Abstract: A device for filling boxes, especially at the output of a machine sorting flat objects, particularly postal items, has at least one inclined support plate for diverted letters, a jogging member and a sliding plate subject to a restoring force. The device includes at least one bar retractable through at least one aperture in the box. Each bar is formed by two arms, of which a first arm is freely pivoted to the frame of the machine at its first end. A scrod arm extending the support plate in its operative position is freely pivoted on the second end of the first arm and rests with its first end of the bottom of the box.

Abstract: A passage (1) with monitored authorization of access is provided with a closure device using a barrier (2) hinged about a vertical axis .gamma.. The passage includes at least one such barrier (2) with an end thereof situated adjacent to the vertical axis .gamma.. Rectilinear guides (6 to 9) guide the axis .gamma. along a line .DELTA. parallel to the through direction of the passage. The barrier is further provided with a hinged link (4) which is hinged firstly about a vertical axis .gamma..sub.1 situated along the barrier (2), and secondly about a vertical axis .gamma..sub.2 situated in the vicinity of the line .DELTA.. A drive system (10 to 13, 22 to 24) opens and closes the passage by causing the vertical axis .gamma. to slide along the line .DELTA.. The vertical axis .gamma. is situated at a distance l from the line .DELTA.. The length of the barrier (2) between the vertical axis .gamma. and the vertical axis .gamma..sub. 1 is equal to L. The passage is characterized in that the length L.sub.

Abstract: A removable stacker for automatic mail sorting system comprises a stacking area, a mobile wall adapted to hold documents on edge and to move against the action of a return device as the stacker is filled and an articulated flap adapted to assume a first position in which it is retracted and a second position in which it cooperates with the mobile wall to grip the documents during manipulation of the removable stacker. A system is provided for maintaining the flap in its second position against the action of the weight of the stacked documents.

Abstract: A security system for a metal cabinet door comprises a latch adapted to be locked by a lock operating the latching members of the door. These comprise upper and lower strip members each having a plurality of hooks each of which, when the door is closed and latched, is engaged in an opening formed in a locking profiled member attached to the cabinet and at least one rotating sector whose rotation axis is perpendicular to the plane of the door. When the door is closed and latched the sector(s) enter an opening in a longitudinal member attached to the cabinet on the same side as the hinge(s). The sector is operated in the unlatching direction by the latch through a cable and in the latching direction by a return spring.

Abstract: A non-destructive eddy current test device using additive flux/substractive flux switching includes a generator supplying a sinusoidal signal, two power amplifiers of equal and opposite gain, a changeover relay, two impedances and two coils forming a Wheatstone bridge, an amplifier controlled by a binary signal to add or subtract and two synchronous detectors for supplying signals representing the real part and the imaginary part of the difference between the complex impedances of the coils. A control device supplies to the changeover relay and to the amplifier a control signal for obtaining additive or subtractive fluxes in the two coils and for respectively subtracting or adding the two output voltages of the Wheatstone bridge. The device is applicable to the non-destructive testing of metal parts.

Abstract: An embodiment comprises a generator constituted by a quartz crystal oscillator and programmable frequency dividers; a power amplifier providing a periodic excitation signal, of squarewave form; two coils electromagnetically coupled to a metal part to be tested; and measuring means comprising two synchronous detectors for measuring the real part and the imaginary part of the difference between the complex impedances of the coils. The frequency stability of the generator effects an improvement in the accuracy of the impedance measurements, when these measurements are made at different frequencies. For application to non-destructive testing of metal parts by eddy currents, at different frequencies.

Abstract: In a method of locating addresses on articles to be sorted, such as mail items of many different kinds, a specific addressing mark is associated with the address on an addressing label or other addressing support. The mark comprises a ring and an asymmetric logotype.

Abstract: The magazine has slats for advancing flat articles to an unstacking head. The magazine comprises a first zone into which articles are loaded and along which they are advanced by removable slats, which slats are individually mounted in the first zone, being held and guided therein and also being driven therealong. The magazine also includes a second zone for stocking slats that are not in use, with the second zone being formed adjacent to the unstacking terminal portion of the first zone and being equipped for removing the slats form the first zone, and for transferring the removed slats into a stock of slats. The invention is applicable to separating postal items one by one.

Abstract: A payment system for transport vehicles includes a transmitter within each vehicle enclosure for transmitting information within the vehicle enclosure indicating a fare to be charged between successive vehicle stops as well as the location of the next vehicle stop. A ticket for each user includes a data processing unit, including a memory, and transceiver circuitry. Transceiver circuitry on the vehicle at a passenger boarding point interrogates the ticket to ensure a credit balance while also causing the ticket to store the location of the point of entry. Between successive stops, the transmitter equipment within the vehicle enclosure transmits signals indicating the fare to be charged for travel between successive stops, as well as the location of the next vehicle stop. The data processing unit on the ticket stores the location of the next vehicle stop while also decrementing the credit balance maintained in memory.

Abstract: The installation comprises a delivery conveyor (4) for delivering unit items in buckets (5). A station (3) injects unit items onto the delivery conveyor. A sorting conveyor (6) carries packs (8) corresponding to respective batches to be made up. The sorting conveyor is disposed relative to said delivery conveyor so as to establish at least one item transfer zone therebetween. A central control unit (10) ensure that desired coincidences occur between item-containing buckets (5) and packs (8) for receiving the items, with the control units controlling the transfer of items from the buckets to the packs. The invention is particularly applicable to making up batches of items in response to orders therefor.

Abstract: A method of extracting and accelerating flat objects such as postal items which are presented in the outlet position of an unstacking head for use by a machine downstream therefrom, the method making use of a clamp for grasping postal items one-by-one and of various sensors (7) such as photoelectric cells, serving to indicate the presence of a postal item in the outlet position of the unstacking head, or in the field of action of the clamp, or serving to indicate that the clamp is in a waiting position or in an end-of-stroke position, the method being characterized in that it essentially comprises the following stages:moving the clamp to a waiting position;when the presence of a postal item is expected in the outlet position from the unstacking head, driving the carriage towards the outlet position of the unstacking head;when the presence of the postal item is detected within the field of action of the clamp, the clamp is closed and the carriage is driven towards the downstream machine;as soon as the presence

Abstract: The installation comprises a delivery conveyor (4) for delivering unit items in buckets (5). A station (3) injects unit items onto the delivery conveyor. A sorting conveyor (6) carries packs (8) corresponding to respective batches to be made up. The sorting conveyor is disposed relative to the delivery conveyor so as to establish at least one item transfer zone therebetween. A central control unit (10) ensure that desired coincidences occur between item-containing buckets (5) and packs (8) for receiving the items, with the control units controlling the transfer of items form the buckets to the packs. The invention is particularly applicable to making up batches of items in response to orders therefor.

Abstract: An installation for making up batches of articles, the installation being characterized in that it comprises at least one work station for one operator, said station including a storage member (4) for storing said articles species-by-species, said articles each being provided with automatically readable identification means, said station also including a reader (19) for automatically reading the said identification means and a hatch (17) communicating with a chute (18) whose opening is controllable, said installation further including an endless chain of buckets (21) disposed in such a manner that the buckets pass beneath the chutes, and a moving belt (25) disposed beneath the buckets and receiving the boxes (26) for receiving the batches of articles via an inlet station, each bucket being provided with a controllable pivoting device in order to cause the article contained therein to fall into a box, the installation including a station (20) from which loaded boxes are removed and being controlled by a comput

Abstract: The platen (11) is mounted between two side plates (9-10) of equipment which is hinged to two risers (5-6) to rotate about an axis .gamma. running parallel to the axis of the platen. The platen is provided with a freewheel mechanism including an inner ring (28) which is connected to the platen and an outer ring (29) which is provided with a peg (31) engaged in a slot (8) in a fixed member (7). The slot is situated on the opposite side of the platen axis .DELTA. relative to the axis of rotation .gamma. and in substantially the same plane. Detector means (36-37) for detecting the presence of a document in an insertion channel (17) cause the platen to rotate in the direction in which the freewheel mechanism drives the outer ring, thereby pressing the peg against the slot and rocking the equipment about the axis .gamma. thus allowing a document to pass between the print head and the platen until it meets an abutment (14) which is moved into place by the rocking action.

Abstract: A coin recognizing selector (3) is followed by a buffer coin box (5) serving as a temporary store for newly inserted coins. The buffer has a stepping motor-indexable, bottomless and topless, circular loading magazine with P+2 radial cells bounded by radial walls, within a stationary cartridge. The cartridge has a bottom opening two magazine cells wide, equipped with a bolt (36) operable to either close off the opening completely or close off either its right or left side. N identical coin stores (6 to 11) are arranged coaxially one below the other to make change, are supplied from the buffer (5) and feed either a coin collection box (12) or a coin return tray (4) arranged in parallel beneath the storage decks. The bolts (36) are controlled to release coins from the stores to the coin box (12) or return tray (4), or from the buffer (5) to one of the stores (6 to 11), each store being assigned coins of a specific denomination.

Abstract: Apparatus for processing images which have been sampled on a rectangular grid and which have been binary digitized with one bit per pixel, each pixel being considered in relation to at least some of the eight surrounding pixels in the rectangular grid. The apparatus includes a control unit (4), a random access memory (5) for storing the pixel bits, and a feedback loop connecting the image memory output to its input via at least one feedback assembly (6) comprising shift register unit (6A, 6B), a function memory (7) and a selector (8). The shift register units comprises at least one write unit (6A) and at least one read unit (6B), with the read unit being connected to the output of the image memory and being connected to supply nine bits simultaneously to the input of the function memory. The nine bits correspond to a pixel under examination and to the eight surrounding pixels, and are changed at each shift of the shift register units.

Abstract: A belt and pulley conveyor device for flat objects comprises a substantially linear input conveyor and a substantially linear output conveyor orthogonal to the input conveyor. The input of the output conveyor is substantially contiguous with the output of the input conveyor. A chute is adapted to link the input and output conveyors. It has an object input/output and is adapted to pivot between an idle position in which it extends the output of the input conveyor and a transfer position in which it extends the input of the output conveyor. A control device is adapted to move the chute between the idle and transfer positions.

Abstract: A surveillance system in which a video camera (7) is displaceable inside a transportation tube (1) along any direction in three-dimensional space under the effect of a compressed fluid. The transportation tube (1) is provided with at least one longitudinally-extending transparent observation window (2). The camera (7) is contained in a displaceable "torpedo" (8) and has its optical axis running parallel to the axis of the tube (1), and it receives images through the window (2) by means of a mirror (11) having two faces at an angle with the common edge running vertically and intersecting the optical axis (12), thus enabling the camera to transmit simultaneous left and right looking images to a central control station by a microwave beam.

Abstract: The surveillance device uses a surveillance unit such as a video camera, the signals from which are received by a detection unit, the device being mounted on a mobile chassis driven by propulsion means inside a tube equipped with a longitudinal window through which passes the the transverse axis of sight of the surveillance unit, wherein the window is covered by a longitudinal elastic flap one side of which is attached to the tube, the other side remaining free, shaped elements attached to the chassis raising the longitudinal flap on either side of the axis of sight and beyond this axis. This device can be used for surveillance over long distances.

Abstract: The article separator comprises at least one transfer station (20) receiving the articles to be transferred to the entrance of at least one delivery conveyor (4). Each transfer station is equipped with at least one pickup arm (21) with a suction head (22) at one end, driven between the transfer station and the delivery conveyor and having a plurality of orifices (23) which can be selectively connected to a vacuum source or a blown air source under the control of a video processing circuit (33) coupled to a camera (32) that registers the scene at the front of the transfer station. The separator can handle mail deemed to be non-mechanically-sortable hereto.