GB816840A - Apparatus for feeding sheets from a stack to form counted batches of bank notes or like sheet members, and/or for delivering counted batches therefrom - Google Patents

Abstract

816,840. Feeding and delivering sheets. BROWN, V. S., and DARLING, G. W. A. Dec. 10, 1957 [Sept, 11, 1956], No. 27727/56. Class 100(1) Apparatus for counting sheet members into single batches of predetermined number comprises means for feeding the sheets to a gauging station, means thereafter for moving the sheets along a normal path past a counting station to form a batch, means at the gauging station adapted to detect multiple thickness of the sheets over part of their facial area, means actuated by the detection of multiple thickness member for segregating them away from the normal path of further movement towards the counting station, counting means at the counting station for recording the passage therethrough of unsegregated sheets and means responsive to recordal of a predetermined number of sheets to render solely the feeding means inoperative. Sheet separators. The machine comprises a main shaft 14 driven by an electric motor which. also drives a pump 15 for creating air pressure and suction. The drive is carried from shaft 14 by belting 17 to gauging rolls 18a, 18b and feed rolls 19a, 19b. A belt 22 carries the drive from the shaft 14. to a shaft 23 which carries a flywheel 24 having a link 25 eccentrically pivoted thereon. Link 25 is pivoted to a further link 26 whose other end is pivoted to the machine frame. At the junction of links 25, 26 a transverse suction conduit is arranged having suction ports 28 joined through connection box 29 to a hose 30 connected through a chamber 31 with the suction side of pump 15. Rotation of shaft 23 in a clockwise direction causes the ports 28 to move arcuately towards the top of the pile 32 until they contact the topmost sheet, move rearwardly to release the sheet from a lip 59 on the hopper 58, and then move forwardly to present the sheet to the nip of rollers 18a, 18b. The connection box 29 has a closure flap 33 with a projecting finger 34. A pin 35 is provided for engaging the finger 34 and thus opening flap 33 to destroy the suction when the sheet is grasped by the rollers 18a, 18b. Separation is assisted by air blast from a pipe 62 connected to pump 15. Pile raising mechanism. A pawl and ratchet mechanism 64 is provided for maintaining the pile 32 at a constant height through bevel gears and a lifting rod 63. The mechanism 64 is operated by a rod 68 reciprocated through a lost motion connection by a pivoted link 69 carrying a cam follower 70 which rides on a cam 71 on the shaft 23. A transverse stop finger 72 is provided on top of the pile 32 which passes through a slot in the rod 68 to allow the latter sufficient movement to operate the mechanism 64 only when the pile is below a certain height. Faulty feed detectors; delivering in counted batches. The gauging rollers 18a, 18b are arranged in the path of the sheets other than near their edges and centre line so as to avoid contacting the sheets in the places in which they are usually folded or crumpled over. If two sheets are fed the upper roll 18b, mounted on pivoted link 36, is forced upwardly to an amount sufficient to bear against a roller 38 on a bell crank lever 39 and cause the other end of the bell-crank 39 to operate a micro-switch 40 to energize a solenoid 41. Solenoid 41 then withdraws its armature 42, against a spring bias, from beneath the head 43 of a rod 44 so that the latter, together with a link 45, drops and moves a deflector plate 46, pivoted at 47 to the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 3. The rejected sheets are then deflected, after passing through the feed rollers 19a, 19b, away from counting rollers 21a, 21b. The deflector is raised by a sleeve 48 which surrounds rod 44 and is raised by an arm 49 connected thereto. The arm 49 is pivoted at 50 and carries a cam follower 51 co-operating with cam 52 on shaft 23. The singly fed sheets pass on between the rollers 21a, 21b, which through bell-crank 55 operate a micro-switch 56 connected to a counting device, to a hopper 2. An electric circuit is provided for controlling the number of sheets to be fed to the hopper 2 and for applying suction to the tube 30 via the chamber 31 at the start of the counting operation and destroying the suction in tube 30 at the end of the count. To this end the chamber 31 includes a pivoted flap 73 which is closed by a solenoid 75 at the start of the count and opened by a solenoid 77 at the end of the count.