FR2602357A1 - TROLLEY CONSIGNMENT INSTALLATION - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an installation for depositing transport trolleys. THE INSTALLATION ACCORDING TO THE INVENTION IS CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT IT INCLUDES A LOCKING LINE CONSTITUTED BY A SENSITIVELY HORIZONTAL BAR 2 ON WHICH LOCKOUT DEVICES CAN COOPERATE 3 EACH CONNECTED TO A TROLLEY, EACH LOCKOUT DEVICE 3 SYSTEM 3 CURRENCY AGENCY TO ALLOW THE SEPARATION OF AN APPARATUS 3 FROM THE SAID LOCKING LINE BY INTRODUCING A SETPOINT SUCH AS COIN 5 IN THIS APPARATUS 3, THE PASSAGE OF THE APPARATUS 3 ON A DECODING STATION 7 FORMING PART OF THE LINE OF LOCKING PRODUCING THE RELEASE OF THE SAID INSTRUCTIONS 5. APPLICATION TO CARTS FOR PURCHASE.

Description

Trolley lockout facility.

The invention relates to an installation for depositing transport trolleys such as those used in commercial premises, stations, airports, etc.

The organization of the use of such carts comes up against the need to create queues of carts available for the users in determined locations. For this purpose, it is usual to provide service personnel responsible for collecting the abandoned carriages after use and bringing them back to these locations. This organization is expensive and, moreover, leaves the carts abandoned for a certain time in locations, in particular car parks and garages, where they risk being damaged and causing accidents.

To overcome this drawback, it has been proposed to subject the use of such carts to a deposit, the release of a cart being obtained by introducing a deposit, generally a coin, which is returned only by the return the carriage to the locations provided for this purpose.

For this purpose, US Pat. No. 2,753,970 provides, for example, an installation comprising individual stations for receiving a carriage with a coin-operated lock for each of the stations. Such an installation is extremely expensive. and has the major drawback of occupying a very large space insofar as the carriages are stored separately from each other
French patent no. 74.02158 published under no. 2 257 965 provides a barrier system released by a coin mechanism for picking up a carriage and a system for returning at least part of the deposit comprising a protruding device actuated during Such an installation is also expensive and, moreover, of an insecure operation since, as in the previous case, the deposit is kept at the assembly station where it can easily be retrieved without the cart itself .

In French patent n "76.36704 published under ne2333687, a locker device has been proposed carried by each carriage and comprising a male part and a female part cooperating with the complementary part of the locker device of another carriage to lock between them, and in nested rows, carts from a station head provided with a male or female part for receiving the complementary part of the locking device of a first carriage.

The latter device, which has undergone significant industrial developments, however has many drawbacks. When the deposit device is in one piece, its positioning is delicate and it generally projects laterally with respect to the carriage, the size of which is thus increased. If the male part and the female part are separated, one of them being fixed to the carriage by a flexible link, such as a chain, the problems of positioning and size can be simplified but the handling of the device is made complicated and its price increased. In both cases, the device has the advantage that the deposit is attached to the carriage but offers the serious drawback of not making it possible, in a simple manner, to limit the length of the rows of carriage formed.

The present invention aims to eliminate the drawbacks of known installations and devices by means of a new installation in which the deposit remains attached to the carriage, and the length of the carriage queues is limited, while being of a low cost price, easy and flexible installation and safe operation.

To this end, the installation according to the invention is characterized in that it comprises a locking line constituted by a substantially horizontal bar on which locking devices can each cooperate, each connected to a carriage, each locking device comprising - a coin-operated system arranged to allow the separation of an appliance from said locking line by introducing a deposit such as a coin into said appliance, the passage of said appliance on a decoding station forming part of the locking line producing the release of said instruction.

The capacity of the installation is limited by the length of the locking line, the sliding of the locking devices on the bar ensuring the orderly arrangement of the carriages.

The invention will be clearly understood on reading the following description made with reference to the appended drawing in which: - Figure 1 is a diagram of an installation according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention; - Figure 2 is a schematic sectional view of a recording device on a decoding station of the installation of Figure 1; - Figure 3 is a sectional view of the locking device, along line III of Figure 2, in the unlocked position; - Figure 4 is similar to Figure 3, for the locking position; - Figure 5 is a top view of the recording apparatus of Figures 3 and 4; - Figure 6 is an elevational view of the decoding station with a recording device seen in section; - Figure 7 is an elevational view, partially in section, of a locking device sliding on a bar of an installation according to a variant of the invention; - Figure 8 is a view of the installation of Figure 7 in plan, partially in section, showing at the top an apparatus into which a coin has been inserted, in the middle an apparatus introduced under a control head and, in below, a device condemned to the bar; FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of the installation of FIG. 8 with, at the top, a locking device with an inserted part and, at the bottom, partially in section, the device under the control head, and - Figure 10 is a plan view of an apparatus under the control head.

We first refer to Figures 1 to 6 which show a first embodiment of an installation according to the invention.

On the storage area, two stakes 1 are fixed to the ground, connected by a bar 2. To this bar are locked consignment devices 3 connected to the carriages by chains 4. The introduction of the correct coin 5 into the device makes it possible to turn a button 6 which releases the device from the bar, to allow the use of the trolley. The button locks in this position, preventing the coin from coming out. It is only on return, when the device has been placed on an encoder (key) 7 that the rotation can take place (in the opposite direction), rotation at the end of which the coin can be resumed.

The locking device 3 consists of a body 8 on which is fixed a chain 4 for connection with the carriage. On the body 8 is mounted rotating a button 6, retained on the body 8 by elements 11 and 12. The button 6 comprises pistons 13 pushed axially by the coin 5 and cooperating with pushers 10, themselves moved by springs 14. The button 6 is linked in rotation to a rotor 17 which, by a profile 18, itself comprises pushers 15 pushed by springs 15 ', pushers 15 which, cooperating with pistons 16, ensure either the locking , or the rotation of the rotor 17. The rotor 17 has at its end a cam 20 which makes it possible to lock the device on a bar.

When the device is at rest, locked on the bar 2, the pushers 10, housed in the body 8 ensure, thanks to the springs 14, the locking in rotation of the button 6, therefore of the rotor 17. The pushers 15 are then 'in wait "(Figure 3). The introduction of the correct coin 5 makes it possible to align the pistons 13 with the plane 19 (body-button). The rotation can then be carried out in such a way that the cam 20 secured to the rotor 17 will remove the device from on the bar 2.

Arrives in this position, the pistons 15, thanks to the springs 15 ′, lock the rotor 17, therefore the button 6, by penetrating into the body 8 (FIG. 4). The device is then removed from the bar 2, the trolley can be used by the customer, the coin is immobilized inside the button 6 and the pistons 13 cannot move back, being supported on the plane 19.

To return to the room, on return, the user must put the device in place on the encoder 7 fixed to a post 1, encoder fixed in a location such that, when the rotation of the button 6 in the opposite direction can be carried out, the device will again be locked on the bar 2.

The encoder 7 has a key forming part which allows the alignment of the pistons 16 (which may be of different lengths) with the diameter of the rotor 17, allowing the rotation of the latter, therefore of the button 6. Rotation performed, the grip of the piece is possible.

The withdrawal of this one having been carried out, the button 6 is again condemned.

The device can be arranged to cooperate with a hollow C-shaped profile (instead of a cylindrical bar as in the case of the drawing). The device would have, on its body, a rectangular shape allowing the sliding and not a rotational movement (relative to the profile), and the end of the rotor an equally rectangular shape, which would be superimposed on the shape of the body, after rotation (unlocking with a coin), the superposition of these two forms authorizing the withdrawal of the device from the profile. The decoding system would then be placed at the end in such a way that the rotor can only rotate while its rectangular shape is inside the profile.

Note that the button 6 has two housings of different dimensions, housings which are capable of receiving parts of different dimensions, but the fact that they are intersecting only allows one part to be used after the other.

We now refer to Figures 7 to 10 which show a variant of the installation according to the invention.

The money deposit system 101 is permanently connected by a flexible link 102 to the carriage. The apparatus comprises two elements 103 in the shape of T, allowing it to slide on a profile 104 in C, without it being able to be withdrawn from it, except at one of the ends, and this in the case where the good coin has been introduced. The profile 104 is itself supported by stakes 105 sealed in the ground.

The device 101 consists of a body, an interchangeable element 107 capable of receiving in its housings 108 and 109 two coins 110 and 111 (or only one), possibly of different diameters and thicknesses.

This interchangeable element has a latch 112 capable of oscillating around an axis 113, latch whose end 114 is kept in pressure on the coins inserted, by a spring 115 preventing the fall of these which could take place during movement of the device 101 on the profile 104.

A bolt 116 is slidably mounted in the body of the device 101 and is driven by a rotor 117 which has an eccentric capable of rotating by 1800, the rotor 117 having on its periphery two hollow and V-shaped diametrically opposed shapes, which cooperate with a leaf spring 118 to index the rotor 117 in each of its two positions. A boss formed on the bolt 116 prohibits the oscillation movement of the latch 112 in the "device removed from the rail" position (carriage in service, locked part (FIG. 8, below).

The profile 104 supports a control head 129 fixed near one of the ends, a control head which has a passage capable of letting the body of the device 101 pass.

Figure 8, above, shows a device into which a good coin (or the other) has been inserted.

This device can penetrate under the control head 129 until the end of the bolt 116 abuts on a stop 119 of the head 129. In this position, a fork 120, oscillating around an axis 121, fork which has a roller 122, is kept in pressure on the coin contained in the apparatus 101 by a spring 191. If the coin contained in the apparatus 101 is of the expected diameter, the end 123 of the fork 120 is aligned with the cylindrical end of a button 124 mounted on the control head 129, cylindrical end of the button which has a groove in which the end 123 of the fork 120 can be accommodated in the case where the coin is absent or the diameter is too small. The end of the button 124 also has a hollow elliptical shape capable of fitting onto an identical but raised shape making it part of the rotor 117. The button 124 is constantly recalled upwards by bo men 125 whose conical end cooperates with V-shaped and recessed shapes formed on the head 129, men who ensure the indexing of the button 124 at each half-turn, a pin 127 cooperating with two grooves connected to a circular groove 128 , to ensure the immobilization in rotation of the button 124, this when it could not be pressed (coin absent in the device or too small).

If the correct part has been placed in the appliance, it is possible to press the button 124; simultaneously, the elliptical imprints of the end of the button 124 and of the rotor 117 will mesh and the pin 127 will align with the circular groove 128 of the button 124, which will then have to be turned from 1800, the ascent of the button 124 s performing when the snowmen 125 have indexed it again and that, in parallel, one of the grooves of the button 124 is aligned with the pin 127 secured to the head 129.

The rotor 117 having turned 1800, it is the other end of the bolt 116 which will come out of the device 101 in a groove made on the head 129. The rotation of the bolt has therefore authorized the exit of the device 101, that -this can then be removed from the profile 104, the coin being blocked by the latch 112.

When the carriage returns, the reverse operation will be carried out, namely: installation of the device 101 on the profile 104; introduction, by pushing the carriage, of the device 101 under the control head 129 (the bolt will abut on the end of the groove 30); pressing and rotating button 124; exit of the control head 129 and recovery of the coin.

With the installation according to the invention, it is possible not only to store trolleys of the same capacity online, but also trolleys of different capacities provided that the code of the locking devices is identical.

Claims (6)

1.- Locking device for transport trolleys, characterized in that it comprises a locking line constituted by a bar (2.104) substantially horizontal on which locking devices (3.101) can cooperate each connected to a carriage, each deposit device (3,101) comprising a coin mechanism arranged to allow the separation of a device (3,101) from said locking line by introducing a deposit such as a coin (5,111) into said device (3,101), the passage of said device (3,101) on a decoding station (7,129) forming part of the locking line producing the release of said setpoint (5,111). 2.- Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the locking device (3) comprises a rotor (17) integral with a control button (6) and a locking cam (20), said rotor (17) comprising at least one longitudinal locking piston (13) arranged to be brought into the unlocked position by a setpoint (5) against the action of a spring (14), the rotation of said unlocked rotor (17) blocking said piston (13) which retains said setpoint (5). 3.- Installation according to claim 2, characterized in that the locking device (3) comprises a plurality of pistons (15) biased by spring (15) locking the rotor (17) in cooperation with counter pistons (16) sliding in the housing (8) of said device (3), the opposite end of said counter-pistons (16) being able to cooperate with a profile of the decoding station (7) to unlock said rotor (17). 4.- Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that said device (101) slides on a profiled bar (104) passing under a decoding head (129). 5.- Installation according to claim 4, characterized by the fact that said decoding head (129) comprises a button (124) sliding and pivoting which can be engaged with a rotor (117) of said device (101) controlling a sliding bolt (116) transversely, the sliding of said button (124) being possible only in the presence of a setpoint in said device (101). 6.- Installation according to claim 5, characterized in that said button (124) controls the release of said setpoint by reverse rotation.