EP2128055B1 - Device for separating individual flat, flexible objects from the underside of a stack of such objects and removing the separated objects - Google Patents

Description

The invention is in the field of promotion of flat, bendable objects, in particular of printed products, and relates to a device according to the preamble of the independent claim. The device is used for separating individual flat, bendable objects from the underside of a stack of such objects and for transporting away the objects, in particular for separating individual printed products from the underside of a printed product stack and for transporting away the printed products.

STATE OF THE ART

From the publication EP-1226083 a device is known which serves the purpose mentioned above. The device has for the separation of individual printed products from the underside of the printed product stack arranged below the stack, around a substantially horizontal axis rotating carrier wheel on the periphery of which pairs of a sucker and a sucker associated gripper are arranged. Furthermore, the device has a support means which on the one hand supports the stack from below and on the other hand ' has at least one removal opening, by which the lowest printed product detected by a sucker and can be bent to separate from the stack against the gripper associated with the sucker. The carrier wheel is arranged and driven to move the nipple and gripper parallel to an edge pair of the stacked printed products and approximately midway therebetween under the stack. The suckers are pivoted controlled during the rotation of the carrier wheel and connected to a suction line and decoupled from it. The grippers are controlled closed during the rotation and reopened. When a nipple is moved under the stack, it captures the lowermost printed product in the region of the edge which is transverse to its direction of travel, which it first encounters, and as it progresses it bends that edge region down through the removal opening in the support means into the open mouth the associated gripper, which then detects the printed product and separates it during its further movement completely from the stack.

In an in EP1226083 described embodiment, the support means on which the stack is supported, a roll carpet having a plurality of parallel to each other and horizontally oriented, freely rotatably mounted rollers which rectified with the suckers and grippers but on a substantially straight and horizontal path under the Stack to be moved through. The movements of the rollers and the nipple are coordinated so that the nipple can detect the lowest printed product of the stack between two successive roles and pull out the edge region and the subsequent of these two roles moves between the detected by the nipple and the flying thereon printed product , The roll carpet thus forms a sequence of removal openings aligned parallel to the rolls and the printed product edges detected by the suckers and moving one after the other under the pile. In order for the stack to be securely supported and the removal openings still large enough, it is proposed to move the rolls in groups of three under the stack, the rolls being smaller within the triplets Have distances from each other and wherein between successive groups a greater distance is provided and only this distance is used as a removal opening. The rollers forming the roller carpet under the stack consist of two aligned roller parts, which are spaced from each other. This will prevent the pads from interfering with the rollers. For the left-hand roller parts and for the right-hand roller parts, a circumferential chain is provided on each side of the carrier wheel, wherein the roller parts are coupled to this chain and rotate around each other with the chain and at constant distances. The orbit of the chains extends around a respective coaxial with the carrier wheel arranged deflecting wheel and another deflection wheel with a parallel axis, which is arranged such that an upper part of the orbits between the guide wheels is approximately horizontal. Over this area of the orbit of the rollers, the stack is arranged.

The device according to EP1226083 Thus, it has a revolving roller carpet with removal openings, wherein the stack is arranged on the outside of this roller carpet. During the separation of the printed products from the stack, the printed products are drawn through one of the removal openings on the inside of the revolving roller carpet, from where they must return to the outside for further promotion. For this, the roller parts are pivoted in the corresponding region of their orbit in a substantially vertical position. In this area, the printed products are placed on a conveyor belt and released from the grippers, the conveyor belt is connected substantially tangentially to the circular motion of the gripper.

The in the publication EP1226083 described device works easily and without taking up much space. However, it is device-consuming and limited in terms of transport direction.

In the WO 2008/0000099 a device is described which serves the same purpose. Again, there is a roll carpet, the rollers of the roller carpet are attached to a roller wheel, which rotates, for example, on the same axis as the carrier wheel. However, the printed products are not pulled completely into the interior of the roll carpet, but only partially. The printed products are conveyed in this position a little bit in sync with the roll carpet with, and then placed on a transport path. So it's not like the EP1226083 - Required to open the roll carpet in a certain area to transport the printed products from inside the roll carpet. Therefore, the orientation of the axes of rotation of the rollers remains unchanged, and the rollers run on a non-circular orbit, on which the distance between the rollers is varied. The rollers are articulated by means of levers on the roller wheel, such that the levers are pivotable parallel to the plane of rotation of the roller wheel. A clear orbit of the rollers and a clear and consistent movement of the rollers along this orbit are defined by a roller guide which controls the movement of the rollers along the orbit.

The EP-1254855 also shows a roller carpet in which the rollers are attached to a roller wheel. In order to open the roll carpet in a certain area, the rollers are tilted away, about a tilt axis, which is substantially radial or secant to the roller wheel. For pivoting the rollers a link control is provided. A rolling on a backdrop wheel moves via a lever mechanism with multiple levers, the rollers. Due to the unfavorable leverage due to the relatively long rollers and located near the pivot point of the rollers lever mechanism, the forces occurring at the gate and the lever mechanism are high, and conversely, the resulting movement of the rollers is not quite precisely defined.

WO 2007/051324 A1 shows a device for separating objects from the bottom of a stack according to the preamble of claim 1.

PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION

The invention is therefore based on the object to provide a device which serves the same purpose as the devices described above, but which is constructed structurally simple and causes a flowing, precise running movement of the rollers.

This object is achieved by a device having the features of patent claim 1.

• ■ einen Stapelraum mit einem den Stapel von unten stützenden Stützmittel,
• ■ umlaufende Ablöse- und Transportiermittel zum Abtrennen der Gegenstände von der Unterseite des Stapels und
• ■ ein Wegtransportmittel zum Wegtransportieren der abgetrennten Gegenstände

auf. Dabei ist das Stützmittel ein Rollenteppich aus einer Mehrzahl von umlaufenden Rollen, wobei die Rollen jeweils um ihre Längsachse drehbar sind, und entlang einer Umlaufbahn bewegt werden und dabei in einem Stützbereich, gleichgerichtet mit den Ablöse- und Transportiermitteln, unter dem Stapel hindurch bewegt werden.The device for separating individual flat, bendable objects from the bottom of a stack of such objects and for transporting the separated objects thus has

• A stacking space with a support means supporting the stack from below,
• ■ Circular detachment and transport means for separating the articles from the bottom of the stack and
• ■ a Wegtransportmittel for Wegtransportieren the separated objects

on. In this case, the support means is a roller carpet of a plurality of rotating rollers, wherein the rollers are each rotatable about its longitudinal axis, and are moved along an orbit and thereby moved in a support region, rectified with the detachment and transport means, under the stack.

The rollers are each coupled by a coupling to at least one roller wheel, and by this coupling, the longitudinal axes of the rollers are each pivotable with respect to the roller wheel. The rollers are pivoted by a control in a release area of the orbit and thereby generate an opening of the roller carpet, through which opening the Wegtransportmittel is guided.

The detachment and transport means thus drag the objects through the roller carpet in the (unopened) support area into an interior area of the roller carpet. The roll carpet is opened in a release area, in which the objects leave the interior again, for transporting away the objects.

By the rollers are each on a roller wheel - and not on a belt or on a chain - are arranged, a very simple construction of the roller carpet is given.

According to the invention, the pivoting of the rollers and thus the opening of the roller carpet in the release area is done by a preferably fixed Steuerkufe, for example by the rollers roll on the Steuerkufe. It is exploited that the rollers are preferably mounted rotatably about its longitudinal axis in a roller carrier. Thus, a rigid Steuerkufe be used without further moving controls. The Steuerkufe is located in the interior of the orbit and pushes the rollers respectively the roll carpet from the inside up. Alternatively, however, the rollers may be extended rearwardly beyond the roller carriers so that the trailing ends of the rollers are urged against each other by a control cam or link which is located outside the roller carpet, and thus their forward ends move apart However, alternative does not belong to the scope of the claimed invention. Other mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic or electrical actuating means for pivoting the rollers are also usable. However, these are not according to the invention.

The roller carriers are preferably mounted pivotably about a pivot axis on the roller wheel. In the support region, the longitudinal axes of the rollers preferably extend substantially perpendicular to the plane or rotational plane of the respective roller wheel. This vertical position is preferably defined by a mechanical stop, which limits the pivoting movement in a corresponding stop position. In principle, it is also possible tilt the roller wheels and make the stop so that the rollers in the area of the stack, where they serve as a support, are parallel to the bottom of the stack (usually horizontal).

The Steuerkufe on the one hand and the stop on the other hand results in a simple, consisting of a few parts motion control with low leverage and thus a precise guidance of the role of movement.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is a Vorspannvornchtung, which pulls the roller carriers and thus their roles in each case in the direction of the stop position of the pivoting movement. In a particularly simple, preferred embodiment, the pretensioning device has an elastic traction cable which connects roller carriers of the individual rollers of a roller wheel with one another and thus pulls all these roller carriers and thus also their rollers in the direction of the stop position of the pivoting movement. In another preferred embodiment, the biasing device comprises a set of spring elements, each roller having its own spring element which effects a force between roller and roller wheel, this force pulling the roller in the direction of the stop.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the rollers are freely rotatable and at least in a portion of the orbit, preferably at least in the support area, by rolling on a rolling body in a rotation displaceable, said rotation corresponds to a rolling movement of the rollers on the lowermost article of the stack. Thus, the rotation of the rollers is caused by the rolling body, and not by the lowest object, and so this object is spared.

Preferably, the rolling body is an externally stretched around a sector of the orbit rope. But it can also be a fixed rail or runner, against which the rollers are guided.

The inventive device preferably has two opposing roller wheels with each other facing, preferably mutually symmetrical, roller sets. The axes of the two roller wheels are preferably coaxial, but may also be inclined, for example, towards the interior of the device. In certain applications, however, only a single roller wheel can be appropriate.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the at least one roller wheel and the carrier wheel of the suction and gripper parallel axes of rotation, whereby a simple construction is possible. Further, preferably, the carrier wheel and the at least one roller wheel are driven in rotation at the same angular speeds, preferably coupled together by the same drive and by a transmission.

Further preferred embodiments emerge from the dependent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figur 1

eine Seitenansicht einer erfindungsgemässen Vorrichtung, mit Blick auf eine Ebene von Rollenrädern;

Figur 2

eine Vorderansicht dieser Vorrichtung, mit Blick entlang der Ebene der Rollenräder;

Figur 3

eine Vorderansicht einer Rolle in einer Stellung senkrecht zur Ebene des Rollenrades;

Figur 4

eine Vorderansicht einer Rolle in einer verschwenkten Stellung; und

Figur 5

eine perspektivische Ansicht einer Rolle in einer verschwenkten Stellung.

In the following, the subject invention will be explained in more detail with reference to preferred embodiments, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Each show schematically:

FIG. 1

a side view of an inventive device, looking at a plane of roller wheels;

FIG. 2

a front view of this device, looking along the plane of the roller wheels;

FIG. 3

a front view of a roller in a position perpendicular to the plane of the roller wheel;

FIG. 4

a front view of a roller in a pivoted position; and

FIG. 5

a perspective view of a roller in a pivoted position.

The reference numerals used in the drawings and their meaning are listed in the list of reference numerals. Basically, the same parts are provided with the same reference numerals in the figures.

WAYS FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a side view of an inventive device, looking at a plane of a roller wheel 7, and FIG. 2 a corresponding front view with a view along the plane of the roller wheels 7. On a roller wheel 7, a plurality of rollers 9, in each case by means of a coupling 8, pivotally mounted. The entirety of the rollers 9 forms a roller carpet circulating along an orbit 11. In a first region of the orbit 11, longitudinal axes of the rollers 9 extend perpendicular to the plane of the roller wheel 7, ie also perpendicular to the plane of the drawing. This first region comprises at least one support region 12, in which flat objects 2, piled up in a stacking space 1, rest on the rollers 9. In the first area, the rollers 9 roll on a rolling body 20. In the embodiment shown, the rolling body 20 is a rope stretched around a part of the orbit. The cable 20 is held and tensioned, for example, by means of holding bodies 25 which are adjustably arranged in slots 26 of a housing wall 27.

In a second area of the orbit 11, hereinafter referred to as the release area 13, the rollers 9 are pivoted by a control cam 15 from the direction normal to the plane of the drawing. A traction means, here a pull rope 18, pulls the rollers 9 back against a stop in this direction.

The following elements relate to the transport of the flat objects 2 through the device. Analogously arranged and acting elements are more fully summarized in the beginning EP-1226083 . EP-1254855 and WO 2008/0000099 described. That is why in the FIG. 1 only two suction cups or suckers 4 with associated grippers 5 are shown as detachment and transport. FIG. 2 also shows schematically a carrier wheel 3, on which the suckers 4 and grippers 5 are arranged. A variety of such (not shown here) teat 4 and gripper 5 runs on a in the FIG. 1 dashed line drawn in the counterclockwise direction. In a gap 21 between the two roller wheels 7 and their rollers 9, the suckers 4 can be guided against the flat objects 2. In each case, a sucker 4 releases one of the flat objects 2 or a printed product, and grips a gripper 5 of this printed product 2 and draws it between the rollers 9 into the interior of the orbit 11. Subsequently, the gripper 5 pulls the printed product 2 on a support belt or a support rail 22 along a Wegtransportmittel 6, for example a conveyor belt, and releases it. In the release area 13, the transporting means 6 leads the printed product 2 out of the circulation path 11 through the roller carpet open there.

FIG. 3 shows a front view of a roller 9 in a position perpendicular to the plane of the roller wheel. 7 FIG. 4 shows a front view and FIG. 5 a perspective view of a roller 9 in a pivoted position. In addition to the elements already described, the figures show the couplings 8, which are firmly connected to the roller wheel 7. In a coupling 8 a roller carrier 17 is pivotally mounted about a pivot axis 14 respectively. The pivot axis 14 is preferably substantially tangential to the direction of rotation of the roller wheel 7. In the roller carrier 17, a roller 9 is rotatably mounted about the longitudinal axis 10. The rollers 9 are thus mounted at one end, rod-shaped, and extend in length over a large part of the whole or half the width of the stack of articles. 2

A traction cable 18 made of elastic material connects the individual roller carriers 17 with each other, thus running along the circumference of the device through all roller carriers 17 of a roller wheel 7. For this purpose, the traction cable is suspended, for example, in each case on a hook 24 of the roller carrier 17. It can slide in the hook 24 relative to the roller carrier 17 or be fixed. The pull cable 18 thereby pulls the roller carriers 17 and thus the rollers 9 inwards, in the direction of the position in which the longitudinal axes 10 extend perpendicular to the plane of the roller wheel 7. This position is controlled by a stop 16 ( FIG. 4 ) defined at the coupling 8, to which the roller carrier 17 is present in each case.

In the release area 13, the rollers 9 are pressed by the control skid 15 against the spring force of the pull cable 18 to the outside and pivoted ( FIGS. 4 and 5 ).

In the FIGS. 3 and 4 a groove 23 is visible, which is arranged in each case at the rear end of the rollers 9 in the region of the coupling 8. About these grooves is in an area of the orbit 11 of in FIG. 2 visible Abrollkörper 20, for example, another elastic rope, tensioned. As a result, the rollers 9 roll on the rolling body 20 and are set in rotation. This drive of the rollers has the consequence that the roles when rolling on the flat objects 2 need not be offset by these objects 2 in rotation.

In the FIG. 3 is shown as an alternative to the rotating traction cable 18, a spring 19 by dashed lines. In a corresponding embodiment of the invention Thus, each roller respectively each roller carrier 17 has such a spring 19, which pulls the roller carrier 17 against the stop 16.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 stacking space 15 Steuerkufe 2 flat objects 16 attack 3 carrier wheel 17 roller carrier 4 sucker 18 rope 5 grab 19 feathers 6 onward transportation 20 unwinding 7 roller wheel 21 gap 8th coupling 22 Support band, rail 9 roll 23 groove 10 longitudinal axis 24 hook 11 orbit 25 holding body 12 support area 26 slot 13 release area 27 housing wall 14 swivel axis

Claims (14)

1. Device for separation of individual flat, bendable objects (2) from the underside of a stack of such objects (2) and for transporting the separated objects (2) away, which device comprises a stacking space (1) with supporting arrangement supporting the stack from beneath, circulating separation and transportation devices (4, 5) for separation of the objects (2) from the underside of the stack and an arrangement (6) for onward transportation of the separated objects (2), wherein the supporting arrangement is a roll bed conveyor comprising a plurality of circulating rollers (9), wherein the rollers (9) are respectively rotatable around their longitudinal axis (10) and are moved along a circuit (11) and hereby moved through under the stack in a supporting region (12) in a manner aligned to the separation and transportation devices (4, 5), wherein
   the rollers (9) are coupled by means of a respective coupling (8) to at least one roller wheel and that by means of this coupling (8) the longitudinal axes (10) of the rollers (9) are respectively pivotable in relation to the roller wheel (7) and the rollers (9) are pivoted by means of a control element (15) in a release region (13) of the orbit (11) and thereby create an opening of the roll bed through which the arrangement (6) for onward transportation is routed, characterised in that the device comprises a control cam (15), which, in the release region (13) of the orbit (11), effects pivoting of the rollers (9) and thus the opening of the roll bed conveyor, wherein the control cam (15) is arranged on the inside of the orbit (11) and presses open the rollers (9) or, respectively, the roll bed conveyor from the inside..
2. Device according to claim 1, wherein a pivot axis (14) of the rollers (9) respectively runs through the couplings (2) of the rollers (9) on the roller wheel (7) in a direction substantially tangential in relation to the roller wheel (7).
3. Device according to claim 2, wherein the control element (15) is at least one fixed control cam (15) on which the rollers (9) roll and thus are pivoted.
4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the longitudinal axes (10) of the rollers (9) in the supporting region (12) run substantially in perpendicular to the plane of the at least one roller wheel (7).
5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the rotation movement of the longitudinal axes (10) is limited in one direction by a mechanical stop (16), which defines a stopping position, in which the longitudinal axis (10) substantially runs in perpendicular to the plane of the roller wheel (7).
6. Device according to one of the of the preceding claims, wherein the rollers (9) each are mounted in a roller carrier (17) in a manner rotatable around their longitudinal axes (10), and the roller carrier (17) is mounted to the roller wheel (7) in a manner pivotable around a pivot axis (14), and a pre-tensing device (18, 19) is provided, which draws the roller carriers (17) and with them their rollers (9) in the direction of the stopping position of the pivoting movement.
7. Device according to claim 6, wherein the pre-tensing device comprises an elastic pulling cable (18), which connects the roller carriers of the individual rollers (9) of a roller wheel (7) to each other and thus draws all the roller carriers (17) and with them their rollers (9) in the direction of the stop of the pivoting movement.
8. Device according to claim 6, wherein the pre-tensing device comprises a set of spring elements (19) and an own spring element (19) is allocated to each roller (9), which effects a load, wherein this load draws the roller (9) in the direction of the stop (16).
9. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the rollers (9) are rotatable and the rollers (9) are rotatable in at least one section of the of the orbit, preferably at least in the supporting region (12) by means of rolling on a rolling-off body (20), which rotation corresponds to a rolling movement of the rollers (9) on the bottommost object (2) of the stack.
10. Device according to claim 9, wherein the rolling-off body (20) is a cable (20) tensed around a sector of the orbit.
11. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a roller wheel (7) with a set of rollers (9) is provided.
12. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein two roller wheels (7) with two sets of rollers (9) arranged symmetrically to one another are provided.
13. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one roller wheel (7) and the carrier wheel (3) comprise parallel rotation axes.
14. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the carrier wheel (3) and the at least one roller wheel (7) are driven to rotate at the same angular speed.

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