EP3509862B1 - Collating device for producing a sheet material booklet - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a device for collating material sheets and creating a material sheet booklet for a document type, in particular for a document type selected from a plurality of different types of ID, value or security documents. The invention also relates to a method for collating corresponding material sheets and creating a corresponding material sheet booklet.

Documents in the form of identity, value or security documents, such as an identity card, passport or credit card, usually include a 2016003265 / MS / BEC / BEC

Document body which is a composite body produced from a plurality of material sheets or which comprises such a body. The choice of the materials used, the formats, the structures, the number and / or the sequence of the material sheets used depends on the type of document for which the document body is intended. When producing an identity document, value document or security document, there is thus the need to assemble a plurality of material sheets of different types in accordance with a selection and sequence specific to the corresponding document.

The DE 102 20 550 A1 describes a collating device according to the preamble of claim 1 and a method for the further processing of printed sheets for the production of multi-sheet printed end products such as brochures or the like. At least one stack of sheets of the respective final printed product is provided, and the sheets are successively folded, collated and stapled or bound in the sequence required for the final printed product. A corresponding device has a folding device and a stapling or binding device which is directly coupled to the folding device. The differently printed sheets are made available in different magazines and are successively fed to the folding device by means of a feed device.

The object of the present invention is to provide a collating device for collating sheets of material and creating a material sheet booklet and a corresponding method for collecting the material sheets and creating the material sheet booklet, which are both efficient and flexible with regard to the types of documents to be created.

The objects on which the invention is based are achieved by the features of the independent patent claims. Preferred embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claim.

Embodiments relate to a gathering device for gathering sheets of material and creating a sheet of material booklet for one of a

A plurality of different types of ID, value or security document selected document type, wherein the material sheet booklet to be created comprises the collected material sheets in a document-type-specific order.

The gathering device comprises: storage stations which each hold material sheets of a uniform material sheet type in stock and have a material sheet carrier with a storage area for providing a single one of the material sheets.

A material sheet pick-up device for collecting the material sheets for the material sheet booklet to be created, the material sheet pick-up device being configured to pick up the material sheet from the storage area of the respective material sheet carrier in the document-type-specific order at the individual storage stations of the document-type-specific order.

A fixing device which is configured to fix the material sheet to be picked up there in the document-type-specific sequence at the storage stations on the material sheet picked up immediately before by the material sheet pick-up device in accordance with the document-type-specific sequence, so that the relative alignment of the material sheet to be picked up with respect to the material sheet picked up immediately before is determined and the document type-specific material sheet booklet is gradually created.

The document type-specific material sheet booklet to be created comprises all or at least some of the material sheets that make up a document body of the selected document type. In particular, the material sheet booklet comprises the material sheets in a document-type-specific order. Paper, cardboard or plastics such as metal foils, for example, can be used as materials for the material sheets. A sheet of material can also comprise combinations of these materials.

The document body can, for example, be a card body if the identity document, value document or security document is a card-shaped document. The document body can also be a body that is part of an identity document, a document of value or a security document. For example, it can be a data card which is part of a book-shaped ID, value or security document, for example a passport. For example, personal and / or document-specific information such as a passport photo, name, address of the user or a house number is applied to such a data card, in particular also in machine-readable form.

The material sheets can in particular comprise electronic components, for example a chip, an antenna, a display, an input device and / or sensors, or form them in combination with one another. The material sheet booklet can in particular comprise a material sheet with a chip, which is configured to store person-specific and / or document-type-specific information. The chip can have a secure memory area in which personal and / or document type-specific data are stored.

In the following, an “ID, value or security document” is understood to mean a paper and / or plastic-based document on or in which person-specific and / or document type-specific information is introduced in an optically and / or electronically readable manner that identifies the user or of the document, for example to enable certain services or functions. This includes, for example, identification documents, in particular passports, ID cards, visas and driver's licenses, vehicle registration documents, vehicle documents, company ID cards, health cards or other ID documents as well as chip cards, means of payment, in particular bank cards, credit cards, waybills or other credentials. Documents of value can in particular also be banknotes or vouchers. A document can also be an access card, for example.

The material sheet booklet can in particular be provided for the production of a data card, i. a paper- or plastic-based card, which is arranged in a book block of an identity document, value document or security document and on which person-specific and / or document-specific information is applied in an optically legible manner, identifying the user or the document, for example for the release of certain services or functions.

Embodiments can have the advantage that they provide a device which enables an efficient collation of a document-type-specific selection of material sheets in a document-type-specific order.

In particular, they can make it possible to select a first document type from a plurality of different ID, value or security document types and, after creating a material sheet booklet for the first document type, to switch flexibly to collating material sheets and creating a material sheet booklet for a second document type.

The supply stations could make it possible to provide different types of material sheets. From the plurality of material sheet types provided, the material sheets required for the selected document type can be collected by a material sheet receiving device in the order specific to the document type. If several sheets of material of the same type of sheet of material are required for a selected document type, then, according to one embodiment, sheets of material are collected several times from the same supply station in accordance with the sequence specific to the document type. According to another embodiment, the corresponding material sheets are collected in the order specific to the document type from different supply stations which are equipped with material sheets of the same material sheet type.

According to embodiments, the material sheet receiving device is configured to move in the document-type-specific sequence to the individual supply stations of the document-type-specific sequence, i. E. the supply stations included in the document type-specific selection. The respective supply station of this selection to which the material sheet receiving device moves provides the material sheet type currently required in accordance with the document-type-specific sequence.

If several storage stations provide material sheets of the same material sheet type, the path which the material sheet receiving device follows when collecting the material sheets can be subject to an additional optimization criterion in addition to the criterion of collecting the required material sheets according to the document type-specific sequence. A corresponding optimization criterion can be the shortest criterion, for example the path to be traveled or the shortest time required. Another criterion can be that the supply stations are emptied uniformly or with different weighting, for example in accordance with a predetermined sequence.

According to embodiments, the supply stations comprise supply cassettes in which the material sheets are arranged. In this case, each supply station can be assigned a fixed type of sheet of material, so that a specific supply station always provides the same type of sheet of material. If the supply of material sheets is partially or completely used up, this is replenished with material sheets of the same material sheet type. The assignment of the material sheet types to the supply stations can follow a predefined pattern. This pattern is based, for example, on the supply stations being arranged in a row according to the order specific to the document type. In this case, it is advantageous if material sheet types which are required several times in the order specific to the document type are provided by a corresponding plurality of storage stations with the same material sheet type.

According to embodiments, storage stations with material sheet types for the production of material sheet booklets for different identity, value or security documents are provided. In these embodiments, the arrangement of the supply stations can advantageously be selected such that the shortest path for collecting the material sheets according to the different document-specific sequences is required, averaged over the plurality of ID, value or security documents. Alternatively, the criterion can be chosen that on average the shortest time is required for collection. As an alternative, different document types can also be weighted differently. For example, document types that are or should be produced more frequently are assigned a greater weighting factor than document types that are produced less often.

According to embodiments, the collating device comprises a central control device which comprises, for example, a microprocessor and a memory with program instructions for controlling the collating device. If the central control device receives a selection of a document type to be created, it can control the movement pattern of the material sheet receiving device by executing the program instructions, for example. This can take place, for example, on the basis of a predetermined movement pattern stored in a table to which the central control device has access.

According to embodiments, the movement pattern is dynamically calculated by the microprocessor on the basis of a document-type-specific sequence for the document type to be created, as well as an assembly overview which contains information about which supply station is equipped with which material sheet type. The corresponding document-type-specific sequence and the corresponding equipment overview can be stored, for example, in a table to which the central control device has access.

If the loading of the individual supply stations with material sheet types does not take place in a predetermined loading pattern, the gathering device has a reading device for reading material sheet type identifiers which identify the material sheet type contained in the supply cassette. For example, one of the supply stations has a reading device. If this supply station or an associated supply cassette is filled with new material sheets, an associated material sheet type identifier is read in and reported to the central control device, which identifies the material sheet type of the newly introduced material sheets based on the message.

The material sheet type identifier can, for example, be implemented in the form of an ID number, a bar code, a QR code, another geometric and / or pictographic and / or alphanumeric code or as a color code which can be visually detected, for example. Furthermore, the material sheet type identifier can be implemented in the form of an RFID transponder.

According to embodiments, the supply cassettes each have a material sheet type identifier which identifies the type of material sheet contained in the supply cassette. According to embodiments, when a supply station is filled, a new supply cassette with a new material sheet type identifier is introduced. This material sheet type identifier is read, for example, by a reading device of the supply station when the supply cassette is inserted and reported to the central device. A reading device can be assigned to a supply station, for example. According to embodiments, each of the supply stations comprises a corresponding reading device.

In addition, the material sheet type identifiers can include information about the number of material sheets contained or inserted in the supply cassette. The current number of material sheets in a supply cassette can be monitored by a material sheet counter, from which the number of material sheets used is recorded. A corresponding sheet of material counter can be implemented, for example, as a module on the supply cassettes, on the supply stations or in the central control device.

Fixing the relative alignment of the material sheets in the material sheet booklet can have the advantage that the susceptibility to errors in the subsequent processing is reduced, for example due to the material sheets slipping, or the material sheet booklet folding open or falling apart. In addition, this increases the manageability of the material sheet booklet and thus allows more efficient further processing, for example by increasing the transport speed or eliminating the need to provide additional securing elements for securing the material sheet alignment and / or the material sheet booklet. Fixation methods, such as ultrasonic welding, in which no additional material or no additional elements are introduced into the material sheet booklet are particularly advantageous. The material sheet booklet remains easy to edit, without having to take any additional material or elements into account or removing them at a later point in time.

According to embodiments, the supply stations each have a supply cassette, which is each equipped with material sheets of a uniform material sheet type. Different supply cassettes can be equipped with the same material sheet type or different material sheet types. In addition, the gathering device comprises a distribution device which is configured to distribute one of the material sheets from the supply cassette to the storage area of the material sheet carrier of the respective supply station at the supply stations.

Embodiments of the present invention can have the advantage that the distribution device can efficiently ensure that the material sheets which are collected by the material sheet receiving device according to the document-type-specific sequence are available for them at the respective supply stations when the corresponding material sheets are in turn are to be collected. According to embodiments, the distribution device can be configured and / or controlled, for example, by a central control device in such a way that a sheet of material is available on the corresponding storage area at all stations and the sheets of material collected by the sheet receiving device in the order specific to the document type are replaced by the distribution device. For example, the replacement is also carried out in the order specific to the document type.

According to the embodiment, the material sheets are distributed by the distributing device, which ropes ahead of the material sheet receiving device in the order specific to the document type, so that the material sheets are laid out on the storage areas in the document type-specific order in which the material sheet receiving device collects them.

According to embodiments, the dispensing device is configured to move to the individual storage stations in the order specific to the document type.

Embodiments can have the advantage that a mechanically simple and thus less error-prone construction of the storage stations is made possible. According to embodiments, the movement of the dispensing device is controlled by the central control device, which also controls the movements of the material sheet receiving device. According to embodiments, the central control device controls the movement of the dispensing device according to the same criteria as the movement of the material sheet receiving device.

According to embodiments, the dispensing device comprises a plurality of individual dispensing devices, which are each arranged in a stationary manner at one of the supply stations.

Embodiments can have the advantage that the dispensing devices are arranged in a stationary manner and therefore no mechanics are necessary for moving the dispensing device. The collating device can therefore be designed in a mechanically simple manner with regard to the moving elements and thus less prone to errors. In particular, it can thereby be avoided that the movement pattern of the material sheet receiving device is influenced or even impeded. The calculation and / or the determination of the movement pattern of the material sheet receiving device are therefore also simplified, since no movement patterns of the dispensing device have to be taken into account.

According to embodiments, the dispensing device is configured to distribute the individual material sheets at the storage stations in the order specific to the document type on the storage areas of the respective material sheet carriers.

Embodiments can have the advantage that the material sheets are only distributed when they are needed, while they are otherwise stored in the storage cassette, protected from environmental influences.

According to embodiments, the material sheet booklet to be created comprises at least two material sheets of the same material sheet type, the dispensing device being configured to distribute at least twice a material sheet from the corresponding supply cassette at one of the supply stations, which has a supply cassette with material sheets of the corresponding material sheet type, and the material sheet receiving device for this purpose is configured to pick up a sheet of material at least twice at the corresponding supply station.

Embodiments can have the advantage that the number of storage stations can be reduced and the collating device can therefore be made more compact.

According to embodiments, the material sheet booklet to be created comprises at least two material sheets of the same material sheet type, the material sheet receiving device being configured to collect the two material sheets from two different storage stations, which are each equipped with the same material sheet type.

Embodiments can have the advantage that the movement path of the material sheet receiving device can be made more flexible when collecting the material sheets, whereby the path covered can be shortened or the number required for the collation can be reduced and / or optimized.

According to embodiments, at least one of the storage cassettes is equipped with individual sheets of material in the form of a stack.

Embodiments can have the advantage that the material sheets can be collected directly as they are kept in stock without an additional processing step.

According to embodiments, at least one of the supply cassettes is equipped with sheets of material in the form of a roll of tape and the dispensing device is configured to unroll the roll of tape during distribution and to separate a single sheet of material to be distributed.

Embodiments can have the advantage that they allow a simple removal mechanism by unrolling and that a large number of material sheets can be provided in a compact manner by the tape roll.

According to embodiments, the material sheet receiving device has a suction device for receiving a material sheet by suction.

Embodiments can have the advantage that, on the one hand, a secure intake of the material sheets is made possible by suction, which, on the other hand, protects the material sheets and reduces the risk of mechanical damage.

According to embodiments, the dispensing device has a suction device for picking up a sheet of material by suction.

Embodiments can have the advantage that on the one hand an efficient distribution of the material sheets is made possible by suction, which on the other hand protects the material sheets and reduces the risk of mechanical damage.

According to embodiments, the material sheet receiving device is arranged at a free end of a robot arm.

Embodiments can have the advantage that an efficient computer-controlled movement of the material sheet receiving device in all three spatial dimensions is made possible. A corresponding control takes place, for example, by a central control device.

According to embodiments, the fixing device comprises an ultrasonic sonotrode for fixing the material sheets by means of ultrasonic welding.

Embodiments can have the advantage that they provide an efficient and secure fixation option, in which no additional elements are introduced into the material sheet booklet and the material sheet booklet as such receives stability without additional fixing elements.

In ultrasonic welding, the sheets of material are subjected to ultrasound and are connected to one another by the resulting internal friction in the joining zone. An ultrasonic welding device consisting of a generator, a sound transducer or converter and a sonotrode is used for this purpose. The generator generates an electrical alternating voltage, which is converted into a mechanical vibration with the aid of the sound transducer. The sound transducer in turn conducts the high-frequency mechanical vibrations, i.e. Ultrasound into the sonotrode connected to it and sets it in resonance vibrations in the ultrasonic range. Often a transformation piece or booster is arranged between the sound transducer and the sonotrode, which transforms the vibration amplitude arriving from the sound transducer and forwards this enlarged to the sonotrode. The size of the resulting oscillation amplitude is influenced by the output amplitude provided by the sound transducer and by the respective amplification by the transformation piece and the sonotrode itself.

The sonotrode set in an ultrasonic oscillation then transmits the ultrasonic oscillation under pressure to one of the two material sheets to be connected. If the material sheets to be joined touch, boundary surface friction occurs between the two material sheets, in the so-called joining or welding zone, and this leads to local heating of the boundary surfaces. If the heating is so great that the interfaces melt, welding occurs of the two sheets of material. The two sheets of material are pressed together during welding by the sonotrode. With ultrasonic welding, a welded connection can be created with a short welding time, since the welding energy is made available almost limited to the joining zone. This allows precise welding without affecting other areas of the material sheet handle.

If the presence of one or more ultrasonic sonotrodes is described below, it goes without saying that the respective sonotrodes are provided by appropriate ultrasonic tools which, for the intended use of the sonotrode, also include at least a generator and sound transducer, if necessary. also include a transformation piece.

According to embodiments, the fixing device has a plurality of ultrasonic sonotrodes.

Embodiments can have the advantage that the material sheet booklet is ultrasonically welded at a plurality of correspondingly spatially distributed points by the plurality of ultrasonic sonotrodes which are spatially spaced apart from one another. This can efficiently reduce the risk of the material sheets slipping and / or unfolding.

According to embodiments, the ultrasonic sonotrodes are arranged in the edge region of the sheet of material to be picked up, so that the ultrasonic welding of the sheets of material takes place in the edge region.

According to embodiments, the material sheets have a rectangular format, one of the ultrasonic sonotrodes being arranged in each of the four corner regions of the rectangular format, so that the ultrasonic welding of the material sheets takes place in each of the corner regions.

Embodiments can have the advantage that a secure fixation of the material sheets is made possible, the central area of the material sheet booklet, which is generally used as a so-called benefit for creating the document body (s) for the selected document type, is neither influenced nor impaired by the fixation.

According to embodiments, the material sheet booklet is provided for the creation of a plurality of identity, value or security documents of the selected document type.

Embodiments can have the advantage that the creation of a plurality of identity documents, documents of value or security documents of a selected document type is parallelized and the creation speed is thus increased. In addition, a uniform processing format for the material sheets can be selected, for which the collating device is optimized. If a material sheet booklet is to be created for a document type whose format is smaller than the processing format, material sheets with the uniform processing format can be selected, which comprise one or more sections for one or more documents of the document type with a smaller format.

According to embodiments, the storage surfaces each have one or more passage openings for at least partially passing through one of the ultrasonic sonotrodes, so that the respective ultrasonic sonotrode can come into contact with the sheet of material to be fixed.

Embodiments can have the advantage that a simple and secure fixation of the material sheets is made possible by means of ultrasound. In particular, these allow the sheet of material to be fixed to be laid out on the corresponding storage area. The sheet of material to be fixed is held in place by gravity. In addition, the vertical height at which the ultrasonic sonotrodes come into contact with the material sheet handle to be welded is always the same, regardless of the number of material sheets collected up to this point in time or the current height of the material sheet booklet. This allows efficient positioning of the sonotrode and control of the contact pressure. The most important parameters that can usually be set in ultrasonic welding are the welding time, the energy to be introduced and the contact pressure of the sonotrode on the welding part. In the present case, no sensor system is therefore necessary to detect the height of the material sheet booklet in order to optimally set the contact pressure. Rather, the contact pressure can be fixed at a constant value.

According to embodiments, the material sheet pick-up device is configured to position itself at the supply stations on the material sheet provided on the storage surface, so that the material sheet picked up by the material sheet pick-up device in accordance with the document-type-specific sequence lies on the material sheet to be picked up.

Embodiments can have the advantage that they enable efficient fixation, in particular by ultrasonic welding.

According to embodiments, the material sheet receiving device has a position detection device which is configured to detect the position of the material sheet receiving device relative to the material sheet to be received.

Embodiments can have the advantage that an efficient fine adjustment of the relative alignment of the material sheets of the material sheet booklet to be created is made possible. In addition, this allows material sheets of different formats to be used, which increases the flexibility when creating the material sheet booklet.

According to embodiments, the position detection device comprises a camera.

Embodiments can have the advantage that they allow simple and efficient position detection. The exact alignment can be based on an evaluation algorithm take place, which is carried out for example by a central control device on the basis of the image information captured by the camera and forwarded to the control device.

According to embodiments, the material sheets for the material sheet booklet to be created have an identical format and the material sheet receiving device is configured to align itself with the aid of the relative position detected by the position detection device with respect to the material sheet to be picked up so that the material sheet picked up immediately beforehand according to the document type-specific sequence is the material sheet to be picked up completely covered.

Embodiments can have the advantage that successive sheets of material lie exactly on top of one another with their edges. The resulting sheet of material booklet has an exact format, which facilitates the further automated handling of the sheet of material booklet, since the risk of obstructions or even damage due to material sections protruding beyond the format is prevented. The further processing devices for creating the corresponding ID, value or security document can thus be optimized for the corresponding exact format. In addition, by precisely aligning the edges of the sheets of material to one another, it can be ensured that the inner structures of the sheets of material are also precisely aligned with one another.

According to embodiments, the fixing device is configured to fix the sheet of material to be picked up from below on the sheet of material picked up immediately before by the sheet of material pick-up device in accordance with the document-type-specific sequence.

Embodiments can have the advantage that the sheet of material to be picked up can be laid ready on a corresponding storage surface, whereby its position can be determined during the fixation and the fixation can thus be easily controlled.

According to embodiments, the collating device comprises storage stations with material sheet types for each document type of the plurality of different types of ID, value or security documents.

Embodiments can have the advantage that they allow a flexible collation of material sheets and a flexible creation of material sheet booklets for different identity documents, documents of value or security documents. This is particularly advantageous with regard to Industry 4.0 and the associated need for a flexible infrastructure for production. In particular, it is possible to efficiently switch from the creation of a first material sheet booklet for a first document type to the creation of a second material sheet booklet for a second document type without having to convert the collating device. This reduces waiting times as well as the planning effort when defining the order in which documents of different document types are created. In particular, small numbers of documents of different document types can be created quickly and efficiently.

According to embodiments, the fixing device is configured to move synchronously with the material sheet receiving device in the document-type-specific sequence to the supply stations.

Embodiments can have the advantage that a fixing device is provided, the movement pattern of which is identical to the movement pattern, in particular path- and / or time-optimized, movement pattern of the material sheet receiving device.

According to embodiments, the material sheet receiving device comprises the fixing device.

Embodiments can have the advantage that the fixing device is thus always available when the material sheet receiving device picks up a material sheet, with no additional means being necessary for the movements of the fixing device. In addition, the mechanical structure of the gathering device as well as their control is simplified, whereby the susceptibility to errors is reduced.

According to embodiments, the storage stations are arranged in rows next to one another, the fixing device comprising individual fixing devices and each of the rows being assigned an individual fixing device which is configured to move along the row to the individual storage stations of the corresponding row.

Embodiments can have the advantage, on the one hand, that the storage stations are arranged in a spatially more compact manner, for example in several rows one above the other. On the other hand, a fixed assignment of the individual fixing devices to one of the rows reduces the number of elements which move in an additional spatial direction between the rows and therefore require an additional degree of freedom of movement. In contrast, the corresponding individual fixing devices are designed, for example, only for movements along the rows of supply stations. In particular, this prevents complications with the movement of the sheet material receiving device. In particular, the sheet material receiving device, like the fixing device, can be based on mutually independent movement infrastructures.

According to embodiments, the movement pattern of the individual fixing devices is matched to the sequence specific to the document type in such a way that one of the individual fixing devices moves synchronously to each of the supply stations to which the material sheet receiving device moves.

Embodiments can have the advantage that the movement patterns of the individual fixing devices can be adapted at least partially to the movement pattern, in particular path and / or time-optimized, movement pattern of the material sheet receiving device.

According to embodiments, the collating device further comprises a personalization device which is assigned to one of the supply stations and is configured to personalize the individual of the material sheets before they are provided on the storage surface of the material sheet carrier of the corresponding supply station.

Embodiments can have the advantage that when the material sheet booklet is being created, personalized material sheets can also be included. These can be created individually for the document (s) to be created, for example by a corresponding printer, for example a cardjet printer, and / or by a hologram exposure device. A personalized sheet of material is, for example, a sheet of material with a photo of the future owner of the ID, value or security document to be created from the sheet of material.

Embodiments further relate to a method for collating material sheets and creating a material sheet booklet for a document type selected from a plurality of different ID, value or security document types, the material sheet booklet to be created comprising the material sheets collected in a document-type-specific order.

The method comprises: providing material sheets for a plurality of different types of ID, value or security document by means of supply stations which each hold material sheets of a uniform material sheet type in stock and have a material sheet carrier with a storage area for providing a single one of the material sheets.

Collecting the material sheets provided at the individual storage stations of the document type-specific sequence for the material sheet booklet to be created in the document type-specific sequence from the storage areas of the respective material sheet carriers by means of a material sheet receiving device. The sheet of material to be picked up is taken from the sheet material pick-up device recorded by the sheet of material to be recorded by means of a fixing device on which sheet of material recorded immediately beforehand is fixed in accordance with the document-type-specific sequence in such a way that the alignment of the recorded sheet of material with respect to the sheet of material recorded immediately before is determined and the document-type-specific sheet of material booklet is successively created.

Figur 1

eine schematische Ansicht einer ersten beispielhaften Ausführungsform einer Zusammentragvorrichtung,

Figuren 2

schematische Ansichten beispielhafter Materialbögen,

Figuren 3

schematische Ansichten einer beispielhaften Ausführungsform zweier Zusammentragvorrichtung,

Figur 4

eine schematische Ansicht einer beispielhaften Ausführungsform der Materialbogenaufnahmevorrichtung,

Figuren 5

schematische Ansichten eines beispielhaften Materialbogenhefts,

Figuren 6

schematische Ansichten einer beispielhaften Vorratskassette mit Ablagefläche und Austeilvorrichtung,

Figur 7

eine schematische Ansicht einer beispielhaften Austeilvorrichtung,

Figur 8

eine schematische Ansicht einer beispielhaften Vorratskassette mit Ablagefläche von unten und

Figur 9

eine schematische Ansicht eines beispielhaften Ultraschallwerkzeugs.

In the following, embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail with reference to the drawings. Show it:

Figure 1

a schematic view of a first exemplary embodiment of a collating device,

Figures 2

schematic views of exemplary material sheets,

Figures 3

schematic views of an exemplary embodiment of two collating devices,

Figure 4

a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of the material sheet receiving device,

Figures 5

schematic views of an exemplary material sheet booklet,

Figures 6

schematic views of an exemplary storage cassette with storage area and dispensing device,

Figure 7

a schematic view of an exemplary dispensing device,

Figure 8

a schematic view of an exemplary supply cassette with storage area from below and

Figure 9

a schematic view of an exemplary ultrasonic tool.

In the following, similar elements are identified with the same reference symbols.

Figure 1 shows a schematic view of an exemplary collating device 100. The collating device 100 comprises a plurality of storage stations 102. The embodiment shown of a collating device 100 comprises ten storage stations 102, which are arranged in two groups of five storage stations 102 on top of one another. A first group 104 is arranged next to one another in a row along a first straight line. The second group 106 is arranged above the first group 104 along a second parallel straight line. Each of the supply stations 102 has a sheet of material carrier 108 with a storage area 110 for providing an individual sheet of material 112. In addition, each supply station 102 has a dispensing device 114 for distributing the material sheet 112 from a supply cassette comprised by the supply station (not shown).

Furthermore, the gathering device 100 comprises a material sheet receiving device 118, which is arranged on the free or movable end 120 of a robot arm 122. The robot arm 122 is configured in such a way that its free end 120 and thus the material sheet receiving device 118 can be moved in three spatial dimensions within a sphere, the radius of which is determined by the length of the robot arm 122. The material sheet receiving device 118 also comprises a position detection device 124 in the form of a camera. By means of this camera 124, the position of the material sheet pick-up device 118 and the material sheets already picked up by it can be precisely aligned with respect to a material sheet 112 laid ready on one of the storage surfaces 110.

Below each of the two groups 104, 106 a rail 126 is arranged, which extends along the respective straight line along which the supply stations 102 of the corresponding group 104, 106 are also arranged. A fixing device 128 is arranged on each of the rails 126 and can be moved along the associated rail 126 to the individual sheet material carriers 108 of the respective group 104, 106. As a result, the two shown fixing devices 128 can be moved to each of the storage surfaces 110 of the respective group 104, 106 of storage stations 102. In the embodiment shown, each of the fixing devices 128 comprises four ultrasonic tools 130 each, each with an ultrasonic sonotrode. The ultrasonic sonotrodes shown are pin-shaped and can each be moved vertically upwards through through openings 132 in the storage surfaces 110, so that they can come into contact from below with a sheet of material 112 laid out on the corresponding storage surface 110.

The shown collating device 100 is configured to provide a sheet of material 112 in the document-type-specific sequence at the storage stations 102 in the document-type-specific sequence by a distribution device 114 on the corresponding storage area 110. The robot arm 122 moves its free end 120 with the material sheet pick-up device 118 in the document-type-specific order to the individual storage stations 102. There, the material sheet pick-up device 118 is positioned by means of the camera 124 exactly over the laid out material sheet 112, so that the material sheet picked up last in the document-type-specific order is on the laid out sheet of material 112 rests. The fixing device 128 of the corresponding group 104, 106, which comprises the supply station 102, from which a sheet of material 112 is to be picked up in accordance with the sequence specific to the document type, is moved along the rail 126 to the corresponding sheet of material carrier 108. When the free end 120 of the robot arm 122 moves along one of the groups 104, 106, the corresponding fixing device 128 is moved synchronously with the movement of the material sheet receiving device 118. If the material sheet picked up last is arranged on the material sheet 112 to be picked up, the ultrasonic tools 130 move vertically proceed above, so that the respective ultrasonic sonotrode comes into contact with the surface of the sheet of material 112 to be picked up from below and melts this, as well as the last sheet of material picked up, in the limited area of the joining zone, so that the two sheets of material are firmly connected to one another in the area of the ultrasonic welding. The selection of the material sheets 112 to be collated, as well as the order in which they are collated, can be freely selected depending on the type of document to be generated. The movement of the robot arm 122 and the distribution of material sheets 112 by the distribution devices 114 as well as the movement of the fixing devices 128 along the rail 126 and the ultrasonic welding by means of the ultrasonic sonotrodes 130 can be controlled by a central control device (not shown).

Figure 2A shows a first exemplary material sheet 112, which is provided for the creation of a material sheet booklet for a single identity, value or security document. The central area 202 shown in dashed lines comprises structures 204 which are provided to become part of the document body for the corresponding identity document, value document or security document. The area 202 is also generally referred to as a benefit. The material sheet booklet has material sheets 112 of different material sheet types with different structures 204, from which in total the structures of the document body to be created result. In particular, these structures 204 can also comprise electronic components, for example a chip, an antenna, a display, an input device and / or sensors, or form them in combination with one another.

Figure 2B shows a second embodiment of a material sheet 112, the use of which comprises two spaced-apart regions 202 with structures 204 for creating two document bodies for two ID, value or security documents of the same document type.

According to embodiments, sheets of material 112 can include panels for any number of documents of the same document type. This has the advantage that the creation of material sheet booklets for several ID, value or security documents can be parallelized. The efficiency and, in particular, the speed of collation and creation can thus be increased. In this case, the mechanics of the gathering device 100 are sufficient for creating a single sheet of material for the parallelization.

Figure 3A shows an embodiment with two exemplary collating devices 100, 100 '. The corresponding material sheet booklet is created together by the two gathering devices 100, 100 ', the first gathering device 100 being identical to the gathering device Figure 1 and creates a first part of the material sheet booklet to be created according to a first section of the document-type-specific sequence. The second gathering device 100 ', which is configured analogously to the first gathering device 100, takes over the first part of the material sheet book created by the first gathering device 100 and supplements it with a second part according to a second section of the document type-specific sequence. FIG. 3A shows that the second gathering device 100 'corresponds to the first gathering device 100, except for the fact that the first and second groups 104', 106 'of storage stations 102 in the case of gathering device 100' each have only three storage stations 102 include.

In Figure 3B FIG. 11 is a schematic view of the two collators 100, 100 'from FIG Figure 3A shown vertically from above. The robot arms 122 and the dispensing devices 114 of the supply stations 102, like the fixing devices 128 (not shown), are connected to a central control unit 134 which controls them. Also shown is a transfer station 136 to which the robot arm 122 of the first collating device 100 transfers the first part of the material sheet booklet and from which the robot arm 122 of the second collecting device 100 'picks up the material sheet booklet with the material sheet receiving device 118 arranged at its free end 120. The second collator 100 ′ also comprises a supply station 102 ′, which is connected to a personalization device 138 for creating a personalized sheet of material 112 ′. The control device 134 controls the two collating devices 100, 100 'in such a way that the first collating device 100 with the material sheet receiving device 118 arranged at the free end 120 of the robot arm 122 creates the first part of the material sheet booklet according to the first section of the document type-specific sequence and, for example, at the transfer station 136 drops. The second collating device 100 'with its robot arm 122 picks up the first part of the material sheet booklet from the transfer station 136 by means of the material sheet pick-up device 118 and collects the personalizing material sheet 112' provided by the supply station 102 'according to the second section of the document-type-specific sequence. If the corresponding material sheet booklet is intended for the creation of a plurality of identity, value or security documents of the same document type for different people, then each material sheet 112, 112 'comprises a plurality of uses which are intended for different people. In particular, the personalized sheet of material 112 'comprises a plurality of uses which are each personalized for one of the persons. A corresponding personalization can be given, for example, by a printed photo of the future owner of the identity document, value document or security document. Then, according to the second section of the document-type-specific sequence, further sheets of material 112 are picked up from the supply stations 102 of the second gathering device 100 '.

Figure 3C FIG. 11 shows a schematic view of the two gathering devices 100, 100 ′ from FIG Figure 3A from the rear. The first groups 104, 104 'of supply stations 102 each include supply cassettes 116' which hold the material sheets 112 in the form of tape rolls 142. The second group 106, 106 ′ of supply stations 102 each comprises supply cassettes 116 which are equipped with individual sheets of material 112 in the form of stacks 140.

Figure 4 FIG. 12 shows a schematic detailed view of the robot arm 122 of FIG Figures 1 and 3 . At its free end 120, the robot arm 122 has a material sheet receiving device 118 for receiving material sheets 112. For this purpose, the material sheet receiving device 118 comprises a plurality of channels 144 which are configured so that a negative pressure for sucking in the material sheets 112 is generated in them. Furthermore, the material sheet receiving device 118 comprises a position detection device 124 in the form of a camera. The position detection device 124 is aligned such that it can detect the material sheet 112 to be picked up. Using the captured image information, the relative position of the free end 120 and thus of the material sheets already picked up by the material sheet pick-up device 118 relative to the material sheet 112 to be picked up can be determined. Based on this, the movement of the robot arm 122 for aligning the material sheet receiving device 118 can be controlled. Using the position detection device 124, the position of the material sheets that have already been picked up can be precisely aligned with the material sheet 112 to be picked up. The sheet of material 112 to be picked up lies ready on a storage surface 110 which has through openings 132 through which sonotrodes 130 can be passed. When the already picked up material sheets are deposited by the robot arm 122 on the material sheet 112 to be picked up, the ultrasonic sonotrodes 130 are moved from below through the through openings 132 so that they come into contact with the material sheet 112 to be picked up and this with the material sheet last picked up according to the document type-specific sequence weld.

Figure 5A shows a material sheet booklet 500, which comprises a plurality of material sheets 112, which are each firmly welded by ultrasonic welding in the area of the joining zone 502 to the subsequent material sheet according to the document-type-specific sequence. Permanently welded means that the sheets of material cannot be separated from one another without being destroyed. The corresponding material sheet booklet 500 results from that of the gathering devices 100, 100 'according to the Figures 1 and 3 carried out compilation and creation process.

Figure 5B shows a view of the material sheet booklet 500 perpendicularly from above. In each of the corner areas there is a joining zone 502 of the ultrasonic welding, which is shown in dotted lines. The joining zones 502 can be, for example, four point-like or circular or rectangular areas, for the generation of which sonotrodes with circular or rectangular welding surfaces were used. This has the advantage that the through openings 132 can be provided by simple bores. Embodiments can vary in shape and diameter in the welded regions 502 depending on the shape of the ultrasonic sonotrodes 130 used.

Figures 6A and 6B show a schematic detailed view of a supply cassette 116 with material sheets 112, which are arranged in the form of a stack 140. A sheet of material carrier 108 with a flat storage surface 110, which in the example shown has a rectangular format, is arranged on the supply cassette 116. A through opening 132 for the ultrasonic sonotrodes 130 is arranged in each of the corner regions of the storage surface 110. In addition, the dispensing device 114 is shown in detail.

Figure 6A shows the receiving of a sheet of material 112 by the dispensing device 114 by means of suction openings 602. For this purpose, a receiving element 604, which can be moved vertically along the carrier element 606, is arranged above the upwardly open supply cassette 116. The receiving element 604 is moved with the suction openings 602 downwards on the uppermost sheet of material 112 in the supply cassette 116. According to embodiments, the suction openings 602 come into contact with the uppermost sheet of material 112 in the supply cassette 116. This can be ascertained, for example, by recognizing a resistance when the receiving element 604 is moved downwards, or it can be controlled as a function of the filling quantity of the storage cassette 116. The use of suction openings 602 for suction of the uppermost sheet of material 112 also has the The advantage that the sheet of material 112 can be sucked in even when the suction openings 602 have not yet come into contact with it, but have been sufficiently approached. The sucked-in sheet of material 112 is lifted upward by moving the receiving element 604. The carrier element 606, which carries the receiving element 604, can be moved along a rail formed by a web 608 to the storage surface 110. For this purpose, the carrier element 606 has a groove 610 in which the web 608 is arranged.

Figure 6B shows the state when the carrier element 606 has been moved along the rails 608 over the storage surface 110. The material sheet 112 picked up is deposited on the depositing surface 110 by switching off the negative pressure at the suction openings 602 by means of gravity. According to embodiments, the receiving element 604 is also moved downwards.

Figure 7 FIG. 11 shows a schematic view of the dispensing device 114 from the front. The carrier element 606 on which the receiving element 604 is arranged can be seen. The carrier element 606 comprises two lateral holding arms 610 with grooves 612, which can be moved along the webs 608. The receiving element 604 can be moved perpendicularly along the carrier element 606. The receiving element 604 comprises suction openings 602, which are in a through connection with channels 614 for generating negative pressure for sucking in a sheet of material 112.

Figure 8 shows a schematic view of a supply cassette 116 and a material sheet carrier 108 from below. The sheet of material carrier 108 has four through bores 132 in the corner areas of the storage area. An ultrasonic sonotrode of an ultrasonic tool 130, as shown in FIG Figure 9 is shown.

Figure 9 FIG. 12 shows a schematic view of an ultrasonic tool 130 for welding sheets of material. The ultrasonic tool 130 includes a generator 902, a sound transducer 904, a transformation piece 906, and a pin-shaped one Sonotrode 908. The generator generates a high-frequency electrical alternating voltage, which is converted by the sound transducer 904 into a mechanical oscillation of the same frequency. The ultrasonic vibration is transmitted via the sound transducer 904 to the sonotrode 908, which is tuned to the same frequency, and this is set in resonance vibration. If necessary, the oscillation amplitude can be increased by installing a transformation piece 906 between the sound transducer 904 and the sonotrode 908.

List of reference symbols

100, 100 '

Collator

102, 102 '

Supply station

104

first group

106

second group

108

Material sheet carrier

110

Storage space

112, 112 '

Material sheet

114

Dispensing device

116, 116 '

Supply cassette

118

Material sheet receiving device

120

free end

122

Robotic arm

124

Position detection device

126

rail

128

Fixing device

130

Ultrasonic tool

132

Through openings

134

Control device

136

Transfer station

138

Personalization device

140

stack

142

Tape roll

144

channel

202

central area

204

structure

500

Material sheet booklet

502

Welding area

602

Suction opening

604

Receiving element

606

Support element

608

web

610

Groove

612

Holding arm

614

Intake duct

902

generator

904

Transducer

906

Transformation piece

908

Sonotrode

Claims (14)

1. A collating device (100, 100') for collating material sheets (112) and producing a material sheet booklet (500) for a document type selected from a plurality of different identification, value, or security document types, wherein the material sheet booklet (500) to be produced comprises the collated material sheets (112) in a document-type-specific sequence,
   wherein the collating device (100, 100') comprises:

   supply stations (102, 102'), which are each stocked with material sheets (112) of a consistent material sheet type and have a material sheet carrier (108) with a support surface (110) for providing an individual material sheet (112),

   a material sheet receiving device (118, 118') for collecting the material sheets (112) for the material sheet booklet (500) to be produced, wherein the material sheet receiving device (118, 118') is configured to receive material sheets (112) one at a time in the document-type-specific sequence from the support surfaces (110) of the material sheet carriers (108) at the individual supply stations of the document-type-specific sequence, characterised in that

   a fixing device (128) is provided, which is configured, in the document-type-specific sequence at each of the supply stations (102, 102'), to fix the material sheet (112) to be received there to the material sheet received directly beforehand by the material sheet receiving device (118) in accordance with the document-type-specific sequence, so that the relative orientation of the material sheet (112) to be received in relation to the material sheet received directly beforehand is defined and then the document-type-specific material sheet booklet (500) is produced.
2. The collating device (100, 100') according to claim 1, wherein the supply stations (102, 102') each have a supply cassette (116, 116'), which in each case is equipped with material sheets (112) of a consistent material sheet type, and the collating device (100, 100') has a dispensing device (114), which is configured to dispense at each of the supply stations (102, 102') the individual material sheets (112) from the supply cassette (116, 116') onto the support surface (110) of the material sheet carrier (108) of the supply station in question (102, 102').
3. The collating device (100, 100') according to claim 2, wherein the dispensing device (114) is configured to move to the individual supply stations (102, 102') in the document-type-specific sequence, or
   wherein the dispensing device (114) comprises a plurality of individual dispensing devices which are arranged one at each of the supply stations (102, 102') in a stationary manner.
4. The collating device (100, 100') according to one of claims 2 to 3,
   wherein at least one of the supply cassettes (116) is loaded with individual material sheets (112) in the form of a stack (140) and/or
   wherein at least one of the supply cassettes (116') is loaded with material sheets (112) in the form of a reel (142) and the dispensing device (114) is configured, when dispensing, to unwind the reel (142) and cut off an individual material sheet (112) that is to be dispensed, and/or
   wherein the dispensing device (114) has a suction device (602, 614) for receiving a material sheet (112) by suction.
5. The collating device (100, 100') according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the material sheet receiving device (118) comprises a suction device (144) for receiving a material sheet (112) by suction and/or
   wherein the material sheet receiving device (118) is arranged at a free end (120) of a robot arm (122).
6. The collating device (100, 100') according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fixing device (128) comprises an ultrasonic sonotrode (130, 908) for fixing the material sheets (112) by means of ultrasonic welding.
7. The collating device (100, 100') according to claim 6, wherein the material sheets (112) have a rectangular format, and wherein there is an ultrasonic sonotrode (130, 908) arranged in each of the four corner regions of the rectangular format, so that the material sheets (112) are subjected to ultrasonic welding in each of the corner regions, and/or wherein the support surfaces (110) each have one or more through-openings (132) for at least partially passing through one of the ultrasonic sonotrodes (130, 908) so that the corresponding ultrasonic sonotrode (130, 908) may come into contact with the material sheet (112) to be fixed.
8. The collating device (100, 100') according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the material sheet receiving device (118) is configured to position itself at the supply stations (102, 102') in each case on the material sheet (112) provided on the support surface (110), so that the material sheet received directly beforehand by the material sheet receiving device (118) in accordance with the document-type-specific sequence lies on the material sheet (112) to be received.
9. The collating device (100, 100') according to claim 8, wherein the material sheet receiving device (114) has a position detection device (124), which is configured to detect the position of the material sheet receiving device (118) relative to the material sheet (112) to be received, and/or
   wherein the fixing device (128) is configured to fix, from beneath, the material sheet (112) that is to be received to the material sheet received directly beforehand by the material sheet receiving device (118) in accordance with the document-type-specific sequence.
10. The collating device (100, 100') according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the collating device (100, 100') comprises supply stations (102, 102') with material sheet types for each document type of the plurality of different identification, value or security document types, and/or
    wherein the fixing device (128) is configured to move to the supply stations (102, 102') in the document-type-specific sequence synchronously with the material sheet receiving device (118).
11. The collating device (100, 100') according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the supply stations (102, 102') are each arranged side by side in rows, wherein the fixing device (128) comprises individual fixing devices, and wherein each of the rows is assigned an individual fixing device which is configured to move along the row to the individual supply stations (102, 102') in the corresponding row.
12. The collating device (100, 100') according to claim 11, wherein the movement pattern of the individual fixing devices is matched to the document-type-specific sequence, such that one of the individual fixing devices moves synchronously to each of the supply stations (102, 102') to which the material sheet receiving device (118) moves.
13. The collating device (100, 100') according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the collating device (100, 100') also comprises a personalising device (138), which is associated with one of the supply stations (102') and is configured to personalise the individual material sheets (112) before these are provided on the support surface (110) of the material sheet carrier (108) of the corresponding supply station (102').
14. A method for collating material sheets (112) and for producing a material sheet booklet (500) for a document type selected from a plurality of different identification, value, or security document types, wherein the material sheet booklet (500) to be produced comprises the collated material sheets (112) in a document-type-specific sequence,
    wherein the method comprises:

    providing material sheets (112) for a plurality of different identification, value, or security document types by means of supply stations (102, 102'), which are each stocked with material sheets (112) of a consistent material sheet type and have a material sheet carrier (108) with a support surface (110) for providing an individual material sheet (112),

    collecting in the document-type-specific sequence from the support surfaces (110) of the material sheet carriers (108), by means of a material sheet receiving device (118), the material sheets (112) for the material sheet booklet (500) to be produced that are provided at the individual supply stations (102, 102') in the document-type-specific sequence,

    wherein each material sheet (112) to be received is received by the material sheet receiving device in that the material sheet (112) to be received is fixed by means of a fixing device (128) to the material sheet received directly beforehand in accordance with the document-type-specific sequence, so that the orientation of the received material sheet (112) in relation to the material sheet received directly beforehand is defined and then the document-type-specific material sheet booklet (500) is produced.

Images