EP0145625B1 - Process and machine for collecting, storing and mechanically placing hollow road marker cones - Google Patents

Abstract

The object of this invention is a machine which automatically collects hollow conical road markers, stores them, transports them and dispenses them in a line. This machine is comprised of a vehicle carrying a series of vertical cylindrical magazines open at both ends which are supported by a vertical central shaft which rotates them stepwise (into position). The machine includes a device which collects the cone markers comprised of a chain elevator having projections each of which penetrates one cone marker. When the chain reaches the top, the cone marker is released into the top of the magazine where they pile up one on top of the other.

Description

The subject of the invention is a method and a machine for mechanically collecting, storing and placing road conical, conical and hollow beacons.

To date, there is no known machine capable of mechanically picking up, storing, and placing on line road signposts, conical and hollow, which are commonly used to delimit a work area on a road or a highway or for signal the presence of an obstacle or to separate two traffic lanes.

Patent DE-A-2747183 (Salon Automyynti Oy) describes machines for installing conical signaling beacons which include a plurality of vertical magazines which are mounted on a central shaft. These machines have no means of mechanically picking up the beacons.

US-A-3157267 (ASBURY) describes apparatuses for picking up signaling beacons which comprise a conveyor belt coupled behind a vehicle and a pulley formed of permanent magnets which is situated at the lower end of the conveyor.

These devices are used to pick up beacons having a ferromagnetic metal base and cannot be used to pick up plastic beacons. They have no means of mechanically placing the beacons on the road.

Patent US-A-3268052 (ASBURY) describes improvements to the devices described in the previous patent.

It follows from the above documents that the state of the art known to date comprises, on the one hand, machines making it possible to automatically pick up signaling beacons having a metal base and, on the other hand, machines for automatically placing conical and hollow signaling beacons which have several vertical stores open at their two ends which are supported by arms which connect them to a central vertical shaft which is mounted on a self-propelled or towed vehicle and which also comprises means for driving this shaft rotating step by step, each step corresponding to the angular difference between two successive magazines.

The objective of the present invention is to provide self-propelled or towed machines making it possible to automatically pick up conical and hollow road signaling beacons even if these have been overturned and also allowing them to be placed mechanically in line without any handling.

• - pour ramasser lesdites balises, on les aligne et on les renverse vers l'avant au moyen d'un dispositif porté par le véhicule, puis on les relève au moyen d'un convoyeur muni de doigts qui pénètrent dans chaque balise et on les éjecte en haut du convoyeur dans une goulotte inclinée vers l'extrémité supérieure de l'un desdits magasins;
• - et pour distribuer lesdites balises, on amène l'un des magasins au-dessus d'une goulotte inclinée et on libère les cônes un par un.

This objective is achieved by a process in which a vehicle is carried along a line of beacons which carries vertical cylindrical magazines which are open at their two ends and which are connected to a central vertical shaft which is not driven to not:

• - To pick up said tags, they are aligned and overturned forwards by means of a device carried by the vehicle, then they are raised by means of a conveyor provided with fingers which penetrate into each tag and they are ejected at the top of the conveyor in a chute inclined towards the upper end of one of said stores;
• - And to distribute said tags, one of the stores is brought above an inclined chute and the cones are released one by one.

A machine according to the invention comprises several vertical cylindrical magazines open at their two ends and which are supported by horizontal arms which connect them to a central vertical shaft which is mounted on a vehicle, self-propelled or towed, which shaft is driven in rotation not step by step, each step corresponding to the angular difference between two successive magazines and said machine further comprises a device for picking up beacons which comprises a chain conveyor which is located on one side of said vehicle and which carries fingers articulated on an endless chain which penetrates into each conical beacon and said collecting device further comprises a member for aligning and reversing the conical beacons which is located in front of the lower end of said conveyor and said machine further comprises , one or two devices for mechanical installation of beacons, each of which has a cylindrical chute inclined outwards and downwards above which a magazine being unloaded is positioned coaxially.

The invention results in the installation, collection and intermediate storage of conical beacons by entirely mechanical means.

A machine according to the invention driven by a single man is capable of picking up cones placed in line, of storing them and of placing them again online, without any manual intervention other than driving and controlling the vehicle.

When picking up, a machine according to the invention can pick up beacons which have been slightly displaced from their original alignment because it comprises a fork at the front which brings the beacons in line with the axis of the pickup device.

A machine according to the invention has self-closing contacts which warn the driver when a magazine being filled is full or when a magazine being dispensed is empty, so that operations can be controlled by one man .

A machine according to the invention increases the safety of work on roads and motorways because it eliminates operators exposed to accidents. In addition, the vehicle can constantly circulate inside the road strip which is marked in the direction from which the cars come and it is therefore perfectly signaled to them.

When it is not in the pickup or installation phase, a vehicle according to the invention has a normal size and no tool protrudes outside of this template. It can therefore circulate freely without danger.

A machine according to the invention comprises a microswitch which detects the contact of the cones during the collection phase, so that the collection conveyor is started automatically only when it has to come into action, which saves energy and facilitates the driving of the machine by the driver who does not have to constantly monitor the presence or absence of cones.

• La figure 1 est une vue d'ensemble en perspective.
• La figure 2 est une vue de l'arrière.
• La figure 3 est une vue en élévation du dispositif de ramassage des balises.
• La figure 4 est une vue en élévation du dispositif de distribution des balises.
• Les figures 5 et 6 sont une coupe axiale et une vue de dessous d'une balise de signalisation adaptée à une machine selon l'invention.

The following description refers to the appended drawings which represent, without any limiting nature, an exemplary embodiment of a machine according to the invention for picking up and distributing conical beacons.

• Figure 1 is an overall perspective view.
• Figure 2 is a rear view.
• Figure 3 is an elevational view of the tag pickup device.
• Figure 4 is an elevational view of the tag distribution device.
• Figures 5 and 6 are an axial section and a bottom view of a signaling tag adapted to a machine according to the invention.

Figures 1 and 2 show a machine for distributing online, for storing and for picking up conical bollards 1 which are used on roads or motorways to signal and mark works or obstacles.

The figures represent conical beacons of a common type comprising a rectangular base 1a and a hollow conical tip 1b. It is specified that a machine according to the invention can be used for any hollow conical beacon which will also be designated by the name of cones.

Figures 1 and 2 show a self-propelled machine in which the bodies for picking up and distributing the cones are mounted on the platform of a self-propelled vehicle 2. Alternatively, they could also be mounted on a trailer coupled behind a tractor.

A machine according to the invention can be transformed to pass from a traffic position on the road to a working position. In the road traffic position, it conforms to the road gauge and does not include any tools outside this gauge. In the pickup position of the cones, the pickup device is located on one side of the vehicle, so that the vehicle can travel along a line of cones by picking them up.

It is advantageous that the cone pickup device can be placed either to the right or to the left of the vehicle, so that the latter can pick up the cones, in any case, by moving against the flow of traffic. and thus being protected by a line of cones in place which signal it to oncoming vehicles.

This result is advantageously achieved by equipping the vehicle with a pickup device mounted on a carriage which moves on a raceway transverse to the vehicle.

In the cone distribution phase, the only part outside the vehicle gauge is a flexible skirt which guides the cones coming out of a chute so that they arise vertically along a line along the path of the vehicle.

Advantageously, a vehicle according to the invention is equipped with two cone distribution chutes located one to the left and the other to the right of the vehicle.

Returning to FIGS. 1 and 2, it can be seen that the platform of the vehicle au of the trailer carries a cone storage magazine which is composed of vertical cylinders 3, open at their two ends. These cones are stored vertically in these cylinders, in their usual position, that is to say the base located downwards and they are nested one inside the other.

The inside diameter of the cylinders is slightly greater than the circle circumscribed at the base of the cones so that they can descend by gravity inside the cylinders while being guided by them.

The cylinders 3 are distributed around a central vertical shaft 4. The upper end of the shaft 4 is carried by a bearing, for example by a ball bearing 5 fixed to the troit of the body 6 of the vehicle. The lower end of the shaft 4 carries a drive plate 7 which rests on a plate 8 of a friction clutch. The plate 8 is driven by a shaft 9 which is itself driven by a transmission 10 from a motor not shown. The details of embodiment of the shaft 4 are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The shaft 4 carries pairs of horizontal arms 11 located substantially at mid-height. These arms are fixed for example on a sleeve 12 wedged on the shaft. The fixing is reinforced by a gusset or a strut 13.

The arms 11 have a radial direction. At their free end, they carry a cylindrical cup 14. Each cylinder 3 is equipped with two diametrically opposed pins 15 which are placed in the cups 14 with a pair of arms.

The shaft 4 carries, in addition, in its upper part, radial arms 16 which are articulated on chaps 17 with a horizontal axis and which are equipped with an elastic device 18, for example a spring which recalls them towards the low. Each arm 16 bears on the top of a cylinder 3 and exerts on it a downward thrust which maintains the pins 15 in the bowls 14.

Thus, the cylinders 3 are easily removable. It is enough to slightly raise the arm 16 and slightly lift the cylinder to release the pins 15 from the bowls. This allows for example to leave the vehicle a cylinder full of cones to replace it with an empty cylinder or vice versa.

A vehicle according to the invention can comprise for example twelve cylindrical magazines 3 distributed inside a cylindrical volume of 2.40 meters in diameter. Each cylinder has for example a height a of 2 meters and can contain twenty five cones.

The motor driving the shaft 4 rotates it step by step, each step corresponding to the angular difference between two successive magazines, so that after each step, each cylinder occupies exactly the place where the cylinder which was previously located precedes it. It can therefore be seen that the shaft 4 and the cylinders 3 form a transfer carousel making it possible to interchange the cylindrical magazines 3.

For clarity of the drawings, only a few cylindrical magazines have been shown in FIG. 1 and only one in FIGS. 2 and 4.

A vehicle according to the invention comprises at least one mechanical device for picking up cones.

Alternatively, it may include two pickup devices located on either side of the vehicle.

Advantageously, as can be seen in FIG. 2, it comprises a single pickup device 19 which is carried by one or two transverse arms 20 mounted on a carriage 21 which moves on a raceway 22 transverse to the vehicle or which is located in the center of the vehicle. The two arms 20 are articulated on a collar 23 supporting the pickup device. They are rotated by a motor 24 or by a jack.

The rotation of the arms makes it possible to lift the collection device and at the same time to retract it inside the template for road travel. Conversely, it allows the pick-up device to be removed and lowered so that the device's arm is placed slightly above ground level during the cone picking phase.

According to one embodiment, the length of the arms 20 is slightly greater than the half-width of the vehicle and, in this case, the rotation of the arms is sufficient to move the pickup device 19 from one side to the other of the vehicle.

As a variant, the arms 20 are shorter and, in this case, they are mounted on a carriage 21 which can move on a transverse raceway 22.

The collecting device 19 comprises a conveyor 25 which is composed of an endless chain 26 passing over two toothed wheels 27 and 28 one of which is driving, for example the lower wheel 28. Preferably, the upper wheel 27 has a diameter smaller than that of the lower wheel 28, so that the angular speed of the wheel 27 is higher in order to facilitate the ejection of the cones by centrifugal force.

The construction details of the collection device appear in FIG. 3.

The chain conveyor 25 is enclosed inside a casing 29. The axes of the toothed wheels 27 and 28 are transverse. The conveyor is located in a plane parallel to the direction of movement of the vehicle and inclined towards the vehicle while climbing. The forward side of the conveyor moves upward.

The chain 26 carries fingers 30 which are articulated on the chain and stops 31 which hold each finger 30 in a position substantially perpendicular to the chain in the upward path. The front face of the housing has a longitudinal slot through which the fingers 30 emerge from the housing.

We see in Figure 3 that in the downward path, the fingers 30 fall by gravity and remain inside the housing.

The lower part of the casing 29 is formed such that each finger 30 occupies a substantially horizontal position when it emerges outside the casing through the lower end of the slot thereof.

Thus, under the effect of the forward movement of the vehicle, the finger 30 located near the ground penetrates inside an inverted cone 1 as shown in FIG. 3.

Note that if the cone is overturned before a finger 30 is present, it is pushed forward by the housing until a finger arrives and lifts it.

The pickup device further comprises, at the lower end and at the front of the conveyor, a member 32 for aligning and reversing the cones which is composed of a gantry 33, located in a plane transverse to the vehicle and d 'a fork formed by two horizontal arms 34a, 34b which start from the lower ends of the gantry and which diverge from one another towards the front. The arms 34a, 34b move slightly above the ground. Their function is to form a funnel which brings the cones in line with the conveyor. The horizontal bar of the gantry is located at a height slightly lower than that of the cones. It strikes the top of the cones and overturns them, the top forward and the open base facing back, so that the fingers 30 can penetrate the cones. The width of the portico is greater than the side of the square base of the cones.

It can be seen in FIG. 3 that the upper bar of the gantry 33 comprises a microswitch 35 which detects each contact against a cone and which sends a pulse which automatically controls the starting of the motor driving the toothed wheel 28. An end contact racing automatically stops this motor after a sufficient run to bring another finger 30 in the position where it can engage in a cone.

There is shown in Figure 3 an inverted cone in which engages a finger 30, two cones 1b being lifted by the conveyor and a cone 1c which has just been ejected by the finger 30 passing over the wheel 27.

FIG. 3 represents a cylindrical magazine 3 in the position for receiving the cones. The open upper end of the magazine is surmounted by an inclined chute 36 which is open towards the front and which advantageously connects to an opening cut out in the bodywork 6. The ejected cone strikes the chute and slides along it. ci to fall vertically into the receiving cylinder 3.

We see in Figure 3 that each cylinder has two pushers 37 and 38 superimposed on near the top end of the cylinder to indicate that a magazine is full and needs to be replaced with another.

When the cylinder is in the filling position, the two pushers are positioned opposite two electrical contacts which are located in a housing 39 fixed to the body and which are connected in series or which are connected to a logic coincidence door.

When a cone falls into the cylinder, it successively closes the two contacts, so that there is no coincidence between the two closings. When the magazine is full, both contacts are closed simultaneously. The logic gate, for example an AND gate, then emits a signal which commands a signaling signaling to the driver of the vehicle that he must stop temporarily. At the same time, the signal sent automatically controls the motor driving the shaft 4 which advances by one step to bring a new empty magazine into the filling position.

A machine according to the invention comprises a device for mechanical distribution of the cones distributed along a line. This consists of a rigid and transverse cylindrical chute 40 located on the side of the body and inclined downward and outward.

The upper end of the chute is located in a horizontal plane. The chute has a diameter equal to or slightly greater than that of the magazines 3. The magazine being unloaded is positioned coaxially above the upper opening of the chute. The other end of the chute is located substantially in the same vertical plane as the outer edge of the body, so that the chute does not extend beyond the size of the vehicle. This chute is extended by a flexible skirt 41 which surrounds the end of the chute and which has an opening 42 directed towards the rear.

When there is no cone in the chute, the flexible skirt folds up and hangs at the end of the chute. When a cone is released from the magazine, it descends along the chute and pushes the skirt which keeps it upright. When the vehicle advances, the cone placed on its base emerges from the skirt through the rear opening 42 thereof. Each cylindrical magazine has a limit switch 43 which is located near the lower end of the cylinder.

The unloading station comprises, above the chute 40, a fixed electrical contact opposite which the pusher is positioned.

When the last cone has left the magazine, the pusher 43 activates said electrical contact which activates an alarm indicating to the driver that he must temporarily stop the vehicle to change magazines. At the same time, the signal emitted by the electrical contact controls the motor driving the shaft 4 which advances by one step and places a store of cones above the chute 40.

Each cylindrical magazine 3 has, at the lower end, two stops 44 and 45, located at two different levels to release the cones one by one. These two stops have for example a semi-circular shape and are located on either side of the cylinder. They are mechanically connected, so that one of the stops is engaged in the cylinder when the other is retracted and vice versa. For example, the two stops are each secured to a lever 46, 47 which is articulated around a horizontal axis 48, 49 and the two levers are connected to each other by a rod 50. Thus, when the lower stop 44 is retracted, the last cone can descend into the chute and the other cones are held by the stop 45 which is engaged under the penultimate cone.

The cone distribution station has a cam 51 which is driven step by step by a motor 52. When the cam turns, it comes to bear against the lever 46, which has the effect of retracting the stop 44 and to release the last cone. ___ _ _

The vehicle is equipped with a distance counter which measures the distance traveled by the vehicle. It is also equipped with a keyboard or any other equivalent programming means which allows the driver to program the spacing between cones which can vary for example between 1 m and 25 m.

A comparator compares the distance measured with the programmed spacing and it controls the starting of the motor 52 which each time drives the cam 51 by making it travel one revolution, which has the effect of releasing a cone.

FIG. 2 represents a vehicle comprising a single distribution chute 40 located on the left side of the vehicle. As a variant, the same vehicle advantageously comprises two identical unloading stations located one on the right and the other on the left of the vehicle. When the vehicle places a row of beacons on a highway, it can set it to delimit a protected strip located either to the right or to the left of a lane.

A vehicle which can distribute on the left or on the right can circulate while remaining constantly inside the band protected by the cones already placed.

FIG. 1 represents a vehicle 2 which comprises, at the rear of the traffic signs 56 which are deployed on the side of the vehicle where the pick-up device 25 is located in order to signal the presence of the latter.

Figures 5 and 6 show an axial section and a bottom view of a conical tag 53 which has a rectangular base 54 in the thickness of which is reserved a peripheral groove 55 or notches in which penetrate one or more stop fingers 44, 45 which equip the cylinders 3 to retain the cones in the cylinders. This embodiment of the cones facilitates the construction of the stops 44 and 45.

Claims (14)

1. Method for mechanically picking up, storing and laying hollow and conical roadmarkers (1), characterized in that a vehicle (2) is moved along a line of roadmarkers, which vehicle carries vertical cylindrical magazines (3) which are open at both ends and which are joined to a central vertical shaft (4) driven stepwise:

- that in order to pick up the said roadmarkers, these are aligned and tipped forward by means of a device (32) carried by the vehicle (2), after what the roadmarkers are raised up by means of a conveyor (25) provided with fingers (30) which penetrate in each roadmarker, and they are ejected at the top of the conveyor into a chute (36) inclined in the direction of the upper end of one of said magazines (3);

- and that in order to distribute said roadmarkers, one of the magazines (3) is brought over an inclined chute (40) and the cones are released one by one.

2. Machine for mechanically picking up, storing and laying hollow conical roadmarkers (1), characterized in that it comprises a plurality of vertical cylindrical magazines (3) which are open at both ends and which are supported by horizontal arms (11) connecting them with a central vertical shaft (4) mounted on a self-propelled or towed vehicle (2), said shaft being driven stepwise in rotation, each step corresponding to the angular space between two successive magazines and in that it further comprises a device for picking up said roadmarkers (19), which device comprises a chain conveyor (25) situated on one side of said vehicle and carrying fingers (30) articulated on an endless chain (26), which fingers penetrate into each conical roadmarker, said picking-up device further comprising a member (32) for aligning and tipping the conical roadmarkers, which member is situated at the front of the lower end of the conveyor (25), and said machine further comprising one or two devices for mechanically laying the roadmarkers, each device comprising a cylindrical chute (40) inclined outwardly and downwardly and under which a magazine being in the unloading stage, come in co-axial position.

3. Machine according to claim 2, characterized in that each cylindrical magazine comprises, on its external face, two lugs (15) which are diametrically opposite and rest in two dish-like members (14) carried by two horizontal arms (11) spreading on each side of said magazine.

4. Machine according to claim 3, characterized in that said central arm (4) also carries two radial arms (16) which are each mounted for pivoting about a yoke piece (17) of horizontal axis and which are recalled downwardly by an elastic member (18), the free end of each of said arms resting on the top of a cylindrical magazine (3).

5. Machine according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that said member (32) for aligning and tipping down the roadmarkers comprises a frame (33) situated in a plane which is transversal to the vehicle and a fork formed by two horizontal arms (34a, 34b) extending forward the lower ends of said frame and diverging one from the other towards the front.

6. Machine according to claim 5, characterized in that the horizontal crosspiece of said frame (33) is equipped with a microswitch (35) which detects the contact against a roadmarker and automatically controls the starting of the motor driving said conveyor (25).

7. Machine according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that said conveyor is placed inside a casing (29) which is provided at the front and throughout its height, with a slot through which pass said fingers (30) fixed on the rising end of the chain.

8. Machine according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that said picking-up device (19) is carried by one or two transversal arms (20) which are driven in rotation by a motor (24) with which it is possible to lift the picking-up device and to place is successively in picking-up position outside the vehicle gauge, or in retracted position inside the vehicle gauge during road travel.

9. Machine according to claim 8, characterized in that said arms (20) and the driving motor (24) are carried by a carriage (21) movable on a run- way (22) transversal to the vehicle in order to cause the picking-up device (19) to pass from one side of the vehicle to the other.

10. Machine according to any one of claims 2 to 9, characterized in that each magazine (3) comprises, close to the upper end, two superposed push-members (37, 38) which are positioned opposite two electrical contacts when said magazine is in loading position and said contacts are series- connected or connected on a coincidence gate which issues a signal when the magazine is full, and each magazine further comprises, close to the lower end, a push-member (43) which comes in position opposite a contact when the magazine is in dispensing position, said contact issuing a signal when the magazine is empty and said signals actuating an alarm to warn the driver and automatically controlling the starting of the motor driving said central shaft (4).

11. Machine according to claim 2, characterized in that each device for mechanically laying the roadmarkers further comprises a supple skirt (41) which is fixed around the lower end of the chute (40) and which is open downwardly and rearwardly.

12. Machine according to claim 2, characterized in that each magazine (3) comprises at its lower end, two superposed abutments (44,45) which are respectively engageable under the last and the one before last roadmarker, said abutments being actuated by pivotable levers (46, 47) which are joined together via a rod (50), so that when the lower abutment (44) is retracted and drops the roadmarker, the upper abutment (45) is engaged under the penultimate roadmarker and vice versa.

13. Machine according to claim 12, characterized in that each device for laying the roadmarkers comprises a cam (51) which comes to rest against one of the levers (46) and a motor (52) driving said cam, said vehicle comprising a distance covered meter, means for programming the spacing between the roadmarkers and a comparator comparing the distance covered with the programmed distance and controlling automatically said motor (52).

14. Roadmarker for use with a machine according to claim 13, characterized in that the base comprises a peripheral groove or notches (55) in which penetrate the abutments (44,45).

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