EP0518064B1 - Method and apparatus for handling of printed products - Google Patents

Abstract

The individually controllable grippers (14) are partially opened as soon as the leading, open edge (30) of the folded printed product (24) in question reaches the region of the alignment device (28). The printed products (24) slide in the mouth (22) in the direction of the arrow (F) until the open edge (30) strikes an alignment cam (38). The alignment cams (38) are driven so as to rotate at a slightly slower speed than that of the grippers (14), so that the printed products (24) are once again pushed towards the inside of the mouth (22), for alignment. As soon as the open side edge (30) has reached the end of the alignment device (28), the corresponding alignment cam (38) leaves the edge (30) and the gripper (14) in question is closed, to convey the aligned printed product (24) further. <IMAGE>

Description

6. The present invention relates to a method and a device for processing printed products, such as newspapers, magazines or parts thereof, according to the preamble of claims 1 and 6, respectively.

A method and a device of this type are known from EP-A-0 208 081 or the corresponding US-A-4,684,116 and US-A-4,684,117. The eccentrically folded printed products are held by individually controllable grippers of a conveying device during the folding and transported with a leading, open edge area opposite the fold with a conveying direction that runs obliquely from top to bottom. Below the conveying device there is an opening device with controllable opening grippers arranged on two traction elements rotating in parallel to one another. In order to bring the edge area into the effective area of the opening gripper, the corresponding gripper is briefly opened, so that the printed product with the product part below it slides into the mouth of the opening gripper. The part of the product now held by the opening gripper in the edge area is moved away from the overhead, non-held part of the product when the pulling element is deflected by a deflecting wheel transversely to the conveying direction. Between the product parts, which are partially lifted off from each other in this way, a collecting conveyor is inserted from below, onto which the printed product falls astride when the gripper is opened.

If printed products are transported by means of conveyors with individually controllable grippers, the position of each printed product with respect to the gripper in question is determined by the position of the printed product when it is gripped by the gripper. The printed products therefore often have different positions with regard to their grippers. For the further processing of the printed products, however, it can be important that all printed products are in a precisely defined position.

From CH-PS 667 859 a device for opening printed products with a fold is known. When folding, the printed products are held against rotation by the grippers of a conveying device and compressed using a pusher that acts on an end region of the fold. An opening strip is inserted between the halves of the printed products emanating from the compressed fold, which is moved to lift the two halves from one another from the area of the fold, along the relevant side edge of the printed products, to the area of the open side edge opposite the fold. In order to keep the printed products twist-proof, the grippers each have two independently controllable clamping fingers and a clamping jaw acting together with both clamping fingers. In order to open the printed products completely, the clamping finger closer to the pusher is moved into its open position and the printed product in question is inclined by the action of the pusher on the fold in order to insert the open edges of one half of the printed product into a circumferential opening cam. The printed product half held by the opening cam is then deflected in order to be lifted off in regions from the other half, so that a saddle-shaped support of a collecting drum can move between the two halves. By opening the other clamping finger, the printed product falls astride the saddle-shaped pad. With the known device, the printed products cannot be aligned for subsequent further processing because the opened printed products deform under the action of the pusher.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to propose a method for the precise positioning of printed products with respect to controllable grippers by means of which they are transported and to create a corresponding device.

This object is achieved by a method which has the features of the characterizing part of claim 1 and a device which has the features of the characterizing part of claim 6.

The printed products remain in the gripper's mouth during alignment and are then transported on by the same gripper. For alignment, the printed products are brought into contact with a straightening means with the edge which determines the position for the further processing of the printed products.

Such straightening of the printed products is particularly advantageous if the printed products are fed to an opening device which, for opening, detects a part of the printed product in the region of the edge, according to which the printed products were previously aligned. This ensures reliable opening of every printed product.

Since the position of the printed products after the straightening is precisely defined with respect to the grippers, the further processing station, such as the opening device, can be connected at an arbitrary distance downstream of the straightening device.

Preferred developments of the method according to the invention and preferred embodiments of the device according to the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

Figur 1

in Ansicht ein Teil einer Fördereinrichtung mit einer unterhalb dieser angeordneten Richteinrichtung und einer Oeffnungseinrichtung; und

Figuren 2 und 3

in Seitenansicht einen ein zu richtendes Druckereiprodukt haltenden Greifer der Fördereinrichtung im Bereich der Richteinrichtung;

Die Fördereinrichtung 10 weist an einem in der Figur 1 strichpunktiert angedeuteten, endlosen und in Förderrichtung F umlaufend angetriebenen Zugorgan 12, in einem festen Abstand A hintereinander angeordnete, einzeln steuerbare Greifer 14 auf. Derartige Fördereinrichtungen 10 sind allgemein bekannt und beispielsweise in der CH-PS 644 816 bzw. der entsprechenden US-PS 4,381,056 ausführlich beschrieben. Was die genaue Ausbildungsform der Fördereinrichtung 10 und der Greifer 14 betrifft, wird deshalb ausdrücklich auf diese Dokumente verwiesen.The present invention will now be described with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawing. It shows purely schematically:

Figure 1

in view a part of a conveyor with a straightening device arranged below it and an opening device; and

Figures 2 and 3

a side view of a gripper of the conveying device holding a printed product to be straightened in the area of the straightening device;

The conveyor device 10 has an individually controllable gripper 14 which is arranged at a fixed distance A on an endless traction element 12 which is indicated by dash-dotted lines in FIG. 1 and is driven in rotation in the conveying direction F. Such conveyors 10 are generally known and are described in detail, for example, in CH-PS 644 816 and the corresponding US-PS 4,381,056. With regard to the precise design of the conveyor 10 and the gripper 14, reference is therefore expressly made to these documents.

Each of the grippers 14 has a jaw 22 delimited by a clamping jaw 18 and a clamping finger 20 cooperating therewith, in which a folded printed product 24 such as a magazine, a newspaper, parts thereof or the like in the area of the conveyor-effective path of the conveyor device 10 Fold 26 is held. The conveying direction F runs obliquely downwards in the region of a straightening device 28 arranged below the conveying device 10, and the grippers 14 transport the printed products 24 in a hanging position so that the open side edge 30 of each printed product 24 opposite the fold 26 is leading in relation to the fold 26 . In this case, the printing products 24 slide with their leading end region onto guide rods 32 which are lateral with respect to the conveying device 10 and which run approximately parallel to the conveying direction F, as is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

The straightening device 28 has between the guide rods 32 two parallel and, seen in the conveying direction F, laterally spaced chain rotations 34, 34 'with one another on the endless chains 36 at a fixed distance B arranged as straightening cams 38, 39. The chains 36 are guided around chain sprockets 40 (indicated by dash-dotted lines) (FIG. 1), which are spaced apart approximately in the conveying direction F and which are mounted on a schematically indicated frame 42 in such a way that the upper run 36 'facing the conveying device 10 is at a small distance runs below the guide rods 32, so that the printed products 24 are bent slightly upward in the lateral end regions of the leading open edge 30 to improve stability, as can be seen particularly well from FIGS. 2 and 3.

The distance B between successive straightening cams 38 is somewhat smaller than the distance A between successive grippers 14. The upper chain wheels 40 shown in FIG. 1 are above a chain drive 44, indicated only by dash-dotted lines, with a generally known drive (not shown) for the traction element 12 of the conveyor device 10 in drive connection such that the conveying speed v1 of the conveying device 10 to the speed v2 of the directional cams 38 is proportional to the ratio of the distance A to the distance B. The straightening cams 38 move in the area of the upper directionally effective strand 36 'in the conveying direction F and the synchronization between the straightening device 28 and the conveying device 10 is set such that, viewed in the conveying direction F, a straightening cam 38 arriving at the end of the strand 36' the gripper 14 assigned to it has a predetermined target distance. An assigned gripper 14 is understood to be that gripper 14 which transports the printed product 24 which, with its leading open edge 30, bears against the relevant straightening cams 38 of the two chain runs 34, 34 '.

The grippers 14 can be controlled by means of a control device 46, which is described in detail below, such that when a printed product 24 with its leading edge 30 is in the region of the upper run 36 ', its mouth 22 partially opens, so that the printed product 24 in question is under its own weight slides forward in the direction of conveyance F and comes to rest against the relevant directional cams 38 of the two chain circuits 34, 34 '. The printed product 24 in the mouth 22 moves towards the outside, but without disengaging, as shown in FIG. 1 on the second rear gripper, seen in the conveying direction F. Since the straightening cams 38 are now moving at the speed v2, which is slightly lower than the conveying speed v1, the printed product 24 in question is again pushed towards the inside of the mouth 22 until the straightening cams 38 have reached the end of the run 36 ' and are steered around the lower sprockets 40 from the area affected by the printed products 24. Shortly before the straightening cams 38 run from the open edge 30 of the printed product 24, the gripper 14 in question is closed again in order to feed the now aligned printed product 24 in the conveying direction F for further processing. Each printed product 24 leaving the straightening device 28 thus has a precisely defined position relative to the gripper 14.

In order to align the printed products 24 with their open leading edge 30 exactly at right angles to the conveying direction F, the corresponding directional cams 38 of the two chain rotors 34, 34 'are aligned such that they lie on a line running at right angles to the conveying direction F, as shown in FIG. 2 . If, on the other hand, the open edge 30 is to be aligned obliquely to the conveying direction F, the straightening cams 38 of the two chain runs 34, 34 'are mutually offset in the conveying direction F, as shown in FIG. 3. As seen in the conveying direction F, the corner 48 ′ formed by the open edge 30 and the left side edge 48 of the printed product 24 is leading.

The directional printed products 24 are fed by the conveying device 10 to an opening device 50 which is arranged at a distance from the straightening device 28. In the area between the straightening device 28 and the opening device 50, guide means 52 for the leading open edges 30 and the adjoining areas of the printed products 24 are provided. The guide means 52 comprise a guide plate 52 'and can additionally have a ribbon 56 which is guided over the guide plate 52' and around the opening roller 54 of the opening device 50 and a deflection roller, which is not shown in FIG.

Controllable opening cams 58 are arranged in a known manner along the circumference of the opening roller 54, the peripheral speed v3 of the opening roller 54 coinciding with the conveying speed v1 of the conveying device 10 (v1 = v3), and the mutual phase position of the conveying device 10 and the opening roller 54 is set such that the leading open edge 30 of each printed product 24 comes into the effective range of an opening cam 58. The opening cams 58 each grasp the lower half 24 'of the printed product 24 facing the opening roller 54 and hold it in the region of the open edge 30 on the opening roller 54, so that the upper, undetected half 24' is deflected around the opening roller 54. 'of the printed product 24 starting from the open edge 30 stands out from the detected half 24'. A hold-open pin 60, which is arranged on a pulling element 62 which is driven in the direction of rotation C and is indicated by dash-dotted lines, moves between the printed product halves 24 ', 24''from below against the direction of rotation of the opening roller 54, the pulling element 62 viewed in the conveying direction F, the opening roller 54 is subsequently guided approximately parallel to the conveying device 10 in order to keep the opened printed products 24 open during further transport. As soon as the hold-open pin 60 is inserted between the printed product halves 24 ′, 24 ″, the opening cam 58 in question releases the captured half 24 ′ of the printed product 24.

It is entirely conceivable that the opening device 50 is arranged laterally offset with respect to the conveying device 10 in order to open the printed products 24 on one side. In this case, of course, the tension element 62 is guided on the side of the printed products on which these are opened. In the case of printed products 24 oriented obliquely in the straightening device 28, as shown in FIG. 3, the opening roller 54 is preferably located in the region of the leading corner 48 'in order to open the printed products 24 in the region of this corner 48'.

The separation of the straightening device 28 from the opening device 40 leads to a clear construction and simplifies the adjustment of the straightening device 28 and opening device 50 to different formats of the printed products 24. If the length of the printed products 24 changes in the direction perpendicular to the fold 26, only the phase position is to adapt between the grippers 14 and the directional cams 38 and, if appropriate, the opening cams 58.

As can be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3, the pulling element 12 is a generally known link chain with arms 68 which is guided in a C-shaped, self-contained rail 64 with rollers 66 and which extends in the longitudinal direction of the rail 64 Penetrate the slot of the rail 64 and are arranged at a distance A (center distance) from one another. A gripper 14 is arranged on each boom 68 so as to be pivotable about an axis 70 running at right angles to the conveying direction F. The rigidly designed clamping jaw 18, which can be pivoted about this axis 70, has a bearing roller 72 which is rotatable and is eccentric with respect to the axis 70 and which cooperates with a position link 74. The clamping finger 20, which is designed as a leaf spring, is fastened with its inner end to a shaft 76 which can be rotated about the axis 70, and from this shaft 76 a cranked control lever 78 projects on the side facing away from the bearing roller 72, and a control roller 80 is rotatably mounted on its free end is. This control roller 80 interacts with a closing link 82, which is only indicated schematically in FIG. A locking lever 84 is also pivotally mounted on the clamping jaw 18 and has a locking lug on the control lever, not shown in the figures 78 cooperates and can be transferred from the locking position into a release position by means of an indicated opening gate 86. In the closed position of the grippers 14, the clamping finger 20 is prestressed against the clamping jaw 18 and these are locked against one another via the locking lever 84 and the latching lug. In this state, the grippers 14, together with the printed product 24 held in the mouth 22, can be freely pivoted about the axis 70, insofar as the positional link 74 and possibly the closing link 82 permit this.

When a gripper 14 is moved in the conveying direction F against the straightening device 28, the bearing roller 72 rolls along the position link 74 and the control roller 80 runs onto the closing link 82. By pivoting the locking lever 84 through the opening link 86, the mutual locking of the clamping jaw 18 and the clamping finger 20 is released, but the mouth 22 of the gripper 14 does not yet open, since the opposing position link 74 and closing link 82 still pre-tension the clamping finger 20 press against the jaw 18. Via the closing link 82, the clamping finger 20 is now relieved to such an extent that the pretension in the direction against the clamping jaw 18 is released and the clamping jaw 18 only acts on the printed product 24 held in the mouth 22 with its weight acting at the free end, which now acts through Dead weight in mouth 22 slips outwards until its leading open edge 30 comes into contact with the corresponding straightening cams 38 of straightening device 28. To subsequently close the grippers 14, which are not fully open, the action of the closing link 82 on the control roller 80 pivots the shaft 76 clockwise (FIG. 1) until the locking lug on the control lever 78 engages again on the locking lever 84. This is the case at the latest when the open side edge 30 is released by the directional cams 38. The control device 46, which includes the positional backdrop 74, the closing backdrop 82 and the opening backdrop 86, thus ensures in the region of the straightening facility 28 that the grippers 14 are opened and closed only partially, and that the grippers 14 are held in the desired position.

In FIG. 2, a shifting means 90 is indicated by dash-dotted lines, which can be, for example, a perforated belt which is connected to a vacuum source and is driven in a rotating manner in the conveying direction F. This serves to urge the printed products 24 to be straightened against the straightening cams 38. Such displacement means 90 may be necessary if light printed products are to be processed or if the conveying direction F runs approximately in the horizontal direction.

To incline the printed products 24, it is also conceivable to provide grippers which have two spaced apart, individually controllable clamping fingers; only one chain runout is to be provided in the straightening device 28, the chain runout 34 in FIG. In this case, to incline a printed product 24, only one clamping finger, preferably that closer to the chain concentric 34, is opened and the printed product 24 is brought into contact with a straightening cam of the chain concentric 34 by rotating around the clamping point of the other clamping finger.

It is also conceivable for one conveyor and one Straightening device, as shown in Figure 1, to move the grippers counter to the conveying direction F and to drive the chain rotations in a clockwise direction. The distance B between the straightening cams would have to be chosen larger than the distance A between the grippers and to drive the chain runs correspondingly faster than the grippers. As soon as the printed products with their now trailing open edge are in the area of the straightening device, the gripper in question is partially opened so that the printed product slides onto the straightening cams to the system. The straightening cams now push the printing product in question towards the inside of the mouth until the open side edge with respect to the gripper in question has reached the correct position when the end of the straightening device has been reached. By closing the grippers, the directional printed products are conveyed further.

Of course, it is also conceivable to open the grippers completely for straightening the printed products or to provide other grippers.

Particularly when the conveying direction is horizontal, the printed products in the mouth of the grippers do not move towards the outside, but they are pushed towards the inside of the grippers for positioning in the gripper.

Claims (15)

1. A method for processing printed products such as newspapers, periodicals or parts thereof, wherein the printed products (24) are conveyed with a first edge (26) extending transversely to their conveyance direction (F) held by the mouth (22) of individually controllable grippers (14) moved at a conveyance speed (v1) of a conveyor device (10), are displaced in the mouth (22) with an at least partial opening of the grippers (14) and are brought to bear with the second edge (30) lying opposite the first edge (26) on alignment means (39) driven approximately in the conveyance direction (F), and are carried forward by the subsequent closing of the grippers (14); characterized in that, for being positioned in the gripper (14), the printed products (24) are pushed by the alignment means (39) in the direction towards the inside of the mouth (22) of the grippers (14) before the grippers (14) are closed, which alignment means are driven at a slower speed (v2) relative to the conveyance speed (v1) if the second edge (30) is leading with respect to the first edge (26), and at a higher speed (v2) if the second edge (30) is trailing.
2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that, as the grippers (14) are being opened, the printed products (24) slide by virtue of their own weight to come to bear on the alignment means (39), or are urged to bear on the alignment means (39) by the action of a displacement means (90).
3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the printed products (24) are conveyed in a suspended position, preferably with a conveyance direction (F) extending obliquely upwards or obliquely downwards, and come to bear with their lower second edge (30) on the alignment means (39), as the grippers (14) are being opened.
4. A method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the printed products (24) come to bear with their second edges (30) respectively on two alignment dogs (38) which are interspaced from each other transversely to the conveyance direction (F), in which arrangement the latter are disposed on a line extending at right angles to the conveyance direction (F), or are offset with respect to each other in the conveyance direction (F) for placing the printed products (24) into a slanting position.
5. A method according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the previously folded printed products (24) are held for their conveyance by the grippers (14) in the zone of their fold (26), and are carried forward after having been positioned, and are fed with their open edge (30) lying on the opposite side to the fold (26) to an opening device (50).
6. An apparatus for processing printed products such as newspapers, periodicals or parts thereof, with a conveyor device (10) with individually controllable grippers (14) moved in the conveyance direction (F) and at a conveyance speed (v1), whose mouth (22) is designed for holding the printed products (24) at a first edge (26) extending transversely to the conveyance direction (F), with a control device (46) for the transitory at least partial opening of the grippers (14), and an alignment device (28) arranged beneath the conveyor device (10) with alignment means (39) driven approximately in the conveyance direction (F), against which the printed products (24) can be brought to bear with their second edge (30) lying opposite the first edge (26), while the grippers (14) are at least partly opened, in which arrangement the grippers (14) can be closed again after the printed products (24) have been aligned with a displacement in the mouth (22) for their onward carriage; characterized in that the alignment means (39) are driven at a different speed (v2) relative to the conveyance speed (v1), in which arrangement this speed (v2) is slower if the alignment means (39) are leading with respect to the grippers (14), and faster than the conveyance speed (v1) if the alignment means (39) are trailing, in order to position the printed products (24) in the opened grippers (14) by pushing them in the direction towards the inside of the mouth (22), relative to the grippers (14).
7. An apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the conveyor device (10) has a plurality of grippers (14) arranged at a fixed interspacing (A) one after the other and being driven in circulation, and the alignment device (28) has several alignment means (39) each cooperating with one gripper (14).
8. An apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the alignment means (39) have alignment dogs (38) arranged on a pull member (34, 34') that is driven in circulation.
9. An apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that provision is made for two pull members (34, 34'), that are parallel to each other and are interspaced from each other at right angles to the conveyance direction (F), with alignment dogs (38), in which arrangement the pull members (34, 34') can be driven in such a way that the alignment dogs (38) corresponding to each other are disposed on a line extending at right angles to the conveyance direction (F), or are offset with respect to each other in the conveyance direction (F), for placing the printed products (24) into a slanting position.
10. An apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that if the alignment dogs (38) lead in the conveyance direction (F) relative to the grippers (14), the distance (B) between successive alignment dogs (38) is smaller than the distance (A) between the grippers (14); and that the alignment dogs (38) are driven at a speed (v2) that is slower than that of the grippers (14) in such a way that the distance between the grippers (14) concerned and the alignment dogs (38), as viewed in the conveyance direction (F), corresponds at the end of the alignment device (28) to a desired distance corresponding to the positioning of the printed products (24).
11. An apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that, if the alignment dogs (38) trail in the conveyance direction (F) relative to the grippers, the distance (B) between successive alignment dogs (38) is greater than the distance (A) between the grippers (14); and that the alignment dogs (38) are driven at a speed (v2) that is faster than that of the grippers (14) in such a way that the distance between the grippers (14) concerned and the alignment dogs (38), as viewed in the conveyance direction, corresponds at the end of the alignment device (28) to a desired distance corresponding to the positioning of the printed products (24).
12. An apparatus according to one of claims 6 to 11, characterized in that the grippers (14) are designed for gripping folded printed products (24) in the zone of their fold (26); and that the alignment device (28) is followed by an opening device (50), preferably at a distance therefrom to which the printed products (24) can be fed with their open edge (30) lying opposite the fold (26).
13. An apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that the opening device (50) has opening dogs (58) driven at a different speed relative to the conveyance speed (v1) of the grippers (14), into the active zone of which opening device the open edges (30) can be brought because of these different speeds, and which dogs are intended for the gripping of a part (24') of each printed product (24).
14. An apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that the printed products (24) can be fed to the opening device (50) with their open edge (30) leading; that the opening dogs (58) can be driven at a speed that is slower relative to the conveyance speed (v1); and that, between the alignment device (28) and the opening device (50), provision is made for a guide means (52) for the leading edges (30) of the printed products (24).
15. An apparatus according to one of claims 6 to 14, characterized by displacement means (90) for bringing the printed products (24) to bear on the alignment means (39), while the grippers (14) are at least partly open.

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