EP1979256B1 - Apparatus for collating flat objects and for conveying the collated objects further - Google Patents

Description

The invention is in the field of general cargo processing and relates to a device according to the preamble of the independent claim. The device is used to collate flat objects and to convey the articles further, the flat objects being in particular printed products.

By gathering printed products, the skilled person understands the stacking of different printed products into stacks, wherein the same printed products usually lie in the same order in all the stacks, but the stacks may also differ from each other, if individual printed products are missing from individual stacks. The printed products are, for example, individual, unfolded or folded sheets or multiply folded signatures and the printed products compiled into a stack differ from each other in terms of their printed content, but may additionally differ in their shape.

Devices for collecting printed products have a plurality of feeding units and a collating means. Each feeder unit is equipped to feed one type of printing product to the collator and the collator is equipped for the production of Stack from the supplied printed products. The feed unit outputs directed against the collating means are arranged substantially one after the other in a row and the collator means comprises a series of compartments for receiving the printed products fed, the row of feed outlets being parallel to the row of compartments. During the feeding steps, one compartment each is aligned with one feed outlet each. Furthermore, the collating means is equipped for conveying the supplied printed products in a collating direction directed parallel to the two said rows. The feed units are, for example, feeders, winding stations or on-line connections with devices in which the printed products to be assembled are created or processed.

In collating devices in which the printed products are fed to the collating means substantially perpendicular to the collating direction, usually the compartments are stationary during the feeding steps and the printed products are pushed or thrown from the side into the compartments aligned with the feeder outlets. Between successive feed steps, the printed products with the compartments in the collation direction are shifted by the distance between successive feeders (or by an integer book portion of that distance) such that the compartments aligned with the feed outlets are replaced by successive compartments. The compartments of such devices are usually arranged such that the printed products lie horizontally therein. In the publication US 2561070 Such a device is described, whose compartments have a corner which is lower than the other three corners, such that the printed products deposited therein are aligned by gravity at this one corner.

Collapsing devices are also known whose compartments always remain stationary. In such devices, the printed products fed to the compartments are slid through the following compartments between feed steps by means of a slider in the gathering direction from the compartment to which they are fed until all the printed products fed in the previous feeding step are in a compartment which is in front of the foremost supply exit is arranged. In order for the printed products pushed from compartment to compartment to be neatly stacked in such a device, it is necessary for the printed products in the gathering direction to be inclined, that is to say the trays of the compartments are arranged correspondingly obliquely. Collating devices with the described completely stationary compartments with inclined in the collation direction soils are described for example in the publications US 1861406 . GB 1444487 or EP-0292458 ,

The drawbacks of the collator devices briefly described above, in which the compartments are stationary during delivery, are based in particular on the intermittent operation required thereby, in which large masses have to be moved and stopped in relatively rapid succession. This means high energy consumption, high material wear and limited conveying speeds and thus limited unit performance.

Collapsing devices with compartments moving essentially continuously in the collating direction do not have the disadvantages mentioned. For trouble-free feeding of the printed products to continuously moving compartments, the printed products but with the collation direction must be substantially rectified and precisely synchronized with the compartments pushed or thrown into the compartments, and their speed is adapted to the conveying speed of the compartments. The gathering means known such devices, for example, a conveyor belt with transversely and optionally also arranged along the strip length partitions, each two adjacent transverse walls define a compartment. In these compartments, the supplied printed products are stacked lying on the conveyor belt. Other known collating devices with continuously conveyed compartments have V- or L-shaped compartments in which the supplied printed products stand on one edge and lean against a wall leading or trailing in the collating direction.

Continuously conveyed compartments in which the printed products are stacked horizontally are very easy to implement (e.g., conveyor belts with transverse walls) and do not impose high accuracy requirements on the feeder, since they have large openings and may also be larger than the printed products to be supplied. However, since the compartments in the gathering direction must have a relatively large size, very high conveying speeds are necessary for high unit outputs, which limits the use. Furthermore, the stacked printed products in the compartments, especially if they are larger than the printed products, actually not kept and the stacks are not stabilized, which in particular in a further promotion with accelerations and / or directional changes and when removing the stack from the compartments or in the further processing of the stack can lead to increased effort.

V- or L-shaped compartments can be conveyed much closer one behind the other, so that significantly less conveying speeds are necessary for the same unit performance. Furthermore, the printed products in these compartments stand on one edge and automatically remain aligned relative to this edge by the action of gravity. On the other hand, the openings of the compartments are significantly narrower and a relevant higher accuracy in feeding necessary, not only so that the most unguided leading edge of a supplied printed product meets the department opening at all, but in particular so that this leading edge securely at upper edges of already stacked in the compartment products can be passed over. The mentioned, high feed accuracy limits the conveying speed and thus the piece performance of the appropriately equipped collating devices. Optionally, the compartments are also equipped with retaining means, are pressed by the already stacked products against one wall and thus can not come into conflict with a further supplied printed product. Such measures make the compartments complex and complex in terms of equipment and control.

The invention now has the task of providing a continuously operable device for collating flat objects, in particular printed products, and for conveying the collated articles or printed products, the device being able to be realized with the simplest means. Nevertheless, the device should be suitable for high unit performance and allow further promotion of the collected printed products without significant restrictions and a simple transfer to a subsequent funding.

This object is achieved by the device for gathering flat objects and for conveying the collected objects, as defined in the independent claim. The dependent claims define preferred embodiments of the apparatus.

The device according to the invention, like known collating devices, has a plurality of compartments which are essentially continuously and circulatingly driven, part of the circulating track being designed as a feed region, that is to say running parallel to a row of feed outlets. In this case, the compartments of the device according to the invention combine the advantages of the compartments of known continuously operating collating devices, in which the flat ones Objects are stacked lying down, with the advantages of such compartments in which the flat objects are stacked standing on an edge, and they are by an appropriate design and control for further promotion with gradients, gradients and / or directional changes and for easy removal of the therein assembled, flat objects equipped.

The circumferentially driven compartments of the device according to the invention have a bottom on which the supplied printed products are stacked lying, and at least one wall (transverse wall). Further, they are so coupled to a conveyor (eg conveyor chain) that they are pivotable about at least one pivot axis transverse to the conveying direction and they advantageously have control means by means of which they can be brought into different pivotal positions during their rotation relative to the conveyor or relative to the orbit are. At least in the feed area, the compartments are aligned such that the at least one transverse wall is aligned transversely to the conveying direction and that the compartment floors are inclined in the conveying direction against this transverse wall. Transverse to the conveying direction, the compartment floors, for example, aligned substantially horizontally. The compartments are conveyed in the said spatial position substantially one behind the other (optionally with a small overlap of less than 10%) through the feed area, so that their openings for feeding without great effort to be stacked in the compartments objects are large enough and fed Objects are aligned by gravity on the transverse wall.

The compartments are pivotable, for example, about a substantially horizontal pivot axis relative to the conveyor or relative to the orbit, wherein the pivot axis is for example in the region of the intersection of compartment floor and transverse wall. By pivoting about such a pivot axis, the compartments in the above-mentioned position can be conveyed through the feed area and, for example, if they are further conveyed, their inclination can be changed. without changing the orbit slope, and / or its inclination can be maintained even as the orbit increases or decreases.

In the same way, the compartments can be pivotable about a substantially vertical pivot axis relative to the conveyor or to the orbit, so that the transverse wall is aligned transversely to the conveying direction and advancing or trailing in the promotion by the supply area and that, for example, in a further promotion of the spatial orientation the transverse wall remains the same, even if the floor plan of the orbit has changes in direction, or the spatial orientation of the transverse wall can be changed, even if the floor plan of the orbit has no direction changes.

The control of said pivotability of the compartments of the device according to the invention is realized, for example, with control rollers which are arranged on the compartments and which roll on stationary scenes. For a product-dependent adjustment of the position of the compartments, for example in the feed area and possibly also in other areas of the orbits of the compartments, the position of such scenes can be adjusted.

The compartments are advantageously narrower than the flat objects to be handled and / or have gaps extending in the conveying direction, so that means for removing the stacked printed products from the compartments act laterally from the compartments and / or through the gaps from below onto the articles and can lift them off the compartment floors.

The angle of inclination of the compartment floors in the feed area is as small as possible so that the opening of the compartments remains large. The angle of inclination is so great too Select that gravity at least supports the orientation of the supplied printed products. Depending on the objects to be handled, the angle of inclination of the compartments in the feed region is between 10 ° and 45 °, advantageously between 10 ° and 20 °. The inclination angle of the compartment floors can be adjusted in the feed area by a corresponding adjustment also to the friction coefficient and the weight of the flat objects to be handled.

The device according to the invention is particularly suitable for the collation of very different, flat objects, of which at least a part are printed products, for example for the production of groups of such objects as shipping units. Such groups of flat objects often comprise a newspaper or magazine (main product) as well as a wide variety of supplements, such as folded or unfolded sheets, cards, booklets, brochures, CDs, flat samples or even small pieces of paper pasted on one of the other items (Memostick®). or cards. The device may also be insegniert in a device for the production of wrapped in foil objects.

Figur 1

eine sehr schematische Darstellung einer beispielhaften Ausführungsform der erfindungsgemässen Vorrichtung, in der die Abteile um eine im wesentlichen horizontale Schwenkachse verschwenkbar sind;

Figur 2

die Abteile der Vorrichtung gemäss Figur 1 in einem grösseren Massstab im Zuführungs- und in einem Weiterförderungsbereich;

Figur 3

eine sehr schematische Darstellung einer beispielhaften Steuerung der Abteile der Vorrichtung gemäss Figuren 1 und 2 für die Beibehaltung ihrer räumlichen Lage bei einer Weiterförderung mit sich ändernder Steigung;

Figuren 4 und 5

Beispiele von Mitteln zur Entnahme der gestapelten Druckprodukte aus den Abteilen der Vorrichtung gemäss Figuren 1 und 2;

Figur 6

eine Draufsicht auf den Zuführungsbereich und einen Weiterförderungsbereich einer erfindungsgemässen Vorrichtung mit Abteilen, die um eine im wesentlichen vertikale Schwenkachse schwenkbar sind;

Figuren 7 und 8

eine vorteilhafte Ausführungsform der Abteile für die erfindungsgemässe Vorrichtung;

Figur 9

eine Umlenkung der Abteile gemäss Figuren 7 und 8;

Figur 10

eine beispielhafte Anwendung der erfindungsgemässen Vorrichtung.

The device according to the invention will be described in more detail in connection with the following figures. Showing:

FIG. 1

a very schematic representation of an exemplary embodiment of the inventive device in which the compartments are pivotable about a substantially horizontal pivot axis;

FIG. 2

the compartments of the device according to FIG. 1 on a larger scale in the feeding and in a Weiterförderungsbereich;

FIG. 3

a very schematic representation of an exemplary control of the compartments of the device according to FIGS. 1 and 2 for retention their spatial position in case of a further promotion with a changing gradient;

FIGS. 4 and 5

Examples of means for removing the stacked printed products from the compartments of the device according to FIGS. 1 and 2 ;

FIG. 6

a plan view of the feed area and a Weiterförderungsbereich a device according to the invention with compartments which are pivotable about a substantially vertical pivot axis;

FIGS. 7 and 8

an advantageous embodiment of the compartments for the inventive device;

FIG. 9

a diversion of the compartments according to FIGS. 7 and 8 ;

FIG. 10

an exemplary application of the inventive device.

FIG. 1 shows in a very schematic way an exemplary embodiment of the device according to the invention seen from the side. The device comprises on an orbit 1 (dash-dotted line) substantially continuously circulating compartments 2, which have at least in a feed region 5 (in the upper part of the orbit) in the direction of rotation inclined towards the front bottom 3 and a leading transverse wall 4. The orbit 1 extends in the feed region 5 parallel to a series of outputs 6 of supply units 7 (only partially shown), with the aid of which rectified and synchronized printed products 10 are supplied to the compartments 2 from above and with the direction of rotation of the compartments 2 (collating). The feed is advantageously controlled such that the leading edge of the supplied Printed products on a leading portion of the compartment or the already stacked in the compartment printed products or on the transverse wall 4 and that the speed of the impinging printed product is slightly greater than the speed of the compartments 2, such that the supplied printed product against the transverse wall 4 of the compartment 2, thereby aligning with previously or subsequently fed printed products and remaining aligned by gravity.

The compartments 2 are coupled to a conveyor (e.g., conveyor chain or pair of conveyor chains) so as to be pivotable about a substantially horizontal pivot axis relative to the conveyor or relative to the orbit 1, respectively. In a following on the supply region 5, in which the conveying direction, for example, horizontally, further conveying region 12 having different slopes, the compartments 2 are held with the printed products 10 stacked therein in the same spatial position, characterized in that they relative to the conveyor or to Orbit be swiveled accordingly. In other words, the angle of inclination of the compartments always remains the same. In a following on the Weiterförderungsbereich 12 removal area 15 in which the orbit 1 has a slope, the compartments are thus promoted against below, the inclination angle of the compartment floors 3 is also kept constant and the stacked in the compartments 2 printed products 10 by a removal means 20th taken from the compartments 2. The removal area 15 is followed by a return area 25, in which the compartments 2 are conveyed back into the feed area 5.

In the return area 25, the spatial position or the angle of inclination of the compartments is not relevant, unless individual stacks, for example due to imperfection in the removal area 15, are not removed from their compartment and must be returned. In such a case, it is advantageous if the spatial position of the compartments 2 is maintained in the return area 25 or in parts thereof, as shown in FIG FIG. 1 is shown. Obviously, the compartment floors 3 after the deflection in the return region 25 inclined backwards and the transverse wall 4 is trailing.

As already mentioned above, the compartments 2 of the device according to the invention are arranged, for example, on a conveyor chain circulating on the circulating track 1 (not shown) or on a pair of such conveyor chains, wherein they have regular intervals from one another. However, the compartments may also be coupled to loosely interconnected or independent conveyor elements which are movable along rails, such that the compartments may have different distances from each other in different areas of their orbit. At least partially independently conveyed compartments 2 can be conveyed for example by the feed area 5 with a maximum distance from each other (little or no overlap of successive compartments with small angles of inclination) in the removal area 15 with a large distance from each other and in the further conveying area 12 and in the return area 25th in particular, when the orbit in these areas is increasing, with a significantly smaller distance from each other (highest possible overlap). In such a case, a rising or falling area of the orbit 1 is also suitable for buffering the compartments or for unladen compartments (return area) a horizontal area in which the compartments have a large angle of inclination and thus can be conveyed with very small distances.

The in the FIG. 1 The bottom slope may also be directed towards the rear, in which case the compartments have a trailing transverse wall and the feed rate should be smaller than the conveying speed of the compartments second so the compartments are an added one Obtain product and this is thereby pushed against the trailing transverse wall and aligned with this.

FIG. 2 shows in more detail the transition between the feed area 5 and the further conveying area 12 of the orbit 1 of the compartments 2 of the device according to FIG. 1 , The compartments 2 are narrower than the printed products 10, which are supplied to the compartments 2, so that the printed products protrude on both sides of the compartment floor 3 and in this area by a removal means (not shown) can be raised. As already mentioned above, gaps in the compartments 2 are also conceivable for the same purpose, that is, the compartments 2 consist of a plurality of spaced-apart in the conveying direction and thus forming a gap parts through which a removal means can act on the printed products 10 ,

FIG. 3 again shows in a very schematic way the transition from the feed area 5 to the further conveying area 12 of the compartments 2 of the device FIG. 1 , wherein in particular an exemplary control is shown, with which the compartments 2 are held regardless of the course of the orbit 1 in the same spatial position they have in the feed area 5. The compartments 2 are mounted on a conveyor (not shown) such that they are pivotable relative to the leading edge of the compartment floor 3 (substantially horizontal pivot axis). Under the trailing portion of the bottom 3 control rollers 30 are arranged, which roll on a stationary backdrop (dash-dotted line 31) when the compartments 2 move along the orbit 1. The distance between the link 31 and the conveying member or the orbit 1 is adapted to the incline of the orbit 1, that the inclination of the compartment floors 3, regardless of the inclination of the orbit remains constant. For adjusting the angle of inclination of the compartment floors 3 to the printed products to be handled, the link 31 can be adjustable.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show two exemplary embodiments of removal areas 15 of the device according to FIGS. 1 and 2 , In these removal areas 15 removal means 20 are arranged, with which the stacked in the compartments 2 printed products 10 are removed from the compartments 2. In both cases shown, the orbit 1 of the compartments 2 extends through the removal area 15 at a constant angle of inclination of the compartment floors down and the printed products are lifted by the removal means 20 from the compartment floors.

FIG. 4 shows a removal means 20, which is formed as a plurality of parallel to each other circulating conveyor belt 21 (only one visible). The Förderertrum the belt is substantially horizontal and intersects the downwardly leading orbit 1 of the compartments 2. The conveyor belt 21 act laterally from the compartments 2 and / or gaps in the compartments 2. The conveyed in the compartments 2 stack of printed products 10th are lifted one by one by the conveyor belt 21 from the compartment floor and transported on the conveyor belt successively.

According to FIG. 5 the removal means 20 is a very schematically illustrated gripper conveyor 22 or a plurality of gripper conveyors. The orbit 23 of the gripper conveyor 22 intersects the orbit 1 of the compartments 2 and the grippers 24 move laterally and / or in gaps of the compartments 2. Furthermore, control means (not shown) are provided, with the help of which the gripper 24 where they are the orbit 1 of the compartments 2 cross, be closed. Advantageously, the speeds of the compartments 2 and the gripper 24 are coordinated so that the stacks of printed products are pushed into the open grippers 24 before the grippers close and before the stack is lifted off the compartment floor.

FIG. 6 shows a further exemplary embodiment of the device according to the invention as a plan view of a transition from the feed area 5 to a further conveying area 12. The feed area 5 is also shown as a side view, from which it can be seen that the compartments 2 are conveyed through the feed area 5 in the same way this is shown in the preceding figures, ie with in the conveying direction against the front sloping compartment floors 3 and leading transverse wall. 4

The compartments are pivotable about a substantially vertical axis of rotation relative to the conveyor or to the orbit 1 so that they can maintain their spatial orientation in a change in direction in a horizontal plane, as shown in the FIG. 6 is shown for the continuation region 12, in which the conveying direction relative to the feed region 5 is rotated by 90 °. The control of the compartments is also realized in this case in a conventional manner, for example with the help of mounted on the compartments tax rolls and corresponding, stationary or adjustable scenes.

Obviously, with a combination of part rotatability about a substantially horizontal and about a substantially vertical pivot axis, it becomes possible to maintain the spatial position and orientation of the compartments when the orbit is a three-dimensional formation. It is also possible to change not only the inclination angle of the compartment bottoms but also the direction of the inclination angle relative to the orbit, such that, for example, the inclination can be aligned forward, backward or laterally with the same conveying direction.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show an exemplary embodiment of the compartment 2 for the inventive device, as shown for example in the FIGS. 1 and 2 shown is. The compartment 2 is shown in side view. The compartment floor 3 consists of a plurality of bottom elements 3.1, which are connected by means of hinges 3.2 such that the bottom surface can be brought into a convex (upwardly bent) shape, but not in a concave (bent down) shape. For this purpose, the floor parts 3.1 on both sides against curved down areas 3.3, where the hinges are arranged 3.2, as in a somewhat larger scale in the FIG. 8 is shown. Advantageously, the transverse wall 4 is hingedly arranged on the bottom 3 and is held in its operative position by means of a return spring, not shown.

FIG. 9 shows a removal region 15 which is arranged in a deflection 32 of the orbit 1 of the compartments 2. The removal means 20 is a conveyor belt 33 which does not have to engage laterally or in gaps of the compartments 2 but simply adjoins the upper run of the compartment circulating track 1. Since the compartment floors 3 are bendable thanks to their hinges, the distance between compartment deflection 32 and removal means 20 can be very small, so that even stacks with little inherent rigidity can be safely removed. So that said distance can also be smaller than the height of the transverse walls 4, these are, as already mentioned above, hingedly arranged on the compartment floor 3 and 32 a Steur Kulisse 34 is provided in the region of the deflection, with the help of the transverse walls 4 against the force the return spring, not shown, pivoted against the compartment floor 3 and moved in this pivoted position between guide pulley 35 and removal means 20 therethrough.

FIG. 9 also shows how the hinges 3.2 can cooperate with corresponding recesses 3.5 of the deflection wheel 35 for driving the compartments 2.

Obviously, those are in the FIGS. 7 to 9 shown compartments whose bottom surfaces can be brought into a convex shape, even in very simple devices applicable in which the compartments 2 are pivotable about neither a substantially horizontal nor about a substantially vertical pivot axis relative to the conveyor or to the orbit.

FIG. 10 shows an exemplary application of the inventive device. This is integrated into a production facility for producing wrapped in a foil groups of printed products and other flat objects, the groups are, for example, ready to ship units, for example, each a newspaper or magazine optionally with inserts inserted therein as the main product and four other optional supplements such as printed Sheets, brochures, booklets, CDs, flat samples of goods or on such affixed notes (Memostick®) or cards in the form of a stack. For the supply of printed products to be stuck in a similar manner similar devices are used as for the supply of other objects. For this purpose, a device known per se with which an adhesive is applied or activated and with which the printed product to be stuck is pressed against the underlying object in the stack.

In the device according to FIG. 10 For example, the device according to the invention has four feeders 40 as feed units and an on-line feed 41 which, for example, feeds the main product from a processing device 43 (eg insertion drum, collecting drum, cutting machine) and represents the last feed unit in the collating direction. The illustrated investors 40 are arranged directly above the orbit of the compartments. However, the investors can also be arranged laterally from the orbit, wherein an example of a looped intermediate conveyor leads the isolated by the investor printed products on the compartments and emits in this.

Between the feed units 40 and the on-line feeder 41, a rising conveying area 12 is arranged. In the removal area 15, the collated objects are in the manner as described in the FIG. 4 is shown, taken from a plurality of conveyor belts. Then, for example, the stacks are held in a device 44 between two belts and positioned on a film web. The film web is then hit around the successive stacks (impact area 45). With the help of a welding device 46, the wrapped around the stack sheet is welded longitudinally and transversely and divided across. The individual packages resulting from the separation are then ordered into a scale flow (device 47), which is then taken over by a gripper conveyor 48.

The main product, which if necessary also carries the address of the recipient of the finished package, becomes, as it in the FIG. 10 is shown, advantageously last and supplied with the title page against the top so that it is clearly visible in the finished package. But it is also possible to supply the main product first and with the title page against the bottom, that is, to arrange the on-line feed in the conveying direction as the first feed unit.

Claims (15)

1. Device for collating flat objects, in particular printed products (10), and for conveying the collated objects further, which device comprises a plurality of feeding units (7) for feeding the objects, a plurality of compartments (2) circulating on a circuit (1) for collating the fed objects, means for conveying the compartments (2) along the circuit and for the substantially continuous conveyance at least through a feeding region (5) of the circuit (1) as well as an extraction means (20) for removal of the collated objects out of the compartments (2) in an extraction region (15) of the circuit (1), wherein outlets of the feeding units (7) in the feeding region (5) are arranged successively in a line and the circuit (1) of the compartments (2) runs in parallel to the named line in the feeding region (5), characterized in that the compartments (2) comprise compartment bases (3) for the lying stacking of the objects and a transverse wall (4) and are coupled to the means for conveying, such that the compartment bases (3) at least in the feeding region (5) are inclined in conveying direction and are conveyable in a manner arranged with the transverse wall (4) in transverse to the circuit (1) and such that the compartments (2) are rotatable in relation to the circuit (1) around substantially horizontal and/or around a substantially vertical rotation axis.
2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that an inclination angle of the compartment bases (3) is between 10° and 45° in the feeding region (5), whereby the inclination angle of the compartment bases (3) is preferably adjustable in the feeding region (5) by means of rotation around the substantially horizontal rotation axis.
3. Device according to one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the compartment bases (3) are inclined towards the front in the feeding region (5) and the transverse wall (4) is leading.
4. Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the circuit (1) of compartments (2), between the feeding region (5) and the release region (15) or between parts of the feeding region, comprises at least one region (12) for further conveying, in which the circuit comprises an upward or downward gradient, and in that the region (12) for further conveying is provided with control means by which the compartments are rotated in relation to the circuit (1) around the substantially horizontal rotation axis in a manner that the inclination angle from the feeding region (5) is maintained.
5. Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the circuit (1) of the compartments (2) leads downwards in the extraction region (15) and that in the extraction region (15) control means are provided by which the compartments (2) are rotated in relation to the circuit (1) around the substantially horizontal rotation axis, such that their inclination angle from the feeding region is maintained.
6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that in the extraction region (15) an extraction means is arranged such that it lifts the objects to be collated from the side of the compartments (2) or through gaps in the compartments (2) off the compartment bases (3).
7. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that the extraction means (20) is a plurality of conveying belts (21) circulating in parallel with a substantially horizontal bearing surface.
8. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that the extraction means (20) is a gripper-conveyor (22) or a plurality of gripper-conveyors circulating in parallel, wherein a circuit (23) of the gripper-conveyors crosses the circuit of the compartments.
9. Device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the circuit (1), between the extraction region (15) and the feeding region (5) comprises a recirculation region (25) with declining and/or inclining gradients and that in at least part of the recirculation region (25) control means are provided, by which the compartments (2) are rotated in relation to the circuit around the substantially horizontal rotation axis that they maintain their inclination angle from the feeding region (5).
10. Device according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the circuit comprises a layout with changes of direction and that at least in regions with changes of direction control means are provided by which the compartments (2) are rotated around the substantially vertical rotation axis, such that their spatial orientation from before the change of direction is maintained.
11. Device according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the means for conveying the compartments (2) is a circulating conveying organ on which the compartments (2) are arranged at regular distances.
12. Device according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the means for conveying the compartments (2) comprise a plurality of conveying elements as well as driving elements for driving the conveying elements, wherein a compartment (2) is coupled to each conveying element and wherein the conveying elements are conveyable along the circuit at different mutual distances.
13. Device according to claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the compartment bases (3) are flexible, such that their base planes may be brought into a convex but not a concave form.
14. Device according to claim 13, characterized in that the compartment bases (3) comprise a plurality of base parts (3.1) connected in a hinged manner.
15. Device according to one of claims 13 or 14, characterized in that the transverse walls (4) are fixed to the compartment bases (3) in a hinged manner.

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