EP0831044A1 - Handhabungsvorrichtung für Signaturen - Google Patents

Handhabungsvorrichtung für Signaturen Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0831044A1
EP0831044A1 EP96306918A EP96306918A EP0831044A1 EP 0831044 A1 EP0831044 A1 EP 0831044A1 EP 96306918 A EP96306918 A EP 96306918A EP 96306918 A EP96306918 A EP 96306918A EP 0831044 A1 EP0831044 A1 EP 0831044A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
signature
vacuum
suction means
suction
stack
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP96306918A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Jacob Wijbe Van Den Ouden
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Setmasters Ltd
Original Assignee
Setmasters Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Setmasters Ltd filed Critical Setmasters Ltd
Priority to EP96306918A priority Critical patent/EP0831044A1/de
Publication of EP0831044A1 publication Critical patent/EP0831044A1/de
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H3/00—Separating articles from piles
    • B65H3/08—Separating articles from piles using pneumatic force
    • B65H3/0808—Suction grippers
    • B65H3/0883—Construction of suction grippers or their holding devices
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H3/00—Separating articles from piles
    • B65H3/08—Separating articles from piles using pneumatic force
    • B65H3/0808—Suction grippers
    • B65H3/085—Suction grippers separating from the bottom of pile
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H3/00—Separating articles from piles
    • B65H3/42—Separating articles from piles by two or more separators mounted for movement with, or relative to, rotary or oscillating bodies
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H39/00—Associating, collating, or gathering articles or webs
    • B65H39/02—Associating,collating or gathering articles from several sources
    • B65H39/04—Associating,collating or gathering articles from several sources from piles
    • B65H39/043—Associating,collating or gathering articles from several sources from piles the piles being disposed in juxtaposed carriers

Definitions

  • This invention relates to sheet and signature handling apparatus and particularly, but not exclusively, to signature-collating apparatus.
  • a signature is sometimes a single sheet of printed matter, but more usually is a folded single printed sheet.
  • a plurality of signatures is assembled together, in the correct order, by a signature collator and is then bound and trimmed to produce a book.
  • a known kind of signature collator comprises a plurality of signature stack holders spaced-apart in line above a conveyor moving lengthwise of the line. Beneath each stack holder is located a respective rotary picker in the form of a continuously rotating gripper, which engages with the edge of the bottom of the stack to peel the lowermost signature from the stack, and on further rotation to deposit the signature on the conveyor.
  • the conveyor delivers the signatures to a binding machine or stacking device.
  • a problem with such a signature collator is that damage can be caused to the signatures by the gripper unless the radial position of the blade is very carefully adjusted, and at high speeds damage is more likely to occur.
  • signature will be used hereinafter to include a single sheet, which sheet is not necessarily intended for binding as a book.
  • a signature handling apparatus comprises a stack holder adapted to hold a stack of signatures, the holder having an aperture in the base thereof which extends for substantially the full width or length of the base and adjacent to a side edge of the base, suction means adapted to engage with that portion of the underside of the lowermost signature that is exposed by the aperture, and to withdraw the lowermost signature from the stack through the aperture, and to deposit said signature on a delivery means.
  • the suction means is preferably carried by a rotary suction means carrier which is driven by drive means from a pick-up orientation in which the suction means first engages with said lowermost signature, to a deposit orientation in which said signature is released by the suction means.
  • the rotary carrier is preferably provided with a plurality of angularly spaced-apart suction means, and most preferably there are three suction means spaced-apart by 120°.
  • the drive means is preferably an indexing drive means, conveniently an indexing gearbox having a 3 to 1 ratio.
  • the indexing drive means preferably provides smooth acceleration and deceleration.
  • the drive means comprises an indexing gearbox having a 4 to 1 ratio.
  • an indexing gearbox having a 3 to 1 ratio may be converted to a 4 to 1 ratio by changing the belt link ratio to effect 4 stops.
  • indexing can be a relatively time consuming operation as compared with the continuous rotation of prior art gripper assemblies, this is compensated for in the inventive apparatus by the relatively short travel distance facilitated by the use of a plurality of angularly-spaced suction means.
  • the suction means preferably comprises a suction cup driven by a piston and cylinder assembly, the arrangement thereof being such that the suction cup is projected substantially radially of said rotary carrier to engage with said lowermost signature of the stack, and once a suction force with said underside of the lowermost signature has been established, the piston and cylinder assembly begins to withdraw the cup radially inwards of the carrier, to commence withdrawal of the signature from the stack.
  • the piston and cylinder assembly preferably provides an outer chamber disposed radially therebetween and an inner chamber disposed axially below the said piston, the said assembly comprising an axial passage extending through the suction cup, piston rod and piston and a vacuum connection is provided from the outer chamber to a vacuum/pressure supply tube, the arrangement being such that, in use, the suction cup is projected substantially radially outward when the outer chamber is subjected to a vacuum via the vacuum/pressure supply tube.
  • the vacuum/pressure supply tube provides, via the axial passage, the vacuum force with the underside of the lowermost signature.
  • the suction means preferably comprises a compression spring disposed within the cylinder and so arranged that, in use, the spring aids the withdrawal of the cup radially inwards.
  • the margin of that part of the lowermost signature exposed through the aperture is preferably supported by lip means, and the suction force is arranged to be sufficient to snap the margin past the lip means to enable withdrawal of the signature to commence on angular movement of the carrier from the pick-up orientation.
  • Roller means is preferably provided adjacent to the lip means to assist in guiding downward movement of said portion of the signature as the signature is released by the lip means. It is also preferable that resilient guide strips are provided to assist the said portion of the signature.
  • a rotary vacuum supply valve is preferably driven by said drive means associated with the rotary carrier, the supply valve controlling supply of vacuum to the respective suction means.
  • a signature collator there is preferably a plurality of said signature handling apparatus arranged substantially in line, and comprising a common delivery means comprising a conveyor extending along the line for receiving signatures from the plurality of stacks.
  • the carriers are preferably mounted on a common support shaft for rotation together.
  • the support shaft is tubular and contains supply lines to the respective suction means from the rotary vacuum supply valve.
  • the rotary vacuum supply valve preferably comprises an outer stationary distributor body and an inner rotatable hub disposed co-axially therewithin in a close-fitting relationship, the outer stationary distributor body is formed with a vacuum port and a pressure inlet port and the inner rotatable hub comprises a plurality of angularly spaced axial bores each axial bore being adapted to be connected to a respective supply tube, the arrangement being such that, in use, rotation of the inner hub first brings each axial bore in turn into communication with the vacuum outlet and then with the pressure inlet.
  • the vacuum supply valve also comprises an annular distribution bush ring disposed co-axially between the rotatable hub and the outer distributor body, the bush ring being formed with a vacuum through-port and a pressure inlet through-port providing fluid communication between the axial bore and the distributor body vacuum and pressure inlet respectively when the axial bore is in register therewith.
  • the annular bush ring is disposed in close-fitting relationship with both the distributor body and rotatable hub, the position of the bush ring being fixed relative to the outer distributor body.
  • the suction means are preferably arranged on the carrier in pairs, the suction means of each pair being spaced-apart in the axial direction of the rotary carrier for simultaneous engagement with the lowermost signature.
  • Figure 1 shows four signature dispensing stations 1 of a collator which comprises a common signature delivery conveyor 2 for receiving signatures simultaneously at each of the stations 1, and feeding the signatures to a stacking assembly 3.
  • Each of the dispensing stations 1 comprises a respective stack holder in the form of guide bars 4, 5 for a stack 6 of signatures, the guide bars 4, 5 extending at an angle of approximately 45° to the horizontal, opposed bars 4 being of L-section whereas intermediate bars 5 are flat strip.
  • the base of the stack is supported firstly by a roller 7 extending across substantially the width of the stack, and by lips 8 projecting from the lower end of bars 4, 5.
  • the lips 8 take the form of a flange which projects beyond the upper surface 9 of the bar 5, the projection being controllable by the screws 10.
  • Similar lips are mounted on the vertical limbs of the L-section bars 4 and engage around the sides of the lowermost signature.
  • the guide bars 4, 5 in conjunction with the roller 7 and lips 8 constitute a signature holder, the base of the holder being open between roller 7 and lips 8 to provide access for the suction means 11 to be described.
  • the holder has a rectangular aperture in the base thereof defined between roller 7 and lip 8, for access of the suction means and to enable the lowermost signature to be removed from the stack.
  • Figure 2 shows three equi-angularly spaced suction means 11 provided beneath each stack holder, the suction means 11 being mounted on a tubular shaft 12 rotatably mounted on a horizontal axis.
  • Three parallel vacuum/pressure supply tubes 13 are mounted internally of the shaft 12 to provide manifolds for supplying vacuum to the suction means at the various dispensing stations.
  • FIG. 5 shows that the suction means 11 are, in fact, provided as three pairs of axially-spaced apart units 11 , each pair being carried by a T-shaped arm 25 integral with an annular hub 26.
  • the hubs 26 are rigidly mounted on shaft 12.
  • Each suction means 11 is in the form of a piston 14 which is a loose fit in a cylinder 15, a suction cup 16 being carried by a piston rod 17.
  • An axial passage, not shown, extends through the suction cup 16, piston rod 17 and piston 14.
  • a vacuum connection, not shown, is provided from the outer chamber 18 to one of the vacuum pressure supply tubes 13.
  • a vacuum supply valve times the supply of vacuum to chamber 18 so as to cause the suction cup 16 to be projected into engagement with the lower surface 21 of the bottom signature 20 in the stack 6, the suction cup contacting the lower signature 20 at a position closely spaced from lip 8.
  • the atmospheric supply to the passage through cup 16 is closed off, and by leakage of vacuum through a small hole 22 in the piston 14, the inner chamber 19 becomes subject to vacuum.
  • a compression spring mounted on piston rod 17 then helps to draw the piston rod 17 radially inwards relative to shaft 12, thereby causing the bottom edge of the lower signature 20 to be snapped clear of the lip 8, and of the other lips not shown.
  • the shaft 12 is then caused to be indexed through 120° by an indexing gearbox having a 3 to 1 ratio.
  • Figure 3 shows the suction means 11 , which is in contact with the signature 20, in a substantially retracted position and the shaft 12 being rotated by the indexing gearbox.
  • an indexing gearbox is designed to provide a controlled acceleration and then deceleration to the indexing operation, the signature is subjected to controlled forces during withdrawal.
  • a suitable gearbox is a cam roll unit comprising CAMCO RA series index drives, model numbers 400RA, 401RA, 512RA, 662RA.
  • Figure 4 shows the operative suction means 11 in a release position at which the vacuum supply valve is timed to shut off the vacuum to the operative suction means 11, so allowing the signature 20 to fall onto the delivery conveyor 2.
  • the rotary vacuum supply valve will now be described for use with a signature handling apparatus comprising four suction means spaced-apart by 90°.
  • FIG. 6a, 6b and 6c show the outer stationary distributor body 30 of the rotary vacuum supply valve.
  • the distributor body 30 is a square block formed with a circular bore 32 extending axially through the centre of the body 30, and with a vacuum chamber 36 into which lead two outlet ports 38, 39, and a pressure inlet chamber 34 into which lead two inlet ports 40, 42, the chambers 34 and 36 breaking through the wall of bore 32, but being separated from each other by an arcuate land 30 1 .
  • Figure 7a, 7b and 7c show the inner rotatable hub 50 which is also a part of the rotary vacuum supply valve.
  • the hub 50 comprises a cylindrical tube connector 52 formed internally with four axial bores 56, disposed radially within the hub at substantially 90° spacing.
  • the bores 56 extend from the open end 54 through substantially the length of the hub.
  • the open end of the bores 56 are each adapted to receive a respective one of the supply tubes 13.
  • first, second, third and fourth radial through-ports 57 disposed angularly around the circumference of the hub at substantially 90° spacings and such that they provide fluid communication respectively with the axial bores 56.
  • an external annular ring 58 At substantially halfway along the length of the hub there is disposed an external annular ring 58.
  • FIGS 8a and 8b show the distributor bush 60 which is a further part of the rotary vacuum supply valve.
  • the bush 60 comprises an annular ring 62 comprising a vacuum through-port 64 and a pressure inlet through-port 66.
  • the bush 60 When the various parts of the rotary vacuum supply valve are assembled the bush 60 is disposed co-axially within the bore 32 such that the vacuum through-port 64 aligns with the vacuum chamber 36, and the pressure inlet through port 66 aligns with the pressure inlet chamber 34.
  • the inner rotatable hub 50 is disposed co-axially within the bush 60 in a close-fitting relationship and the annular ring 58 abuts the outer surface of the distributor body 30.
  • a housing closure plate, not shown, is secured to the left hand end, in figure 6b, of the housing, to close chambers 34 and 36.
  • the hub 50 is disposed within the bush 60 such that when the hub is rotated the first, second, third and fourth through ports 57 each come into register in turn with the vacuum outlet through port 64 and subsequently with the pressure inlet through port 66.
  • each of the bores 56 is connected in turn with the vacuum chamber 36, so providing a vacuum condition to the respective suction cup supply tube 13, and subsequently with the inlet pressure, so providing a pressurised condition to the respective suction cup supply tube 13.
EP96306918A 1996-09-23 1996-09-23 Handhabungsvorrichtung für Signaturen Withdrawn EP0831044A1 (de)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP96306918A EP0831044A1 (de) 1996-09-23 1996-09-23 Handhabungsvorrichtung für Signaturen

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP96306918A EP0831044A1 (de) 1996-09-23 1996-09-23 Handhabungsvorrichtung für Signaturen

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0831044A1 true EP0831044A1 (de) 1998-03-25

Family

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP96306918A Withdrawn EP0831044A1 (de) 1996-09-23 1996-09-23 Handhabungsvorrichtung für Signaturen

Country Status (1)

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EP (1) EP0831044A1 (de)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1498282A2 (de) * 2003-07-17 2005-01-19 Wohlenberg Buchbindesysteme GmbH Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum Zusammentragen von Druckprodukten
NL2025820B1 (en) 2020-06-12 2022-02-16 Rolan Robotics B V Edible wafer label dispenser and a corresponding system

Citations (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2714006A (en) * 1951-04-11 1955-07-26 Paul W Layden Sheet feeder
DE2547132A1 (de) * 1975-10-21 1977-05-05 Langen H J & Sons Ltd Rotationstransportvorrichtung
US4350466A (en) * 1980-05-08 1982-09-21 Mgs Machine Corporation Apparatus for handling articles
JPS60128141A (ja) * 1983-12-12 1985-07-09 Masayoshi Omachi 自動吸着器
US4588179A (en) * 1985-01-16 1986-05-13 Thomas Gutierrez Card collator with bottom hole pneumatic puller extractor
EP0331325A1 (de) * 1988-02-27 1989-09-06 Kliklok Corporation Rotierender Übergabemechanismus
US5078669A (en) * 1990-02-03 1992-01-07 Robert Bosch Gmbh Transfer apparatus for flat articles
EP0543472A1 (de) * 1991-11-05 1993-05-26 Horizon International Inc. Zusammentragmaschine
US5280900A (en) * 1993-01-04 1994-01-25 Stepper, Inc. Convertible metering hopper for thin single sheet and bulky multiple sheet articles

Patent Citations (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2714006A (en) * 1951-04-11 1955-07-26 Paul W Layden Sheet feeder
DE2547132A1 (de) * 1975-10-21 1977-05-05 Langen H J & Sons Ltd Rotationstransportvorrichtung
US4350466A (en) * 1980-05-08 1982-09-21 Mgs Machine Corporation Apparatus for handling articles
JPS60128141A (ja) * 1983-12-12 1985-07-09 Masayoshi Omachi 自動吸着器
US4588179A (en) * 1985-01-16 1986-05-13 Thomas Gutierrez Card collator with bottom hole pneumatic puller extractor
EP0331325A1 (de) * 1988-02-27 1989-09-06 Kliklok Corporation Rotierender Übergabemechanismus
US5078669A (en) * 1990-02-03 1992-01-07 Robert Bosch Gmbh Transfer apparatus for flat articles
EP0543472A1 (de) * 1991-11-05 1993-05-26 Horizon International Inc. Zusammentragmaschine
US5280900A (en) * 1993-01-04 1994-01-25 Stepper, Inc. Convertible metering hopper for thin single sheet and bulky multiple sheet articles

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 009, no. 286 (M - 429) 13 November 1985 (1985-11-13) *

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1498282A2 (de) * 2003-07-17 2005-01-19 Wohlenberg Buchbindesysteme GmbH Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum Zusammentragen von Druckprodukten
EP1498282A3 (de) * 2003-07-17 2006-02-22 Wohlenberg Buchbindesysteme GmbH Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum Zusammentragen von Druckprodukten
NL2025820B1 (en) 2020-06-12 2022-02-16 Rolan Robotics B V Edible wafer label dispenser and a corresponding system

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