a line of identified products”

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a unit for the selection and pairing of a line of identified products.

The invention in particular relates to a unit for the automated selection and pairing of stored spectacle lenses, namely for the purpose of preparing orders to create pairs of eyeglasses.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention applies in particular to the industrial field of manufacturing pairs of eyeglasses, although it is not limited thereto.

A pair of glasses comprises a frame and two lenses, sometimes also called glasses.

Each glass or lens is adapted to the eyesight of the patient and must be custom-built.

Indeed, in addition to the parameters relating to the eyesight of the patient, characterising the correction based on the patient’s eye condition, each lens can be of the single focal, multifocal, tinted type, or undergo various specific anti-scratch, anti-glare treatments, etc.

Therefore, a lens manufacturer must be able to store and manage tens, and even thousands of possible combinations corresponding to as many lens prescriptions.

A lens manufacturer produces semi-finished glasses of which only the convex surface is prepared, and finished lenses of which the concave and convex surfaces are prepared.

In order to be able to supply finished glasses to be sold to end users, in the fastest manner possible, distribution centres and laboratories have been created.

A distribution centre stores as many prescriptions as possible of finished lenses and delivers them as quickly as possible in the form of orders, for example to a local distribution centre, to a laboratory or to an optician.

A laboratory manufactures “tailored” lenses, generally from semi-finished lenses, but also on occasion from finished lenses that are kept in stock. There is therefore a significant and general problem relating to the automated and individualised storage of these different lenses, to the handling of these products, and to their selection for the purpose of preparing orders to be shipped.

Semi-finished lenses are generally packaged in cardboard boxes with a general parallelepiped rectangular shape, whereas finished lenses are generally packaged in an envelope made of paper or of a similar product, generally featuring square edges.

The automated storage and handling of such a product requires being able to store each lens individually in a receptacle featuring the means to identify the lens it contains.

Lenses are therefore stored, for example, in automatic storage and retrieval systems or other suitable storage locations, which are in particular determined by algorithms and software for the management of these automated systems and the associated stocks.

Various stakeholders, and in particular opticians, issue orders that must be prepared with the products stored in automated systems.

In particular, in the case of an“individual” order, an optician orders two lenses for the purpose of mounting a pair of glasses, comprising a RCL (Right Corrective Lens) for the right eye and a LCL (Left Corrective Lens) for the left eye that can then be mounted onto a frame, possibly supplied to the optician by the same supplier from which the optician orders the lenses.

Therefore, as they exit the automated storage system, the right lens and the left lens must be paired, in a given order enabling to distinguish both eyes, for the purpose of preparing the required order.

Furthermore, based on the time of the day, a significant amount of orders of the above type must be prepared in the shortest timeframe.

To ensure a high order preparation rhythm during periods of strong demand, the algorithms and software of the automated storage systems try to minimise the internal movements of the internal robotised members, such as the handling arms and heads.

Therefore, the lenses required to prepare a large quantity of orders“exit” the automated system in an order that does not necessarily match the organised and individualised order of pairs of lenses corresponding to each order and their succession of orders to be prepared.

Even if the capacity, the speed and the operations of automated storage and retrieval systems are improved, in particular when several automated storage systems are working in parallel, the significant quantity of lenses required for preparing the orders arrives on a conveyor shared by all the systems, in a random order.

This leads to the creation of a flow or of a line of a large quantity of lenses that must be selected and sorted, at a high speed, in particular for the purpose of grouping them into pairs of matching lenses. According to the state of the art, for example described in document US2010193327, means to temporarily immobilise longitudinally the products are in the form of a comb able to retain several products in determined transversally-adjacent positions, i.e. in a direction orthogonal to the direction of travel of the products. The result thereof is that two products or more, simultaneously immobilised in the comb, cannot be later selected and ejected individually, the comb creating a“common module” for the simultaneous transversal ejection of the n products it contains. Furthermore, according to this design, it is impossible to“release” on the feed conveyor products that have been immobilised. This design does not allow the selection and pairing of products that belong to a batch of products to be selected.

In particular, it is impossible to associate, without making any error and respecting the two specific positions (right-left), products that are initially located and placed randomly in a large batch of products.

The purpose of the present invention is to allow the automated and high-speed processing, one-by-one, of the products included in a line or train of stacked products in order to select and pair said products.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

For this purpose, the invention proposes a unit for the selection and pairing of a line of identified products that comprises:

- a feed conveyor of products to be selected travelling longitudinally;

- temporary immobilisation means of n products on a linear section of the feed conveyor, each in one of n longitudinal distinct and determined positions of arrival;

- n controlled modules for the selection of immobilised products, each by transversal ejection of a placed product in one of n associated arrival positions;

- a buffer conveyor for intermediate reception and storage of selected and ejected products;

- a gripping and handling member for selected products on the buffer conveyor;

- a station for receiving selected and gripped products.

With this design, the unit enables to reorganising the flow of products on the buffer conveyor in an ordered way after their selection and pairing.

According to other characteristics of the unit:

- the buffer conveyor comprises a linear section that is adjacent to the linear section of the feed conveyor;

- the unit comprises an out-feed conveyor (30) of the selected products, and the station for the reception of selected and gripped products is part of the out-feed conveyor; - the out-feed conveyor comprises a linear section that is adjacent to a linear section of the buffer conveyor;

- the gripping and handling member is configured to simultaneously grip two adjacent products on the buffer conveyor;

- the unit comprises means to supply the out-feed conveyor with trays, each of which is configured to carry at least two selected products belonging to a pair of paired products;

- each tray comprises at least two compartments, each one configured to house one product, and at least one additional compartment configured to house another component associated with said pair of products;

- each product to be selected and paired by means of the unit is transported by an associated receptacle loaded onto the feed conveyor;

- the linear sections of the feed conveyor, of the buffer conveyor and of the out- feed conveyor are parallel to one another;

- the unit comprises means to recover unselected products and, downstream from the n arrival positions, the feed conveyor is connected to these retrieval means;

- the unit comprises a station for the marking of the trays;

- the marking station comprises a printer for printing labels to be added on the trays;

- each module for the selection by transversal ejection comprises:

-- two transversally opposed lateral guides between which a product transported by the feed conveyor is received longitudinally;

- an immobilisation controlled mobile finger arranged at the downstream end of the lateral guides;

-- and an actuator commanding transversal movements in both directions of the lateral guides between a standby position in which they extend in front of the feed conveyor and a selection position in which they extend in front of the buffer conveyor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will be made clearer upon reading the following detailed description, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

- figure 1 is a perspective view according to a first viewing angle of a design example of a unit according to the invention;

- figure 2 is a view of the unit in figure 1 , according to another viewing angle;

- figure 3 is a top view of the unit shown in figures 1 and 2; - figure 4 is a perspective view showing the feed conveyor and the buffer conveyor of the unit shown in figures 1 and 2;

- figure 5 is a perspective view showing the out-feed conveyor of the unit according to the invention;

- figure 6 is a top perspective view showing all of the product immobilisation and selection modules of the unit according to the invention;

- figure 7 is a perspective detailed view on a larger scale of one of the product immobilisation and selection modules;

- figure 8 is a partial, detailed and perspective view on a larger scale of all of the product immobilisation and selection modules, in place above the feed conveyor;

- figure 9 is a partial, detailed and perspective view on a larger scale of all the first product immobilisation and selection modules, in place above the feed conveyor;

- figure 10 is a partial, perspective and detailed view on a larger scale showing the last downstream product immobilisation and selection modules and the adjacent parts of the buffer conveyor and of the out-feed conveyor, associated with the gripping and handling member;

- figure 11 is a partial, detailed and perspective view on a larger scale that mainly shows the gripping and handling member in place above the out-feed conveyor;

- figure 12 is a top partial and detailed view on a larger scale of figure 3 in the installation area of the gripping and handling member of the station for the marking of prepared orders;

- figure 13 is a schematic and perspective view of an envelope containing a lens;

- figure 14 is a top view of a transport receptacle containing an envelope according to figure 13.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

In the following description, elements featuring identical structures or similar functions are designated by the same references.

In the following description, in a non-limiting manner, the longitudinal, vertical and transversal orientations are designated by the“L, V, T” trihedron of the figures. A horizontal plane is thereby defined and extends longitudinally and transversally.

Figures 1 and 2 show a unit 20 according to the invention that is able to select identified products from a line of products to selectively sort and pair, for example for the purpose of preparing an ordered batch of a pair of selected products belonging to an order that is to be prepared. The installation 20 comprises a lower supporting frame 22 that carries an upper table 24 above which and around which the main components, sets and subassemblies of the unit are arranged.

Among these, the invention in particular comprises a feed conveyor 26, a buffer conveyor 28 and an out-feed conveyor 30.

The invention also comprises a set 32 of immobilisation and selection modules 50, a gripping and handling member 34, as well as a subassembly 36 for the printing and handling of labels.

The feed conveyor 26 is, in this case, a linear conveyor that is rectilinear throughout its entire length, and in particular throughout its main central section that extends above the table 24, and of which the conveyor belt travels longitudinally in the upstream to downstream direction shown by the F1 direction in the figures.

The buffer conveyor 28 comprises a first upstream linear section 28-U and a second downstream linear section 28-D that are parallel to one another and connected by a semi-circular section 29.

The two upstream 28-U and downstream 28-D linear sections are parallel to one another and parallel to the linear feed conveyor 26 and out-feed conveyor 30, being arranged between the two latter conveyors.

The conveyor belt of the first upstream linear section 28-U travels in the direction F2, which is the opposite direction to the direction F1 of travel of the feed conveyor 26, whereas the second downstream linear section 28-D travels in the direction F3, which is the opposite direction to the first upstream linear section 28-U and to the out-feed conveyor 30.

The out-feed conveyor 30 is a linear conveyor that is rectilinear throughout its entire length, and in particular throughout its main central section that extends above the table 24 and towards the right at a 90-degree angle with respect to figure 3, upstream from its main central section with respect to the direction of travel F4 of its conveyor belt.

Each conveyor 26, 28 and 30 is delimited by a substantially flat horizontal surface of its conveyor belt so that the various items described below can rest by gravity and be transported by the conveyors.

The top face of the feed conveyor 26 is, in this case, at the most elevated position, whereas the top face of the buffer conveyor 28 is located at substantially the same elevation, being slightly offset in a downwards direction.

The top face of the out-feed conveyor 30 is located at substantially the same elevation as the top face of the buffer conveyor 28.

The conveyor 26 supplies the unit with products to be processed from a line or flow of products (not shown) coming for example from one or several automated storage and retrieval systems. As can be seen, in particular in figures 1 to 3, at the output of the feed conveyor 26 a sloped ramp 27 has been provided for the exit and retrieval of unrecognised products or for products for which the second product to which they are to be paired does not arrive in a timely fashion on the feed conveyor 26.

The purpose of the buffer conveyor 28 is to accumulate and store a small “buffer” stock of products that have already been selected and sorted on that conveyor, for example by pairs of products to be paired.

It is also on the buffer conveyor 28, and more particularly in the vicinity of the downstream end of its downstream linear section 28-D that the products can be grabbed by a gripping and handling member 34 for the purpose of transferring them to the reception station, which, in a non-limiting manner, belongs in this case to the out-feed conveyor 30.

The conveyor belt of the out-feed conveyor 30 is wider than that of the feed conveyor 26 and of the buffer conveyor 28, in particular so as to receive and transport another type of support, the dimensions of which are greater and designed especially to receive simultaneously at least one pair of products arranged side-by-side.

By way of a non-limiting example, the products to be processed by the unit 20 are eyeglass lenses V, each of which is contained in an envelope E housed and transported in an individual receptacle B featuring generally rectangular edges (see figures 13 and 14).

Each lens V comprises a coded and individual identification marking M, which is oriented upwards, for example as a barcode featuring on the larger face of the envelope and that can be scanned by any adapted device arranged above the product V+E housed in its receptacle B.

In another embodiment, not shown, when the products are semi-finished lenses contained in rigid or semi-rigid boxes, the marking appears on the large face d of the box, and it is no longer necessary to rely on receptacles.

According to the invention, the term “line of identified products” describes a batch or a series of products that arrive on the feed conveyor 26 at the upstream end of the conveyor (on the left with respect to figure 3) one after the other in the direction of the set 32 of controlled immobilisation and selection modules 50.

The lenses V therefore arrive individually in a receptacle B, the receptacles being adjacent or more or less spaced from one another.

With ten controlled immobilisation and selection modules 50, the set 32 defines ten separate and adjacent longitudinal positions P1 to P10, each of which is sized to receive, in position, a receptacle B with its product V+E.

As can be seen, in particular in figure 9, upstream from the set 32, a station is provided for the individual“separation” of the products arriving according to F1 and travelling to the set 32. According to a generally-known design, this separation comprises means to immobilise and individually release, in controlled manner, each product arriving at this station from an upstream direction.

The separation station comprises, in particular, means 38, for example optical means, to detect the passage or presence of a product, cleats or horizontal fingers 40 oriented transversally that are commanded to extend or not extend in the path of a product to immobilise the product longitudinally and/or to release it.

Furthermore, the separation station comprises in this case a scanning device 42 arranged at a right angle with a product to identify said product, for example by scanning its coded marking M.

Flaving passed through the separation station, a product is introduced longitudinally in the set 32 of controlled immobilisation and selection modules 50, which there are ten of in this case, arranged longitudinally and successively in the upstream to downstream direction above the top face of the conveyor belt of the feed conveyor 26.

All the immobilisation and selection modules 50 are identical here, and a detailed description of the design of a module 50 for the immobilisation and selection of a product in a longitudinal position Pi associated with this module is now provided.

In the design shown here by way of a non-limiting example, each immobilisation and selection module 50 includes means to ensure, in a combined manner here, on one hand the temporary immobilisation of a product in an associated determined longitudinal position Pi, and on the other hand the selection of a product immobilised in this position, by ejection in the transverse direction of the upstream longitudinal section 28-U of the buffer conveyor 28.

This“combined” design, ensuring the double functions of immobilisation and selection by transversal ejection, is in no way a limiting aspect of the invention. Therefore, it is for example possible to design separate means for the immobilisation and for the transversal ejection, but obviously with an“ejector” associated with each determined immobilisation position of a product.

As can be seen in detail, in particular in figures 6 and 7, each immobilisation and selection module 50 comprises an upper transversal beam 52 for supporting and securing the immobilisation and selection module 50 between two parallel stringers 54 of the set 32.

The beam 52 includes and actuator or a hydraulic cylinder, not shown in detail, able to be actuated to generate in a controlled manner, movements of a subassembly along the transverse axis and in both directions.

This subassembly comprises in this case a vertical and transverse support plate 56.

At its lower end 58, the plate 56 features two vertical guides 60 oriented longitudinally and that are parallel and transversally spaced from one another. The inner opposing faces 61 of the guides 60 are transversally spaced to enable the free passage, with a reduced transversal clearance, of a product between these guides 60.

To facilitate the introduction of a product between these two guides 60, the upstream longitudinal end edge 62 of each guide 60 is bevelled.

On its downstream transverse face 57, the support plate 56 features a controlled actuator 64, able to generate vertical movements in both directions of a finger 66 to temporarily immobilise longitudinally a product, which here is in the shape of an inverted T and which, in figure 7, is shown in a high retracted position wherein the passage of a product in front of the immobilisation and selection module 50 between the guides 60, is open.

From this high retracted position, the finger 66 can be actuated vertically downwards so as to extend between the guides 60 and interfere with the path of a product between the guides 60 and form a longitudinal stop immobilising a product in front of the immobilisation and selection module 50, between the guides 60.

When a product is present between the two guides 60 of an immobilisation and selection module 50, and it is immobilised in this longitudinal position in a determined position Pi associated with this module, the product can be moved in the transversal direction from the position it occupies, resting on the top face of the conveyor belt of the feed conveyor 26.

The product is thereby moved, to be ejected on the buffer conveyor 28 and more particularly on the section that is transversally opposite the top face of the conveyor belt of the upstream section 28-U of the buffer conveyor 28.

When the selected product “lands” on the buffer conveyor 28, it is driven longitudinally in the direction F2 by the top face of the conveyor belt and it immediately exits the immobilisation and selection module 50 as no stopping means is provided at the other end of the immobilisation and selection module 50.

In figure 8 is shown the set 32 of the immobilisation and selection modules 50 after removal of one of the modules to reveal the optical detection means 68 associated in pairs on either side of each immobilisation and selection module 50 to detect the presence or absence of a product occupying a position Pi, as well as the passage in longitudinal motion of a product upstream and downstream from each immobilisation and selection module 50.

To facilitate the transversal passage from the top surface of the conveyor belt of the feed conveyor 26 to the top face of the conveyor belt of the upstream section 28-U of the buffer conveyor 28, the unit comprises an intermediate ramp 70 that removes virtually any empty space remaining between the conveyors and compensates for the slight elevation difference between them .

Once a selected product is ejected from a Pi position by the associated immobilisation and selection module 50 on the top face of the conveyor belt of the buffer conveyor 28, the product - having passed on the semi-circular section 29 - is driven by the downstream section 28-D (in the direction F3) towards the member 34 for gripping and handling the selected products that reach the area where the gripping and handling member 34 is located, this area constituting the reception station according to the invention, and which is shown in detail and on a large scale in figures 10 and 1 1 .

Similarly to the separation station described above, optical means 72 are provided to detect the passage or presence of a product in this area, as well as cleats or horizontal fingers 74 oriented transversally that are commanded to extend or not extended in the path of a product to immobilise the product longitudinally and/or to release it.

Furthermore, the evacuation station comprises in this case a scanning device 76 arranged at a right angle with a product to identify said product, for example by scanning its coded marking M.

The set of components and means 72, 74, 76 and 78 enable the isolation and immobilisation of a determined and identified product such as, for example, the right lens V-D of a pair of selected lenses, which is immediately followed by the associated left lens V-G, also selected and transferred on the buffer conveyor 28.

In a non-limiting manner, the gripping and handling member 34 is mounted in a fixed longitudinal position with respect to the various conveyors, and it comprises an upper horizontal beam oriented transversally 80 supporting a hydraulic cylinder 82 able to move a horizontal plate 84 along a transverse axis and in both directions.

By way of example, the gripping and handling member 34 is a double member that can grab and handle simultaneously two immobilised and adjacent products positioned in front of the gripping and handling member 34, both products belonging to the pair of paired products for the preparation of an order.

For this purpose, at each of the opposite longitudinal ends of the plate 84, an actuating hydraulic cylinder 86 is provided and extends generally in the vertical direction and is able to move, vertically in both directions, a suction cup 88 to pick up a product facing it, in a controlled manner and by suction, and obviously to release a product that has been picked up or grabbed by a suction cup.

The plate 84, and therefore the two suction cups 88, are able to move transversally between a first transversal end position, on the left with respect to figure 1 1 , wherein the suction cups 88 are located vertically above and in front of products present in pick up position on the top face of the conveyor belt of the buffer conveyor 28, and a second opposite transversal end position, on the right with respect to figure 1 1 , wherein both suction cups 88 are located vertically above and in front of the top face of the conveyor belt of the out- feed conveyor 30. These two opposing transversal end positions substantially correspond to the end positions of the body of the hydraulic cylinder 82 along its transversal transport path and the actuation of the plate 84.

The grabbing and transfer from the buffer conveyor 28 to the conveyor belt of the out-feed conveyor 26 is achieved by a first top-to-bottom vertical motion by the suction cups 88 to grab the products, by a second bottom-to-top vertical motion of the suction cups 88, then by a transversal motion of the plate 84 with the suction cups 88 in the top position that carry the grabbed products, then by a downwards vertical motion of the suction cups 88, the products transported by the suction cups 88 then being located above the top face of the conveyor belt of the out-feed conveyor 30 able to release the products.

According to a non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the paired products are not deposited directly on this top face, but on the open top face of a tray 90 to receive a pair of paired products such as a pair of paired lenses.

An example of the design of such trays 90 is in particular shown in figures 10 and 12.

Each tray 90 comprises a first pair of housings 92-G and 92-D, longitudinally adjacent, each of which is designed to receive a corresponding product.

Therefore, for example, considering the tray 90 located on the right-most end of the figure 12, the right housing 92-D is able to receive a right lens V-D, whereas the left housing 92-G is able to receive the left lens V-G, which is paired with the right lens V-D.

By way of a non-limiting example, each tray 90 here comprises a third adjacent housing 94 that can, for example, receive a spectacle frame paired with the pair of lenses contained in the other housings 92D and 92G of the tray 90 to form a complete order for the mounting of a pair of eyeglasses.

Along its longitudinal side facing the compartments 92-D and 92-G, each tray 90 comprises an open longitudinal slot 95 able to receive a given marking and identification label of the tray 90 containing paired products.

The empty trays 90 are supplied to the top face of the conveyor belt of the out- feed conveyor 30 upstream from the gripping and handling member 34, i.e. on the right with respect to figure 12.

Similarly to the separation stations described above, at the reception station of the out-feed conveyor 30 and in front of the gripping and handling member 34, optical detection means 96 are provided to detect the presence of a tray 90 that is to be filled.

The stopping or immobilisation in this filling position of a tray 90 can be performed either by stopping the motion of the conveyor belt of the out-feed conveyor 30 and/or by blocking in position the tray 90, for example between a plate 98 and a clamping jaw 100 that can be actuated in a controlled manner in a transversal direction to immobilise the tray 90 by a transversal pinching.

Once it has been filled by the gripping and handling member 34, the tray 90 is then transferred longitudinally by the conveyor belt of the conveyor 30, from right to left with respect to figure 12 to a position perpendicular to the subassembly 36 for the printing and handling of labels.

When a label is printed, this subassembly 36 comprises means to introduce this dedicated and paired label into the slot 95 of an associated tray 90, which is immobilised in front of the subassembly 36.

Finally, each filled and labelled tray 90 is then evacuated by the out-feed conveyor 30 from the subassembly 36, from right to left with respect to figures 3 and 12.