EP1475329B1 - Method and device for the formation of a stream of flat articles of different type, in particular a stream of articles fed for stacking - Google Patents

Abstract

The method is for the creating of a stream of flat objects of different object types (A,B,C), whereby by a number of feed guides (23.1,23.2,23,3) each allocated to an object type, objects are laid upon a transporting surface (22). Overlapping formations (26.1,26.2,26.3), each comprising at least one object, are made available in the feed guides and are then laid on the transporting surface each as a whole. The overlapping formations are made available in an intermediate conveyor (24), whereby the objects from a source (25) are fed to the inlet of the intermediate conveyor and then delivered from its outlet to the transporting surface. Independent claims are also included for the following: (a) a device for the creating of a stream of flat objects of different object types; and (b) a use for the proposed method which is to create a feed stream of printed products to a stacking device.

Description

The invention is in the field of general cargo processing and relates to a method and an apparatus according to the preambles of the corresponding independent claims. Method and apparatus are used to produce a stream of flat articles of various types of articles, in particular a feed stream for a stacking. The flat articles are in particular printed products such as newspapers, magazines and / or brochures, which are processed into stacks or packages, wherein the stacks or packages contain a plurality of printed product types.

Especially for shipping, stacks are created from printed products, such as newspapers, magazines or brochures, from which packages are then formed by strapping and / or wrapping. For deliveries to retailers, such packages often contain printed products of various types, each in a varying number. The various types of printed products are taken from the storage formations (reels, rods, stacks, packages) for the creation of the packages, for example, or they are fed to the stacking machine directly from the press on-line.

According to the state of the art, stacks or packages of printed products are created, for example, by supplying a shingled stream of the printed products to be stacked to a stacking shaft and depositing it in this stacking shaft. If the stack formed in the stacking shaft has a predetermined height, or contains a predetermined number of printed products, it is pushed out of the stacking shaft, possibly directly into a strapping device in which a package is created by strapping and / or wrapping from the stack.

To produce stacks containing various types of printed products, a device carrying the resulting stack is moved to a plurality of infeeds, with a print product type added to each infeed, or to provide a feed stream containing the various types of printed products in the order to be implemented in the batch sequence.

The creation of supply streams from various printed products is known, for example from the bookbinding, where, for example, for the supply to stitching or binding machines streams are created in which the various signatures are already in the order provided for the finished book order. The creation of such streams is for example in the publication EP-579940 (Kolbus GmbH) described. On a conveyor belt a type of signatures are stored by a number of above the conveyor belt arranged feeding points. The assignment of the feed points to types of signature corresponds to the order of the signatures in the book block and the feed points and the conveyor belt are synchronized so that shingled sections form on the conveyor belt, each corresponding to a book block, that is of each type of signature in the correct order ever a copy included.

Since one copy of each signature type is to be stored for each book block, the system can be set according to EP-0579940 be operated regularly clocked, wherein the speed of the conveyor belt is set such that it travels in each conveyor cycle a distance corresponding to the distance between the feed points plus a desired scale distance, and wherein the delivery in the feed points to the ratio of the length to be created Scallop formations adapted to the distances between the feeding sites. If the distance between the feed points is greater than the length of the scale flow sections to be created, a signature can be issued at each feed point in each cycle. If the distance between the feed points is smaller, for example, shed sections are guided only in every second or third cycle and the discharges at the feed points are set up accordingly.

With a same system, it is also possible to create shingled sections which are individualized in that they contain only one of the selected types of flat objects, as is desired, for example, for the individualized addition of supplements to, for example, newspapers. For such an individualization of the scale flow sections to be created, the affected additions need only be suppressed in corresponding cycles. However, the system itself can be operated in the above-mentioned manner rigidly clocked. A delivery of more than one item per delivery and a change in the order of the delivered items in the scale flow sections are not possible.

A system that can generate a stream of different types of printed products without the limitations mentioned above is in the publication EP-1029705 described. In this system, a continuously operated staple transporter is used, with the help of which the products are kept in the current to be created by individual brackets individually, at regular intervals from each other and conveyed at a substantially constant speed. For each feed point, there is further provided a conveyor system having individually movable grippers. These are each loaded with one product and buffered in front of the feed point. From the buffered products, according to the product sequence to be created, individual are removed from the buffer and transferred to appropriate clamps of the staple transporter. A current created with this system is not subject to any conditions regarding the number and order of different product types in the created stream. However, this very high flexibility is paid for by a very complex device and a relatively complex control. Also, this system is operated rigidly clocked, wherein in each cycle at each feed point a staple of the staple transporter is positioned, that is, a delivery would be possible, but these levies are suppressed according to the product sequence to be created in part.

The invention now has for its object to provide a method and a device, with which it is possible to create a stream of different types of flat objects, wherein the sequence of objects in the stream is subject to less severe conditions than with the System according to EP-579940 the case is. Nevertheless, the device and its control but should be much easier than this EP-1029705 the case is. Device and method according to the invention should in particular be easily adaptable to varying numbers of objects to be arranged directly behind one another in the stream to be created, of a type, that is, they should be very universally applicable and also expandable as desired.

This object is achieved by the method and the device as defined in the claims.

According to the inventive method as in the prior art for the current to be created essentially a conveying surface and a supply for each type of objects provided, the feeds open into feed points on the conveying surface. The objects are conveyed from the feeders to the feed points and stored there on the conveying surface in order to be conveyed away by the conveying surface at further feeders. However, instead of depositing the articles one by one and clocking the system as a whole in accordance with these individual deliveries, behind each feed point (upstream of the feed point) an imbricated formation of a given number of objects is provided, which shed formation is then integrated as a unit Conveying surface is stored. It is of course also possible to provide and deliver a single object, or a "scale formation", which consists of only one object.

For the provision of the dandruff formations to be deposited, an intermediate conveyor is used between an article source (e.g., feeder or winding station) and the conveying surface, which intermediate conveyor is controllable or actively / passively switchable independent of intermediate conveyors and article sources of other feeders and advantageously also independently of the article source associated therewith. An intermediate conveyor is active, on the one hand, when a shed formation provided is to be stored, and, on the other hand, when a new shed formation is to be provided, these two phases of activity advantageously overlapping at least partially. The object source delivers items, so is active when a new scale formation is to be provided.

The device according to the invention comprises a main conveyor and a plurality of feeds directed towards the main conveyor, the main conveyor having an advantageously continuously driven conveying surface on which objects to be deposited from the feeders, and wherein each feeder comprises an article source and an intermediate conveyor disposed between the article source and the conveying surface. The feeds are independently controllable, article sources and intermediate conveyor of a feeder are advantageously also individually controlled, that is essentially active / passive switchable. The main conveyor is, for example, a conveyor belt, the intermediate conveyors are, for example, also conveyor belts, in particular counter-paired conveyor belt pairs or pairs of similar conveying means between which the flake formation is conveyed in a trapped manner. The inputs of the intermediate conveyors facing away from the main conveyor are advantageously equipped universally such that the coupling of various object sources (feeder, winding station, on-line feeding on a conveying surface loosely or by means of individually conveyed gripper, so that the objects are buffered in front of the entrance to the intermediate conveyor can).

The intermediate conveyors advantageously open obliquely from above and rectified with the main conveyor on the main conveyor and are operated for the deposition of the scaly formations, for example, at a speed which is substantially equal to the speed of the main conveyor, such that the scale distance of the imbricated scion formation substantially the same size as the scale spacing of the resulting on the conveying surface of the main conveyor scale flow.

The main conveyor is advantageously operated at a constant speed. The delivery of the flake formations can be permanently timed, so that the flake formations deposited at each feed point on the conveying surface of the main conveyor form substantially separate scale flow sections. On the other hand, the depositing at successive feed points can also be adapted to the lengths of the previously deposited scale formations be that deposited on successive feed points imbricated formations on the conveying surface of the main conveyor form a continuous scale flow section, in which thus overlap by successive feeds overlapping overlap. When such a shingled stream is fed downstream of a stacking chute, it is advantageous to create gaps between stacks preformed on the main conveyor than ever a plurality of shingled sections or as a contiguous shed section, which allow ejection of the stacks without engagement with the feeder. When the stream to be created is fed to a stack, it is also possible to intermittently operate the main conveyor (start-stop operation), that is, to stop during dumping of the scaly formations. In such a case, there does not arise on the conveying surface of the main conveyor a scale flow consisting of scale flow sections but a stacking flow consisting of partial stacks in which the partial stacks can overlap one another or are arranged one behind the other.

The method and apparatus according to the invention are particularly suitable for creating a feed stream for the creation of packages of printed products, each package containing printed products of various types. The choice of printed product types and the number of printed products per type in each package may be the same or different within predetermined limits. However, in the same simple manner, according to the invention, it is also possible to create packages containing only one product of the different types of printed products.

Figur 1

das Prinzip des erfindungsgemässen Verfahrens, anhand einer sehr schematisch dargestellten Vorrichtung gemäss Erfindung;

Figuren 2 bis 3

zwei beispielhafte Steuerschemas für die Vorrichtung gemäss Figur 1;

Figuren 4 und 5

zwei beispielhafte Ausführungsformen von Zwischenförderem für die erfindungsgemässe Vorrichtung;

Figur 6

eine Anlage zum Erstellen von Druckproduktepaketen, in welcher Anlage Verfahren und Vorrichtung gemäss Erfindung zur Anwendung kommen.

Method and apparatus according to the invention will be described in detail with reference to the following figures. Showing:

FIG. 1

the principle of the inventive method, based on a very schematically illustrated device according to the invention;

FIGS. 2 to 3

two exemplary control schemes for the device according to FIG. 1 ;

FIGS. 4 and 5

two exemplary embodiments of intermediate conveyor for the inventive device;

FIG. 6

a system for creating printed product packages, in which system method and apparatus according to the invention are used.

FIG. 1 shows in a very schematic way a first, exemplary embodiment of the inventive method. The apparatus used to carry out the method comprises a main conveyor 21 having a conveying surface 22 (shown schematically in phantom) and three feeders 23.1, 23.2 and 23.3, each of which feeds an intermediate conveyor 24 (shown schematically in phantom) and an article source 25 (shown schematically as a stack). By the feeder 23.1 a type A of flat objects is deposited on the conveying surface 22, by the feeder 23.2 a type B and by the feeder 23.3 a type C.

The objects of the three types of objects A, B and C are in the FIG. 1 differentiated by different hatching, but are all shown the same size. However, the article types which can be processed by the method according to the invention are not subjected to such conditions, that is, they can have very different thicknesses and formats, or they can all be of the same size. Likewise, it is not a prerequisite for the method according to the invention that the scale spacings D in the stream to be created or in the scale formations 26.1, 26.2, 26.3 provided in the intermediate conveyor 24 are all the same, as shown in FIG FIG. 1 is shown.

The in accordance with the method FIG. 1 current to be created is intended, for example, to have continuous scale flow sections 27, each having two items of the type A, four items of the type B and one item of the type C. The scoop formations 26.1, 26.2 and 26.3 provided in the intermediate conveyor 24 are therefore to be stored overlapping each other. Furthermore, 27 gaps 28 should be left between the scale flow sections, which correspond to three stored objects. A dispensing cycle must therefore comprise ten bars (for seven objects and the gap 28). The main conveyor 21 sets in each cycle travels a distance corresponding to the scale distance D. In the FIG. 1 are cycles and cycles Z _L indicated as conveying distances. The intermediate conveyors 24 lay, as long as they are active, in each cycle a distance back which the scale spacing of the scale formation to be provided (For FIG. 1 = D) back.

As already mentioned above, according to FIG. 1 the main conveyor and the intermediate conveyor operated at the same speed. But this is not absolutely necessary. It is easily possible to operate the intermediate conveyors at speeds other than the main conveyor and with different speeds and to adjust the scale spacing in the scaly formations provided accordingly. It is also not a prerequisite for the inventive method that in all deposited on the main conveyor scale formations the scale distances are the same size.

As already described above, the article sources 25 and the intermediate conveyors 24 of the individual feeders 23.1, 23.2 and 23.3 are advantageously individually controllable, as shown in FIG FIG. 1 is shown very schematically with the six control units and corresponding (dashed lines) data lines. Depending on a pair of control units are assigned to a feeder and designated accordingly with 23.1 ', 23.2' and 23.3 '. Each pair has a subject source Unit 25 'and an intermediate conveyor controlling unit 24' on. Of course, the control units need not be hardware units.

If the imbricated formations provided in an intermediate conveyor are not spaced apart, that is, if there is a continuous imbricated flow in this intermediate conveyor, of which one section is deposited per activity phase, it is not necessary for the object source and intermediate conveyors to be independently controllable.

FIG. 2 shows a control scheme for the embodiment of the inventive method, as substantially in the FIG. 1 is shown. On the abscissa (time axis) the clocks are numbered consecutively and cycles Z _{T are} plotted as time units, on the ordinate the states (a = active, p = passive) of the individual components (extracted: main conveyor or intermediate conveyor, dashed: object source).

The main conveyor 21 is permanently active. In the feeder 23.1, in whose intermediate conveyor 24 mutually spaced scale formations 26.1 are provided by two objects of the type A, respectively, the intermediate conveyor 24 and the article source 25 for depositing or providing an imbricated formation 26.1 in the cycles 1 and 2 of each cycle Z _T active. The intermediate conveyor is alone active in a number of subsequent bars (according to FIG. 1 : Bars 3 and 4), in which a distance 29 between provided scurf formations 26.1 is created. In the remaining cycles of each cycle Z _T , intermediate conveyors 24 and article source 25 of feeder 23.1 are passive.

In the same way are in the feeder 23.2 in the bars 3 to 6 (depositing and providing) intermediate conveyor and item source and in the bars 7 and 8 (distance 29) only the intermediate conveyor active, in the remaining clocks are both passive. In the feeder 23.3, intermediate conveyors and article sources are active in bars 7 (dispensing or providing), in bars 8 and 9 (distance 29) the intermediate conveyor is alone active, in the remaining bars both are passive.

The synchronization of depositing and providing is to be adapted to the length of the intermediate conveyor, that is, to the number of provided flake formations, which have space in the intermediate conveyor. In the FIG. 2 Start depositing and providing (active phase of intermediate conveyor and object source) in all feeds at the same time. This is in the FIG. 1 not the case where the same lengths of the three intermediate conveyors and the same distances in all intermediate conveyors 29 at different lengths of the scale formations 26.1, 26.2, 26.3 condition different phase shifts between storage and provision. The distances 29 (in tacts) between the dandruff formations provided are, if necessary, of different lengths in the various intermediate conveyors, in particular when processing article types whose extent in the conveying direction is different. It is also possible to keep the stroke of all intermediate conveyors the same regardless of the number of objects to be deposited in a depositing step, such that the sum of the tacts available for depositing and spacing is constant.

The scale spacing D can also be different in the scale formations 26.1, 26.2 and 26.3 of the individual intermediate conveyors 23.1, 23.2 and 23.3 and correspondingly in the created scale flow on the main conveyor 21.

From the FIG. 2 It can be seen that for the production of individual differently assembled scale flow sections 27 on the main conveyor, ie of scale flow sections which have different numbers of the object types A, B and C, either the cycles Z _T or the gaps 28 have to be of different lengths. The individual feeds 23.1, 23.2, 23.3 and in the feeds of each of the intermediate conveyor 24 and the article source 25 are then to be controlled in accordance with the number of articles to be dispensed or delivered in each cycle, which may possibly be costly.

FIG. 3 shows another control scheme for a device, as in the FIG. 1 is shown very schematically, and it is significantly easier according to this control scheme to produce on the main conveyor 21 individually different composite and different long scale flow sections 27 or groups of scale flow sections.

According to this control scheme, dispensing cycles are reserved for each feeder 23.1, 23.2 and 23.3 (eg 23.1: bars 1 to 4, 23.2: bars 5 to 10, 23.3: bars 11 to 13, gap 28: bars 14 to 16), the number of these reserved clocks of the largest possible shed formation 26 to be delivered corresponds to (eg 23.1: a maximum of four items, 23.2: a maximum of six items, 23.3, 23.3: a maximum of three items). If these largest scale formations are deposited on all feeder lines, coherent scale flow sections 27 are formed on the main conveyor. If smaller scale formations are deposited, gaps are created between the stored scale formations.

For in the FIG. 3 For example, cycle Z _T applies: feed 23.1: max. discard four items, provide three items; Feeder 23.2: max. discard six items, provide six items; Feeder 23.3: Max. drop three items, provide an item. The number of items contained in the dandruff formations displayed in the cycle shown depends on how many have been deployed in corresponding previous cycles. Depending on the length of the various intermediate conveyors, or on the number of separate shingled formations that can be accommodated in it, whether the shingled formations provided in the cycle shown are stored in the next or a later cycle.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show two examples of applicable in the inventive device supplies 23 each having an article source 25 and an intermediate conveyor 24. In the FIG. 4 For example, the article source 25 is a stack to be disassembled from below, as is the case in a feeder, and the intermediate conveyor is a per se known twisted conveyor loop having, for example, an inner stationary track of freely rotating rollers and externally a resiliently pressed against the rollers realized circumferentially driven belt. The prepared dandruff formations are conveyed between rollers and tape. A feed with an intermediate conveyor designed as a twisted conveyor loop is particularly suitable for narrow space conditions and is very suitable for a manual supply of objects, wherein an operator can very comfortably serve several feeders.

The object source 25 according to FIG. 5 is an arranged above the main conveyor 21 feeder and the intermediate conveyor 24 is realized as a substantially rectilinear pair of counter-driven conveyor belts, wherein the two conveyor belts are resiliently pressed against each other and the items are conveyed clamped therebetween.

FIG. 6 shows an installation for the production of packages of printed products, each package can have printed products of three different types A, B, C. In the installation, a current is generated in which the articles are conveyed into shingled flow sections 27, wherein in each shingle flow section a stack or package is preformed. This stream is fed into a stacking device 30 in which a stack 31 of each scale flow section 27 is created. The stacks 31 are then fed into a strapping device 32 in which each stack is strapped to become a package 33.

For the creation of the current are, as already in connection with the FIG. 1 described, a main conveyor 21 and three feeders 23.1, 23.2 and 23.3 in use, for example, according to FIG. 2 to be controlled. The feeder points in the FIG. 6 not shown sources of printed products and intermediate conveyor 24 according to FIG. 4 on. The main conveyor 21 is realized as a conveyor belt.

If the printed product types A, B and C have different formats, it is advantageous, as in FIG. 6 shown, the most distant from the stacking device 30 feed 23.1 assigned to the largest printed products and arranged closest to the stacking device 30 feed 23.3 the smallest printed products. This makes it possible to create stable stacks despite the different formats. It turns out that it is possible without any problems with the in the FIG. 6 also shown to produce mixed stacks or packages in which only a part of the flat objects are printed products and further include, for example, CDs in corresponding cases or other flat objects. From the FIG. 6 It can also be seen how easily the arrangement can be extended by further feeds.

Instead of in the FIG. 6 The stacking device sections which are conveyed on the main conveyor downstream of the last feeder 23.3 can also be pushed towards one another during this conveyance during a stacking operation. For this purpose, it is necessary that the imbricated formations deposited by the individual feeders overlap one another. An apparatus which is suitable for such a collation, for example, is described in the publication DE-19533086 (or US 5733099 ).

Claims (16)

1. Method for establishing a stream of flat articles of different article types (A, B, C), wherein articles are deposited on a conveying surface (22) by a plurality of supply means (23.1, 23.2, 23.3), each supply means being assigned to one article type (A, B, C), characterized in that the stream comprises imbricated formations (26.1, 26.2, 26.3) comprising articles of the same type, wherein the imbricated formations, at least in parts, comprise different numbers of articles, in that the imbricated formations (26.1, 26.2, 26.3), which each comprise at least one article, are preformed in intermediate conveyors (24) in the supply means (23.1, 23.2, 23.3), and that the preformed imbricated formations (26,1, 26.2, 26.3) are deposited on the conveying surface (22) as a unit, for which purpose the intermediate conveyor (24) are controlled independently of one another.
2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the imbricated formations (26.1, 26.2, 26.3) are preformed in the intermediate conveyor (24), wherein articles are supplied from an article source (25) to an entrance to the intermediate conveyor (24) and are later deposited on the conveying surface (22) from an outlet of the intermediate conveyor (24).
3. Method according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that successive preformed imbricated formations (26.1, 26.2, 26.3) are distances from each other on the intermediate conveyor (24).
4. Method according to one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that the intermediate conveyor (24) is switched active for depositing and preforming and the article source is switched active for preforming.
5. Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the supply means (23.1, 23.2, 23.3) are controlled in such a manner, that imbricated formations (26.1, 26.2, 26.3) deposited by succeeding supply means (23.1, 23.2, 23.3) overlap one another on the conveying surface (22) and form an imbricated stream section (27).
6. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that all imbricated stream sections (27) have a same article composition.
7. Method according to one of claims 5 or 6, characterized in that gaps (28) are created between successive imbricated stream sections (27).
8. Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that deposition of imbricated formations (26.1, 26.2, 26.3) is controlled in deposition cycles (Z_T) comprising a plurality of clock cycles each, wherein in each deposition cycle (Z_T) a plurality of clock cycles is reserved for deposition by each supply means (23.1, 23.2, 23.3), such that in each deposition cycle an imbricated formation can be deposited by each supply means.
9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that in every deposition cycle (Z_T) clock cycles are reserved for a gap (28) in the stream to be established.
10. Method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that at least one supply means (23.1, 23.2, 23.3) deposits a succession of imbricated formations of different sizes (26,1, 26.2, 26.3).
11. Device for establishing a stream of flat articles of different article types (A, B, C), the device comprising a plurality of supply means (23.1, 23.2, 23.3), each supply means being assigned to one article type (A, B, C) and equipped for depositing articles on a conveying surface (22) of a main conveyor (21), characterized in that each one of the supply means (23.1, 23,2, 23,3) comprises an article source (25) and an intermediate conveyor (24) and that the intermediate conveyors of each supply means, for preforming and depositing of imbricated formations that comprise different numbers of articles, are driven in a controlled manner in dependence of the size of imbricated formations to be deposited and independently of other supply means.
12. Device according to claim 11, characterized in that in at least part of the supply means drive means of the article source (25) and drive means of the intermediate conveyor (24) are controlled independently of one another.
13. Device according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that drive means of the intermediate conveyors (24) are switched on and of independently of one another.
14. Device according to one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that each one of the intermediate conveyors (24) comprises two conveying means being pressed against one another by spring force.
15. Device according to claim 14, characterized in that the two conveying means are two conveyor belts being driven in opposite directions or one conveyor belt co-operating with a passive roller track.
16. Use of the method according to one of claims 1 to 10 or of a device according to one of claims 11 to 15 for establishing a stream of printed products to be supplied to a stacking device.

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