EP2069222A1

EP2069222A1 - Device for separating flat mail items

Info

Publication number: EP2069222A1
Application number: EP07803576A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jürgen FRANCKE
Original assignee: Siemens AG
Current assignee: Siemens AG
Priority date: 2006-09-22
Filing date: 2007-09-21
Publication date: 2009-06-17
Also published as: US20090294337A1; WO2008034893A1; DE102006044784A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (2) for separating flat mail items (4), said device comprising two transport means (4, 6) for transporting two independently mobile stacks of mail items (10, 12) on an extraction means (20), for extracting mail items (4) from both stacks of mail items (10, 12) and supplying the mail items (4) to a transport run (22). According to the invention, a single-component extraction element (24) of the extraction means (20) is provided for extracting mail items (4) from the two stacks of mail items (10, 12). An economical device for separating flat mail items from both stacks of mail items can be obtained, said device generating a continuous flow of mail items can be generated.

Description

description

Device for separating flat broadcasts

The invention relates to a device for separating flat broadcasts, comprising two transport means for transporting two independently movable stacks of mail to a take-off means for withdrawing mailings from two stacks of mail and feeding the mail items in a transport strands, wherein the take-off means is a one-piece take-off element for removing Consignments from both consignment stacks has.

In everyday mail, very different consignments are transported in different containers, for example in batches in containers or disorderly in sacks. In order to be able to machine the items individually, for example for sorting, the items must be separated. For this purpose, the broadcasts are generally placed on a flat bed conveyor, which transports the items in a separating stack thus formed to a separating device, which singulates the items. When singulating, always the foremost shipment of the singulation stack is from a take-off element, e.g. a trigger belt, withdrawn and fed to a transport line, so that there is a continuous stream of shipments.

The installation of different shipments from different containers on the flat bed conveyor requires much manual work and is slower at well pre-stacked, similar shipments and slower in very different and especially unstable broadcasts. Also, a separating stack is broken down at different speeds from the separating device, depending on the thickness of the individual mailpieces. Thus, it may happen that a singulation stack is broken down faster than new shipments are placed on the flat bed conveyor, the singulator runs empty and the continuous stream of shipments is interrupted. From EP 1 415 732 A1 a separating device is known, which has two extraction means. The first take-off means is a stack of mail with normal, flat broadcasts fed and the trigger means discontinuously as a slave, in the jargon universal feeder operated. The second take-off means is fed with a stack of mail items which are more difficult to stack and it is operated continuously as master or ECR feeder. As soon as the master runs empty, the slave jumps in with the always well-filled flat bed conveyor and fills the gap in the stream of mail.

A separating device with a circumferential belt for the removal of mail items from two opposite mailing stacks is known from US Pat. No. 4,688,782. A singling out of two consignment stacks by means of a pivotable gripping arm which lifts the consignments with suction cups from the consignment stacks is known from US Pat. No. 2,352,088.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a cost-effective device for separating flat broadcasts, with which a continuous transmission current can be generated.

This object is achieved by a device for separating flat items of the type mentioned in the introduction, which according to the invention comprises a retaining means for selectively feeding mailings from either the first or the second mail stack to the trigger element, wherein the retaining means comprises a first and a second retaining member for holding mailings from the first or second stack of mail, which are moved synchronously by a drive, so that a retaining movement of the first retaining element is connected to a release movement of the second retaining element. Both consignment stacks can be guided to a single take-off element, so that a second take-off means can be dispensed with. It can build volume and it can be saved double elements, for example, can be dispensed with a separate drive for the second trigger means, and it costs can be saved.

The withdrawal element may be a circulating belt, which consists of one or more bands synchronously moved, in particular arranged one above the other or behind one another. The means of transport are preferably flatbed conveyors. The shipments can be postal items. However, the invention is not limited to these, so that the shipments may just as well be any other objects to be transported to a destination, for example by the transport line. Conceivable, inter alia, printed matter, in particular documents, forms, labels and the like.

The two consignment stacks can be guided from the same direction to the withdrawal element, for example, one above the other. The extraction means can be designed to be particularly small in volume and simple, but if the two consignment stacks are guided from different directions to the withdrawal element. In a guide of the stack of mail from opposite directions to the trigger element is a combination of the two formed broadcasting streams from the two stacks of mail particularly simple.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, a direction of movement of the trigger element is reversible. As a result, shipments of consignment stacks guided from different directions to the trigger element can be singled so that they can be guided in the same direction to the transport line. In a first direction of movement, feeds from the first delivery stack and, in a second direction of movement, consignments from the second shipment stack can be separated. For this purpose, the withdrawal element advantageously has a first withdrawal region with a first direction of movement and a second withdrawal region with an opposite second direction of movement, and the first delivery stack is guided to the first removal region and the second delivery stack is guided to the second removal region. In order to be able to carry mailings specifically from the first or second mailing stack to the triggering belt, mailpieces from the respective other mailing stack must be retained by the triggering element. For this purpose, the device comprises the restraint means for selectively feeding shipments from either the first or the second shipment stack to the withdrawal element. Feeding shipments from the mail stack of, for example, the master can be interrupted if its mail stack has become small, so that it does not have to be completely isolated until broadcasts are separated by the slave.

Particularly error-prone and inexpensive, the retaining means may be carried out, since it has a first and a second retaining element for holding off shipments from the first or second mail stack, wherein the two retaining elements are synchronously movable by a drive. On several control elements and drives can be omitted and the device can be kept compact.

In addition, a retaining movement of the first retaining element is connected to a release movement of the second retaining element. In this way, a supply of shipments from one shipment stack to the withdrawal element can be stopped simultaneously and with a single drive, and a delivery of shipments from the other shipment stack can be started.

The consignments on the means of transport are moved by a feed of the means of transport in the direction of the withdrawal element. This feed is expediently not continuously controlled, but is activated when a pressure of the shipments in the mail stack in the direction of the trigger element falls below a predetermined value. For this purpose, a sensor is necessary whose measured values are used to control the feed and which expediently between the mail stack and the trigger element is arranged. An additional sensor holder may be dispensed with if the restraints carry sensors used to control movement of the stack of mail.

To remove the items to be separated from the stack of items, the trigger element, expediently the trigger belt, an outer material with a high static and sliding friction. In order to hold the shipments securely on this material without having to press them with great pressure on the trigger belt, a suction means may be present, which sucks the shipments to the trigger belt and thus holds it on the trigger belt. In an advantageous development of the invention, a suction means for sucking in the mailings from the two mailing stacks is arranged within a zone bypassed by the trigger element. Shipments from both consignment stacks can be held by the one suction on the trigger belt and it can be components and costs saved.

Preferably, the suction means is switchable in its suction direction. In this way it can be achieved that the entire suction power of the suction means is concentrated on programs of the item stack to be singled and no suction is lost in the inactive item stack.

To achieve a broadcast stream with a high broadcast throughput, a distance can be specified which is to be observed between broadcasts in the broadcast stream, whereby smaller broadcasts with a higher frequency can be singled out than larger broadcasts. A continuous stream of mail in the event of a separation change from one mail stack to the other can be achieved if the device comprises a control unit for controlling the movement of the print element such that the same distance is set between two subsequent mailings from different mail batches as between two subsequent mailings the same shipment stack. The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to an embodiment which is shown in the drawing with a single figure. 1 shows a schematic representation of a device 2 for separating flat items 4 of different size, shape and flexibility. The broadcasts 4 are erected with their long side down on a means of transport 6, 8 and form there two separation stacks or consignment stacks 10, 12. The two transport means 6, 8 are designed as flat bed conveyors and each comprise a conveyor belt 14, 16 for carrying and moving the mailings 4 and one or more paddles 18 which run in a guide 19 and can be moved in synchronism with the respective conveyor belt 14, 16. The respective paddle 18 holds the items 4 standing upright on the conveyor belts 14, 16 and delimits the respective items stack 10, 12.

The shipments 4 are transported by a corresponding movement of the conveyor belts 14, 16 and paddle 18 to a take-off means 20, which deducts a foremost consignment 4 from one of the consignment stacks 10, 12 and a transport line 22 supplies, which is designed as a cover belt conveyor and the consignment 4 leads to other processing devices, such as a pattern recognition, a Wertmarkenentwerter or a Etikettenauf- glue. To remove the mail items 4 from the mailing stacks 10, 12, the take-off means 20 comprises a take-off element 24 in the form of a revolving pick-up belt, which is held by two rollers 26 and driven by a servo motor 28 connected to the rollers 26 in a circulating movement. The trigger belt comprises five vertically running parallel bands, which each form a gap between them, so that there are four horizontal gaps in the trigger belt. From these gaps, a suction means 30 draws in air, so that in the region of the gaps a slight negative pressure prevails with respect to the surroundings of the take-off belt.

To remove the mail items 4 from a mail item stack 10, 12, the respective mail item stack 10, 12 is subjected to a slight pressure exerted by the conveyor belt 14, 16 and the paddle 18 pressed against the trigger element 24 and the trigger belt and the foremost program 4 is additionally sucked by the negative pressure to the trigger belt, so that this program 4 rests well on the trigger belt. Now the trigger belt is driven by the servo motor 28 in a direction of movement 32 and adhering to the trigger belt mail 4 is moved in the direction of the transport strand 22. A scraper 34 prevents a transport of two or more consignments 4 hooked into one another simultaneously and a light barrier 36 registers the passage of the mailing leading edge and mailing trailing edge. The moving shipment 4 is taken by rollers 38 of the transport line 22 and transported on.

After removing the foremost item 4 from a mailing stack 10, 12, in FIG. 1 from the mail item stack 10, a subsequent mail item 4 rests on the trigger band and can be removed from the item stack 10. For this purpose, a time is determined by a control unit 40, when the front edge of the mailing of the subsequent program 4 should pass the light barrier 36. The time is determined from the transport speed of the mail items 4 in the transport line 22, the time when the mailing trailing edge of the previous mailing 4 has passed the light barrier 36 and a predetermined distance between mailings 4 in the transport line 22. Accordingly, a withdrawal time and / or a withdrawal speed is selected by the control unit 40 and the subsequent shipment 4 is correspondingly subtracted from the shipment stack 10. The distance between the items 4 in the transport line 22 can be preset by an operator of the device 2.

By deducting items 4 from the stack of mail 10 this is degraded, so that a pressure of the shipments 4 against the trigger belt decreases. This pressure is measured by sensors 42. Each three sensors 42 are associated with a mailing stack 10, 12 and attached to a retaining element 44, 46 of a retaining means 48. The two retaining elements 44, 46 are symmetrical to each other, attached to each other and at the same time synchronously movable. They show There are four fingers that reach into the four gaps between the belts of the trigger belt. In FIG. 1, the fingers of the retaining element 44 engage between the bands, the fingers of the retaining element 46 being moved away from the trigger belt in the direction of the stack of mail items 12 and keeping the mail items 4 of the mail stack 12 away from the trigger belt.

As soon as the pressure of the mailings 4 on the sensors 42 of the retaining element 44 falls below a value predetermined by the control unit 40, a signal is sent from the control unit 40 to a drive 50 of the conveyor belt 14, which moves the conveyor belt 14 and the paddle 18 for transport the shipments 4 of the mail stack 10 in the direction of the discharge means 20 causes. As a result, the pressure is increased and after a certain delivery time - after exceeding a limit pressure at the sensors 42 - the movement of the conveyor belt 14 and the paddle 18 can stop again.

By dismantling the stack of mail 10 it is getting smaller and the paddle 18 moves closer to the take-off means 20 zoom. If the mail item stack 10 is not supplemented by an operator with a new stack of mail items 4 and the paddle 18 is pulled backwards, then the paddle 18 finally reaches a minimum distance 52 to a predetermined reference point. As a result, signals are triggered by the control unit 40, which leads to a switching of units of the device 2 and to terminate a withdrawal of shipments 4 from the mail stack 10.

First, the drive 50 is stopped and a drive 54 of the retaining means 48 is activated, which switches the retaining means 48. For this purpose, the retaining elements 44, 46 are moved synchronously from their position shown in FIG. 1 into a position symmetrical thereto. This movement is a restraining movement of the retaining element 44, which now prevents shipments 4 from the mailing stack 10 from the trigger belt and at the same time a release movement of the retaining element 46, which now send shipments 4 from the mail stack 12 to the trigger belt. In addition, the suction means 30 by a Drive 60 is switched and thereby changed a suction direction by air is no longer sucked by a first intake manifold 56 but an oppositely directed intake manifold 58.

Then the trigger belt is moved in a direction of movement 32 opposite to the direction of movement 62, so that the voltage applied to the trigger belt foremost program 4 of the mail stack 12 is accelerated in the direction of the transport strand 22. The time of the acceleration is set by the control unit 40 so that a distance from a shipment leading edge of the accelerated shipment 4 to the shipment trailing edge of the previous shipment 4 from the shipment stack 10, the predetermined distance between programs 4 in the Sendungs- Ström of the transport line 22.

Now shipments 4 are separated from the mail stack 12, as described above to the mail stack 10, wherein the transport means 8 is moved by a controlled by the control unit 40 drive 64. If the stationary mail stack 10 is enlarged again by an operator by adding mail items 4 and the paddle 18 is withdrawn, the singling is switched over again by an enable signal of the operator and / or the control unit 40, so that mail items 4 again from the mail stack 10 to be isolated.

In this way, two take-off regions 66, 68 of the take-off belt with opposite directions of movement 32, 62 are used for removing mail items 4 from two mailing stacks 10, 12 guided from opposite directions to the take-off means 20. Thus, with a single and simple take-off means 20 and a single trigger belt, mail items 4 can be singulated from two mailing packages 10, 12 moved in different directions.

Claims

claims

1. A device (2) for separating flat items (4), comprising two transport means (4, 6) for transporting two independently movable stacks of mail (10, 12) to a take-off means (20) for removing mail items (4) from both Mailing stacks (10, 12) and feeding the mail items (4) into a transport line (22), wherein the removal means (20) comprises a one-piece take-off element (24) for removing mail items (4) from both mailing stacks (10, 12) characterized by retaining means (48) for selectively feeding mail (4) from one of said first and second mailing stacks (10, 12) to said trigger member (24), said retaining means (48) comprising first and second retainer members (48). 44, 46) for holding transmissions (4) from the first and second transmission stacks (10, 12), which are synchronously movable by a drive (54), so that a retaining movement of the first retaining element (44, 46) with a release movement the second back khalteelements (46, 44) is connected.

2. Device (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the two consignment stacks (10, 12) are guided from different directions to the take-off element (24).

3. Device (2) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a direction of movement (32, 62) of the trigger element (24) is reversible.

4. Device (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the withdrawal element (24) has a first draw-off region (66) with a first direction of movement

(32) and a second draw-off area (68) with an opposite second direction of movement (62) and the first stack of mail (10, 12) to the first print area (66) and the second mail stack (10, 12) to the second print area (68 ) is guided.

5. Device (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the retaining elements (44, 46) for controlling a movement of the mail stack (10, 12) wear sensors (42) used.

6. Device (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that within a range of the withdrawal element (24) circumscribed area a suction means (30) for sucking the mail items (4) from two consignment stacks (10, 12) is arranged.

7. Device (2) according to claim 6, characterized in that the suction means (30) is switchable in its suction direction.

8. Device (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a control unit (40) for controlling the movement of the trigger element (24) such that between two subsequent transmissions (4) from different transmission stacks (10, 12) the same Distance is set as between two subsequent programs (4) from the same stack of mail (10, 12).