EP0618138B1 - Device for manufacturing tubular portable packages of printed products - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a device for producing portable, tubular packages, each from at least one printed product, in particular a newspaper or magazine, and a holding element, according to the preamble of claim 1.

A device having the features of the preamble of claim 1 is known from US-A-4,748,793. It has a stub shaft which can be rotated about its longitudinal axis and from which two fingers protrude in the axial direction. The longitudinal axes of the fingers are located in an axis plane together with the horizontal axis of rotation running between them. At a standstill, this runs in the vertical direction, so that the printed product to be processed can be inserted between the fingers by hand in an approximately horizontal direction. The printed product, a newspaper, is brought into contact with its edge opposite the fold against a stop parallel to the longitudinal axis, so that on the other side of the axis plane the printed product protrudes over the fingers with a narrow edge area. A counter element is arranged below the fingers and has pressure rollers running parallel to the axis of rotation. To roll the printed product, the fingers are rotated about the axis of rotation, so that after half a turn the printed product is bent around the one finger facing the counter element and with its, facing the fold End region lies flat on the top of the part of the printed product facing the stop. When turning further, these two adjacent product areas are then bent around the other finger and then the remaining part of the printed product is rolled up while turning the fingers further. A delivery device for feeding a film-like holding element is located above the fingers. This has a pivotably mounted feed arm which introduces the edge section of a film web unwound from a supply roll into the gap between the mutually facing parts of the printed product, which has already been partially rolled. The film web is then rolled up together with the printed product, a desired tensile stress being built up and maintained in the film via a pair of dancer rolls. After the newspaper has been rolled up, the roll is further wrapped with the film web and when the feed arm is swung back, the film web is severed by means of a heating wire, so that the rolled-up end section forms a sleeve for the printed product. To separate the finished package from the fingers, the pressure rollers, which press the newspaper against the fingers when rolling, are pivoted away from the package and this is pulled off the winding mandrel in the axial direction by hand. This known device requires manual operation and a considerable amount of time to produce the package.

EP-A-0 313 781 and the corresponding US-A-4,909,015 disclose a device for rolling up printed products resulting in scale formation and wrapping the rolled-up printed products with a film-like holding element to form a portable package known. By means of a belt conveyor, the printed products are fed in a scale formation to a winding point, where they are wound onto a winding mandrel by means of a looping belt. A delivery device for the film web opens into the feed path of the printed products from below. The film web runs from a rotatably supported supply roll around a stationary deflection roll to a conveyor roll driven in the start / stop mode. Between this and the feed path of the printed products there is a continuously rotating conveyor belt on which the film web rests in some areas in order to tension it and keep it under tension. Furthermore, a weight roller bears against the film web between the supply roll and the deflection roller in order to keep the film web taut. When the printed products are fed to the winding mandrel, the end area of the scale formation is given the film web at essentially the same speed as the conveying speed by connecting the conveying roller to the drive. A heating wire then cuts through the film web, so that the separated section, after being rolled up, wraps around the wound printed products in order to hold the package together and to protect it against environmental influences. The finished package is then pushed off the winding mandrel by means of an ejector. This known device is designed for rolling up printed products resulting in scale formation.

EP-A-0 474 999 and EP-A-0 474 999 respectively disclose further devices for winding up printed products resulting in scale formation and enveloping the rolled-up printed products with a holding element corresponding US-A-5,101,610 and EP-A-0 243 906 or the corresponding US-A-No. 4,811,548 known.

A device for rolling up a single printed product together with a film-like holding element to form a tubular portable package is described in the older EP-A-0 568 844. This has a slotted winding mandrel, so that the fingers thus formed are insignificantly further apart than the thickness of the printed product to be wound up. This is inserted in a horizontal direction between the fingers by means of a belt conveyor, with the printed product being given a section of a film web which engages around the leading edge of the printed product and protrudes beyond the trailing edge. The printed product is inserted into the gap until the leading edge is at the end of the gap. The winding mandrel rests on a belt conveyor arrangement, which acts as a counter element when the winding mandrel is rotated and bends the printed product around one finger and then presses against the outside of the winding mandrel during rolling. As soon as the section of the holding element protruding over the trailing edge of the printed product is wound up, the winding mandrel is extended in the axial direction from the package formed in this way and the package is conveyed away by the belt conveyor arrangement being driven further and a belt-type pressing device resting on the package being stopped.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a generic device which is suitable for automatic operation and which has a large processing capacity having.

This object is achieved with a device which has the features in claim 1.

The device according to the present invention is particularly suitable for processing newspapers or magazines that are packed individually or in a few copies ready for dispatch. It is particularly suitable for processing single, multi-leaf, thick printed products. However, it is also suitable for processing single, thin printed products or some thin printed products lying congruently on top of one another. The printed products are introduced one by one or congruently one above the other by means of a conveyor between two fingers, so that they are arranged approximately symmetrically to the axis of rotation. Two opposing elements approximately opposite each other with respect to the axis of rotation interact with the fingers when the fingers and opposing elements are rotated relative to one another in order to bend each half of the printed product around one of the fingers. With these measures, only a few turns of the fingers are necessary to bring the printed product into the tubular shape. The fingers are preferably spaced apart from one another to such an extent that the printed product brought into the tubular shape has an approximately S-shaped cross section. In order to keep the printed product in the tubular shape, a holding element is attached to the printed product. It can be a film-like wrapping element which completely surrounds the printed product on the circumference in order to also protect it against environmental influences. But it is also possible to do that in to tie or grasp the tubular shape of the printed product.

Particularly preferred embodiments of the device according to the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

Claims 9 to 11 relate to an embodiment of the device according to the invention with a particularly suitable delivery device for a film-like holding element which is conveyed at a certain speed and then pulled at a higher speed.

Fig. 1

in Ansicht eine Vorrichtung zum Verarbeiten von Druckereiprodukten mit einer Einrichtung zum Herstellen von tragbaren rohrartigen Paketen und einer Einrichtung zum Bilden von Bündeln aus mehrerer dieser Pakete;

Fig. 2

in Seitenansicht und weiter vereinfacht die Einrichtung gemäss Fig. 1;

Fig. 3

bezüglich Fig. 1 vergrössert und teilweise geschnitten die Einrichtung zum Herstellen der tragbaren, rohrartigen Pakete;

Fig. 4

in Seitenansicht und teilweise geschnitten die Antriebseinrichtung zum Verschieben der Finger in axialer Richtung;

Fig. 5

in Draufsicht und teilweise geschnitten einen Teil der Einrichtung gemäss Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 bis 8

den in der Fig. 5 mit VI bezeichnete Bereich vergrössert, zu verschiedenen Zeitpunkten eines Arbeitszyklus;

Fig. 9 bis 16

stark vereinfacht die Einrichtung gemäss Fig. 3 zu acht verschiedenen Zeitpunkten eines Arbeitszyklus;

Fig. 17

in perspektivischer Darstellung das mit der Einrichtung gemäss Fig. 3 bis 16 hergestellte Paket;

Fig. 18

in perspektivischer Darstellung einen Teil eines Druckereiprodukts und des Halteelementes, das seitlich über das Druckereiprodukt vorsteht; und

Fig. 19 und 20

in Ansicht, teilweise geschnitten und bezüglich Fig. 1 vergrössert die Liefereinrichtung für das folienartige Halteelement, wobei Fig. 19 den oberen und Fig. 20 den unteren Teil zeigt.

The present invention will now be described with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawing. It shows purely schematically:

Fig. 1

in view an apparatus for processing printed products with a device for producing portable tubular packages and a device for forming bundles from several of these packages;

Fig. 2

in side view and further simplified the device of FIG. 1;

Fig. 3

1 enlarged and partially cut the device for producing the portable, tubular packages;

Fig. 4

in side view and partially cut the drive device for moving the fingers in the axial direction;

Fig. 5

in plan view and partially sectioned part of the device according to FIG. 4;

6 to 8

the area designated VI in FIG. 5 enlarged at different points in time of a working cycle;

9 to 16

greatly simplifies the device according to FIG. 3 at eight different points in time of a working cycle;

Fig. 17

in perspective the package produced with the device according to FIGS. 3 to 16;

Fig. 18

a perspective view of part of a printed product and the holding element, which protrudes laterally over the printed product; and

19 and 20

in view, partially in section and with respect to FIG. 1, the delivery device for the film-like holding element is enlarged, FIG. 19 showing the upper part and FIG. 20 the lower part.

1 and 2 show a package manufacturing device 12 which is arranged in a machine frame 10 and which consists of printed products fed by means of a conveyor device 14 16 and film-like holding elements 20 delivered by a delivery device 18 forms portable, tubular packages.

A first stacking shaft 22 of a stacking device is arranged below the packet-making device 12, into which the packets 20 are dropped by the packet-making device 12. Below the first stacking shaft 22 there is a second stacking shaft 24, to which the packages 20 collected in the first stacking shaft 22 are transferred. An ejector 26 is assigned to the second stacking shaft 24, by means of which the packets 20 are pushed out of the second stacking shaft 24 and fed to a banding device 28. This wraps a band 30 around the packages 20 so that together with the band 30 they form a stable bundle 32 that is suitable for transport and is easy to handle.

The packet manufacturing device 12 is described in more detail below. For the moment, it is sufficient to know that individual printed products 16 or a few congruent superimposed printed products 16 are folded in an S-shape and are wrapped with a film-like holding element 34 to form a portable, tubular package 20, as shown in FIG. 17. The parcel manufacturing device 12 outputs such parcels 20 one after the other and drops them from above into the first stacking shaft 22, the longitudinal extent of all parcels 20 running in the same direction,

The first stacking shaft 22 is delimited by two fork-like stacking shaft walls 36, which at their upper end are pivotally mounted about horizontal axes 38. The horizontal axes 38 run parallel to one another and in the direction of the longitudinal extent of the packages 20 supplied by the package manufacturing device 12. The tines 36 'forming the stacking shaft walls 36 are each bent at the lower end of the stacking shaft wall 36 in the direction towards the other stacking shaft wall 36, so that they simultaneously the Form the bottom 40 of the first stacking shaft 22. The tines 36 'can be pivoted by means of a cylinder-piston unit 42 from a stacking position 44 indicated by solid lines in FIG. 1 about the horizontal axes 38 away from one another into an emptying position 44' indicated by dash-dotted lines. In stacking position 44 ', the first stacking shaft 22 is closed at the bottom by the parts of the tines 36' forming the bottom 40, whereas in the open position 44 'the first stacking shaft 22 is open at the bottom and the free ends of the tines 36' are approximately above the stacking shaft walls 46 of the second stacking shaft 24. These stacking shaft walls 46 and the bottom 48 of the second stacking shaft 24 are formed by stationary sheets or by roller conveyors. In the case of roller conveyors, the rollers run at right angles to the longitudinal extent of the packages 20. The packages 20 stacked in the second stacking shaft 24 are ejected from the second stacking shaft 24 by means of the ejector 26 driven in the direction of the arrow 26 '(FIG. 2), for example by means of a piston-cylinder unit, and the like Banding device 28 supplied. For the sake of clarity, this has support elements, not shown, which are aligned with the stacking shaft walls 26 and the bottom 48, in order to hold the stacked packages 20 which have not yet been banded together. The strapping device 28 is of a generally known type and wraps the band 30 around the packages 20. The bundles 32 are conveyed away from the banding device 28 for further processing by means of generally known conveying means.

The method of operation is as follows: when the tines 36 'are pivoted in the stacking position 44, the packages 20 which occur at high frequency are stacked in the first stacking shaft 22. If there are a predetermined number of packages 20 in the first stacking shaft 22, the tines 36 ′ are transferred into the emptying position 44 ′ by means of the cylinder-piston unit 42, as a result of which the packages 20 fall into the second stacking shaft 24. This takes only a short time and the tines 36 'are immediately pivoted back into the stacking position 44, so that the packages 22 which subsequently result are in turn stacked in the first stacking shaft 22. As soon as a certain number of packages 20 are again present in the first stacking shaft 22, the latter is emptied into the second stacking shaft 24 again in the same manner. While the subsequent delivered packages 20 are now stacked in the first stacking shaft 22, the second stacking shaft 24 is emptied by means of the ejector 26. If the ejector 26 is retracted into its starting position shown in FIG. 2, the first stacking shaft 22 can now be emptied into the second stacking shaft 24 again. By arranging two stacking shafts 22, 24 one above the other, sufficient time is thus available to empty the lower second stacking shaft 24 without having to interrupt the manufacture of the packages 20. Furthermore, the drop height of the packages 20 can be reduced to a minimum so that they do not lose their orientation when falling and stacking. A high reliable This guarantees processing speed.

It is of course also conceivable to replace the strapping device 28 by a generally known strapping device. It would also be possible to in turn wrap the stacked packages 20 with a film. It would also be conceivable to arrange the stacking shaft walls 36 firmly and to form the floor 40 by means of slide plates.

3 to 8, the packet manufacturing device 12 is now described in more detail. Two pairs of fingers 50 are arranged on opposite sides of a shaft 52, each on a bearing part 54 rotatably mounted on the machine frame 10. The longitudinal axes 56 ', 56' 'of all four fingers 56 run parallel to the axis of rotation 54' of the bearing parts 54 and lie together with the latter in an axis plane 58. The two fingers 56 of the pairs of fingers 50 are arranged symmetrically to the axis of rotation 54 'and delimit a gap-like opening , into which the printed product 16 to be processed can be introduced.

The rod-like fingers 56 pass through the bearing part 54 in question, are displaceable thereon in the axial direction, but are mounted so as to be fixed in the rotational direction. The bearing parts 54 are connected to a servo motor 62 via a toothed belt drive 60. On the side of the bearing parts 54 facing away from the shaft 52, the fingers 56 are fastened to a driving part 64, which is freely rotatable in the axial direction but connected to a displacement device 66 in a driving-proof manner. This serves to pull the fingers 56 out of the shaft 52 in the direction of the axis of rotation 54 ′ and push back into it. The fingers 56 are pulled out of the shaft 52 at high speed. To brake this movement, a braking device 68 is arranged on the side of the driving part 64 facing away from the shaft 52, which has two springs 70, 70 'arranged one behind the other in the direction of the axis of rotation 54'. These are supported with their mutually facing ends on a driving element 72 which is firmly seated on a driving shaft 74. The first spring 70 has a steeper spring characteristic than the second spring 70 ′ and is arranged on the side of the driving element 72 facing the driving part 64. A stop body 76, on which the first spring 70 is supported and which is intended to cooperate with the driving part 64, is freely movable on the driving shaft 74. The end of the second spring 70 ', which is remote from the driving element 72, is supported on a support body 78 which is also freely movable on the driving shaft 74 and which is in turn freely supported on the machine frame 10 in the direction of the axis of rotation 54' but is firmly supported.

The driving shaft 74 penetrates the driving part 64, engages in an opening in the bearing part 54 and carries at this end a driving plate 80 to which plastic sleeves 82 are fastened, which fingers 56 in turn pass through. The plastic sleeves 82 are slidably supported in the bearing part 54 in the direction of the axis of rotation 54 ', the plastic sleeves 82 protruding into the interior of the shaft 52 in their working position shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 and in their retracted position shown in FIG. 8 are withdrawn into the bearing part 54.

Furthermore, a signal body 84, for example a magnet or a wedge protruding in the radial direction, is fastened to the entraining part 64 and cooperates with a sensor 86 arranged on the machine frame 10 in order to emit a signal to a control unit (not shown) when the axis plane 58 runs in the horizontal direction (see Fig. 3).

3 and 4, the sliding device 66 has two slides 90, each mounted on a guide shaft 88, one of which is firmly connected to the upper and the other to the lower run of an endless drive belt 92. The drive belt guided around deflection rollers 94 is connected to a reversible servo motor 96. The upper and lower runs run parallel to the guide shafts 88 arranged one above the other and thus drive the carriages 90 in opposite directions. The two carriages 90 are each connected via a drive rod 98 to an intermediate carriage 100 which is seated on a further guide shaft 102 which is arranged coaxially with the guide shaft 88 in question. This is arranged outside the shaft 52 as seen in the direction of the axis of rotation. The intermediate carriages 100 are each connected via a connecting element 104 running at right angles to the axis of rotation 54 ′ to a guide carriage 108 mounted on a third guide shaft 106, from which in turn a driving cross member 110 to which the driving part 64 is connected protrudes.

The fingers 56 are thus driven by the servo motor 62 via the toothed belt drive 60 and the bearing part 54, which takes the fingers 56 in a rotationally fixed manner. In order to move the fingers 56 into the shaft 54, the reversible servo motor 96 drives the drive belt 92 in the counterclockwise direction (FIG. 4). As a result, the carriages 90 are shifted from their separation position shown by solid lines in the direction of the arrows 90 'into the active position indicated by dash-dotted lines. As a result, the fingers 56 are also moved from the separation position shown in FIG. 8 outside the shaft 52 into the active position indicated in FIGS. 4 and 6 within the shaft 52. The reversible servo motor 96 is driven clockwise to pull the fingers 56 back into the disconnected position. For the time being, only the fingers 56 are withdrawn counter to the arrow direction 90 'until they reach the position shown in FIG. 7. In this position, the driving part 64 also strikes the stop body 76. When moving on, the springs 70, 70 'are compressed, the spring 70' being compressed more as a result of the different spring constant. This results in the entrainment of the entrainment element 72 and the entrainment shaft 74. This in turn pulls the plastic sleeves 82 back into the interior of the bearing part 54, as shown in FIG. 8. In the disconnected position, therefore, neither the fingers 56 nor the plastic sleeves 82 protrude into the shaft 52. The braking device 68 thus brakes the mass moving in the direction of the axis of rotation 54 'and simultaneously controls the plastic sleeves 82. When the fingers 56 are moved back into the active position, the plastic sleeves 82 are also moved in the direction toward the shaft 52 in accordance with the extension of the spring 70'.

The shaft 52 is delimited on both sides of the axis of rotation 54 'by shaft walls 112. These are each formed by four endless belts 114 made of elastic material, as can also be seen in FIG. 4. On the side in FIG. 3 to the right of the axis of rotation 54 ', an elastic conveyor belt 116 is further provided, which is arranged in the axial direction between the two middle of the four belts 114. If the fingers 56 are moved into their active position in the shaft 52, they are spaced apart from one another to such an extent that they project in the axial direction over the corresponding two belts 114, but end outside the region of the conveyor belt 116. At the input-side upper end and output-side lower end of the shaft 52, the belts assigned to the right shaft wall 112 and the conveyor belt 116 are each deflected around coaxially mounted rollers 118, the diameter of the roller 118 'assigned to the conveyor belt 116 being larger than that of the belts 114 assigned rollers 118. The shaft 120 carrying the output-side rollers 118 is mounted on a slide part 122 which, by means of a cylinder-piston unit 124, horizontal in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation 54 'in the direction of the arrow 124' from the fold position shown in solid lines to the dash-dot line indicated ejection position is retractable. In order to prevent tilting of the slide part 122, gears 126 are seated on both ends of the shaft 120 in a rotationally fixed manner, which mesh with toothed racks 126 'fixedly attached to the machine frame 10. On the side facing away from the shaft 52, the belts 114, as seen from the shaft 120, are deflected in an S-shape around corresponding rollers 128 and run back from there to the rollers 118 on the input side. The conveyor belt 116 is also deflected in an S-like manner, but, viewed from the shaft 120, engages around a drive roller 130 between the first and third rollers 128. As indicated by dash-dotted lines, this is connected to a drive motor 132 and driven counterclockwise via a freewheel.

In a similar manner, the belts 114 forming the left shaft wall 112 are deflected around rollers 118 on the input and output sides of the shaft 52. The shaft 120 ′ carrying the rollers 118 on the output side is mounted on a second slide part 122 in the same way as the shaft 120. This is mounted on the same on both sides and outside of the shaft 52 extending guide rails 133, like the other slide part 122 arranged to the right of the axis of rotation 54 '. Also on the shaft 120' are gears 126 on both ends, which mesh with corresponding racks 126 'in order to tilt the To prevent slide part 122 when it is moved by means of the cylinder-piston unit 124 ″ from the folded position shown in solid lines into the ejection position indicated by dash-dotted lines and back again. Viewed from the shaft 120 ', the belts 114 are in turn guided in an S-shape around rollers 128, the first and third rollers 128 and the input-side rollers 118 being supported on shafts 134 which are supported on a slide element 136. This can be displaced along lateral guide rails 133 'in the horizontal direction at right angles to the axis of rotation 54' by means of a cylinder-piston unit, not shown. In solid lines, the slide element 136 is shown in the pressing position, in which a seated on the input-side shaft 134, the pressure roller 138 is freely rotatably supported on the conveyor belt 116 or on a printed product. The diameter of the pressure roller 138 is larger than the diameter of the rollers 118. The carriage element 136 is shown in broken lines in the retracted insertion position, in which the pressure roller 138 is spaced apart from the conveyor belt 116. Tilting of the slide element 136 is also prevented here by gears 126 sitting on one of the shafts 134 at both ends, which in turn mesh with toothed racks 126 '. For the sake of completeness, it should be mentioned that the belts 114 and the pressure roller 138 are freely rotatable.

The conveying device 14 is designed as a belt conveyor, with cooperating conveyor belts 140 delimiting a conveying gap 142 into which the printed products 16 fed in the horizontal direction and conveying direction F enter and are deflected into an insertion plane 142 aligned with the shaft 52 and running essentially in the vertical direction . If a printed product 16 is recognized by means of sensor elements 144 arranged in the area of the conveyor 14, the leading edge 146 of which does not run at right angles to the conveying direction F, the conveyor belts 140 on the outlet side of the conveyor 14 are moved from the operating position shown in solid lines by means of the cylinder-piston unit 148 into a dash-dotted line Pivots redirected position, in which the printing product in question 16 is ejected onto a baffle 150 in order to discharge it. The printed products 16, the leading edges 146 of which run at right angles to the conveying direction F, are conveyed in from above by means of the conveying device 14 introduced the shaft 52.

For the sake of completeness, it should be mentioned that the conveyor device 14, as indicated by dash-dotted lines, is also driven by the drive motor 132.

Between the exit end of the conveyor 14 and the upper entrance end of the shaft 52, the delivery device 18 opens into the movement path of the printed products 16. This has a movement in the feed direction Z and at a speed v ₂ that is greater than the conveying speed v _{1 of} the conveyor 14 , rotating driven feed belt 152. This is guided on the output side around a deflection roller 154, so that the feed belt 152 affects the path of movement of the printed products 16. The deflection roller 154 ′ on the input side is likewise connected to the drive motor 132. The upper run of the feed belt 152 slides over a support plate 156 and a pressure roller 158 is mounted above the feed belt 152 in order to press the film spell 160 resting on the upper run of the feed belt 152 against the feed belt 152.

The feed belt 152 is preceded by a first conveyor roller 164, which is connected to the drive motor 132 via a clutch / brake unit which is not visible, see also FIG. 19. This clutch / brake unit is actuated by a pneumatic cylinder / piston unit 162 via a dashed line in FIG. 19 Linkage switched. The film web 160 runs from a deflecting roller 166 approximately tangentially via the first conveyor roller 164 to the feed belt 152. One acts with the first conveyor roller 164 by means of a Control element 168 liftable pressure roller 170 together to press the film web 160 to the first conveyor roller 164 in a controlled manner.

20 shows, the film web 160 is unwound from a rotatably mounted supply roll 172. From this, the film web 160 runs approximately in the vertical direction upwards to a deflecting roller 174, from where it runs in a loop-like manner in the direction obliquely downwards to a first running roller 176. From there, the film web 160 is guided to a second conveyor roller 178, which surrounds it by approximately 180 °. Between this second conveyor roller 178 and the deflecting roller 166, the film web 160 encompasses a second running roller 180 in a loop-like manner. The two running rollers 176, 180 are freely displaceably mounted in vertical guide members 182 and are each connected to springs 184, which have a flat spring characteristic, around the film web 160 constant force. Furthermore, the running rollers 176, 180 are hinged at both ends to tabs 186, which are connected at the other end to the free end of a lever 190, the levers 190 in turn being seated on corresponding shafts 192, 192 '. This prevents the running rollers 176, 180 from jamming. A position sensor 194 interacts with the shaft 192 'and emits a signal to the control when the second roller 180 is located in the lower end region of the guide member 182 concerned. The controller ensures that the second conveyor roller 178 is connected to the drive motor 132 via a clutch / brake unit when the position sensor 194 does not emit a signal. The clutch / brake unit is actuated by a pneumatic cylinder-piston unit 196 via one shown in dashed lines in FIG Linkage switched. This ensures that the supply loop of the film spool 160 assigned to the second roller 180 is always automatically replenished. The film web 160 is continuously pressed onto the second conveyor roller 178 by means of a further pressure roller 170 '. For the sake of completeness, it should be mentioned that the rollers interacting with the film roll 160 have a surface which prevents the self-adhesive film roll 160 from adhering to the rolls.

A cutting device 200, which can be actuated by means of a cylinder-piston unit 198, is arranged between the opening of the delivery device 18 into the movement path of the printed products 16 and the shaft 52, in order to separate the section of the film web 160 which forms a holding element 34 therefrom. The counter-knife of the cutting device 200 (FIG. 3), which is U-shaped in cross section, can be displaced with the slide element 136.

Finally, 202 sensor elements are used to identify the position of the leading edge 146 when the printed product 16 to be processed is introduced into the shaft 52. Further, there are further sensor elements 204 below the shaft 52, which emit a signal to the control if the longitudinal extension of the package 20 should no longer run in an approximately horizontal direction when it falls out of the shaft 52.

9 to 16 show the region of the shaft 52 of the packet manufacturing device 12 in a greatly simplified manner. The same reference numerals are used as in the other figures. For introducing a printed product 16 into the shaft 52, the slide element 136 is withdrawn into the insertion position indicated by dash-dotted lines in FIG. 3. The sensor element 202 arranged at the junction of the delivery device 18 generates a signal when the leading edge 146 runs past, after which the slide element 136 is moved into the pressing position after a short delay. As a result, the pressure roller 138 presses the printed product 16 onto the conveyor belt 116, which is also driven at the conveying speed v _1. The printed product 16 is thus always held, even when it has left the conveying device 14. The slide parts 122 are in the folded position, the distance between the rollers 118 at the lower end of the shaft 52 being greater than the thickness of the printed product 16 to be processed, so that it can move freely through the gap in question. The printed product runs between the stationary fingers 56, the axis plane 58 being perpendicular to the approximately vertical insertion plane 142. The sensor element 202 arranged at the shaft 52 likewise sends a signal to the control in order to control the position of the printed product 16 when it is inserted. Since the controller knows the conveying speed v ₁ , the dimension of the printed product 16 and the time at which the leading edge 146 passes through the sensor elements 202, it switches on the servo motor 62 to turn the fingers 56 about the axis of rotation 54 ′ as soon as the printed product 16 has reached an approximately symmetrical position with respect to the axis of rotation 54 '(FIG. 9). In this position, the axis plane thus runs through the center of the printed product 16. For the sake of completeness, it should be mentioned that when a printed product 16 is inserted, the pairs of fingers 50 are in the active position, so that the belts 114 with respect to the axis of rotation 54 ' rest on the outside of the fingers 56. The conveyor belt 116 is not in contact with the fingers 56.

As soon as approximately two thirds of the printed product 16 has run past the confluence of the delivery device 18, the first conveyor roller 164 is connected to the drive motor 132 via the clutch / brake unit, so that the area of the film web 160 between its free end at the cutting device 200 and the second roller 180 is accelerated extremely rapidly to the conveying speed v ₁ and the leading end region is thus given to the printed product 16. After the free end of the film web 160 has entered the shaft 52, the pressure roller 170 is raised, so that the film web 160 can be pulled in unaffected by the first conveyor roller 164 when the printed product 16 is folded and wound around the folded printed product 16 at a higher speed .

10 to 16 show the position of the fingers 56, starting from FIG. 9 after each rotation by 90 ° in a clockwise direction about the axis of rotation 54 '. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the part of the printed product 16 arranged above the axis of rotation 54 'in FIG. 9 now passes through the gap which is indicated by hatched fingers above the axis of rotation 54' for better recognition 56 and the conveyor belt 116 and the belt 114 to the right of the axis of rotation 54 ', whereby this part of the product is bent by the action of the elastic belts 114, 116 mentioned about the relevant finger 56. In the same way, the other part of the product passes through the gap between the other, in FIGS. 9 to 16 non-hatched fingers and the belt 114 to the left of the axis of rotation 54 '. This part of the product is bent in the same way around the relevant finger 56. An air jet 206 ensures that when the printed product is bent around the hatched finger 56, the free end of the film web 160 adheres to the outer side of the printed product 16. Approximately simultaneously with the start of rotation of the fingers 56, the slide element 136 is pulled back into the insertion position, since when the printed product 16 is folded, the belts 114, 116 arranged on the right and left of the shaft 52 rotate counterclockwise. The free storage of the belts 114 and the drive of the conveyor belt 116 via a freewheel now ensure that these belts 114, 116 can move at the same speed as the part of the printed product 16 which is in contact with them. It should also be noted that the film web 160 does not move with any of the Finger 56 comes into contact.

As shown in FIG. 12, the printed product 16 is already folded in an S-shape after approximately three-quarter turn of the fingers 56 and is brought into the tubular shape. However, turning the fingers 56 further is necessary in order to wind the section of the film spell 160 onto the folded printed product 16 to such an extent that it is completely enveloped.

As FIG. 13 shows, the cutting device 200 separates the section forming the holding element 34 from the film web 160 as soon as it has been retightened by a corresponding length. In the present case after about a rotation of the fingers 56 by about 360 °. When the fingers 56 are turned further, the remaining part of the holding element 34 also becomes wrapped around the printed product 16 and pressed onto it by means of the belts 114 and the conveyor belt 116 (see FIGS. 14 and 15).

As soon as the holding element 34 completely envelops the printed product 16, after approximately three and a quarter turns of the fingers 56, the piston-cylinder units 124, 124 ″ are activated in order to pull the slide parts 122 back into the ejection position. The course of the conveyor belt 116 and the belt 114 is indicated by dash-dotted lines in FIG. 16; these are then no longer present on the package 20 formed. To separate the fingers 56 from the package 20, the reversible servo motor 96 is driven in a clockwise direction (FIG. 4) in order to pull the fingers 56 out of the region of the shaft 52 into the disconnected position at high speed in the direction of the axis of rotation 54 ′ (FIG. 8). . The package 20 now falls into the first stacking shaft 22. The servo motor 96 is immediately reversed again in order to return the fingers 56 to their active position. Furthermore, the servo motor 62 was switched off immediately as soon as the holding element 34 was completely wound up and the axis plane 58 runs in the horizontal direction. As soon as the fingers have reached the active position, the piston-cylinder units 124, 124 ″ move the slide parts 122 back into the folded position. The next printed product 16 can now be introduced into the shaft 52. The sequences described above in succession can overlap in whole or in part in time.

17 shows a package 20 with the S-shaped folded printed product 16 and the film-like holding element 34. Seen in the longitudinal extension of the tubular package 20, the holding element 34 has the same dimension as the printed product 16. However, in order to be able to better protect it, it is also possible to use a film web 160 to form the holding element 34, which is wider than the corresponding dimension of the printed product 16, as shown in FIG 18 is indicated. The film web 160 projects from both sides of the printed product 16. Since the film web 160 is held under tension, the part protruding laterally beyond the printed product 16 during and after winding up has the tendency to bend inwards in the radial direction. In this case, the plastic sleeves 82 prevent the holding element 34 from touching the fingers 56 and sticking to them.

When the film web 160 is advanced at high speed, the supply loop in question is first shortened by lifting the second roller 180, as indicated by dash-dotted lines in FIG. 19. As soon as the position sensor 194 detects this, the second conveyor roller 178 is driven in order to enlarge the aforementioned supply loop again. As a result, the first running roller 176 is raised (indicated by dash-dotted lines in FIG. 20). The relevant spring 184 now ensures, however, that film is drawn from the supply roll 172 and unwound. On the one hand, the springs 184 ensure that the film web 160 is always tensioned and, on the other hand, they prevent excessive loads when the film web 160 is accelerating and conveying rapidly.

In the example shown, the fingers 56 are spaced apart from one another to such an extent that the printed product 16 essentially is only folded in an S-shape. In the case of longer printed products 16 seen in the conveying direction or with fingers 56 arranged closer together, it is also possible for the parts of the printed products still remaining outside the S-shaped fold to be wound up. However, since the printed product 16 has been positioned approximately symmetrically with respect to the axis of rotation 54 ′, a minimal number of revolutions of the fingers 56 is always required to move the printed products 16 into the tubular shape.

It is also conceivable to move only one of the two slide parts 122 into the eject position. In this way, a uniform filling of the first stacking shaft 22 can be achieved.

In addition, it should be mentioned that the symmetry, S-shaped folding of the printed product 16 reduces the warpage of the printed product 16 due to its thickness and even completely compensates for it. This also means that, in the case of printed products 16 whose leading edge 146 is formed by a folded edge, there is no mutual displacement of the sheets of the product on the open side edge opposite the folded edge during the folding described.

Advantageously, the folded, bound or glued ready-to-print products are introduced into the chute 51 with the fold or the adhesive edge in advance.

Claims (11)

1. A device for manufacturing portable tubular packages (20) out of at least one printed product (16) each, in particular a newspaper or magazine, and with a holding element (34) holding the printed product together, with two fingers (56) whose longitudinal axes (56') are parallel to an axis of rotation (54') extending between them and which, together with the said axis of rotation are arranged approximately in an axial plane (58), between which the printed product (16) to be processed can be introduced substantially in an insertion plane (142) extending transversely to the axial plane (58), a cooperating element (112) arranged outside the fingers (56) relative to the axis of rotation (54'), which element is intended, after the printed product (16) has been introduced, to delimit together with the finger (56) moving past at the time, a gap through which the printed product (16) passes as the fingers (56) and the cooperating element (112) rotate relative to one another round the axis of rotation (54'), and thus to bend the printed product (16) round the fingers (56) and to bring it into its tubular shape, and means (18) for feeding and attaching the holding element (34) holding the printed product (16) together in its tubular shape, characterized by a conveyor device (14) which is intended to introduce the printed product (16) between the fingers (56), means for positioning the printed product (16) approximately symmetrically to the axis of rotation (54'), and two cooperating elements (112) lying approximately opposite one another relative to the axis of rotation (54') which each form with one of the fingers (56') a gap, so as to bend the part of the printed product (16) arranged on one side of the axial plane (58) round one finger (56), and the other part round the other finger (56''), in which arrangement the fingers (56) are arranged in a well (52) the well walls whereof form the cooperating elements (112) which cooperate with the fingers (56) and which are formed by belts (114, 116) tensioned in an elastic or yielding mode and run at right angles to the axis of rotation (54'), which as viewed in a direction at right angles to the axis of rotation (54') are carried at both ends of the well (52) round guide rollers (118, 118'), and the guide rollers (118) arranged at the outlet side of the well (52) can be moved away from one another for guiding the package (20) out of the well (52).
2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the conveyance direction (F) of the conveyor device (14) for introducing the printed product (16) between the fingers (56) extends at right angles to the axis of rotation (54').
3. A device according to claim 2, characterized by two coaxial finger pairs (50) interspaced in the direction of the axis of rotation (54'), between which the printed product (16) can be introduced and which can be moved away from one another in the axial direction for their separation from the printed product (16) brought into its tubular shape.
4. A device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the axis of rotation (54') extends in a horizontal direction and that the conveyor device (14) is designed so as to introduce the printed products (16) between the fingers (56) from the top.
5. A device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that for guiding the package (20) out of the well (52), the guide rollers (118) arranged at the outlet side of the well (52) are interspaced from one another, at least to the extent that the printed product can be loosely carried through between them.
6. A device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the conveyor device (14) has a conveyor belt (116) carried at both well ends round guide rollers (118, 118') and driven in circulation in the conveyance direction (F), which belt cooperates at the inlet side of the well (52) with a preferably cylinder-type pressing-on element (138), so as to form together therewith a conveyance gap for the printed product (16).
7. A device according to claim 6, characterized in that for introducing the leading edge (146) of the printed product (16) between the conveyor belt (116) and the pressing-on element (138), these can be moved away from one another.
8. A device according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the holding element (34) is a section of a sheet web (160) made of a plastic material, and the means (18) for feeding the holding element (34) have a delivery device leading into the conveyance path of the printed product (16), which delivery device gives the start of the holding element (34) along with the trailing half of the printed product (16) at approximately the conveyance speed (v₁) of the conveyor device (14).
9. A device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized by a conveyor device (14) for feeding the printed product (16) to the well (52), and a delivery device (18) for the holding element (34) formed by a section of a sheet web (160) made of a plastic material wound off from a stock roll (172), leading into the movement path of the printed product (16), with a mounting arrangement for the stock roll (172), a conveyor roller (164) for the sheet web (160), driven in a start/stop mode, means (184) arranged between the mounting arrangement and the conveyor roller (164) for tensioning the sheet web (160), and a separating device (200) disposed down the line from the conveyor roller (164) for separating the holding element (34) from the sheet web (160), in which arrangement a further conveyor roller (178) for the sheet web (160) is arranged between the mounting arrangement and the conveyor roller (164), the sheet web (160) is deflected between these conveyor rollers (164, 178) as well as between the additional conveyor roller (178) and the mounting arrangement round prestressed rollers (176, 178) so as to form stock loops, and the additional conveyor roller (178) is driven in dependence of the position of the roller (180) arranged between the conveyor rollers (164, 178).
10. A device according to claim 9, characterized in that the conveyor roller (164) can be driven at a peripheral speed corresponding approximately to the conveyance speed (v1) of the conveyor device (14), and that between the conveyor roller (164) and the movement path of the printed product (16) there is provided a belt conveyor (152) driven at a higher speed (v2), where on the sheet web (160) bears, being subjected to tension.
11. A device according to claim 9 or 10, characterized by a controlled pressing-on roller (170) for the intermittent pressing on of the sheet web (160) onto the conveyor roller (164).

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