JP2012254619A - Collator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a collator which can easily cope with the change in size of an article to be collated or a collated article thereof to suppress occurrence of failures.SOLUTION: The collator includes a conveying path extending in a lateral direction, a conveying means for conveying articles to be collated along the conveying path, a plurality of paper feeding pieces including paper feeding base arranged in one row in the lateral direction on one side along the conveying path for placing articles to be collated thereon, and a paper feeding means for subsequently supplying the articles to be collated placed on the paper feeding base of each of paper feed pieces to the conveying path. The conveying path is provided with a lower table 120 on which overlaid articles to be collated are conveyed, and an upper stage table 130 which once receives the articles to be collated taken out from each of paper feeding pieces in accordance with each of the paper feeding pieces. The lower table 120 is adjustable in the vertical direction relative to the upper stage table 130 and the paper feeding base.

Description

  The present invention relates to a collating machine that collates an object to be collated such as a signature.

  As a conventional collating machine, for example, the one shown in Patent Document 1 is known. In this collating machine, a conveying means for conveying an object to be collated such as a signature along a conveying path extending in a substantially horizontal direction, and a plurality of lines arranged in a row in the horizontal direction on one side along the conveying path. A sheet feeding frame and sheet feeding means for sequentially supplying a collated object placed on each sheet feeding frame from the end (generally the lowest) one to the conveyance path are provided.

  Then, the objects to be collated supplied from each sheet feeding frame by the sheet feeding unit are sequentially superimposed on the collated objects while being conveyed through the conveyance path by the conveying unit, and collation is performed.

Japanese Patent No. 3324885 (FIG. 1)

  However, since the size or thickness of the collated object or the completed collated object may change from work to work, in the conventional collating machine, the conveyance path is fixed. There is a problem that a defect may occur in conveyance.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and provides a collating machine that can easily cope with a change in the size of a collated object or the collated object and suppress the occurrence of defects. That is the purpose.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the invention described in claim 1 includes a conveyance path extending in the lateral direction, a conveyance means for conveying the article to be collated along the conveyance path, and one side along the conveyance path. A plurality of paper feed frames provided with paper feed stands for placing the collated articles in a row in the horizontal direction, and the collated articles placed on the paper feed stands of the respective paper feed frames are taken out to the conveyance path. A collating machine equipped with a paper feeding means,
The transport path includes a lower path for transporting the overlapped articles to be collated, and an upper table for temporarily receiving the collated articles taken out from the respective sheet feeding frames corresponding to the respective sheet feeding frames. Provided,
The lower passage is configured to be adjustable in the vertical direction with respect to the upper table and the sheet feed table.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, there is provided drive means for moving the lower passage in the vertical direction.

  A third aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the lower passage is composed of a table assigned to one or more paper feed frames.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the invention, when the lower passage is adjusted downward, the lower passage is moved downward from the table on the downstream side in the conveying direction, and the lower passage is adjusted upward. In doing so, it is characterized by moving upward in order from the table on the upstream side in the transport direction.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the paper feeding means is provided on the paper feeding table so as to grip the object to be collated placed on the paper feeding table. An inspection imaging device is fixed on the moving surface of the gripping machine, and a concave portion that prevents interference with the inspection imaging device is formed on the holding surface. It is characterized by that.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a main body case, a cover that can be opened and closed with respect to the main body case, And an upper housing provided with setting means assigned to the sheet feeding frame, and the cover has a frame in which a transparent plate is fitted and a pair of swing arms extending from both sides of the frame. The swing arm is characterized in that the cover performs an opening / closing operation by performing a swing motion with the upper casing always exposed.

  According to the present invention, the lower passage can be adjusted in the vertical direction with respect to the upper table and the sheet feed table, so that the lower passage is adjusted by adjusting the lower passage according to the thickness of the object to be collated. It is possible to easily adjust the distance between the upper table and the upper table.

It is a whole perspective view of the collating machine by this invention, (a) shows the state where the cover was closed, (b) shows the state where the cover was opened. It is a schematic perspective view which shows a part of collating machine by this invention. It is a schematic diagram of the collating machine by this invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view mainly showing a sheet feeding frame and sheet feeding means of a collating machine according to the present invention. FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view illustrating an operation in which the sheet feeding unit performs sheet feeding from the state illustrated in FIG. 3A. It is the perspective view seen from the front direction showing the adjustment means of the collating machine by this invention. It is the perspective view seen from the back direction showing the adjustment means of the collating machine by this invention. It is a cross-sectional view which mainly shows the adjustment means of the collating machine by this invention. FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the vertical adjustment is performed from the state illustrated in FIG. 6A. FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the adjustment in the front-rear direction is performed from the state illustrated in FIG. 6A. It is a cross-sectional view which mainly shows the driving device of the collating machine according to the present invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the collating machine 10 includes a conveying path 12 that extends roughly in the lateral direction, and conveying means 14 that conveys an object to be collated such as a signature along the conveying path 12. A plurality of paper feed frames 16 arranged in a row in the horizontal direction on one side along the conveyance path 14 (the number is 8 frames in FIG. 1, but the number is arbitrary), and the paper feed frames 16 are fed. A sheet feeding means 18 for sequentially supplying the articles to be collated placed on the paper table to the conveying path, and a setting means 20 provided corresponding to each sheet feeding frame 16 for setting the operation for each sheet feeding frame 16 and the like. And a monitor 22 and a controller (not shown).

  In the overall description, the front-rear direction basically refers to a direction orthogonal to the lateral direction in which the conveyance path 12 extends, and the sheet feeding frame 16 side is the rear side of the conveyance path 12, and the sheet is oppositely fed. The top 16 side is the front side.

  The outside of the collating machine 10 mainly includes a main body case 24 having a front surface portion 242, a side surface portion 244, and a rear surface portion, a cover 26 that can be opened and closed with respect to the main body case 24 and covers the upper portion of the front surface portion 242, and an upper portion And an upper housing 28 provided with the setting means 20 and the monitor 22. The cover 26 and the upper housing 28 are provided for each of the plurality of paper feed frames 16. Each cover 26 has a frame 264 in which a transparent plate 262 made of glass or synthetic resin is fitted, and a pair of swing arms 266 extending from both sides of the frame 264. The swing arms 266 are upper housings. It is attached so as to perform a swinging motion on both lateral sides of 28 (ie, left and right). Therefore, the cover 26 performs an opening / closing operation in a state where the upper casing 28 is always exposed. Therefore, since the upper casing 28 is provided with the setting means 20, even if the cover 26 is opened (FIG. 1 (a)) or closed (FIG. 1 (b)), the setting means 20 is entered. Can be operated. The frame 264 of the cover 26 does not interfere with the monitor 22 when opening and closing.

  As schematically shown in FIG. 2B, a fixed main frame 200 and a subframe 400 (described later) that can move back and forth with respect to the main frame 200 are provided in the main body case 24.

  Each of the paper feed frames 16 includes a paper feed table 162 that is supported by the main frame 200. Normally, the same kind of collated articles are stacked and placed on the paper feed table 162.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the sheet feeding means 18 assigned to each sheet feeding frame 16 holds the clamping machine 182 that can clamp the object to be collated and the remaining objects to be collated on the sheet feeding table 162. A claw 184 and a suction means 186 for sucking one object to be collated from the paper feed table 162 are provided. The sandwiching machine 182 is a vise-type sandwiching machine that reciprocally rotates back and forth around the rotation shaft 182 a so as to come in contact with and separate from the paper feed table 162 by power from a main drive source (not shown). . Instead of a vise clamper, a rotary clamper can be used. Further, the claw 184 is also reciprocally rotated around the rotation shaft 184 a by the main drive source so as to be in contact with and separated from the paper feed table 162. The suction means 186 is below the paper feed table 162 and performs a reciprocating rotation operation opposite to the reciprocating rotation operation of the claw 184. By moving the adsorbing means 186 to a position approaching the object to be collated, the adsorbing means 186 adsorbs the object to be collated at the bottom of the paper feed table 162 and feeds the paper in a state where the object to be collated is adsorbed. The object to be collated is rotated by a predetermined amount so as to move away from the table 162, and then the object to be grasped is held by the holding machine 182 to release the adsorption force by the adsorption means 186. The sandwiching machine 182 rotates while pinching the object to be collated, and takes out the object to be collated into the conveyance path 12.

  In addition, an inspection imaging device 170 is provided for each paper feed frame 16. The inspection imaging device 170 is attached to the fixed shaft 172 by a bracket 174. The inspection imaging device 170 is positioned so as to correspond to the center in the horizontal direction of the paper feed table 162 of the paper feed frame 16. The sandwiching machine 182 is also positioned so as to correspond to the lateral center of the paper feed table 162 in order to grip the object to be collated without being inclined. For this reason, a concave portion 182b is formed in the clamping device 182 in order to prevent interference between the inspection imaging device 170 and the clamping device 182. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the clamping machine 182 comes closest to the sheet feeding frame 16, the inspection imaging device 170 enters a part of the recess 182 b, and the clamping machine 182 and the imaging imaging device 170 are in contact with each other. Interference can be prevented. As a result, since the inspection imaging device 170 can take a picture of the central portion of the collated portion that is in the middle of being taken out by the sandwiching machine 182 and is collinear with the sandwiched portion, stable inspection is possible. An image can be obtained, and the inspection image can be subjected to an inspection as to whether correct collation has been made. As for the illumination for photographing (not shown), the photographing point may be irradiated obliquely at a position shifted from the center in the horizontal direction.

  The transport passage 12 is provided with a lower table 120 as an upper passage and an upper table 130.

  The lower table 120 is provided with one lower table 120 common to all paper feeding frames 16, or as one lower table 120 common to a plurality of paper feeding frames 16 (see FIG. 2B), or one paper feeding frame. A plurality of lower tables 120 can be provided as a single lower table 120 every sixteen. When a plurality of lower tables are provided, as shown in FIG. 2B, the upstream lower table 120 is located slightly higher than the downstream lower table 120 along the conveyance path 12. Preferably, the collated object that moves on the lower table 120 flows smoothly from upstream to downstream.

  Further, the lower table 120 has two tables separated on the front and rear sides of a rear lower table 122 arranged on the paper supply frame 16 side and a front lower table 124 arranged on the side away from the paper supply frame 16. ing. The rear lower table 122 has an inclined surface that descends as the distance from the sheet feeding frame 16 increases. The front lower table 124 further includes two separate tables, a first front lower table 124a and a second front lower table 124b disposed above the first front lower table 124a. A lower positioning plate 126 is integrally provided at the front end of the second front lower table 124b as a positioning portion that is bent 90 degrees upward and extends in the vertical direction.

  As will be described later, the rear lower table 122 and the first front lower table 124a are supported so as to be movable up and down with respect to the main frame 200. The second front lower table 124b is supported so as to be movable up and down with respect to the subframe 400.

  On the front end of the rear lower table 122 and the rear end of the first front lower table 124a, flanges 122a and 124c bent 90 degrees downward are formed.

  The upper table 130 is assigned to each sheet feeding frame 16. Similarly to the lower table 120, each upper table 130 is arranged before and after a rear upper table 132 arranged on the paper supply frame 16 side and a front upper table 134 arranged on the side away from the paper supply frame 16. It has two separate tables. The rear upper table 132 has a slope that descends as the distance from the paper supply top 16 increases. The front upper table 134 is further composed of two separate tables, a first front upper table 134a and a second front upper table 134b disposed below the first front upper table 134a. On the front side of the second front upper table 134b, an upper positioning plate 136 is provided as a positioning portion that is bent 90 degrees upward and extends in the vertical direction.

  The rear upper table 132 is attached to the paper feed frame 16 fixed to the main frame 200, and as shown in FIG. 6A, the first front upper table 134a is attached to the mounting arm at a lateral position that does not interfere with the object to be collated. The second front upper table 134b is attached to the subframe 400 by the attachment arm 138b.

  The upper positioning plate 136 is attached to the subframe 400 so as to align with the lower positioning plate 126 in the vertical direction.

  A conveying claw 142 of the conveying means 14 can pass between the rear lower table 122 and the front lower table 124 and between the rear upper table 132 and the front upper table 134. Is supported so as not to fall down in the front-rear direction. The conveyance claw 142 is for extruding the object to be collated on each table 120, 130 along the conveyance path 12 in the lateral direction from upstream to downstream. The conveyance claw 142 is moved along the conveyance path 12 by the conveyor device 144.

  The collating operation of the collating machine 10 configured as described above is performed as follows. As described above, when the object to be collated taken out from each sheet feeding frame 16 by the sheet feeding unit 18 is moved to the upper table 130, the upper end of the object to be collated is moved by the upper positioning plate 136 in the upper table 130. A defined object is positioned. Then, the object to be collated is pushed out by the conveying claw 142 of the conveying means 14 and moves from the upper table 130 to the lower table 120. In the lower table 120, the overlapped articles to be collated have already been pushed out by the conveying claws 142 on the upstream side, and the front end of the article to be collated is defined and positioned by the lower positioning plate 126. Further, the collated objects are further superimposed on the upper table 130 on the upstream side with reference to the front end of each other.

  Furthermore, the collating machine 10 of the present invention is provided with a first adjustment means 30 and a second adjustment means 32 that move the lower table 120 so as to be adjustable in the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the first adjusting means 30 is connected to the vertical movement guide 302 extending from below the rear lower table 122 and the vertical movement guide 302 extending from below the first front lower table 124 a. The vertical movement guide 302 is connected to the main frame 200 so as to be movable in the vertical direction.

  The vertical movement guide 302 is provided with a rack 310, and the rack 310 meshes with the pinion gear 314. The pinion gear 314 is driven by a shaft 315, and the shaft 315 is connected to an output shaft of a first motor 312 as driving means fixed to the main frame 200 via gears 316 and 318. The shaft 315 is pivotally supported on the main frame 200. A stopper 306 that restricts the vertical position of the vertical movement guide 302 is provided on the main frame 200.

  The second adjustment means 32 has a vertical movement guide 322 connected to the lower positioning plate 126, and the vertical movement guide 322 is connected to the subframe 400 so as to be movable in the vertical direction.

  The vertical movement guide 322 is provided with a rack 330, and the rack 330 meshes with the pinion gear 334. The pinion gear 334 is driven by a shaft 335, and the shaft 335 is connected to an output shaft of a second motor 332 as driving means fixed to the subframe 400 via gears 336 and 338. The shaft 335 is pivotally supported by the subframe 400. In addition, stoppers 324 and 326 that restrict the vertical position of the vertical movement guide 322 are provided on the subframe 400.

  Further, the collating machine 10 of the present invention includes third adjusting means 40 that moves the second front lower table 124b, the lower positioning plate 126, the second front upper table 134b, and the upper positioning plate 136 so as to be adjustable in the front-rear direction. Provided.

  The third adjusting means 40 includes the subframe 400 described above, and a rack 410 is provided on the subframe 400, and the rack 410 meshes with the pinion gear 414. The pinion gear 414 is driven by a shaft 415, and the shaft 415 is connected to an output shaft of a third motor 412 as driving means fixed to the main frame 200 via gears 416 and 418. The shaft 415 is pivotally supported on the main frame 200. Further, stoppers 402 and 404 that restrict the front and rear positions of the subframe 400 are provided on the main frame 200.

  Further, the hitting drive means 42 is attached to the main frame 200 and the subframe 400. As shown in FIG. 7, the tapping drive means 42 is driven by a power from a main drive source, a driving cam 422 that rotates, a cam follower rod 424 that follows the driving cam 422, and the cam follower rod 424 toward the driving cam 422. A spring 425 to be urged, a lever 426 that is pivotally supported at one end of the cam follower rod 424 and pivotally supported with respect to the main frame 200, a connecting rod 428 that is pivotally supported at the other end of the lever 426, A second lever 430 whose one end is pivotally attached to the rod 428 and a shaft 432 that penetrates the other end of the second lever 430 so as not to be relatively rotatable are provided. The shaft 432 is supported by the sub-frame 400 and extends in the lateral direction. A pair of tapping attachment portions 434 are attached to appropriate portions of the shaft 432 so as to correspond to the respective paper feed frames 16. When the cam follower rod 424 moves back and forth, the lever 426 swings, the connecting rod 428 moves up and down, the second lever 430 swings, and the hitting 436 swings via the shaft 432 and the hitting attachment portion 434. Thus, the collated object taken out from the paper supply frame 16 by the paper supply means 18 is stabilized by the upper table 130.

  In the collating machine 10 configured as described above, the table can be adjusted in the vertical direction according to the size of the object to be collated.

  That is, when the thickness of the collated object or the completed collated object is thick, the vertical dimension between the lower table 120 and the upper table 130 needs to be increased. When the thickness of the compound is small, the smaller the vertical dimension between the lower table 120 and the upper table 130 is, the smaller the distance of dropping from the upper table 130 to the lower table 120 is, which eliminates the risk of a drop failure. Non-defective products can be reduced. However, changing the vertical relationship between the upper table 130 and the paper supply frame 16 is not preferable because the state when the collated object is pulled out from the paper supply frame 16 changes.

  For this reason, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6B, the first motor 312 is driven to move the vertical movement guide 302 up and down relative to the main frame 200, whereby the rear lower table 122 and the first front lower table 124a. Are moved up and down with respect to the upper table 130 and the paper feed frame 16. Further, the second motor 332 is driven to move the vertical movement guide 322 up and down relative to the main frame 200 and the sub frame 400, so that the second front lower table 124 b is moved up and down relative to the upper table 130 and the paper feed frame 16. Move.

  Thus, the lower table 120 can be adjusted in the vertical direction. At this time, when the lower table 120 is adjusted downward, the first motor 312 is driven to move the rear lower table 122 and the first front lower table 124a downward, and then the second motor 332 is driven. Then, it is preferable to move the second front lower table 124b downward, thereby preventing an unexpected situation such as the first front lower table 124a and the second front lower table 124b colliding with each other. On the other hand, when the lower table 120 is adjusted upward, the second motor 332 is driven to move the second front lower table 124b upward, and then the first motor 312 is driven to move the lower lower table. 122 and the first front lower table 124a may be moved upward.

  In addition, when a plurality of lower tables 120 are provided, when adjusting the lower table 120 downward, it is better to move downward from the lower table 120 on the downstream side, and adjust the lower table 120 upward. In this case, it is preferable to move upward from the lower table 120 on the upstream side in order to prevent an unexpected situation such that adjacent lower tables 120 collide with each other.

  In this way, the vertical adjustment can be performed without changing the positional relationship between the paper feed frame 16 and the upper table 130.

  Moreover, in the collating machine 10 comprised as mentioned above, the table of the front-back direction can also be adjusted according to the dimension of the to-be-collated thing to collate.

  That is, when the front-rear width of the object to be collated is changed, the distance between the position at which the conveyance claw 142 pushes out the object to be collated and the center part in the front-rear direction of the object to be collated may be changed. If the position to be pushed out is far away from the center in the front-rear direction, a rotational moment acts on the object to be collated, which may cause the object to be inclined and cause a collation failure.

  For this reason, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6C, the third motor 412 is driven to move the subframe 400 back and forth relative to the main frame 200 and the conveying claws 142, whereby the second front lower table 124b, the second The front upper table 134b and the positioning plates 126 and 136 can be moved back and forth.

  Since the reference position of the front end of the object to be collated changes as the positioning plates 126 and 136 move back and forth, the distance between the position of the conveying claw 142 where the object to be collated is pushed out and the center part in the front-rear direction of the object to be collated Can be adjusted to be small, and the object to be collated can be correctly conveyed without tilting.

  At this time, since the rear lower table 122, the first front lower table 124a, the rear upper table 132, and the first front upper table 134a do not move back and forth, the hooks 122a and 124c hold the front and rear directions of the conveying claws 142. In addition, it is possible to prevent a change in the gap in the front-rear direction between the transport claw 142 and each table.

  When the subframe 400 moves back and forth, the shaft 432 of the tapping drive means 42 pivotally supported by the subframe 400 and the tapping attachment portion 434 attached thereto also move back and forth together with the subframe 400 (imaginary line in FIG. 7). This can be handled by changing the angle of the connecting rod 428.

  In the above embodiment, the first adjustment unit 30, the second adjustment unit 32, and the third adjustment unit 40 are provided. However, it is not always necessary to provide all of them, and for example, adjustment in the front-rear direction is unnecessary. In this case, the third adjustment unit 40 is omitted, and the front lower table 124 and the front upper table 134 can be configured by one table, and the second adjustment unit 32 can also be omitted. Alternatively, when the adjustment in the vertical direction is unnecessary, the first adjustment unit 30 and the second adjustment unit 32 can be omitted. Further, although the adjusting means is driven using the electric driving means, the adjusting means may be driven manually or mechanically.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Collating machine 12 Conveyance path 14 Conveyance means 16 Paper supply top 162 Paper supply stand 18 Paper supply means 20 Setting means 24 Main body case 26 Cover 28 Upper housing | casing 120 Lower table (lower passage)
130 Upper table 170 Imaging device 182 for inspection Grasping machine 182b Recess 262 Transparent plate 264 Frame 266 Swing arm 312 First motor (driving means)

Claims (6)

A conveyance path that extends in the horizontal direction, a conveyance means that conveys the object to be collated along the conveyance path, and a paper feed that places the objects to be collated in a row in one row along the conveyance path In a collating machine comprising a plurality of sheet feeding frames provided with a table, and a sheet feeding means for taking out a collated object placed on the sheet feeding table of each sheet feeding frame to a conveyance path,
The transport path includes a lower path for transporting the overlapped articles to be collated, and an upper table for temporarily receiving the collated articles taken out from the respective sheet feeding frames corresponding to the respective sheet feeding frames. Provided,
A collating machine characterized in that the lower passage is configured to be adjustable in the vertical direction with respect to the upper table and the paper feed table.   The collating machine according to claim 1, further comprising driving means for moving the lower passage in the vertical direction.   The collating machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lower passage includes a table assigned to one or more paper feed frames.   When adjusting the lower passage in the downward direction, it moves downward from the table on the downstream side in the conveyance direction, and when adjusting the lower passage in the upward direction, it moves upward from the table on the upstream side in the conveyance direction. The collating machine according to claim 3, wherein:   The paper feeding means includes a gripping machine that moves so as to come in contact with and separate from the paper feeding base in order to grip a collage placed on the paper feeding base. The collating machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the image pickup device is fixed, and a concave portion that prevents interference with the inspection image pickup device is formed in the gripping machine.   Outside the collator, a main body case, a cover that can be opened and closed with respect to the main body case, and an upper housing provided with setting means assigned to each paper feed frame are provided, The cover has a frame in which a transparent plate is fitted and a pair of swing arms extending from both sides of the frame, and the swing arm performs a swing motion with the upper housing always exposed, The collating machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the cover performs an opening / closing operation.