JP2008273666A - Paper sheet take-out device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper sheet take-out device increased in treating efficiency by stabilizing a paper sheet take-out operation. <P>SOLUTION: A sucking mechanism 60 for sucking mail matters P at the end in the moving direction among a plurality of mail matters P thrown in through an inlet 2 to a take-out position 20 has a plurality of holes with different opening areas in a conveying guide 13 disposed along the take-out position 20. The holes for sucking of the conveying guide 13 have opening areas increased upward. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper sheet take-out device that takes out stacked paper sheets one by one in the surface direction.

  Conventionally, as a take-out device for taking out a plurality of stacked sheets one by one, the plurality of sheets are moved in the stacking direction to convey one end of the sheets to a take-out position and wait at the take-out position. There is known a paper sheet processing apparatus that generates a negative pressure through the hole of the belt that is adsorbed and adsorbs the paper sheet, and in this state the belt is moved in the take-out direction to take out the adsorbed paper sheet in the surface direction. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  In this apparatus, in particular, the density state of the paper sheet conveyed to the take-out position is detected, and the conveyance speed of the paper sheet conveyed to the take-out position is controlled in accordance with this coarse / dense state. As a result, the sheet take-out operation is stabilized and the processing efficiency is increased.

However, even if the sheet conveyance speed is controlled in this way, there is no inclination or gap between the sheet conveyed to the take-out position and the belt, and the sheet is stabilized on the belt. May not be able to be absorbed, and the take-out operation may become unstable.
JP 2001-335165 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a paper sheet take-out apparatus that can stabilize the take-out operation of paper sheets and can increase the processing efficiency.

  In order to achieve the above object, the paper sheet take-out device of the present invention is configured to stack a plurality of paper sheets in a standing position and to move the plurality of fed paper sheets in the stacking direction. A feeding mechanism that feeds the paper sheet at the leading end in the moving direction to the take-out position at one end of the input unit, and rotates in contact with the paper sheet fed to the take-out position to rotate the paper sheet A take-out mechanism for taking out in a direction substantially perpendicular to the stacking direction, and a suction mechanism for sucking the paper toward the take-out position by causing an air flow to act on the paper sheets at the leading end in the moving direction supplied to the take-out position by the supply mechanism And the suction mechanism causes the flow rate of the air flow to act on the paper sheet so that the paper sheet at the leading end of the moving direction falls and is brought into contact with the take-out mechanism. It is characterized by being different in the plane of That.

  According to the above invention, since the paper sheet to be supplied to the take-out position is tilted, an air flow is applied to the paper sheet by the suction mechanism so as to contact the take-out mechanism. Can be reliably and stably brought into contact with each other, the sheet taking-out operation can be stabilized, and the processing efficiency can be improved.

  Further, the paper sheet takeout device of the present invention includes a loading unit that stacks a plurality of paper sheets in a standing position, and moves the loaded plurality of paper sheets in the stacking direction to move the front end in the moving direction. A paper feeding mechanism that feeds the paper sheet to the take-out position at one end of the input section, and rotates in contact with the paper sheet fed to the take-out position so that the paper sheet is substantially in the stacking direction. A take-out mechanism that takes out in an orthogonal direction, a suction mechanism that draws air toward the take-out position by causing an air flow to act on a paper sheet at the leading end of the moving direction that is supplied to the take-out position by the supply mechanism, and the supply mechanism And a posture detecting unit that detects the posture of the paper sheet at the leading edge in the moving direction supplied to the take-out position, and the suction mechanism is configured to detect the paper at the leading edge in the moving direction according to the detection result in the posture detecting unit. On leaves Switch the position for applying a stream.

  According to the above invention, the position where the airflow is applied to the paper sheet by the suction mechanism is switched according to the posture of the paper sheet at the leading end in the moving direction supplied to the take-out position. Even when the paper is supplied to the take-out position in the posture, the paper sheet can be reliably brought into contact with the take-out mechanism.

  Further, the paper sheet takeout device of the present invention includes a loading unit that stacks a plurality of paper sheets in a standing position, and moves the plurality of loaded paper sheets in the stacking direction to move the front end in the moving direction. A paper feeding mechanism that feeds the paper sheet to the take-out position at one end of the input section, and rotates in contact with the paper sheet fed to the take-out position so that the paper sheet is substantially in the stacking direction. A take-out mechanism that takes out in a substantially horizontal direction perpendicular to the cross-section, and a suction mechanism that draws air toward the take-out position by causing an air flow to act on the paper sheet at the leading end in the moving direction supplied to the take-out position by the supply mechanism. The supply mechanism supplies the paper sheets at the leading end in the moving direction toward the take-out position in a posture in which the upper end of the paper sheet is tilted to the upstream side in the moving direction; Supplied to position The air flow is caused to act near the upper end of the inclined paper sheet at the tip in the moving direction through a hole disposed above the position in contact with the paper sheet, and the paper sheet is raised to take out the paper sheet. Interview the mechanism.

  According to the above invention, the air flow for sucking the paper sheets is applied through the hole disposed above the position where the take-out mechanism contacts the paper sheets at the leading end in the moving direction supplied to the take-out position. Therefore, the take-out mechanism and the paper sheet can be brought into contact with each other at a position where the suction mechanism sucks the paper sheet to the take-out position, and the paper sheet at the leading end in the moving direction can be reliably brought into contact with the take-out mechanism. .

  Since the paper sheet takeout device of the present invention has the above-described configuration and operation, the paper takeout operation can be stabilized and the processing efficiency can be increased.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an outline of a mail processing apparatus 100 (hereinafter simply referred to as a processing apparatus 100) including a paper sheet retrieving apparatus 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as a retrieval apparatus 1) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The structure is shown as a block diagram. In addition to the take-out device 1, the processing device 100 includes a determination unit 102, a rejection unit 104, a switchback unit 106, and a stacking unit 108. In addition, although the paper sheets processed with the processing apparatus 100 of this Embodiment are mails, the to-be-processed medium (namely, papers) is not restricted to mails.

  The postal items are set on the take-out device 1 in an accumulated state, and are taken out one by one on the transport path 101 by operating the take-out device 1 as described later. A plurality of sets of endless conveyance belts (not shown) are extended on the conveyance path 101 so as to sandwich the conveyance path 101, and postal matter is nipped and conveyed by the conveyance belt.

  The postal matter taken out on the transport path 101 passes through the determination unit 102, where various information is read from the postal matter. The discriminating unit 102 discriminates the postal matter transport posture, the sorting destination, and the like based on the read various information. In particular, the discriminating unit 102 discriminates the sorting destination by reading destination information such as a postal code and an address written on a mail piece.

  The postal matter that has passed through the determination unit 102 is sorted in its transport direction via the gate G1. That is, the postal matter that is determined to be rejected by the determining unit 102 is conveyed to the rejecting unit 104 through the gate G1, and the other postal items are transferred to the stacking unit 108 through the gate G1. Be transported.

  At this time, when the determination unit 102 determines that it is necessary to reverse the conveyance direction of the mail, the mail is sent to the switchback unit 106 through the gate G2, and the conveyance direction is reversed here. . Mails that do not need to reverse the transport direction are bypassed the switchback unit 106 via the gate G2 and transported to the stacking unit 108.

  Mails sent to the stacking unit 108 via the transport path 101 are sorted and collected in a sorting / stacking pocket (not shown) according to the determination result in the determination unit 102. Mail pieces that are classified and accumulated in the respective division accumulation pockets are collected with the top and bottom aligned.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the take-out device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above.
The take-out device 1 has an input unit 2 that inputs a plurality of postal items P in a stacked state, and moves the postal items P that have been input in the stacking direction to move the postal items P at the leading end in the moving direction to be described later. A supply mechanism (to be described later) for feeding to the take-out position 20, a post-mechanism P fed to the take-out position 20 in the surface direction and taken out onto a transport path 10 to be described later, and put in via the input unit 2 A suction mechanism 4 for sucking the postal matter P at the tip of the postal matter P toward the take-out position 20, and a separation mechanism for separating the second and subsequent postal items P taken out by the postal matter P taken out from the take-out position 20. 5. Auxiliary mechanism 6 for assisting the pick-up operation by applying a negative pressure to the postal matter P supplied to the pick-up position 20 on the upstream side of the pick-up mechanism 3 to move in both forward and reverse directions, and a separating mechanism Having a transport mechanism 7 for transporting to the downstream side by pulling out a bit at a faster rate than takes out the postal matter P passing through the.

  In addition, the take-out device 1 includes a sensor 11 that detects passage of the postal matter P taken out from the take-out position 20 at one end of the input unit 2 onto the carry path 10 and a plurality of carry guides 12 to 18. The sensor 11 has a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit so as to sandwich the conveyance path 10 through which the postal matter P passes, and detects the passage of the postal matter P when the postal matter P blocks the optical axis. In this embodiment, a plurality of rows of sensors 11 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 2, or a line sensor in which elements are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface is arranged. Further, the plurality of transport guides 12 to 18 guide the movement and transport by bringing the edges and the surface of the postal matter P into contact with each other.

  A plurality of pieces of mail P are stacked and put together in a standing position into the loading unit 2. Two floor belts 8a and 8b are disposed on the bottom of the insertion portion 2 so that the lower end sides of the respective mail items P are brought into contact with each other and moved in the overlapping direction (the direction of arrow F in the figure). Further, among the plurality of pieces of mail P, a position that is in contact with the mail P at the rear end in the moving direction is simply connected to one floor belt 8b and cooperates to move in the direction of arrow F. A backup plate 9 for supplying the postal matter P at the tip in the moving direction to the take-out position 20 is provided. That is, these two floor belts 8a and 8b and the backup plate 9 function as the supply mechanism of the present invention.

  In addition, the conveyance guide 18 is extended in the position which prescribes | regulates the one side of the insertion part 2 along the arrow F direction, and guides the edge side of each postal matter P. The conveyance guides 12, 13, and 14 are arranged side by side along the take-out position 20 on one end side of the loading unit 2, and the postal matter P at the leading end in the moving direction supplied in the direction of arrow F stops at the take-out position 20. And functions to contact and guide one side of the postal matter P taken out from the take-out position 20.

  The take-out mechanism 3 includes a chamber 21, a guide 14, and a vacuum pump 22 (or an equivalent product). Further, the take-out mechanism 3 drives an endless take-out belt 23 in which at least a portion of a certain region travels in the direction of the arrow T1 (the take-out direction of the postal matter P) in the drawing along the take-out position 20 and the take-out belt 23. A motor 24 is included. The take-out belt 23 is wound around a plurality of rollers 25 and stretched so that at least a part of the take-out belt 23 travels in the direction of the arrow T1 in the figure along the take-out position 20 and the conveyance path 10 continuous from the take-out position 20. Is positioned.

  The guide 14 is disposed at a position facing the take-out position 20 with the belt sandwiched inside the take-out belt 23. The chamber 21 is disposed on the back side of the guide 14, that is, at a position facing the take-out position 20 with the take-out belt 23 and the guide 14 interposed therebetween. The take-out belt 23 has a large number of suction holes 23a as partially enlarged in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the guide 14 has a plurality of elongated slits 14a along the running direction of the take-out belt 23 (that is, the take-out direction of the postal matter P) T1.

  When the vacuum pump 22 is operated to evacuate the chamber 21, the opening (not shown) of the chamber 21 facing the guide 14, the plurality of slits 14a of the guide 14, and the take-out that travels in the direction of the arrow T1. A negative pressure (arrow S1 in the figure) acts on the postal matter P supplied to the take-out position 20 through the numerous suction holes 23a of the belt 23, and the postal matter P is adsorbed on the surface of the take-out belt 23. As the take-out belt 23 travels, it is taken out from the take-out position 20 onto the conveyance path 10.

  At this time, the suction force in the arrow S1 direction by the vacuum pump 22 is such that the transport force for feeding the first postal matter P adsorbed by the take-out belt 23 in the take-out direction T1 is at least two sheets and the first sheet. It is set to be larger than the frictional force acting between the paper sheets of the eyes. This take-out mechanism 3 basically separates the postal matter P at the take-out position 20 one by one and feeds it onto the transport path 10, but with respect to what is fed out onto the transport path 10 in a state where a plurality of sheets overlap each other. Are separated one by one by a separation mechanism 5 described later.

  The suction mechanism 4 includes a chamber 26 disposed on the back side of the conveyance guide 13 with respect to the take-out position 20 and a blower 27 (or an equivalent) for sucking air in the chamber 26. The chamber 26 is disposed adjacent to the take-out position 20 between the take-out mechanism 3 described above and the auxiliary mechanism 6 described later in such a posture that an opening (not shown) faces the back surface of the guide 13. Further, the guide 13 has a plurality of holes 13a in accordance with the width of the opening of the chamber 26, as partially enlarged in FIG. In other words, the plurality of holes 13 a are arranged in the opening of the chamber 26.

  When the blower 27 is operated to suck the air in the chamber 26, an air flow is generated in the direction of the arrow B1 in the figure through the plurality of holes 13a of the guide 13, and a plurality of mails inserted into the input unit 2 are sent. The postal matter P that is closest to the takeout position 20 among the items P is sucked toward the takeout position 20. After the postal matter P sucked to the take-out position 20 is taken out, the next postal matter P is sucked toward the take-out position 20. That is, by providing this suction mechanism 4, the postal matter P to be taken out next can be quickly supplied to the take-out position 20, and even if the supply force in the direction of the arrow F by the supply mechanisms 8 and 9 is weakened, the first mail is sent. Only the mail P can always be stably supplied to the take-out position 20 quickly. Thereby, the taking-out operation of the postal matter P by the take-out mechanism 3 described above can be speeded up.

  The separation mechanism 5 is provided on the opposite side of the above-described take-out mechanism 3 with respect to the conveyance path 10 that extends downstream (downward in FIG. 2) from the take-out position 20. The separation mechanism 5 applies a separation torque in a direction opposite to the direction in which the postal matter P is taken out, while applying a negative pressure to the postal matter P conveyed through the conveying path 10 from the side opposite to the taking-out mechanism 3. That is, when the separation mechanism 5 is operated, the second or later mail piece P (which may be picked up by three or more overlaps) is taken out of the mail piece P taken out from the pick-up position 20. However, the second and subsequent mail pieces P are stopped by the negative pressure and the separation torque described above, or returned in the reverse direction and separated from the first mail piece P.

  More specifically, the separation mechanism 5 includes a separation roller 31 provided so as to be rotatable in both forward and reverse directions along the take-out direction T1 of the postal matter P as shown partially enlarged in FIG. As shown also in FIG. 7, the separation roller 31 is rotatably attached via a bearing 34 to a rotating shaft fixedly attached to the conveyance path 10, that is, a cylindrical body 32 having a chamber 33 described later. A plurality of suction holes 31a penetrating so as to connect the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface. The separation roller 31 is formed of a rigid body such as a substantially cylindrical metal material, and is positioned and disposed at a position where the outer peripheral surface is exposed to the transport path 10. Note that the cylindrical body 32 as a rotation shaft has a chamber 33 for generating a negative pressure, and the opening 33a of the chamber 33 is positioned and fixed so as to face the transport path 10. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the broken line VII-VII in FIG.

  Further, the separation mechanism 5 includes an AC servo motor 35 for rotating the separation roller 31 in both forward and reverse directions with a desired torque, and an endless timing belt 36 for transmitting a driving force from the motor 35 to the separation roller 31. Have The timing belt 36 is wound around a pulley 35a fixed to the rotation shaft of the motor 35 and a pulley (not shown) fixed to the rotation shaft 31b of the separation roller 31 (see FIG. 7). Further, the separation mechanism 5 includes a vacuum pump 37 (or an equivalent product) connected via a pipe 38 to a chamber 33 of a cylindrical body 32 to which a separation roller 31 is rotatably attached.

  Thus, when the vacuum pump 37 is operated and the inside of the chamber 33 is evacuated, the opening 33a of the chamber 33 and the specific suction hole 310 facing the opening 33a among the many suction holes 31a of the separation roller 31 are used. Negative pressure (arrow S2 in the figure) is applied to the surface of the postal matter P passing through the conveyance path 10, and the postal matter P is adsorbed to the outer peripheral surface of the separation roller 31. At this time, when the separation roller 31 is rotating, the postal matter P adsorbed on the outer peripheral surface of the separation roller 31 is also given a conveying force along the rotation direction of the separation roller 31. In the following description, a region in which a negative pressure is applied to the postal matter P through the suction hole 310 of the separation roller 31 is referred to as a separation area As.

  On the other hand, the AC servo motor 35 basically drives and controls the separation roller 31 such that a constant separation torque in the direction opposite to the take-out direction (in the direction of arrow T2 in the figure) is always applied to the separation roller 31. This separation torque is obtained when the mail P transported through the transport path 10 is one piece, and the separation roller 31 adsorbing the single mail P is brought along the postal direction P along the transport direction. When it is set to such an extent that it can be rotated and is taken out onto the transport path 10 in a state where a plurality of pieces of mail P are overlapped, the second and subsequent mails P on the separation roller 31 side are stopped or reversed. It is set to such an extent that it can be separated from the first mail piece P.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 8, in a state where one mail piece P is normally taken out from the take-out position 20 and is transported through the transport path 10, it is given to the postal matter P by the take-out mechanism 3. The forward conveyance force F1 in the forward direction (arrow T1 direction) is larger than the reverse conveyance force F2 applied to the postal matter P by the separation roller 31 to which the separation torque in the reverse direction (arrow T2 direction) is applied. The postal matter P is conveyed in the forward direction T1, and the separation roller 31 is rotated along with the postal matter P or stopped, or idles in the direction opposite to the take-out direction.

  When the separation roller 31 idles in the reverse direction, if the constant separation torque is continuously applied, the rotation speed is gradually increased, which may adversely affect the taking-out of the postal matter P. In this embodiment, the separation roller 31 An upper limit is set for the reverse rotation speed of 31. Specifically, it is set to an upper limit speed whose absolute value is smaller than the speed of taking out the postal matter P.

  In the present embodiment, the separation area As in which the separation roller 31 is opposed to the position where the postal matter P is attracted to the take-out belt 23, that is, the position where the chamber 21 is separated from the position facing the take-out position 20 on the downstream side in the take-off direction T1. Therefore, even if the negative pressure S1 by the chamber 21 is sufficiently higher than the negative pressure S2 by the separation roller 31, there is a high possibility that the postal matter P conveyed by only one is attracted to the separation roller 31 side and comes into contact. .

  In this case, for example, if the postal matter P is a thin postal matter P having a relatively low waist, the return force in the reverse direction by the separation roller 31 acts excessively on the postal matter P as shown in FIG. As a result, the postal matter P may be folded as shown in the figure. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 10, a chamber 41 is added at a position facing the separation roller 31 (separation area As) inside the take-out belt 23, and a vacuum pump 42 for evacuating the chamber 41 is further provided. It is desirable to add. In this way, by causing the negative pressure S3 in the direction toward the take-out belt 23 to act on the postal matter P at a position facing the separation area As, the problem of folding as shown in FIG. 9 can be solved.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, when the two mail items P are overlapped and taken out from the take-out position 20 onto the conveyance path 10, the first mail piece P 1 on the side close to the take-out belt 23 is taken out. The transport force F1 described above is applied from the mechanism 3 and transported in the forward direction T1, and the second mail P2 near the separation roller 31 is applied the transport force F2 in the reverse direction T2 described above from the separation roller 31. The At this time, frictional forces F3 and F4 are applied between the two mail pieces P1 and P2 in opposite directions. The frictional forces F3 and F4 are generated when the two mail items P1 and P2 are in contact with each other, but become zero when they are separated.

  In any case, the conveying forces F1 and F2 acting on the two toilet articles P1 and P2 are set to a value sufficiently larger than the maximum value of the frictional forces F3 and F4 generated between them. The second mail piece P2 to which the conveying force F2 in the reverse direction is applied is returned to the direction T2 opposite to the take-out direction T1 and separated from the first mail piece P1.

  As described above, the separation roller 31 is formed of a metal roller so that a separation torque is applied to the postal matter P taken out on the conveyance path 10 and a negative pressure is applied to the postal matter P. Compared with a separation roller using a rubber roller, the service life of the roller can be greatly extended, the separation performance can be maintained well over a long period of time, the processing speed of postal matter P can be increased, and the throughput is increased. be able to. In the state where only one mail piece P is taken out, there is a high possibility that the separation roller 31 is idle, and therefore, when a plurality of mail pieces P are picked up in an overlapping state (multiple feeding). Otherwise, the separation torque applied to the separation roller 31 may be zero.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the auxiliary mechanism 6 disposed on the upper side in the drawing of the suction mechanism 4, that is, on the upstream side along the take-out direction T <b> 1 of the postal matter P has substantially the same structure as the separation mechanism 5 described above. In other words, the auxiliary mechanism 6 has an auxiliary roller 51 provided so as to be rotatable in both forward and reverse directions along the direction T1 of taking out the postal matter P.

  The auxiliary roller 51 is rotatably attached to a rotating shaft fixedly opposed to the take-out position 20, that is, a cylindrical body 53 having a chamber therein, and connects the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface thereof. A large number of suction holes 52 penetrating through the surface. The auxiliary roller 51 is formed of a rigid body such as a substantially cylindrical metal material, and is positioned and disposed at a position where the outer peripheral surface is exposed to the take-out position 20. The cylindrical body 53 as a rotating shaft has a chamber for generating a negative pressure, and the opening of the chamber is positioned and fixed in a posture toward the take-out position 20.

  Further, the auxiliary mechanism 6 includes an AC servo motor 55 for rotating the auxiliary roller 51 in both forward and reverse directions with a desired torque, and an endless timing belt 56 for transmitting the driving force of the motor 55 to the auxiliary roller 51. Have The timing belt 56 is wound around a pulley 55 a fixed to the rotation shaft of the motor 55 and a pulley (not shown) fixed to the rotation shaft of the auxiliary roller 51. Further, the auxiliary mechanism 6 has a vacuum pump 57 (or an equivalent product) connected via a pipe 58 to a chamber of a cylindrical body 53 to which the auxiliary roller 51 is rotatably attached. In the middle of the pipe 58, an electromagnetic valve 59 for turning on / off the negative pressure is attached.

  Thus, the auxiliary mechanism 6 rotates and stops the auxiliary roller 51 in both the forward and reverse directions and turns on / off the negative pressure by the vacuum pump 57, whereby the postal matter P is taken out and separated. Support. For example, when the postal matter P supplied to the takeout position 20 is taken out by the takeout mechanism 3, the postal matter P is sucked by applying a negative pressure to the rear end side in the takeout direction of the postal matter P and rotated in the forward direction T1. Supports retrieval of P. As a result, for example, when taking out a large mail P having a relatively heavy weight, it is possible to give a larger and more stable conveying force than when taking out a normal mail P, and to stabilize the operation of taking out the mail P. it can.

  Further, in a state where the first mail piece P is picked up by the pick-up mechanism 3, the post piece P in the pick-up direction is pulled out to a position where it does not interfere with the auxiliary roller 51, and then supplied to the pick-up position. The rear end side of the second mail piece P can be attracted to the auxiliary roller 51 to apply the desired torque in the reverse direction to apply the brake, and in cooperation with the separation mechanism 5 described above, Double feeding can be prevented. In this case, by controlling the reverse torque applied to the auxiliary roller 51 and controlling the braking time, the gap and pitch of the postal matter P taken out from the take-out position 20 onto the transport path 10 can also be controlled. .

  Specifically, the auxiliary mechanism 6 takes four control states shown in FIGS. 12 to 15 and operates according to the flowchart shown in FIG. The auxiliary mechanism 6 takes the above-described four control states by controlling the “rotational speed” (including direction) of the auxiliary roller 51 and “presence / absence of negative pressure”. The “rotation speed” is controlled by the AC servo motor 55, and “presence / absence of negative pressure” is controlled by opening / closing the electromagnetic valve 59.

  First, in the first control state shown in FIG. 12, the auxiliary roller 51 rotates at an angular velocity ω along the take-out direction T1 of the postal matter P, opens the electromagnetic valve 59, and is supplied to the take-out position 20. A negative pressure is generated on the mail piece P1. In this state, the postal matter P1 in contact with the auxiliary roller 51 is attracted to the peripheral surface of the auxiliary roller 51 and is urged in the direction of the arrow T1 at a constant speed in synchronization with the rotation of the auxiliary roller 51.

  Further, in the second control state shown in FIG. 13, that is, in the state where the tip of the first mail piece P1 reaches the sensor 11, the auxiliary roller 51 rotates at a constant angular velocity ω in the mail pick-up direction T1. Then, the electromagnetic valve 59 is closed to turn off the negative pressure. In this state, the first mail piece P 1 does not necessarily move at a speed synchronized with the rotation of the auxiliary roller 51. That is, in this state, the postal matter P1 can move fast or slowly due to the influence of other factors.

  Further, in the third control state shown in FIG. 14, that is, in a state where the rear end in the take-out direction of the first mail piece P1 is out of the position where it interferes with the auxiliary roller 51, the auxiliary roller 51 stops or is taken out in the take-off direction T1. Rotate at a constant angular velocity in the opposite direction, and open the electromagnetic valve 59 to generate a negative pressure. In this state, the second mail piece P2 is stopped or sent in the reverse direction and is braked to assist separation from the first mail piece P1.

  Further, in the fourth control state shown in FIG. 15, the auxiliary roller 51 stops or rotates at a constant angular velocity in the take-out direction T1, closes the electromagnetic valve 59, turns off the negative pressure, and performs the preceding first pass. This contributes to the formation of a gap between the postal matter P1 and the second postal matter P2 in contact with the auxiliary roller 51, and the second postal matter P2 is fed out with a weak force.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 16, the auxiliary mechanism 6 performs the above-described first to fourth control states based on the information from the sensor 11 and the range information of the length of the postal matter P to be processed. By making the transition, it is possible to efficiently take out and separate a plurality of pieces of mail P that have been put together.

  The auxiliary roller 51 takes the first control state at the start of the operation of taking out the postal matter P. That is, a negative pressure is generated on the peripheral surface of the auxiliary roller 51 and it rotates in the positive direction (steps 1 and 2). Then, the output of the sensor 11 is monitored, and when the output signal from the sensor 11 becomes “dark (a state where the postal matter P blocks the optical axis of the sensor)” (step 3; YES), the second Transition to the control state. That is, at this time, the electromagnetic valve 59 is closed to eliminate the negative pressure (step 4).

  Next, based on the information from the sensor 11 (elapsed time since becoming “dark”), the geometric information of the auxiliary roller 51 and the range information of the postal matter P, the auxiliary from the front end of the first postal matter P1. When the distance L0 to the opposite position of the roller 51 becomes larger than the length Dmax of the longest mail piece P, that is, when the rear end in the take-out direction of the first mail piece P1 is separated from the auxiliary roller 51 (step 5; YES), transition to the third control state. That is, at this time, the auxiliary roller 51 is stopped or reversely rotated (step 6) to generate a negative pressure (step 7).

  Next, when the distance L1 from the front end of the first mail piece P1 to the above-mentioned separation area As is larger than the length Dmin of the shortest mail piece (step 8; YES), transition to the fourth control state is made. To do. That is, at this time, the auxiliary roller 51 is stopped or rotated forward (step 9), and the electromagnetic valve 59 is closed to eliminate the negative pressure (step 10).

  Then, the sensor 11 is monitored, the output of the sensor 11 becomes “bright” (step 11; YES), and after a predetermined time T1 has passed (step 12; YES), the process returns to the first control state of step 1. Thereafter, the processing from Step 1 to Step 12 is continued until a stop command is issued from the upper control system.

  As described above, by providing the auxiliary mechanism 6 adjacent to the postal matter extraction position 20, the postal matter P taking-out operation and the separation operation can be assisted, high-speed processing of the postal matter P can be handled, and the throughput is increased. be able to. Further, since the postal matter P can be attracted to the auxiliary roller 51 by controlling the negative pressure by the auxiliary mechanism 6, the auxiliary roller 51 can be a metal roller, and stable operation can be performed for a long time.

Hereinafter, the processing operation in the case where no double feeding occurs in the take-out apparatus 1 described above will be described with reference to FIG.
The postal matter P set in the insertion unit 2 is sent by the supply mechanisms 8 and 9 in the direction of arrow F in the figure, and is drawn to the take-out position 20 one by one by the suction mechanism 4. By providing the suction mechanism 4, the first mail piece P can be quickly placed at the take-out position 20 even if the supply force of the mail piece P by the supply mechanism is reduced.

  The postal matter P attracted to the take-out position 20 is attracted to the surface of the take-out belt 23 of the take-out mechanism 3 and is fed out in the take-out direction T1 in response to the conveying force from the take-out belt 23. The postal matter P that has been fed out is conveyed downstream through the conveyance path 10 in such a manner that it is pulled out by the conveyance mechanism 7.

  At this time, if the transport speed of the postal matter P of the entire apparatus (that is, the transport mechanism 7) is Va, a relationship of Va ≧ V is established with respect to the speed V at which the postal matter P is fed out at the time of taking out. That is, by separating the postal matter P by the transport mechanism 7 and accelerating it, the separation of the postal matter P can be promoted. Further, the larger the difference between Va and V, the faster the opening of the gap between the mail items P can be accelerated.

  However, on the other hand, if the speed difference is excessively increased, the transport state is disturbed at the connecting portion of the speed, and the transport position of the postal matter P varies. Further, the smaller V is, the smaller the number of postal items P per unit time that are fed out from the input unit 2 is, so that the throughput is lowered.

  As a method of solving the above problem and promoting separation more effectively, there is a method of controlling acceleration / deceleration of the take-out belt 23 (AC servo motor 24). That is, the initial speed of the take-out belt 23 is set to a value close to Va, and for example, the sensor 11 is used to acquire the timing at which the preceding postal matter P is pulled out by the transport mechanism 7 to become the speed Va, and at this timing, the take-out belt 23 Is reduced to the original initial speed Va at the timing when a necessary gap is formed. This avoids the above problems (conveyance variation and throughput reduction) as much as possible, and makes it easy to form a gap by temporarily decelerating the take-out belt 23 to make a difference from Va.

  The sensor 11 is provided for monitoring the passage of the front or rear end of the postal matter P, monitoring the gap between the postal items P, and the like. In the take-out control, these pieces of information can be used or triggered. As an example of the control target, a control signal for the AC servo motor 24 when the acceleration belt is applied to the take-out belt 23 to create a more appropriate gap, and the pipes 22a and 58 to which the vacuum pumps 22 and 57 are connected. An electromagnetic valve control signal or the like when an electromagnetic valve is provided to control the presence or absence of air suction can be considered.

  Incidentally, the take-out belt 23 includes a type shown in FIG. 17 and a type shown in FIG. The take-out belt 23 of the type shown in FIG. 17 is formed by alternately arranging regions having a large number of suction holes 23a and regions having no suction holes 23a along the longitudinal direction. And 23 have a large number of suction holes 23a formed continuously along the longitudinal direction thereof.

  When the take-out belt 23 shown in FIG. 17 is used, one postal matter P is adsorbed to the belt for every group of holes that appear periodically, so that the take-out is performed at a constant pitch. On the other hand, when the take-out belt 23 of FIG. 18 of the continuous hole type is used, the postal matter P is continuously attracted to the belt surface and fed out, so that the throughput (processing speed) can be increased.

  However, on the other hand, since it is difficult to form a gap between the postal items P with the belt of FIG. 18, it is necessary to turn on and off the suction operation by the take-out mechanism 3 to form a gap between the postal items P. For this purpose, it is necessary to provide an electromagnetic valve in the pipe 22a and control the opening and closing of the electromagnetic valve using information from the sensor 11.

  As an example of the control method of the electromagnetic valve, for example, when the sensor 11 is used and one piece of mail P is taken out and blocks the optical axis of the sensor 11 and becomes “dark”, the electromagnetic valve is turned on (the electromagnetic valve is turned on). (Closed) and pauses the feeding operation to wait for the next mail P to be taken out, and when the output of the sensor 11 becomes “bright” (no mail) or when there is an appropriate gap between the mails. At the formed timing, it is possible to turn off the electromagnetic valve (open the electromagnetic valve) and take out the next mail.

  In order to increase the throughput, information on a plurality of rows (or line sensors) of the sensor 11 is used as a control signal, and the acceleration / deceleration control of the take-out belt 23 is performed based on the position information of the postal matter P more finely and the electromagnetic valve is turned on. -OFF control is repeated.

  19 and 20 are operation explanatory diagrams for explaining the operation by the suction mechanism 4 described above. 19 and 20 are views of the take-out position 20 between the input unit 2 and the chamber 26 as seen from the downstream side in the take-out direction of the postal matter P.

  In the present embodiment, the post by the floor belts 8a and 8b and the backup plate 9 is used so that the postal matter P supplied to the take-out position 20 by the supply mechanisms 8 and 9 is not pressed against the take-out belt 23 with a strong force. The supply power of the object P is set to be relatively weak. For this reason, the postal matter P moved in the direction of the arrow F with the lower end abutted on the floor belts 8a and 8b usually backs up the upper end, that is, the posture in which the lower end side precedes the upper end side as shown in the figure. In the state where it is tilted to the plate 9 side (upstream side in the movement direction), it is moved toward the take-out position 20.

  Then, an air flow is applied to the postal matter P at the tip in the moving direction supplied with such a weak force by the suction mechanism 4 to cause the postal matter P to fall down as shown by an arrow in FIG. Then, the surface of the postal matter P is brought into contact with the take-out belt 23 in the widest possible area. As a result, a sufficient negative pressure can be applied to the postal matter P through the suction hole 23a of the take-out belt 23, and the postal matter P can be reliably and stably adsorbed to the take-out belt 23.

  On the other hand, when there is an inclination or a gap between the postal matter P supplied to the pick-up position 20 and the pick-up belt 23, the negative pressure of the pick-up belt 23 cannot be sufficiently applied to the postal matter P. Further, a slip occurs between the postal matter P and the take-out belt 23, the take-out operation becomes unstable, and the processing efficiency is also lowered. For example, when a relatively heavy and tall postal matter P is supplied to the take-out position 20 in a tilted state, a relatively large suction force is required to raise the postal matter P, and the above-described problems occur. The possibility increases.

  That is, as in the embodiment described above, the air flow is applied to the postal matter P closest to the takeout position 20 by the suction mechanism 4 to cause the postal matter P to fall down and to come into contact with the takeout belt 23. Thus, most postal matter P can be reliably brought into contact with the pick-up belt 23 without being pressed against the take-out belt 23, the postal matter P can be taken out stably, and the processing efficiency can be improved. However, when processing a relatively heavy and tall postal matter P, there is a possibility that the postal matter P cannot be tilted normally.

  For this reason, the inventors of the present application can reliably cause the fall of the relatively heavy mail piece P or the tall mail piece P supplied to the take-out position 20 to the invention described in the above embodiment. Added ingenuity. Hereinafter, a suction mechanism 60 according to another embodiment to which such a device is added will be described with reference to FIGS. 21 and 22. Here, the same reference numerals are given to components that function in the same manner as the suction mechanism 4 of the above-described embodiment, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 21, the transport guide 13 disposed facing the opening of the chamber 26 (suction chamber) of the suction mechanism 60 of the present embodiment has a plurality of holes 61 having different opening areas. In the embodiment described above, a plurality of holes 13a having the same shape (opening area) are provided in the transport guide 13 as shown in FIG. 5, but in this embodiment, as the opening area of the hole 61 increases upward. The shape of the hole 61 is varied so as to gradually increase.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 21, by gradually varying the opening area of the hole 61, the flow rate of the air flow that acts on the postal matter P supplied to the take-out position 20 facing the transport guide 13 is changed. It can be varied along the height direction in the plane, and as shown in FIG. 22, a stronger air flow acts near the upper end of the postal matter P supplied to the take-out position 20 away from the floor belts 8a, 8b. Can be made.

  As a result, compared with the case of FIG. 5 in which the shape of the hole 13a is the same, even a relatively heavy and tall postal matter P can fall down relatively easily, and Interview can be taken out reliably. Moreover, in this Embodiment, the speed which raises the normal light mail P can also be made quick, and a processing speed can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 21, the length of the hole 61 of the conveyance guide 13 is gradually increased as it goes upward, so that the opening area is different. For example, FIG. As shown in the figure, the flow density of the air flow acting on the surface of the postal matter P supplied to the take-out position 20 may be varied by changing the arrangement density of the plurality of holes 62 having the same shape. Specifically, as shown in the figure, if the density of the holes 62 above the transport guide 13 facing the vicinity of the upper end of the postal matter P supplied to the take-out position 20 is made higher than the density of the holes 62 facing the other parts. good.

  FIG. 24 shows a configuration of a main part of a suction mechanism 70 according to still another embodiment that can quickly cause the postal matter P to fall down. In this embodiment, the internal structure of the chamber 26 is devised after using the transport guide 13 having the plurality of holes 13a having the same shape described in FIG.

  That is, the partition wall 71 is disposed in the chamber 26 in order to form a flow path of air flowing in the direction of the arrow in the chamber 26. In the case where the partition wall 71 is not provided, when air is sucked from the lower side of the chamber 26 as shown in the figure, the lower hole 13a near the suction source is sucked before the upper hole 13a and the flow rate of the sucked air is increased. Become more. However, as described above, in order to raise a relatively heavy and tall postal matter P, it is desired to increase the flow rate of air sucked in the hole closer to the top of the chamber 26. A partition wall 71 was provided to form a flow path for sucking the water.

  Thereby, the air flow that flows through the upper end of the partition wall 71 allows the hole 13a disposed above the chamber 26 to suck air first, so that the amount of air sucked can be increased than the lower hole 13a. The postal matter P can be easily raised. Here, the case where the partition wall 71 is provided in the chamber 26 to form the air flow path has been described, but the suction port of the chamber 26 may be disposed above instead of providing the partition wall 71. Further, the shape of the hole 13a of the transport guide 13 may be the shape (61, 62) illustrated in FIG.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 25, the suction position by the suction mechanism 4 may be set to another place. In this embodiment, a plurality of suction holes 81 are provided in the guide 14 of the take-out mechanism 3 facing the take-out position 20 with the take-out belt 23 interposed therebetween. In this case, the guide 14 is formed with the above-described plurality of slits 14a for generating negative pressure in the suction holes 23a of the take-out belt 23. The plurality of holes 81 are above the slits 14a, that is, It is formed at a position deviating upward from the take-out belt 23 in the figure. Separately from the chamber 21 of the take-out mechanism 3 opened in the slit 14a, the chamber 26 of the suction mechanism 4 is extended to the back surface of the hole 81 to attract the postal matter P to the take-out position 20 through the plurality of holes 81. An air flow was generated. That is, the suction position by the suction mechanism 4 is set above the suction position of the take-out belt 23.

  The negative pressure acting on the postal matter P through the suction hole 23 a of the take-out belt 23 functions to cause the postal matter P to be attracted to the take-out belt 23, but acts on the postal matter P through the plurality of holes 81 of the guide 14. The air flow to function functions to draw the postal matter P toward the take-out position 20. In other words, the vacuum pump 22 (negative pressure generating mechanism) that generates a relatively strong suction force for picking up the postal matter P to the take-out belt 23 generates a large negative pressure and causes the postal matter P to act on the postal matter P. A blower 27 (a suction device) that generates an air flow for drawing P to the take-out position 20 sucks a large amount of air with a relatively small negative pressure.

  That is, as in the present embodiment, by generating an air flow for sucking the postal matter P near the suction position of the take-out belt 23 and above the take-out belt 23, the mail is picked up at the suction position of the take-out belt 23. The fall of the thing P can be caused and the adsorption | suction stability with respect to the taking-out belt 23 can be improved more.

  In this case, a plurality of holes 81 for suction are provided at positions above the take-out belt 23 in order to raise the postal matter P whose upper end is tilted on the upstream side in the moving direction of the post part P by the supply mechanism. However, a plurality of holes 82 (described later) penetrating the guide 14 may be provided below the take-out belt 23. Further, by using the hole 81 of the guide 14 together with a plurality of holes 61 (62) having different opening areas (density) of the suction mechanism 60 described with reference to FIG. The postal matter P can be started stably and quickly, which is more preferable for stabilizing the operation of taking out the postal matter P.

  Next, the tilted state of the postal matter P at the leading end in the moving direction supplied to the take-out position 20 by the supply mechanisms 8 and 9 is detected, and the air flow by the suction mechanism 4 is controlled on / off based on the detection result. Embodiments will be described with reference to FIGS. 26 to 31. FIG. Here, as the transport guide 13 of the suction mechanism 4, the transport guide 13 having the plurality of holes 61 having the different shapes described in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 26, the postal matter P at one end of the input unit 2 has the postal matter P at the tip in the moving direction among the postal matter P supplied in the direction of arrow F by the supply mechanisms 8 and 9. Two sensors 91 and 92 (attitude detection units) for detecting the tilted state are provided. Specifically, a sensor 91 having an optical axis that passes near the upper end of the postal matter P supplied to the take-out position 20 and a sensor 92 having an optical axis that passes near the lower end are provided near the take-out position 20. Yes.

  That is, when the postal matter P at the leading end in the moving direction supplied to the picking-up position 20 is sent toward the picking-up position 20 as usual with the upper end tilted upstream in the moving direction, as shown in FIG. In a state immediately before the postal matter P is sucked by the suction mechanism 4, the upper sensor 91 is bright and the lower sensor 92 is dark. When the suction mechanism 4 functions and the postal matter P is sucked to the take-out position 20, the detection signals of the two sensors 91 and 92 are both dark.

  On the other hand, when the postal matter P at the leading end in the moving direction supplied to the picking-up position 20 is sent to the picking-up position 20 with its upper end tilted downstream in the moving direction (not shown), the upper sensor 91 is First it becomes dark and the lower sensor 92 becomes bright. Then, when the suction mechanism 4 is operated and the postal matter P is arranged at the take-out position 20, the sensor outputs of the two sensors 91 and 92 are both dark.

  As shown in FIGS. 27 and 28, in the present embodiment, a hole opening / closing mechanism 110 that selectively opens and closes the plurality of holes 61 of the guide 13 between the conveyance guide 13 of the suction mechanism 4 and the opening of the chamber 26. Was established.

  The hole opening / closing mechanism 110 is configured to simultaneously open and close the three holes 61 having a relatively large opening area formed above the conveyance guide 13 and a relatively small opening area formed below the conveyance guide 13. A lower blocking plate 112 for simultaneously opening and closing the three holes 61, two stepping motors 113, 114 for driving each blocking plate 111, 112 stepwise between two positions between an open position and a closed position, and The pinion gears 115 and 116 for transmitting the driving force of the stepping motors 113 and 114 to the respective shield plates 111 and 112 are provided.

  The state illustrated in FIGS. 27 and 28 is a state in which the holes 111 a and 112 a of the respective shielding plates 111 and 112 are overlapped so as to coincide with the respective holes 61 of the conveyance guide 13, and the take-out positions are inserted through all the holes 61. This is a state in which an air flow can be applied to 20 pieces of mail P. In FIG. 29, the hole 111 a of the upper blocking plate 111 is slid to the open position communicating with the corresponding hole 61 of the conveyance guide 13, and the lower blocking plate 112 is corresponding to the hole 61 of the conveyance guide 13. In this state, an air flow can be applied only near the upper end of the postal matter P supplied to the take-out position 20. Further, in FIG. 30, the upper blocking plate 111 is slid to the closed position that closes the corresponding hole 61 of the conveyance guide 13, and the hole 112 a of the lower blocking plate 112 corresponds to the corresponding hole 61 of the conveyance guide 13. In this state, an air flow can be applied only near the lower end of the postal matter P supplied to the take-out position 20.

  That is, a plurality of long holes 111b and 112b for receiving a plurality of pins 13b protruding from the conveyance guide 13 so as to be slidable up and down are formed in each of the hole blocking plates 111 and 112. , 112 are slidable in the direction of separating from each other, that is, in the vertical direction. Racks 111c and 112c that mesh with the pinion gears 115 and 116 attached to the rotating shafts of the above-described stepping motors 113 and 114 are formed at one end of each of the shield plates 111 and 112. By driving 114, the hole blocking plates 111 and 112 can be moved between the closed position and the open position. In addition, the long holes 111 b and 112 b of the respective shielding plates 111 and 112 extend in a direction crossing the longitudinal direction of the plurality of holes 61 of the conveyance guide 13.

  Here, the control operation of the suction mechanism 4 including the hole opening / closing mechanism 110 described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In addition, the operation | movement based on this flowchart is made | formed by the control part of the taking-out apparatus 1. FIG. That is, the control unit controls the opening and closing of the two hole blocking plates 111 and 112 of the hole opening and closing mechanism 110 based on the outputs of the sensors 91 and 92.

  First, the control unit monitors the outputs of the sensors 91 and 92 to determine the posture of the postal matter P at the tip in the moving direction supplied toward the take-out position 20 by the supply mechanisms 8 and 9 (Steps 1, 2, and 3). 3). At this time, as described above, the control unit detects the tilted state of the postal matter P supplied to the take-out position 20 based on the outputs of the sensors 91 and 92. The processing in steps 1 to 3 is performed every time one mail piece P is taken out by the take-out mechanism 3.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 26, when the postal matter P at the front end in the moving direction is supplied to the take-out position 20 with its upper end inclined to the upstream side in the moving direction, the output of the lower sensor 92 is dark (step 1). YES), and the output of the upper sensor 91 becomes bright (step 2; NO). In this case, the control unit opens and closes the hole so that a large amount of airflow is applied near the upper end of the mail piece P based on the outputs of the two sensors 91 and 92 to positively raise the mail piece P. The upper blocking plate 111 of the mechanism 110 is moved to the open position (step 4), and the lower blocking plate 112 is moved to the closed position (step 5).

  Thus, by generating an air flow using only the upper three holes among the six holes 61 of the conveyance guide 13, compared to the case where the air flow is generated through all the six holes 61, A stronger suction force can be applied near the upper end of the postal matter P, and the postal matter P can be raised faster and more reliably.

  As described in the above-described embodiment, even if an air flow is applied through all the holes 61 of the conveyance guide 13 (see FIG. 27) in which the opening area of the upper hole 61 is larger than that of the lower hole 61, A large amount of airflow can be applied near the upper end of the postal matter P at the take-out position 20, but the hole opening / closing mechanism 110 is operated to close the three lower holes 61 as in this embodiment. Can generate a stronger adsorption force.

  When it is determined that the outputs of the two sensors 91 and 92 are both dark as a result of the determinations in Steps 1 to 3 (Step 1; YES, Step 2; YES), the control unit moves the postal matter P at the tip in the moving direction. Is determined to be supplied in a posture substantially parallel to the take-out position 20, the two blocking plates 111 and 112 are both moved to the closed position (steps 6 and 7), and the suction by the suction mechanism 4 is stopped.

  At this time, if the air flow continues to be generated through the suction mechanism 4 even though the postal matter P at the tip in the moving direction is supplied to the takeout position 20, the postal matter P is adsorbed to the takeout belt 23. In addition, an air flow acts on the postal matter P, and this airflow serves as a brake that prevents the postal matter P from being taken out. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when it is determined that the outputs of the sensors 91 and 92 are both dark and the postal matter P is supplied to the take-out position 20 in a straight posture, the air generated by the suction mechanism 4 The flow was turned off.

  If it is determined that the output of the lower sensor 92 is bright (step 1; NO) and the output of the upper sensor 91 is dark (step 3; YES) The unit determines that the postal matter P at the front end in the moving direction is tilted with its upper end inclined toward the downstream in the moving direction, and moves the upper blocking plate 111 to the closed position (step 8) and also lowers the lower blocking plate. The hole plate 112 is moved to the open position (step 9). As a result, an air flow can be applied only near the lower end of the postal matter P closest to the take-out position 20, and the postal matter P can be tilted in cooperation with the two floor belts 8a and 8b. it can.

  Furthermore, when it is determined that the two sensors 91 and 92 are both bright as a result of the determination in steps 1 to 3 (step 1; NO, step 3; NO), the control unit reaches the postal matter P at the take-out position 20. It is judged that the two hole blocking plates 111 and 112 are both moved to the open position (steps 10 and 11), and the postal matter P closest to the takeout position 20 is quickly sucked to the takeout position 20. At this time, the blower 27 may be controlled to generate more airflow through the six holes 61.

  The control unit continues the operations of Steps 1 to 11 until the postal matter P in the input unit 2 disappears (Step 12; NO), and moves the two hole blocking plates 111 and 112 to the closed positions (Step 13). 14) End the operation.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the posture of the postal matter P supplied to the take-out position 20 is detected and the air flow by the suction mechanism 4 is switched up and down. Even if the posture of the article P is any posture, it can be surely brought into contact with the take-out belt 23, the take-out operation of the postal matter P can be stabilized, and the processing efficiency can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the hole opening / closing mechanism 110 is operated to move the two hole blocking plates 111 and 112 between the open position and the closed position has been described. , 112 are operated by stepping motors 113, 114, so that the blocking plates 111, 112 can be easily moved to a midway position between the open position and the closed position. As described above, when the movement of the hole blocking plates 111 and 112 is stopped halfway between the open position and the closed position, the opening area of the hole 61 of the conveyance guide 13 can be arbitrarily adjusted. In this case, for example, three or more sensors are arranged at the take-out position 20 to detect the tilted state of the postal matter P supplied to the take-out position 20 in more detail and act on the postal matter P. You may make it adjust the flow volume of this in steps.

  Alternatively, when it is not necessary to adjust the flow rate of the air flow applied to the postal matter P at the take-out position 20 in stages, a solenoid or the like that switches the operation between the two positions may be used instead of the stepping motors 113 and 114.

  Next, an embodiment in which the hole opening / closing mechanism 120 is attached to the hole 81 of the guide 14 of the take-out mechanism 3 already described with reference to FIG. 25 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 25, the case where the plurality of holes 81 are formed only at a position deviated upward from the take-out belt 23 of the guide 14 has been described. A plurality of holes 82 (see FIG. 33) were also formed at a position deviated downward, and the hole opening / closing mechanism 120 was attached to the holes 82. The guide 14 is formed with one relatively large vertically long hole 14b (see FIG. 33) instead of the plurality of slits 14a described above.

  As shown in FIG. 32, at the position where the take-out belt 23 of the take-out mechanism 3 comes into contact with the postal matter P, two sensors 93 and 94 for detecting the tilted state of the postal matter P at the tip in the moving direction are arranged. ing. One sensor 93 in the upper part of the figure is arranged at a position where the optical axis passes near the upper end of the mail piece P supplied to the take-out position 20, and the lower sensor 94 in the other figure is the lower end of the mail piece P. It is arranged at a position where the optical axis passes nearby. That is, these two sensors 93 and 94 function in the same manner as the sensors 91 and 92 described with reference to FIG. 26 and function to detect the tilted state of the postal matter P supplied to the take-out position 20.

  In the present embodiment, the pressure sensor 95 is attached to the chamber 21 of the take-out mechanism 3. The pressure sensor 95 detects the pressure in the chamber 21, thereby detecting a negative pressure state acting on the postal matter P through the numerous suction holes 23 a of the take-out belt 23. More specifically, in a state in which the postal matter P is normally adsorbed in the suction hole 23a of the take-out belt 23, the pressure in the chamber 21 becomes lower and the degree of vacuum becomes higher. In a state in which the postal matter P is not firmly adsorbed, the pressure in the chamber 21 remains high and the degree of vacuum remains low. That is, when the pressure in the chamber 21 detected by the pressure sensor 95 is lower than a preset threshold value (the degree of vacuum is high), it can be determined that the postal matter P is normally adsorbed to the take-out belt 23, When the pressure in the chamber 21 is higher than the threshold (the degree of vacuum is low), it can be determined that the postal matter P is not normally adsorbed on the take-out belt 23.

  As shown in FIG. 33, the hole opening / closing mechanism 120 is a lower mechanism that simultaneously opens and closes the plurality of holes 81 on the upper side of the guide 14 of the take-out mechanism 3 and the plurality of holes 82 on the lower side of the guide 14. And a side mechanism. Since these upper and lower mechanisms have the same structure, here, the lower mechanism shown in FIG. 34 will be described as a representative.

  The hole opening / closing mechanism 120 has a plurality of holes 121 having a shape substantially coincident with the hole 82 of the guide 14, a hole blocking plate 122 that simultaneously opens and closes the plurality of holes 82 of the guide 14, and a hole spring 122 that pulls the hole blocking plate 122. It has a solenoid 126 that moves in the direction of the arrow in the figure against the urging force. FIG. 34 shows a state where the solenoid 126 is turned on.

  In the state shown in FIGS. 33 and 35, the shield plate 122 is moved to an open position where the upper hole 81 of the guide 14 and the hole 121 of the upper shield plate 122 substantially coincide with each other. The hole blocking plate 122 is moved to an open position where the hole 82 of the lower hole blocking plate 122 substantially coincides with the hole 121 of the lower hole blocking plate 122. That is, in this state (a state in which the two shield plates 122 are both moved to the open position), the guide 14 has a plurality of holes 81 on the upper side and a plurality of holes 82 on the lower side. An air flow can be applied to the postal matter P. When each solenoid 126 is turned on from this state, the blocking plate 122 is moved to the closed position shown in FIG. 34, and the corresponding holes 81 and 82 of the guide 14 are closed.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 35, the opening portion of the chamber 26 of the suction mechanism 4 extends to the back side of the upper hole 81 of the guide 14 of the take-out mechanism 3 and the lower hole 82 of the lower side of the guide 14. It extends to the back side. In other words, a negative pressure is applied to the postal matter P at the take-out position 20 through the hole 14b of the guide 14 facing the opening of the chamber 21 of the take-out mechanism 3, and the upper opening through which the chamber 26 of the suction mechanism 4 extends. The air flow is made to act on the postal matter P at the take-out position 20 through the hole 81 on the upper side of the guide 14 opposed to 26a and the hole 82 on the lower side of the guide 14 opposed to the lower opening 26b of the chamber 26. It has become.

  As representatively showing only the lower structure in FIG. 36, the opening of the chamber 26 b extending below the suction mechanism 4 is disposed in close contact with the back surface of the guide 14. A hole blocking plate 122 is slidably disposed inside the opening of the chamber 26b. For example, when the solenoids 126 are turned on from the state in which the holes 81 and 82 are opened as shown in FIGS. 33 and 35 and the shield plate 122 is slid to the back side in FIG. The hole 121 is displaced from the plurality of holes 82 of the guide 14 and moved to a closed position where the hole blocking plate 122 closes the hole 82.

  Hereinafter, the control operation of the suction mechanism 4 including the hole opening / closing mechanism 120 described above will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The operation based on this flowchart is performed by the control unit of the take-out device 1. That is, the control unit controls the opening and closing of the two hole blocking plates 122 and 122 of the hole opening and closing mechanism 120 based on the outputs of the two sensors 93 and 94 and the pressure sensor 95 described above. In the following description, the upper shield plate is 122a, and the lower shield plate is 122b.

  First, the control unit monitors the outputs of the sensors 93 and 94 to determine the posture of the postal matter P at the leading end in the moving direction supplied by the supply mechanisms 8 and 9 toward the take-out position 20 (steps 21, 22 and 22). 23). At this time, as described above, the control unit detects the tilted state of the postal matter P supplied to the take-out position 20 based on the outputs of the sensors 93 and 94. The processing in steps 21 to 23 is performed every time one mail piece P is taken out by the take-out mechanism 3.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 32, when the postal matter P at the front end in the moving direction is supplied to the take-out position 20 with its upper end inclined to the upstream side in the moving direction, the output of the lower sensor 94 is dark (step 21). YES), and the output of the upper sensor 93 becomes bright (step 22; NO). In this case, the control unit opens and closes the hole so that a large amount of airflow acts near the upper end of the mail piece P based on the outputs of the two sensors 93 and 94 to positively raise the mail piece P. The upper blocking plate 122a of the mechanism 120 is moved to the open position (step 24), and the lower blocking plate 122b is moved to the closed position (step 25).

  Thereby, the postal matter P at the takeout position 20 can be sucked toward the guide 14 of the takeout mechanism 3, and the postal matter P can be satisfactorily attracted to the takeout belt 23. In particular, in this case, since the air flow is applied to the postal matter P through the hole 81 above the take-out belt 23, the postal matter P can be brought close to the guide 14 directly.

  As a result of the determination in steps 21 to 23, when it is determined that the outputs of the two sensors 93 and 94 are both dark (step 21; YES, step 22; YES), the control unit sends the postal matter P at the tip in the moving direction. Is supplied in a posture substantially parallel to the take-out position 20, and the output of the pressure sensor 95 of the take-out mechanism 3 is referred to (step 26).

  If it is determined in step 26 that the degree of vacuum of the chamber 21 of the take-out mechanism 3 is sufficiently high (step 26; YES), the control unit sends the postal matter at the tip in the moving direction detected by the two sensors 93 and 94. It is determined that P is firmly adsorbed to the take-out belt 23, and the two hole blocking plates 122a and 122b are both moved to the closed position (steps 27 and 28), and the suction by the suction mechanism 4 is stopped.

  At this time, if the air flow continues to be generated through the holes 81 and 82 even though the postal matter P at the front end in the moving direction is adsorbed by the takeout belt 23, the airflow causes the postal matter P to be taken out. It becomes a brake to prevent. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the outputs of the sensors 93 and 94 are both dark and the output of the pressure sensor 95 is sufficiently low, the postal matter P at the take-out position 20 is attracted to the take-out belt 23. Therefore, the air flow by the suction mechanism 4 is turned off.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step 26 that the degree of vacuum of the chamber 21 of the take-out mechanism 3 is insufficient (step 26; NO), the control unit detects the leading end in the movement direction detected by the two sensors 93 and 94. It is determined that the postal matter P is not firmly adsorbed to the take-out belt 23, and the two blocking plates 122a and 122b are both moved to the open position (steps 29 and 30), and suction by the suction mechanism 4 is continued.

  That is, in this case, although the postal matter P at the tip in the moving direction is detected by the two sensors 93 and 94 and supplied to the takeout position 20, the postal matter P is not attracted to the takeout belt 23 for some reason. It is thought that it is in a state. Therefore, in such a case, the suction by the blower may be switched to be stronger than usual.

  When it is determined that the output of the lower sensor 94 is bright (step 21; NO) and the output of the upper sensor 93 is dark (step 23; YES) The unit determines that the postal matter P at the tip in the moving direction is in a posture inclined with its upper end inclined toward the downstream in the moving direction, and moves the upper blocking plate 122a to the closed position (step 31) and lower side. The aperture plate 122b is moved to the open position (step 32). As a result, an air flow can be applied only near the lower end of the postal matter P closest to the take-out position 20, and the postal matter P can be tilted in cooperation with the two floor belts 8a and 8b. it can.

  Further, if it is determined that the two sensors 93 and 94 are both bright as a result of the determinations in steps 21 to 23 (step 21; NO, step 23; NO), the control unit arrives at the postal matter P at the take-out position 20. It is determined that the two hole blocking plates 122a and 122b are both moved to the open position (steps 33 and 34), and the postal matter P closest to the takeout position 20 is quickly sucked to the takeout position 20.

  The control unit continues the operations in steps 21 to 34 until the postal matter P in the input unit 2 is exhausted (step 35; NO), and moves the two shield plates 122a and 122b to the closed positions (steps). 36, 37) The operation is terminated.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when it is detected by the two sensors 93 and 94 that the postal matter P is arranged at the take-out position 20, the pressure before the suction force by the suction mechanism 4 is turned off is reduced. A case where the postal matter P supplied to the takeout position 20 is not attracted to the takeout belt 23 because a step of determining whether or not the postal matter P is attracted to the takeout belt 23 using the sensor 95 is added. Moreover, the air flow by the suction mechanism 4 can be continuously applied to the postal matter P, and the postal matter P can be reliably adsorbed to the take-out belt 23.

  In this embodiment, an air flow is sent to the postal matter P at the take-out position 20 through the plurality of holes 61 of the transport guide 13, the plurality of holes 81 on the upper side of the guide 14, and the plurality of holes 82 on the lower side. Although the case of making it act was demonstrated, if the air flow of sufficient quantity can be made to act on the mail P of the taking-out position 20 via the holes 81 and 82, you may abbreviate | omit the hole 61 of the conveyance guide 13. FIG.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above-described embodiments. For example, you may delete some components from all the components shown by embodiment mentioned above. Furthermore, you may combine the component covering different embodiment suitably.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a mail processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a configuration of a take-out apparatus incorporated in the processing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a partially enlarged configuration of a main part of the take-out mechanism of the take-out apparatus in FIG. 2. 4 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a state in which the take-out belt is removed from the configuration of FIG. FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged perspective view in which a main part of the suction mechanism incorporated in the take-out device of FIG. 2 is partially enlarged. 6 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view in which a configuration of a main part of a separation mechanism incorporated in the take-out apparatus of FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the configuration of FIG. 6 taken along the broken line VII-VII. FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view for explaining the behavior of the separation roller and the mail piece in a state where one mail piece is being conveyed through the conveyance path. FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which one mail piece taken out on the conveyance path is bent. FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing a take-out apparatus to which a suction chamber facing the separation roller is added. FIG. 11 is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view for explaining the behavior of the separation roller and the mail piece in a state where the two mail pieces are conveyed in a state of being overlapped via the conveyance path. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram for explaining a first control state of the auxiliary mechanism. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining a second control state of the auxiliary mechanism. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram for explaining a third control state of the auxiliary mechanism. FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram for explaining a fourth control state of the auxiliary mechanism. FIG. 16 is a flowchart for explaining first to fourth control operations by the auxiliary mechanism. FIG. 17 is a partially enlarged view showing a take-out belt having suction holes intermittently along the longitudinal direction. FIG. 18 is a partially enlarged view showing a take-out belt having suction holes continuous along the longitudinal direction. FIG. 19 is an operation explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the suction mechanism. FIG. 20 is an operation explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the suction mechanism. FIG. 21 is an external perspective view showing an embodiment in which the opening areas of the holes of the conveyance guide of the suction mechanism are made different. FIG. 22 is an operation explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the suction mechanism of FIG. FIG. 23 is an external perspective view showing another embodiment of the suction mechanism of FIG. FIG. 24 is an operation explanatory diagram for describing an operation according to another embodiment of the suction mechanism. FIG. 25 is an external perspective view showing an embodiment in which a suction hole is formed in the guide of the take-out mechanism. FIG. 26 is a schematic perspective view for explaining a configuration for detecting the posture of the mail piece supplied to the take-out position. FIG. 27 is a schematic view showing a hole opening / closing mechanism attached to the conveyance guide of the suction mechanism. 28 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V ₂₈ -V ₂₈ in FIG. FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the upper blocking plate is moved to the open position and the lower blocking plate is moved to the closed position by the hole opening / closing mechanism of FIG. FIG. 30 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the upper blocking plate is moved to the closed position and the lower blocking plate is moved to the open position by the hole opening and closing mechanism of FIG. FIG. 31 is a flowchart for explaining a control operation of the hole opening / closing mechanism of FIG. 27 based on the sensor output of FIG. FIG. 32 is a schematic perspective view for explaining a configuration for detecting the posture of a mail piece supplied to the take-out position. FIG. 33 is a schematic view showing a hole opening / closing mechanism for opening / closing a suction hole formed in the guide of the take-out mechanism. 34 is a schematic view showing the hole opening and closing mechanism of FIG. 33. FIG. 35 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V ₃₅ -V ₃₅ of FIG. 36 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line V ₃₆ -V ₃₆ in FIG. FIG. 37 is a flowchart for explaining a control operation of the hole opening / closing mechanism of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Extraction device, 2 ... Input part, 3 ... Extraction mechanism, 4 ... Suction mechanism, 5 ... Separation mechanism, 6 ... Auxiliary mechanism, 7 ... Conveyance mechanism, 8a, 8b ... Floor belt, 9 ... Backup plate, 10 ... Conveyance A path, 13 ... a conveyance guide, 14 ... a guide, 20 ... a take-out position, 23 ... a take-out belt, 26 ... a chamber, 27 ... a blower, 60 ... a suction mechanism, 61 ... a hole.

Claims (11)

A loading section that stacks multiple sheets of paper in a standing position;
A supply mechanism for moving a plurality of input paper sheets in the stacking direction and supplying the paper sheets at the leading end in the moving direction to the take-out position at one end of the input unit;
A take-out mechanism that takes out the paper sheets in a direction substantially perpendicular to the stacking direction by rotating in contact with the paper sheets supplied to the take-out position;
A suction mechanism that draws air toward the take-out position by causing an air flow to act on a paper sheet at the leading end in the moving direction supplied to the take-out position by the supply mechanism;
The suction mechanism causes the flow rate of the air flow applied to the paper sheet to be different in the plane of the paper sheet so that the paper sheet at the leading end in the moving direction falls down and comes into contact with the take-out mechanism. A paper sheet take-out device characterized by the above. The supply mechanism supplies the paper sheets at the leading end in the moving direction toward the take-out position in a posture in which the upper end is inclined to the upstream side in the moving direction,
2. The suction mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the flow rate of the air flow applied to the vicinity of the upper end of the inclined paper sheet at the tip of the moving direction is greater than the flow rate of the air flow applied to the other part. Paper sheet take-out device. The suction mechanism is
A conveyance guide extending along the take-out position and having a number of through holes;
A suction chamber in which an opening communicating with the plurality of holes is opposed to a back surface separated from the take-out position of the conveyance guide;
A suction device that sucks the suction chamber and generates an air flow for attracting the paper sheets to the take-out position through a plurality of holes of the transport guide;
A large number of holes in the conveyance guide have an opening area of a hole facing the vicinity of the upper end of the paper sheet supplied to the take-out position larger than an opening area of a hole facing the other part. The paper sheet takeout device according to claim 2. The suction mechanism is
A conveyance guide extending along the take-out position and having a number of through holes;
A suction chamber in which an opening communicating with the plurality of holes is opposed to a back surface separated from the take-out position of the conveyance guide;
A suction device that sucks the suction chamber and generates an air flow for attracting the paper sheets to the take-out position through a plurality of holes of the transport guide;
The plurality of holes of the transport guide are characterized in that the density of the holes facing near the upper end of the paper sheets supplied to the take-out position is made denser than the density of the holes facing other parts. Item 3. A paper sheet takeout device according to Item 2. The suction mechanism is
A conveyance guide extending along the take-out position and having a number of through holes;
A suction chamber in which an opening communicating with the plurality of holes is opposed to a back surface separated from the take-out position of the conveyance guide;
A suction device for sucking the suction chamber and generating an air flow for attracting paper sheets to the take-out position through a plurality of holes of the transport guide;
Among the many holes of the transport guide, the air flow in the suction chamber is sucked first from the hole facing the upper end of the paper sheet supplied to the take-out position and gradually sucked the lower hole. A bulkhead defining a road;
The paper sheet takeout device according to claim 2, wherein A loading section that stacks multiple sheets of paper in a standing position;
A supply mechanism for moving a plurality of input paper sheets in the stacking direction and supplying the paper sheets at the leading end in the moving direction to the take-out position at one end of the input unit;
A take-out mechanism for taking out the paper sheets in a direction substantially perpendicular to the stacking direction by contacting and rotating the paper sheets supplied to the take-out position;
A suction mechanism that draws air toward the take-out position by causing an air flow to act on the paper sheet at the leading end in the moving direction supplied to the take-out position by the supply mechanism;
An attitude detection unit that detects the attitude of the paper sheet at the leading end in the moving direction supplied to the take-out position by the supply mechanism;
The sheet take-out device, wherein the suction mechanism switches a position where an air flow is applied to the sheet at the leading end in the moving direction according to a detection result in the posture detection unit.   The suction mechanism is configured so that the paper sheet at the leading end in the moving direction causes the air flow to act on a portion away from the take-out position and sucks the paper sheet according to the posture of the paper sheet. The paper sheet takeout device according to claim 6, wherein a position where an air flow is applied to the paper is switched. A loading section that stacks multiple sheets of paper in a standing position;
A supply mechanism for moving a plurality of input paper sheets in the stacking direction and supplying the paper sheets at the leading end in the moving direction to the take-out position at one end of the input unit;
A take-out mechanism for taking out the paper sheets in a substantially horizontal direction substantially perpendicular to the stacking direction by rotating in contact with the paper sheets supplied to the take-out position;
A suction mechanism that draws air toward the take-out position by causing an air flow to act on a paper sheet at the leading end in the moving direction supplied to the take-out position by the supply mechanism;
The supply mechanism supplies the paper sheets at the leading end in the moving direction toward the take-out position in a posture in which the upper end is inclined to the upstream side in the moving direction,
The suction mechanism has an air flow near the upper end of the inclined sheet in the moving direction through a hole disposed above the position where the take-out mechanism contacts the paper fed to the take-out position. The paper sheet take-out device is characterized in that the paper sheet is raised and brought into contact with the take-out mechanism.   The suction mechanism also sends an air flow near the lower end of the paper sheet at the front end in the moving direction through a hole disposed below the position where the take-out mechanism contacts the paper sheet supplied to the take-out position. The paper sheet takeout device according to claim 8, wherein the paper takeout device is operated. A posture detecting unit for detecting the posture of the paper sheet at the leading end in the moving direction supplied to the take-out position by the supply mechanism;
Based on the detection result in the posture detection unit, the air flow that acts on the paper sheet at the front end in the moving direction through the upper hole of the suction mechanism, and the paper at the front end in the moving direction through the lower hole. A control unit for switching ON / OFF of the air flow acting on the leaves;
The paper sheet takeout device according to claim 9, further comprising: The take-out mechanism is
A take-out belt having a plurality of suction holes and traveling in the substantially horizontal direction in contact with the paper sheets supplied to the take-out position;
A negative pressure generating mechanism that applies a negative pressure to the paper sheets supplied to the take-out position through the plurality of suction holes to adsorb the paper sheets to the take-out belt;
A negative pressure detector for detecting negative pressure by the negative pressure generating mechanism;
Have
The control unit is configured to cause an air flow to act on the paper sheet at the front end in the moving direction through the upper hole of the suction mechanism based on the detection result in the posture detection unit and the detection result in the negative pressure detection unit. The paper sheet takeout device according to claim 10, wherein ON / OFF of an air flow to be applied to the paper sheet at the front end in the moving direction is switched through the lower hole.

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