JP2011037486A - Sealing device and method for controlling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a breakage of an envelope by suppressing an inflation of the envelope due to the air being compressed inside the envelope by a pair of discharge rollers when the envelope is pinched by the discharge rollers and discharged. <P>SOLUTION: The discharge rollers repeats a conveying operation of an envelope 4 and a stopping operation of the envelope 4, and then discharges the envelope 4, by repeating drive and stop controls of a discharge motor 147 that drives the discharge rollers. Therefore, the air that is accumulated inside the envelope can be released when the conveying operation of the envelope 4 is stopped. Moreover, the inflation of the envelope 4 can be suppressed and the breakage of the envelope can be prevented. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sealing device that transfers an adhesive to an envelope flap, adheres the flap to an envelope body, and seals the envelope, and particularly relates to a control method for the sealing device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a sealing device that automatically seals a flap by transferring an adhesive onto an envelope flap (a marginal portion), bending the transferred flap, and sticking the folded flap to an envelope body is known ( For example, Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2).

  In this sealing device, a tape coated with an adhesive functioning as a glue (hereinafter referred to as a glue tape) is used. For example, this adhesive tape is stored in an attachment-type storage case in a state where an adhesive is detachably applied to one side of a PET tape.

  The attachment type storage case stores glue tape between the supply reel shaft mounting cylinder mounted on the supply reel shaft and the take-up reel shaft mounting cylinder mounted on the take-up reel shaft. To do.

  The sealing device includes an adhesive transfer unit, a delivery unit, a sticking unit, and a discharge unit. The adhesive transfer means abuts the flap of the envelope on the adhesive tape, and transfers the adhesive of the adhesive tape to the flap of the envelope sent out by the delivery means. The sticking means sticks the flap onto which the adhesive has been transferred to the envelope body. The discharge means discharges the envelope having the flap attached to the envelope body.

JP 2007-55270 A JP 2006-151518 A

  By the way, the sealed envelope is substantially sealed. A document such as a document is contained in the envelope after the sealing, and the envelope is slightly swollen due to the thickness and shape of the document. For this reason, it will be in the state where air accumulated in the inside of the bulging envelope. That is, air accumulates between the document contained in the envelope and the inside of the envelope.

  In a state where air has accumulated inside the envelope, the discharge means sandwiches the envelope with the first and second discharge rollers and discharges the envelope at a stretch. At this time, the air in the envelope is compressed along with the rotation of the discharge roller, and the compressed air accumulates at the rear end of the envelope and the rear end of the envelope expands. At the time of discharging the envelope, there is a problem that the bonded portion of the expanded rear end of the envelope is caught by the discharge roller and turned up, and the envelope is damaged. In particular, since the behavior of an envelope with a window that allows the contents of the envelope to be partially confirmed from the outside tends to be unstable, the envelope is often damaged by the rear end being caught by the discharge roller even if it is slightly expanded.

  It is also conceivable to suppress the expansion of the rear end portion of the envelope by slowing the speed at the time of discharging the envelope so that air accumulates at the rear end portion of the envelope. However, it is difficult to release the compressed air sufficiently only by reducing the discharge speed, and a phenomenon has been observed in which the compressed air accumulates at the rear end of the envelope and the rear end of the envelope expands. Furthermore, if the discharge speed is set to a low speed, the torque of the motor is lowered, and there is a possibility that a necessary feeding performance cannot be obtained for a thick envelope.

  Therefore, the present invention solves the problems related to the conventional example, and provides a sealing device and a control method thereof that can prevent the envelope from being damaged by suppressing the expansion of the envelope when the envelope is discharged. With the goal.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a sealing device according to the present invention is a sealing device that seals an envelope, and includes a pressure-sensitive adhesive transfer unit that transfers a pressure-sensitive adhesive to a flap of the envelope, and a pressure-sensitive adhesive by the pressure-sensitive adhesive transfer unit. And a discharge means for sticking the envelope flap sent out by the delivery means to the envelope body and discharging the envelope, and the discharge means conveys the envelope The envelope is discharged by repeating the operation and the operation of stopping the envelope.

  The sealing device control method according to the present invention is a method for controlling a sealing device that seals an envelope, the step of transferring an adhesive to the flap of the envelope, and the step of sending out the envelope onto which the adhesive has been transferred. And a step of adhering the flap of the sent-out envelope to the envelope body, a step of conveying the envelope having the flap attached thereto, and a step of discharging the envelope by repeating the operation of stopping the envelope It is.

  In this invention, an adhesive transfer means transfers an adhesive to the flap of an envelope. The delivery means sends out the envelope onto which the adhesive has been transferred by the adhesive transfer means. The discharging means sticks the envelope flap sent out by the sending means to the envelope body, and discharges the envelope. At this time, the discharge means discharges the envelope by repeating the operation of conveying the envelope and the operation of stopping the envelope. For example, the discharge means includes first and second discharge rollers that pinch and discharge the envelope, and continuously conveys the envelope to the middle while the envelope is held by the first and second discharge rollers. Then, after the continuous conveyance, the operation of conveying the envelope and the operation of stopping the envelope are repeated to discharge the envelope. As a result, the air accumulated inside the envelope when the envelope is stopped can be released, so that the envelope can be prevented from being damaged.

  In this example, a high speed mode in which the envelope is discharged at high speed by the discharge means, a medium speed mode in which the envelope is discharged at a medium speed by the discharge means, and a low speed mode in which the envelope is discharged at a low speed by the discharge means are provided. The discharging means repeatedly discharges the envelope by repeating the operation of conveying the envelope and the operation of stopping the envelope in the low speed mode.

  According to the sealing device and the control method thereof according to the present invention, the discharging means for discharging the sealed envelope repeats the operation of conveying the envelope and the operation of stopping the envelope to discharge the envelope.

  Thereby, the air accumulated inside the envelope when the conveyance of the envelope is stopped can be released. Therefore, the expansion of the envelope can be suppressed, and the envelope can be prevented from being damaged.

It is a perspective view which shows the structural example of the sealing apparatus 10 which concerns on this invention. It is a top view of the sealing apparatus 10 which abbreviate | omitted one part which shows the conveyance system of envelope 4. It is the perspective view which shows an example of the adhesive transfer means 20, Comprising: It is the figure seen from the conveyance downstream of the envelope. It is a disassembled perspective view of the adhesive transfer means 20 with the glue tape 80 removed. It is a perspective view which shows the rolling contact state of the flap roller 60, Comprising: It is the figure seen from the conveyance upstream of the envelope. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the reel shafts 21 and 22 are supported by a shaft support means 30. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of a main part showing a shaft support state of each reel shaft 21 and 22 by a shaft support means 30. FIG. 6 is a side view of a main part showing a pivotal support state by a locking piece 35. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a fixed state with respect to a supply reel shaft 21. It is the principal part side view seen from the mechanism storage part side which shows the transfer mechanism of the adhesive transfer means 20 (the 1). It is the principal part side view seen from the mechanism storage part side which shows the transfer mechanism of the adhesive transfer means 20 (the 2). It is the principal part side view seen from the envelope mounting direction which shows the sealing conveyance system of the envelope. It is a figure which shows the sealing process of the envelope 4 (envelope arrangement | positioning). It is a figure which shows the sealing process of the envelope 4 (flap bending). It is a figure which shows the sealing process of the envelope 4 (adhesive transfer). It is a figure which shows the sealing process of the envelope 4 (envelope sending out). It is a figure which shows the sealing process of the envelope 4 (sticking and discharge | emission). 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a sealing control circuit 150. FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an operation example of a control unit 152. FIG. It is a timing chart which shows the example of a sealing process in high speed mode. It is a timing chart which shows the sealing process example in medium speed mode. It is a timing chart which shows the example of a sealing process in low speed mode. It is a timing chart which shows the example of a sealing process in feeder mode.

  Next, a sealing device and a control method thereof according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The sealing device 10 shown in FIG. 1 can suppress the expansion of the envelope by the discharging means for discharging the sealed envelope repeating the operation of conveying the envelope and the operation of stopping the envelope to discharge the envelope. In addition, the envelope can be prevented from being damaged.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration example of a sealing device 10 that automatically seals an envelope 4. The envelope 4 has a flap 5a which is a margin part on one end side of an envelope body 5 for storing documents such as documents. An adhesive (so-called glue) is transferred to the flap 5a, and the flap 5a is folded and attached to the back surface (the side opposite to the address writing surface) 5b of the envelope body 5 and sealed.

  The sealing device 10 has a box-shaped housing 1 whose main plane is used as an envelope placement surface 1a. An envelope alignment piece 2 is slidably attached in the direction of arrow a on the end face side of the envelope placement surface 1a, in the example of FIG. 1, on the right end face side. According to the size of the envelope 4 using the envelope alignment piece 2, the flap 5 a is appropriately adjusted so that it can be set at the flap folding position. The adjustment is performed by the knob 3. As the envelope 4, an envelope with a window such as a long shape 3 or a normal envelope is used, but the size of the envelope and the type of the envelope are arbitrary.

  On the rear surface side of the housing 1, a mechanism storage unit 7 in which a device drive mechanism and the like are stored is disposed. Adhesive transfer means 20 is provided on the upper surface of the envelope placement surface 1a on the left side in this example. The adhesive transfer means 20 is composed of a glue tape and its transfer means, and the adhesive tape is detachably coated on one side of the PET tape. Each time the adhesive is transferred to the surface of the flap 5a, the adhesive transfer means 20 winds the tape by a predetermined length so that a new adhesive surface faces the adhesive transfer position.

  Therefore, the adhesive transfer means 20 includes a supply reel shaft 21 for glue tape, a take-up reel shaft 22 and a transfer roller 23. The glue tape is wound up via the transfer roller 23.

  The adhesive transfer means 20 is rotatably attached to the side wall 7a side of the mechanism housing portion 7, and the reel shafts 21 and 22 and the transfer roller 23 on the opposite side are free ends. A shaft support means 30 is disposed on the free end side. The reason why the reel shafts 21 and 22 and one end side of the transfer roller 23 are configured as free ends is to allow the glue tape to be attached and detached from the free end sides.

  Therefore, the shaft support means 30 is configured to be able to advance and retract and rotate with respect to the support shaft 33 that is supported on the side wall 7a. The shaft support means 30 is configured to be able to advance and retreat in the reel axis direction to release the shaft support state on the free end sides of the reel shafts 21 and 22 and the transfer roller 23 and to be rotatable to open the free end side. Thus, the adhesive tape can be easily attached and detached. In FIG. 1, the glue tape is not shown. The glue tape is mounted in a state of being accommodated in an attachment type storage case (not shown).

  In the vicinity of the adhesive transfer unit 20, a discharge mechanism 50, which is an example of a discharge unit, is disposed. The discharge mechanism 50 includes a pair of discharge rollers 50a and 50b (see FIG. 5) that are in rolling contact with each other, and presses and adheres the flap 5a that has been transferred and folded with the adhesive to the envelope body 5. The discharge mechanism 50 discharges the envelope 4 with the flap 5a attached to the envelope tray (not shown) side. The entire adhesive transfer means 20 and the discharge mechanism 50 are closed by a cover 9 that can be freely opened and closed.

  Then, each part which comprises the sealing apparatus 10 is demonstrated in detail. FIG. 2 is a plan view in a state in which the adhesive transfer means 20 is omitted, and a delivery plate 70 that functions as a delivery means for the envelope 4 is disposed directly below the adhesive transfer means 20. The placement position of the envelope 4 is adjusted so that the front end portion 70a of the delivery plate 70 is located at the fold 5d of the flap 5a.

  And when the front-end | tip part 70a of the sending-out board 70 is located in the crease | fold 5d, the flap roller 60 is just located in the lower surface center part vicinity of the flap 5a. When the flap roller 60 is raised, the flap 5a is brought into contact with the transfer roller 23 while the flap 5a is bent. The flap roller 60 is rotatable about a rotation fulcrum (described later).

  The delivery plate 70 is a slide plate that can be moved forward and backward to feed the envelope 4 to which the adhesive is transferred to the discharge mechanism 50 side. The delivery mechanism is housed in the mechanism housing portion 7. The initial position of the delivery plate 70 is the position shown in FIG. 2, and the position where the tip end portion 70 a of the delivery plate 70 contacts the roller of the discharge mechanism 50 is the maximum sliding position. Envelope presence / absence sensors Sa and Sa for detecting the envelope placement state are arranged at a predetermined position on the envelope placement surface, in this example, on the right end side of the delivery plate 70. An optical sensor or the like can be used as the sensors Sa and Sa. In FIG. 2, the arrow b indicates the placement direction of the envelope 4.

  3 and 4 show details of the relationship between the adhesive transfer means 20 and the glue tape 80. The glue tape 80 is wound between the supply reel shaft mounting cylinder 91 and the take-up reel shaft mounting cylinder 92. FIG. It has been.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a supply reel shaft mounting cylinder 91 is mounted on the supply reel shaft 21, and a take-up reel shaft mounting cylinder 92 is mounted on the take-up reel shaft 22. The glue tape 80 is sent out from the supply side to the winding side.

  On the transfer roller 23 side, a tape guide piece 24 is provided so as to cover the tape entry side and the withdrawal side. The tape guide piece 24 regulates the winding angle and the withdrawal angle of the adhesive tape 80 around the transfer roller 23 (see FIG. 12).

  A sensor through hole 24 a is provided on the upper surface side of the tape guide piece 24, and a leader tape (not shown) indicating the start and end points attached to the glue tape 80 is detected. The adhesive is applied only from the beginning to the end.

  Gears 27a and 27b are connected to each other so that the supply reel shaft 21, the take-up reel shaft 22 and the transfer roller 23 rotate in synchronization with each other, and these are connected to an intermediate gear 27d (on the transfer roller 23 side). The intermediate gear is meshed via a not-shown).

  By sending out the flap 5a, the glue tape 80 is sent out to the take-up reel shaft 22 side. In synchronization with this, the supply reel shaft 21, the take-up reel shaft 22 and the transfer roller 23 also rotate. In order to take up the adhesive tape 80 on the take-up reel shaft 22 side without slackening, the supply reel shaft 21 is provided with a torque limiter 25 so as to increase the take-up amount on the take-up reel shaft 22 and is fed with tension.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the relationship between the transfer roller 23 and the flap roller 60. The flap roller 60 functions as a pressing roller (contact roller) for pressing the surface of the flap 5a against the transfer roller 23 side.

  A support plate 62 (only one end is shown) is pivotally attached to both ends of the support shaft 61 that also functions as a rotation shaft, and both ends of the flap roller 60 rotate around the bearing portions 62a of the pair of support plates 62. It is pivotally supported.

  The flap roller 60 shown in FIG. 5 shows a state of rolling contact with the transfer roller 23. Since the adhesive tape 80 coated with an adhesive is wound around the peripheral surface of the transfer roller 23, this rotational rolling state is a transfer state of the adhesive to the flap 5a.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the shaft support means 30 is composed of a shaft support portion 31 and a shaft engagement portion 32 provided at one end thereof, and a shaft 33 is attached to the tip end portion 33a of the support shaft 33 attached to the side wall 7a. An engagement hole 32a of the engagement portion 32 is attached so as to be movable forward and backward and rotatable. A locking piece 35 for the supply reel shaft 21 and the take-up reel shaft 22 is provided on the upper surface side of the tip end of the shaft support portion 31.

  The locking piece 35 is an L-shaped plate as shown in FIG. 6, and includes a ring-shaped engaging recess 28a and a take-up reel shaft 22 provided on the free end 21a side of the supply reel shaft 21 shown in FIG. By inserting the tongue pieces 35a and 35b into the ring-shaped engaging recess 28b provided on the free end 22a side, the support state of the supply reel shaft 21 and the take-up reel shaft 22 to the shaft support means 30 is changed. Locked.

  The shaft support state will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 shows the shaft support means 30 from the inside for convenience of explanation. FIG. 9 similarly shows only the fitting relationship between the supply reel shaft 21 and the locking piece 35. As shown in FIG. 8, since the supply reel shaft 21 and the take-up reel shaft 22 are attached with a slight step, the tongue pieces 35a and 35b are also provided with a step.

  As shown in FIG. 7, bearing portions 31 a and 31 b are formed in the shaft support portion 31, and the free ends 21 a and 22 a of the supply reel shaft 21 and the take-up reel shaft 22 are respectively fitted and supported. In this axial support state, the tongue pieces 35a and 35b of the locking piece 35 face each other only in the engagement recesses 28a and 28b. In this state, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, when the locking piece 35 is tilted toward the shaft support portion 31, the tongue pieces 35 a and 35 b of the locking piece 35 fit into the engaging recesses 28 a and 28 b, respectively.

  By doing so, the supply reel shaft 21 and the take-up reel shaft 22 are securely supported by the shaft support means 30, and both the supply reel shaft 21 and the take-up reel shaft 22 are supported by the shaft support means in this shaft support state. 30 can be locked.

  If the shaft support state with respect to the supply reel shaft 21 or the take-up reel shaft 22 is incomplete, the glue tape 80 may be loosened or the glue tape 80 may be twisted and wound. A reliable transfer process can be realized by simultaneously locking both the supply reel shaft 21 and the take-up reel shaft 22 to the shaft support means 30 by the locking pieces 35.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of the drive mechanism 100 for the delivery plate 70. Since this drive mechanism 100 is accommodated in the mechanism accommodating portion 7 of FIG. 1, the state illustrated from the left side X of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 10, the delivery plate 70 facing the envelope placement surface 1a is in a state where the tip end portion 70a side is slightly bent toward the envelope placement surface 1a side, and the tip end portion 70a is a tapered surface. The flap 5a is easily bent from the fold 5d.

  The delivery plate 70 is connected to the main plate 101a of the L-shaped plate body 101, and the side plate 101b parallel to the side wall 7a has mounting portions 101c and 101d that are slidable with a pair of guide rods 102 and 103 as guides. Provided. The linear motion motor 105 is positioned close to the side plate 101b. The rotational force from the linear motion motor 105 is transmitted to the side plate 101b side via the link mechanism 104.

  Therefore, one end of the cam 106 constituting the link mechanism 104 is attached to the rotating shaft 105a of the linear motor 105, and a transmission bar 108 is provided between the other end 106a of the cam 106 and the support shaft 107 provided on the side plate 101b. Are concatenated.

  A protruding piece 101e having a predetermined width is located on the lower end side of the side plate 101b. A pair of sensors 120a and 120b are arranged with a predetermined width so as to face the protruding piece 101e. One sensor 120a is for detecting the home position of the delivery plate 70, and the other sensor 120b is a sensor for measuring the control period used when controlling the delivery speed of the delivery plate 70 (directly). Dynamic initialization sensor). These sensors 120a and 120b are both optical sensors.

  The operation of the drive mechanism 100 configured as described above will be described. FIG. 10 shows the state when the adhesive is transferred and before the start-up of the delivery plate 70, and FIG. 11 shows the state when the post-transfer envelope 4 is delivered to the discharge mechanism 50 side.

  In the state at the time of transfer, the pair of sensors 120a and 120b are in a state of facing the protruding piece 101e. When the linear motor 105 is driven and the rotary shaft 105a rotates halfway, the feed plate 70 is sent to the position shown in FIG. When the rotating shaft 105a further rotates halfway, it returns to the original position (FIG. 10). The transferred envelope 4 can be sent to the discharge mechanism 50 by the reciprocating movement of the feed plate 70 by the drive mechanism 100. Since the discharge mechanism 50 is rotationally driven immediately before the envelope 4 is sent out to the discharge mechanism 50, the envelope 4 can be conveyed and discharged while pressing (sticking) the flap 5a of the envelope 4.

  The passage of the envelope 4 in the discharge mechanism 50 is detected by the discharge sensor Sc shown in FIG. 12, and the discharge motor 147 is controlled based on the detection output. The discharge sensor Sc is a sensor composed of a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and the discharge motor 147 is a motor that drives the discharge mechanism 50.

  Here, in order for the discharge mechanism 50 to absorb the thickness of the envelope 4, the upper roller 50 b is configured to move up and down with respect to the axial direction. Therefore, a spring (not shown) is attached to the roller 50b so that a certain amount of pressure is applied to the envelope 4 while absorbing the thickness of the envelope 4.

  FIG. 12 is an example of a drive mechanism 140 for the flap roller 60. As described above, the flap roller 60 is rotatably attached to the support shaft 61 via the support plate 62, and a drive mechanism 140 that rotates the flap roller 60 is provided. The drive mechanism 140 has a flap motor 65, and one end of a cam 66 constituting a link mechanism is attached to the rotation shaft 65a. One end of a transmission bar 67 is pivotally supported by the other end 66a of the cam 66 so as to be rotatable. The An engagement shaft 69 provided on the support plate 62 is coupled to the slide hole 68 provided on the other end side of the transmission bar 67.

  The flap motor 65 is further connected with an encoder 142 having a semi-disc shape. The encoder 142 is provided with a transmissive flap position sensor 144 a that detects the home position and the rotation end position of the flap roller 60. Two envelope presence / absence sensors Sa and Sa are installed in front of the adhesive transfer means 20.

  Next, the process of sealing the envelope 4 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 shows the positional relationship when the envelope 4 is placed on the envelope placement surface 1a. First, as shown in FIG. 1, the envelope 4 is placed along the bottom 5 c (see FIG. 1) of the envelope body 5 along the side surface of the envelope alignment piece 2. Then, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 13, the envelope 4 can be placed so as to substantially coincide with the fold 5 d of the envelope 4 and the leading end portion 70 a of the delivery plate 70. This position is the initial position.

  When the envelope 4 is placed and the placement state is detected by the envelope presence / absence sensors Sa and Sa, the flap motor 65 is driven to rotate the rotation shaft 65a in the direction of the arrow P1. When the rotation shaft 65a rotates in the direction of the arrow P1, as shown in FIG. 14, the cam 66 fixed to the rotation shaft 65a rotates, and the support plate 62 is interposed via the transmission bar 67 engaged with the cam 66. Rotates about the support shaft 61. As a result, the flap roller 60 attached to the bearing portion 62a of the support plate 62 rotates and rises, and the flap roller 60 hits the back surface of the flap 5a.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the flap 5a is pushed up by the flap roller 60, but the fold 5d hits the tip 70a of the feed plate 70, so that the flap 5a is bent to the right. Since the folded flap 5a is pushed up to the transfer roller 23 side together with the flap roller 60 as it is, the flap roller 60 finally comes into contact with the transfer roller 23 via the flap 5a. By this rolling contact, the flap 5 a comes into contact with the adhesive surface of the glue tape 80. The flap roller 60 stops when the flap position sensor 144a changes from the state shielded by the encoder 142 to the transmitted state.

  The flap 5 a is pressed against the adhesive surface of the glue tape 80 by the flap roller 60. By moving the feed plate 70 toward the discharge mechanism 50 in this pressed state, the flap roller 60 and the transfer roller 23 are rotated by the frictional force of the flap 5a, and the supply reel is connected to the transfer roller 23 with a gear. The shaft 21 and the take-up reel shaft 22 rotate. As a result, the adhesive of the glue tape 80 is transferred to the flap 5a, and the glue tape 80 is pulled out and the next adhesive is placed at the contact position of the flap roller 60. When the flap 5a is separated from the transfer roller 23, the transfer is completed. The transfer width of the pressure-sensitive adhesive is from the position of the flap 5 a first abutted until the flap 5 a is separated from the transfer roller 23.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the delivery plate 70 is delivered to the discharge mechanism 50. The fold 5d of the envelope 4 enters the rolling contact position between the pair of discharge rollers 50a and 50b constituting the discharge mechanism 50, and the envelope 4 is sandwiched between the pair of discharge rollers 50a and 50b. Since the discharge mechanism 50 is rotationally driven, the envelope body 5 of the envelope 4 is sent out by a pair of discharge rollers 50a and 50b as shown in FIG. As a result, since the flap 5a is pressed against the envelope body 5 side, the flap 5a is pressed and attached to the envelope body 5 to complete the sealing process.

  Thereafter, the envelope 4 is discharged to the discharge tray (not shown) side by the discharge mechanism 50. The passage of the envelope 4 is detected by the discharge sensor Sc, and the drive of the discharge mechanism 50 is stopped based on the detection output.

  Next, a configuration example of a control system of the sealing device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. The sealing control circuit 150 illustrated in FIG. 18 includes a control unit 152 that controls the entire sealing device 10. The control unit 152 is supplied with detection outputs from the plurality of sensors described above. For convenience of explanation, a reference numeral indicating a sensor and an input terminal for detection output are indicated by the same reference numeral.

  The detection output from the flap position sensor 144a for detecting the home position and the rotation end position of the flap roller 60, as well as the detection output from the envelope presence / absence sensors Sa and Sa for detecting the loading state of the envelope 4, the detection output of the delivery plate 70 Each detection output from the linear motion home position sensor 120a and the linear motion initialization sensor 120b that detects the original position (origin) and the movement to the middle, and further detection output from the discharge sensor Sc of the envelope 4 are respectively sent to the control unit 152. Supplied. The drive state of the flap motor 65, the direct acting motor 105, and the discharge motor 147 is appropriately controlled by the output from the control unit 152.

  The control unit 152 is further supplied with control outputs from the sensor Sb for the leader tape and the mode changeover switch SW. The lighting of the replacement time notification indicator lamp (LED or the like) P of the adhesive tape 80 is controlled by the detection output from the sensor Sb. The indicator lamp P can be disposed on the side wall 7a shown in FIG. 1, for example.

  The mode switch SW will be described. The modes for sealing the envelope 4 include a high speed mode for discharging the envelope 4 at a high speed, a medium speed mode for discharging the envelope 4 at a medium speed, and a low speed mode for discharging the envelope 4 at a low speed. These modes are set according to the operating temperature, for example. In this example, the adhesive applied to the glue tape 80 has the best transferability (tack force and adhesive force) when used at a temperature of about 15 to 35 ° C. When used at a low temperature of about 10 ° C., the transferability deteriorates, so that the adhesive cannot be normally transferred to the flap 5a. Therefore, the high speed mode and the medium speed mode are set at room temperature, and the low speed mode is set at low temperature.

  In the high speed mode, the flap roller 60 is brought into contact with the transfer roller 23 and simultaneously the feed plate 70 is fed out. On the other hand, in the low speed mode, the delivery start timing is slightly delayed. Due to this delay, the transfer time to the flap 5a is extended by the delayed time. Thus, by extending the transfer time of the pressure-sensitive adhesive, it is possible to improve the deterioration of the pressure-sensitive adhesive transfer property at a low temperature. Even in the medium speed mode, the delivery start timing is slightly delayed.

  In addition to the adjustment of the delivery start timing, it is more preferable to adjust the delivery speed of the delivery plate 70. In the case of the sealing process in the medium speed mode and the low speed mode, the delivery speed is made slower than the delivery speed in the high speed mode.

  By doing so, the flap 5a is slowly separated from the transfer roller 23 at a low temperature. That is, since it is transferred slowly, the transferability of the adhesive is improved even at low temperatures.

  Subsequently, an operation example of the sealing device 10 will be described. In step ST1 shown in FIG. 19, the controller 152 of the sealing device 10 determines whether or not a detection signal is input from the envelope presence / absence sensors Sa and Sa. When it is determined that the detection signal is input from the envelope presence / absence sensors Sa and Sa, the control unit 152 proceeds to step ST2.

  In step ST2, the adhesive is transferred to the flap. For example, the control unit 152 drives the flap motor 65 and rolls the flap 5 a of the envelope 4 to the adhesive of the glue tape 80. Thereafter, the control unit 152 drives the linear motor 105 to advance the envelope 4 by the feed plate 70 and transfer the adhesive of the glue tape 80 to the flap 5a of the envelope 4 and proceeds to step ST3.

  In step ST3, the control unit 152 continues to drive the linear motor 105, further advances the envelope 4 by the feed plate 70, causes the envelope 4 to enter the rolling contact position of the discharge rollers 50a and 50b, and proceeds to step ST4. To do.

  In step ST4, the flap 5a is stuck. For example, the control unit 152 drives the discharge motor 147 to rotate the discharge rollers 50a and 50b, sandwiches the flap 5a of the envelope 4 by the discharge rollers 50a and 50b, adheres the envelope 5 to the envelope body 5, and proceeds to step ST5.

  In step ST5, it is determined whether or not the mode for discharging the envelope 4 is the low speed mode. If it is determined that the mode is the low speed mode, the process proceeds to step ST6. In step ST6, the envelope is intermittently discharged. For example, the controller 152 repeatedly drives and stops the discharge motor 147 to intermittently rotate the discharge rollers 50a and 50b to discharge the envelope 4 and complete the sealing process. Thereby, since the air accumulated inside the envelope when the conveyance of the envelope 4 is stopped can be released, the expansion of the envelope 4 can be suppressed, and the envelope 4 can be prevented from being damaged.

  If it is determined in step ST5 that the envelope discharging mode is not the low speed mode, that is, the high speed mode or the medium speed mode, the process proceeds to step ST7. In step ST7, the envelope is continuously discharged. For example, the control unit 152 drives the discharge motor 147 without stopping it halfway, continuously rotates the discharge rollers 50a and 50b, discharges the envelope 4, and ends the sealing process.

  20 shows an example of sealing processing in the high speed mode, FIG. 21 shows an example of sealing processing in the medium speed mode, and FIG. 22 shows an example of sealing processing in the low speed mode. Referring to the high-speed mode shown in FIG. 20, when the envelope presence / absence sensors Sa and Sa detect that the envelope 4 is placed (FIG. 20A), the flap motor is at a time t1 delayed by a predetermined time (for example, 0.12 sec). 65 is driven (FIG. 20C).

  The drive time of the flap motor 65 (for example, 0.24 sec) is set to a time until the flap roller 60 is brought into contact with the transfer roller 23. In this example, the flap motor 65 is controlled by PWM (Pulse Width Modulation), and its duty ratio is gradually lowered to 44%, 36%, and 24%. At time t2 when the flap roller 60 is in rolling contact with the transfer roller 23, the flap position sensor 144a detects this rolling state, and the rotation of the flap motor 65 is stopped (FIGS. 20B and 20C).

  In synchronization with the stop of the rotation of the flap motor 65, the linear motor 105 for the delivery plate 70 is driven for a predetermined time (for example, 0.8 sec) (FIG. 20F). For example, the linear motor 105 is PWM controlled with a duty ratio of 31%. Since the delivery plate 70 reciprocates by one rotation of the linear motion motor 105 and returns to the origin, the first half of the predetermined time of 0.4 seconds is the forward movement time of the delivery plate 70, and the second half of 0.4 seconds is the backward movement time. Become.

  When the delivery of the delivery plate 70 is started, the projecting piece 101e is detached from the home position sensor 120a (see FIG. 11), so that the detection output becomes high level at time t2 (FIG. 20D).

  When the linear motor 105 is driven, the feed operation of the feed plate 70 starts. At time t4 when the delivery plate 70 is delivered and a predetermined time (for example, 0.63 sec) is reached, the discharge motor 147 is now driven (FIG. 20H). For example, the discharge motor 147 is PWM-controlled, and the first 50 msec has a duty ratio of 50%, and thereafter the duty ratio is 95%. Time t4 is a timing immediately before the tip end portion 70a of the delivery plate 70 reaches the discharge mechanism 50. At time t3, the linear motion initialize sensor 120b detects the delivery plate 70 (FIG. 20E). The detection of the linear motion initialize sensor 120b is used when controlling the feed speed of the feed plate 70.

  By further feeding of the feeding plate 70, the leading end portion 70a of the feeding plate 70 and the leading end of the envelope 4 (part of the fold 5d) reach the discharge mechanism 50. Since the discharge mechanism 50 is already rotationally driven by the discharge motor 147, the flap 5a is sent out while being pressed against the envelope body 5 by this rotational drive, and the passage of the envelope 4 is detected by the discharge sensor Sc at time t5 (FIG. 20G).

  At time t6, the home position sensor 120a detects that the delivery plate 70 has returned to the home position (FIG. 20D). Further, when the delivery plate 70 returns to the home position, the linear motor 105 that drives the delivery plate 70 is stopped at time t6 (FIG. 20F).

  At time t7 when the detection output of the discharge sensor Sc is reversed to the low level, the envelope motor 4147 is discharged from the discharge mechanism 50, and the discharge motor 147 is stopped. Further, since the flap motor 65 is driven at time t7, the flap roller 60 is separated from the transfer roller 23. For example, the flap motor 65 is PWM controlled, and its duty ratio is gradually lowered to 44%, 36%, and 24%, and is driven for 0.24 sec. Since the position of the home position of the flap roller 60 is detected by the home position sensor 120a at time t8, the flap roller 60 returns to the original position at time t8, and the drive of the flap motor 65 is also stopped (FIGS. 20B and 20C). The sealing process for one envelope 4 is completed in a series of these cycles Tn. The processing time from time t0 to time t8 in this high speed mode is 1.55 sec.

  Next, the sealing processing operation in the medium speed mode will be described with reference to FIG. The description of the processing corresponding to FIG. 20 is omitted. The user selects whether or not to process in the medium speed mode. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, a switch SW for switching between a high speed mode, a medium speed mode, and a low speed mode is provided on the housing 1, in this example, on the mechanism housing portion 7 side. Switching to the medium speed mode starts the sealing process of FIG.

  When the medium speed mode is selected, the flap motor 65 is driven by detection of the envelope 4, and processing is performed at the same timing as the high speed mode until the flap roller 60 is brought into contact with the transfer roller 23 (FIGS. 21A and 21C). Then, the flap position sensor 144a detects from the start of the flap roller 60 to the rolling contact state (FIG. 21B).

  At a time t2a when a predetermined time (for example, 0.2 sec) has elapsed from the time t2 when the rolling contact of the flap roller 60 to the transfer roller 23 is detected, the driving of the linear motor 105 is started and the feeding of the feed plate 70 is started. (FIG. 21F).

  Accordingly, since the flap 5a is not separated from the transfer roller 23 until the time t2a at which a predetermined time (0.2 sec) elapses after the time t2 when the roller 5 is in contact with the transfer roller 23, the state of the contact with the roller 5 is maintained during that time. That is, since the transfer time of the adhesive to the flap 5a is increased by a predetermined time (0.2 sec) as compared with the high speed mode, the transfer property of the adhesive is improved accordingly.

  At time t2a when the predetermined time (0.2 sec) has elapsed, the driving of the linear motor 105 is started, and the feeding operation of the feeding plate 70 is performed for the first time at this time. Since the flap roller 60 is in a state of rolling contact with the transfer roller 23, the flap 5 a is also separated from the transfer roller 23 while pulling out the glue tape 80 as the feed plate 70 is fed. Until the flap 5a is separated from the transfer roller 23, the transfer process for the flap 5a is performed.

  As described above, the feeding operation of the feeding plate 70 is started from time t2a. The speed at which the feeding plate 70 is reciprocated (feeding speed) is not constant during the reciprocating motion and is controlled as follows. .

  First, the delivery speed of the delivery plate 70 starting from time t2a is lower than that in the high speed mode. In the first delivery period (0.41 sec), the duty ratio of PWM control is set to 25% during the period from time t2a to time t3a (FIG. 21F). This first delivery period (0.41 sec) corresponds to the time until the flap 5a is separated from the transfer roller 23. By setting the time until the separation is longer than that in the high-speed mode, the deterioration of the transfer property of the adhesive is compensated. The subsequent reciprocation period is the same as the feed speed in the high speed mode, and the duty ratio of PWM control is 31% (FIG. 21F).

  This first delivery period (0.41 sec) is detected by the home position sensor 120a and the initialization sensor 120b (FIGS. 21D and 21E). That is, the period until the protruding piece 101e of the delivery plate 70 passes these sensors 120a and 120b is set as the delivery period (0.41 sec).

  Further, at time t4a when a predetermined time (0.4 sec) has elapsed from time t3a at which the initialization sensor 120b detects the protruding piece 101e, the discharge motor 147 is driven (FIG. 21H). The drive period (0.52 sec) is a period during which the discharge sensor Sc detects the envelope 4 (FIGS. 21G and H).

  The time required for the reciprocating movement of the delivery plate 70 (time t2a to t6a) is slightly longer than that in the high speed mode. This is because the delivery period (time t2a to t3a) is set as described above. However, since the speed other than the delivery period is set to the same speed as that in the high speed mode, it is not greatly different from that in the high speed mode.

  When the envelope 4 is completely discharged, the returning operation of returning the flap roller 60 to the original position is performed over a period from time t7a to time t8a (FIG. 21B). The sealing process for one envelope 4 is completed in this series of cycles (2.13 sec).

  As in the example shown in FIG. 21, even if the delivery plate 70 is sent out after being delayed by a predetermined time (time t2 to t2a; 0.2 sec), in addition to this delivery delay process, the delivery speed of the delivery plate 70 is set to a predetermined period ( It was confirmed that even when low-speed control is performed only at times t2a to t3a), it is possible to improve the transferability deterioration of the adhesive due to low temperature. Of course, it goes without saying that the latter can further improve the transferability.

  Even if the feeding operation of the envelope 4 is performed simultaneously with the rolling contact of the flap roller 60 to the transfer roller 23 without performing a delay process for a predetermined time (0.2 sec), the feeding speed at that time is as shown in FIG. The transfer property of the pressure-sensitive adhesive can be improved only by controlling it at a low speed for a predetermined period (0.41 sec).

  Next, the sealing processing operation in the low speed mode will be described with reference to FIG. The description of the processing corresponding to FIGS. 20 and 21 is omitted. The user selects whether to process in the low speed mode. Therefore, the sealing process shown in FIG. 22 starts when the switch SW shown in FIG. 1 is switched to the low speed mode. Of course, it is also possible to detect the outside air temperature at the place where the sealing device 10 is installed and automatically shift to the low-speed mode when the temperature falls below a predetermined temperature (for example, 10 ° C. or less). is there.

  In the low speed mode shown in this example, the discharge mechanism 50 discharges the envelope 4 by repeating the operation of conveying the envelope 4 and the operation of stopping the envelope 4. Thereby, since the air accumulated inside the envelope when the conveyance of the envelope 4 is stopped can be released, the expansion of the envelope 4 can be suppressed, and the envelope 4 can be prevented from being damaged.

  When the low speed mode is selected, the flap motor 65 is driven by the detection of the envelope 4, and processing is performed at the same timing as in the high speed mode until the flap roller 60 is brought into contact with the transfer roller 23 (FIGS. 22A and 22C). Then, from the start of the flap roller 60 to the rolling contact state is detected by the flap position sensor 144a (FIG. 22B).

  After a predetermined time (for example, 0.2 sec) has elapsed from time t2 when the rolling contact of the flap roller 60 to the transfer roller 23 is detected, the drive of the linear motion motor 105 is started and the delivery of the delivery plate 70 is started. (FIG. 22F).

  At time t2a when the predetermined time (0.2 sec) has elapsed, the driving of the linear motor 105 is started, and the feeding operation of the feeding plate 70 is performed for the first time at this time. Since the flap roller 60 is in a state of rolling contact with the transfer roller 23, the flap 5 a is also separated from the transfer roller 23 while pulling out the glue tape 80 as the feed plate 70 is fed.

  The delivery speed of the delivery plate 70 starting from time t2a is the same as that in the medium speed mode. In the period from time t2a to time t3a, which is the first delivery period (0.41 sec), the duty ratio of PWM control is set to 25% (FIG. 22F). This first delivery period (0.41 sec) corresponds to the time until the flap 5a is separated from the transfer roller 23. The subsequent reciprocation period is the same as the feed speed in the medium speed mode and the high speed mode, and the duty ratio of the PWM control is 31% (FIG. 22F).

  The first delivery period (0.41 sec) is detected by the home position sensor 120a and the initialization sensor 120b (FIGS. 22D and 22E). At time t4a when a predetermined time (0.4 sec) has elapsed from time t3a when the initialization sensor 120b detects the delivery plate 70, the discharge motor 147 is driven (FIG. 22H).

  In this example, with the envelope 4 held by the discharge rollers 50a and 50b of the discharge mechanism 50, the envelope 4 is continuously conveyed halfway, and after the continuous conveyance, the operation of conveying the envelope 4 and the envelope 4 are stopped. The envelope 4 is discharged by repeating this operation. For example, for the discharge motor 147, PWM control with a duty ratio of 50% is first performed for 0.15 seconds, and then PWM control with a duty ratio of 80% is performed for 0.15 seconds. Next, the discharge motor 147 is stopped for 0.2 sec, and then 32% PWM control is performed for 0.1 sec. The operation for a total of 0.6 seconds is repeated, and the envelope 4 is discharged over a discharge time of 2.0 seconds (FIG. 22H). Thereby, the air accumulated inside the envelope when the conveyance of the envelope 4 is stopped can be released. Therefore, the expansion of the envelope 4 can be suppressed, and the envelope 4 can be prevented from being damaged. In this way, the envelope 4 is repeatedly driven and stopped repeatedly to be discharged, so that air accumulated inside the envelope at the time of stop escapes. Thereby, the bulge of the envelope 4 is suppressed at this time, and even if the envelope 4 is discharged again and the air inside the envelope is compressed, it becomes substantially the same as the previous bulge of the envelope 4 and the envelope 4 can be prevented from expanding.

  If the envelope discharge time exceeds 2.5 seconds due to the size of the envelope being large, the duty ratio will be increased by 15% from the next in order to shorten the discharge time. Control to end. If the envelope discharge time is less than 1.5 seconds due to the size of the envelope being small, etc., in order to extend the discharge time, the duty ratio is reduced by 15% from the next, and the processing ends at 1.5 seconds or more. Control to do. Thus, by performing feedback control by PWM control, the productivity of the envelope in the sealing process can be kept constant.

  Further, if the time for continuously transporting the envelope 4 by the discharge mechanism 50 and the time for transporting the envelope 4 by stopping or transporting it can be changed, the productivity of the envelope 4 and the amount of air accumulated in the envelope can be reduced. You can adjust it.

  As described above, according to the sealing device 10 and the control method thereof according to the present invention, the discharge mechanism 50 that discharges the sealed envelope 4 repeats the operation of conveying the envelope 4 and the operation of stopping the envelope 4. Are to be discharged.

  Thereby, the air accumulated inside the envelope when the conveyance of the envelope 4 is stopped can be released. Therefore, the expansion of the envelope 4 can be suppressed, and the envelope can be prevented from being damaged.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 23, the sealing processing operation in the feeder mode in which the envelope 4 is automatically supplied to the sealing device 10 will be described. A description of processing portions corresponding to the high-speed mode shown in FIG. 20 is omitted. In the feeder mode, a feeder device (not shown) that automatically supplies an envelope to the sealing device 10 is provided. This feeder device is connected to the sealing device 10. The feeder device automatically places the envelope on the envelope placement surface 1a of the sealing device 10 shown in FIG.

  When the feeder device is ready to supply the envelope at time t0 shown in FIG. 23, the feeder device outputs a feeder ready signal to the sealing device 10 (FIG. 23I). When the sealing device 10 inputs this feeder ready signal, it outputs an OK signal to the feeder device (FIG. 23J). At time t1, the sealing device 10 receives a GO signal from the feeder device, drives the flap motor 65, and the flap roller 60 is brought into contact with the transfer roller 23 (FIGS. 23K and 23C). Then, from the start of the flap roller 60 to the rolling contact state is detected by the flap position sensor 144a (FIG. 23B). The subsequent process, that is, the process of transferring the adhesive to the flap 5a and attaching and discharging it is the same as the high-speed mode shown in FIG. Thus, instead of manually setting the envelope 4 in the sealing device 10, the envelope 4 may be automatically supplied to the sealing device 10 using a feeder device.

  It is also conceivable to provide a plurality of grooves in the discharge rollers 50a and 50b so that air accumulated inside the envelope when the envelope is discharged is released from the plurality of grooves.

  The present invention is very suitable when applied to a sealing device that seals an envelope by transferring an adhesive onto the flap of the envelope and sticking the flap to the envelope body.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Sealing device, 1a ... Seal mounting surface, 4 ... Envelope, 5 ... Envelope body, 5a ... Flap, 20 ... Adhesive transfer means, 21 ... Supply Reel shaft, 22 ... take-up reel shaft, 23 ... transfer roller, 24 ... tape guide piece, 50 ... discharge mechanism (discharge means), 30 ... shaft support means, 31 ... Shaft support portion, 35... Locking piece, 60... Flap roller, 70... Feeding means (feeding plate), 80... Glue tape, 91.・ Installation cylinder for take-up reel shaft, 93... Installation cylinder for transfer roller,

Claims (6)

A sealing device for sealing an envelope,
An adhesive transfer means for transferring the adhesive to the flap of the envelope;
Sending out means for sending out the envelope with the adhesive transferred by the adhesive transferring means;
A discharge means for attaching the flap of the envelope sent out by the sending-out means to the envelope body and discharging the envelope;
The discharging means is
A sealing device that discharges the envelope by repeating the operation of conveying the envelope and the operation of stopping the envelope. The discharging means is
Comprising first and second discharge rollers for sandwiching and discharging the envelope;
With the envelope held by the first and second discharge rollers, the envelope is continuously conveyed partway through the envelope, and after the continuous conveyance, the operation of conveying the envelope and the operation of stopping the envelope are repeated. The sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the envelope is discharged.   The sealing device according to claim 2, wherein a time for continuously transporting the envelope by the discharge unit and a time for transporting the envelope after being stopped or stopped are changed. At least a high speed mode for discharging the envelope at a high speed by the discharge means, a medium speed mode for discharging the envelope at a medium speed by the discharge means, and a low speed mode for discharging the envelope at a low speed by the discharge means,
2. The sealing device according to claim 1, wherein, in the low speed mode, the discharging unit discharges the envelope by repeating an operation of conveying the envelope and an operation of stopping the envelope.   When the discharge time for discharging the envelope exceeds a predetermined time or is less than a predetermined time, feedback control is performed by changing the duty ratio of the discharge means to shorten or extend the discharge time. Item 2. A sealing device according to item 1. A method for controlling a sealing device for sealing an envelope,
The sealing device is
Transferring the adhesive to the envelope flap;
Sending out the envelope onto which the adhesive has been transferred;
Affixing the sent envelope flap to the envelope body;
Repeating the operation of conveying the envelope with the flap attached thereto and the operation of stopping the envelope, and discharging the envelope;
A control method for a sealing device, comprising:

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