Solystic

Stephane Ambroise

Stephane Samain

Pierre Chorier-Pichon

Mickael Dauvergne

Pierre Campagnolle

Hicham El Bernoussi

Bernard Constant

Jean-Marc Teluob

Guy Forella

Damien Hugues

Christian Duclot

Robert Vivant

Mathieu Bayon

Daniel Abraham

Christophe Cordola

The invention relates to an unstacker device for unstacking flat articles, said unstacker device including: first detection means for detecting transitions between article types; at least first and second specialized unstacking programs and a default unstacking program, which programs are suitable for maintaining respectively a first nominal gap, a second nominal gap, and a default nominal gap, between two consecutive flat articles; and a monitoring/control unit arranged for automatically executing said default unstacking program in response to detection of said transition, for counting said flat articles subsequent to said transition, and, in response to a predetermined counting threshold being reached, for executing, for said subsequent flat articles and until the next transition detection, the corresponding one of said first and second specialized unstacking programs. The invention also relates to a method of unstacking flat articles using said unstacker device.

Unstacker device for a machine for sorting flat articles, and a method of unstacking flat articles

A flat-article feed device comprising a supply magazine in which flat articles are moved in a stack on edge in a first transfer direction, a separator for separating the leading flat article of the stack from the remainder of the stack and for driving it in a second transfer direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first transfer direction, an unstacker that takes a flat article that is being unstacked and brings it in the second transfer direction to the inlet of a conveyor, and a retainer that exerts a retaining force that opposes movement of the flat article towards the conveyor, the unstacker being offset from the separator by a distance not less than the maximum length of a flat article, and the retainer being provided facing the unstacker. A postal sorting machine including such a feed device.

Flat-article feed device and a postal sorting machine

The method of detecting a mailpiece of the open mailpiece type such as a non-wrapped magazine consists in causing the mailpiece () to pass on edge through a first conveyor (A) arranged to move the mailpiece () by nipping it while holding it tightly over substantially the entire height of the mailpiece, then to pass on edge through a second conveyor (B) arranged to move the mailpiece () by nipping it while leaving a top end (B) of the mailpiece free to fan out. Two measurements are taken of the thickness of the mailpiece () respectively when the mailpiece is in the first conveyor (A) and when it is in the second conveyor (B), for the purpose of determining, by differentially comparing the two measurements, whether the mailpiece is an open mailpiece.

Method of detecting open mailpieces such as non-wrapped magazines

A postal sorting machine comprising an automatic feed station () with an unstacker device (), a manual feed station (), and a sorting conveyor adapted to move mailpieces in series one behind another in a conveying direction (), the automatic feed station being designed to feed the conveyor automatically with mailpieces from a stack of mailpieces, the manual feed station () being adapted to receive mailpieces inserted individually and to place them in the conveyor. The manual feed station () comprises a protective cover forming a sort of tunnel over the conveyor, and an insertion slot () provided in the protective cover and through which a mailpiece can be inserted into the tunnel, said slot being in vertical alignment with a mailpiece receiving and handling space () for receiving and handling a mailpiece in the conveyor, which space is funnel-shaped.

Postal sorting machine with a manual feed station

A mailpiece unstacker device comprises a feed magazine for moving the mailpieces in a stack and on edge in a certain direction towards an unstacker head. It is provided with materials sensors for delivering signals indicating that a current mailpiece has a cover made of a plastics material and/or includes a metal material. A control unit forces the feed magazine and the unstacker head to operate as a function of the signals generated by the sensors so that the mailpieces are presented facing the unstacker head in positions that are inclined backwards to various extents.

Multi-mode unstacker device for unstacking mailpieces

A device for conveying flat articles, in which device the flat articles are moved in series while being at a pitch one from the next that is normally constant, includes a synchronization device for compensating for a certain amount of variation in said pitch. This device includes:

Mailpiece conveyor device with servocontrol on reject rate

A conveyor device for conveying flat objects on edge, which device comprises at least two wheels having elastically deformable treads and disposed facing each other so as to move a flat object on edge by pinching and friction. The two wheels are arranged in such a manner as to exert a pinching force on the flat object on edge that varies progressively as the flat object is driven forwards.

Deformable-wheel conveyor exerting a progressive pinching force

An unstacker device for unstacking flat objects comprises a motor-driven feed magazine controlled so as to move flat objects in a stack and on edge facing an unstacking head provided with a motor-driven drive having a perforated belt and a suction chamber, which motor driven drive is actuated so as to separate a current first object from the stack and so as to eject it in a direction that is transverse to the direction in which the stack of flat objects is moved, in which device the motor-driven drive is actuated and stopped each time a current object is unstacked, and the stack of flat objects is straightened up in the magazine in response to detection of signals delivered by a plurality of sensors disposed in the unstacking head. The sensors are disposed in the unstacking head in a manner such as to deliver signals indicating that the current object is presented appropriately relative to the unstacking head, and the drive of the unstacking head is actuated if the signals indicate that the current object is presented appropriately.

Growing community of inventors

Tain l'Hermitage, France

Stephane Ambroise