Patent Application
20150016938
The invention relates generally to a sorting machine for sorting flat articles on edge, which machine has sorting outlets for stacking the sorted flat articles, each of which sorting outlets is equipped with a stacking actuator and with at least one slide plate having a front face against which the flanks of the flat articles slide while the flat articles are being stacked.
That type of sorting machine is widely known and is used to sort flat articles such as, for example, mailpieces, and for stacking them on edge. Such sorting machines have a plurality of sorting outlets, at each of which the mailpieces are stacked in compliance with a predetermined sorting plan. The mailpieces processed in this way can be of a wide variety of dimensions, materials, and weight, and, for example, are of weight varying in the range a few grams to 350 grams. Each stack of mailpieces is then unloaded manually by an operator who, for example, places it in a storage tray. Operation of the sorting machine thus requires permanent activity by at least one operator for emptying the sorting outlets and for re-supplying empty storage trays. Unfortunately, the mailpieces being stacked on edge generates high levels of noise, making the working conditions of the operators difficult close to the sorting outlets. In order to reduce that noise, certain sorting machines are equipped with noise barriers formed by flexible curtains made of polyurethane and hung between the sorting outlets and the operators. Such noise barriers are of limited effectiveness and the noise levels in the vicinity of the sorting outlets remain too high for the operators. In addition, such barriers hinder the operators while they are unloading the stacks, and are of limited lifespan.
Publication JP 57 049 854 describes, as prior art, a mailpiece stacker including a slide plate along which the surfaces of the flat articles slide, and a mechanical absorption plate, perpendicular to the slide plate, and against which the edges of the flat articles come into abutment during the stacking. The mechanical absorption plate is designed to absorb impacts against the edges of the flat articles. The mechanical absorption plate is fastened to the frame of the stacker, from which it is separated by a sound-proofing plate designed to absorb the noise generated by the impacts of the flat articles coming into contact with the mechanical absorption plate. That stacker is noisy. That document therefore proposes a stacker that is designed to be less noisy, and that includes a mechanical absorption plate that is offset from the frame and that is suitable for deforming under the effect of impacts from the edges of the flat articles. However, that solution is not good, and the noise level remains high.
An object of the invention is to remedy those drawbacks by proposing a sorting machine having a noise level that is reduced effectively and durably while also preserving good compactness and good ergonomics.
To this end, the invention provides a sorting machine for sorting flat articles on edge, which machine has sorting outlets for stacking the sorted flat articles, each of which sorting outlets is equipped with a stacking actuator and with at least one slide plate having a slide front face against which the flanks of said flat articles slide while the flat articles are being stacked, said sorting machine being characterized in that it is provided with noise damper and reducer means designed to co-operate with the front face to absorb the noise, in particular the noise generated by the flat articles while they are being stacked, at least a portion of the noise damper and reducer means being provided on and along said slide plate, the front face of the slide plate having at least a first zone of perforations that is provided with a plurality of first orifices extending through the slide plate and forming, at least in part, the noise damper and reducer means. In addition to absorbing the noise associated with stacking the flat articles, the noise damper and reducer means also make it possible to absorb the noise internal to the sorting machine, e.g. the noise generated by the flat articles travelling through the sorting machine.
The basic idea of the invention is to incorporate noise damper and reducer means into the existing equipment of a sorting machine. The arrangement of the noise damper and reducer means combined with the slide plate thus makes it possible to reduce the noise level while also not hindering the work of the operators and while not generating any risk of prematurely damaging the noise damper and reducer means. Thus, the noise damper and reducer means act as effective acoustic absorption means.
The sorting machine of the invention may advantageously have the following features:
The present invention can be better understood and other advantages appear on reading the following detailed description of an embodiment given by way of non-limiting example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
With reference to
With reference to
Each sorting outlet 2 is provided with a stacking actuator 5 of the bucket wheel type that is suitable for stacking the flat articles. Each stacking actuator 5 has a hub (represented by a respective one of the axes A) provided behind the corresponding slide plate 4 and from which a plurality of series of curved spurs 6a-6d extend that are distributed along the axis A. In the example shown, the stacking actuator 5 is provided with four series of spurs 6a-6d, namely two lower and mutually adjacent series of spurs 6a, 6b, these series being provided in register with the path of the bottoms of the flat articles, and two upper series of spurs 6c-6d, these series being spaced apart from each other and distributed heightwise in the middle portion of the slide plate 4. In known manner, in their concave portions, the spurs 6a-6d are suitable for receiving, one after another, the flat articles arriving at the corresponding sorting outlet 2, and for accompanying their movement while they are being stacked. The slide plate 4 is provided with slots 7 passing through it, the slots being provided in register with the series of spurs 6a-6d and allowing the spurs 6a-6d to pass through the slide plate 4 so that they can receive flat articles traveling past the slide plates 4.
In a first embodiment shown in
In a second embodiment shown in
The back face 41 of the slide plate 4 is covered with a layer of absorbent material 13 (visible in
Above the sorting outlets 6a-6d, the sorting machine 1 is provided with a sheet-metal cover 11 (visible in
When the flat articles are conveyed by the sorting machine 1 and then stacked at the sorting outlets 2, the noise, in particular the noise generated by the flat articles travelling, is, to a large extent, absorbed by the orifices of the first and second zones of perforations 8, 12, and by the layer of absorbent material 13. The first and second zones of perforations 8, 12 and the layer of absorbent material 13 thus act as effective acoustic absorption means. The working conditions of the operators are thus greatly improved. In addition, the first and second zones of perforations 8, 12 are provided in such a manner as not to hinder the movements of the operators. The ergonomics and the compactness of the sorting machine 1 are thus preserved.
Naturally, the present invention is in no way limited to the above description of the embodiment, and can undergo modifications without going beyond the ambit of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 51128 | Feb 2012 | FR | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/FR2013/050135 | 1/22/2013 | WO | 00 |
