JP2011050864A - Automatic mail feeding apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve processing speed by continuously feeding the mails with a constant interval. <P>SOLUTION: An automatic mail feeding apparatus is disclosed that has a conveyance route and a plurality of buffer feeders 40a-40c which are installed on the upstream side of a piece-by-piece delivery part 50 of the conveyance route where the mails are conveyed and which temporarily accumulate and discharge the mails conveyed on the conveyance route. The buffer feeders 40a-40c are each provided with a quantum detection switch that detects amount of the mails accumulated in the buffer feeders 40a-40c. The mails accumulated in the buffer feeders 40a-40c are discharged so that the amount of the mails becomes constant which is detected by the quantum detection switch of the buffer feeders 40a-40c on the downstream side of the buffer feeders 40a-40c in the conveyance direction of the mails. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic mail delivery device.

  In recent years, the speed of postal machines has been increasing. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which a plurality of storage pockets are provided as a mail sorting device, and a mail container is transported under the storage pocket, and mails are stored and transported in the mail container. Has been. In this technique, the conveyance speed of the mail container is set in accordance with the time zone in which the mail container passes under the storage pocket.

Special table 2006-517464

  In the automatic mail sending device for sending mail one by one, including the mail sorting device as described above, there is a wide variety of mail to be processed, and a constant amount of mail is always buffered in the single sending section. There is a problem that the mail cannot be sent out at a constant interval without being interrupted due to the fact that it is difficult to do so, and the processing speed is not sufficiently improved.

  The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the above-described technology, and in a postal matter automatic delivery device that sends out postal items one by one, the postal matter is sent out at a constant interval without interruption. An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic mail delivery device capable of improving the speed.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides:
In an automatic mail delivery device having a single delivery section that sends out the supplied mail one by one,
A transport route for transporting the supplied mail,
A plurality of buffer units provided upstream of the one delivery part of the transport path, and temporarily storing and discharging postal matter transported on the transport path;
The plurality of buffer units have detection means for detecting the amount of postal matter accumulated in the buffer unit, and are detected by the detection unit of the buffer unit downstream in the conveyance direction of the postal matter from the buffer unit. The postal matter stored in the buffer unit is discharged so that the amount of the postal matter is constant.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a plurality of buffer units are provided on the upstream side of the single delivery unit of the transport path. In the plurality of buffer units, the mail stored in the buffer unit on the downstream side of the buffer unit is provided. Since the postal matter stored in the buffer unit is discharged so that the amount of the postal matter is constant, the processing speed can be improved by sending the postal matter at regular intervals without interruption.

It is the schematic which shows the whole structure of the mail automatic delivery apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the detailed structure of the mail automatic delivery apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the mail automatic delivery apparatus shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect in the mail automatic delivery apparatus shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the overall configuration of the automatic mail delivery device of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the detailed configuration of the automatic mail delivery device shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the automatic mail delivery device of this embodiment includes a supply conveyor 10 serving as a transport path for supplying and transporting mail, a drum 20 serving as a thickness sorting unit, and a standard mail. An acceptor 30 that is an accepting port, three buffer feeders 40a to 40c that serve as a buffer unit for temporarily storing and discharging postal matter conveyed by the supply conveyor 10, and a single sending out of the postal items that are supplied one by one Part 50, between the acceptor 30 and the most upstream buffer feeder 40a, between the plurality of buffer feeders 40a to 40c, and between the most downstream buffer feeder 40c and the single delivery part 50 is a channel-shaped transport route. It is connected. Each of the buffer feeders 40a to 40c is provided with an amount detection switch (not shown) serving as detection means for detecting the amount of mails stored in the buffer feeders 40a to 40c. Then, the buffer feeder 40a discharges the postal matter stored in the buffer feeder 40a so that the amount of postal matter detected by the amount detection switch of the buffer feeder 40b becomes constant, and the buffer feeder 40b The postal matter stored in the buffer feeder 40b is discharged so that the amount of postal matter detected by the amount detection switch of the buffer feeder 40c becomes constant. In addition, the supply conveyor 10 conveys mail items at a conveyance speed such that the amount of mail items detected by the amount detection switches provided in the buffer feeders 40a to 40c is constant.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the amount of postal matter stored in the buffer feeders 40a to 40c for temporarily storing the postal matter is detected, and the detection result is fed back to the upstream buffer feeders 40a to 40c. Each of the buffer feeders 40a to 40c is to supply a certain amount of postal matter so that a predetermined amount of postal matter is always supplied to the delivery unit 50 by increasing the number of spare buffer feeders 40a to 40c as compared with the prior art. The postal mail storage amount is controlled by feedback control to the upstream buffer feeders 40a to 40c.

  In this way, compared with the conventional automatic mail sorting and stamping machine, the amount of mail stored is increased by increasing the distance of the channel-shaped transport route for transporting mail. Furthermore, by increasing the number of buffer devices arranged on the transport path, it is possible to reduce interruptions in the mail transport. This transport path can be accelerated and decelerated by detecting the amount of mail by an amount detection switch arranged in the buffer device.

  Below, operation | movement of the mail automatic delivery apparatus comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the automatic mail delivery device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

  In the mail automatic delivery device shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, as shown in FIG. 3, the thickness information of the mail is measured (E) in the single delivery unit 50 and fed back to the buffer feeders 40a to 40c. The discharge speed of the mail items temporarily stored in each of the buffer feeders 40a to 40c is controlled. Also, between the buffer feeders 40a to 40c, the amount of mail stored in the downstream buffer feeders 40a to 40c is fed back to the upstream buffer feeders 40a to 40c, and temporarily stored in each of the buffer feeders 40a to 40c. The mail discharge speed is controlled (C).

  Further, the mail piece thickness information in the single delivery unit 50 and the postal matter accumulation amount in the buffer feeders 40a to 40c are fed back to the acceptor 30, and the acceptor 30 receives mails (D). Further, the postal thickness information in the single delivery unit 50 and the postal matter accumulation amount in the buffer feeders 40a to 40c are also fed back to the drum 20 to control the drum speed (B). Further, the thickness information of the postal matter in the single delivery unit 50 and the postal matter accumulation amount in the buffer feeders 40a to 40c are fed back to the supply conveyor 10, and the postal matter transport speed is controlled (A).

  By repeating this feedback, the mail conveying speed at the supply conveyor 10, the mail sorting process at the drum 20, the mail receiving process at the acceptor 30, and the mail temporarily stored in the buffer feeders 40a to 40c. The discharge process is controlled so that the thickness information in the single delivery unit 50 is always constant.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an effect in the mail automatic delivery device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the processing speed has not increased due to the fact that the buffer amount of mail has not been constant in the channel route or the buffer unit so far, but by incorporating the feedback control as described above in this embodiment, It is possible to eliminate the interruption of mail in the channel route and the buffer section. Then, by incorporating feedback control, it is possible to increase the processing speed sent out from the single delivery unit 50.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Supply conveyor 20 Drum 30 Acceptor 40a-40c Buffer feeder 50 One delivery part

Claims (2)

In an automatic mail delivery device having a single delivery section that sends out the supplied mail one by one,
A transport route for transporting the supplied mail,
A plurality of buffer units provided upstream of the one delivery part of the transport path, and temporarily storing and discharging postal matter transported on the transport path;
The plurality of buffer units have detection means for detecting the amount of postal matter accumulated in the buffer unit, and are detected by the detection unit of the buffer unit downstream in the conveyance direction of the postal matter from the buffer unit. An automatic mail delivery device that discharges the mail stored in the buffer so that the amount of the mail is constant. In the automatic mail delivery device according to claim 1,
The postal route automatic delivery device for transporting the postal matter at a transporting speed at which the amount of postal matter detected by the detecting means is constant.

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