Patents by Inventor Luc Chirol

Luc Chirol has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11534801
    Abstract: An installation for sorting postal parcels or packets, has a carousel sorting conveyor having transport bins that are moved around a closed loop over a plurality of sorting outlets formed by respective storage receptacles, a feed magazine in which bulk stored parcels are put into series and then injected into the transport bins of the conveyor while it is moving, and a monitoring and control unit that acts on the bins of the sorting conveyor so as to open each of them over a receptacle that corresponds to a delivery address of the article following a sorting plan, includes a first sorting pass to sort parcels into first receptacles that are of high bulk storage capacity, and a subsequent sorting pass where the parcels are sorted into second receptacles that are smaller than the first receptacles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: SOLYSTIC
    Inventors: Bruno Volta, Luc Chirol
  • Patent number: 11312584
    Abstract: A method of palletizing non-uniform objects comprises using shuttle robots controlled by a monitoring and control system (190) to control trolleys, each of which carries an object, from a feed point (101) to a palletizing station (140) via a device (120) for determining the morphologies of the objects so as to characterize the outside shapes of all of the objects forming a batch before the start of the operation of stowing the objects on the pallet, so as to calculate a stowage plan that optimizes stowage of the batch on a pallet (150).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: SOLYSTIC
    Inventor: Luc Chirol
  • Patent number: 11219925
    Abstract: A parcel-sorting facility for sorting parcels (115) comprises a conveyor (110) and receptacles (118) situated at sorting outlets (117) and corresponding to destination addresses of the parcels. Each sorting outlet is shared between a plurality of receptacles, only one of which is in a position (P0) for receiving parcels. A receptacle exchanger device (119) for exchanging receptacles is assigned to each outlet, and is configured for exchanging the receptacle in the receiving position at a given outlet with another of the receptacles sharing the outlet, and the sorting facility anticipates the arrival of a parcel at the outlet by placing the receptacle associated with the destination of this parcel in the receiving position whenever necessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: SOLYSTIC
    Inventors: Luc Chirol, Bruno Volta
  • Patent number: 11208275
    Abstract: Shuttle robots (107) are used that are suitable for moving trolleys (106, 106?) under the control of a monitoring and control unit (190) for handling objects so as to move them from a collection point (110) to a palletizing station (151) remote from the collection point, the shuttle robots being autonomously movable and being suitable for hitching to and unhitching from the trolleys, the monitoring and control unit controls the shuttle robots so that they move the objects on trolleys from the collection point to a buffer storage zone (141) where the articles on the trolleys are grouped together into batches of articles for palletizing, and the monitoring and control unit controls the shuttle robots so that they take the objects on trolleys grouped together in batches from the buffer storage zone and move them in sequence to the palletizing station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: SOLYSTIC
    Inventors: Luc Chirol, Emmanuel Miette
  • Publication number: 20210371201
    Abstract: A method of palletizing non-uniform objects comprises using shuttle robots controlled by a monitoring and control system (190) to control trolleys, each of which carries an object, from a feed point (101) to a palletizing station (140) via a device (120) for determining the morphologies of the objects so as to characterize the outside shapes of all of the objects forming a batch before the start of the operation of stowing the objects on the pallet, so as to calculate a stowage plan that optimizes stowage of the batch on a pallet (150).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2018
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Inventor: Luc Chirol
  • Publication number: 20210354917
    Abstract: Shuttle robots (107) are used that are suitable for moving trolleys (106, 106?) under the control of a monitoring and control unit (190) for handling objects so as to move them from a collection point (110) to a palletizing station (151) remote from the collection point, the shuttle robots being autonomously movable and being suitable for hitching to and unhitching from the trolleys, the monitoring and control unit controls the shuttle robots so that they move the objects on trolleys from the collection point to a buffer storage zone (141) where the articles on the trolleys are grouped together into batches of articles for palletizing, and the monitoring and control unit controls the shuttle robots so that they take the objects on trolleys grouped together in batches from the buffer storage zone and move them in sequence to the palletizing station.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2018
    Publication date: November 18, 2021
    Inventors: Luc Chirol, Emmanuel Miette
  • Patent number: 11033935
    Abstract: A sorting facility (1) for sorting parcels (2), has a sorting conveyor (3), sorting outlets (4) distributed along said conveyor, and a monitoring and control unit (7) for controlling the conveyor so as to sort the parcels into the outlets as a function of their destination addresses. Each outlet is arranged to store a plurality of receptacles (6), each of which is associated with a parcel destination address in a memory of the unit. At each outlet, the facility has a swap-over device (8) for swapping the receptacles over. The unit controls the swap-over device so that a receptacle for which the destination address associated with it in the memory of the monitoring and control unit corresponds to the destination address of a current parcel to be sorted is held stationary in a filling position in which the receptacle is positioned under the sorting outlet so as to receive a parcel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: SOLYSTIC
    Inventors: Christophe Czukor, Luc Chirol, Bruno Volta
  • Publication number: 20210094073
    Abstract: An installation for sorting postal parcels or packets, has a carousel sorting conveyor having transport bins that are moved around a closed loop over a plurality of sorting outlets formed by respective storage receptacles, a feed magazine in which bulk stored parcels are put into series and then injected into the transport bins of the conveyor while it is moving, and a monitoring and control unit that acts on the bins of the sorting conveyor so as to open each of them over a receptacle that corresponds to a delivery address of the article following a sorting plan, includes a first sorting pass to sort parcels into first receptacles that are of high bulk storage capacity, and a subsequent sorting pass where the parcels are sorted into second receptacles that are smaller than the first receptacles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2020
    Publication date: April 1, 2021
    Inventors: Bruno VOLTA, Luc CHIROL
  • Patent number: 10906067
    Abstract: Equipment for sorting parcels into bags comprises a bag support having a modular structure with modules that are provided with braked wheels and that are arranged to be coupled together in separable manner, at least one mobile shuttle robot cart and trolley assembly that is caused to be moved by being remotely controlled by a monitoring and control unit to move parcels to be sorted along the bags, and floor marking that is arranged along the bag support modules and that is detectable by the shuttle cart and trolley assembly while said shuttle cart and trolley assembly is moving along the bag support modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Inventors: Emmanuel Miette, Thierry Garnier, Luc Chirol
  • Patent number: 10875711
    Abstract: The storage-and-retrieval cell for a parcel-handling logistics platform includes shuttle robots that position parcels in storage locations and that retrieve the parcels therefrom, which locations form two rows of storage locations that extend along a longitudinal direction, and four half-rows of storage locations that are disposed back-to-back in the longitudinal direction between the two rows, a hopper being open in the upper floor between one pair of half-rows and the other pair of half-rows, the hopper being designed to allow the parcels to pass through it while they are being retrieved, the cell further including nesting trolleys each of which is suitable for being hitched to a shuttle robot and which are suitable for nesting together in the same storage location, and, at the edge of the hopper, an unloading device for unloading a nesting trolley by sweeping its deck.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: SOLYSTIC
    Inventors: Emmanuel Miette, Luc Chirol
  • Publication number: 20200324321
    Abstract: A parcel-sorting facility for sorting parcels (115) comprises a conveyor (110) and receptacles (118) situated at sorting outlets (117) and corresponding to destination addresses of said parcels. Each sorting outlet is shared between a plurality of receptacles, only one of which is in a position (P0) for receiving parcels. A receptacle exchanger device (119) for exchanging receptacles is assigned to each outlet, and is configured for exchanging the receptacle in the receiving position at a given outlet with another of the receptacles sharing said outlet, and the sorting facility anticipates the arrival of a parcel at said outlet by placing the receptacle associated with the destination of said parcel in the receiving position whenever necessary.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2020
    Publication date: October 15, 2020
    Inventors: Luc CHIROL, Bruno VOLTA
  • Publication number: 20200324320
    Abstract: The invention relates to a sorting facility (1) for sorting parcels (2), which sorting facility comprises a sorting conveyor (3), sorting outlets (4) distributed along said conveyor, and a monitoring and control unit (7) suitable for controlling the conveyor so as to sort the parcels into the outlets as a function of their destination addresses. Each outlet is arranged to store a plurality of receptacles (6), each of which is associated with a parcel destination address in a memory of the unit. At each outlet, the facility further comprises a swap-over device (8) for swapping the receptacles over. The unit controls the swap-over device so that a receptacle for which the destination address associated with it in the memory of the monitoring and control unit corresponds to the destination address of a current parcel to be sorted is held stationary in a filling position in which the receptacle is positioned under the sorting outlet so as to receive a parcel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2020
    Publication date: October 15, 2020
    Inventors: Christophe CZUKOR, Luc CHIROL, Bruno VOLTA
  • Patent number: 10758944
    Abstract: Equipment for handling parcels between loading points at which said parcels are loaded and drop-off points at which the parcels are dropped off in a logistics center, the equipment having sorting receptacles placed at the loading points and into which the parcels are poured loosely in bulk, further having trolleys, each of which is configured to carry a removable receptacle, and shuttle robots configured to dock with the trolleys and to move them automatically, and a monitoring and control unit for automatically and remotely controlling the movement of the shuttle robots as a function of a sorting plan so as to place trolleys with empty receptacles at the loading points and so as to place each of the trolleys with a receptacle loaded with parcels at a drop-off point where the receptacle loaded with parcels is replaced with an empty receptacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: Solystic
    Inventors: Emmanuel Miette, Luc Chirol
  • Patent number: 10744536
    Abstract: Equipment for sorting parcels in a logistics center, the equipment comprising an automated sorting conveyor mounted at a height over a platform and with sorting outlets equipped with sorting chutes in the form of ramps sloping downwards from respective sorting outlets of the conveyor to the platform below the conveyor, and shuttle trolleys mounted on wheels and for automatically moving non-standard parcels that cannot be machine-sorted on the sorting conveyor, the shuttle trolleys travelling along travel aisles passing under the ramps so as to optimize the footprint of the equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: SOLYSTIC
    Inventors: Emmanuel Miette, Luc Chirol
  • Patent number: 10688532
    Abstract: An installation for identifying handled parcels, said installation including a linear conveyor for conveying parcels in series. The installation further includes a monitoring and control central unit suitable for instantly determining the three-dimensional position of each parcel on the conveyor, and at least one handheld electronic unit that is suitable for detecting identification information on a parcel when it is placed in the vicinity of said parcel, and for transmitting said information to the central unit. The central unit is arranged to read an instantaneous three-dimensional position for said handheld unit in response to receiving said information coming from said handheld unit, and to detect a match between said instantaneous three-dimensional position of the handheld unit and said instantaneous three-dimensional position of the parcel as determined by the central unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: SOLYSTIC
    Inventors: Luc Chirol, Emmanuel Miette
  • Patent number: 10688531
    Abstract: A shuttle trolley for a parcel-sorting logistics center, which trolley has a deck for carrying a non-standard parcel to be sorted, wherein the deck has a central portion in the shape of a trough of V-shaped cross-section, and two side portions on either side of the central portion and that both extend in the same horizontal plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: SOLYSTIC
    Inventors: Emmanuel Miette, Luc Chirol
  • Publication number: 20200086350
    Abstract: A shuttle trolley for a parcel-sorting logistics center, which trolley has a deck for carrying a non-standard parcel to be sorted, wherein the deck has a central portion in the shape of a trough of V-shaped cross-section, and two side portions on either side of the central portion and that both extend in the same horizontal plane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2017
    Publication date: March 19, 2020
    Inventors: Emmanuel Miette, Luc Chirol
  • Publication number: 20200086352
    Abstract: Equipment for sorting parcels in a logistics center, the equipment comprising an automated sorting conveyor mounted at a height over a platform and with sorting outlets equipped with sorting chutes in the form of ramps sloping downwards from respective sorting outlets of the conveyor to the platform below the conveyor, and shuttle trolleys mounted on wheels and for automatically moving non-standard parcels that cannot be machine-sorted on the sorting conveyor, the shuttle trolleys travelling along travel aisles passing under the ramps so as to optimize the footprint of the equipment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2017
    Publication date: March 19, 2020
    Inventors: Emmanuel Miette, Luc Chirol
  • Publication number: 20200086351
    Abstract: Equipment for handling parcels between loading points at which said parcels are loaded and drop-off points at which the parcels are dropped off in a logistics center, the equipment having sorting receptacles placed at the loading points and into which the parcels are poured loosely in bulk, further having trolleys, each of which is configured to carry a removable receptacle, and shuttle robots configured to dock with the trolleys and to move them automatically, and a monitoring and control unit for automatically and remotely controlling the movement of the shuttle robots as a function of a sorting plan so as to place trolleys with empty receptacles at the loading points and so as to place each of the trolleys with a receptacle loaded with parcels at a drop-off point where the receptacle loaded with parcels is replaced with an empty receptacle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2017
    Publication date: March 19, 2020
    Inventors: Emmanuel Miette, Luc Chirol
  • Patent number: 10479617
    Abstract: A logistics installation (200) for sorting articles, the installation including a looped conveyor (210) comprising P pre-sorting devices (PT1, PT2) for pre-sorting the articles, injection zones (ZI-1, ZI-2, ZI-3, ZI-4, ZI-5, ZI-6) for injecting the pre-sorted articles onto the conveyor, and outlet zones (ZS-1, ZS-2, ZS-3, ZS-4, ZS-5, ZS-6) for unloading the articles from the conveyor, the injection zones alternating with the outlet zones along the conveyor, each injection zone being followed by an outlet zone, in which installation each injection zone is connected to one pre-sorting device only, and each pre-sorting device is connected to one in every P injection zones considered sequentially around the conveyor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Solystic
    Inventors: Luc Chirol, Emmanuel Miette