Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
  • B65H3/00—Separating articles from piles
  • B65H3/32—Separating articles from piles by elements, e.g. fingers, plates, rollers, inserted or traversed between articles to be separated and remainder of the pile
  • B65H3/322—Separating articles from piles by elements, e.g. fingers, plates, rollers, inserted or traversed between articles to be separated and remainder of the pile for separating a part of the pile, i.e. several articles at once
  • B65H3/327—Separating articles from piles by elements, e.g. fingers, plates, rollers, inserted or traversed between articles to be separated and remainder of the pile for separating a part of the pile, i.e. several articles at once the pile being off-set
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
  • B65H2301/00—Handling processes for sheets or webs
  • B65H2301/40—Type of handling process
  • B65H2301/42—Piling, depiling, handling piles
  • B65H2301/422—Handling piles, sets or stacks of articles
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
  • B65H2301/00—Handling processes for sheets or webs
  • B65H2301/40—Type of handling process
  • B65H2301/42—Piling, depiling, handling piles
  • B65H2301/423—Depiling; Separating articles from a pile
  • B65H2301/4232—Depiling; Separating articles from a pile of horizontal or inclined articles, i.e. wherein articles support fully or in part the mass of other articles in the piles
  • B65H2301/42324—Depiling; Separating articles from a pile of horizontal or inclined articles, i.e. wherein articles support fully or in part the mass of other articles in the piles from top of the pile
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
  • B65H2701/00—Handled material; Storage means
  • B65H2701/10—Handled articles or webs
  • B65H2701/18—Form of handled article or web
  • B65H2701/182—Piled package
  • B65H2701/1826—Arrangement of sheets
  • B65H2701/18265—Ordered set of batches of articles
  • B65H2701/18266—Ordered set of batches of articles wherein the batches are offset from each other, e.g. stepped pile

Definitions

• the invention relates to a device for separating packets of sheets, in particular sheets of paper, forming a stack in which the packets are alternately offset on one side and then on the other, so as to each have a free margin d on either side of the stack.
• sheets of paper constituting a book, a brochure, etc. to be stacked one on top of the other at the exit of a fast printer (for example a laser printer) by forming a stack comprising a certain number of books or brochures which differ from each other by their number of sheets and by their printed texts.
• a fast printer for example a laser printer
• the sheets constituting a book are exactly superimposed, while the books are offset laterally alternately with respect to each other, each book thus having, on one side or the other of the stack, a free margin which exceeds the book immediately below.
• This offset allows an operator to enter the books one by one by their free margin to introduce them into a binding machine.
• the subject of the invention is a machine capable of automatically performing this task, in a safe and reliable manner, at a rate which corresponds at least to the rate of work of an automatic binding machine and is much higher than the rate of an operator.
• the invention provides a device for separating packets of sheets, in particular of paper, forming a stack in which the packets are alternately offset on one side, then on the other, so as to each have a free margin. on one side or the other of the stack, characterized in that it comprises a lifting table carrying the stack of packets of sheets, a separable element movable between the packets of sheets, means for guiding and moving of the separator element so that it can be positioned on the free margin of the package located immediately below the upper package of the stack, to engage it under the lower sheet of this upper package and to move it towards the free margin of the upper pack while lifting at least one edge of this upper pack, means of taking this upper pack by its raised edge and transporting this pack away from the stack, and detection means and of positioning in height, relative to the means for guiding the separating element, of the free margin of the packet situated immediately below the upper packet of the stack.
• This device therefore makes it possible to separate the different packets of sheets forming a stack from one another, to take each packet and to transport it away from the stack, for example to a binding machine.
• the separating element is an annular or cylindrical brush with a horizontal axis, driven in rotation about this axis by reversible motor means, the direction of rotation of the brush being such that it tends to lift the leaves of a packet when the brush engages the edge of this packet, control means being provided for stopping the rotation of the brush when the upper packet is taken from the stack and then reverse the direction of rotation of the brush to separate the next pack.
• This separating element makes it possible to very quickly lift all the leaves of a given package, without damaging them.
• the means for guiding the separating element comprise, on the one hand, two flaps mounted to pivot each around a horizontal axis on one side and on the other of the stack, the ends of these flaps coming to bear, respectively, on the free margin of the upper pack of the stack and on that of the immediately lower pack and, on the other hand, a ramp extending between the two flaps along an edge of the stack and on which rests a means for supporting the separating element.
• each component is associated with means for detecting its angular position relative to its pivot axis such as, for example, a photoelectric cell, which are connected to means for controlling the movement in height of the lifting table.
• the packets of sheets are stacked on a support plate which rests on centering rollers provided on the upper face of the lifting table, which also comprises means for immobilizing the support plate, such as for example an electromagnet.
• This arrangement makes it possible to center the stack of packets of sheets on the lifting table, and therefore to position it correctly with respect to the separating element and its guide means.
• this support plate forms the movable bottom of a magazine supplying this device with stacks of packets of sheets, this magazine forming part of a turntable comprising several identical magazines.
• Such a store allows the automatic supply of the device according to the invention with stacks of sheet packets and, moreover, constitutes a buffer zone for storing sheet packets between the output of the printer and a binding machine.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a device according to the invention, associated with a turntable comprising several magazines;
• FIG. 2 is a top view of a part of this turntable, comprising a support plate for a stack of packets of sheets, positioned above a lifting table of the device;
• FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view along line III-III of Figure 2;
• FIG. 4 is a schematic elevational view illustrating the operation of the device according to the invention.
• FIG. 5 is a top view of the device shown in Figure 4.
• FIG. 6 and 7 are views similar to Figure 4, but showing other phases of operation of the device according to the invention.
• FIGS. 1 to 3 representing the device according to the invention, associated with a turntable for feeding stacks of packets of printed sheets.
• the turntable 10 for example circular in shape, includes a number of magazines 12 and is rotated about a vertical central axis by motor means 14 to bring each of its magazines opposite a lifting table 16.
• Each store 12 comprises a removable plate 18 covering an opening 20 of the plate 10 at the four corners of which are fixed vertical angles 22 delimiting an area for receiving packets of printed sheets.
• Each plate 18 has dimensions slightly greater than those of an aperture "20 of the plate 10, so as to rest at its ends on the edges of the opening, the corners of the plate 18 is notched, as shown, to allow the passage of the vertical angles 22.
• Each opening 20 has on the other hand dimensions slightly larger than those of the lifting table 16, so that the latter, placed under a plate 18 forming an opening 20, can rise and pass to through the opening 20 to lift the plate 18 and the bundles of sheets stacked on this plate between the angles 22.
• the actual device for separating the packets of sheets comprises the lifting table 16, means 24, for example with an electric motor, for moving the table 16 vertically, two movable side plates 26 suitable for being applied on two opposite vertical sides of the stack of sheets, a fixed vertical plate 28 forming a guide other side of the stack of sheet packets, the upper edge of this plate 28 forming a ramp or cam for moving a member 30 for separating the sheet packets, means 32 for moving the separator member 30 in movement alternating on the upper edge of the fixed plate 28, and a clamp 34 for gripping a packet of sheets and depositing this packet of sheets on a conveyor means 36 taking the packet of sheets, for example to a binding machine ' . * All of these will be described in detail in the following.
• a stack of bundles of sheets carried by a plate 18 of a magazine 12 is formed of bundles 40 of sheets which are placed on top of each other, and which are formed of sheets of paper having the same dimensions, the sheets of a packet 40 being exactly superimposed on each other, while the packets 40 are alternately offset on one side and the other of the stack (on the left side and on the right side in Figure 3) so that each packet 40 has a free margin 42 which protrudes from one side or the other of the packet 40 immediately below. It can be seen that the packets of sheets 40 are alternately offset from one side or the other in a single horizontal direction, while their edges are exactly aligned in the perpendicular horizontal direction.
• the distance between two angles 22 located along a long side of an opening 20 of the plate 10 is equal to the length of a sheet of paper increased by the desired length of the free margin (by example 10 mm), while the distance between two angles 22 located along a short side of the opening 20 is substantially equal to the width of the sheets of paper.
• the lifting table 16 carries, on its upper face, rollers 44 rotatably mounted around horizontal axes perpendicular to the direction of offset of the packets of sheets 40 on a support plate 18 which rests on. these rollers 44 and can therefore be moved in one direction or the other parallel to this direction.
• the lifting table 16 further comprises means 46 for immobilizing a support plate 18 placed on the rollers 44, these means 46 may be constituted by an electromagnet when the support plate 18 is made of material susceptible to magnetization, the excitation of the electromagnet ⁇ e translating by the blocking by magnetic attraction, of the support plate 18.
• the movable side plates 26 are either fixed or displaceable in height with the lifting table 16 and are moreover associated with means of displacement in the two directions indicated by the arrows 48 in FIG. 2 so as to be applied on both sides of the stack of sheet packets which are formed by the free margins 42 of these sheet packs in order to center the support plate 18 and the stack of sheet packs on the lifting table 16 when the blocking means 46 is out of service.
• the plates 26 can be rotatably mounted each around two perpendicular horizontal axes 50 and 52, which are respectively parallel to the sides of a stack of sheets bundles carried by the lifting table 16, means , for example pneumatic cylinders 54 and 56, being provided to pivot the plates 26 around the axes 50 and 52 and therefore to move them in the two directions indicated by the arrows 48 in FIG. 2.
• the corresponding sides of the support plate 18 can be scalloped, as shown at 58 in FIG. 2, to receive the lower ends of the side plates 26 which are applied to the free margins 42 of the packets of sheets resting on the support plate 18.
• the separating element 30 which is guided in reciprocating motion on the upper edge of the fixed plate 28, is here constituted by an annular or cylindrical brush 60 with a horizontal axis, which is rotated around this axis by the shaft of output 62 of a reversible electric motor 64 (see FIG. 5).
• the output shaft 62 of the motor 64 extends perpen ⁇ dicularly to the plate 28 and can be provided with any suitable means, for example a bronze ring, for its displacement in reciprocating motion on the upper edge of the plate 28.
• the means 32 for moving the separating element 30 comprise a reversible electric motor, the output shaft of which is connected by an articulated linkage 66, 68, to the motor 64 for driving the brush 60 in rotation.
• the upper edge of the fixed plate 28, forming the guide ramp of the separating element 30, comprises two flat end parts 70, situated at the same height, and a raised flat central part 72, connected to the flat end parts by planes inclined 74.
• the lifting table 16 is associated with means for controlling movement in height, making it possible to position the separation plane of the upper pack of a stack at the desired height relative to the separating element 30.
• These means comprise two flaps 76 placed on either side of a stack of bundles of sheets to be able cooperate with the free margins of the packets of sheets of the stack and which are each mounted pivoting about a horizontal axis 78 perpendicular to the direction of offset of the packets of sheets in the stack, so that one end of a flap 76 rests on the free margin of the upper pack of the stack while one end of the other flap 76 rests on the free margin of the immediately lower pack of the stack, the opposite ends of the two flaps 76 each extending between the 'transmitting element and the receiving element of a photoelectric cell 80 to hide or unmask the receiving element of the photoelectric cell according to the angular position of the flap relative to the axis 78.
• Both photoelectric cells 80 are connected to a circuit 82 for controlling the means 24 for moving the
• the device also comprises means 84 (FIG. 1) for moving and actuating the clamp 34, making it possible to move this clamp in rotation about a horizontal axis to come and pick up a packet of sheets from the stack carried by the lifting table, tighten the two jaws of the clamp on this pack of sheets and move the clamp and the pack of sheets towards the means 36 of transport.
• means 84 for moving and actuating the clamp 34, making it possible to move this clamp in rotation about a horizontal axis to come and pick up a packet of sheets from the stack carried by the lifting table, tighten the two jaws of the clamp on this pack of sheets and move the clamp and the pack of sheets towards the means 36 of transport.
• a series of rollers 86 are also provided, carried by a horizontal rod 88 which is resiliently urged downward to apply the rollers 86 substantially on the longitudinal axis of the upper face of the upper pack of a stack carried by the lifting table 16.
• the support plate 18 is advantageously curved in the portion of a cylinder, so as to present two parallel straight edges connected to each other by two curved edges in an arc of a circle, the concavity of the support plate 18 being oriented upwards, the plate 18 being carried by the lifting table 16 so that one of its straight edges, situated on the side of the fixed plate 28, or at a level lower than that of the other straight edge so that the packets of sheets 40 are correctly applied against the fixed guide plate 28.
• the device which has just been described operates in the following manner.
• the packets of printed sheets constituting books or the like are deposited on the plates 18 of the magazines 12 of the turntable 10, being offset alternately on one side and on the other as already described, so as to each have a margin approximately 10 mm free protruding from the immediately lower bundle, the overlapping bundles of sheets not necessarily comprising the same number of sheets.
• a magazine 12 By rotating a fraction of a turn of the turntable 10, a magazine 12 is brought filled with bundles of sheets opposite the lift table 16 which is then at a level lower than that of the tray 10. Of course, the side plates 26 have been discarded so as not to be on the path of the magazine 22.
• the table 16 is raised to lift the plate 18 carrying the stack of sheets packets slightly above the tray 10, the side plates 26 are brought back to be applied on the two sides of the stack sheet bundles, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, and thus center the support plate 18 on the lifting table 16, after which the means 46 for locking the support plate 18 is energized to prevent any further displacement of this plate 18 with respect to the lifting table 16.
• the lifting of the lifting table 16 continues until the position shown in FIG. 4, in which the flap 76 located on the right side in FIG. 4 is inclined upward relative to the horizontal , its end resting on the free margin of the upper pack 40a of the stack, its opposite end then being located below the associated cell 80, and the flap 76 located on the left side in FIG. 4 is substantially horizontal and rests at one end on the free margin of the packet 40b located immediately below the lower packet 40a, while its opposite end is immediately below the associated cell 80 and has just unmasked the receiving element of this cell, which causes the rise in the lifting table.
• the separating element 30 is on the left side of the stack in FIG. 4, the brush 60 being on the flap 76, and begins to move to the right, the brush 60 being driven in rotation at high speed in the direction indicated by the arrow 90, that is to say the anti-clockwise direction in FIG. 4.
• the brush 60 will therefore attack the edge of the upper packet 40a which is opposite its free margin and thus goes lift all the sheets from the upper pack 40a and move between the raised edge of the upper pack and the upper sheet of the lower pack 40b as shown in Figure 4.
• the separating element 30 therefore moves on the horizontal end 70 to the left of the edge upper part of the fixed plate 28, climbs the inclined plane 74 and runs through the raised middle part 72 of the upper edge of the plate 28 to stop at the end of this middle part as shown in FIG. 6.
• the separating element 30 resumes its movement to the right from the position shown in FIG. 6, descends on the inclined plane 74 and continues its movement until the brush 60 is located on the part of the flap 76 which is supported on the free margin of the package 40c.
• the separating element 30 is moved in the opposite direction, that is to say to the left in FIG. 7, and the brush 60 is rotated at high speed in the clockwise direction, to attack the edge of the upper packet 40b which is opposite its free margin.
• the brush 60 lifts the leaves of the upper pack 40b and moves to the left end of the raised middle part 72 of the upper edge of the fixed plate 28, the pliers 34 grips the raised edge of the pack 40b and takes this pack towards the conveyor means 36.
• the flap 76 on the left in FIG. 7 swings down and comes to rest on the free margin of the package 40d located i medially below the package 40c .
• the receiver element of cell 80 associated with this flap is hidden by the rear part of this flap, which results in a signal of rise of the lifting table 16 until the flap 76 on the left is again in a substantially horizontal position. We then find our in the situation represented in FIG. 4.
• the packets of sheets 40 forming a stack carried by the lifting table 16 are thus separated and taken one after the other to the conveyor means 36.
• the lifting table 16 descends, deposits the plate 18 on the edges of the corresponding opening 20 of the turntable 10, and the latter is rotated by a fraction of a turn to bring the next magazine above the lifting table 16.
• the device according to the invention also comprises means, shown in FIG. 1, which make it possible to lift the separating element 30 above the upper edge of the fixed plate 28 and of the upper pack of the stack carried by the lifting table, and this without interrupting the reciprocating movement of this separating element, for example when the means provided downstream of this separation device (conveyor means 36 or binding machine) are stopped.
• These lifting means of the separating element 30 comprise a ramp 92 parallel to the fixed plate 28 and pivotally mounted around a horizontal axis 94 perpendicular to this plate, and a drive means, for example a pneumatic cylinder 96, of displacement of the ramp 92 in rotation about the axis 94, between a first position where it is under the separating element 30 and has no action thereon, and a second position where it lifts the element separator 30 above the upper edge of the fixed plate 28.
• a drive means for example a pneumatic cylinder 96

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Forming Counted Batches (AREA)
• Pile Receivers (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

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ID=9330837

Family Applications (1)

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• 1986
  • 1986-01-03 FR FR8600062A patent/FR2592640B1/fr not_active Expired
  • 1986-12-31 DE DE8787900179T patent/DE3670472D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1986-12-31 EP EP19870900179 patent/EP0252936B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1986-12-31 WO PCT/FR1986/000452 patent/WO1987004141A1/fr active IP Right Grant

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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