DE1574065A1 - Machine and method for handling mail - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a machine and method for handling and canceling mail and in particular on a uniform machine in which, in a continuous work process, non-voided Letters are guided by a conveyor belt to a primary separating section from which the letters are passed through a Secondary separating section and pass through a cancellation section and finally a stacking section are fed.

Various embodiments of the invention are based on the fact that 1. blocking of letters occurring at one point in a mail handling machine, automatically eliminated, preferably by alternating stopping and starting - in other words, by shaking or shaking - a letter feed device that 2o blocking of letters in

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Another case is sensed and a letter is stopped in front of the pusher _? so that an operator can clear the blockage by hand, and that 5. a letter feed device is automatically stopped shortly before a stack section of the machine is full of letters.

A typical embodiment of the invention includes one usual post table with a conveyor trough that extends along its front edge. Incoming mail that Contains long and short letters, is thrown on the table and postmen and / or «postal workers who along the Standing at the front of the table, align each letter by placing it in the trough so that the stamp located in the lower front left corner or guide corner. The conveyor is controlled via an electrically Coupling of a continuously running electric motor powered and he wears a multitude of randomly spaced and haphazardly clustered or accumulated letters to a first feed roller, which the accumulated letters on a first sound-sensing device, photoelectric or other sensing device and then to two continuously running primary separation rollers, let the arbitrary flow of letters become a controlled flow of mostly one and no more than two or return three letters at once. Eie letters are then carried out by means of continuously running transport

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Roll past a second sensing unit, which can be a sound unit, a photoelectric unit or another unit, and guided to a second separating section, which guides the letters individually to a cancellation section, at which a cancellation mark and a postal mark are printed on each letter. The letters then arrive at a stacking section where the printed letters are stacked. Each of the I ¹ UhI devices controls an electrical relay continuously driven ITockenrades alternately de-energized and energized, so that the conveyor belt is stopped and driven again, doh. is shaken (popping). As a result, the flow of mail to the first feed roller is stopped and allowed to start again. If the conveyor belt were allowed to operate continuously, the mail on the belt would tend to be pushed through the primary separator and prevent the desired separation of the letters. If a blockage of letters occurs at the secondary sensing device, the aforementioned electrical coupling is completely de-energized by the relay assigned to this sensing device, so that the conveyor belt is stopped and no more mail is fed in

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Clear the blockage by hand. In the event that the stacker is full, a limit switch opens for de-energizing the clutch and for content of the conveyor belt, so that no more mail is fed.

Important purposes of the invention are to provide an improved Machine and method to create, by means of their letter mail picked up by a conveyor and in a continuous Work process through a letter separator and a letter cancellation device to a Stacking device is performed, in which the canceled letters are stacked, with a blocking in the machine piles of letters that may occur while the letters are being advanced, is automatically eliminated, furthermore, an improved device for alternating stopping and starting, - in other words, for shaking the Advancing letters to a separating device of the mail handling machine, a device for stopping the Advancement of letters when a blockage of letters occurs and means for stopping the advance of letters when a stacking basket is filled according to its capacity.

The invention is illustrated below with reference to the drawing, for example explained.

Figure 1 is an overall perspective view of a mail handling machine according to the invention, with most of the working elements of the machine

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are hidden from view by covers o. Pig. Fig. 2 is a schematic view in which i.a. a basic electrical circuit diagram and the relationship between certain electrical and mechanical features of the machine according to FIG. 1 is indicated Pig. Figure 3 is a top plan view, with the covers removed, showing in detail the primary separator and a. first part of the secondary separator according to Pig. 2 reproduced o

Pigo 4 is a top view with the covers removed, in which in detail a second part of the secondary separation device: the cancellation device according to Pig. 2 are reproduced. Pig. Fig. 5 is a top plan view with the covers removed, detailing the features disclosed in Pig. 2 schematically reproduced stacker is shown. Pig. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG Pigo 3.

The mail handling machine 14 according to Pig. 1 bis has a large table 15 and a combined table Separation, cancellation and stacking device 16 on. A conveyor extends along the front edge of the table 15, the one essentially U-shaped, preferably drawn Has aluminum channel or aluminum trough 17, in which Bottom a Pörüer belt 18 li, uft, which in appropriate

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Way on pulleys 19 and 20 is carried. The. Pulley 19 is driven by a continuously running electric motor 22 via a gear 23, an electrically controlled one Coupling 24, a drive pulley 26, a belt 27, a driven pulley 28 and and a shaft 29 driven, on which the pulley 19 is arranged. Incoming mail is poured onto the table 15 and Officials not shown standing along the front of the table 15 align each letter by writing it in the trough 17 so that the stamp is located in the front lower left corner or guide corner. Letters arranged in this way in the trough 17 and on the belt 18 are usually found in arbitrary form Distances in bundles or piles, generally designated 30. In this state, the letters from the belt 18 of a first continuously driven propulsion roller 31 supplied, which cooperates with a spring-loaded, pivotably arranged deflection plate 32, the belt 18 and the roller 31 both being driven in such a direction that the letters according to FIGS 2 and 3 are vorbev.egt from right to left, and with üie roller 31 according to FIGS. 2 and 3 in a counterclockwise direction turns. A second propulsion roller 33 is operative with the roller 31 through a forward belt 34 connected, which continues to run around a roller 35, and the elements 31, 32, 33 and 34 move arbitrary bundles of

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Letters 30 to a first or primary sensing device 36 over, which has a transmitter 37 and a receiver 38, among other things. The transmitter 37 and the receiver 38 can be a Be part of an ultrasonic device that has a plurality of sound walls for use at ultrasonic frequencies having. Ultrasonic transducers are known and are usually designed in such a way that they emit an electrical wave (voltage or electricity, whichever is the case) into an ultrasonic wave convert and vice versa. The ultrasonic transducer, when used as a transmitter, is equipped with a electric wave excites and sends out an ultrasonic wave, and when used as a receiver it hits emitted ultrasonic wave on the transducer and generates an electrical output wave. If desired, can the sensing device may be of a different type. For example, it can be a mechanical or a photoelectric device be.

At the same time, elements 31, 32, 33 and 34 move the piles of letters 30 to a primary separator 39, which has the aforementioned roller 33 and a continuously running reverse roller 41. These roles are driven in opposite directions, namely the reverse roller 41 in one direction in order to reject presented letters, and the moving roller 33 in a direction in which a letter is advanced. The front ends of the letters will be u on contact with the protruding arch of the reverse roller

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staggered in such a way that the front letter enters the gap between the rollers 31 and 41. The advance role 33 exerts a greater tangential force than the reverse roller 41 on those between them Letter out and conveys the letter on, while the reverse roller 41 rejects the neighboring letters. Accordingly the separating device 39 has the puncture, the arbitrary one To convert the flow of letters into a controlled flow of letters or to trace them back to such, namely on a flow of letters in which in most cases one and no more than two or three letters at a time available. It should be noted that, in order to properly perform its function, the reverse roller 41 in a predetermined correct distance from the advance roller 33 must be maintained.

The letters 30 are then advanced through a plurality of continuously running pairs of transport rollers 42, 43, 44, and 46th, These rollers carry the now controlled Brjfffluß to an additional pair of transport rollers 47 'which preferably have a peripheral speed which is jL greater than the circumferential speed of the rollers 42, 43, 44 and 46. The rollers 47 guide the controlled flow of letters past a second or secondary sensing device 48, which is of the same design as the primary sensing device 36, with the exception that it has a very short time delay can be and among other things

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Transmitter 49 and a receiver 51 has. The sensing devices 36 and 48 are described in detail below. The letters 30 are then guided in the direction of a forward movement belt 52 which is carried on two continuously running rollers 53 and 54 and cooperates with a spring-loaded, pivotably arranged deflection plate 56. The belt 52 and the roller advance the now controlled flow of letters to a secondary separating device 57 which, like the primary separating device 39, has the above-mentioned roller 54 and a continuously running reverse roller 58. The secondary separating device 57 separates the controlled letter flow in a manner similar to that described above with reference to the separating device 39, into a flow such that only one letter is fed at a time to a pair of continuously driven rollers 59, the rollers 59 lead the individual letters to a cancellation section 61 which cancels the postage stamp on the letter in a known manner. In short, in addition to the above-mentioned two rollers 59, the device 61 has two stamp release rollers 62, a cancellation stamp 63> a counter-holding roller 64 and two ink rollers 66 . After each letter has been printed with a canceling stamp and postal mark, the letters are fed by two feed rollers 67 to another pair of feed rollers 68, one of which is a belt

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drives, which in turn drives a star wheel 71. The star wheel 71 pushes the letters into their position in a known manner in a stacking device 70 which has a known stacking basket 72 Stacking device 70 of the combined separating, canceling and stacking device 16 run obliquely downwards, in which the star wheel 71 is supported a rod 78 slides. The weight 77 and the plate 76 are pressed against sliding to the lower end of the rods 73 and 74 by a cable 79 which (shown schematically in ^ ¹ Ig. 1) via a disc 80 passes, and the other end to a weight 81 which tends to push the plate 76 upwardly towards the star wheel 71. Limiting means 82, which will be described in detail below, is the cable 79 and the weight

81 so that when the plate 76 moves to the bottom of the rods 73 and 74, the cable 79 and the weight 81 work together to create the facility

82 to operate so that it performs a puncture to be described below.

Electrical equipment generally related to the reference

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100 is the mail handling machine 14 and designed to control the equipment previously described. The electric Equipment 100 has two AC power lines 101 and 102 and a main power switch box 103, the a solenoid 104 and three usually open sets of contacts 106, 107 and 108. The equipment 100 still has a usually open start push button 109, a usually closed stop push button 111, and those before called sensing device 36, which in addition to the transmitter 37 and the receiver 38 contains a control panel 112, which over Cable is connected to the transmitter 37 and the receiver 38 and also provided with a switch 113, usually open is. The equipment 100 furthermore has the filling device 48 described above, which apart from the transmitter 49 and the receiver 51 includes a control panel 114 which is connected by cable to the transmitter 49 and the receiver 51 and further to a normally open switch 116 is provided. Panels 112 and 114 form part of a relay controller which is further described below will. The electrical equipment 100 further comprises a clutch relay 117 having a solenoid 118 and a common closed switch 119 and a pulse unit relay 121 having a solenoid 122 and a normally open switch 123. The electrical equipment 100 also has a continuously running motor 124

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for driving a cam drum 126 which, in cooperation with a cam follower element 127, has a switch 128 alternately opens and closes. Furthermore, is a Rectifiers 129 are provided to convert the AC power supplied from lines 101 and 102 into DC power for actuating the clutch 24 to convert. Furthermore, the restriction device 82 is usually closed Switch 132 is provided. In addition, two continuously running electric motors 136 and 137 are provided, the energy to drive various mechanisms not shown supplies, which are indicated schematically at 139 and and cause the rollers 31, 33, 41, 42, 43, 44, 46, 47, 53, 54, 58, 59, 62, 63, 64, 66, 67 and 68 are continuously driven when the contacts 107 and 108 of the main contactor 103 are closed.

When the mail handling machine 14 is not in operation, the main contactor 103 switches to known Way, the electrical conductors 141 and 142 disconnected from the power lines 102 and 103 ,. By pressing down of the start button 109, the main contactor 103 is closed and the conductors 141 and 142 are energized, so that the mail handling machine 14 starts up. By pressing the stop button 111, the main contactor 103 is opened and the operation of the machine 14 stopped »From the circuit diagram according to FIG. 2 it can be seen that the two Conductors 141 and 142 and their branch conductors are the electric motors

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Connect 22, 124, 136 and 137 for Continuous Running «, Conductors 141 and 142 continue to provide power to control panels 112 and 114o. Solenoid 118 of clutch relay 117 can be energized by one of two circuits. that from conductor 141 through switch 116 and then through one. Conductor 143 runs via the solenoid 118 to the conductor 142, or secondly from the conductor 141 via the switch 123, a conductor 144 and then via the alternately open and closed switch 128, via a branch of the conductor 123 and the solenoid 118 to the conductor 142 _O The pulse unit relay solenoid 122 can be energized by a circuit running from conductor 141 through switch 113, then through conductor 146 and solenoid 122 to conductor 142. The clutch can be energized by a circuit passing from conductor 141 through switch 119, conductor 147, switch 132, conductor 148, through the coil of clutch 24, through conductor 149 and rectifier 129 to conductor 142 runs ₀

The operation of the machine 14 is as follows: heaps of letters arranged in the trough 17 are removed from. to the Belt 18 to propulsion roller 31 and then between transmitter 37 and receiver 38 of the primary sensing device 36 passed through into the primary separating device 39, in which

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the heaps of letters to a controlled flow of preferably one and no more than two or three letters at a time. Then the propulsion rollers promote 42, 43, 44, 46 and 47 control the flow of letters between the transmitter 49 and the receiver 51 the secondary sensing device 48 through into the secondary separating device 57 »which the letters individually to the Cancellation section 61 is advanced, in which a cancellation stamp and a postmark are printed on each letter wirdo The letters are then advanced by the rollers 67, 68 and the belt 69 to the star wheel 71 and the stacking coro 72.

When blockage of letters occurs between the transmitter 37 and the receiver 38, the primary sensor becomes 36 disabled If the sensing device 36 is disabled by blocking letters, the conductor 146 is energized by closing the switch 113 so that the solenoid 122 of the pulse unit relay 121 is energized, the relay 121 closing its normally open switch 123. By closing the switch 123 is a circuit from the conductor 141 via the switch 123, the conductor 144, the alternating open and closed Switch 128, conductor 143, solenoid 118 of relay 117 to conductor 142 closed. Thus becomes the solenoid 118 of the clutch relay 117 is always energized when switch 128 is closed, and always de-energized,

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when switch 128 is open. The alternating energizing and de-energizing of the solenoid 118 causes the relay to open and close its switch 119, thus energizing and de-energizing the clutch 124, thereby stopping and starting the conveyor belt. In other words, by shaking - - by stopping and starting leave the conveyor belt 18 of the flow of letters is set to the Vorbewegungsrolle 31 in motion and stopped when the Fürderriemen would continuously operated 18, post pile would have on the belt 18, the sprinkling, through the Primary separator 39 to be pushed through and prevent the desired separation of the letters.

If blockage of letters occurs between the transmitter and the receiver 51, the secondary sensing device 48 is rendered ineffective. When the secondary sensing device 48 is disabled, the conductor 143 is energized by closing the switch 116 so that the solenoid 118 of the clutch relay 117 is energized, the relay 117 opening its normally closed switch. Opening the switch 119 de-energizes the clutch and the conveyor belt 18 stopped. Blocking of letters between the transmitter 49 and the receiver 51 of the secondary sensor 48 overrides the action of the primary sensor 36 and stops the belt 18 completely so that no letters are advanced until the blockage

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in the secondary sensing device 48 is eliminated.

When the stacking basket 72 is filled with letters such that the spacer plate 76 is close to the lower ends the rods 73 and 74 moved, the cable 79 raises the weight 81 in such a position that the usually closed switch 132 of the limit switch 82 is opened. By opening the switch 132, the clutch 24 de-energized and the conveyor belt 18 stopped. In this case, the belt 18 does not advance letters until the stacking basket is full 72 has been emptied and the spacer plate 76 on the rods 73 and 74 has been moved upward.

In the above description, the term "continuous running" has been used to show that the motor or the relevant part operates continuously, when the contacts 107 and 108 of the main power contactor 103 closed ₀ In addition, the sensing means 112 and 114 for purposes of Representation shown as devices that generate, receive and respond to ultrasonic vibrations, but other sensing devices can be used, such as purely mechanical or photoelectric devices.

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Claims (1)

Claims 1o letter post handling machine with a letter set-up part, a conveyor assigned to the set-up part for removing posted letters from the set-up part, a separating device which picks up letters from the conveyor and moves them forward individually, a cancellation device for canceling. Letters that have been received by the separating device and with a stacking device for receiving and stacking the canceled letters, can be recorded by a sensing device (e.g. ₀ B ₀ or 48), which responds to a blockage of letters in the machine and through a device (24) controlled by the sensing device for stopping the operation of one of the sections, 2. Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensing device (36 or 48) to respond an accumulation of letters coming from the conveyor (18) is designed and has a device for stopping the conveyor » 3. Machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the · sensing device has a device for Has stopping and starting or for shaking the conveyor (18). 4. Machine according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the conveyor (18) of a continuously running motor via an electrically controlled clutch (24) driven by the sensing device to ! 09831/0009 fS7A065 Stopping the conveyor can be deenergized. 5o machine according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized characterized in that aie sensing device is a primary sensing device (36) and a secondary sensing device (48), one of which is a means of stopping the conveyor and the other of which is a means of starting it and stopping the conveyor. 6ο Procedure for handling letter mail, in which arbitrary heaps of letters are moved forward, the arbitrary heaps of letters are separated into a flow of individual letters and in which the letters are canceled and stacked, characterized in that the flow of letters upon occurrence a blockage on any one of a plurality of sensing devices is automatically stopped and after being cleared blocking on any one of the plurality of cooling devices started again v.irdo 7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, before the pile of letters separated into a flow of individual letters first, in a controlled flow of preferably single and no more than two or three letters be separated at the same time. 8o method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that that in addition to stopping the flow of letters, the flow alternately stopped and restarted - in In other words, shaken - is » BATH COPY 109831/000 Blank page COPY