of the portable device (8) at a given point in time in response to the reception of the above-mentioned information (7) from the portable device (8), and to detect if the point-in-time spatial position of the portable device (8) matches the point-in-time spatial position of the parcel (2) determined by the central unit (6).
The invention relates to a facility for handling parcels (2), with independent motorised shuttles (3) and a central command and control unit (9) capable of remotely controlling said freely circulating shuttles guided using data indicating the immediate spatial position of each shuttle, also comprising at least one portable electronic device (7) capable of capturing information (8) affixed to a parcel and of transmitting said information to said central unit. The central unit is arranged such as to collect the spatial positions of the portable device and of the shuttles in order to associate said information with a certain shuttle in the memory.
The invention relates to a mail-stacking unit in a postal sorting machine, comprising a stacking actuator (22) rotated in a jerky manner so as to stack mail items edgewise in a storage container. The actuator is rotatably coupled to a clutch-brake (34) driven at a constant speed and, in addition, elliptical gears (30, 31) are provided between the clutch-brake and the stacking actuator.
F16H 35/00 - Transmissions ou mécanismes ayant d'autres caractéristiques de fonctionnement particulières
B07C 3/00 - Tri du courrier ou des documents selon la destination
B65H 29/40 - Éléments tournant autour d'un axe perpendiculaire au sens du déplacement des articles, p. ex. des croisillons formés par des éléments en S
B65H 29/60 - Aiguilleurs ou déviateurs d'articles pour dévier l'écoulement dans des voies alternées
B65H 31/06 - Récepteurs de piles avec support d'extrémité mobile disposé pour reculer au fur et à mesure que la pile se forme les articles étant empilés de chant
F16H 35/02 - Transmissions ou mécanismes ayant d'autres caractéristiques de fonctionnement particulières pour transmettre un mouvement rotatif à variation cyclique du rapport de vitesse
09 - Appareils et instruments scientifiques et électriques
37 - Services de construction; extraction minière; installation et réparation
42 - Services scientifiques, technologiques et industriels, recherche et conception
Produits et services
Handling machines; handling and moving equipment; handling
installations, namely sets of handling machines and
apparatus; robotic handling apparatus; sorting installations
and machines; robotic sorting apparatus; driverless
transport robots. Software for handling and sorting machines, apparatus and
installations; software for controlling driverless
transport, handling and sorting robots. Installation, maintenance and repair services for machines,
automated installations, robots, for transporting, handling
and sorting. Engineering services relating to automated machines for
handling, transporting and sorting; software maintenance.
09 - Appareils et instruments scientifiques et électriques
Produits et services
Simulators for the design and use of industrial
installations, particularly sorting and logistic
installations; software for simulators for the design and
use of industrial installations, particularly sorting and
logistic installations; simulation software for the design
and use of industrial installations, particularly sorting
and logistic installations; simulation software for the use
of industrial installations, particularly sorting and
logistic installations.
63.
METHOD FOR SORTING POSTAL ITEMS IN A SORTING RACK WITH AUTOMATIC COUNTING OF THE ITEMS SORTED
The invention relates to a method for sorting postal items in a postal sorting rack including sorting boxes, according to which the items to be sorted are placed in a pile, taken one by one from the top of the pile and each placed in a box of the rack, automatically creating, with a specific frequency, digital images of the top of the pile, characterised by the following steps: a) recording (300) data of said digital images in the memory of a processor unit; b) comparing (310) said digital images with one another according to a certain requirement of graphical similarity such as to form image models each representing similar digital images; c) associating a persistence time with each image model; and d) applying (330) a time filter to said image models in order to delete those having a persistence time that is lower than a certain threshold value, the remaining number of models being used for automatically counting the sorted postal items.
The invention relates to a device for supplying flat items for a bucket conveyor having buckets that travel in a loop in a given direction of travel, which includes a flat conveyor (6L), in which the items are moved flat in sequence, and a tray conveyor (6M) having tilting trays (6P) each capable of tilting between a horizontal position and a tilted position and which travel in a loop in synchronisation with the buckets of the bucket conveyor and in the same direction of travel.
The invention relates to a mail sorting machine comprising a sorting conveyor (2) having sorting outlets (3), a first feeding limb (6) suitable for automatically injecting heterogeneous mail items such as small packages or parcels into the sorting conveyor, and a second feeding limb (4, 5) suitable for injecting homogeneous flat mail items such as letters, magazines or the like into the sorting conveyor. The first feeding limb (6) has an inlet suitable for receiving heterogeneous bulk mail items and comprises at least one robotised "pick and place"-type handling arm.
A method for sorting mail items (6) using a dynamic resource allocation process and an overbooking mechanism whereby an overbooked sorting destination (D) is substituted for another sorting destination already assigned to a certain sorting output (S), comprises the steps: a) of identifying (27) from among said sorting outputs (S) a sorting output that has a fill level (N) above a first threshold (s1) and the oldest storage activity and of assigning (29) this sorting output to the overbooked sorting destination; b) if all the sorting outputs (S) have a fill level (N) below said first threshold (s1), of identifying (32), from among the sorting outputs, the one that has the oldest storage activity and of assigning (34, 37) this sorting output to said overbooked sorting destination and of indicating (36, 39) that said other sorting destination is a sorting destination to be consolidated.
09 - Appareils et instruments scientifiques et électriques
Produits et services
Simulators for designing and using industrial installations, in particular sorting and logistics installations; Computer software for simulators for designing and using industrial installations, in particular sorting and logistics installations; Simulation software for designing and using industrial installations, in particular sorting and logistics installations; Simulation software for using industrial installation software, in particular sorting and logistics installations.
09 - Appareils et instruments scientifiques et électriques
37 - Services de construction; extraction minière; installation et réparation
42 - Services scientifiques, technologiques et industriels, recherche et conception
Produits et services
Handling machines; Moving and handling equipment; Handling installations, namely assemblies of handling apparatus and machines; Robotic handling apparatus; Sorting machines and installations; Robotic sorting apparatus; Unmanned transport robots. Software for handling and sorting machines, apparatus and installations; Software for controlling unmanned transport, handling and sorting robots. Installation services, maintenance and repair of machines, automated installations and robots for transport, handling and sorting. Engineering in connection with automated handling, transport and sorting machines; Maintenance of software.
The invention relates to a storage module (1) comprising a storage area (3) for storing, by accumulation, flat items (2) in a pile on edge, a main conveyor (9) which extends transversely to the storage area, a piling function for transferring an item from the main conveyor to the storage area and piling it behind the pile of items in the storage area, and a depiling function for extracting an item from the pile of items and transferring same to the main conveyor. The depiling function comprises an depiling plate (7) with a perforated belt and controlled suction, arranged between the main conveyor and the storage area, said depiling plate having a first segment parallel to the pile of items and a second segment adjacent to the first segment and extending obliquely to the first segment, said controlled suction being arranged in the second oblique segment of the depiling plate.
B65H 31/06 - Récepteurs de piles avec support d'extrémité mobile disposé pour reculer au fur et à mesure que la pile se forme les articles étant empilés de chant
B65H 83/02 - Combinaisons d'opérations d'empilage et d'enlèvement d'articles, p. ex. simultanées, présentant un intérêt autre que l'opération individuelle d'empilage ou d'enlèvement des articles dans la même pile
B65H 3/12 - Bandes, courroies ou tables aspirantes se déplaçant par rapport à la pile
B65H 3/56 - Éléments, p. ex. racleurs, doigts, aiguilles, brosses, agissant sur les articles séparés ou sur la tranche de la pile
B07C 1/02 - Formation d'un courant d'objetsMise en place des objets dans un courant, p. ex. espacement, redressage
70.
MAIL SORTING APPARATUS COMPRISING A FEED MAGAZINE WITH TWO SUPERPOSED SLIDER BEDS
A mail sorting apparatus comprises a sorting machine having an unstacking member (5) and a feed magazine (7). The apparatus also comprises storage bins (4) for storing items of mail (3) and bringing them into the feed magazine. The magazine has a slider bed with a first slider-bed part (22) which is superposed on a second slider-bed part (23) in an overhanging manner. Each bin (4) comprises a bottom (26) having a slot that is open on a front side and towards the top of the bin. The first slider-bed part and the slot of each bin are designed to be inserted one into the other such that when a bin full of edge-stacked items of mail rests on the second slider-bed part, the first slider-bed part is inserted into the slot in the bin under the stack of items, thereby allowing automatic unloading of the items from the bin.
B07C 1/02 - Formation d'un courant d'objetsMise en place des objets dans un courant, p. ex. espacement, redressage
B65H 1/30 - Supports ou magasins pour les piles dans lesquelles on prélève des articles avec moyens pour regarnir la pile à mesure que les articles en sont enlevés de façon continue
71.
METHOD FOR SORTING POSTAL OBJECTS AT THE SORTING BOX WITH DISPLAY OF A VIRTUAL STACK OF OBJECT IMAGES
A method for sorting postal objects (4) in a sorting box (1, 2) comprising sorting bins (3), is characterised in that it comprises the following steps: a) in a sorting pass, storing digital images (8) of the postal objects to be sorted, each comprising a delivery address, in the memory of a command/control unit with a display screen (7), b) producing, from each digital image of a postal object to be sorted, a sorting code (9) identifying a sorting bin of the sorting box, and organising the images of the objects into virtual stacks of images in the memory, each virtual stack of images corresponding to a stack of postal objects placed in a stack in a sorting bin of the box, the images in each virtual stack of images being arranged in the same order as the postal objects in said stack of postal objects, and c) in a subsequent sorting pass, in order to sort a stack of postal objects in the box, displaying the images of these postal objects organised into a virtual stack on the screen, each image having a sorting code embedded in the image.
A method for combining postal objects (11) with mail items (2) which have been sorted in a machine (1) for delivery according to the postman's delivery round, comprising the following steps: - inputting into the sorting machine data representative of the delivery addresses of the postal objects that are to be combined, simulating within the sorting machine an ordered sequence of mail items for delivery according to the postman's delivery round and determining within this simulated sequence respective locations for said postal objects to be combined on the basis of said data, - in the sorting outputs of the machine, sorting said mail items for delivery according to the postman's delivery round and during the machine sorting of each mail item detecting whether this mail item is a mail item adjacent to a postal object that is to be combined in said simulated sequence, - and, in response to said detection, inserting into the sorting machine an insert (10) for automatically directing it toward a sorting output of the machine that corresponds to the delivery address of said postal object.
The invention relates to a method for merging postal matter (3) with post that has been sorted in a machine and is arranged in a stack on its side, in an ordered sequence of postal items (12), comprising the steps of first forming a digital image of said postal matter (3) including a postal distribution address (6), then, from the data produced in said sorting machine and from said digital image, determining a site in said ordered sequence of the postal items (12) where said postal matter (3) is to be inserted in order to carry out the merging, and finally, producing a locating signal that directly visually designates said site in the stack in order to help an operator (5) to perform said merging.
A method for processing packages and a logistical centre for processing packages. A method for processing packages (2) and a logistical centre (1) for processing packages are characterised in that they involve using stackable shelves (5), and motorised shuttles (6) controlled remotely by a central unit (7) in free guided travel and capable of docking each shelf (5), depositing each package (2) on a shelf (5) and identifying (103) the destination of said package, allocating (104) a specific location to said shelf (5) according to a dispatch plan and consequently controlling the movement (105) of said corresponding shuttle (6) in order to store said packages (2) side by side in a stack, then, according to a distribution plan, docking (110) each shelf (5) and transferring (111) each package (2) from said storage area (11) to a loading point (3) in order to present each package (2) in the order of distribution of same.
A method for manually sorting flat objects (4) in a sorting box (7) comprising sorting bins (8), consists of producing a location signal (100) designating a sorting bin of said sorting box into which said object to be sorted should be placed. The method consists of placing said flat objects to be sorted in a pile and removing the objects one by one from the top of the pile. The method also consists of automatically forming (310), at a certain rate, digital images (14) of the top of the pile, the digital image of each object on the top of the pile comprising a sorting indication. Finally, the method consists of automatically producing (330), based on the digital image of said object on the top of the pile, said location signal as a flat object is removed from the top of the pile of flat objects.
A stacking device (1) for stacking flat objects (100) on edge comprising a stacking rack (2) that extends in a certain direction of stacking (D2) in order to store, in a stack on edge, flat objects (100) inserted successively into said stacking rack (2), a stacking actuator (4) for guiding and inserting, in a direction of insertion (D1) transverse to the direction of stacking (D2), each flat object (100) to be stacked at the back of said stack of flat objects (100), said stacking rack (2) being mobile relative to the stacking actuator (4) in the direction of stacking (D2) and said stacking device (1) comprising pulsing means (9) synchronised with the stacking actuator (4) to move the stacking rack (2) in translation by pulses in the direction of stacking (D2) when a flat object (100) is inserted at the back of said stack of flat objects (100). A storage device and a postal sorting machine comprising such a stacking device (1).
B65H 31/06 - Récepteurs de piles avec support d'extrémité mobile disposé pour reculer au fur et à mesure que la pile se forme les articles étant empilés de chant
B65H 29/40 - Éléments tournant autour d'un axe perpendiculaire au sens du déplacement des articles, p. ex. des croisillons formés par des éléments en S
B65H 31/18 - Dispositifs mécaniques à action directe
77.
LETTER TRANSFERRING CARRIAGE FOR A POSTAL SORTING MACHINE, AND POSTAL SORTING INSTALLATION
The invention relates to a letter transferring carriage (2) for letters (100) for a sorting machine (1), having a row of sorting outlets (10) for letters (100) stacked on a working plane (11), said letter transferring carriage (2) having a holder (23) on which a vessel (101) to be filled rests, a back plate (20) carrying guide means (24) that cooperate with a longitudinal slideway (14) of said sorting machine (1), said back plate (20) being extended by a transfer ramp (16) that is inclined with respect to said back plate (20), with which it forms an acute angle, and is intended to overlap the edge of the working plane (11) in order for its top to be flush with said working plane (11). The invention also relates to a postal sorting installation having a sorting machine (1) and a letter transferring carriage (2) as described. Figure to be published.
A method for tracking mail in a postal sorting system comprising first, second networks (1, 2) of sorting machines (11, 21) with a first, second unique identification protocol for the items (3), the first, second networks (1, 2) producing first, second dated tracking data (DS) as and when an item (3) is conveyed through the sorting machines (11, 21) associated with a first, second unique item identifier (Id-Tag Post Out, Id-Tag Post In) generated according to the first, second protocol, said dated data (DS) associated with said first, second unique item identifiers (Id-Tag Post Out, Id-Tag Post In) are recovered in a data processing unit (30) for the purposes of measuring a temporal characteristic of the transit of said item (3) through the first, second networks (1, 2) and a correspondence is established between said first and second unique item identifiers (Id-Tag Post Out, Id-Tag Post In) by way of digital images (IM1, IM2) of said item (3).
A method for sorting consignments (2), in which consignments (2) are sorted automatically in a sorting system in order to be delivered to a recipient by the postman and are reintroduced into a sorting machine (8) for an additional sorting operation in order to re-order the consignments (2) in accordance with a certain classification by the recipient, is characterized by the following steps: digital images (3) corresponding respectively to the consignments (2) to be delivered to the recipient are transmitted to said recipient from the sorting system, these digital images (3) being associated in this transmission with unique consignment identifiers (Id-Tag) generated by the sorting system, for the purpose of a relative reorganization of said unique consignment identifiers by the recipient in an order which defines said classification, and the sorting machine (8) is ordered to carry out the additional sorting operation of said consignments (2) on the basis of said unique consignment identifiers reorganized in accordance with said classification by the recipient.
The invention relates to a machine (1) for sorting flat objects on edge, comprising sorting outlets (2) for stacking said sorted flat objects, each of which is provided with a stacking actuator (5) and at least one slide plate (4) having a front surface (40) against which the edge of said flat objects slides during the stacking of said flat objects, said sorting machine (1) comprising a means (8, 12, 13) for damping and reducing noise generated by said flat objects during stacking, wherein at least part of said means (8) for damping and reducing noise is provided on said slide plate (4).
B65H 29/40 - Éléments tournant autour d'un axe perpendiculaire au sens du déplacement des articles, p. ex. des croisillons formés par des éléments en S
B65H 31/06 - Récepteurs de piles avec support d'extrémité mobile disposé pour reculer au fur et à mesure que la pile se forme les articles étant empilés de chant
The invention relates to a machine (1) for sorting flat objects (2) on edge, comprising an upstream conveyor (10) and a downstream conveyor (30) that convey the flat objects (2) by gripping same, the upstream (10) and downstream (30) conveyors being separated by a detection means (100) comprising an intermediate conveyor (20) provided with intermediate belts (22) which convey said flat objects (2) by gripping same, and each of which is separately combined with a suction means (24, 25) that clamps each flat object (2) against one of said two intermediate belts (22), a means (26) for capturing images of the bases of said flat objects (2) passing between the intermediate belts (2), and a means (4) for analyzing and processing images from among said images in order to detect any possible pickup of multiple flat objects (2).
B65H 3/12 - Bandes, courroies ou tables aspirantes se déplaçant par rapport à la pile
B65H 3/46 - Appareils ou mesures supplémentaires pour aider à l'enlèvement ou empêcher une alimentation en double
B65H 5/02 - Transfert des articles retirés des pilesAlimentation des machines en articles par courroies ou chaînes
B65H 7/12 - Commande de l'alimentation en articles, de l'enlèvement des articles, de l'avance des piles ou d'appareils associés permettant de tenir compte d'une alimentation incorrecte, de la non présence d'articles ou de la présence d'articles défectueux par palpeurs ou détecteurs sensibles à la présence d'articles défectueux ou à l'enlèvement ou à une alimentation incorrecte sensibles à une alimentation ou enlèvement en double
82.
MACHINE FOR SORTING FLAT OBJECTS HAVING HETEROGENEOUS PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS, AND METHOD FOR SORTING SAID FLAT OBJECTS
The invention relates to a machine (1) for sorting flat objects (100, 101) having heterogeneous physical characteristics, including sorting outlets provided with stackers (3) controlled by a monitoring/control unit according to a plurality of programs, each of which is assigned to a predefined type of flat object (100, 101) having predetermined physical characteristics and establishes predetermined operating parameters, such as, in particular, the spacing between said flat objects (100, 101) and the speed at which said flat objects (100, 101) are conveyed, the sorting machine (1) comprising a means for determining the predetermined physical characteristics of each flat object (101) arriving at said stacker (3), said monitoring/control unit being arranged after determining to assign a predefined type of flat object to said flat object (101) arriving at said stacker (3) and to activate said corresponding unstacking program in order to apply predetermined operating parameters when said arriving flat object (101) is stacked.
B65H 29/40 - Éléments tournant autour d'un axe perpendiculaire au sens du déplacement des articles, p. ex. des croisillons formés par des éléments en S
B65H 31/06 - Récepteurs de piles avec support d'extrémité mobile disposé pour reculer au fur et à mesure que la pile se forme les articles étant empilés de chant
83.
DEVICE AND METHOD FOR STACKING AND LOADING FLAT OBJECTS ON EDGE INTO A TRAY COMPRISING MULTIPLE COMPARTMENTS, MAIL-SORTING MACHINE, AND MAIL-SORTING METHOD
The invention relates to an automatic stacking and loading device (1), comprising: at least one surface (5) for receiving a tray (200) comprising multiple compartments, the base plate (205) of which has windows (206); a stacker (3) for stacking said flat objects (10) on a stacking area (4); and fingers (2) that are movable between a low position, in which said fingers are withdrawn from said receiving surface, and a high position, in which said fingers define a surface for bearing against the flat objects (10) during the stacking thereof, wherein said receiving surface (5) is movable, relative to said movable finger (2), between a first and second position in which said movable finger (2) is, in order, opposite the window of said first compartment (203), then opposite the window of said second compartment (204). The invention also relates to a sorting machine (100) comprising such a device, and to an automatic stacking and loading method implementing said device.
B07C 3/00 - Tri du courrier ou des documents selon la destination
B65H 31/06 - Récepteurs de piles avec support d'extrémité mobile disposé pour reculer au fur et à mesure que la pile se forme les articles étant empilés de chant
84.
FACILITY FOR PROCESSING STACKED FLAT ON-EDGE OBJECTS, METHOD FOR UNLOADING STACKED FLAT ON-EDGE OBJECTS
A facility for processing stacked flat on-edge objects, and a method for unloading stacked flat on-edge objects. A processing facility (1) for processing stacked flat on-edge objects (2) and a method for loading, the processing facility (1) comprising a transport carriage (300) provided with a box (303) comprising an inclined bottom wall (307), an end wall (306) opposite which an opening (304) is provided, first and second storage units (100, 200) respectively comprising a loading area (101) and a storage area (201), an unloading area (203) provided upstream from said storage area (201) and movable between a transfer position wherein said unloading area (203) is coplanar with said storage area (201) and an unloading position wherein said unloading area (203) is coplanar with said bottom wall (307).
B65H 1/02 - Supports ou magasins pour les piles dans lesquelles on prélève des articles adaptés pour supporter les articles sur la tranche
B65H 1/26 - Supports ou magasins pour les piles dans lesquelles on prélève des articles avec supports auxiliaires pour faciliter l'introduction ou le remplacement de la pile
85.
DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY LOADING/UNLOADING FLAT OBJECTS STACKED ON EDGE, MACHINE FOR SORTING FLAT OBJECTS, UNLOADING METHOD, AND MAIL SORTING METHOD
The invention relates to a device (1) for automatically loading/unloading flat objects (200) stacked on edge into/out of storage bins (300), each of which has a window (306) in the bottom plate (301) thereof, said device comprising a stationary actuator (4) opposite said window and a movable actuator (5) receiving said storage bin and being movable between: a stand-by position, in which said stationary actuator (4), is set back from said movable actuator (5) and not in contact with said flat objects (200), an unloading position, in which said stationary actuator (4) passes through said window (306) while supporting said flat objects (200) until it is level with said stacking area (3) capable of receiving said flat objects (200) without said storage bin (300) being inserted between said flat objects (200) and said stacking area (3).
B07C 3/00 - Tri du courrier ou des documents selon la destination
B65H 31/06 - Récepteurs de piles avec support d'extrémité mobile disposé pour reculer au fur et à mesure que la pile se forme les articles étant empilés de chant
86.
STORAGE CONTAINER FOR AUTOMATICALLY LOADING AND UNLOADING STACKS OF FLAT ON-EDGE OBJECTS, METHOD FOR LOADING AND UNLOADING
A storage container for automatically loading and unloading stacks of flat on-edge objects, and a method for loading and unloading. A storage container (1) for automatically unloading stacks of stacked flat on-edge objects, comprising panels (4A, 4B, 5) and a base plate (2) provided with slots (10) designed to be penetrated by moving fingers (110) in order to move the edge of said flat objects away from or towards said base plate (2) and automatically load or unload said flat objects into or out of the storage container (1), said panels (4A, 5) defining bearing faces (72) designed to receive the side of the stack of flat objects and provided with grooves (70, 80, 90) opposite the ends of the slots (10) in such a way that the moving fingers (110) extend beyond the stack of flat objects and into the grooves (70, 80, 90) to ensure all the flat objects are moved. A method for loading and unloading the storage container (1).
The invention relates to a mail sorting machine (100) for flat objects (E) on edge, comprising first belt conveying means that are able to transport said flat objects (E) along a first path (C1), a plurality of sorting outlets each associated with a separating flap (1) that is able to move about a pivot axis (A) between a first position, in which it does not interfere with said first path (C1), and a second position, in which it closes off said first path (C1) so as to direct said flat objects (E) along a second path (C2), said separating flap (1) being suspended on a pivot pin (12) which only extends on one side of said flapper in order to leave the area under said separating flap (1) free.
The invention relates to a conveying device (1) and to a conveying machine for flat objects on edge, comprising a rear belt (104) and a front belt (105a, 105b) that define a first grasping area (Z1) for conveying said flat objects along a first path (C1), and a conveying ledge (2) provided with a first slide plate (3) that supports said flat objects and is movably mounted between a working position in which said plate is located in the area near said first grasping area (Z1), said first slide plate (3) being aligned with said first grasping area (Z1), and a stowed position in which said plate is remote from said grasping area (Z1), said first slide plate (3) being de-aligned from said first grasping area (Z1) such as to allow access to said first grasping area (Z1).
B65H 29/12 - Délivrance ou progression des articles à la sortie des machinesProgression des articles vers ou dans les piles au moyen du resserrement entre deux rubans ou courroies mobiles, ou entre deux jeux de rubans ou courroies
Method of processing postal items with generation of numerical models of mailshots on an interactive station. A method of processing postal items according to which they are introduced in series into a sorting machine (2) comprising a sorting conveyer and sorting outlets (7), an image of each postal item is formed in the machine and undergoes processing for automatic recognition of address information so as to automatically direct the postal item to a determined sorting outlet (7), a numerical mailshot model is constructed in a database (15), before introducing the postal items into the machine (2), on the basis of an image of a postal item and defined by data characterizing the graphical appearance of the postal item in the image formed from an interactive acquisition station (9) disposed some distance from the machine (2), and this mailshot model is associated in said database (15) with indications exploitable by the recognition processing and also entered from the interactive acquisition station (9).
A stacking device (1) for flat objects (2) which are stacked on edge comprising a retaining pallet (6) that is movable along the stacking path (E) between an upstream position and a downstream position, and between a working position in which said pallet interferes with said stacking path (E) and an idle position in which said pallet does not interfere with said stacking path (E), a holding finger (7) capable of being in an extended position in which said holding finger interferes with said stacking path (E) to receive pressure from the base of a flat object (2), and movable along said stacking path (E) between a rear position and a forward position, said holding finger (7) and said retaining pallet (6) being independent of one another in such a way that said holding finger (7) holds said base of the flat object (2) even when said retaining pallet (6) is in the idle position.
B65H 31/06 - Récepteurs de piles avec support d'extrémité mobile disposé pour reculer au fur et à mesure que la pile se forme les articles étant empilés de chant
B65H 33/02 - Formation de lots comptés dans les piles ou dans le courant de délivrance des articles en déplaçant une lame ou pièce analogue dans la pile
B65H 31/18 - Dispositifs mécaniques à action directe
B65H 3/32 - Enlèvement des articles des piles par des éléments, passant entre les articles à enlever et le reste de la pile, p. ex. par des doigts, plaques, rouleaux
B65G 47/08 - Dispositifs pour alimenter en objets ou matériaux les transporteurs pour alimenter en objets à partir d'un seul groupe d'objets rangés en ordre, p. ex. pièces à usiner en magasin espaçant ou groupant les objets pendant l'alimentation
91.
EXTRACTION DEVICE FOR A MACHINE FOR SORTING FLAT OBJECTS, AND METHOD FOR EXTRACTING FLAT OBJECTS
The invention relates to a device (2) for extracting flat objects (5), including: a first detection means (11) for detecting the transition between object types; at least first and second specialized extraction programs and a default extraction program, capable of maintaining a first nominal space, a second nominal space, and a default nominal space between two consecutive flat objects (5), respectively; a monitoring/control unit arranged to automatically execute said default extraction program in response to the detection of said transition, to count said flat objects (5) subsequent to said transition, and, in response to reaching a predetermined counting threshold, to execute, for said subsequent flat objects (5) and until the next transition detection, said corresponding first or second specialized extraction program. The invention also relates to a method for extracting flat objects (5) using said extraction device (2).
The invention relates to a mail-sorting machine (101) for sorting mail items (1) and dividers (2), including: sorting outlets (105); a first unstacking device (102); a conveyor (104) distributing said mail items (1) and dividers (2) between said sorting outlets (105); a second unstacking device (103) that automatically unstacks at least one divider (2) according to at least one predetermined criterion, and feeds said at least one divider into the flow of mail items (1), said conveyor (104) distributing said reinserted divider (2) to a specific predetermined sorting outlet (105); and a device (103) for stacking dividers (2), which is arranged between said first unstacking device (102) and said second unstacking device (103), so as to extract dividers (2), stack said dividers, store said dividers, and automatically feed said second unstacking device (103). The invention also relates to a sorting method implementing said mail-sorting machine (101).
The invention relates to a mail-sorting method in which pieces of mail undergo at least two machine sorting passes in order to be placed in order at the sorting outputs of the machine, and user processing information (PF) relating to at least one piece of mail is available in the machine during a first sorting pass, said method being characterized in that it includes the steps of associating, in a memory, said user processing information with a graphical signature of the piece of mail which is representative of an image of the piece of mail, and, during a second machine sorting pass of said piece of mail, retrieving (32, 33) said user processing information associated therewith by matching graphical signatures according to a certain resemblance criterion.
The invention relates to a sorting machine, including a unstacking machine (10) suitable for setting postal items on edge, means (20, 25) for recognizing the address of said postal items, and an area (2, 3, 4) for conveying the postal items through gripping, including an unstacking area (1 ) extending from the unstacking machine, a sorting area (3) having a plurality of sorting outlets (S1-SN) distributed between an upstream sorting outlet (S1) adjacent to the unstacking machine and a downstream sorting outlet (SN). According to the invention, said sorting machine also comprises a recirculation area (4) connecting the downstream sorting outlet (SN) and the upstream sorting outlet (S1), said recirculation area defining, together with the unstacking area (1), a confluence point (C) located between the unstacking machine and the upstream sorting outlet.
The invention relates to a device including a chute (4) for supplying objects, a receiving area (6) on which a stack (P) of said objects is formed, and a rotary actuator (22) that is capable of pushing said objects against an element (32) for retaining the stack. The actuator (22) has at least one member (282, 282) for protecting the last object (N) of the stack (P) during the formation of the latter, said protective member being capable of being inserted between said last object and an object (N+1) currently exiting the supply chute.
B65H 31/06 - Récepteurs de piles avec support d'extrémité mobile disposé pour reculer au fur et à mesure que la pile se forme les articles étant empilés de chant
B65H 29/40 - Éléments tournant autour d'un axe perpendiculaire au sens du déplacement des articles, p. ex. des croisillons formés par des éléments en S
The invention relates to a method for optimizing a mail-processing procedure, said method comprising the following steps: subjecting items to a first sorting cycle through which first sorting outlets (S1 - S78) are assigned to first delivery destinations (A1 - Z3) that have a high filling rate, another sorting outlet (S79) being assigned to second delivery destinations (A'1 - Z'3) that have a low filling rate; directing separation inserts (5) to the first sorting outlets; recirculating the items from the other sorting outlet; and subjecting said items to a second sorting outlet through which the first sorting outlets are assigned to the second delivery destinations. If the sorting outlets use storage trays (4) at the end of the second sorting cycle, the items for a first and second destination are sorted, in strata, in a single tray and separated by an insert.
The invention relates to a device for processing objects, including: a conveyor (2) that moves consecutively over the edge of the objects (1); a camera (3) that forms a digital image (4) of each object (1); a unit for processing the pixels of the digital image (4); and a means for checking/monitoring the quality of the digital images (4). Said object-processing device is characterized in that said conveyor has a dark-colored back wall (9), said camera (3) forms a digital image (4) wherein the object (1) appears in a background (7) that corresponds to said back wall (9), and said checking/monitoring means scans the pixel lines in order to retrieve, for each line, a pixel having a brightness extremum and detect a contrast indicating a corruption in the quality of the digital images (4). The invention also relates to a sorting machine comprising one such device and to a checking/monitoring method.
The invention relates to a separation device (18) that includes: an object passage area (40), extending between drive means (20, 30); means (24, 34) for holding an object relative to another object, said holding means being capable of mutually separating said objects; and control means, capable of separately activating and deactivating each first and second drive means (20, 30) and each first and second holding means (24, 34). The drive means (20, 30) are remote from each other so as to define the passage area (40), and the holding means (24, 34) are capable of exerting transverse forces in opposite directions so as to draw in, via vacuum, at least one object against a corresponding drive means. The invention also relates to a method for controlling the preceding separation device (18) and to a mail sorting machine that includes such a separation device (18).
B65H 3/46 - Appareils ou mesures supplémentaires pour aider à l'enlèvement ou empêcher une alimentation en double
B65H 3/12 - Bandes, courroies ou tables aspirantes se déplaçant par rapport à la pile
B65H 7/12 - Commande de l'alimentation en articles, de l'enlèvement des articles, de l'avance des piles ou d'appareils associés permettant de tenir compte d'une alimentation incorrecte, de la non présence d'articles ou de la présence d'articles défectueux par palpeurs ou détecteurs sensibles à la présence d'articles défectueux ou à l'enlèvement ou à une alimentation incorrecte sensibles à une alimentation ou enlèvement en double
99.
DEVICE FOR FEEDING FLAT OBJECTS AND POSTAL SORTING MACHINE
The invention relates to a device for feeding flat objects, comprising a store (1) for supplying flat objects that are moved in a manner stacked on edge in a first transfer direction (A), a means (3) for separating the uppermost flat object from the stack in order to drive it in a second, perpendicular transfer direction (B), an unstacking means (10) that takes hold of the unstacked flat object in order to move it in said second transfer direction (B) to the inlet of a conveyor and a retaining means (13) that exerts a retaining force in the opposite direction to the movement of the flat object in the direction of the conveyor, said unstacking means being offset from said separating means by a distance at least equal to the maximum length of a flat object, and the retaining means being provided opposite the unstacking means. The invention also relates to a postal sorting machine having such a feeding device.
The invention relates to a stacking device including a support shelf (24,24') on which a stack (P) of planar objects (OrOn) is formed, said objects being inserted and pushed back to the edge one by one in a main direction (D) so as to bear against an element (18) for retaining the stack, which is provided at the front end of said stack. The support shelf (24, 24') is mounted so as to be freely translatable in the main direction (D) with the movement thereof being synchronized with the retaining element (18) in said direction, which makes it possible to impart great stability to the stack thus formed. The retaining element (18) is moreover movable with respect to the frame (10) and associated with means arranged such that the frame applies a return force on the stack of planar objects (OrOn) so as to retain said objects. The invention also relates to a mail-sorting machine provided with at least one such stacking device.
B65H 31/06 - Récepteurs de piles avec support d'extrémité mobile disposé pour reculer au fur et à mesure que la pile se forme les articles étant empilés de chant
