EP0072056B1 - Method and device for automatically converting piles of numbered multiple-copy sheets of security papers, particularly bank notes, into packets of bundles - Google Patents

Abstract

A pile of printed sheets comprising nxm banknotes per sheet are cut in a strip cutting unit into m strip piles and banded, the previously banded strip piles belonging to the same pile of sheets being gathered and delivered simultaneously as a group in the longitudinal direction of the strip piles to a bundle cutting unit and cut into n bundles per strip pile. The bundles are delivered sequentially to one of a pair of alternately filled and discharged magazine drums comprising each N magazines disposed at spaced angular intervals along their outer periphery and the drums are rotatably driven at a constant speed such that the bundles penetrate sequentially and separately into the successive magazines of the drum concerned in which every ten bundles of the same series are piled up and subsequently removed to form bundle packets. The number N of drum magazines corresponds to the maximum number moxno of banknotes possibly contained in a single sheet to be processed. If the number of printed notes per sheet is less than N, after cutting each group of strip piles no-n blank cycles are introduced before the first bundle cutting of the following group and in addition during the subsequent transport of the bundles, after each sequence of m bundles, mo-m empty positions are introduced, so that in each case corresponding magazines of the drum remain free, whereby without changing the number of magazines printed sheets comprising different numbers of banknotes can be processed.

Description

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus of the type specified in the preamble of claim 1.

This method and the devices required for its implementation are known and described in CH-PS No. 577426, DE-PS No. 2502987 and US-PS Nos. 3939621 and 4045944 by the same applicant. In general, stacks of 100 sheets each are formed behind a numbering machine numbering the security prints on the sheet, so that after the stacks have been cut, bundles of 100 notes each are obtained. Each 10 bundles, which have a total of 1000 consecutively numbered notes, are then automatically combined into a package with 1000 notes. However, since all the printed notes of value on a sheet, the so-called benefits, belong to different series, and the benefits one above the other in a sheet stack are numbered consecutively to form a series, the bundles of notes of value leaving the cutting machine must be sorted into packages before being packaged . In this re-sorting, all the first bundles of 10 consecutive sheet stacks, then all the second bundles of these 10 consecutive sheet stacks, etc. are stacked into packages which then each contain 1000 consecutively numbered notes of value, each in 10 bundles.

This automatic re-sorting is served by the intermediate storage specified in the preamble of claim 1, which preferably has two magazine drums of the same construction, one of which is loaded with bundles of notes up to its complete filling, while the other, previously filled drum is gradually unloaded, from each full bundle is pushed out and fed to the packaging machine. An automatically operating distributor device arranged in front of the two magazine drums ensures that after one drum has been completely filled, the subsequent bundles which arrive without interruption are fed to the other drum which has been emptied in the meantime.

Until now, it was necessary for the number of magazines evenly distributed over the circumference of a magazine drum to be equal to the number of blanks per sheet. If the machine is converted to a different type of bill of value with a different number of sheets per sheet, it has so far been necessary to change the number of magazines of the magazine drums in accordance with this different number of sheets per sheet, which requires a considerable amount of work and material and also a relatively long changeover time .

The remaining parts and assemblies of the automatic device can be adapted to the format of the sheets to be processed as well as the number of blanks per sheet without great effort and time. For example, known automatic banknote cutting machines are designed in such a way that they can easily process between, for example, 60 and 15 uses per sheet, and can each be adapted without great effort and time. It is therefore the lengthy conversion of the magazine drums required when the number of sheets of the sheets to be processed is changed, which represents a bottleneck and greatly increases the downtimes of the machine. This is all the more disadvantageous since such automatic devices can work with an output of, for example, a maximum of 480,000 banknotes per hour, so that longer changeover times are particularly important.

The invention has for its object to improve the method specified in the preamble of claim 1 so that sheets with different numbers of sheets can be processed in a magazine drum without changing the number of drum magazines.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by the features specified in the characterizing part of claim 1.

The feature specified under a is known per se from DE-OS No. 2757186, corresponding to G B-PS No. 1547734, by the same applicant.

In claim 2, an apparatus for performing the method according to claim 1 is characterized.

By means of simple programming of the control devices for the feeds and the cutting units, the invention achieves that regardless of the number of blanks per sheet, the work period corresponding to the processing of a complete sheet stack, which is based on the number of work cycles and the number of empty cycles to be inserted into the normal work cycle composed, is constant in time and is equal to the rotation time of the magazine drum, which is always operated with the same number of magazines; what varies depending on the number of uses are the ratio of working to empty cycles and the number and distribution of magazines filled with bundles.

• Fig. 1 die schematische Ansicht einer Vorrichtung zur Durchführung des Verfahrens nach der Erfindung, und

The invention is explained in more detail with reference to the drawings. Show it:

• Fig. 1 is a schematic view of an apparatus for performing the method according to the invention, and

2a to 2d are schematic representations of the distribution of the filled and empty magazines of a magazine drum for four different cases of numbers of sheets per sheet.

In the device according to FIG. 1, sheet stacks 1 with 100 sheets each are processed, which already have numbered banknote prints, so-called blanks, and are placed in the correct sequence of numbers on the installation device 2 of an automatic cutting machine. Such stacks of sheets occur at the exit of conventional banknote numbering machines.

In the example considered, each sheet has 24 panels, which are in the form of a matrix in six rows, which select transversely to the direction of advance of the stack 1. rend his cutting (in the direction of arrow 3), and are arranged in four columns that run in the feed direction. The superimposed benefits in each sheet stack each belong to a specific number series and are numbered consecutively within this series.

The automatic cutting machine has two parallel longitudinal cutting units 4, a cross cutting unit 6 for strip cutting and a further cross cutting unit 16 for bundle cutting.

The sheet stack 1 is fed in the direction of arrow 3 to the two longitudinal cutters 4, the knives of which are oriented in the feed direction and at the same time cut the lateral sheet edges of each sheet stack. By means of an electronically programmable feed 5, the stack of sheets then arrives at the cross cutting unit 6, which has a knife oriented perpendicular to the transport direction. First there is an edge trimming on the front of the sheet stack, then the sheet stack is gradually divided into its six stripe layers, and finally the rear edge trimming is carried out on the back of the last stripe layer. The waste paper falls through a waste flap 7. When a stack of sheets is cut, the following stack of sheets is automatically fed.

The strip layers 8 successively arrive in front of a banding station 9 with four banding devices in operation in the example under consideration, to which pre-glued bands 10 are fed and which at the same time surround each strip layer 8 with band 10 at the four positions of value or benefit. The simultaneous banding of a strip layer is described in DE-OS No. 2757186 (corresponding to GB-PS No. 1547734) by the same applicant.

The finished banded strip layers 11 are, as indicated by arrows, first removed from the banding station 9 in the longitudinal direction of the strip and then, after changing the feed direction by 90 °, transversely to the longitudinal direction of the strip by means of a further electronically programmable feed 12 to a plant location 13. There the six strip layers 11 belonging to the same sheet stack 1 are collected, aligned and pushed together. They form a group of strip layers lying next to one another, designated by 14, which are simultaneously fed by means of an electronically programmable feed 15 to the cross-cutting unit 16, which has a knife extending over all the strip layers. Here, step by step, all six strip layers 11 are simultaneously cut into individual, already banded bundles 17, three cuts being required in the example considered, since each strip layer or each original row of sheets has four uses.

The banded bundles 17 cut to format are automatically advanced onto a transport path 18, on which they arrive at a predetermined distance one behind the other and from there to a distribution station 19 into the intermediate store 20, which consists of two magazine drums 20a and 20b of the same design. Distribution station 19 and intermediate storage 20 with the magazine drums 20a and 20b and their function are described in CH-PS No. 577426, DE-PS No. 2502987 and US-PS No. 3939621 and 4045944. Each of the magazine drums 20a and 20b has magazines 21 distributed over its circumference. The magazine drums rotate uniformly in the direction of the arrows at such a speed that the bundles 17 belonging to the same original sheet stack 1 successively into different magazines 21 of the one drum during a full drum revolution 1 in the example of FIG. 1 of the drum 20a, and the following bundles 17, which originate from the next sheet stack, reach the same magazines 21 during the following drum rotation, etc. In this way it is achieved that all bundles 17, which come from ten consecutive sheet stacks 1 and each had the same value note position on the sheet, are stacked one above the other in one of the magazines 21 of the magazine drum 20a until ten bundles are collected in the respective magazines. Since in the numbering machine which numbered the sheets before forming the sheet stack 1, the same positions or uses of successive sheets within a series were numbered consecutively, the 1000 banknotes of all bundles 17 in a bundle package 22 formed in this way and consisting of ten bundles belong to each same series and are numbered consecutively.

After the magazines 21 of the one magazine drum 20a have been completely filled, the subsequent bundles 17 in the distribution station 19 are automatically directed to the other magazine drum 20b, where the sorting described is repeated. At the same time, the full magazine drum 20a is gradually unloaded by successively pushing the bundle packs 22 out of each magazine 21, as shown in FIG. 1 for the other drum 20b, and placing them on a transport route 24 via a conveyor system 23. Further processing of the bundle packages 22 takes place on this transport route 24, and after repeated counting, they are automatically banded and packaged.

Until now it was necessary that the number of magazines 21 evenly distributed over the circumference of the magazine drums 20a and 20b was equal to the number of magazines per note sheet. In the example considered according to FIG. 1, it would have been necessary to use magazine drums with 23 magazines each, since the entire device was designed in such a way that consecutive sheet stacks in strip layers and successive groups 14 of strip layers in bundles 17 were cut up successively and without a break on the transport route 18 the bundles were fed to the buffer store 20 in continuous succession. In these circumstances, na Of course, in order to receive 21 packages in the magazines with correctly sequentially numbered banknotes, the number of magazines 21 should be the same as the number of sheets per sheet. However, the number of benefits per sheet can vary within wide limits, for example from 4x6 = 24 benefits, as in the exemplary embodiment under consideration, to a maximum of 6x10 = 60 benefits per sheet in general. So that sheets of different numbers of sheets could be processed with the device described so far, it was necessary not only to adapt the control of the cutting machines and the other devices to the respective sheet format and the number of sheets, but also to convert the magazine drums 20a and 20b in such a way that the number the magazine 21 distributed evenly over its circumference was equal to the number of sheets per sheet. However, this retrofitting means a complicated and time-consuming job.

According to the present invention, the magazine drums 20a and 20b have a fixed number N of magazines 21 which is equal to the greatest possible number of usable sheets. In the example considered, N = 60, corresponding to the generally maximum number of panels of 6 x 10 = 60 panels per sheet, on which the panels are arranged in 10 rows and 6 columns. In order to be able to process sheets with a smaller number of sheets with these drums without changing the number of magazines, empty cycles are now introduced in the normal working rhythm during cutting and during feed so that the sum of working and empty cycles corresponding to the processing of a complete stack is the same is the sum of the work cycles when processing 60-usable sheets and thus corresponds to a full revolution of a magazine drum 20a or 20b, in which a corresponding number of magazines then remains free.

For this purpose, the workflow in the example considered is controlled by sheets with 4x6 = 24 benefits as follows: The feed 5 for the sheet stack 1 and the cutting rhythm of the cutting units 4 and 6 are independent of the feed for the strip layers 11, the strip layer groups 14 and the bundles 17 and of The cutting rhythm of the cutting unit 16 can be adjusted and is selected so that the working period of the complete cutting of a sheet stack 1 in strip positions 8 is the same as the working period in which sheets are cut with 10 rows of rows, ie with the maximum number of rows. The further workflow until the groups 14 of strip layers 11 are collected at the location 13, i.e. the advance of the individual layer layers 8, their banding in the banding station 9 and their further advance up to the location 13, is carried out in such a way that one within each of the working periods defined above complete group 14 of six strip layers 11 is formed.

After a group 14 of strip layers has been fed to the cutting unit 16 and cut into bundles 17 there in cycles in the normal working rhythm, two empty cycles or empty cuts are inserted before the start of the advance of the following group 14 of strip layers as if the strip layers each had the maximum number of would have six benefits. During these two empty cycles, of course, the cutting unit 16 does not need to make any cutting movements. In this way, the following group 14 of strip layers has a distance from the preceding group which is equal to the distance which two uses, measured in the longitudinal direction of the strip layers, have. The six bundles 17 which leave the cutting unit 16 after each cut and are cut to size are, as indicated in FIG. 1, fed to the transport path 18 in such a way that they arrive there at different times, are transported one after the other on the transport path 18 and the buffer store 20 are supplied, where they fall into six adjacent magazines 21 of the loaded magazine drum 20a.

However, the feed of the next sequence of six bundles 17, which are fed to the transport path 18 offset, is now delayed by four empty cycles, so that two adjacent sequences of six bundles 17 each are separated from one another by four empty spaces on the transport path 18. Following the last of the four bundle sequences of six bundles 17 each belonging to the same sheet stack 1, due to the two empty cycles or empty cuts described above, there is a total of 24 empty spaces on the transport route 18 until the first of the four to following bundle sequences belonging to the following sheet stack arrives. These 24 empty spaces result, on the one hand, from the four empty spaces following the last bundle sequence and, on the other hand, from the 2x10 = 20 empty spaces, which result from the two empty cycles before the next group 14 is fed, in conjunction with the four empty spaces that follow each. The workflow when feeding the bundles 17 from the cutting unit 16 to the transport path 18 is thus in all cases as if the maximum number of ten strip layers and the maximum number of six bundles were present in each strip layer.

Because of the gaps or empty spaces described on the transport path 18, the magazines 21 of the magazine drum 20a are filled as indicated in FIG. 1, in which the magazines filled with bundles are marked by indicating the bundle band.

• Nach dem gleichzeitigen Zerschneiden von m Streifenlagen, die zu einer Gruppe 14 zusammengefasst sind und alle von ein und demselben Bogenstapel 1 stammen, in jeweils n Bündel je Streifenlage, werden (n_o-n) Leertakte bzw. Leerschnitte eingefügt, so dass zur nächsten Gruppe 14 von aus dem folgenden Bogenstapel 1 stammenden Streifenlagen ein Abstand entsteht, welcher der Länge von (n_o-n) Nutzen, gemessen in Streifenlängsrichtung, entspricht. Diese Steuerung des Vorschubs und des Zerschneidens der Streifenlagen in Bündel erfolgt also unter Hinzufügung von Leertakten so, als ob die Streifenlagen jeweils die maximale Anzahl von n_o Nutzen hätten. Weiterhin erfolgt der Vorschub der das Schneidwerk 16 verlassenden Bündel 17 so, als ob jeweils die maximale Anzahl m_o von Streifenlagen je Bogenstapel vorhanden wäre; nachdem jeweils eine Bündelnfolge aus m Bündeln auf die Transportstrecke 18 transportiert wurde, werden, bevor die nächste Folge von m Bündeln verzögert auf der Transportstrecke 18 eintrifft, auf dieser (m_o-m) Leerplätze eingefügt. Im Anschluss an die letzte der aus einem bestimmten Bogenstapel stammenden Bündelfolgen entstehen (m_o-m) + (n_o-n) m_o Leerplätze.

Is generally denoted by m _o the maximum number of rows of sheets per sheet, that is the maximum number of sheets in the feed direction of the sheet stack 1 when passing through the cutting unit 6 or the maximum number of strips were 8 per sheet stack 1, and with n _o the maximum number of utility columns, that is the maximum number of benefits transverse to the feed direction or the number of bundles 17 per strip layer 8, and with N = m _o xn _o consequently the maximum number of benefits per sheet, then the method according to the invention can be carried out in the case of processing sheets with mxn benefits, where m is smaller than m _o and / or n is less than n _o , describe as follows:

• After the simultaneous cutting of m strip layers, which are combined into a group 14 and all come from one and the same sheet stack 1, in n bundles per strip layer, (n _o -n) empty cycles or empty cuts are inserted, so that the next group 14 a distance arises from strip layers originating from the following sheet stack 1, which corresponds to the length of (n _o -n) benefits, measured in the longitudinal direction of the strip. This control of the advance and the cutting of the strip layers into bundles takes place with the addition of empty clocks as if the strip layers each had the maximum number of n _o benefits. Furthermore, the bundles 17 leaving the cutting unit 16 are advanced as if the maximum number m _o of strip layers per sheet stack were present; After a bundle sequence of m bundles has been transported on the transport route 18, empty spaces are inserted on this (m _o -m) before the next sequence of m bundles arrives delayed on the transport route 18. Following the last of the bundle sequences originating from a specific sheet stack, (m _o -m) + (n _o -n) m _o empty spaces.

2a to 2d schematically show the distribution of empty magazines for the case of magazine drums with 60 magazines (N = 60) and for four different numbers of sheets per sheet, which of course corresponds to the distribution of empty spaces on the transport route 18. If n = 6 and m = 8 according to FIG. 2a, eight empty magazines are followed by two empty magazines, since n is the maximum number n _o of bundles per strip position.

If n = 5 and m = 8 according to FIG. 2b, eight adjacent magazines are filled, the two following magazines are empty and, since there are only five bundles per strip position, the last ten magazines are also empty.

The case n = 4 and m = 6 according to FIG. 2c has already been discussed using the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1.

2d shows the case n = 4 and m = 7, with seven filled magazines being followed by three empty ones and at the end 2x10 = 20 magazines remaining empty.

The method and the device according to the invention have the advantage that sheets with any number of sheets can be processed without any modification or modification of the magazine drums 20a and 20b, the mean rotational speed of the magazine drums always being constant and the machine output dependent on the number of sheets per sheet L is given by the formula L = 60 (mxn) / 4 (m + 1) bundles per minute. At m = 10, n = 6, i.e. the maximum number of 60 sheets per sheet, 82 bundles or 82,000 banknotes per minute, and in the case of m = 6, n = 4, i.e. 24 sheets per sheet, 51 Bundles or 51,000 banknotes per minute.

Claims (2)

1. Method for automatically processing piles of numbered multiple-copy sheets of security papers, notably banknotes, with copies arranged in the form of a matrix in m rows and n columns, belonging to different series of security papers, forming packets of bundles of sequentially numbered security papers, whereby one pile, in which all superimposed copies are numbered sequentially, is cut cyclically into m strip piles having each n copies, and all the strip piles are cut cyclically into bundles (17), and these bundles (17) are fed sequentially to an intermediate storage (20) comprising at least one magazine drum (20a, 20b) having a number N of magazines (21) distributed along its periphery, said drum being so rotated at an average speed that the incoming bundles (17) arrive sequentially at the different magazines (21 ), and that in a predetermined magazine (21) a predetermined number of bundle-packet (22) forming bundles (17) belonging to the same series are piled up, whereafter said bundle packet (22) is removed from the magazine drum (20a, 20b) and fed to a packing machine, characterized in that

a) in a manner known per se all the strip piles (8) belonging to the same pile of sheets (1) are assembled and simultaneously moved forward side by side as a group (14) in the longitudinal direction of the strips and delivered to the bundle-cutting unit (16), and that the bundles (17) leaving this bundle-cutting unit (16) are fed sequentially onto the conveyor path (18) to the intermediate storage (20),

b) the number N of magazines (21) will be selected to be equal to the maximum number (m_o x no) of copies which a sheet to be processed can comprise, wherein m_o is the maximum number of rows of copies and no the maximum number of column of copies, and

c) that in those cases wherein m is less than m_o and/or n is less than no, after the cutting of each group (14) of m strip piles (8), a number (no-n) of blank cycles is introduced, which provides with respect to the next group (14) of strip piles pertaining to the following pile of sheets a distance such that it is equal to the size of (no-n) copies, measured in the longitudinal direction of the strips, and that during the consecutive forward feed of the bundles (17) on the conveyor path (18), there are introduced into said path following each sequence of m bundles (17) a number (m_o-m) of empty positions and, on account of the aforesaid blank cycles (no-n), following the last sequence of bundles belonging to a pile of sheets (1), a number of (m_o-m) + (n-n_o)m_o empty positions.

2. Device for carrying out the method of Claim 1, characterized in that the number of magazines (21) of the magazine drum (20a, 20b) is equal to the number N=(m_oxn_o) and that electronically programmable feeding devices (5, 12, 15) are provided for inserting said blank cycles and/or empty positions.

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