JP2011102178A - Paper sheet takeout device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper sheet takeout device smoothly feeding and stably taking out paper sheets. <P>SOLUTION: The paper sheet takeout device includes an input section 51 placing a plurality of paper sheets in a stacked manner; a supply mechanism 2 supplying the paper sheet at the tip into a takeout position of the input section; a takeout mechanism 56 taking out paper sheets supplied into the takeout position sheet by sheet; a conveying mechanism 58 conveying the paper sheets taken out by the takeout mechanism, along a conveying path; a thickness detector 120 detecting the thickness of the paper sheets taken out by the takeout mechanism; a paper sheet sensor 122 detecting the sparse/dense state of the paper sheets in a region near the takeout position; and a control section for determining the supply speed or feed amount of paper sheets by the supply mechanism according to thickness information per unit time of the taken-out paper sheets obtained by the thickness detector, and determining whether to operate or stop the supply mechanism based on sparse/dense information of the paper sheets obtained by the paper sheet sensor. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper sheet take-out device that picks up and sends out accumulated paper sheets such as postal items one by one.

  Paper processing devices such as postal processing machines that handle postal items such as postcards and sealed letters, for example, take-out devices, discriminating devices (OCR), stacking devices, reject (RJ) stacking devices, switchback devices, and between each device And a gate that sorts the conveyed paper sheets (mail) to each device. The plurality of paper sheets set in the supply unit of the take-out device are taken out one by one by the take-out device and sent to the determination device. The discriminating device discriminates the paper sheet, determines the destination of the paper sheet, for example, the RJ stacking device or the stacking device, and reverses the paper sheet by passing the transport route, for example, the switchback device. Decide whether or not. Thereafter, the paper sheet is conveyed to the determined apparatus through the conveyance path and the gate mechanism, and various processes are performed in this apparatus.

  As a take-out device for a paper sheet processing apparatus, there is provided a take-out apparatus of a suction take-out system that picks up and takes out paper sheets by a negative pressure (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). This take-out device has an air adsorbing structure that adsorbs paper sheets using a perforated belt and an air chamber, and a separation that adsorbs and separates the second paper sheet and prevents the removal of the second paper sheet. It has a roller. Further, the take-out device includes an optical sensor for detecting the presence or absence or density of the paper sheet in the supply unit that supplies the paper sheet. By operating, the next sheet is fed to the take-out position at a certain speed.

JP 2008-280139 A JP 2001-335165 A

  In the paper sheet take-out device as described above, in the paper sheet bundle placed on the supply unit, for example, in a portion where relatively thin paper sheets are continuous, the paper sheets are densely packed. Often laminated. For this reason, the supply unit pushes the paper sheets at a speed faster than ideal, and the paper sheets are clogged in the vicinity of the take-out position. In this case, there is a possibility that the earliest paper sheets cannot be taken out stably, or that the paper sheets are skewed or double-fed. On the contrary, in a portion where paper sheets having a relatively large thickness are continuous, the feeding of the paper sheets by the supply unit may be delayed, and the paper sheets may be taken out intermittently. In these cases, the processing speed of the paper sheet processing apparatus decreases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a paper sheet take-out device that can smoothly feed paper sheets and take them out stably.

  The paper sheet take-out device according to an aspect of the present invention includes an input unit that stacks and mounts a plurality of paper sheets, and a moving direction that moves the plurality of paper sheets that are mounted in the stacking direction. A feeding mechanism that feeds the paper sheets at the leading end to the take-out position of the loading unit, and picks up and moves the paper sheets supplied to the take-out position one by one from the loading unit. A take-out mechanism, a transport mechanism for transporting the paper sheet taken out by the take-out mechanism along the transport path, a thickness detector for detecting the thickness of the paper sheet taken out by the take-out mechanism, and upstream of the take-out position Paper sheet sensor for detecting the density of the paper sheet on the side, and the paper sheet by the supply mechanism according to the thickness information per unit time of the extracted paper sheet obtained from the thickness detector And determining the feeding speed or feeding amount of the paper sheet sensor Based on more obtained density information of the paper sheet, and includes a control unit that determines whether to stop operating the feed mechanism.

  A paper sheet take-out device according to another aspect of the present invention includes an input unit that stacks and places a plurality of paper sheets, and moves the plurality of paper sheets placed in the above direction in the stacking direction. And a feeding mechanism that feeds the paper sheet at the leading end in the moving direction to the take-out position of the input unit, and adsorbs and moves the paper sheet supplied to the take-out position to move the paper sheet from the input unit. A take-out mechanism for taking out one sheet at a time, a transport mechanism for transporting paper sheets taken out by the take-out mechanism along a transport path, and a thickness detector for detecting the thickness of the paper sheets taken out by the take-out mechanism A counter for counting the number of paper sheets taken out by the take-out mechanism, thickness information per unit time of the paper sheets obtained from the thickness detector, and unit time obtained by the counter Depending on the number of pieces taken out per The posture of the paper sheet to predict at the time it is predicted that the paper sheet is inclined or fallen, and a, and a control unit for correcting the posture of the paper sheet by the feed mechanism.

  According to said structure, the paper sheet taking-out apparatus which can send paper sheets smoothly and can take out stably is obtained.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a mail processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a take-out device of the mail processing apparatus. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a take-out belt and a guide of the take-out device. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the guide. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a suction mechanism of the take-out device. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a control unit and various sensors of the take-out device. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which mail pieces having the same thickness are set in the take-out device. FIG. 8 is a view showing a change in the thickness of a mail piece per unit time in the take-out apparatus. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the relationship between the thickness of the mail and the feeding speed. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a take-out device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a view showing a mail group that is set obliquely on the take-out device. FIG. 12 is a view showing an attitude correction operation for a mail group in the take-out device.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a mail processing apparatus 100 including a paper sheet take-out apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In addition to the take-out device 1, the mail processing apparatus 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.

  A plurality of postal items such as postcards and sealed letters are set in the take-out device 1 in a stacked state, and are taken out one by one on the conveyance path 101 by operating the take-out device as described later. In the conveyance path 101, a plurality of sets of endless conveyance belts (not shown) are extended so as to sandwich the conveyance path 101. The picked-up postal matter is sandwiched and transported by a transport belt.

  The postal matter taken out on the conveyance path 101 is sent to the determination unit 102 where various information is read from the postal matter. The discriminating unit 102 discriminates a postal item transport posture, a sorting destination, and the like based on the read various information. In particular, the determination unit 102 reads destination information such as a postal code and an address written on a postal matter, and determines a sorting destination.

  After passing through the determination unit 102, the postal matter is sorted in the transport direction via the gate G1. That is, the postal matter that has been determined to be rejected by the determining unit 102 is conveyed to the rejecting unit 104 via the gate G1 and accumulated in the rejecting unit. Other mail items are transported to the stacking unit 108 via the gate G1 and stacked in the stacking unit 108.

  At this time, when the determination unit 102 determines that the transport direction of the postal matter needs to be reversed, the postal matter is sent to the switchback unit 106 via the gate G1 and the gate G2, and the transport direction is reversed here. The 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.

Next, the paper sheet take-out device 1 will be described in detail.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the take-out device 1. The take-out device 1 includes a stacking unit 51 in which a plurality of postal items P are stacked, and a post unit 51 in which each postal item is set in a standing position substantially perpendicular to a horizontal plane. The supply mechanism 2 that moves P in the stacking direction and supplies the postal matter P at the leading end in the moving direction to an unloading position 87, which will be described later, and the postal matter P supplied to the unloading position 87 in the surface direction, here the moving direction Of the postal matter P that has been sent through the feeding unit 51 and the take-out part 51, which is sent in a direction substantially orthogonal to the post-feeding path 10 to be described later, is sucked toward the take-out position 87. Suction mechanism 53, separation mechanism 54 for separating second and subsequent mail items P taken out by mail item P taken out from take-out position 87 from first mail item P, mail item P supplied to take-out position 87 Than take-out mechanism 56 At a speed slightly higher than the speed at which the postal matter P that has passed through the separation mechanism 54 and the auxiliary mechanism 55 that assists the operation of taking out the postal matter P by rotating negative and positive directions on the flow side. A transport mechanism 58 for pulling out and transporting to the downstream side is provided.

  The take-out device 1 includes two sensors 57 a and 57 b that detect the passage of the postal matter P taken out from the take-out position 87 at one end of the input unit 51 onto the carry path 10, and a plurality of carry guides 84. Each of the two sensors 57a and 57b has a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion so as to sandwich the conveyance path 10 through which the postal matter P passes, and the postal matter P blocks passage of the postal matter P by blocking its optical axis. Detect in order. In addition, the plurality of transport guides 84 guide the movement and transport of the postal matter P by contacting the edges and surfaces thereof.

  A plurality of pieces of mail P are stacked and placed together in a standing state on the input unit 51. Two floor belts 8a and 8b are disposed on the bottom of the insertion portion 51. The two floor belts 8a and 8b are arranged so that the lower end sides of the mail items P are brought into contact with each other and moved in the overlapping direction (the direction of arrow F in the figure). A backup plate 9 is arranged at a position where the postal matter P at the rear end in the moving direction is in contact with the postal matter P among the plurality of postal items P. For example, the backup plate 9 is simply connected to one of the floor belts 8b and moves in the direction of arrow F in cooperation with the floor belt 8b to push the postal matter P in the direction of the take-out position. P is taken out and supplied to the position 87. That is, the two floor belts 8 a and 8 b and the backup plate 9 function as the supply mechanism 2.

  In addition, the one conveyance guide 84 is extended in the position which prescribes | regulates the one side of the insertion part 51 along the arrow F direction, and guides the edge side of each postal matter P. The plurality of other transport guides 84 are arranged side by side along the take-out position 87 on one end side of the loading unit 51, and stop and position at the take-out position 87 at the front end of the moving direction P supplied in the direction of arrow F. And functions to contact and guide one side of the postal matter P taken out from the take-out position 87.

  The take-out mechanism 56 includes a chamber 52, a guide 60, and a vacuum pump 61 (or equivalent). The vacuum pump 61 is connected to the chamber 52 via a pipe 62. Further, the take-out mechanism 56 drives an endless take-out belt 79 in which at least a portion of a certain region travels in the direction of arrow D1 (the take-out direction of the postal matter P) in the drawing along the take-out position 87, and this take-out belt 79. A motor 81 is included. The take-out belt 79 is wound around a plurality of rollers 80 and stretched so that at least a part of the take-out belt 79 travels in the direction of arrow D1 in the drawing along the take-out position 87 and the conveying path 10 continuous from the take-out position 87. ing.

  The guide 60 is disposed at a position facing the take-out position 87 with the belt sandwiched inside the take-out belt 79. The chamber 52 is disposed on the back side of the guide 60, that is, at a position facing the extraction position 87 with the extraction belt 79 and the guide 60 interposed therebetween. The take-out belt 79 has a large number of suction holes 79a as partially enlarged in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the guide 60 has a plurality of elongated slits 60 a extending along the running direction D <b> 1 of the take-out belt 79.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the vacuum pump 61 is operated to evacuate the chamber 52, the opening of the chamber 52 (not shown) facing the guide 60, the plurality of slits 60a of the guide 60, and the direction of the arrow D1 A negative pressure (arrow S1 in the figure) acts on the postal matter P supplied to the take-out position 87 through the numerous suction holes 79a of the take-out belt 79 that travels in the direction of the It is adsorbed on the surface and taken out from the take-out position 87 onto the transport path 10 as the take-out belt 79 travels.

  At this time, the suction force in the direction of arrow S1 by the vacuum pump 61 is such that the transport force for feeding out the first postal matter P adsorbed by the takeout belt 79 in the takeout direction D1 is at least 2 with the postal matter P of the first post. It is set to be larger than the frictional force acting between the first mail piece P. The take-out mechanism 56 feeds the postal matter P at the take-out position 87 one by one onto the transport path 10, but the one that has been fed out onto the transport path 10 in a state where a plurality of sheets overlap each other is separated by a separation mechanism 54 described later. Separate into sheets.

  The suction mechanism 53 includes a chamber 64 disposed on the back side of the conveyance guide 84 with respect to the take-out position 87, and a blower 65 (or an equivalent) for sucking the air in the chamber 64. The blower 65 is connected to the chamber 63 via a pipe 66. The chamber 63 is disposed adjacent to the take-out position 87 between the take-out mechanism 56 and an auxiliary mechanism 55 described later in such a posture that an opening (not shown) faces the back surface of the transport guide 84. Moreover, the conveyance guide 84 has a plurality of 84a in accordance with the width of the opening of the chamber 63, as partially enlarged in FIG. The plurality of holes 84 a are disposed in the opening of the chamber 63.

  When the blower 65 is operated to suck the air in the chamber 63, an air flow is generated in the direction of the arrow B 1 in the figure through the plurality of holes 84 a of the transport guide 84, and a plurality of postal items P that are thrown into the throwing portion 51. The postal matter P closest to the take-out position 87 is sucked toward the take-out position 87. After the postal matter P sucked to the take-out position 87 is taken out, the next postal matter P is sucked toward the take-out position 87. That is, by providing the suction mechanism 53, the postal matter P to be taken out next can be quickly supplied to the take-out position 87. Therefore, even if the supply force in the direction of arrow F by the supply mechanism 2 is weakened, only the first mail piece P can always be stably and quickly supplied to the take-out position 87. Thereby, the operation of taking out the postal matter P by the take-out mechanism 56 described above can be speeded up.

  The separation mechanism 54 is provided on the opposite side of the above-described take-out mechanism 56 with respect to the conveyance path 10 extending downstream (upward in FIG. 2) from the take-out position 87. The separation mechanism 54 applies a separation torque in the direction opposite to the direction in which the postal matter P is taken out to the postal matter P conveyed through the conveying path 10 while applying a negative pressure. In other words, when the separation mechanism 54 is operated, the second or later mail piece P (which may be picked up by three or more mails) is taken out of the mail piece P taken out from the pick-up position 87. Even so, the second and subsequent mail items 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 item P.

  More specifically, the separation mechanism 54 includes a separation roller 68 that is provided so as to be rotatable in both forward and reverse directions along the take-out direction D1 of the postal matter P. The separation roller 68 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. The separation roller 68 is rotatably attached to a rotation shaft fixedly attached to the conveyance path 10, that is, a cylindrical body 67 having a chamber 64 described later. The separation roller 68 has a large number of suction holes penetrating so as to connect the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface thereof. The cylindrical body 67 has a chamber 64 for generating a negative pressure, and is positioned and fixed in a posture in which the opening of the chamber 64 faces the conveyance path 10.

  The separation mechanism 54 includes an AC servo motor 69 that rotates the separation roller 68 in both forward and reverse directions with a desired torque, and an endless timing belt 70 that transmits the driving force of the motor 69 to the separation roller 68. The timing belt 70 is wound and stretched around a pulley fixed to the rotation shaft of the motor 69 and a pulley (not shown) fixed to the rotation shaft of the separation roller 68. Further, the separation mechanism 54 includes a vacuum pump 71, and this vacuum pump is connected to the chamber 64 of the cylindrical body 67 via a pipe 72.

  When the inside of the chamber 64 is evacuated by operating the vacuum pump 71, it passes through the conveyance path 10 through a specific suction hole facing the opening of the chamber 64 and a number of suction holes of the separation roller 68. A negative pressure is applied to the surface of the postal matter P to be adhered, and the postal matter P is adsorbed to the outer peripheral surface of the separation roller 68. At this time, when the separation roller 68 is rotating, the postal matter P adsorbed on the outer peripheral surface of the separation roller 68 is also given a conveying force along the rotation direction of the separation roller 68.

  On the other hand, the AC servo motor 69 drives the separation roller 68 so as to always apply a constant separation torque in the reverse direction D2 to the take-out direction D1 to the separation roller 68. The separation torque is such that when there is one postal matter P transported through the transporting path 10, the separation roller 68 that has adsorbed the single postal matter P and the postal matter P along the take-out direction D1. When it is set to such an extent that it can be rotated together and a plurality of pieces of mail P are taken out on the conveying path 10, the second and subsequent mails P on the separation roller 68 side are stopped. Or it is set to such an extent that it can be separated from the first mail piece P by returning in the reverse direction.

  In a state where one postal matter P is normally taken out from the take-out position 87 and is transported via the transport path 10, the forward direction (arrow D1 direction) transported to the postal matter P by the take-out mechanism 56 is performed. The force becomes larger than the reverse conveyance force applied to the postal matter P by the separation roller 68 given the separation torque in the reverse direction D2, and the postal matter P is conveyed in the forward direction D1. The separation roller 68 rotates together with the postal matter P in the forward direction D1, stops, or idles in the direction opposite to the take-out direction.

  When the separation roller 68 idles in the reverse direction D2, if the constant separation torque is continuously applied, the rotation speed gradually increases, which may adversely affect the removal of the postal matter P. In this embodiment, the separation roller 68 is separated. An upper limit is set for the reverse rotation speed of the roller 68. Specifically, it is set to an upper limit speed whose absolute value is smaller than the speed of taking out the postal matter P.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the auxiliary mechanism 55 disposed below the suction mechanism 53 in the drawing, that is, on the upstream side of the take-out mechanism 56 along the take-out direction D1 of the postal matter P is substantially the same structure as the separation mechanism 54 described above. Have In other words, the auxiliary mechanism 55 includes an auxiliary roller 75 that is provided so as to be rotatable in both the forward and reverse directions D2 along the mail pickup direction D1.

  The auxiliary roller 75 is rotatably attached to a rotation shaft fixedly provided opposite to the take-out position 87, that is, the cylindrical body 74, and penetrates so as to connect the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface thereof. Has adsorption holes. The auxiliary roller 75 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 87. The cylindrical body 74 has a chamber 73 for generating negative pressure, and the opening of the chamber 73 is positioned and fixed in a posture toward the take-out position 87.

  The auxiliary mechanism 55 includes an AC servo motor 88 for rotating the auxiliary roller 75 in both forward and reverse directions with a desired torque, and an endless timing belt 76 for transmitting the driving force of the motor 88 to the auxiliary roller 75. . The auxiliary mechanism 55 includes a vacuum pump 77 connected via a pipe 78 to a chamber of a cylindrical body 74 to which an auxiliary roller 75 is rotatably attached.

  The auxiliary mechanism 55 rotates and stops the auxiliary roller 75 at both desired speeds in the forward and reverse directions and turns on / off the negative pressure by the vacuum pump 77 to support the operation of taking out and separating the postal matter P.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the transport mechanism 58 that transports the postal matter P picked up by the pick-up mechanism 56 to the downstream side includes a plurality of transport rollers 22, 83, a tension roller 26, transport belts 20, 82, 85, a tension mechanism. 21. The conveyance roller 83 is disposed on the downstream side of the separation roller 68 and is adjacent to the conveyance path 10. A conveyor belt 82 is wound around the conveyor roller 83 and another conveyor roller (not shown). The conveying belt 20 is wound around the tension roller 26 and the conveying roller 22, and the conveying belt 20 defines the conveying path 10 together with the conveying roller 83 and is in contact with the conveying belt 82.

  The tension mechanism 21 includes a tension arm 24 whose center is rotatably supported by a pivot 25. The tension roller 26 is rotatably supported at one end of the tension arm 24. A tension spring 27 is installed on the other end of the tension arm 24 and biased by the tension spring 24. As a result, the tension arm 24 is urged counterclockwise around the pivot 25 and elastically contacts the stopper 29. As a result, the tension roller 26 and the conveyor belt 20 are urged in the direction of the conveyor path 10, and the conveyor belt 20 is in contact with the conveyor belt 82 while maintaining tension. Further, a conveyor belt 85 is wound around the other conveyor roller 22 and another conveyor roller (not shown), and the conveyor belt 85 is in contact with the conveyor belt 82. A driving belt 23 that rotates these rollers in synchronization is wound between the two conveying rollers 22. The postal matter P is sandwiched between the conveyor belt 82 and the conveyor belts 20 and 85, and is conveyed by these conveyor belts.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the take-out device 1 includes a thickness detector 120 that detects the thickness of the taken mail piece P, and a count sensor (counter) 121 that counts the number of the taken mail pieces P. It has. The thickness detector 120 and the count sensor 121 are provided in the transport path 10 on the downstream side of the sensors 57a and 57b. Further, the take-out device 1 has a letter sensor (paper sensor) 122 for detecting the presence or absence or density of the postal matter P placed on the input unit 51 and a post by the supply mechanism 2 on the upstream side of the take-out position 87. And a pressing force detection sensor 123 for detecting the pressing force of the article P, in particular, the pressing force acting on the earliest postal matter P. Note that the thickness detector 120 may also serve as the count sensor 121.

  The sensors 57a and 57b, the thickness detector 120, the count sensor 121, and the letter sensor 122 are connected to the control unit 200 of the take-out apparatus 1 and input detection signals to the control unit 200. A driver 202 for driving the vacuum pumps 61, 71, 77, a driver 204 for driving the blower 65, and a driver 206 for driving the AC servo motors 69, 79, 81 are connected to the control unit 200. Drives each driver according to a detection signal from each sensor.

  The letter sensor 122 is provided at a position near the upstream side of the take-out position 87, and a transmission or reflection optical sensor or other various sensors can be used. As an example of the role, the letter sensor 122 detects that the postal matter P is not on the optical axis of the sensor 122, or detects whether the postal matter P is sparse or dense. Based on the detection signal from the letter sensor 122, the control unit 200 detects the presence of the postal matter P accumulated in the vicinity of the take-out position 87 (detects the letter edge, but there are many gaps and the optical axis passes through. When the state is determined to be in the state, the supply mechanism 2 is moved to prompt the user to take out the postal matter P to the take-out position 87. The detection direction of the letter sensor 122 is not limited to that shown in the figure, and can be selected in various ways such as the direction in which the postal matter P is detected from the front surface of the postal matter P or from below the postal matter P.

  As the pushing force detection sensor 123, for example, a pressure sensor or a sensor that detects the pushing amount of the lever using a lever and a spring can be used, and how much the postal matter P is pushed into the take-out position 87. Judging. For example, if the postal matter P is not pushed by the detection signal from the pushing force detection sensor 123, that is, if the detected pushing force is smaller than the reference value, the control unit 200 moves the supply mechanism 2 to move the postal matter. Encourage the action of sending P forward. Further, when the postal matter P is pushed too much, that is, when the detected pushing force is smaller than the reference value, the control unit 200 operates the supply mechanism 2 in the reverse direction and the postal matter P is clogged too much. Can be relaxed. The pushing force detection sensor 123 may measure the pushing force itself, or may only detect the presence or absence of the postal matter P.

  In the mail processing apparatus, as shown in FIG. 7, the postal matter P set in the input unit 51 is, for example, a state in which mails of the same thickness (same type) are continuous to some extent (bulk state). It often exists in.

  In this embodiment, as an example, the thickness of the postal matter P picked up one by one by the pick-up mechanism 56 is measured by the thickness detector 120, so that the control unit 200 is in the vicinity of the pick-up position 87 of the input unit 51. The thickness of the postal matter P in the region R is estimated. When the control unit 200 determines that the postal matter P in the region R in the vicinity of the take-out position is thinner than the predetermined reference value, the postal matter P becomes unclear when the supply speed V remains, so It is determined that there is a possibility that a mail biting phenomenon may occur, and the supply speed V is reduced. On the other hand, when it is determined that the postal matter P in the region R is thicker than the predetermined reference value, the control unit 200 causes the postal matter P to become empty if the supply speed V remains, and the postal matter P is taken out. It is determined that there is a possibility of being intermittent, and the supply speed V is increased.

  For the thickness detector 120, various methods such as a distance measurement method using a laser displacement meter (optical type) or a contact type thickness detection method can be used. As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 200 measures the thickness of each piece of mail P with the thickness detector 120, and calculates the unit time average value TH of the thickness of the mail that has passed per unit time T0. To do. Here, as shown in FIG. 7, when the bulk state of the postal matter P continues, the thickness information is expected to be substantially constant, the average value TH calculated here, It can be considered that the thicknesses of the postal matters P existing in the region R in the vicinity of the take-out position are the same.

  According to the thickness information of the postal matter P in the region R predicted above, in other words, according to the type of postal matter, as shown in FIG. Smooth supply operation. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9B, the control unit 200 defines the parameter of the supply feed speed V by dividing the calculated thickness information per unit time into a plurality of stages.

  When the type (thickness) of the postal matter P to be taken out changes, the calculation information TH based on the measurement value from the thickness detector 120 and the thickness of the postal matter P in the region R become inconsistent. In this case, the unit time T0 By shortening, the influence can be suppressed.

  Further, the control unit 200 may count the number of passages of the picked-up mail P per unit time based on the detection signal from the count sensor 121 and set the supply feed speed V for the number of passages per unit time. . For example, when the number of passing sheets per unit time is larger than a predetermined reference value, the control unit 200 predicts that the decrease of the postal matter P existing in the region R in the vicinity of the take-out position of the input unit 51 is fast, The supply feed speed V is sent faster than a predetermined speed.

In this embodiment, the feed speed of the supply mechanism 2 is changed. However, the supply operation of the mail may be controlled by variably determining the supply feed amount. For example, the control unit 200 calculates the total letter thickness information per unit time from the thickness detector 120, and the total amount (feed amount) of the postal matter P that has been removed from the region R in the vicinity of the removal position of the insertion unit 51. , Feed width). Then, the control unit 200 performs the supply operation of the supply mechanism 2 using the predicted total amount as the feed amount.
The supply feed speed V or the feed amount of the supply mechanism 2 may be determined using the detection information from the thickness detector 120 and the count sensor 121 in combination.

  According to the mail processing apparatus provided with the take-out device 1 configured as described above, the thickness of the picked-up mail P is detected using the thickness detector 120, and input according to the detection information. The thickness of the postal matter P in the region near the take-out position of the part 51 is predicted, and the optimum supply feed speed of the postal matter P in the input unit is adjusted according to this prediction result, or the feed amount is varied. Thus, a smooth supply operation can be performed. Further, the number of passages per unit time of the mail piece P taken out may be counted, and the supply feed speed V for the number of passages per unit time may be set. Therefore, the postal matter P can be taken out one by one stably and at high speed without being affected by the difference in the thickness of the postal matter P. Further, the number of postal items taken out per unit time is detected by the count sensor 121, the amount of postal matter in the area near the picking position is predicted, and in accordance with this, an appropriate feeding speed by the supply mechanism 2 is estimated. Alternatively, a smoother supply operation can be performed by changing the feed amount. As a result, it is possible to perform an appropriate supply and take out more stably, and it is possible to obtain a paper sheet processing apparatus with an improved processing speed.

Next, a mail processing apparatus provided with a take-out apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a postal matter take-out device 1 according to the second embodiment. According to the present embodiment, the control unit 200 predicts the posture of the postal matter P in the insertion unit 51 by using the thickness detector 120 and the count sensor 121 together and viewing the obtained information. . The supply mechanism 2 includes a main belt 126 for sending the postal matter P in the feeding direction F and a pair of sub-belts 125, and each can be driven independently. The sub belt 125 is provided downstream of the main belt 126 in the feed direction F, that is, at a position closer to the take-out position 87. The supply mechanism 2 has a backup plate 128 that pushes the rear surface of the postal matter P group. The backup plate 128 is connected to the main belt 126 and driven in synchronization with the main belt. The take-out device 1 has one or a plurality of optical sensors 127 that detect the postal matter P from the front side.
The other configuration of the mail processing apparatus is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, and the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and the detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In the second embodiment, for example, it is determined from the information obtained from the thickness detector 120 that “the thickness of the postal matter P is thin”, and at the same time, from the information obtained from the count sensor 121, “slower than a predetermined processing speed”. When it is determined that the postal matter P is set in the vicinity of the take-out position 87 of the throw-in portion 51, it is assumed that the postal item P is largely tilted obliquely as shown in FIG. There is a possibility that the postal matter P has fallen, but for this, the postal matter P is shown in FIG. 11 by judging the information of the optical sensor 127 and the information of the pushing force detection sensor 123 from various angles. It can be judged whether it is in a tilted posture or it has fallen. In this case, it can be inferred that the postal matter P is thin and light in weight, but the postal matter processing speed, that is, the pick-up speed does not increase because the postal matter P has a poor posture in the input section 51. To do.

  Therefore, the control unit 200 determines that the “thin postal matter exists in the vicinity of the take-out position of the input unit, and its posture is slanted based on the detection information obtained by the thickness detector 120, the count sensor 121, and the optical sensor 127. If it is determined that the item has fallen, the supply mechanism 2 is driven to raise the mail P and the processing speed is recovered. That is, the control unit 200 controls the driving speed and the driving direction of the main belt 126 and the sub belt 125 so that the postal matter P is placed in an attitude. As an example of an operation method for raising the postal matter P, as shown in FIG. 12, the control unit 200 performs the backup by rotating the main belt 126 forward while rotating the sub belt 125 in the reverse direction (sending in the direction opposite to the take-out position 87). By pushing the rear face of the postal matter P with the plate 9 in the direction F, the postal matter P can be raised. Thereby, a smooth supply operation of mail can be performed, and the mail can be taken out stably and at high speed by the take-out device 1. Accordingly, the extraction can be continued without reducing the processing speed. In addition, also in 2nd Embodiment, the effect similar to 1st Embodiment can be acquired.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Extraction device, 2 ... Supply mechanism, 10 ... Conveyance path, 51 ... Input part, 53 ... Suction mechanism,
54 ... separation mechanism, 55 ... auxiliary mechanism, 56 ... take-out mechanism, 57a, 57b ... sensor,
58 ... transport mechanism, 120 ... thickness detector, 121 ... count sensor,
122: Letter sensor, 123: Pushing force detection sensor, 200: Control unit, P: Mail

Claims (8)

A loading unit for stacking a plurality of paper sheets;
A supply mechanism for moving the plurality of paper sheets placed in the above direction in the stacking direction and supplying the paper sheets at the leading end in the movement direction to the take-out position of the input unit;
A take-out mechanism that takes out the paper sheets one by one from the input section by adsorbing and moving the paper sheets supplied to the take-out position;
A transport mechanism for transporting the paper sheets taken out by the take-out mechanism along a transport path;
A thickness detector for detecting the thickness of the paper sheet taken out by the take-out mechanism;
A paper sheet sensor for detecting a density state of the paper sheet on the upstream side of the take-out position;
According to the thickness information per unit time of the taken-out paper sheet obtained from the thickness detector, the supply speed or feed amount of the paper sheet by the supply mechanism is determined, and the paper sheet sensor A control unit that determines whether to operate or stop the supply mechanism based on the density information of the obtained paper sheet;
An apparatus for taking out paper sheets.   A counter that counts the number of sheets taken out by the take-out mechanism; and the control unit supplies the supply mechanism according to information on the number of sheets taken out per unit time obtained by the counter. 2. The paper sheet take-out device according to claim 1, wherein the speed or the feed amount is determined.   The control unit calculates an average value of thickness per unit time obtained by the thickness detector, and when the average value is thinner than a predetermined reference value, the supply rate is reduced, and the average value The sheet take-out device according to claim 1, wherein the supply speed is increased when the value is thicker than a predetermined reference value. A pressing force detection sensor for detecting the pressing force of the paper sheet by the supply mechanism;
When the pushing force detected by the pushing force detection sensor is smaller than a reference value, the control unit feeds the paper sheets toward the take-out position by the supply mechanism, and the pushing force detected by the pushing force detection sensor is a reference. 4. The paper sheet take-out device according to claim 1, wherein when the value is larger than the value, the supply mechanism is operated in a reverse direction to reduce clogging of the paper sheets. 5.   On the downstream side of the take-out direction of the paper sheets by the take-out mechanism, disposed on the opposite side of the take-out mechanism across the transport path, and exerts a negative pressure on the paper sheets taken out to the transport path, 5. The paper sheet take-out device according to claim 1, further comprising a separation mechanism that separates second and subsequent paper sheets taken out by the paper sheets taken out from the take-out position. A loading unit for stacking a plurality of paper sheets;
A supply mechanism for moving the plurality of paper sheets placed in the above direction in the stacking direction and supplying the paper sheets at the leading end in the movement direction to the take-out position of the input unit;
A take-out mechanism that takes out the paper sheets one by one from the input section by adsorbing and moving the paper sheets supplied to the take-out position;
A transport mechanism for transporting the paper sheets taken out by the take-out mechanism along a transport path;
A thickness detector for detecting the thickness of the paper sheet taken out by the take-out mechanism;
A counter for counting the number of sheets taken out by the take-out mechanism;
According to the thickness information per unit time of the paper sheet obtained from the thickness detector and the number of sheets to be taken out per unit time obtained by the counter, the posture of the paper sheet in the input unit is determined. A controller that predicts and corrects the posture of the paper sheet by the supply mechanism when the paper sheet is predicted to be inclined or tilted;
An apparatus for taking out paper sheets.   The control unit, the thickness information per unit time of the paper sheet obtained by the thickness detector is smaller than a reference value, and the number of passing sheets per unit time obtained by the counter is less than the reference value The paper sheet take-out device according to claim 6, wherein the paper sheet is determined to be tilted obliquely in the input unit and the supply mechanism performs a correction operation.   The supply mechanism includes a main belt and a sub-belt that are independently drivable to send the paper sheets, and the control unit is configured such that the posture of the paper sheets in the input unit is tilted obliquely. 8. The paper sheet take-out device according to claim 7, wherein when the determination is made, the driving speed and the driving direction of the main belt and the sub belt are controlled so that the posture of the paper sheet is raised.

Images