EP1274639A1

EP1274639A1 - Device for conveying flat objects

Info

Publication number: EP1274639A1
Application number: EP01971445A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jürg Eberle
Original assignee: Ferag AG
Current assignee: Ferag AG
Priority date: 2000-04-20
Filing date: 2001-02-06
Publication date: 2003-01-15
Anticipated expiration: 2021-02-06
Also published as: CA2403643C; ATE309163T1; CA2403643A1; US20030106775A1; WO2001081216A1; AU2824901A; DE50108002D1; US6773008B2; DK1274639T3; EP1274639B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for conveying flat objects (46), especially products of a printing works, which comprises successively arranged conveying elements that are moved along a continuous track (16) in a direction of conveyance (F). Individually controllable conveying clamps (22) are mounted on each conveying element (12) and are configured for laterally holding, with the clamp jaw thereof that is arranged in the plane of conveyance extending in the direction of conveyance (F), at least two objects (46), which are arranged in the plane of conveyance and in the direction of conveyance (F) while overlapping one another in an offset manner. The conveying clamps are mounted on the conveying elements in the plane of conveyance and in a direction of displacement (30), which is perpendicular to the continuous track (16), in a manner that permits them to be displaced to and fro between two positions (50, 50'). A control device (53) is configured for displacing the conveying clamps (22) from one position (50, 50') into the other.

Description

H 00078

Device for transporting flat objects

The present invention relates to a device for transporting flat objects, in particular printed products, according to the preamble of claim 1.

A device of this type is disclosed in WO-A-99/55609. It has transport clamps, each of which is fastened to a conveying element designed as a carriage in a channel. The conveyor elements arranged one behind the other are flexibly connected to one another. In order to ensure that the at least two objects held laterally by a transport clamp are not also grasped by the next trailing transport clamp, the distance between these transport clamps is increased.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a generic device which allows flexibility in the processing and processing of the objects and the transfer of the objects without changing the mutual distance between the transport clamps.

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

The device according to the invention permits the section-wise conveying, processing and processing of objects arranged in a scale formation. The transport brackets 0078

hold at least two of the objects of the scale formation, each of the objects being held by only one transport clamp. The objects held by a transport clamp form a section which, due to the displaceability of the transport clamps with respect to the conveying elements, can be displaced individually with respect to the conveying direction in the lateral direction. As a result, areas of the adjacent, not shifted sections as well as areas of the own section are exposed, which allow the attack of further transport elements or the access of processing and processing stations.

Preferred embodiments of the subject matter of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments shown in the drawing. It shows purely schematically:

1 shows a view of a part of a transport device which is intended to take over articles supplied in sections in a scale formation with their transport clamps in a transfer area for further transport;

FIG. 2 is a top view of part of the transport device shown in FIG. 1;

3 shows a top view of a further section of the transport device according to FIGS. 1 and 2; 4 shows a plan view of a further embodiment of a section of the transport device according to the invention for the optional delivery of objects transported by means of the transport clamps;

5 shows a transport clamp which is displaceably mounted on a conveying element in a first position;

FIG. 6, in the same representation as FIG. 5, the transport clip shown there is displaced with respect to the conveying element into a second position;

7 shows the transport clip shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 in a view in the direction of arrow V of FIG. 5;

8 is a top view of a revolving section of a device according to the invention;

FIG. 9 shows part of the section shown in FIG. 8 at a later point in time of reclassification;

10 is a view of a transfer section downstream of the reclassification section according to FIGS. 8 and 9 for the delivery of reclamped sections;

11 shows a side view of a further embodiment of a transfer section of the transport device according to the invention;

Fig. 12 in view of the section shown in Fig. 11 the transport device;

13 shows a view of part of the section shown in FIG. 12 when a gap is formed between objects to be transported and dispensed;

FIG. 14 in the same representation as FIG. 13, the section shown there at a later point in time when transferring printed products;

15 is a view of a further embodiment of a transfer section of the transport device according to the invention;

16 shows a side view of part of the device shown in FIG. 15; and

17 shows a device for processing objects with a transport device according to the invention.

A shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, gripper conveyor 10 has as a carriage formed conveying elements 12 which are arranged in succession and in a shaped C-cross-section Füh ^¬ approximately channel 14 mounted, which forms one for the conveying elements 12 therein closed circulation path 16. The individual conveying elements 12, which are not connected to one another, form an uninterrupted row in the guide channel 14, where they abut one another on the end face and move forward against one another by pushing. The channel runs in front of a takeover section 18 generally known manner concentrically around the axis 20 of a cam wheel, not shown, driven in the direction of movement F, which drives the conveyor elements located in its effective area.

On every second conveyor element 12, an individually controllable transport lammer 22 is slidably arranged. A possible embodiment of the transport clamps 22 will be described in connection with FIGS. 5 to 7. In order to understand the functioning of the device, it is sufficient to know for the time being that a plate-like guide rail 24 is attached to the relevant conveying elements 12, on which a carriage 28, which also forms a clamping element 26 of the transport clamp and is also essentially plate-like, in a direction of displacement 30, which is at right angles to orbit 16, is guided displaceably. The transport clamp 22 furthermore has a tongue-like second clamping element 26 'which can be rotated from an open position 32 into a clamping position 32'. The two clamping elements 26, 26 'form a clamp mouth 34 which is arranged in a conveying surface 36 which extends in the direction of the conveyance F and which runs parallel to the orbit 16.

A follower element 38, preferably designed as a roller, is freely rotatably mounted on each carriage 28 and cooperates with a guide element 40, preferably designed as a guide channel. The guide element 40 has sections 42, 44 which run parallel, but at different distances from the guide channel 14 and thus from the orbit 16 of the guide elements 12. The different distance is designated in Fig. 2 with A, which is at least the same size, but preferably larger than the area measured from the side, in which the objects 46 to be transported are held by means of the transport clips 22. Between the sections 42 and 44, the guide element 20 each has a sliding section 48 with two successive, mutually merging curvatures which continuously adjoin the sections 42 and 44. The section 42 with a greater distance from the orbit 16 corresponds to a first position 50 of the transport bracket 22 and the section 44 to a second position 50 '.

Below the gripper conveyor 10 designed as a belt conveyor Zuforderer 52 is arranged, which is intended to receive the m an imbricated formation S are arranged flat Mating walls 46, ^¬ reiprodukte prints in the present case, such as newspapers, magazines or derglei ^¬ Chen, supplied to the Uoernahmeabschnitt 18, whereby in the takeover section 18 both the feeder 52 and the clamp conveyor 10 run parallel to one another and are driven in the direction of travel F at the same speed. Is seen in plan view - as shown in Figure 2 shows -. The gripper conveyor 10 as viewed in Ford establishment of F, arranged laterally of the Zuforderers 52 and are the object 16 on the same side on the För ^¬ derband Zuforderers of 52 before.

The device shown in Figs. 1 and 2 operates as follows. The transport brackets 22 are Position 32 befindlichem clamping element deflected about the axis 20 and with 26 m the first position 50 displaced carriage 28 and supplied to the ^'take-over section 18th In this case, the clamping element 26 formed by the slide 28 lies against the scale formation S from above in its area which projects laterally beyond the feeder 52. The clamping element 26 'm and the clamping position 32' are then pivoted by means of generally known control elements, as a result of which at least two, in the present case five, objects 46 are gripped from the side by the clamp jaw concerned and held for further transport. In order to ensure that this transport clamp 22 does not catch any objects 46 held by the preceding transport clamp 22, the transport clamps 22 pass through a sliding section 48 immediately after the clamp jaw 34 closes, in which the relevant objects 46, viewed in the direction of travel F, move laterally onto the feeder 52 be moved and moved out of the effective range of the subsequent transport bracket 22, as can be seen in particular in FIG. 2. The objects are thus held section by section and transported further while maintaining the scale arrangement S.

The follower element 38 may be arranged on the carriage 28 between an engaged position and a rest position changeable be ^¬, wherein cooperates in the engaged position the follower element 38 with the guide member 40 and moved away in the rest position out of the effective range of the Fuhrungselements 40th Such a transport clamp is described in the patent application filed on the same day with the title 'Device for Transporting Objects ^1. described (CH patent application No. 2000 0800/00).

3 shows a further section of the clamp transporter 10 arranged downstream in the conveying direction F with respect to the take-over section 18 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The section 44 of the guide element 40 - which corresponds to the second position 50 'of the transport clamps 22 - is followed by a displacement section 48 to a first section 42, again with a greater distance from the orbit 16 and thus corresponding to the first position 50 of the transport clamps. At the downstream end of section 44 there is a controlled changeover element 54 of a control device 53 which is intended to move the follower element 38 of predetermined transport clamps 22 from the engaged position into the rest position outside the effective range of the guide element 40. Transport clamps 22, the follower elements 38 of which are brought into the rest position, continue to transport the objects 46 held by them, while maintaining their second position 50 ', as indicated by the dash-dotted straight line which is indicated by the follower elements 38 of the two transport clamps located in section 44 22 is indicated. In the case of the two transport clamps 22 located in section 42, the follower elements 38 were left in their engaged position during transport past the changeover element 54, so that the objects 46 in question were brought back into the first position 50 by moving the transport clamps 22.

Fig. 4 shows a transfer section 56 of the clamp conveyor 10, in which predetermined sections of those of the T / CH01 / 00078

Transport clamps 22, objects 46 fed in the direction of conveyance F, are transferred to a conveyor 58 designed as a belt conveyor for further transport. The orbit 16 runs rectilinearly into the transfer section 56. To the side next to this rectilinear section and parallel to it is arranged the conveyor 58 which is driven in the direction of travel F at the same speed as the conveyor elements 12 of the clamp transporter 10. The transport clamps 22 become theirs first position 50 - as indicated by a section 42 of the guide element 40 - the transfer section 56 requested. In the transfer section 56, the guide element 40 has a displacement section 48 to a section 44, the distance to the orbit 16 of the conveying elements 12 is smaller. Downstream of the displacement section 48, the orbit 16 of the conveyor elements 12 has a curve away from the conveyor 58, which is followed by a further rectilinear section. A curve in the opposite direction then leads to a section of the orbit 16, which in turn now runs parallel to the requester 58 but far enough away from it that the objects 46 and the objects 46 conveyed to the requester 58 and the objects 46 conveyed further by means of the transport clamps 22 are spaced apart.

The conveyor 58 further has an endless pressure belt 60 which forms a front gap with the conveyor belt and is arranged at such a distance from the orbit 16 that objects 46 to be transported further by means of the transport clamps 22 cannot reach the effective area of the pressure belt 60, however those objects which are moved into the second position 50 'and transferred to the conveyor 58 reach the effective area of the pressure belt 60. The pressure belt 60 is guided by two deflection rollers 62, the upstream one being arranged in such a way that the conveying gap begins at a short distance downstream of the downstream end of the displacement section 48.

A controlled changeover element 54 of the control device 53 is arranged upstream of the displacement section 48 and is intended to switch the follower elements 38 of those transport clamps 22, which convey the objects 46 they are holding and are not intended to transfer to the conveyor 58, to the rest position. The follow-up elements 38 of those transport clamps 22, which have to deliver the objects 46 held by them to the conveyor 58, are not changed over by the changeover element 54. At the downstream end of the displacement section 48, an opening member 64 is arranged in a fixed manner, which is intended to pivot the clamp element 26 'of those transport clamps 22 into the open position 32, which the objects 46 they have to deliver to the conveyor 58.

The follower elements 38 of the three transport brackets 22 shown at the front in the direction of conveyance F were moved into the rest position when moving past the changeover element 54, whereby the objects 46 in question were transported past the pressure belt 60 while maintaining the first position 50. The four transport clamps following these transport clamps 22 have or give the objects 46 held by them from the conveyor 58 by leaving the follower elements 38 in the engaged position and thus the relevant transport clamps 22 together with the objects 46 held by them have been moved in the displacement section 48 into the second position 50 '. As a result, these objects 46 came into the effective range of the conveyor 58 and the pressure belt 60, to which they were transferred by opening the relevant transport clips 22 by means of the opening member 64.

Downstream of the takeover section shown, those transport clamps 22, which the objects 46 have delivered to the conveyor 58, are pushed back into their first position 50. The successive sections of objects 46 fed to the requester 58 again form a scale formation S which corresponds in structure to the supplied scale formation S according to FIG. 1.

5 to 7 show a transponder clamp 22 slidably mounted on a conveyor element 12. The carriage-like conveyor element 12 is arranged in the guide channel 14 with a C-shaped cross section and is guided on it by means of four wheels 66 which are freely rotatable in parallel axes. With 68 the end face of the conveying element 12 is designated, with which it is intended to rest against the corresponding end face of the adjacent conveying element 12. Each conveyor element 12 has two support elements 70 arranged one behind the other, which protrude from the guide channel 14 and on each of which a white teres wheel 66 'is freely rotatable, which cooperates with the mutually facing edges of the guide channel 14 for lateral guidance of the conveying element.

The plate-like guide rail 24 is fastened to the support elements 70 and has a guide groove 72 running in the center at right angles to the guide channel 14. A guide bead 74, which is integrally formed on the likewise plate-shaped slide 28, engages in this. Laterally, the guide rail 24 is encompassed by guide profiles 76 fastened to the slide 28 in order to hold the slide 28 in contact with the guide rail 24. One of the guide profiles 76 has a passage in the middle, in which a detent ball 78 is arranged. This is spring-loaded in the direction of the guide rail 24 and is intended to cooperate with two latching depressions 80 corresponding to the first position 50 and second position 50 '.

The follower element 38, which is designed as a roller, is mounted on the carriage 28 so as to be freely rotatable about an axis which runs parallel to the axis of the further wheels 66 ′ of the conveying element 12. In the end region facing away from the conveying element and the follower element 38, two support elements 82, which form the fixed clamping element 26, are fastened to the slide 28. The flat, movable clamping element 26 'interacts with these. This is arranged on the free end region of a first leg 84 'of a leaf spring 84, which extends approximately 90 ° around a bearing shaft 86 and with its second leg 84 "for interaction with an actuating element freely rotatably mounted on an actuating lever 88. gungswalze 90 is determined. The actuating lever 88 and the bearing shaft 86 are mounted on the lateral legs of a holding element 92 which is U-shaped in cross section and which is fastened to the slide 28 with its connecting leg. On both sides of the leaf spring 84, the bearing shaft 86 is encompassed by an opening spring 94, which act on the leaf spring 84 on one end and are supported on the holding element 92 on the other. The opening springs 94 are designed to apply a force acting in the direction of the open position 32 to the leaf spring 84. 5 and 6, the clamping position 32 'of the clamping element 26' is indicated in solid lines and the open position 32 by dash-dotted lines.

The second leg 84 "has at its end a stop 96 and the end portion is bent such that in the clamping position 32 'the Betätigαngswalze 90 as a result of the second leg 84" ausgeuDten force on it, at 96 m ^¬ impact system is maintained. The actuating lever 88 can be changed from the position corresponding to the clamped position 32 'to the position corresponding to the open position 32 and back again by means of the changeover element 54 or fixedly arranged changeover links. The clamping element 26 'is equipped with a wedge-like hood 98 which is intended to be held by an adjacent transport clamp 22 when the transport clamp 22 is moved from the first position 50 (FIG. 5) to the second position 50' (FIG. 6) Underride objects 46 without damaging them.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 the follower element 38 is not movably supported on the slide 28, but in this case the guide elements 40 are moveable by means of the control device 53.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show the clamp transporter 10 in a transfer section 100 of the orbit 16. Each of the transport clips 22 is loaded with objects 46 and fed to this transfer section 100. On the opposite side of the objects 46 with respect to the orbit 16 there is a further orbit 102 with individually controllable brackets 104 which are also driven in the conveying direction F synchronously with the transport brackets 22 and which can be of the same design as the transport brackets 22. in an initial area of the transfer section 100, those transport clamps 22 whose objects 46 are to be transferred must be shifted from the first position 50 in the direction of the further orbit 102 to the second position 50 '. In this initial region of the revolving section 100, the further orbit 102 runs at such a distance from the orbit 16 that the objects 46 held by a transport clamp 22 are inserted into the opened clamp 104 when being moved from the first to the second position 50, 50 ′. Downstream of this initial portion takes said distance such that the acquired from the clip 104 objects 46 in the conveying direction F seen for ^¬ Lich out of contact with the brackets of the other transport ^¬ 22 held and continue to arrive at transporting objects 46th Until now, the further orbit 102 was in the conveying area of the Klamertrans- porteurs 10. The further orbit now runs in a direction transverse to the conveying surface 36 out of it and then again towards the orbit 16 of the conveying elements 12 in order to pass the objects 46 held by this clamp 104 back to the transport clamp 22 by means of which they have been supplied to the transfer section 100. Now, however, these objects 46 rest on both objects 46 held by trailing and advancing transport clamps 22 with respect to the relevant transport clamp 22, as can be seen from those objects 46 which are held by the transport clamp 22 shown on the far right in FIG. 9 ,

The formation shape shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 may serve by forming a separation point prepare the transported by the gripper conveyor 10 imbricated formation S such that the vice by means of the bracket 104 ^¬ flaked counter Standen discharged 46 subsequent objects of the imbricated formation S, and by means of a path - Förcerers 58 can be carried away, as shown in FIG. 10. The clamp conveyor 10 is deflected in a similar manner as shown in FIG. 1 about an axis 20, again a driven cam wheel driving the conveying elements 12 in the conveying direction F. The reshaped objects 46 rest on the side of the scale formation S facing the cam wheel. A controlled opening means 46 of the controller 53 is intended that transport clamp 22 to open, which a ^¬ a vice schuppte section 46 of objects transported follows. When opening the transport clamp 22 vertically below the axis 20, the articles in question, 46 come on the extending in the horizontal direction ^{^} and driven in the conveying direction F removal conveyor 58 to the support, after which they can be transported away by detachment of the leading and trailing articles 46 as reference the dash-dotted section of objects 46 is shown.

11 to 14 show a discharge section 106 of a device according to the invention. The orbit 16 of the clamp conveyor 10 runs in the direction from above to below, to a cam wheel 20 'driven about an axis 20 in the conveying direction F, around it and then again in the vertical direction upwards. The axis 20 of the cam wheel 20 'runs parallel to the conveying surface 36 defined by the transport brackets 20. In an initial region of the discharge section 106 which is upstream with respect to the cam wheel 20', the guide element 40 of the control device 53 runs in such a way that those transport brackets 22, their follow-up elements 38 are not moved out of the effective range of the guide element 40 into the rest position by means of the changeover element 54, are moved from their first position 50 into the second position 50 ′ and then back again into the first position 50. An opening element 64 of the control device 53 is intended to spend in the second position 50 'shifted transport clamps 20 from their clamping position 32' in the open position 32 to the through the displacement ^¬ ben a Ausschleuseförderer 108 supplied articles 46 released. The transport clips 22, which are not Holding objects 46 to be discharged are not moved into the second position 50 '.

The discharge conveyor 108 is designed as a belt conveyor and has two self-contained conveyor belts 112, 112 'forming a front gap 110. At the beginning of the discharge conveyor 108, these are guided around parallel-axis, stationary deflection rollers 114, from where the active dreams forming the front gap 110 run to a deflection wheel 116. The radially inner conveyor belt 112 with respect to the deflection wheel 116 runs around the deflection wheel 116 and from there back to the assigned deflection roller 114. The radially outer conveyor belt 112 'grips around the deflection wheel 116 by approximately 90 ° and extends from there tangentially to one which forms the end of the discharge conveyor 108 another deflecting roller 114 '. The deflection wheel 116 has a diameter corresponding to the cam wheel 20 ′, so that the active run of the conveyor belt 112 runs along the conveyor surface 36 defined by the clamp conveyor 10. This is as long as the axis of the deflection wheel 116 is aligned with the axis 20. In the direction of the axis 20, the discharge conveyor 108 is spaced from the orbit 16 of the clamp transporter 10 in such a way that only those objects 46 whose transport clamps 22 have been moved towards the discharge conveyor 108 into the second position 50 'reach the front gap 110.

As shown in FIG. 13, the deflection wheel 116 is from its position aligned with the cam wheel 20 '(FIGS. 11, 12 and 14) along a circular path section coaxial with the roller 114 in the direction of the outside conveyor belt 112 'movable to and back again.

The device shown in Figs. 11 to 14 operates as follows. In their first position 50, the transport clamps 22 of objects 46 that cannot be discharged are conveyed further along the orbit 16 around the cam wheel 20 ′. The transport clamps 22 always remain in the closed position 32 '. The transport clamps 22 of objects 46 to be discharged are shifted into the second position 50 ', as a result of which the objects 46 in question enter the conveying gap 110 of the discharge conveyor 108. As soon as all objects 46 transported by a transport clamp 22 are held in the conveyor gap 110, the relevant transport clamp 22 is opened and pushed back into the first position 50. Since the gripper conveyor 10 and the Ausschleuseförderer 108 are driven at the same speed, the transport clamps move synchronously to the respective objects 46. For 46 out of the overlap with the leading end, by means of the gripper conveyor 10 to be transported to be discharged objects continue to loose counter ^¬ stands 6 , the deflection wheel is shifted away 16 with great speed from the Ge ^¬ with the cam wheel 20 'aligned position once the staples 22 by means of the transport ^¬ further objects to be conveyed 46 to För ^¬ the gap left 110th This is the case when the first counter to be discharged Standen 46 zugeord ^¬ designated transport clamp 22 is positioned approximately vertically below the axis 20, as with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13, it is recognizable ^¬. The formation of a gap Zvi ^¬ done rule to be discharged and the weiterzufördernden Objects 46, as shown in FIG. 13. The objects 46 to be discharged following the gap are now conveyed away lying on the conveyor belt 112 ', the deflection wheel 116, however, being brought back into alignment with the cam wheel 20' at a lower speed. The first objects 46 that can no longer be discharged are then held by the transport clamp 22 in order to deflect the cam wheel 20 ′, where they easily separate from the objects 46 to be discharged due to the scale formation shown.

15 and 16 show a further embodiment of the device according to the invention in the discharge section 106. The orbit 16 of the conveying elements runs in the vertical direction from top to bottom to a deflection by 180 ° about an axis 20, which is now perpendicular to the clamp conveyor 10 in the discharge section 16 defined funding level 36 runs. In the initial area of the discharge section 106, the clamp conveyor 10 is configured in the same way as described in connection with the embodiment according to FIGS. 11 to 14. The follow-up elements 38 of those transport brackets 22 are brought out of the effective area of the guide element 40 by means of a changeover element 54, which transport the objects 46 held by them and do not have to feed them to the discharge conveyor 108. This is indicated on the basis of the transport clamps 22 shown downstream of the deflection 46. By means of the guide element 40, those transport clamps 22 which have to feed the objects 46 held by them to the discharge conveyor 108 become the first moved to the second position 50 '. As soon as all the objects 46 held by a transport clamp 22 in the conveyor gap 110 of the ^" discharge conveyor 108 - which is of the same design as the discharge conveyor 108 described above and shown in FIGS. 11 to 14, with the exception that the deflection wheel 116 is mounted in a stationary manner - are held, the relevant transport clamps 22 are moved into the open position 32 by means of the opening member 64. The relevant transport clamps 22 are then pushed back into their first position 50. The objects 46 fed to the discharge requester 108 are requested in the front gap 110 around the deflection wheel 116 and 15 on the conveyor belt 112. As can be seen in FIG. 15, a further linear conveyor belt 118 can be provided below the deflection wheel 116 in order to support the discharged objects 46 at the edge area removed from the discharge conveyor 103.

FIG. 17 shows a device according to the invention, which is formed in the takeover section 18 corresponding to FIGS. 1 and 2, in order to take over sections 46 of items 46 fed in scale formation S by means of the conveyor conveyor designed as a belt conveyor, and to transport them in the form F. Following the takeover section 18, the orbit 16 runs in the vertical direction upwards and after a subsequent horizontal section in the downward direction to a discharge section 106 according to FIGS. 11 to 14, the guide channel 14 in the vertically downward section, for example, by 90 ° is wound so that the axis 20 in the discharge section 106 runs at right angles to the axis 20 in the take-over section 18. Objects 46 which have not been discharged in this discharge section 106 are in turn conveyed further in the vertical direction upwards, deflected there into the horizontal and fed in the vertical direction towards the bottom to a further discharge section 106. Between the first and the second discharge section 106, the guide channel 14 is in turn twisted by 90 °, so that the axis 20 in the second discharge section 106 runs parallel to that in the takeover section 18. At this discharge section 106, the orbit 16 again runs upwards in the vertical direction and then in the horizontal direction to a further station. Since each object 46 is held by a single transport clamp 22, each of these transport clamps 22 holding a plurality of objects 46, the orbit 16 can be bent as desired in space. Furthermore, the objects 46 held by a transport clamp 22 remain in an unrelated mutual position. The device according to the invention is particularly suitable for equipping shipping rooms in print shops, as is shown in FIG. 17 is indicated.

Claims

claims

1. Device for transporting flat objects, in particular printed products, with conveying elements (12) moved one behind the other along an orbit (16) in the conveying direction (F) and individually controllable transport clamps (22), each arranged on a conveying element (12) and are intended, with their arranged in a duri ^¬ in Ford construction (F) fenden Forderflache (36) clamp mouth (34) each having at least two mutually overlapping layers arranged in the Forderfläche (36) and in Ford construction (F) object (46), in Ford construction (F) seen holding side, characterized in that the transport clamps (22) to the conveying elements (12) at least approximately the Forderflache (36) and the pushing direction in a direction transverse to the orbit (16) Ver ^¬ (30) m between two positions (50, 50 ') hm and slidably mounted and that a control device (53) is designed to transport clamps (22) from one in to move the other position (50, 50 ').

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the transport clamps (22) element with a sequence ^¬ (38) is connected, and that the Steuerein ^¬ direction (53) at least in a portion of the order ^¬ runway (16) a guide element (40), which for moving transport clips (22) from one position to the other (50, 50 ') with the follow ^¬ element (38) of the relevant transport clip. interacts.

Device according to ^" Claim 2, characterized in that the guide element (40) runs in sections parallel to the orbit (16) and in displacement sections (48) of the orbit (16) the distance (A) between the guide element (40) and the orbit (16 ) changes continuously.

Apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that, as seen in the conveying direction (F) upstream of at least one displacement section (48), a controlled changeover element (54) of the control device (53) is arranged, which is intended to move the follower element (38) of certain transport brackets (22 ) to engage or disengage with the guide element (40).

Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that in a take-over section (18) of the orbit (16) it runs parallel and to the side of a feeder (52), preferably designed as a belt conveyor, which is intended for objects

(46) in scale formation (S) in the takeover section (18) to promote that the transport clamps

(22) in the takeover section (18) successively embrace and grasp at least two of the objects (46) from the side, and that the transport clamps

(22) at the end of the transfer section (18) before the subsequent transport clamp (22) objects

(46) takes place in such a way that the hitting objects (46) are outside the area of the following transport bracket (22).

Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that in a transfer section (56) of the orbit (16) this runs parallel and laterally of a path conveyor (58), preferably designed as a belt conveyor, and in that the control device (53) it is determined in the transfer section (56) to move those transport clamps (22) which have to hand over the objects (46) they hold to the requester (58) towards the requester (58) and those transport clamps (22) which the objects (46) held by them have to be urged through the transfer section (56) to be left in their position (50) further away from the requester (58) or to be moved into this position (50).

Apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the path conveyor designed as a belt conveyor

(58), in a side region of the travel conveyor (58) facing away from the orbit (16), a hold-down element, preferably designed as a hold-down belt

(60) is assigned, which is intended, downstream of the displacement of the relevant transport clamps (22), the objects dispensed by them

(46) to print on the pioneer (58)

Device according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized characterized in that in a revolving section (100) of the orbit (16) on the other side of the objects (46) with respect to the orbit (16) there is a further orbit (102) with individually controllable clamps (100) driven in the direction of travel (F) , The control device (53) is intended, in an initial region of the transfer section (100), to transport clips (22) whose objects (44) are to be transferred to the further orbit (102) and the relevant objects (46) into the assigned ones To shift clamps (104), downstream of the initial region, the distance between the orbit (16) and the further orbit (102) increases in such a way that the objects (46) taken over by the clamps (104) out of contact with those from the transport clamps (22 ) held objects (46), and then the further orbit (102) in a direction transverse to the conveying surface (36) out of this and then back onto the orbit (16) z u runs in order to transfer the objects (46) held by the clamps (104) to the same transport clamps (22) from which they were fed to the recirculation section (100) in an end region of the reconnection section (100).

Device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that in a discharge section (106) the movement path (16) runs around a deflection element (20 '), the axis (20) of which is arranged parallel to the front surface (36) an upstream region of the deflecting element (20 ') of the Discharge section (106), the orbit (16) runs parallel and to the side of a discharge conveyor (108), which is preferably designed as a belt conveyor, the control device (53) is intended in the initial area to transport clamps (22) which hold the objects (46) held by them have to deliver to the discharge conveyor (108), to move onto the discharge conveyor (108), and those transport clamps (22) which have to convey the objects (46) they hold through the discharge section (106), in their from the Leave discharge conveyor (108) further away position (50) or to move into this position (50).

Apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that the deflecting element (20 ') for forming a gap between the objects (46) to be conveyed further by means of the transport clamps (22) and the objects (46) to be discharged, and the discharge conveyor (108) relative to one another in are movable away from each other in one direction.

Device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that in a discharge section (106) the orbit (16) in the conveying surface (36) around a deflecting element (20 '), the axis (20) of which is at least approximately perpendicular to the conveying surface (36 ) is arranged around, the orbit (16) runs parallel in an initial region of the discharge section (106) located upstream of the deflecting element (20 ') and to the side of a discharge conveyor (108), which is preferably designed as a belt conveyor, the control device (53) is designed, in the initial region, to convey those clips (22) which the objects (46) they hold must be delivered to the discharge conveyor (106) to move towards the discharge requester (106) and those transport clamps (22) which have to convey the objects (46) they hold through the discharge region (106) in their position further away from the discharge requester (108) ( 50) to leave or to move into this position (50).