The invention concerns a tray to transfer products, especially products enclosed in a packaging.
The invention also concerns an installation for the automatic handling of products, each of which is carried on a tray according to the invention.
More particularly, the invention concerns a tray that can be used for the automatic handling of products such as, for example, glasses lenses, notably with a view to storing them and preparing orders that include batches of different types of product.
In the course of their manufacturing, and especially at different steps of their manufacturing processes, such products are individualised and identified by marking means suited for subsequent operations.
For example, manufacturing a pair of glasses requires the production of at least two glasses lenses, each of which with different characteristics, for example, related to the desired degree of optical correction and also for example, to subsequent processing operations to be carried out on each lens.
Each lens, whether or not it has been preliminarily mass-produced, for example as blanks, is identified for example by a bar-code marking displayed on its final packaging.
Such a mark can also be provided directly onto the product itself.
Glasses lenses identified in this way can then be temporarily stored or dispatched directly to the end-user, especially to make the pair of glasses.
In order to automate the various steps of stowage, storage, batch preparation and dispatch, etc., it has become necessary to develop automated robotic systems that require being able to reliably use temporary means for storage and transfer of the concerned products.
The invention aims to propose a tray designed for this purpose.
The invention proposes a tray for the transfer of at least one product, the tray comprising at least one horizontal bottom wall on the internal upper face of which the product can be placed on one of its two large faces.
characterised in that said upper face of the horizontal bottom wall includes:
According to other characteristics of the invention:
The invention also proposes an assembly, comprising:
The invention also proposes an assembly, consisting of:
The invention also proposes an installation for the automatic handling of products, each of which is being carried by a tray according to the invention,
characterised in that it includes a conveyor path on which trays rest by the lower faces of their bottom walls, and at least one optical sensor positioned vertically over the conveyor path in such a way as to be able to read, or not, any marking arranged on said upper face of the horizontal bottom wall of a tray, depending on whether or not there is a product on the tray facing said optical sensor.
According to other characteristics of the installation:
Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge in the course of reading the following detailed description, for the understanding of which reference will be made to the appended drawings, in which:
In the following description, components with the same structure or similar functions will be referred to using the same references.
In the remaining part of the description, longitudinal, vertical and transverse axes will be referred to, in a non-limiting way, as shown by the “L,V,T” trihedron in the figures. A horizontal plane extending longitudinally and transversely is also defined.
In the first embodiment and its variants, each tray has a double symmetrical design with respect to two vertical planes, a longitudinal PVL and a transversal PVT, shown in
Each tray is, for example, produced by moulding of a plastic material.
According to the invention, the notion of product covers for example a glasses lens, or ophthalmic lens, finished or unfinished, a “raw” ophthalmic lens or a lens blank, a contact lens in individual packaging like a blister pack, a pair of glasses frame, precious or semi-precious stones, pearls inside an envelope or a sachet, links for decorative or jeweller's bracelets or necklaces, etc.
As a rule, the product is enclosed in a packaging such as a sachet or an envelope, for example rectangular or square in shape, and globally delimited by two opposed large surfaces, more or less flat, and possibly with a peripheral lateral wall.
It is therefore possible that the packaging carries on part of its outer surface a first identification marking that allows optical recognition of which product is contained inside the packaging.
If the product is not enclosed in a packaging, it can nevertheless sometimes include/directly carry a first identification marking that allows the optical recognition of which product is contained inside the packaging.
The tray 20 shown in
Thus, in a non-limiting way, the tray 20 here comprises a single inner compartment which is upwardly vertically open.
The bottom wall is delimited by an internal upper face 26 and an outer lower face 28 by means of which the tray can rest on a shelf or, by way of another example, on the strap or the belt of a conveyor to transport or transfer the tray.
The side wall 24 extends vertically upwards from the bottom wall and is delimited by a continuous upper horizontal edge 30.
The side wall has two large longitudinal sides 24L and two smaller transverse sides 24T.
The side wall 24 is delimited by its inner face 32 and outer face 34.
Here, the horizontal bottom wall 22 has two ejection through-holes 36 having a circular outline which are centred transversely and aligned longitudinally.
Between the two ejection holes 36, the internal upper face 26 of the horizontal bottom wall 22 includes a central area 38 which is a marking area according to the invention.
Without limitation, the marking area 38 is slightly hollow with respect to the plane of internal upper face 26.
By way of an example here, the marking area 38 carries a bar-code M2 that constitutes a second marking according to the invention that, for example, can be read and identified by any suitable optical reader, through the open upper face of tray 20.
As it can be seen, in particular in
As it can be seen in
A tray 20 can carry a similar third marking M3 on the outer face 34 of each of the four sides 24L and 24T of the side wall 24 in such a way as to allow identification of the tray 20 whichever of its sides is pointing towards a reader provided and positioned for this purpose.
Packaging 100 is delimited by a large upper face 102 and a large lower face 104 which are substantially parallel.
Packaging 100 also has a peripheral lateral wall 106 with four continuous sides extending all along the edges of the large faces, both upper 102 and lower 104.
Packaging 100 is for example an envelope or sachet made of paper, or possibly a box made of cardboard or any other material.
It can contain for example a glasses lens.
As can it be seen in
As it can be seen in
When the second marking M2 cannot be detected or read, it means that a product in its packaging 100 is on the tray 20.
In contrast, if there is no product present on the internal upper face 26 of the bottom wall 22, a reader can detect or read the second marking M2 thereby showing that the tray 20 is “empty”.
If a tray has been positioned “upside down”, i.e. the wrong way up, it is the outer face 28 of its bottom wall 22 which points up and, since this outer face 28 does not carry any marking, this particular state can also be detected.
As a variant, the second marking M2 can be the same on all trays used in a given installation and/or identical to the third tray identification marking M3.
As it can also be seen on
To remove a product or its packaging 100 from the compartment on the tray, it must be extracted, at least partially, vertically from the bottom up.
To make it easier to grip it, at least one ejection pin can be passed vertically from the bottom up though an ejection hole 36.
The various markings discussed above can be of any suitable type and are notably not limited to one-dimensional or multidimensional bar-codes.
In particular for the second marking M2 that indicates whether a product is present or not, it can consist of an area with a colour different from the colour of the remaining part of the tray 20.
Similarly, the principle according to the invention is not limited to a tray 20 with a single compartment to hold one product.
Thus, a single tray, for example for the production of a pair of glasses, can contain three neighbouring compartments, two for the glasses lenses and a third compartment for the frame.
The internal upper face 26 of the bottom wall 22 delimiting each compartment can then carry a second marking M2, possibly specifying the nature of the product it may, or may not, be holding.
These figures only show the changes made to make stacking possible; neither the various marking means not the ejection holes are shown.
As it can be seen especially in detail in
As illustrated schematically in
Moreover, backward sliding motion is limited longitudinally with respect to the lower tray.
Thus, especially when the handling is automated with a clamp on a robotic head, trays 20 can be handled and vertically stacked directly and/or by sliding them horizontally along the L-axis.
A second variant of stacking means is illustrated in
To this end, the external lower face 28 has, at each of its four corners, a recess 40 while the upper edge 30 of the side wall 24 has a matching profile to make it possible to interlock and superimpose two identical trays 20.
Between two successive recesses 40, the bottom wall thus has a projection 42L, 42T respectively.
To this end, the upper edge 30 of the side wall 24 has, on each of its sides 24L, 24T, a central notch 44L, 44T respectively, which is sized to accommodate a matching projection 42L, 42T respectively.
Schematically and in a non-limiting manner, the reading and identification station 204 includes a first upper camera 206 positioned over the belt that can scan vertically downwards over the open upper face of a tray 20, to read from it:
Schematically and in a non-limiting manner, the reading and identification station 204 includes a second lateral camera 208 positioned on one side of the belt that can horizontally scan the side of the tray 20, for example for a marking such as the abovementioned third marking M3.
The movement of the trays 20 can be stopped by remote-controlled blocking pins 300 projecting laterally above the conveyor belt.
The movement of the tray 20, farthest to the left, is stopped at the level of a station 302 for the partial ejection of a product 100 contained in the associated tray 20.
The ejection station 302 essentially consists of a controlled ejection pin 304, which can move vertically between a low, retracted position and a high, active illustrated position, in which the ejection pin 304 projects through an ejection hole 36 in the tray 20 to lift at least part of a packaging 100 over the plane of the upper edge 30.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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1757478 | Aug 2017 | FR | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2018/070325 | 7/26/2018 | WO | 00 |