GB1571741A

GB1571741A - Sheet removal apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB1571741A
Application number: GB21555/78A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Hauni Werke Koerber and Co KG
Current assignee: Koerber AG
Priority date: 1977-07-13
Filing date: 1978-05-23
Publication date: 1980-07-16
Also published as: IT7824852A0; IT1096791B; DE2731632A1

Description

(54) SHEET REMOVAL APPARATUS (71) We, HAUNI-WERKE KORBER & CO KG., a German Company of Kamp chaussee 12-22, 2050 Hamburg 80, Germany (Fed. Rep.), do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a Patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is 'to be performed to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The invention relates to an apparatus for the removal of single sheets from the underside of a stack of sheets, in particular a stack of blanks for the tobacco-procosmg industry, with a suction roller carrying out a combined rotary movement and reciprocating rnove- meet relative to the stack of sheets as well as means associated laterally with the stack of sheets for fanning out the lower sheets of the stack.

Apparatus of the above type operate in a manner such that one edge d the lowermost blank of the stack is engaged by a pneumatic suction member or suction roller, separated from the following blanks and removed com pletely from the stack or peeled off.

With apparatus currently in use, machine disturbances occur repeatedly, which may be attributed to the fact that particularly with relatively high stacks of blanks with smooth surfaces, as a result of a considerable suction effect between these surfaces, the blanks can- not be separated from each other in a trouble- free manner and sufficiently quickly. Also, the book-like projections on the cut edges caused by the production or by cutting the stack of blanks have a disturbing effect. In order to provide better conditions for effective separation of the blanks for engaging the lowermost blank by means of the suction roller, the suc tion roller has already been located at a certain disance from the lower side of the stack of blanks and the lower blanks have been moved by means of a push-rod or the like in the direction of the suction roller and thus fanned-out. These measures provided an essential improvement as regards the separation, but parricularly at relatively high conveying speeds, it always happens that more than one sheet is removed by the suction roller, thus causing operating disturbances.

The object of the invention is to construct the apparatus such that even particularly obstinate hook4ike projections between indi- vidual sheets can be released with the greatest possible reliability, if the sheets are already engaged by the suction roller and are located on the discharge path.

Thfis object is fulfilled according to the invention due to the fact that associated with the suction roller is a deflector roller able to be moved laterally together with the latter, whilst matixaininlg a feed gap between adjacent peripheral surfaces of the suction roller and the deflector roller, which can be notated in the same direction as the suction roller, so that in the region of the feed gap, their peripheral surfaces have substmtialIy opposed conveying components.

In this construction, all superfluous blanks not adhering directly to the suction roller are pushed upwards in the direction of the stack of sheets by the deflector roller.

Consequently, on the one hand, the sheet to be removed is separated with greater reliability from the entrained sheets located thereabove and on the other hand, the entrained sheets are removed from the path of the support member travellCing downwards and thus are not creased by the latter.

According to one advantageous development, an optimum method of operation of the deflector roller according to the invention is ensured of the distance between adjacent peripheral surfaces of the suction roller and the deflector roller, at the narrowest point of the feed gap, is greater than the thickness of one sheet and less than the thickness of two sheets of the sheets forming the stack. It is thus possible with certainty to pass only one single sheet through the gap between the suction roller and the deflector roller.

According to an appropriate development, a particularly simple arrangement and a simple drive for the deflector roller are provided due to the fact that the deflector roller is part of a movable support frame and may be driven by a support belt guided over a support plate and over a 'guide roller, the free ends of which belt are clamped in a stationary manner, in addi tion hereto, the separating effect being further increased due to the face that the deflector roller is riven at a higher speed than the suction roller.

Appropriately, the deflector roller and sucton roller are mounted on a common support frame.

Mechanical push-rods or the like may be used as the means co-operating with the deflector roller for fanning-out the lower sheets of the stack of sheets. According to one embodiment of the invention, means for fan ningKut the sheets which have a particularly quick reaction and are virtually free from wear consist of a blowing device which according to a further proposal may be controlled in a simple manner depending on the feed movement of the support frame.

A blowing device of this type may have a very simple construction and according to the proposal consists of blowing nozzles directed obliquely onto the edges of the sheets.

Troublefree control of the blowing device is ensured due to the fact that the support frame compnses a control bar co-operating with a stationary control shoe, which bar is provided with a control groove which in the removal position of the suction roller, within the control shoe, connects a delivery pipe for blowing air to a supply pipe leading to the blowing device.

The invention will be described in detail hereafter with reference to one embodiment illustrated in the drawing.

The figure shows a double magazine supporting two stacks of sheets, associated with which are a suction roller and deflector roller respectively.

According to the drawing, two stacks of blanks 1 and 2 are provided, which are located in a stack magazine 3, 4 respectively.

A removal device is associated with the two stack magazines 3 and 4 on their underside, which device is constructed in the manner to be described hereafter.

The removal device comprises a support frame 6, on which removal means in the form of suction rollers 7 and 8 with a predetermined mutual spacing are mounted to rotate. Several support rollers 9 located side-y-side are mounted on the suppoot frame 6 between the suction rollers 7 and 8. The support rollers 9 and the suction rollers 7 and 8 are arranged with a mutual spacing - seen in the transverse direction with respect to the plane of the blanks - i.e. there is a difference in height between the upper rolling surfaces of the support rollers 9 and suction rollers 7, 8. In this case, the support rollers 9 located at a higher level directly define the plane of the lowermost blank in the stack magazine 4, whereas the suction rollers 7 and 8 are at a predetermined distance from the underside of the stack.

The suction rollers 7 and 8 are respectively provided with two vacuum connections 11 located at right-angles to the plane of the drawing and arranged at a distance apart, which are respectively connected to a source of vacuum which is not shown by a common central bore 13. In addition, two support belts 12 constructed as toothed belts and located one behind the other at right-angles to the plane of the drawing are guided around the suction rollers 7 and 8, which belts 12 are also supW ported on the support rollers 9. The support belts 12 extend outside the region of the vacuum connections 11, for which reason corresponding belt pulleys (not shown) are associated with the suction rollers 7 and 8.

By means of these support belts 12 constructed as toothed belts, the position of the vacuum connections 1:1 of the suction rollers 7, 8 with respect to the initial position of the removal device below the stack magazines 3 and 4 is predetermined accurately. The free ends of the support belts 12 are guided through a base plate 13 between the two stack magazines 3 and 4 and attached to a tensioning device 14.

A guide plate 12 is located in the region of the lower sides of the support belts 12, over which plate 16 the support belts 12 pass.

The support belts 12 co-operate by means of their lower sides with pairs of guide rollers 17 and 18, which are arranged in a stationary manner and are respectively surrounded in the region of the support belts 12 by two conveyor belts 19 located side by-side at right-angles to the plane of the drawing. The upper sides of these conveyor belts 19 are likewise guided over guide plates 21, 22. A doude-sided sheet guide 23 is provided between the pairs of guide rollers 17 and 18, which guide 23 passes into a guide channel 24, below which a pair of feed rollers 26 is located.

The support frame 6 is extended beyond the suction rollers 7 and 8 on both sides. The sup port frame 6, of which only the rear support is shown in the drawing and the front support is omitted, is identical in construction to the left and right of the suction rollers 7, 8, the right-hand part of the support frame 6 adjacent the suction roller 8 being described in detail hereafter. The identical left hand part of the support frame 6 is given the same reference numerals.

In the region of the suction roller 8, the sup port frame 6 is provided with a shaft 27, on which four deflector rollers are arranged one behind the other at right-angles to the plane of the drawing, only one of which rollers is shown. A driving opinion 29 is respectively provided between two deflector rollers 28, around which pinion a support belt 31 is guided for driving the deflector rollers 28. The upper sides of the three support belts 31 located one behind the other at right-angles to the plane ob the drawing are guided over a support plate 32 attached to the support frame! 6 and at the free end of the support frame 6 are guided around respectively associated guide rollers 33. The lower sides of the support belts 31 are also tensioned by a tensioning roller 34.

In the same manner as the support belts 12 of the removal means, the free ends of the upper sides of the support belts 3.1 are guided through a plate 36 and held by a stationary tensioning device 37. The shaft 27 is attached to the support frame 6 such that on the one hand the deflector rollers 28 are tangential to the support plane of the support rollers 9 or the support plate 32 and on the other hand a feed gap 38 is provided between the latter and the suction roller 8, which gap, at its narrowest point, is greater than the thickness of one sheet and less than the thickness of two sheets of rhe sheets located in the stack magazine 4.

Also associated with the two stack magazines 3 and 4, likewise in an identical manner, are means for fanningout the lower sheets of the sheet stacks 1 and 2 in the form of a blowing device 39 respectively, whereof only the nighthand blowing device is described in detail and illustrated. The blowing device 39 coonpsises several blowing nozzles 41 located one behind the other at nghtangles to the plane of the drawing. To supply and control the blowing device 39, the support frame 6 is provided on its underside with a control bar 42, which is guided in a sealed manner over a stationary guide shoe 43. A delivery pipe 44 for blowing air and a supply pipe 46 leading to the blowing device 39 are connected to the guide shoe 43.

A control grove 47 is located in the control bar 42 for connecting the delivery pipe 44 to the suplply pipe 46 in the corresponding position of the control bar 42.

The method of operation of the aforedescribed arrangement is as follows: according to the drawing, the removal device is located in the rightJhand end position, in which the support rollers 9 located between the suction rollers 7 and 8 support the stack 2 of blanks in the stack magazine 4, whereas the lefthand support plate 32 of the support frame 6 extended towards the left, supports the stack 1 of blanks in the stack magazine 3. Shortly before reaching this rightwhand end position of the support frame 6, the control groove 47 of the control bar 42 of the support frame 6 extended towards the right overlaps the defi- very pipe 44 and the supply pipe 46 so that for a short time a blast of air is sent to the blowing device 39.

In this way, by means of the blowing nozzles 41 directed onto the lower edge of the stack 2 of blanks, the lower sheets are moved downwards towards the suction roller 8 and thus separated from each other. Immediately on reaching the right-hand end position of the suction roller 8, its vacuum connections 11 are supplied with vacuum intake air, in which case the lowermost blank 48 is drawn by suction and held on the suction roller. The lowermost blank 48 engaged in its edge region by the suction roller 8 is then completely detached from the stack 2 of blanks or peeled-off, for which putpo'se the entire support frame 6 is moved towards the left by a drive which is not shown and at the same time, the suction roller 8 is driven in the direction of arrow 49, in phase with the lateral movement of the support frame 6.

In this case, the support rollers 9 and the suction rollers 7 and 8 roll on the tightly clamped support belts 12. During this movement of the support frame 6, the deflector rollers 28 adjacent the suction roller 8 firstly arrive below the rightHhand side of the stack magazine 4, whereby the excess blanks fannedout by the blowing device 39 and blown downwards are pushed back upwards by the deflector rollers 28 rotating in the direction of arrow 51, so that only the lowermost blank 48 held on the suction roller may pass through the feed gap 38 which is only slightly wider.

The deflector rollers 28 are driven by the sup'- port belts 31 in the same manner as the drive for the suction rollers 7 and 8 or the support rollers 9 by the associated suwort beits 12, in that due to the lateral movement of the support frame 6, the deflector rollers 28 ri on the support belts 31 clamped in a stationary manner, the upper sides of which belts are lengthened on the left of the tensioning device and shortened on the right thereof.

The deflector rollers 28 or the support belts 311 guided over the support plate 32 travel below the stack of blanks 2 to the same extent that the suction roller 8 moves away from the underside of the stack of blanks 2. The ccres ponding support plate 32 moves away from the underside of the left-hand stack of blanks 1 to the same extent, in which case the support for the latter is replaced continuously by the support rollers 9 of the removal means moved over lateraiW from the right-hand stack 2 of blanks. After a rotation d the suction roller 8 throa,gh approximately 1,800, during which the vacuum intake air retains the blank 48, the latter passes into the range of action of the pair of guide rollers 18, in that the blank 48 is engaged at one end by the opposed support belts 12 and at the other end by the conveyor belts 19 of the pair of guide rollers 18. Subsequently, the blank 48 travels into the gap formed between the sheet guide 23 and the conveyor belts 19 and into the guide channel 24, at the outlet of which the blank 48 is engaged by the pair of feed rollers 26 and discharged for further processing.

In the meantime, the support frame 6 has moved so far to the left that with regard to the stack of blanks 1, the suction rollers 7 and 8 or the support rollers 9 and the support plate 32 adopt a position which is a mirror image of the position shown in the drawing. The removal of a blank from the stack of blanks 1 during the return stroke ob the support frame 6 by means of the suction rolThier7'ith the assistance of the lefthand pair of guide rowers 17 takes place in the same manner as aforedescribed.

It should be mentioned that for a better grip, the deflector rollers 28 may also be provided with a rough surface. As an alternative, brush rollers or the like may be used.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. Apparatus for the removal of single sheets from the underside of a stack of sheets, comprising a suction roller carrying out a combined rotary movement and reciprocating movement relative to the stack of sheets as well as means associated laterally with the stack of sheets for fanningzout the lower sheets of the stack, a deflector roller arranged to move laterally together with the suction roller, whist maintaining a feed gap between adjacent peripheral surfaces of the suction rozzer and deflector roller, whereby, in use, the deflector roller is rotated in the same direction as the suction roller, so that in the region of the feed gap said peripheral surfaces have substantially opposed conveying components.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein at the narrowest point of the feed gap the distance between adjacent peripheral surfaces of the suction roller and the deflector roller is greater than the thickness of one sheet and less than the thickness of two sheets of the sheets forming the stack.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the deflector roller is part of a movable support frame and can be driven by a support belt guided over a support plate and a guide roller, the free ends of which belt are clamped in a stationary manner.

4. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the deflector roller is driven at a higher speed than the suction roller.

5. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the deflector roller and the suction roller are mounted on a common supw port frame.

6. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the means for fanning-out the lower sheets of the stack consist of a blowing device.

7. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the blowing device can be controlled depending on the feed movement of the support frame.

8. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the blowing device consists of blowing nozzles directed obliquely onto the edges of the sheets.

9. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the support frame comprises a control bar co-operating with a stationary oon- trol shoe, which bar is provided with a control groove, which in the removal position of the suction roller, within the control shoe, connects a delivery pipe for blowing air to a supply pipe leading to the blowing device.

10. Apparatus for the removal of single sheets from the underside of a stack of sheets, substant,iaily as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **.

6 by means of the suction rolThier7'ith the assistance of the lefthand pair of guide rowers 17 takes place in the same manner as aforedescribed.

It should be mentioned that for a better grip, the deflector rollers 28 may also be provided with a rough surface. As an alternative, brush rollers or the like may be used.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. Apparatus for the removal of single sheets from the underside of a stack of sheets, comprising a suction roller carrying out a combined rotary movement and reciprocating movement relative to the stack of sheets as well as means associated laterally with the stack of sheets for fanningzout the lower sheets of the stack, a deflector roller arranged to move laterally together with the suction roller, whist maintaining a feed gap between adjacent peripheral surfaces of the suction rozzer and deflector roller, whereby, in use, the deflector roller is rotated in the same direction as the suction roller, so that in the region of the feed gap said peripheral surfaces have substantially opposed conveying components.
2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein at the narrowest point of the feed gap the distance between adjacent peripheral surfaces of the suction roller and the deflector roller is greater than the thickness of one sheet and less than the thickness of two sheets of the sheets forming the stack.
3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the deflector roller is part of a movable support frame and can be driven by a support belt guided over a support plate and a guide roller, the free ends of which belt are clamped in a stationary manner.
4. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the deflector roller is driven at a higher speed than the suction roller.
5. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the deflector roller and the suction roller are mounted on a common supw port frame.
6. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the means for fanning-out the lower sheets of the stack consist of a blowing device.
7. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the blowing device can be controlled depending on the feed movement of the support frame.
8. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the blowing device consists of blowing nozzles directed obliquely onto the edges of the sheets.
9. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the support frame comprises a control bar co-operating with a stationary oon- trol shoe, which bar is provided with a control groove, which in the removal position of the suction roller, within the control shoe, connects a delivery pipe for blowing air to a supply pipe leading to the blowing device.
10. Apparatus for the removal of single sheets from the underside of a stack of sheets, substant,iaily as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.