EP0511159B1 - Method and means for realizing stacks of varied printed products - Google Patents

Abstract

The method according to the invention and the means according to the invention are used to collect printed products, fed as continuous streams (1, 2, 3, etc.), into groups in at least one grouping section (10.1/2/3), it being possible for each group to be made up of one product from each of a number of feed streams in accordance with a predetermined group sequence. Production of defective groups is avoided by registering defects in the feed flows at any early time, so that groups which would be affected by a defect are not formed in the predetermined cycle, but are delayed a cycle. The stream of groups resulting from the method therefore does not contain any defective groups but gaps. To carry out the method, a feed monitoring unit, a feed buffering unit and a controlled delivery unit are inserted between the feeds (63.4/5) of the products and the grouping unit (10.1/2). Transport devices with carriers are used as the means (64.2/3/4, etc.) to carry out these three method steps, which carriers are connected to one another by a drag connection and are moved on an endless guide by two drives which are controlled essentially independently of each other. The carriers are monitored after passing an acceptance point at which they accept a product from the feed unit (63.4/5), defective products being registered. The carriers then reach a buffer space and leave it via a controlled delivery point, at which they deliver the product to the grouping unit. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention lies in the field of further processing of printed products and relates to a method and a device according to the independent patent claims. The method and the device serve to continuously assemble various flat objects, in particular printed products, which are supplied essentially in different, clocked flows, for example scale flows, into groups.

For many further processing steps of printed products from the printing press or intermediate products produced therefrom, it is necessary to put together a certain number of different products of this type in a group. Examples of application are the gathering or collection of various printed products for the production of booklets or books or the insertion of various inserts into folded newspapers. Devices which, for example, combine a plurality of printed products arriving in scale formation to form a stream of printed product groups are known. They usually consist of a number of delivery units, for example winding stations or feeders, and a grouping unit, for example a plug-in drum. Such devices are described for example in CH Patent No. 649'972 and in CH application no. 1975/881 by the same applicant.

Such devices are monitored, for example, by checking each group for the correct thickness. Groups that do not pass this test are then identified and usually automatically eliminated. Since the groups that have been eliminated are caused by various errors in the feeding or grouping, they have different compositions and can only be automatically divided into the individual products and returned to production with a large outlay on equipment. For this reason, these defective groups are usually either completed by hand or sorted out for returning the individual products, or they are no longer returned to production. In any case, these faulty groups represent a material and / or personnel-intensive point in the production process.

The described disadvantage of the methods and devices available according to the prior art for forming groups from different printed products and for controlling this grouping becomes a problem when it comes to the composition of the groups to be formed at a high frequency, for example for each individual group, and to coordinate this change with further processing steps. This is necessary, for example, if groups of supplements corresponding to the individual address are to be inserted into newspapers that are addressed, during so-called personalized insertion. A device for forming individual groups of printed products is described, for example, in US Pat. 3'966'186 (helmet). With the existing processes and facilities, faulty groups, which arise from errors in the feeding of the individual products, can only be eliminated recognized after grouping and only removed immediately before addressing, while the grouping unit is already busy with the formation of follow-up groups. In other words, this not only means that the defective groups have to be processed in a complex manner as described above, but it also means that the removed groups are missing in the addressing sequence and have to be recreated at a later time. However, if the packaging is followed by the addressing and the addressing sequence is coordinated with a packaging sequence, errors in the grouping propagate through the missing addresses to the packaging, a propagation of errors that one would like to avoid.

It is the object of the invention to improve the method and device for the continuous grouping of various flat objects, in particular for forming printed product groups of individual composition, in such a way that no faulty groups arise. Depending on the application, errors in the feeds of the individual printed products should lead to gaps in the flow of the printed product groups or to groups with a simple, always the same composition, for example consisting of a single printed product, which are easily removed from production before the next processing step and can be returned to production. This should make it possible to generate a group stream with a predetermined group sequence, which can have gaps, the locations of the gaps being identified.

Figur 1 a und b

zwei Verfahrensvarianten als generelle Schemas;

Figur 2

ein detailliertes Verfahrensschema für ein Anwendungsbeispiel;

Figur 3

die für das Anwendungsbeispiel gemäss Figur 2 vorgegebenen und generierten Daten;

Figur 4

eine beispielhafte Ausführungsform einer Vorrichtung zur Ausführung der drei Verfahrensschritte: Zuführungskontrolle, Zuführungspufferung und gesteuerte Abgabe;

Figur 5

eine schematische Darstellung einer Verfahrensvariante mit Vorgruppierung;

Figur 6 a und b

eine beispielhafte Einrichtung zur Durchführung der Verfahrensvariante gemäss Figur 5 als Aufriss (Figur 6a) und als Grundriss (Figur 6b).

This object is achieved by the method and device according to the corresponding independent patent claims, which are described in detail with reference to the following figures. Show:

Figure 1 a and b

two process variants as general schemes;

Figure 2

a detailed process diagram for an application example;

Figure 3

the data specified and generated for the application example according to FIG. 2;

Figure 4

an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus for performing the three method steps: feed control, feed buffering and controlled delivery;

Figure 5

a schematic representation of a process variant with pre-grouping;

Figure 6 a and b

an exemplary device for performing the method variant according to Figure 5 as an elevation (Figure 6a) and as a floor plan (Figure 6b).

The method according to the invention produces a continuous stream of printed product groups from different, continuously or cyclically occurring printed products, which according to a predetermined sequence can consist of a different number of each of the supplied products. The increased production reliability of the method according to the invention compared to the prior art is based on the fact that errors in the feed of individual printed products are detected early and that the formation of the corresponding group is postponed by one cycle in response to the detection of such an error.

The process according to the invention essentially consists of three process steps: a feed control of the individual feeds, one Feed buffering of the individual feeds and a controlled delivery of the individual products in a timed grouping. With the feed control, errors or gaps in the feeds of the products are detected. With the controlled delivery, which is subject to the same cycle as the grouping, the products supplied are delivered into the grouping in accordance with the predetermined composition of the individual groups and in accordance with the detected errors. The feed buffering enables a continuous feed despite the non-continuous delivery.

The feed control must be set up in such a way that, before the first product of a group enters the grouping, it is known whether the other products intended for this group are properly present or not. If all corresponding products are available, the group is formed properly, i.e. the corresponding products are delivered in the appropriate cycles, if one or more of the products necessary for the group are not available, the group is not formed in the specified cycle, that is, no products are delivered in the corresponding cycles. The group is formed in the next bar, in which the necessary products are available. The products are buffered in the grouping so that they can still be fed continuously. The fill level of a buffer space determines the speed of the feed into the buffer space.

FIGS. 1a and 1b show, as a basic diagram, two process variants of the process according to the invention.

Figure 1a shows a method with five equal feeds with which 10 groups A, B, C, D .... consisting of on a grouping route a group-specific selection of individual products 2/3/4/5/6. All five product flows, before they flow into the grouping section, go through the process steps already mentioned feed control 11 (shown schematically as an eye), feed buffering 12 (shown schematically as a zigzag line) and controlled delivery 13 (shown schematically as a switch), the feed control at the entrance of the Buffer room, the controlled delivery is arranged at the exit of the buffer room. A data processor 14 has access to a memory 15 (arrow 20) in which the compositions of the groups A, B, C, D, E ... to be formed are stored. The feed control 11 of each feed product stream also supplies data in the data processing 14 (arrows 22), with which errors in the feeds are reported and localized. The data processing compiles control data (arrows 21) for the controlled delivery 13, which are calculated on the one hand on the basis of the group data (15), but on the other hand also on the basis of the errors in the feeds.

The minimum required degree of filling of the buffer spaces 12 depends on the frequency with which a certain product is required in the groups and on the frequency of the supply errors. If these two frequencies are approximately the same for the different feeders, those feeders that later flow into the grouping section require a larger buffer content, since these buffer rooms must contain more products for groups in the grouping. Data processing 14 determines the degree of filling of the individual buffer spaces from the data available to it and supplies control data (arrows 23) with which the feed rates of the corresponding products are controlled.

In order to prevent the formation of a faulty group, it must be known before the first product of a group enters the grouping section 10 whether all the products necessary for the specific group are present, that is, these products must have already passed the corresponding feed control and be in the corresponding buffer space. If they are completely present, the group is formed; if they are not completely present, the group is not formed but is shifted by one measure. An error in one of the feeds leads to a gap in the group stream A, B, C, D ...., which the shifted group follows.

FIG. 1b shows a method with a superordinate supply of a main product 1, which has only a supply control 11.1, but not a supply buffer and no controlled delivery. The remaining feeds 2 to 6 correspond to those of Figure 1a. This method presupposes that the main product 1 should be contained in each group to be formed. If an error is detected in the feeder 1, the other products are not released in the corresponding cycles, which means that there is a gap in the group flow. If an error is detected in one of the feeds 2 to 6, no products 2 to 6 are released for the corresponding group, but a product 1, which does not go through controlled delivery, so that a single product 1 occurs in the group stream. This can simply be fed back into the feed 1 via a corresponding return 30, so that a gap in the group flow finally also occurs at such a point. Such a method proves to be advantageous for the individual insertion of inserts in newspapers or magazines, the newspaper or magazine being the main product 1.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the method according to FIG. 1b in detail using a concrete example. 2 shows the device-related aspect and FIG. 3 the data-related aspect of the method.

FIG. 2 again shows the feeds 1 to 6 to a grouping section 10. This is, for example, an insertion drum in which a group-specific number of individual products 2 to 6 is inserted into each main product 1. Feeders and grouping lines are shown schematically as lines with points for the individual products. A missing product, for example, is marked with a circle. The individual main products (including gaps in main product stream 1) are numbered consecutively (1.1 / 2/3/4/5 ...). As already described, the feeds of products 2 to 6 each have a feed control 11.2-6, a feed buffer 12.2-6 and a controlled delivery 13.2-6. The feed 1 of the main product has only one feed control 11.1. The individual products are moved through the buffer space with feed means, for example with clamps, which each grip a product before the feed control. The main product can, for example, be fed in as a shingled stream without feed means. The grouping section can be a plug-in drum.

With this arrangement sketched in FIG. 2, a stream of groups A, B, C, D ... is now to be generated, the group-specific composition of which is given in the top table of FIG. 3. A + in the row of a certain product means that this product should be in the group of the corresponding column, a - means that the product should be missing in the corresponding group. This table shows that each group should contain the main product 1 and a varying number of other products. The table can be extended to any length.

The second table in FIG. 3 contains the data supplied by the feed controls 11.1-6. A + in the row of a product means that the feeder corresponds to the consecutive number of the column corresponding product carries, a - means that the corresponding feeder is empty, it means a feed error. For the main product (line 1) it is not necessarily an empty feed agent, but may simply be a gap in a stream of flakes. The consecutive numbering of the supply means or places in the scale flow of the main product is a representation aid. It is chosen arbitrarily as if all the feeding means 2-6.1 for delivery to the grouping line were present when passage 1.1 through the grouping line to form group A. Any other numbering would also be justified.

It can be seen from the second table in FIG. 3 that the main product is missing at point 1.11. The group stream should therefore have a gap X at point 1.11 (no main product and no products 2-6). It can also be seen from the second table that the feed of the product 2 is error-free as far as observed, that the product 3 is missing on the feed means 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.10 and 3.11 and that the feeds of the products 4, 5 and 6 also contain errors exhibit.

Based on the data in the first table, each product in the second table can now be assigned to a group. The corresponding assignments are given below the +/- signs. The + signs in the lines of products 2 to 6 can be successively assigned to a group that should contain such a product. Gaps in the feed streams that can be assigned to groups that do not contain a corresponding product do not affect the assignment (e.g. 3.4, 3.5, 4.4 and 4.5). Gaps in the feeders that fall between adjacent groups, both of which should contain the product, act as errors on the grouping; they must lead to the suppression of the corresponding group formation and to an error group Y, which only consists of product 1 (e.g. 3.10, 3.11 and 6.11).

It shows that up to group K the groups can be formed without interruption, followed by a gap X, then the groups to O, followed by an empty main product Y. This is followed by group P, two empty main products Y and the group Q .... This sequence can now be assigned to the locations of the main product flow, as indicated in FIG. 2 and how it can be transmitted to a subsequent processing step.

+

die Abgabe ist aktiv, denn es steht ein Zuführungsmittel mit Produkt an und es wird ein Produkt gebraucht,

⊕

die Abgabe ist aktiv, denn es steht ein leeres Zuführungsmittel an und es wird kein Produkt gebraucht (entsprechende Gruppenzusammensetzung oder keine Gruppe);

-

die Abgabe ist passiv, denn es steht ein Produkt an, es wird aber keines gebraucht (entsprechende Gruppenzusammensetzung oder keine Gruppe).

From the data of the first and the second table and from the corresponding assignments of the products to groups, the data processing now calculates the control data for the controlled delivery, which can be seen from the third table in FIG. 3. The delivery is either active (marked with +) and lets a feed through or it is passive (marked with -) and then does not let through any feed. There are three different cases:

+

the delivery is active because there is a feeder with product and a product is needed,

⊕

the delivery is active because there is an empty feeder and no product is needed (corresponding group composition or no group);

-

the delivery is passive, because a product is pending, but none is needed (corresponding group composition or no group).

The case that there is an empty feeder and a product is needed does not occur, because in this case no group is formed.

While FIG. 3 shows the data that is necessary and generated in a section of the grouping process, FIG. 2 shows a snapshot. Groups A and B have already been formed, groups C to O are on the grouping route, groups C, F, I, L and O are just passing the delivery points of products 2 to 6, a product 5 being added to group F and a product 2 being added to group O. The corresponding levies 13.5 and 13.2 are therefore active, while the levies 13.6 and 13.4 are passive, since the corresponding products are not needed in the corresponding groups but are available. The delivery 13.3 is active since group L does not require product 3, but an empty feeder must pass through. The control signals that were generated for this position of the controlled deliveries are connected to one another in the third table in FIG. 3 by a dashed line.

The second table in FIG. 3 also indicates the moment shown in FIG. 2, namely with a dashed line lying to the right and a dashed line lying to the left, which between them include those data and assignments that are shown in FIG Moment are relevant. The data and assignments to the right of the right line are not yet relevant, since the corresponding groups are not yet being processed, the data to the left of the left line are no longer relevant, since the corresponding products have already been added to the groups.

In order for the sequence of groups A, B, C, D .., gaps X and empty main products Y to be created, the feed controls 11.1-6 must be such arranged and the feed devices leading to it be set up such that, before a main product or a corresponding gap is fed into the grouping section, the products or feed gaps assigned to the corresponding group are present in the buffers 12.2-6. The assignments listed in the second table of FIG. 3 to the right of the dashed line on the right relate to products which are present in the buffer spaces in addition to the minimum level required.

Figures 2 and 3 relate to a case study of an exemplary method variant. Similar examples could be created for process variants with different numbers of feeds and also for process variants without a main product feed or with more than one main product feed.

FIG. 4 shows the functional principle of a device with which the three essential process steps of feed control, feed buffering and controlled delivery can be carried out, for example. It is a further development of the endlessly circulating piece goods transport device, which is described in US Pat. 4'887'809 (F245) by the same applicant and which is assumed to be known here. This has a number of drivers 42.1 / 2/3... Which rotate in an endless guide 41 and are coupled to one another by means of a towing connection and are driven at two points on the guide 41 by a separately controllable drive device 43 and 44. Because the towing connection between the drivers 42.1 / 2/3 .... is an elastically shortenable and extendable spring element, the drivers on the guide 41 can have different distances, and because the two drives 43 and 44 are largely controlled independently of one another, Different numbers of drivers can be positioned at different times on the two parts 41.1 and 41.2 of the guide 41 delimited by the drives.

The drive 43 functions as the controlled delivery drive (reference number 13 in the previous figures). It moves a driver into a delivery position 45 when it is active according to the control data (third table in FIG. 3). In the delivery position 45, the driver is opened and the product that it carries is transferred to the grouping section 10. The next time the controlled delivery is active, the driver is moved against the guide part 41.1, on which there are only empty drivers.

The drive 44 serves as a takeover drive from any feed device 50, for example a feeder. In a takeover position 46, the driver grips a product from the feed. Shortly after the take-over position, the feed control 11 is arranged, which determines whether the passing driver is carrying a product or not. The takeover can additionally be provided with a takeover control 47. The takeover control 47 checks whether a driver in the takeover position takes over a product or not. If this is the case, the drive 44 is activated and the next driver is moved into the takeover position, if not, the takeover drive remains passive until the driver has taken over a product. With such an arrangement, feed errors (gaps in the feed stream) can already be largely eliminated at the takeover position, so that only errors that have escaped the takeover control and those that only arise between takeover point 46 and feed control 11 are registered for controlling the grouping have to.

From the takeover point 46, the driver, if he has taken over a product, is conveyed to the guide part 41.2, which serves as a buffer space.

The speed of the delivery drive 43 is primarily determined by the timing of the grouping. Whether it is active or passive is determined by the control data generated for it (example: Figure 3 third table). The control of the takeover drive 44 is coupled to the control of the feed 50, so that both work in the same cycle. Takeover drive 44 and feeder 50 are controlled with respect to feed performance (speed or operation / standstill) in accordance with the fill level of the buffer space concerned. Furthermore, the takeover drive 44 can be switched to active or passive in accordance with the data supplied by the takeover control 47.

Central data processing is used to determine the control data for the drives 43 and 44 and the feed 50, as has already been described in connection with FIG. 1a. The control of the takeover drive 44 according to the data of the takeover control 47 can also be taken over by this data processing. The data processing unit and the corresponding data lines are not shown in FIG. 4.

Sensors are used for the feed control 11 and the transfer control 47. These can be optical sensors or mechanical buttons.

It is also conceivable for a device according to FIG. 4 to be switched on in the main product stream 1 (FIG. 1b) before the feed control 11.1, it then primarily serving to close gaps in this stream.

FIG. 5 shows, in the same manner of representation as FIGS. 1a and 1b, the process scheme on which the device for grouping printed products of FIGS. 6a and 6b is based. This is again a grouping with main product 1, to which products 2 to 9 are grouped. Products 2 to 9 are grouped into two sub-groups 2-5 and 6-9 in pre-groupings 10.1 and 10.2, which work exactly in the same way as the process variant described in connection with FIG. 1a. The two sub-groups 2-5 and 6-9 are then grouped on a main grouping route 10.3 to the main product.

FIGS. 6a and 6b show an exemplary embodiment of a device for carrying out the method according to the invention as an elevation (FIG. 6a) and as a plan (FIG. 6b). It is essentially a device for carrying out the method variant according to FIG. 5.

The function of the main grouping section 10.3 is taken over by an insertion drum 61, into which a main product stream 1 of, for example, folded newspapers runs. Product sub-groups are fed into these newspapers from winding stations 62 (not visible in the elevation) and / or feeders 63 (only partially visible in the elevation).

The product streams from the feeders 63.2 to 63.5 are each led via a device according to FIG. 4 (labeled 64.2 to 64.5 in the elevation) to a sub-grouping section 10.1, from where they are transported as a group stream 2-5 to the insertion drum 61. Optionally, feeders 63.4 and 63.5 can also be replaced by a feed from winding stations 62.1 and 62.2. The product flows from the investors 63.6 to 63.9 run like the product flows from the other investors via devices according to FIG. 4 (64.6 to 64.9) onto a sub-grouping section 10.2 and from there as a group stream 6-9 into the insertion drum 61. The sub-grouping sections 10.1 and 10.2 consist, for example, of round trips with clamps which are designed in such a way that they can successively take over a number of products and deliver them as a group.

Folded newspapers A, B, C, D ...., which contain a predetermined selection of inserts 2 to 9, run out of the insertion drum.

The device for grouping printed products described in connection with FIGS. 6a and 6b can be expanded or reduced as desired, as a result of which the number of products that can be grouped becomes larger or smaller.

Claims (11)

1. Method for producing groups comprising individual, different types of flat articles in a group-specific composition, the articles being supplied in a plurality of continuous flows of in each case similar articles to a grouping segment (10), where the groups are produced by successive bringing together of individual, different types of articles, characterized in that the flows (1,2,3) of similar articles entering the process and before issuing into the grouping segment are passed through in each case one supply control (11), which detects deficiencies in the supply, that at least part of the supplied flows following the supply control (11) are passed to a controlled delivery (13), which are controlled in accordance with the specific composition of the group to be produced and according to the detected supply deficiencies and that the articles are buffer stored in a supply buffer (12) between the supply control (11) and controlled delivery (13).
2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the articles are printed products.
3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the supply capacity and therefore the filling level of the buffer spaces is controlled in such a way that at the start of the formation of a group all the articles necessary for the group have passed through the supply control (11) and that in the case of supply deficiencies relating to a group the formation of the corresponding group is displaced by one cycle.
4. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that by means of a central data processing means (14) with access to a data bank (15) containing the group compositions and to the control data of the supply controls from said data are produced control data for the controlled delivery (13) and for the supplies to the buffer stores (12).
5. Method according to claim 4, characterized in that upstream of the supply control (11) a takeover control is performed in which gaps in the supply flows are closed.
6. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that the takeover control is controlled by the central data processing means.
7. Method according to one of the claims 1 to 6, characterized in that a main grouping is performed as a grouping of subgroups, which are formed in pregroupings.
8. Apparatus for performing the method according to one of the claims 1 to 7, with at least two supply units (62 or 63) and at least one grouping segment (10), characterized in that between at least part of the supply units and the grouping segments are placed devices (64.1/2/3 etc.) for the supply control, for the supply buffering and for controlled delivery.
9. Apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the devices (64.1/2/3 etc.) have a plurality of grippers (42.1/2/3 etc.) on an endless guide (41), which are interconnected with a trailing connection and are moved by two substantially independently controlled drives (43,44) to the guide (41), that a supply unit is guided in the vicinity of the takeover drive (44), that the delivery drive (43) is located in the vicinity of the grouping segment (10) and that in the gripper movement direction shortly downstream of the takeover drive is located a sensor, which records whether or not the passing gripper carries products.
10. Apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that the devices (64.1/2/3 etc.) also have sensors in the vicinity of the takeover point (46), which records whether or not a gripper has taken over a product.
11. Apparatus according to one of the claims 9 or 10, characterized in that it comprises a data processing unit (14), which is linked with the sensors and controls of the drives of the devices (64.1/2/3/4 etc.) and with the controls of the supplies by means of data lines.

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