FR2764276A1 - METHOD AND INSTALLATION FOR THE AUTOMATIC PREPARATION OF ADVERTISING POSTER ORDERS - Google Patents

Abstract

Process for the automatic preparation of orders for advertising posters, characterized in that the stacks (P, P1, P2) of sheets intended to constitute a poster are presented, one after the other, in front of a counter (8), at the means of a transport device (1) moving step by step and comprising as many locations (E1, E2, ..., E8) for receiving said stacks as there are sheets necessary for the constitution of said poster, we count, by means of this counter (8), a determined number of sheets, starting from the top of the stack (P1) stationed in front of said counter (8), we lift the batch of counted sheets, using a separator blade (10), on a part of the surface of said sheets, the stack (P1) of sheets then being moved to a destocking station, while keeping the batch of counted sheets partially separated from the rest of said stack, said batch of counted sheets being withdrawn from the stack when the latter is stopped ée in front of said destocking station.

Description

- 1 - The present invention relates to a method and a

  installation for automatic order preparation

advertising posters.

  An advertising poster is made up of several sheets called "pieces", for example 8 pieces for a poster format of 4 m × 3 m. A poster order corresponds to a package of several posters, for example 10, therefore 10 x 8 sheets, if a poster consists of 8 pieces. The machines used in the process of manufacturing posters, such as for example offset printers or guillotines, process the sheets in large batches of identical sheets, for example 1000, in order to increase the productivity of the machine by reducing the times of

setting.

  Consequently, a compilation step is compulsory at the end of the process of manufacturing the different pieces of posters, in order to group the different sheets constituting the posters that are the subject of orders, from batches of identical sheets leaving printing and stamping and usually stacked on pallets, this

  step being the preparation of orders.

  We know manual preparation tables which have the drawback of not being able to adapt to large variations in work volume, linked to strong

variations in order volume.

  We also know poster folding machines including

  the only function is to fold sheets one by one.

  The preparation of orders is currently done manually, which is a tedious and tedious work, requiring a lot of time, except to employ an abundant manpower. It therefore appears that it is highly desirable to automate the order preparation stage, because the activity of the advertising poster is planned in the very short term, like many advertising campaigns. In fact, a poster printer only receives orders to be fulfilled within one or two weeks. Most of the steps in the poster manufacturing process, such as printing or massaging, are automated in response to this constraint. The order preparation stage must follow this imperative, because it is not possible today to base work efficiency whose volume can vary from one to ten,

from one day to another.

  The subject of the invention is therefore a method and an installation making it possible to automate the step of preparing orders for advertising posters, in a simple manner,

reliable and efficient.

  According to the method of the invention, the stacks of sheets or "pieces" corresponding, each to a part of the poster, are presented one after the other in front of a sheet counter, by means of a carousel or other device transport moving step by step and comprising as many locations as there are sheets or "pieces" to be processed in the order preparation operation, there are, by means of this counting machine, a determined number of sheets or pieces starting from the top of the stack stationed in front of said counting machine, the batch of sheets or pieces counted is lifted and a separating and guiding plate extending from the counting station to a point is placed below this batch destocking station, the stack of sheets comprising the batch of counted sheets is moved to said destocking station while the next stack of sheets is brought in front of the sheet counter, the batch of counted sheets is then extracted of the stack of leaves parked in front of the

  destocking, then transferred to a folding station.

  The installation according to the invention is remarkable in that it comprises a means of transport moving step by step, preferably consisting of a carousel, and comprising a plurality of locations for the reception of stacks of identical sheets or pieces allowing to produce a poster, counting means making it possible to count a determined number of sheets starting from the top of each stack of sheets, a means making it possible to separate, at least -3- over a portion of its surface, the batch of sheets counted from the rest of the stack, a separator plate making it possible to maintain a separation between the batch of sheets counted and the rest of the stack during the movement of said stack to a destocking station comprising means for

  grip for removing the batch of counted leaves.

  It is understood that the installation according to the invention allows the handling of stacks of identical sheets or pieces whose flat assembly is intended to constitute a large poster and which are usually stored on pallets, counting the sheets to be extracted from each stack , separation and removal of batches of counted leaves. It is then possible to group the sheets counted from the different batches to compose the package corresponding to an order, then to fold and strap the package, which are operated by means of an automatic folding table integrated into the installation according to the invention. Another advantage of the machine according to the invention is that it avoids a very tedious manual work of handling the bundles of sheets, if we consider that the operators generally lift several tonnes of paper

per day.

  On the other hand, this machine can be integrated in a poster printing workshop, downstream of the guillotines, and upstream of the cellophaning and labeling machines of the orders to be delivered. The above purposes, features and benefits, and

  still others will emerge more clearly from the description which

  follows and the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a top view of an exemplary configuration of the machine according to the invention shown in a position according to which one of the stacks of sheets is stopped in front of the counting station, while the previous stack of sheets is parked in front of the destocking station. Figure 2 is a side view of the machine

shown in Figure 1.

  - 4 - Figure 3 is a detail view, in plan and on a larger scale, of Figure 1, showing the metering station. FIG. 4 is a detail view, from the side and on a larger scale, illustrating the counting and

  selection of batches of counted leaves.

  Figure 5 is a detail view, from the side and on a larger scale, illustrating the destocking station of the installation. Figure 6 is a front view of the folding table of the installation.

  Figure 7 is a side view of Figure 6.

  Figures 8 to 10 illustrate three stages of automatic folding of the bundles of sheets, using the table

folding the installation.

  Reference is made to said drawings to describe an advantageous, but in no way limiting, example of implementing the method and making the installation according to the invention. This installation comprises a means of transport with displacement step by step, comprising a plurality of places intended for the reception of sheets or pieces necessary for the constitution of posters of large dimensions and which are usually in the form of stacks of sheets placed on pallets. The means of transport is, for example, advantageously constituted by a carousel 1 comprising a horizontal receiving surface having eight locations El, E2, E3, E4, E5, E6, E7, E8, regularly spaced apart for the reception of eight supporting pallets, each , a pile of sheets or pieces

poster.

  This carousel 1 is supported on a circular raceway 2 and it is rotated, step by step, around a vertical axis 3, by means of a

  geared motor 4 or other motorization device.

  A pressing arm 5 provided with a support head 6, is mounted, with a tilting ability, near each location El, E2, ... E8. These presser arms 5, the tilting of which is ensured by jacks 7 arranged under the receiving surface of the carousel 1, are shaped so that their head 6 can come to bear on the top of the stack of sheets disposed on the location to which they are associated, or to be distant from the upper surface of said stack. The presser arms prevent the sheets from the top of the stacks from moving during the rotation of the carousel. The installation according to the invention comprises a station for counting CO of a predetermined number of stacked sheets and for separating the batch of sheets counted from the rest of the stack. This station includes a counting machine 8 which is of the type which counts the sheets at a corner of the stack, in

starting from the top of the latter.

  The carousel 1 comprises a rotating indexing device, adjusted to immobilize, successively, each stack of sheets in front of the counting machine 8, in a position such that a corner or angle of the stack is located opposite said counting machine 8 (FIG. 1). This indexing device is for example of the contactless type, consisting of a

  photocell fixed to the frame of the counting machine, and eight reflectors positioned on the carousel, at the locations of the eight pallets. When a reflector passes in front of the cell, the rotational movement of the carousel is stopped.

  The counting machine 8 is fixed to a horizontal translation device 9 enabling it to be approached against

  the corner PI ′ of the stack of sheets P1 stationing in front of said counter, without moving the pallet, or moving it away in the retracted position.

  The counting machine 8 and the horizontal translation device are fixed on a translation device

  vertical 34 making it possible to automatically search for the top of the stack, whatever the height thereof.

  The counting machine 8 has several degrees of freedom in order to interface perfectly with the corner of the stack under the

  single press of the horizontal translation device.

  - 6 - More precisely, the counting machine is free in translation in the two axes of the horizontal plane, and it is free in rotation around a vertical axis, thanks to a system of

pivot 8a.

  The counting machine 8 is provided with a movable separating blade which it actuates at the end of each counting operation, so as to insert said separating blade between the batch of sheets counted and the rest of the stack, in an area corresponding to the corner. from said pile, in order to lift the counted leaves from a height greater than what can

  make the counting finger of the counting machine.

  The vertical translation device of the counting machine is then used to separate the batch of counted sheets from the rest of the stack, over a height of a few centimeters in order to slide therein a means of separation and guidance, for example constituted by an intermediate plate. 11 which takes over from the separating blade to separate the sheets over a larger area, this plate having an elongated shape and extending from the CO counting station to the DE destocking station. This intermediate plate engages under the sheets counted at the level of the corner held raised by the separating blade 10, then engages even more between the sheets to cover the entire sheet width over a sufficient depth, for example of

about 25 cm.

  The intermediate plate 11 is provided with a swallowing roller 12 on the edge which engages between the sheets, the presence of this roller making it possible to prevent the sheets from

  crumple or move relative to each other.

  The intermediate plate 11 allows the counted sheets to remain separated from the rest of the stack during the movement of the latter from the CO counting station.

  to the DE destocking station, this movement corresponds to

  dant a step from the carousel 1 driven in rotation step by step.

  Once the sheets have been separated and the intermediate tray engaged between the batch of counted sheets and the rest of the stack, the carousel 1 turns one step to present the stack opposite the destocking station. During the - 7 rotation of the carousel, the batch of counted leaves slides on the intermediate plate and therefore remains separated from the rest of

the battery.

  The destocking station comprises: - a front clamp 13 subject to a horizontal translation device 14 consisting of a slide and a jack 14a, and to a vertical translation device 15 composed of a slide 15a and a motorization 15b, by motor and belt; - a destocking plate 16 also subject to a horizontal translation device 17 consisting of a slide 17a and a motorization 17b, by motor and belt, and to a vertical translation device 18 composed of a slide 18a and a motorization by motor 18b and chains 18c; - And a rear clamp 19. The front clamp 13 includes sensors 13a making it possible to control its

  vertical position relative to the counting machine.

  When the stack of sheets stops in front of the destocking station, the front clamp 13 moves in the direction of said stack P2 and closes on the batch of counted sheets which it lifts. On the other hand, the destocking plate 16 also moves in the direction of the stack P2 and engages between the batch of counted sheets and the rest of the stack, over the entire surface of the counted sheets. The destocking plate includes sensors 16a making it possible to control its vertical position relative to that of the front clamp

  13, before the batch of counted sheets is transferred.

  When the destocking plate 16 is positioned below the batch of counted sheets, the front clamp 13 releases said batch and retracts by a backward movement, while said destocking plate is withdrawn by carrying the batch of counted sheets , outside of

perimeter of the carousel.

  The cycle between the counting operation and the destocking operation is, of course, repeated for each of the stacks of sheets or pieces positioned on

  the locations El, E2, ..., E8 of carousel 1.

  Advantageously, the installation according to the invention also comprises a folding table designated in its entirety by the reference 20 in FIG. 2, and more precisely illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, this folding table being positioned at the below the trajectory of the

destocking tray 16.

  The destocking plate 16 is movable in horizontal translation in order to move the batches of sheets counted and removed from the stacks to the folding table 20. It is also movable in vertical translation so as to be able to position itself at the height of the clamp before 13, which corresponds to the height of the stack of sheets P parked in front of the destocking station, and then in order to be able to position itself at the height of the stack being formed

on the folding table.

  When the destocking plate 16 is brought above the folding table 20, by means of its horizontal 17 and vertical translation device 18, the sheets being on said plate, are gripped by the rear clamp 19, to allow the latter to

  remove and leaves to settle on said table.

  The rear part 19 is carried by the frame of the destocking station. The destocking plate 16 comprises a device for re-tacking the sheets, making it possible to constitute a very straight stack on the folding table 20. At the end of the cycle for removing the number of sheets corresponding to an order, out of all the stacks arranged on the carousel 1, the folding table 20 groups together the sheets counted from each

  said stacks for forming a package.

  The folding table 20 comprises an upper surface mainly consisting of two external flaps 21, 22 and two internal flaps 23, 24, all of these flaps being mounted with a tiltability in the direction of the middle part of the table. The two outer pivoting flaps 21, 22 are folded over the sheets to fold each outer third of the sheet pack, on the central third, to form an intermediate package of width equal to one third of the width of the sheet pack; while the two inner flaps 23, 24 fold over the intermediate package to fold it in half and keep it folded during the strapping operation. Cylinders 25 and 26 arranged below the upper surface of the table, pivot the external tilting flaps 21 and 22, respectively, while a cylinder 27 controls, via a transmission

  28, the pivoting of the interior tilting flaps 23 and 24.

  Advantageously, the upper surface of the folding table has a narrow fixed central part extending from one end to the other of said table. This fixed part is, for example, constituted by a support plate 29 in the shape of a V and it is arranged between the two interior tilting flaps 23, 24, to allow the centering of the package formed. This support sheet has, at the bottom of V, a longitudinal slot 30, for the passage and movement of a discharge finger 31 of the package formed C out of the folding table, this discharge finger 31 which can move from one end to the other of the slot 30, in the groove 29, being actuated by a jack 32.20 A strapping machine 33 is installed at one end of the folding table 20 in the extension of the slot 30, in end of the V-shaped sheet 29. Figures 6 and 8 to 10 illustrate the different

  stages of operation of the folding table.

  In Figure 6, we see a package of counted sheets F resting on the upper surface of the folding table. The first step consists in raising one (21) of the external flaps 21, 22 from its horizontal rest position to a position beyond the vertical, by means of the jack 25, which has the effect of folding down the first external third F1 of the package of sheets on the central third F2 of said package (Figure 8). The second step consists in raising the second symmetrical external flap 22 from its horizontal rest position to a position beyond the vertical, by the action of the jack 26, which has the consequence of folding the second external third F3 of the packet of leaves on the first outer third F1

- 10 -

  previously folded down on the central third F2 (Figure 9). The third step is to simultaneously raise the two inner flaps 23, 24 from their horizontal rest position to a position beyond the vertical, via the cylinder 27 and the transmission 28, which has the effect of folding the packet in half, in the vertical plane (figure 10) and maintain it in the folded state during the strapping operation which constitutes the last stage of the formation of package C and which consists in sliding the package, at the using the pusher 31, in the guide formed by the two internal flaps 23, 24 and the V-shaped support plate 29, to advance it step by step in the strapping machine 33 located at the end of V. The folding table 20 n is not used for large orders. In this case, in fact, called "pallet mode", the sheets counted and removed from the stacks are not folded and assembled in wrapped packages, but are

stacked on pallet.

- 11 -

Claims (23)

R E V E N D I C A T I 0 N S   1.- Process for the automatic preparation of orders for advertising posters, characterized in that the stacks (P, P1, P2) of sheets or "pieces" intended to constitute a poster, are presented, one after the other, in front of a sheet counter (8), by means of a carousel (1) or other moving transport device   step by step and with as many locations (El, E2, ...   E8) for the reception of said stacks that there are sheets or pieces necessary for the constitution of said poster, there are, by means of this counting machine (8), a determined number of sheets or pieces, starting from the top of the stack (P1) stationed in front of said counting machine (8), the batch of sheets or counted pieces is lifted, for example, using a separating blade 10, on a part of the surface of said sheets, the stack (P1) sheets or pieces of posters then being moved to a destocking station, while keeping the batch of counted sheets partially separated from the rest of said stack, said batch of counted sheets being extracted from the stack when this   the latter is stopped in front of said destocking station.   2. - Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the sheets are counted and separated from the rest of the stack, in a corner of it.   3. - Method according to one of claims 1 or 2, charac-   characterized in that the sheets are kept on the stack during their counting and lifting, as well as during the movement of said stack to the destocking station,   by pressing on the top of the stack.   4. - Method according to any one of claims 1 to   3, characterized in that a stack of sheets is stopped in front of the counting and selection station, while the previous stack is stopped in front of the destocking station. - 12 -   5. - Installation for the automatic preparation of orders for advertising posters, characterized in that it comprises a means of transport (1) moving step by step, preferably consisting of a carousel, and comprising a plurality of locations ( El, E2, ..., E8) for receiving stacks (P, P1) of identical sheets or pieces making it possible to produce a poster, a counting means, for example constituted by a counting machine (8) making it possible to count a number determined of sheets starting from the top of each stack of sheets (P, P1), a means (10) making it possible to separate, at least over a portion of their surface, the batch of sheets counted from the rest of the stack, a means ( 11) allowing this separation to be maintained between the batch of sheets counted and the rest of the stack during the movement of said stack to a destocking station (DE) comprising means (13, 16) for gripping and   removal of the batch of counted leaves.   6. - Installation according to claim 5, characterized in that the counting machine (8) is positioned so as to count the sheets from a corner of the stack of sheets (P1) stopped in front of it, and in that said installation comprises an indexing device making it possible to successively stop each stack of sheets in front of the counting machine (8), in a position such that a corner of said stack is located in front of said counter.   7. - Installation according to one of claims 5 or 6,   characterized in that the destocking station (DE) and the counting station (CO) are positioned so that when a stack of sheets (P2) is stopped in front of the destocking station (DE), the stack of sheets next (P1)   is stopped in front of the counting station (CO).   8. - Installation according to any one of claims   to 7, characterized in that each location (El, E2, E3, ..., E8) intended for the reception of the stacks of sheets (P, P1, P2), is provided with a pressing arm (5) the head - 13 -   (6) is intended to rest on the top of the stack of   leaves arranged near said arm.   9. - Installation according to any one of   Claims 5 to 8, characterized in that the counting machine   (8) is subject to a translation device horizontal (9).   10. - Installation according to any one of the claims   to 9, characterized in that the counting machine (8) is   subject to a vertical translation device (34).   11. - Installation according to any one of   Claims 5 to 10, characterized in that the counting machine   (8) is mounted with several degrees of freedom from   translational and rotational movements.   12. - Installation according to any one of the claims   5 to 11, characterized in that the counting station (CO) comprises a separating blade (10) actuated by the counting machine (8) and intended to be inserted in the corner of the lot counted leaves.   13. - Installation according to any one of   Claims 5 to 12, characterized in that it comprises   an intermediate plate (11) which extends from the   counting (CO) to the destocking station (DE).   14. - Installation according to claim 13, characterized in that the intermediate plate (11) comprises a roller   swallower (12) on its front edge.   15. - Installation according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that the destocking station (DE) comprises a front clamp (13) for gripping and removing the batch of counted sheets, this clamp being subject to a vertical translation device (15) and provided with a sensor making it possible to control - 14 -   its vertical position to that of the counting machine (8).   16. - Installation according to claim 15, characterized in that the front clamp (13) is subject to a device horizontal translation (14).   17. - Installation according to any one of   claims 10 to 16, characterized in that the station   destocking (DE) comprises a destocking plate (16)   secured to a vertical translation device (18).   18. - Installation according to claims 15 and 17,   characterized in that the destocking plate (16) is provided with a sensor making it possible to control its position   vertical with respect to that of the front clamp (13).   19. - Installation according to any one of   claims 15 to 18, characterized in that the station   destocking (DE) comprises a rear clamp (19) enabling the batch of counted sheets, previously transferred to the destocking plate (16), to be gripped and deposited on a receiving surface, for example constituted by a folding table (20).   20. - Installation according to any one of claims   1 to 19, comprising a folding table (20), characterized in that the upper surface of said folding table comprises, on either side of its central part, an external flap (21, 22) and an internal flap (23, 24), all of these flaps being mounted with a tilting ability in the direction of said central part, the external flaps (21, 22) folding over the sheets to fold each external third (F1, F3) of the bundle of sheets (F) on the central third (F2) of the latter, so as to form an intermediate package of width substantially equal to one third of the width of said bundle, the two inner flaps (23, 24) then fold over the intermediate package to fold it in half and keep it - 15 -   folded during the strapping operation.   21. - Installation according to claim 20, characterized in that the upper surface of the folding table comprises a fixed central part comprising a groove (29) having a V-shaped profile. 22. Installation according to claim 21, characterized in that a longitudinal slot (30) is formed in the bottom of the groove (29) and in that a movable discharge finger (31) passing through said slot is mounted with a   ability to move in said groove.   23. - Installation according to one of claims 21 or   22, characterized in that the folding table (20) is equipped with a strapping machine (33) placed at one of the ends throat (29).