AN INSTALLATION FOR SORTING MAILPIECES

Abstract

An installation (1) for sorting mailpieces (2) includes an unstacker having an unstacking plate (3) suitable for separating a mailpiece at the head of a stack of mailpieces so as to feed a sorting conveyor (4) in which the mailpieces (1), as put into series, are moved in series and on edge. The installation (1) also includes: a feed inlet magazine (6) upstream from the unstacking plate with a motor-driven floor (8) designed to receive a stack of mailpieces (2) on edge; and a retaining paddle (9) that is mounted to move along the magazine and that is suitable for being placed behind the stack to keep it on edge while it is moving on the motor-driven floor towards the unstacking plate.

Claims

1. An installation for sorting mailpieces comprising: an unstacker having an unstacking plate suitable for separating a mailpiece at the head of a stack of mailpieces so as to feed a sorting conveyor in which the mailpieces, as put into series, are moved in series and on edge; a feed inlet magazine upstream from said unstacking plate and having a motor-driven floor designed to receive a stack of mailpieces on edge; and a retaining paddle that is mounted to move along said magazine and that is suitable for being placed behind the stack to keep it on edge while it is moving on said motor-driven floor towards the unstacking plate; wherein said motor-driven floor of said magazine is made up of a plurality of motor-driven floor segments driven by respective independent motor-drives that are controlled selectively by a monitoring and control unit, said installation further comprising a position sensor provided for producing a signal indicating the relative position of said retaining paddle relative to said motor-driven floor segments, and wherein said monitoring and control unit is arranged to cause the segment(s) upstream from the paddle to advance at a speed/at speeds different from the speed(s) at which the segment(s) downstream from said paddle advance in such a manner as to force the mailpieces placed in a stack behind the paddle to straighten up on edge in reaction to the bases of the mailpieces being pressed against said retaining paddle.

2. The installation according to claim 1, wherein said monitoring and control unit is arranged to reduce the speed(s) of advance of the motor-driven floor segments that are upstream from the retaining paddle after a predetermined reference time.

3. The installation according to claim 2, wherein said retaining paddle has a back that is provided with a retractable ramp.

4. The installation according to claim 1, wherein said retaining paddle has a back that is provided with a retractable ramp.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In the drawings:

[0017] FIG. 1 is a highly diagrammatic view of a sorting installation of the invention; and

[0018] FIGS. 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d are highly diagrammatic views of a portion of the sorting installation of the invention while a stack of mailpieces is being straightened up.

[0019] The invention is described in more detail below with reference to the drawings, which show an example of an installation for sorting mailpieces that includes a function of straightening up the stack of mailpieces in the feed inlet magazine.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0020] FIG. 1 shows a sorting installation 1 of the invention for sorting mailpieces 2, which installation includes an unstacker having an unstacking plate 3 designed to put a mailpiece at the head of a stack of mailpieces into series, and a sorting conveyor 4 fed by an unstacker and in which the mailpieces 2, as put into series, are moved on edge to sorting outlets 5.

[0021] The sorting installation 1 also includes a feed inlet magazine 6 for feeding in mailpieces 2 upstream from the unstacking plate 3, which magazine has a non-motor-driven floor 7 designed to receive a tray loaded with mailpieces 2 stored on edge that is placed on it by a machine operative.

[0022] Extending in alignment with and downstream from the non-motor-driven floor 7, the magazine 6 also includes a motor-driven floor 8 designed to receive the stack of mailpieces 2 on edge unloaded from the tray by the machine operative and that enables the stack of mailpieces 2 to be moved automatically towards the unstacking plate 3 in the conveying direction F1.

[0023] When processing mailpieces that are stored flat in the trays, a tilter is provided to tilt the tray automatically so that the mailpieces are placed on edge directly on the motor-driven floor.

[0024] A moving retaining paddle 9 is also provided that is mounted to move along the motor-driven floor 8 and along the non-motor-driven floor 7, which paddle is designed to be placed behind the stack of mailpieces 2 by the machine operative to keep it on edge while it is moving on the motor-driven floor 8 towards the unstacking plate 3.

[0025] It can be understood, in this example, that the rate at which the retaining paddle 9 advances against the stack of mailpieces 2 is a function of the rate at which the mailpieces 2 are unstacked.

[0026] The retaining paddle 9 also has a back 10 that is provided with a retractable ramp 11, which, in this example, is mounted to slide freely in the thickness of the paddle, so as to guide the straightening-up movement of another stack of mailpieces 2 that comes to be pressed against the retaining paddle 9.

[0027] More particularly, said ramp 11 has a horizontal top side that is mounted to slide in two vertical grooves in the paddle 9. A resilient member may be provided to force said ramp to take up, at rest, a retracted position in which it is retracted into the paddle, and a locking member may be provided to keep the ramp in the inclined position out of the paddle in such a manner as to straighten up a stack.

[0028] The motor-driven floor 8 of the magazine 6 is also made up of a plurality of motor-driven segments 12, each having an independent motor-drive that is controlled selectively by a monitoring and control unit 13.

[0029] In this example, each motor-driven segment is designed to move all of the mailpieces in a stack that fills one tray.

[0030] In this example, the monitoring and control unit 13 is designed to increase the speed(s) of the segment(s) 12 of motor-driven floor 8 that are upstream from the retaining paddle 9 relative to the speed(s) of the segment(s) that are downstream from the paddle relative to the conveying direction F1.

[0031] It can be understood that, in this example, the speeds of the motor-driven segments are synchronized between downstream and upstream from the paddle in order to guarantee optimum feeding of mailpieces at the unstacker.

[0032] In this example, the monitoring and control unit 13 is parameterized for two operating modes adapted to process respectively mailpieces that are stored on edge or mailpieces that are stored flat in the trays.

[0033] The operative can thus choose the appropriate operating mode as a function of the mailpieces loaded into the feed magazine.

[0034] In this example, a control panel 15 is thus provided in the vicinity of the motor-driven floor 8 for the purpose of selecting one of the two operating modes.

[0035] The sorting installation 1 also includes a position sensor 14 designed to send a signal to the monitoring and control unit 13 for the purpose of indicating the relative position of the paddle relative to the motor-driven floor segments.

[0036] The sorting installation also includes other sensors that are capable of producing data about the position of the stack on the feed magazine, the monitoring and control unit 13 being suitable for retrieving and processing said data so as to respond to it by controlling the speed of each segment independently from the other segments.

[0037] As a function of the data produced by the sensors, the monitoring and control unit 13 may also, for example, activate each segment 12 at an equivalent speed, gradually increase or reduce the speeds of the segments up to the retaining paddle 9 and even control the speeds of the segments 12 for a predetermined reference time.

[0038] When processing the mailpieces in the sorting installation of the invention, the machine operative starts by selecting the operating mode (on edge or flat) on the control panel 15.

[0039] So long as the operative does not change operating mode, the monitoring and control unit 13 continues to operate in the previously selected operating mode.

[0040] For sorting mailpieces 2 that are stored on edge in the trays, the machine operative starts by placing a tray loaded with mailpieces 2 on the non-motor-driven floor 7 and then retrieves the mailpieces 2 in handfuls so as to place them in a stack on the motor-driven floor 8 that operates continuously.

[0041] For sorting mailpieces 2 stored flat in the trays, the tilter automatically tilts the tray to place the mailpieces directly on the motor-driven floor 8. In this situation, the monitoring and control unit controls the segments as a function of the position of the stack that is detected by the sensors.

[0042] In both situations, the stack that has just been placed on edge tends to slip down or slump onto the motor-driven floor.

[0043] While the monitoring and control unit 13 is controlling the segments 12 in the chosen operating mode, the machine operative (represented by a hand M in FIG. 2a in this example) places the right hand at the front and under the stack and the left hand at the base and at the back of the stack and takes advantage of the stack moving on the segments 12 to start effortlessly straightening up the stack on edge against the retaining paddle 9.

[0044] Once the mailpiece at the head of the stack touches the retaining paddle 9, as can be seen in FIG. 2b, the operative withdraws the right hand while keeping the left hand at the base of the back of the stack to prevent the stack from tipping backwards, and takes advantage of the segments 12 moving automatically to bring the stack to end up straightening up on its own against the retaining paddle 9, as shown in FIG. 2c.

[0045] It can also be understood that when the paddle is provided with a ramp 11, the machine operative no longer needs to use the right hand to straighten up the stack of mailpieces 2 against the retaining paddle 9 because the mailpiece at the head of the stack then straightens up by itself along the back of the paddle.

[0046] The machine operative then moves the retaining paddle 9 so as to place it behind the stack of mailpieces 2 that has just been straightened up, as shown in FIG. 2d.

[0047] The position sensor 14 then detects a new position of the retaining paddle 9 and sends a signal to the monitoring and control unit 13, which reduces the speed of the segment 11 on which the newly straightened-up stack of mailpieces 2 between the retaining paddle 9 and the unstacking plate 3 is situated so that the speed is substantially the same as the speed of advance of the retaining paddle.

[0048] Once the reference time has elapsed, the segments upstream from the retaining paddle 9 are stopped, pending a new stack of mailpieces 2 to be straightened up.