EP1554059B1 - Device for effecting the positionally accurate conveyance of flat articles to be sorted to an input device for a sorting conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

The aim of the invention is to provide a device for effecting the positionally accurate conveyance of flat articles to be sorted to an input device for a sorting conveyor, whereby this device enables, in particular, even problematic articles to be sorted, such as e.g. bulk mailings, to be conveyed in a sufficiently accurate manner for the subsequent processing thereof. To this end, the invention provides that a draw-off unit (15), which periodically separates the flat articles to be sorted (6), feeds the flat articles to be sorted (6a) in separated form to a conveyor line (26), and a conveying unit (30), with a defined advance of the input device (8), transfers the separated articles to be sorted (6a) after these articles to be sorted (6a) have arrived at a predetermined location of conveyance of the conveyor line (26). This ensures that an article to be sorted is positioned with a defined final position in the input device due to this specific advance whereby enabling a subsequent processing, particularly the vertical raising of the article to be sorted, to be effected in a reliable and automated manner. The format and the structure of the article to be sorted are of no additional importance since that, with the arrival of the article to be sorted at the predetermined location of conveyance, a specific translation of the article to be sorted ensues exactly by the extent of the preset advance.

Description

The invention relates to a device for accurately feeding flat sorting pieces to an input device for a sorting conveyor.

Such a device is commonly used in a sorting conveyor for post automation, such as, for example, in the European patent application EP 827 786 A1 is described. Usually, this sorting conveyor has so-called jetties, which einschiessen the flat sorting pieces in pockets of a rotating conveyor. From these pockets, the flat sorting pieces are emptied out of their respective assigned physical target locations and can be subsequently fed to their destination.

The sorting of flat sorting pieces is comparatively demanding insofar as the dimensions and manageability of flat sorting material varies within wide limits. On the one hand, there is almost an infinite variety of different dimensions in width, height and thickness in terms of format alone. Further, the packaging and rigidity of flat sorting pieces are also found in a very different configuration, which is represented, for example, in a contrasting way by rather hard, rigid cardboard envelopes and by rather soft brochures and magazines packed in foil. Especially problematic to doing so the so-called direct mail items, which usually contain promotional materials and often consist only of a loose-leaf collection with additional inserted and beyond the dimensions of the remaining leaves protruding advertising inserts.

Usually such mail items, but also other flat sorting pieces are inserted in horizontally stored stacks in the above-mentioned feeder and must be deducted individually from these stacks, which in itself is a technically very demanding task. In order to be able to feed these flat sorting pieces, which as a rule are located horizontally, into the circulating sorting conveyor with a jettying device, it is necessary to erect these sorting pieces vertically. However, this placement makes it necessary, in turn, for the sorting pieces to be brought to the device for setting up the sorting pieces in a very precisely positioned position. This aggravates the fact that just the little rigid and little in itself homogeneous sorting pieces, eg the above-mentioned direct mail, particularly difficult to handle and therefore usually can not be supplied automatically, but must be positioned by hand from an input location on the feeder, which represents a significant cost factor. Such a task can not be solved, for example, with the sorting device, which in the U.S. Patent 5,860,504 is revealed, because there are stored flat mail items in defined parking positions, but the handling of the little rigid and little in itself homogeneous sorting pieces is in any way thematized. Also the international patent application WO 97/20762 A1 discloses only one solution to the sub-problem of the isolated deduction of these above-mentioned problem sorting pieces by measuring the stacking pressure outside the suction separation in the suction separation and is readjusted by means of the movement of the feed unit within the allowable stacking pressure range.

The invention is therefore based on the object, a device for the positionally accurate feeding of flat sorting pieces to an input device for a Specify sorting conveyor, which makes it possible to supply the above-mentioned particularly problematic sorting pieces sufficiently accurate for further processing in particular.

1. a) ein dem vorbestimmten Förderort unmittelbar vorangehender Abschnitt der Förderstrecke im wesentlichen senkrecht ausgerichtet ist,
2. b) dieser Abschnitt der Förderstrecke ein für eine Führung des Sortierstücks dienendes Bandpaar umfasst, und
3. c) das eine Band des Bandpaares auf zwei Rollen umlaufend geführt ist und von dem anderen Band des Bandpaares für eine vorbestimmbare Zeit abhebbar ist.

This object is achieved in the device of the type mentioned in the present invention by a device for accurately feeding flat sorting pieces to an input device for a sorting conveyor, in which a flat sorting pieces periodically isolating withdrawal unit gives the flat sorting pieces in isolated form on a conveyor line and a feed unit, the separated sorting pieces, after these sorting pieces have reached a predetermined conveying location of the conveying path, with a defined feed of the input device passes, wherein:

1. a) a section of the conveying path immediately preceding the predetermined conveying location is oriented substantially vertically,
2. b) this section of the conveying path comprises a pair of belts serving for guiding the sorting piece, and
3. c) the one band of the band pair is guided circumferentially on two rollers and can be lifted by the other band of the band pair for a predetermined time.

In this way it is ensured that a sorting piece is positioned in the input device due to this targeted feed with a defined end position so that further processing, in particular the vertical placement of the sorting piece, can be carried out safely and automatically. In this case, the format and the nature of the sorting piece without further concern, because with the arrival of the sorting piece at the predetermined location a targeted translation of the sorting takes place by exactly the feed.

In particular, in direct mail items with loose sheet inserts and the like, it is particularly significant that a comparatively stable edge, for example, the folded edge, can be arranged in the subsequent installation of the sorting piece underlying. For this purpose, it provides a particular embodiment of the invention that the sorting pieces, which have a preferred edge, in the deduction unit stackable be deducted and vorvorst lying preferential edge to the conveyor line can be transferred.

A particularly reliable embodiment of this aforementioned feature, it is provided that the trigger unit comprises a drum-like constructed rotatable unit having suction cups and a transport locking element, wherein the suction cups an attack on one of the drum nearest sorting piece is provided and then with the transport locking element an edge, in particular the preferential edge, of the suction cup engaging with the sorting piece is engageable. In this way, the suction cups can suck a lowermost in the stack sorting piece near the edge and separated due to the circular path of the drum of the overlying sorting pieces. Then engages the controlled by the circular movement Transpoxtsicherungselement, for example, a sorting piece with the edge of an abutment andrückrückender lever, the sorting piece, which is now pulled out of the stack and conveyed on the circular path in a suitable position.

It is particularly expedient if, for storing the sorting piece on the conveying path for each predeterminable rotational angular distance, the negative pressure of the suction cups again degradable and the transport locking element is removable from the edge. The sorting piece is so freely conveyed on the conveyor line, but this does not necessarily mean that the sorting piece is stored in a horizontal position, since the circular movement of the drum-like unit also allows other layers.

In an expedient embodiment of the invention, the predetermined conveying location can be represented by a light barrier associated with the conveying path and / or by a touch sensor associated with the conveying path. Additionally or alternatively, the predetermined conveying location can be represented at the same time or, alternatively, also by the end of the conveying path.

Further advantageous embodiments of the invention can be found in the remaining subclaims.

Figur 1

in schematischer Darstellung eine Aufsicht auf eine erste Positioniervorrichtung mit nachgeordneter Eingabevorrichtung;

Figur 2

in schematischer Darstellung eine seitliche Ansicht der ersten Positioniervorrichtung;

Figur 3

in schematischer Darstellung eine Aufsicht auf eine zweite Positioniervorrichtung mit nachgeordneter Eingabevorrichtung;

Figur 4

in schematischer Darstellung eine seitliche Ansicht der zweiten Positioniervorrichtung;

Figur 5

in schematischer Darstellung eine Aufsicht auf eine dritte Positioniervorrichtung;

Figur 6

in schematischer Darstellung eine seitliche Ansicht der dritten Positioniervorrichtung;

Figur 7

in schematischer Darstellung eine seitliche Ansicht einer gerade in ausgefahrenem Zustand befindlichen Teleskop-Einheit;

Figur 8

in schematischer Darstellung eine seitliche Ansicht der in eingefahrenem Zustand befindlichen Teleskop- Einheit gemäss Figur 7; und

Figur

9 in schematischer Darstellung eine seitliche Ansicht einer vierten Positioniervorrichtung mit einer vertikalen Übergabeeinrichtung.

Embodiments of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to a drawing. Showing:

FIG. 1

a schematic representation of a plan view of a first positioning device with downstream input device;

FIG. 2

a schematic representation of a side view of the first positioning device;

FIG. 3

a schematic plan view of a second positioning device with downstream input device;

FIG. 4

a schematic representation of a side view of the second positioning device;

FIG. 5

in a schematic representation of a plan view of a third positioning device;

FIG. 6

a schematic view of a side view of the third positioning device;

FIG. 7

in a schematic representation of a side view of a currently in the extended state telescopic unit;

FIG. 8

in a schematic representation of a side view of the telescopic unit located in the retracted state FIG. 7 ; and

figure

9 is a schematic representation of a side view of a fourth positioning device with a vertical transfer device.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a plan view of a first positioning device 2, with which flat sorting pieces 6 located in a horizontal stack 4 are transferred in a positionally accurate manner to an input device 8 shown in detail. The positionally accurate transfer is so eminently important because the sorting pieces 6 are then rotated in the part of the input device 8 shown here from the horizontal to the vertical position and then injected with a jar not shown here in pockets of a sorting conveyor also not shown here , Because these aforementioned process steps for sorting the sorting pieces 6 take place with a comparatively high sorting speed, it therefore makes sense that the sorting pieces 6 have to be able to be handled very precisely at any time.

The operation of the first positioning device 2 will now be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 described, whereby this way of working in principle so also for in the FIGS. 3 and 4 shown second positioning device 10 and a in the FIGS. 5 and 6 closer described third positioning device 12 applies.

The flat sorting pieces 6 are in the embodiment in the format DIN A4 folded advertising leaflets in which one or more loose slip sheets are inserted. The leaflets are not stapled, but only as a loose-leaf collection interlaid. It is easy to see that such sorting pieces 6 are extremely difficult to handle, because they provide otherwise no attack points for a positionally accurate automated transport with the exception of the folded edge, which is hereinafter referred to as preferred edge 14.

These sorting pieces 6 are now stored in the stack 4 on a separating drum 16 on a tray 18. The separating stream is a part of a deduction unit 15, which is within the dashed lines in FIG. 2 depreciated for better understanding is shown enlarged. The respectively lowest sorting piece 6a is then actively sucked from below by means of suction cups 20, which are arranged on the rotating separating drum 16, and thus initially deflected out of the stack 4 downwards. At the same time, the sucked sorting piece 6a is pressed at its preferential edge 14 by means of a lever 22 onto an abutment 24 arranged on the singling drum 16, so that the sucked sorting piece 6a clamped with the lever 22 now follows the circular movement of the singling drum 16. After a rotation of 180 °, the negative pressure in the suction cups 20 is released again and the lever 22 is pivoted away from the counter bearing 24, so that the sorting piece 6a which has been separated in this way is now transferred to a conveying path 26, which by means of strip-shaped conveyor belts 28 separates the sorting piece 6a promotes to a telescope unit 30. The exception is the process of incorrect deduction of several sorting pieces simultaneously. For this purpose, the lever 22 has not shown means for measuring thickness, for example by means of an inductive sensor. Now, if a multiple deduction actually be detected these sorting pieces not further abandoned on the conveyor line, but discharged into a tray not shown here.

The telescopic unit 30 is in below individually to the FIGS. 7 and 8 described. At this point, only so much is said for explanation, that a movable carriage 32 of the telescope unit 30 at the speed of the last arranged in the conveyor section 26 strip-shaped belts 28 'of the conveyor line 26 extends, ie thus performs a Ausschubbewegung when the preferred edge 14 of Sorting piece 6a reaches a photocell 34. The carriage 32, which also has strip-shaped conveyor belt systems 38, puts back a defined feed distance and places when retracting, ie at the completion of the backward insertion movement, the sorting piece 6a on a conveyor belt 36 of the input device 8, from where it then is transported in the direction perpendicular to the previous conveying direction in the input device 8 and rotated in the vertical direction. In this case, a rolling element 42 is additionally provided, which always presses on the conveyor belt 36 when just the sorting piece 6a is stored, which contributes to the further preservation of the exact storage location for the sorting piece 6a.

In order to make the placement of the sorting piece 6a on the conveyor belt 6 positionally accurate, ie in detail that the preferred edge 14 always comes to rest in the same place, it is provided in the insertion movement that the backward movement of the carriage 32 by rolling the Conveyor belt systems 38 on the preferred edge 14 close lying front edge 40 is equalized. It is thus a particular feature of the present invention that the relative position of the preferred edge 14 to the front edge 40 of the carriage 32 during the Ausschubbewegung remains unchanged and retracts the leading edge 40 in the insertion movement relative to the preferential edge 14, but for the sorting piece 6a through the over the leading edge 40 rolling conveyor belt system 38 is relatively equalized. In this way, the positionally accurate position of the sorting piece 6a is maintained even during the insertion movement of the carriage, which is for the Further promotion of the sorting piece 6a of great importance and an essential goal intended with the positioning device 2 is.

The comparison with the first positioning 2 only slightly modified second positioning can be based on the FIGS. 3 and 4 clearly recognize that in principle only the course of the conveyor line 26 has changed. To save space in width, the available height is used and the separated with the singling drum 16 sorting pieces 6a are first a piece vertically, then horizontally and finally obliquely down to the telescope unit 30 introduced. Here, too, a light barrier, not shown here, is again provided, the reaching of which leads from a sorting piece 6a to the extension of the carriage 32. In addition to the components of the telescope unit 30 shown so far, a pneumatic unit 44 is now shown with a ram 46 driven by it, which is coupled to the carriage 32. The pneumatic unit 44 could also be replaced by an electromotive drive for the plunger 46, which under appropriate circumstances could also allow a quieter operation. As in the previous embodiment variant, the telescope unit 30 is also shown in the extended position when the second positioning device 10.

The third positioning device 12, which is slightly modified compared to the first and the second positioning device 2 or 10, can be left according to FIGS FIGS. 5 and 6 clearly recognize that the sorting piece 6a is passed here in a direction perpendicular to the carriage 32 of the telescope unit 30. In this way, this embodiment makes it possible to simplify the input device 8 in such a way that the conveying section for rotating the sorting pieces 6a from the horizontal to the vertical position has become obsolete. At However, the leadership and the achievement of the feed by the ejection movement of the carriage 32 changes in this variant, in principle, nothing compared to the preceding two variants.

A particularly preferred embodiment for the telescope unit 30 show the FIGS. 7 and 8 in a schematic representation. According to this embodiment, the telescope unit 30 comprises a plurality of conveyor belt systems 38, each of which constitutes a conveyor belt strip. Based on one of these conveyor belt systems 38, the operation will be explained below. Each conveyor belt system 38 has two pairs of rollers 48, 50 coupled by a closed band 38 ', each having two rollers 48a, 48b, 50a, and 50b. The relative position of the two rollers 48a and 48b or 50a and 50b within a roller pair 48, 50 fixed to each other. The pair of rollers 48 is fixedly disposed on the telescopic unit 30 and the other pair of rollers 50 is fixed to the carriage 32, which performs the Ausschubbewegung in the direction of arrow 52 and the insertion movement in the direction of arrow 54.

In the embodiment, the rollers 48b and 50b each have a freewheel, wherein the roller 48b are locked counterclockwise and the roller 50b in the clockwise direction. As a result, when the carriage 32 is ejected, the belt 38 'rolls only over the rollers 48a and 48b of the stationary roller pair 48, both rollers 48a and 48b rolling in a clockwise direction. In this way, the sorting piece 6a, once it has reached the light barrier 34, no longer changes its position relative to the roller 50a during the ejection movement, which is highly intended. Desirable, this configuration is different in the insertion movement, in which the belt 38 'rolls only on the carriage 32 mounted on the rollers 50a and 50b, the roller 50a in a clockwise direction and the roller 50b run counterclockwise. Thus, the sorting piece 6a does not "feel" the insertion movement at all, but retains its with the Discharge movement achieves end position as desired. The preferred edge 14 of the sorting piece 6a thus always comes exactly to the desired location on the input device 8 to lie. In order to support this process, in each case a spring plate 58 mounted with rollers 56 is provided, which easily presses the sorting piece 6a on the adhesive conveyor belt 38 'during the ejection movement and rolls back on the sorting piece 6a - without friction with the sorting piece 6a - during the insertion movement.

It is also very clear to recognize that the conveyor belt 38 'is a little below the conveyor belt 28', which can still be regarded as belonging to the conveyor line 26, is arranged so that even when entering carriage 32 already above a new sorting piece 6a to the Light barrier 34 can be brought. This area can therefore be regarded as a type of transfer zone for the transition from the conveyor line 26 to the telescope unit 30.

FIG. 9 shows a schematic representation of a side view of a fourth positioning device 60, which is based on the third positioning device 12, but instead of a telescope unit 30 with a vertical transfer device 62 is executed. This fourth positioning device 60 is distinguished by the fact that a section 26 'of the conveying path 26 immediately preceding the predetermined conveying location is oriented substantially vertically, this section 26' of the conveying path 26 comprising a pair of belts 64, 66 serving for guiding the sorting section 6a wherein the one band 64 of the pair of bands 64, 66 is guided circumferentially on two rollers 68, 70 and can be lifted off from the other band 66 of the band pair 64, 66 for a predeterminable time. In this way, the inventive predetermined feed of the sorting piece 6a is realized in the context of a free fall piece, which ends with the impingement of the sorting piece 6a on the input device 8. In order to is the sorting piece 6a as desired directly with the preferred edge 14 on the input device 8 and can be injected into the sorting conveyor. In addition to achieving the desired feed without too many moving parts, this positioning device 60 is characterized on the one hand by their small footprint and on the other by the fact that in particular sorting pieces 6a, in which over the edge outstanding loose leaves are inserted, can be reliably supplied without the inserted sheets are lost or can lead to material jams and the like disturbances.

In detail, it is provided here that a sensor, which is arranged only slightly downwards from the roller 70, detects the exit of the sorting piece 6a with a correspondingly predetermined length from the band pair 64, 66 and thus triggers the lifting off of the band 64 by suitable control means 72 , The duration of this lifting is chosen so that the duration of the lift-off process is adapted to the cycle time of the sorting piece supply and to the length of the sorting piece 6a.

In order to facilitate the opening of the temporarily free-falling sorting piece 6a, as seen in the conveying direction after the band pair 64, 66 an inlet side dovetail-like widened fall channel 74 is provided, which opens into the input device 8.

In a manner not shown here, the capacity of all shown positioning devices 2, 10, 12 and 60 can be increased by a switch is installed in each case before the sections to achieve the predetermined feed in the conveying path 26, the current generated by the singling drum 16 of the separated sorting pieces 6a on different feed paths, which means that, for example, two telescopic units 30 or two vertical transfer devices 62 side by side operated in parallel. Of course, a third or fourth, etc. parallel operation is conceivable. In the final analysis, however, the speed of the singling device, whose proper function of an upwardly more or less unlimited capacity sets reasonable system-related limits, should ultimately be limited.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

2

first positioning device

4

stack

6

flat sorting pieces

6a

isolated flat sorting piece

8th

input device

10

second positioning device

12

third positioning device

14

preferred edge

15

off unit

16

separator drum

18

filing

20

suckers

22

lever

24

thrust bearing

26

conveyor line

28

strip-shaped conveyor belts of the conveyor line

28 '

last arranged in the conveyor line strip-shaped conveyor belts

30

Telescopic unit

32

carriage

34

photocell

36

conveyor belt

38

Conveyor belt system

38 '

tape

40

Leading edge of the carriage 32

42

rolling element

44

pneumatic unit

46

tappet

48, 50

pairs of rollers

48a, 48b

Rolls of the pair of rolls 48

50a, 50b

Rolls of roller pair 50

52, 54

Directional arrow of the on or. out movement

56

roll

58

spring plate

60

vertical transfer device

62

vertical transfer device.

64, 66

belt pair

68, 70

roll

72

control means

Claims (9)

1. Device (2, 10, 12) for feeding flat items to be sorted (6, 6a) in a precise position to an input device (8) for a sorting conveyor, with which a picking unit (15), which periodically separates the flat items to be sorted (6), deposits the flat items to be sorted (6) in separated form on a conveyor path (26) and a feed unit (30) transfers the separated items to be sorted (6a), when said items to be sorted (6a) reach a predetermined conveyance position on the conveyor path (26), to the input device (8) with a defined rate of advance, with:

   a) a segment (26') of the conveyor path (26) immediately preceding the predetermined conveyance position being oriented essentially vertically,

   b) this segment (26') of the conveyor path (26) comprising a belt pair (64, 66) serving to guide the item to be sorted (6a) and

   c) one belt (64) of the belt pair (64, 66) being guided continuously on two rollers (68, 70) and being able to be raised from the other belt (66) of the belt pair (64, 66) for a predeterminable period.
2. Device according to claim 1,
   characterised in that
   the departure of the item to be sorted (6, 6a) of a predeterminable length from the belt pair (64, 66) is the trigger for raising the one belt (64) of the two belt pairs (64, 66).
3. Device according to claim 1 or 2,
   characterised in that
   the duration of the raising process is tailored to a cycle time of the feed for the items to be sorted.
4. Device according to one of claims 1 to 3,
   characterised in that
   when viewed in the conveyance direction after the belt pair, a drop channel (74) that widens out in a dovetailed manner on the input side is provided, opening into the input device (8).
5. Device according to one of claims 1 to 4,
   characterised in that
   the items to be sorted (6, 6a) have a preferred edge (14) and the items to be sorted (6, 6a) can be deposited in stacks in the picking unit (15) and can be transferred to the conveyor path (26) with the preferred edge (14) at the front.
6. Device according to one of claims 1 to 5,
   characterised in that
   the picking unit (15) comprises a rotatable unit (16) with a drum-type structure, which has suckers (20) and a transport securing element (22), with the suckers (20) providing contact with an item to be sorted (6a) adjacent to the drum (16) and it then being possible to cause one edge, in particular the preferred edge (14), of the item to be sorted (6a) engaging with the suckers (20) to engage with the transport securing element (22).
7. Device according to claim 6,
   characterised in that
   to deposit the item to be sorted (6a) on the conveyor path (26) according to a rotation angle path that can be predetermined in each instance, the vacuum of the suckers (20) can be eliminated again and the transport securing element (22) can be removed from the edge.
8. Device according to one of claims 1 to 7,
   characterised in that
   the predetermined conveyance position is represented by a light barrier (34) assigned to the conveyor path (26) and/or by a contact sensor assigned to the conveyor path (26).
9. Device according to one of claims 1 to 8,
   characterised in that
   the predetermined conveyance position is represented by the end of the conveyor path (26).

Images