EP0218804B1 - Device for taking over and transferring folded sheets from a conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

Intermediate or end products comprising a plurality of interstuffed and overlapping folded printed signatures or sheets are straddlingly fed or conveyed by a plurality of collating conveyors of a circulatingly driven collating cylinder or drum to a product transfer location or pick-up region. At the product pick-up region the intermediate or end products are picked-up or taken-over by a product withdrawal conveyor or device. The product withdrawal conveyor comprises holding or gripping mechanisms which are mounted in spaced relationship on a traction member. These holding mechanisms comprise pivotable clamping mechanisms which are laterally pivotable into a location between the halves or portions of the folded products. These halves or portions are raised or separated from each other. These clamping mechanisms press and thus clamp the intermediate or end products against a counter-element. A complete closure of the intermediate or end products is thus prevented by the clamping mechanisms inserted between the product halves or portions. The product halves or portions are spread apart by pivoting the clamping mechanisms together with the counter-elements about a pivot axis. This product spreading action allows transfer of the intermediate or end products while in an open condition to a further collating cylinder or similar apparatus.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for accepting and guiding folded printed sheets from a conveyor device according to the preamble of claim 1.

Devices of this type are known from CH-PSen358 100 and 459 270, in which the printed sheets are lifted from endless, continuously driven transport chains by raising a lifting value. Due to this lifting blade, which is arranged between the transport chains and before it is deflected, the printed sheets are fed with the folded edge ahead of a conveyor arrangement which is formed by pairs of rollers or a roller which interacts with conveyor belts and which is followed by a belt conveyor which generally consists of several leads formed products into one another.

When the products pass through the conveyor nip formed by the pairs of conveyor rollers or the cooperating conveyor belts and conveyor rollers, the product halves, which are still lifted from each other at the time of lifting off the transport chains, are placed completely on top of each other again, i.e. H. the previously open products are closed again. Any reopening of the printed products would therefore involve considerable effort. The present invention is based on the object of providing a device of the type mentioned at the outset which allows the printed sheets taken over by the conveying device to be kept open or opened.

This object is achieved according to the invention by the features of the characterizing part of claim 1.

The fact that the holding elements of the conveyor engage between the halves of the printed sheet prevents the printed sheet from closing completely. The printed sheets held by the holding members on the folded edge can easily be opened by pivoting the holding members about an axis that is essentially perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveyor and parallel to the folded edges. Because of this pivoting movement, one product half is lifted from the other product half.

The device according to the invention has particular advantages in a collecting device in which a plurality of collecting conveyors running parallel to one another and to a common rotation axis are provided, which are arranged around this rotation axis and can be driven to rotate around this common rotation axis while the printing sheets are being conveyed. A single removal conveyor is sufficient to accept and carry away the products formed from a plurality of printing sheets lying one inside the other from the various collecting conveyors, each of which is assigned a lifting device for the printing sheets.

Preferred further developments of the device according to the invention form the subject of the dependent claims.

• Figur 1 eine Sammelvorrichtung in perspektivischer Ansicht,
• Figur 2 in gegenüber der Figur 1 vergrössertem Masstab eine Seitenansicht des abgabeseitigen Endes der Sammeltrommel und den Wegförderer teilweise im Schnitt, Figur 3 einen Schnitt etwa entlang der Linie 111-111 in Figur 2,
• Figur 4 in Seitenansicht des Wegförderers im Übernahmebereich,
• Figur 5 in zur Figur 4 ähnlicher Darstellung den Wegförderer in seinem Abgabebereich.

An exemplary embodiment of the subject matter of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing. It shows purely schematically:

• FIG. 1 shows a collecting device in a perspective view,
• 2 shows a side view of the discharge-side end of the collecting drum and the conveyor away, partly in section, on an enlarged scale compared to FIG. 1, FIG. 3 shows a section approximately along line 111-111 in FIG. 2,
• FIG. 4 shows a side view of the conveyor in the takeover area,
• 5 in a representation similar to FIG. 4, the removal conveyor in its delivery area.

A collecting device 1 is shown purely schematically in FIG. 1, which has a base plate 2 with bearing blocks 3, 3 ', in which the shaft 4 of a collecting drum 5 is mounted. Two disk-shaped bearing elements 6, 7 are fastened on the shaft 4 at a distance from one another, between which a number of collecting conveyors 8 are arranged, the construction and storage of which will be explained in more detail with reference to FIG. 2. The collecting conveyors 8 run parallel to one another and to the shaft 4 of the collecting drum 5 and are arranged around this shaft 4. On the shaft 4 there is a sprocket 9, over which a chain 10 is guided, which runs over another sprocket 11. The latter sits on the output shaft of a drive 12, by means of which the collecting drum 5 together with the collecting conveyors 8 is driven in the direction of the arrow A. The axis of rotation is designated 4a.

Viewed in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the shaft 4, ie also in the conveying direction B of the collecting conveyor 8, three feed conveyors 13, 14, 15 for folded printed sheets 16, 17 and 18 are arranged one behind the other. The only very schematically illustrated feed conveyors 13, 14, 15 end in the vicinity of the circumference of the collecting drum 5 and use it to define a transfer area 13a, 14a and 15a for the printed sheets 16, 17 and 18, respectively. Each feed conveyor 13, 14, 15 has a gripper 19 which is fastened at a mutual distance to a revolving drive element and which grips the printed sheets 16, 17, 18 at their fold edge 16a, 17a, 18a and feed them in advance with the open side edge opposite this fold edge. By means of an opening device, not shown in FIG. 1, the printed sheets 16, 17, 18 are opened and onto the collecting conveyors 8 or onto them already placed on this printed sheet.

As seen in the conveying direction B of the collecting conveyor 8, behind the last feed conveyor 15 there is a conveyor 20, also shown only schematically in FIG. 1, which has holding members 21 fastened to a pulling member at a mutual distance and rotating in the direction of arrow C. The exact structure of the conveyor 20 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. The holding members 21 take over the products 22 consisting of several superimposed printed sheets 16, 17, 18 in the takeover area designated 23 in a manner to be explained and bring them to a second collecting drum, as will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 2, which shows a side view of a collecting conveyor 8 of the collecting drum 5 in the transfer area 23 and the removal conveyor 20 in section along cutting lines offset from one another, and FIG. 3, which shows a section approximately along the line 111-111 in FIG. 2, is apparent, each collecting conveyor 8 has a continuous support tube 24 which is mounted at both ends via pivot pins 25 in pivoting levers 26. These pivot levers 26 are pivotally mounted on the bearing elements 6, 7 (FIG. 1) in a manner not shown in detail. By means of a drive device (not shown in the figures), the collecting conveyors 8 are pivoted about their journals 25 during their rotation about the rotation axis 4a in such a way that they maintain their essentially vertical position, as is described in more detail in Swiss Patent Application No. 3 311/85 .

Each collecting conveyor 8 has an endless conveyor chain 27 driven in the direction of arrow B, which is provided with support elements 28 for the printed sheets 16, 17, 18. The conveyor chain 27 is guided over deflection wheels 29, of which the rear deflection wheel viewed in the direction of conveyance B is indicated in FIG. The conveyor chain 27 is further provided with drivers 30 arranged at regular intervals, which engage the trailing edges of the printed sheets 16, 17, 18 and 22. The drive of the conveyor chains 27 is derived in a manner not shown from the rotary movement of the collecting conveyors 8 about their journals 25 during their rotation around the axis 4a, as is explained in more detail in the Swiss patent application 2828/85.

Each collecting conveyor 8 has a lifting device 31, which is arranged behind the rear deflection wheel 29 as seen in the conveying direction B of the associated conveyor chain 27. The lifting device 31 is arranged between two support plates 32, 33 arranged in the manner of a gable roof, which are attached at their upper end to a holding strip 34 forming the ridge, as can be seen from FIG. 3. The support plates 32, 33 serve as a support for the product halves 22a and 22b. The lifting device 31 has two lifting fingers 35 and 36 arranged at a distance one behind the other, which are pivotably mounted about an axis 35a or 36a. The lifting fingers 35, 36 can be pivoted between a lower end position, shown with solid or dashed lines, and an upper end position, shown in dash-dotted lines and designated 35 'or 36'. On the lifting fingers 35, 36 each a tension spring 37 or 38 engages, which holds the lifting fingers 35, 36 in the lower end position. At a distance from the pivot axis 35a or 36a, a coupling member 39 or 40 acts on each lifting finger 35, 36, which is connected at the other end to a transmission jack 41,42. The transmission levers 41, 42 are seated on an actuating rod 43, which is rotatably mounted in bearings 44, 45 fastened on the support tube 24. At the outer end, this actuating rod 43 carries a control roller 46, which cooperates with a control disk 47, which sits on the bearing journal 25 and rotates with it during the rotation of the collecting conveyor 8 about the rotation axis 4a.

As soon as the collecting conveyors 8 reach the transfer area 23, the control disk 47 causes the actuating rod 43 to rotate via the control roller 46. This has the lifting fingers 35, 36 swiveling up against the force of the tension springs via the transmission levers 41, 42 and the coupling members 39, 40 37, 38 result. After leaving the transfer area 23, the lifting fingers 35, 36 are pivoted back into the lower end position by the springs 37, 38.

The construction of the conveyor 20 will now be explained.

The conveyor 20 has a chain 49 guided in a chain channel 48, to which the holding members 21 are fastened at regular intervals. The chain 49 is driven in the direction of arrow C in a manner not shown. To fasten the holding members 21 to the chain 49, fastening elements 50 are attached to the chain 49, to which bearing elements 51 for a pivot shaft 52 are fastened (right half of the sectional illustration in FIG. 2). This pivot shaft 52 connects two holding plates 53, 54 which are arranged at a distance from one another and in which a tubular arm 55 is held which extends at right angles to the conveying direction C of the conveyor 20. At the ends of this arm 55, fasteners 56, 57 are attached, on which clamping members 58, 59 are pivotally mounted. The corresponding pivot axes are designated 58a and 59a. Each clamping member 58, 59 is moved inwards by means of an actuating mechanism 60 or 61 from a release position shown with solid lines into a dash-dotted line and shown with 58 'or 59' designated clamped position pivoted.

Each actuating mechanism 60, 61 has an actuating rod 62 or 63 which can be displaced in the longitudinal direction of the arm 55 and which carries at the outer end an angled connecting piece 64 or 65 which can be rotated at the points designated 64a or 65a with the associated clamping member 58 or 59 is connected. The fastening points 64a and 65a are arranged at a distance from the pivot axes 58a and 59a of the clamping members 58, 59. At the other end, a tension spring 66 engages the actuating rods 62, 63, which strives to pull the actuating rods 62, 63 inwards, which results in the clamping members 58, 59 pivoting into the clamping position. The clamping members 58, 59 are accordingly held in their clamping position 58 'or 59' by the tension spring 66. Each actuating rod 62, 63 carries a control roller 68 and 69, which cooperate with control cams 70 and 71, which are fastened to a holder 72 (FIG. 2). When the control rollers 68, 69 run onto the control cams 70, 71, the actuating rods 62, 63 are displaced outward against the force of the tension spring 66, which results in the clamping members 58, 59 pivoting back into the open or released position.

The clamping members 58, 59 cooperate in their clamping position with counterholders 73 and 74, which are provided on the arm 55.

Arranged around the pivot shaft 52 is a torsion spring 75 which is supported on the bearing element 51 and which holds the holding members 21 and thus the clamping members 58, 59 together with the associated counterholders 73, 74 in a vertical position. Control rollers 76, 77 are now attached to the holding plates 53, 54 and are intended to cooperate with scenes 78 (FIGS. 2 & 5) which, in a manner to be described below, cause the holding members 21 to pivot about the pivot shaft 52.

The mode of operation of the described device will now be explained, insofar as this does not already result from the previous description.

As already explained with reference to FIG. 1, the printed sheets 16, 17, 18 fed by the feed conveyors 13, 14, 15 are superimposed on one another as an intermediate product 22 during their advancement by the collecting conveyors 8. These intermediate products 22, which sit astride the collecting conveyors 8, are pushed at the end of the conveyor chains 27 by the drivers 30 over the saddle roof-shaped support plates 32, 33, on which they come to rest with their product halves 22a and 22b, as shown in the figures 2 and 3 can be seen. This occurs when entering the transfer area 23. As already mentioned, when the individual collecting conveyors 8 enter this transfer area 23, the lifting fingers 35, 36 are pivoted from their lower end position towards the upper end position. In doing so, they grasp the open product 22 lying on the inside of the folded edge 22 'and lift the product 22. Since the lifting fingers 35, 36 are pivoted in the conveying direction B, the products 22 continue to be advanced in this conveying direction B during the lifting.

As FIG. 4 shows, the control curves 70, 71 are arranged in this takeover area 23. This means that when the holding members 21 enter the transfer area 23, the actuating rods 62, 63 are displaced outward, which results in the clamping members 58, 59 pivoting into the open position, as shown in FIG. 2. To take over the products 22 which have been raised and opened in the manner described, the clamping members 58, 59 are now moved in laterally between the product halves 22a, 22b, ie controlled by the tension spring 66 and the control cams 70, 71 from the open position to the clamping position 58 'or 59 'pivoted. In this case, the captured product 22 is pressed with the folded edge 22 ′ against the associated counter-holder 73 or 74, as shown in FIGS. 2-4. The products 22 clamped in this way are conveyed away in a hanging position in the conveying direction C of the conveyor 20 and are thereby lifted from the collecting conveyors 8, as can be seen in particular from FIG. The clamping members 58, 59 located between the product halves 22a, 22b prevent the taken-over products 22 from closing completely. The products 22 taken over by the holding members 21 from the collecting conveyors 8, which consist of a plurality of printed sheets 16, 17, 18 lying one above the other, now become transported to a second collecting device which corresponds to the described collecting device 1 and of which a part of the collecting conveyors 8 'of the collecting drum 5' is shown purely schematically in FIG. Before the products 22 are handed over to the individual collecting conveyors 8 ', the products 22 are opened. For this purpose, the holding members 21, ie the clamping members 58, 59 together with the associated counterholders 73, 74 are pivoted about the pivot axis 52, as can be seen from FIG. For this purpose, the scenes 78 are provided, on which the control rollers 76, 77 run. This pivoting of the clamping members 58, 59 and the counter-holder 73, 74 now has the consequence that the two halves 22a, 22b of the clamped product 22 are clearly lifted apart, as is shown on the left-hand side of FIG. The individual collecting conveyors 8 'of the collecting drum 5' can now intervene between the product halves 22a, 22b spread apart in this way. The link 78 is now designed in such a way that the holding members 21 are gradually pivoted back into the vertical position by the torsion spring 75, so that the products 22 can lie astride the collecting conveyors 8 '. Behind the Baffles 78 are now arranged opening baffles 79, which correspond to the control curves 70, 71 (Figures 2 and 4) and which cause the holding members 21 to open, ie pivot the clamping members 58, 59 from the clamping position into the release position. The products 22 are released and come to rest completely on the collecting conveyors 8 ', as is shown on the right-hand side of FIG. 5. After the control rollers 68, 69 have run off the links 79, the clamping members 58, 59 are pivoted back into the clamping position 58 ', 59' by the tension spring 66.

The products 22 placed on the collecting conveyors 8 'are now conveyed further by the collecting conveyors 8', whereby during this further conveying further printed sheets can be placed on the products 22 in the manner described with reference to FIG.

As mentioned, a complete closure of the products 22 is prevented by the clamping members 58, 59 which are inserted laterally between the product halves 22a, 22b. This means that the products 22 can be easily opened again after being taken over by the holding members 21 of the conveyor 20. It is understood that the device described can be designed and used differently than shown. For example, instead of a collecting drum 5 ′, as shown in FIG. 5, the products 22 taken over by the removal conveyor 20 can be fed to a single stationary conveyor, which takes over the products 22 and leads them away in a direction approximately perpendicular to the conveying direction C of the removal conveyor 20.

This single conveyor can be, for example, a collecting conveyor or as a feed to a processing station, e.g. B. a stitching and or cutting machine. In the latter case, the product 22 would be an end product.

Furthermore, by means of the described conveyor 20, products can also be taken over from a single, fixed collecting conveyor, as is shown, for example, in the already mentioned CH-PSs 358 100 and 459 270.

Claims (12)

1. Device for accepting and conveying away folded printed sheets (22) from a conveying device (8), on which the printed sheets rest astraddle with their folded edge (22') pointing in the conveying direction (B), having a lifting device (31) engaging between the sheet halves (22a, 22b) for raising the printed sheets, having a transport device (20), which takes up the raised printed sheets, for conveying the printed sheets away, characterized in that the transport device has a removal device (20) which accepts the printed sheets (22) from the lifting device (31) and has a number of controllable holding members (21) which are attached to a traction element (49) which can be driven to revolve and engage laterally between the sheet halves (22a, 22b) and clamp the printed sheets (22) at their folded edge (22').

2. Device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the holding members (21) have clamping members (58, 59) which can be moved between the sheet halves (22a, 22b) and press the printed sheets (22) against an abutment (73, 74).

3. Device according to Claim 2, characterized in that each holding member (21) has two clamping members (58, 59) which are located opposite one another in relation to the conveying direction (C) of the removal device (20) and are pivotably mounted between a clamping position and a release position.

4. Device according to one of Claims 1 - 3, characterized in that the holding members (21) are pivotable about an axis (52) which runs transversely or, preferably at right angles, to the conveying direction (C) of the removal device (20).

5. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the clamping members (58, 59), which are pivotable about an axis (58a, 59a) running essentially parallel to the conveying direction (C) of the removal device (20), are connected to an actuating mechanism (60, 61) which engages outside of their pivot axis (58a, 59a).

6. Device according to Claim 5, characterized in that the actuating mechanism (60, 61) has a rod- shaped actuating element (62, 63) which can be displaced transversely, preferably at right angles, to the conveying direction (C) of the removal device (20) and is connected via a coupling member (64, 65) to the associated clamping member (58, 59) in a manner such that the latter is pivoted into its release position as the actuating element (62, 63) is moved out, preferably against the force of a closing spring (66).

7. Device according to one of Claims 2 - 6, characterized in that the clamping members (58, 59) and the abutments (73, 74) of each holding member (21) are attached to a mounting (53, 54) which is pivotable about an axis (52) running transversely, preferably at right angles, to the conveying direction (C) of the removal device (20) and is preferably held in a resting position, which allows the acceptance of the printed sheets (22), by spring force (75), from which position the mounting (53, 54) can be pivoted into an opening position in which one sheet half (22b) is lifted off from the other sheet half (22a) by means of the clamping members (58, 59) engaging.

8. Device according to one of Claims 1 - 7, characterized in that the lifting device (31) has at least one lifting element (35, 36) which can be pivoted from a lower end position into an upper end position in the conveying direction (B) of the conveying device (B) and during pivoting into the upper end position which preferably takes place against a spring force (37, 38), can be moved between the printed sheet halves (22a, 22b).

9. Device according to one of Claims 1 - 8, characterized in that the conveying device (8) has a continuous conveying element (27) which can be driven to revolve, preferably a conveying chain, and that the lifting device (31) is arranged downstream of the latter, as seen in the conveying direction (B) of the conveying element (27).

10. Device according to one of Claims 1 - 9, characterized in that the conveying device (8) is designed as a collecting conveyor of a device (1) for collecting folded printed sheets (16, 17, 18).

11. Device according to Claim 10, characterized in that a plurality of collecting conveyors (8) having a conveying direction (B) parallel to a common axis (4a) of revolution are provided which are arranged around this axis (4a) of revolution and can be driven to revolve about the said axis (4a) of revolution while the printed sheets (16, 17, 18) are being conveyed, and in that each collecting conveyor (8) is associated with a lifting device (31) which, as it passes through a transfer zone (23), can be activated by the associated collecting conveyor (8) so as to raise the printed sheets (22).

12. Device according to Claims 8 and 11, characterized in that the lifting elements (35, 36) can be pivoted into the upper end position by an actuating mechanism (39 43) which, as it passes through the transfer zone (23) can be activated by the associated collecting conveyor (8).

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