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AssigneeCompagnie Generale d'Automatisme CGA-HBS
InventorsLouis Sabatier, Franck Walpole, Olivier Roch
Estimating the term…
An unstacking apparatus including a first suction nozzle (7) and a second suction nozzle (8) that are disposed on one side of an alignment plate (3), a perforated endless belt (6) continuously advancing past the suction nozzles and the free face of the first item in a stack of items, a passage forming an outlet between the alignment plate and the belt, at least one sensor (17, 18, 19) disposed on the other side of the alignment plate, and a microcomputer (10) for actuating one of the nozzles in an unstacking cycle. A microcomputer is organized so as to detect that a first item in the stack is backwardly misaligned by monitoring the operation of one of the suction nozzles during the unstacking cycle, and so as to trigger a realignment cycle in response to such detection, during which realignment cycle the nozzles are actuated alternately.
Unstacking apparatus for unstacking flat items, in particular mail items, the apparatus comprising an alignment plate (3) having an abutment surface against which a stack (2) of flat items (L1, L2, L3) on edge abuts, an endless belt (6) continuously advancing past the free face of the first item in the stack so as to convey the items from the stack towards an outlet, first gripping means (7) disposed on the abutment surface side of the alignment plate so that when actuated said first gripping means (7) take the items from the stack and hold them against the endless belt, second gripping means (8) disposed between the first gripping means and the alignment plate so that when actuated said second gripper means (8) take the items from the stack and hold them against the endless belt, at least one sensor (18) disposed on that side of the alignment plate which is opposite from the abutment surface so as to supply a signal in response to the presence or the absence of an item being detected at the outlet, control means (10) for selectively actuating the second gripping means in response to the signal supplied by said one sensor (18) so as to perform an unstacking cycle, said apparatus being characterized in that the control means are organized so as to detect that the first item in the stack is backwardly misaligned from said second gripping means by monitoring the operation of the second gripping means (8) during the unstacking cycle, and so as to respond only to backward misalignment being detected by performing a realignment cycle during which said control means both selectively and successively actuate the first gripping means (7) and the second gripping means (8).
Unstacking apparatus for unstacking flat items, in particular mail items, the apparatus comprising an alignment plate (3) having an abutment surface against which a stack (2) of flat items (L1, L2, L3) on edge abuts, an endless belt (6) continuously advancing past the free face of the first item in the stack so as to convey the items from the stack towards an outlet, first gripping means (7) disposed on the abutment surface side of the alignment plate so that when actuated said first gripping means (7) take the items from the stack and hold them against the endless belt, second gripping means (8) disposed between the first gripping means and the alignment plate so that when actuated said second gripping means (8) take the items from the stack and hold them against the endless belt, at least one sensor (18) disposed on that side of the alignment plate which is opposite from the abutment surface so as to supply a signal in response to the presence or the absence of an item being detected at the outlet, control means (10) for selectively actuating the second gripping means in response to the signal supplied by said one sensor (18) so as to perform an unstacking cycle, said apparatus being characterized in that the control means are organized so as to detect that the first item in the stack is backwardly misaligned from said second gripping means by monitoring the operation of the second gripping means (8) during the unstacking cycle, and so as to respond to backward misalignment being detected by performing a realignment cycle during which said control means selectively and successively actuate the first gripping means (7) and the second gripping means (8);
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.