JP2004083189A - Rotary type sealed letter supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rotary type sealed letter supply device capable of conducting high-speed supplying of the letters one by one certainly on the system not being influenced by thicknesses and thereby capable of managing well with the high-speed, multifold requirement of the postal matter handling. <P>SOLUTION: The sealed letter supply device of super-high speed operation type embodied on a rotary system in which an epicyclic gearing mechanism is incorporated, is structured so that sealed letters 1 set upright on an inclined letter supplying part are fed one by one from the front face by suction pads 2a, 2b, 2c. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for supplying a sealed letter represented by mail.
To give a concrete example, basically, a mail sorting device that sorts a sealed letter with the contents inside, and sorts by zip code, or an inspection device that reads a zip code and checks the number of passports is specified. Patent application No. 2002-30134 (Title of invention: Sorting and reprinting device for mail) and Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-48567 (Title of invention: Postal reprinting device) And an operation system of the apparatus). In addition, the term "sealed letter" referred to in the present application includes not only fixed-size mail stipulated by the current mail law but also non-standard-size mail, first-class mail, second-class mail, and third-class mail. In some cases, those before sealing are also included.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, the following is known as this kind of supply device.
For example, the sealed letters are stacked upward, and the lowermost sealed letter is sent out by the action of a rubber roll, a belt or a suction transport belt, and a stopper called a gate is provided at the leading end thereof, and the gap between the gates is provided. Apparatuses configured to prevent double feeding by adjustment have been widely used.
In the case of this device, the stopper has an interval at which only one letter of the envelope can pass, and it is necessary to regulate the passage beyond that. However, the thickness is not always uniform due to the contents of the stopper. There was an upcoming problem.
For example, if the contents of the contents are large or small and the thickness of the contents is not uniform over the entire surface of the envelope, or the number of contents differs for each envelope, such as a bill for a mobile phone, and consequently the envelopes with different thicknesses This is the case when they are mixed.
In addition, all of the above-mentioned devices are based on the principle of operation relying on friction, and have the property that the supply timing is shifted by a slight change in load.
Therefore, when a plurality of units are installed from the upstream to the downstream in the same transport path, even if they are supplied alternately, there is a tendency that they are overlapped by a slight timing shift. Operational installation was not possible.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, with the recent diversification of mail, with the conventional apparatus based on the above-described principle, it is very difficult to adjust the gate according to the thickness of the envelope, and there is a practical limit.
In addition, due to such instability, the processing speed is insufficient, and it is impossible to cope with the era of high-speed mass processing.
The present invention provides a new technology that solves such practical problems, eliminating the influence on the thickness of sealed letters, and uniform supply timing, enabling ultra-high-speed processing as needed. The present invention provides a rotary-type sealed letter supply device.
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
That is, the rotary sealed letter supply device of the present invention comprises a sun gear in a housing, a rotation shaft penetrating a center portion of the sun gear, a carrier fixed to the rotation shaft, and a revolving direction and rotation. A planetary gear having a reverse rotation direction, a suction pad shaft provided in parallel with a rotation axis of the planetary gear via an eccentric bracket, and a suction pad for restricting free rotation of the suction pad shaft. A guide rod extending from the rotation shaft is engaged with the shaft, and a suction pad is provided to contact the front surface of the sealed letter.
[0005]
Further, in addition to the above-mentioned features, the rotary-type sealed letter supply device of the present invention further includes at least two rotation axes inclined with respect to the placement portion of the letter to be fed, and stands the letter on it. In addition, a seal member is provided at the head of the sealed letter so as to prevent the slippage due to its own weight and position the sealed letter so that the leading letter face of the sealed letter is engaged with the suction pad.
[0006]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the details will be described based on the explanatory view of the embodiment apparatus illustrated in the drawings.
FIGS. 1 to 4 illustrate the situation in which the sealed letter 1 is supplied to the conveyor 16 in chronological order.
That is, FIG. 1 is a state diagram at the time when the suction pad 2c acts on the first sealed letter 1 placed upright, and FIGS. 2 to 4 show the suction pad 2c when the carrier 3 rotates in the arrow direction. The drawing shows that the sheet is sucked and conveyed, and is thus supplied to the conveyor 16.
The envelopes 1a and 1b on the conveyor 16 are supplied by the suction pads 2a and 2b in the same manner. In the present embodiment, three envelopes 1 are supplied by one rotation of the carrier 3.
In the drawing, reference numeral 10 denotes a housing, which includes a planetary gear mechanism to be described later, and embodies a movement locus of the suction pad 2 as illustrated.
[0007]
Further, as disclosed in FIG. 5, the envelope 1 is placed upright on at least two slightly rotating lower rotating shafts 14, and a stopper is provided at the leading end of the envelope to prevent the envelope from slipping under its own weight.
For example, the upper stopper roller 11 and the lower stopper -12 are specific examples of members, and the entire movement of the sealed letter 1 is stopped by these. That is, by rotating the lower rotation shaft 14 at approximately 100 to 1000 rotations per minute, the sealed letter 1 can be moved even with a gentle inclination. The working position is stabilized.
This configuration solves the problem that, when the inclination is increased, the movement of the sealed letter 1 becomes easy, but the weight of the letter becomes excessive at the leading end portion, thereby making it difficult to take out the suction by the suction pad 2.
In other words, the first letter is stopped by the lower stopper 12 and the upper stopper roller 11, and the suction pad is pulled out with a force exceeding that, so that there are many configurations that minimize the influence of the weight of the letter itself. It also has the effect of significantly increasing the amount of envelopes that can be placed.
Incidentally, in the illustrated example, the inclination is about 10 degrees, and if the rotation of the lower rotation shaft 14 is stopped, the inclination is within the range of the friction angle in dynamics, and is not an angle that can be slipped at all. Of course, the inclination is preferably as gentle as possible, and desirably 15 to 20 degrees or less.
[0008]
The upper stopper roller 11 is preferably a member such as a bearing that is easily rotatable, and the degree of engagement with the upper side of the envelope 1 can be adjusted. It is desirable that the degree of engagement can be adjusted similarly.
In addition, in the illustrated embodiment, the stopping member is formed so as to engage two places on the upper side and the lower side, respectively, but the number and the place may be designed appropriately according to the characteristics of the envelope 1. Although the illustrated side rotation shaft 15 regulates the position of both sides of the envelope 1, it is preferable that the side rotation shaft 15 is rotated to reduce frictional resistance because the weight of the envelope itself is small, but a simple fixed guide member can be used instead. There is no particular problem.
In the drawing, reference numeral 13 denotes a rear holder, which is an L-shaped member placed on the lower rotating shaft 14 in the same manner as the sealed letter 1 to prevent the letter 1 from falling down when the sealed letter 1 becomes small. Further, although not shown, if necessary, a stopper may be provided on both sides of the envelope 1 by protruding somewhat like a lower stopper 12 to inhibit a side portion of the envelope 1 to form a stopper member. In any case, the sealed letter 1 is deformed by the pulling-out operation by the suction pad 2, is supplied by exceeding the stoppers, and as it is continuously supplied, the sealed letter 1 is rotated downward with little frictional resistance. Needless to say, the vehicle slowly advances on the shaft 14 due to its own weight.
[0009]
Next, a detailed configuration of the embodiment device will be described based on the explanatory diagrams of FIGS.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view for easy understanding.
Now, as is apparent from the drawing, the drive mechanism of the device of the present invention mechanically belongs to the planetary gear mechanism.
Accordingly, a sun gear 21 and a planetary gear 20 are provided. The sun gear 21 is fixed to the housing 10, and the planetary gear 20 is rotatably provided by the carrier 3.
The rotating shaft 5 is rotatable through the center of the sun gear 21, and the carrier 3 is fixed to the rotating shaft 5.
Although not shown, an idler gear for connecting the sun gear 21 and the planetary gear 20 is provided on the carrier 3 so that the revolving direction and the rotation direction of the planetary gear 20 have a reverse rotation relationship.
Further, the eccentric bracket 6 is fixed to the rotating shaft 20a of the planetary gear 20, and the suction pad shaft 7 is provided in parallel with the shaft. The suction pad 2 is attached to the suction pad shaft 7 via the pad holder-4. Can be
Further, a guide rod 8 extending from the flange 5a of the rotary shaft 5 via the rod end 9 to penetrate the slide bush 7a to restrict the free rotation of the suction pad shaft 7 is configured.
[0010]
In the embodiment apparatus configured as described above, when the driving pulley 22 provided on the rotating shaft 5 is driven to rotate, the carrier 3 rotates as shown in time series in FIGS. Accompanying this, the suction pad 2 provided on the pad holder-4 acts on the letter 1 to start such a series of operations.
Although FIG. 7 shows the axis of the rotary shaft 5 as a target axis, the apparatus according to the present embodiment is a three-row type in which three planetary gears 20 are arranged at equal angles, as is apparent from FIG. Tally feeder.
Therefore, the ratio between the number of teeth of the sun gear 21 and the number of teeth of the planetary gear 20 is an integral multiple, and the ratio shown is 3: 1. Thus, three supply operations are performed by one rotation of the carrier 3.
Of course, the number of operations per rotation is a matter of design, but for this type of application, it is generally considered that one to five stations are sufficient.
Further, needless to say, a similar mechanism can be constituted by a timing pulley and a belt instead of the gear of what is called a gear mechanism. In the present application, it is clarified that such a substitute mechanism using a belt is also included in the term “planetary gear mechanism”.
[0011]
Next, a configuration for mechanically controlling the suction air of the suction pad 2 to open and close will be described.
In the figure, reference numeral 23 denotes a mechanical valve, which comprises a stator 26 and a rotor 27, both of which are installed on the rotating shaft 5.
One of the stators 26 is located on the rotating shaft 5 via a bearing, and is restrained by a known means (not shown) so as not to rotate from the housing 10 although not shown.
The other rotor 27 is fixed so as to rotate together with the rotary shaft 5. One end of the secondary tube 24 is connected and the other end is connected to the suction pad shaft 7 through the rotary shaft 5. ing.
Of course, the suction pad shaft 7 communicates with the suction pad 2 and suction air acts through the secondary tube 24 as is apparent in FIG.
In the case of a cantilever structure in which the suction pad shaft 7 is protruded from the housing 10, the secondary tube 24 passes through the hollow portion of the drive shaft 5 to connect the rotor 27 and the suction pad shaft 7 with air. -In the case of the embodiment in which the housing 10 is arranged on both sides (not shown), the connection is made by using the secondary tube 24 without penetrating the inside of the drive shaft 5. can do.
[0012]
Next, the mechanical valve of the embodiment device will be described in further detail with reference to the explanatory views of FIGS. 8 to 10 showing right side views thereof in addition to FIG.
In the figure, reference numeral 25 denotes a primary tube, one end of which is connected to the suction air tank, and the other end of which is connected to the stator 26.
Therefore, the inside of the stator groove 26a is always in a negative pressure state, and when communicating with the facing rotor groove 27a, the inside of the rotor groove 27a is also in a negative pressure state.
For example, of the three rotor grooves 27a shown by broken lines in FIG. 9, two lower grooves are in communication with the stator grooves 26a, and the secondary side tubes connected to the grooves are in communication with the stator grooves 26a. The pressure of the suction pad 2 is reduced through the negative valve 24.
When the rotor 27 rotates together with the rotating shaft 5 in the direction indicated by the arrow, the rotor groove 27a also moves to reach, for example, the state shown in FIG.
Then, there is only one rotor groove 27a communicating with the stator groove 26a, and the preceding negative pressure is released.
That is, in the present embodiment, the negative pressure is applied only during the rotation angle of about 120 degrees, and the start is synchronized with the above-mentioned suction start timing of the pad, or the end is released, and the sealed letter is released.
Note that the suction section is not limited to the illustrated range. If necessary, the length of the rotor groove 27a can be changed to a desired angle range depending on the purpose by changing the design of the length of the rotor groove 27a to 180 or 240 degrees.
[0013]
As described above, the rotary-type sealed letter supply device of the present invention is not limited to the letter sealed in the previous term, but includes cards, sheets, bags, relatively thin booklets, mounts, signatures, paper before box making, It is possible to take out various sheets, pouch-packed sample pieces, etc. in sheet form at high speed one by one (parts, pieces).
[0014]
【The invention's effect】
Since the rotary-type sealed letter supply device of the present invention is a method in which the flat part of the letter is sucked by the suction pad and pulled out, there is an effect that it can be operated independently of the problems concerning the thickness which could not be overcome by the conventional device. .
In addition, since it is constituted by a rotary type, a high-speed supply which cannot be achieved by a reciprocating mechanism is possible. Further, since the sealed letter placement portion can be configured with a gentle slope, a large number of sealed letters can be set without inducing excessive resistance due to the weight of the sealed letter.
The most distinctive effect is that, because of the mechanical configuration, there is no time delay or timing shift in the supply timing of the sealed letter. Operation has been made possible, and for example, a multi-operation in which two units are installed and supplied alternately to the same conveyance path has been made practical.
That is, if the embodiment of FIG. 1 is used, it is possible to realize a configuration in which one supply device supplies one skip and another supply device supplies the empty space. If the conveyor 16 and the apparatus of the present invention are mechanically connected in this way, simultaneous operation of a plurality of units can be performed at once, and ultra-high-speed processing can be achieved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of a supply device.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of the supply device.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of the supply device.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the supply device.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a portion for stocking a sealed letter before supply.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram detailing the configuration of a supply device.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram detailing the configuration of a supply device.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing details of a mechanical valve.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing details of a mechanical valve.
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing details of a mechanical valve.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 (1a, 1b, 1c) ··· Envelope, 2, 2a, 2b, 2c ··· Adsorption pad, 3 ··· Carrier, 4 ··· Pad holder-, 5 ··· Rotating shaft, 5a ··· Collar, 6 · · Eccentric bracket, 7 · · · suction pad shaft, 7a · · · slide bush, 8 · · · guide rod, 9 · · rod end, 10 · · · housing, 11 · · · · top stop roller, 12 · · · lower stopper, 13 ··· Rear restraint, 14 ··· Lower rotating shaft, 15 · · · Side rotating shaft, 16 · · · Conveyor, 20 · · · planetary gear, 20a · · · planetary gear shaft, 21 · · · sun gear, 22 · · · driveリ, 23 ··· mechanical valve, 24 ··· secondary tube, 25 ··· primary tube, 26 · · · stator, 6a · · · stator groove, 27 · · · rotor -, 27a · · · Rotor groove.

Claims (2)

A sun gear is provided in the housing, a rotation shaft is provided through the center of the sun gear, and a carrier is fixed to the rotation shaft, and a planetary gear is provided in which the revolving direction and the rotation direction are in a reverse rotation relationship. A suction pad shaft is provided in parallel with the rotation axis of the planetary gear via an eccentric bracket, and a guide rod extending from the rotation shaft is engaged with the suction pad shaft to restrict free rotation of the suction pad shaft. And a suction pad for contacting the front surface of the sealed letter. At least two rotating shafts are provided at an angle, a letter is placed on the letter, and the letter is stopped by the weight of the letter at the leading part of the letter so that the letter face of the letter is engaged with the suction pad. 2. The rotary letter-feeding machine according to claim 1, wherein the letter-feeding part is provided by providing a member.

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