JP2017001863A - Book separating device for book block - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a book separating mechanism capable of pushing out a book block at a lowermost end with a simple configuration without deformation and breakage.SOLUTION: A book separating device sequentially separates a book block T at a lowermost stage from a book block stack S formed of a stacked body of temporarily bound book blocks T. The book separating device comprises a push-out unit 21 for pushing out the book block T at the lowermost stage partially from between a stopper 16 and a first conveying part 1 in a conveying direction Y. The push-out unit 21 comprises: a pusher 22 for pushing the book block T at the lowermost stage in the conveying direction Y; a guide 24 provided to extend in the conveying direction Y; a lifting drive part 23 for lifting the pusher 22 between a position where an upper part of the pusher protrudes upward from a conveying surface of the first conveying part 1 and a position where the upper part does not protrude upward from the conveying surface of the first conveying part 1; and a horizontal drive part 25 for moving the pusher 22 together with the lifting drive part 23 along the guide 24.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a volume separation apparatus that sequentially separates a book block at the lowest level from a book block stack formed by stacking temporarily bound book blocks.

  In the bookbinding process, a book block stack which is a stack of temporarily bound book blocks is formed. The book block stack is sent to the booklet device, and the booklet device sequentially separates the book block at the lowest stage from the book block stack and sends it to the next processing device.

  This type of volumetric apparatus is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. In this booklet device, a pusher (claw) is pressed against the rear end surface of the lowermost book block in the book block stack, and the front end side of the lowermost book block is pushed out. The booklet apparatus sandwiches the extruded lowermost book block by a pair of an upper belt and a lower belt, completely pulls it out from the book block stack, and conveys it. Thereby, the lowermost book block is separated.

  The pusher is configured to move by an endless chain. Specifically, the endless chain is stretched over a pair of sprockets and extends in the transport direction. The endless chain is provided with a plurality of support portions at appropriate intervals for attaching the pusher over the entire endless chain. The plurality of pushers are attached to the support portion at appropriate intervals according to the length of the book block in the conveyance direction. The pusher moves as the endless chain rotates endlessly by the motor.

  The pusher moves in the transport direction along the upper straight portion of the endless chain, and pushes the lowermost book block of the book block stack in the transport direction. Thereafter, the pusher moves back in the direction opposite to the conveying direction along the lower straight portion of the endless chain.

  According to this configuration, if the upper straight portion of the endless chain is loose, the pusher is not positioned at an appropriate height and the lowermost book block cannot be pushed out properly. As a result, when the pusher pushes out the book block, the book block is likely to be deformed or damaged. Therefore, a rail that supports the upper straight portion of the endless chain from below is provided so that the upper straight portion of the endless chain slides on the rail, thereby preventing the upper straight portion of the endless chain from bending.

JP 08-24001 A

  In the booklet device as described above, it is necessary to provide a plurality of support portions for attaching the pusher (claw) over the entire endless chain, and it is necessary to provide a rail to prevent the endless chain from loosening. The structure was unexpectedly complicated. In addition, the number of parts is high, and there is a problem that the maintenance is difficult.

  Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a booklet mechanism that can push out the book block at the lowermost end with a simple configuration.

In order to solve the above problems, a volume separation apparatus according to the present invention is a volume separation apparatus that sequentially separates the lowermost block of book blocks from a book block stack composed of a stack of temporarily bound book blocks,
A first transport unit for transporting the book block stack in the transport direction; a second transport unit disposed downstream of the first transport unit for transporting the book block in the transport direction; and the first A stopper that is disposed above the downstream end of the transport unit and prevents the book blocks other than the lowermost stage of the book block stack from moving in the transport direction; and the top of the book block stack. An extrusion unit for partially extruding the lower book block from between the stopper and the first conveyance unit in the conveyance direction, and the book block extruded by the extrusion unit at the second conveyance unit A drawer unit for pulling in the transport direction from between the stopper and the first transport unit,
The push-out unit includes a pusher for pushing the lowermost book block in the carrying direction, a guide provided to extend in the carrying direction, and the pusher, the upper part of which is a carrying surface of the first carrying unit. The raising / lowering drive part which raises / lowers between the position which protrudes further upwards, and the position where the upper part does not protrude above the conveyance surface of the said 1st conveyance part, and moves the said pusher with the said elevation drive part along the said guide And a horizontal driving unit.

  Preferably, the apparatus includes a position changing unit that moves the pusher together with the elevation drive unit and the horizontal drive unit to change the position of the pusher in the transport direction with respect to the first transport unit.

Preferably, the pusher, the elevating drive unit, and the horizontal drive unit are provided to be movable along the guide integrally.
The position changing unit spans a plurality of rotating bodies so as to have a straight portion extending along the guide, and the endless cord-like body in which the elevating drive unit is attached to the straight portion, and the cord-like shape An operation handle connected to the rotating shaft of one of the rotating bodies to rotate the body endlessly.

  Preferably, the elevating drive unit is a linear actuator that supports and pushes the pusher, and the horizontal drive unit is operated by a motor and the motor to move the pusher and the elevating drive unit along the guide. A reciprocating crank mechanism.

  Preferably, the drawer unit is provided above the second transport unit so as to face the second transport unit, and is swingable up and down around an end on the downstream side in the transport direction. And an elevating drive unit for the belt that swings the sandwiching belt up and down.

  As described above, the push-out unit of the booklet apparatus according to the present invention includes the lift drive unit that lifts and lowers the pusher, and the horizontal drive unit that moves the pusher along with the lift drive unit along the guide extending in the transport direction. Realizes book block push-out operation. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a plurality of support portions for attaching the pusher at an appropriate interval on the entire endless chain as in the prior art, and there is no concern about extrusion failure due to bending of the endless chain. Therefore, the extrusion unit has a simple configuration and can appropriately push out the lowermost book block without deformation or breakage.

It is a side view which shows schematic structure of the booklet apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a side view for demonstrating the 1st conveyance part and the 2nd conveyance part of the booklet apparatus of FIG. It is a side view for demonstrating the extrusion unit and drawer unit of the booklet apparatus of FIG. It is a figure explaining the separation operation by a volume device. It is a figure explaining the separation operation by a volume device. It is a figure explaining the separation operation by a volume device. It is a figure explaining the separation operation by a volume device. It is a figure explaining the separation operation by a volume device. It is a figure explaining the separation operation by a volume device. It is a time chart of the volume operation by a volume device. 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating a configuration corresponding to book blocks having different lengths in the transport direction by changing the position of the pusher by the position change unit.

Hereinafter, a book block separation apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the bookbinding step, a book block stack S composed of a stack in which the temporarily bound book blocks T are stacked in the vertical direction is formed, and the book block stack S is sent to the booklet device. As used herein, the temporarily bound book block T refers to one in which a signature or sheet is collated and temporarily bound with glue or the like.

  The volume separation device is for sequentially separating the book block T at the lowermost stage from the book block stack S and sending it to the next bookbinding step. As shown in FIG. 1, the separation apparatus transports a book block T separated from the book block stack S in the transport direction Y, as will be described later, and a first transport unit 1 for transporting the book block stack S in the transport direction Y. The 2nd conveyance part 2 for carrying out is provided.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the first transport unit 1 and the second transport unit 2. With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the first transport unit 1 is a belt conveyor. The first transport unit 1 includes a pair of rollers 3a and 3b extending in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the transport direction Y, and an endless belt 4 that extends over the pair of rollers 3a and 3b and extends in the transport direction Y. A pulley 5 is attached to the rotating shaft of one roller 3b. A motor 6 is disposed below the endless belt 4, and a pulley 7 is attached to an output shaft thereof. An additional endless belt 8 is wound around the pulleys 5 and 7. When the motor 6 is driven, the endless belt 4 rotates endlessly.

  The second transport unit 2 is provided downstream in the transport direction Y of the first transport unit 1. The 2nd conveyance part 2 also consists of a belt conveyor. Similarly, the second transport unit 2 includes a pair of rollers 9a and 9b, and an endless belt 10 that extends over the pair of rollers 9a and 9b and extends in the transport direction Y. And the pulley 11 is attached to the rotating shaft of one roller 9b, the motor 12 is arrange | positioned under the endless belt 10, and the pulley 13 is attached to the output shaft. In addition, a plurality of additional pulleys 14a-14d are provided. An additional endless belt 15 is wound around these pulleys 11, 13, 14a to 14d. When the motor 12 is driven, the endless belt 10 rotates endlessly.

  Further, referring to FIG. 1, a plate-like stopper 16 is disposed above the downstream end of the first transport unit 1 in the transport direction Y. The stopper 16 is supported on the support body 17 at the upper part thereof. The stopper 16 prevents the book blocks T (that is, the book blocks T of the second and higher stages from the bottom) of the book block stack S transported by the first transport unit 1 from moving in the transport direction Y. In this case, only the lowermost book block T is transported to the second transport unit 2.

  The stopper 16 is configured to move up and down together with the support 17 by operating the operation handle 18 so that the height of the stopper 16 relative to the first transport unit 1 can be adjusted. That is, the distance between the first transport unit 1 and the stopper 16 can be adjusted according to the thickness of the book block T.

  A plate-like upstream stopper 19 and a lifting drive unit 20 such as an air cylinder that supports and lifts the upstream stopper 19 are provided upstream of the first transport unit 1. These control the carry-in of the book block stack S from the upstream of the booklet device to the first transport unit 1.

  The booklet device further includes an extrusion unit 21 for pushing the lowermost book block T of the book block stack S partially in the transport direction Y from between the stopper 16 and the first transport unit 1. Next, the extrusion unit 21 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3. FIG. 3 omits illustration of the first transport unit 1 and the second transport unit 2.

  A pusher 22 for pushing the lowermost book block T and a lift drive unit 23 that supports and pushes up and down the book block T are provided. In the present embodiment, the lift drive unit 23 is a linear actuator, more specifically, an air cylinder, and the pusher 22 is attached to the piston rod. The pusher 22 has a position where the upper part protrudes upward from the conveying surface of the first conveying part 1 (FIG. 1) and a position where the upper part does not protrude from the conveying surface of the first conveying part 1 by the lifting drive unit 23. Go up and down between.

  A guide 24 is attached to a frame (not shown) of the booklet device below the first transport unit 1 and extends in the transport direction Y. Further, a horizontal drive unit 25 is provided for moving the pusher 22 along the guide 24 together with the elevation drive unit 23. In the present embodiment, the horizontal drive unit 25 includes a motor 26 and a crank mechanism that is operated by the motor 26.

  The crank mechanism includes a support 27 provided on the guide 24, a crankshaft 28 that is rotatably attached to the support 27 and extends in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the guide 24, and one end attached to the crankshaft 28. And a crank arm 29. A slider 30 that supports the elevating drive unit 23 is provided to be movable along the guide 24. A connecting rod 31 is attached to the end of the crank arm 29 opposite to the crankshaft 28 via a pin at one end, and attached to the slider 30 via a pin at the other end. Link.

  A pulley 32 is attached to the crankshaft 28, a pulley 33 is also attached to the output shaft of the motor 26, and an endless belt 34 is stretched around the pulleys 32 and 33. Then, the rotation of the motor 26 causes the crankshaft 28 and the crank arm 29 to rotate, whereby the connecting rod 31 reciprocates the slider 30 along the guide 24. As a result, the pusher 22 and the lift drive unit 23 reciprocate with respect to the first transport unit 1 along the guide 24.

  Referring to FIG. 1, the booklet apparatus includes a position changing unit 35 that moves the pusher 22 together with the elevation drive unit 23 and the horizontal drive unit 25 to change the position of the pusher 22 in the transport direction Y with respect to the first transport unit 1. ing. Next, this configuration will be described.

  The support 27 of the horizontal drive unit 25 is provided so as to be movable along the guide 24, and supports the motor 26 although not shown. Therefore, the pusher 22, the raising / lowering drive part 23, and the horizontal drive part 25 can move integrally along the guide 24. A plurality of pulleys 36 a to 36 d (an example of a rotating body) are supported by the frame so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the guide 24. An endless belt 37 (an example of an endless cord-like body) is stretched over the pulleys 36 a to 36 d and has a linear portion 37 a extending along the guide 24. And the support body 27 of the horizontal drive part 25 is attached to this linear part 37a.

  An operation handle 38 is connected to the rotation shaft of one pulley 36c. The endless belt 37 rotates endlessly forward and backward by operation of the operation handle 38, whereby the pusher 22, the lift drive unit 23, and the horizontal drive unit 25 move along the guide 24 integrally. As a result, the position of the pusher 22 in the transport direction Y with respect to the first transport unit 1 is changed.

  In the above configuration, the pulleys 36a to 36d are used as the rotating body, and the endless belt 37 is used as the endless cord-like body. Alternatively, a sprocket may be used as the rotating body and an endless chain may be used as the cord-like body. Good. Further, the position changing unit 35 may be configured to move the entire pushing unit 21, that is, the pusher 22 in the transport direction Y together with the lifting / lowering driving unit 23, the horizontal driving unit 25 and the guide 24.

  Further, the booklet device includes a drawer unit 39 for pulling the book block T pushed out by the extrusion unit 21 between the stopper 16 and the first transport unit 1 in the transport direction Y with the second transport unit 2 interposed therebetween. . Hereinafter, this configuration will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The sandwiching belt 40 is disposed above the second conveying unit 2 so as to face the second conveying unit 2. The sandwiching belt 40 includes a pair of rollers 41a and 41b extending in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the transport direction Y, and an endless belt 42 stretched between the pair of rollers 41a and 41b. A belt raising / lowering drive unit 43 is supported by the support 17 via a pin and hangs down. The sandwiching belt 40 is lifted and lowered with respect to the second transport unit 2 by the lifting drive unit 43.

  In this embodiment, the elevating drive unit 43 is a linear actuator, more specifically an air cylinder, and an additional support body 44 is provided at the tip of the piston rod via a pin. The rotating shaft of the upstream roller 41a is rotatably supported with respect to the additional support body 44, and the rotating shaft of the downstream roller 41b is rotatably attached to the frame of the volume separator. Accordingly, the sandwiching belt 40 swings up and down around the downstream end by the lift drive unit 43.

  Further, a pulley 45 is fixed to the rotating shaft of the downstream roller 41b. In addition, a plurality of additional pulleys 46a-46c are provided. An additional endless belt 47 is wound around these pulleys 45, 46a to 46c. One pulley 46c and one pulley 14c of the second transport unit 2 have the same rotation axis (see FIG. 1). Therefore, when the motor 12 of the second transport unit 2 rotates, the endless belt 10 of the second transport unit 2 rotates endlessly, and the endless belt 42 of the sandwiching belt 40 also rotates endlessly.

  A first sensor A for detecting the passage of the book block stack S is provided in the transport path of the first transport unit 1. A second sensor B for detecting the passage of the book block stack S is provided above the downstream end of the first transport unit 1. A third sensor C for detecting the passage of the book block T is provided between the first transport unit 1 and the second transport unit 2. The volume separator is driven up and down for at least the first conveyance unit 1, the second conveyance unit 2, the extrusion unit 21, the drawer unit 39, and the upstream stopper 19 based on the detection signals of the first sensor to the third sensors A to C. A control unit (not shown) for controlling the operation of the unit 20 is provided.

  Hereinafter, the separation operation by the volume separator will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 10 is a time chart of the separation operation of the book block stack S composed of five book blocks T. 4 to 9, the position change unit 35 is not shown, and some constituent elements are omitted from the reference numerals.

  First, the operator adjusts in advance the height of the stopper 16 and the pusher 22 with respect to the first transport unit 1 according to the thickness of the book block T to be separated. Furthermore, the operator adjusts in advance the position of the pusher 22 in the transport direction Y by the position change unit 35 (see FIG. 1) according to the length of the book block T to be separated in the transport direction Y.

  Referring to FIG. 4, pusher 22 is a position that does not protrude from the conveyance surface of first conveyance unit 1, and is at the most upstream position in the horizontal movable range by horizontal drive unit 25. Hereinafter, this position is referred to as a standby position. The upstream stopper 19 is in a position where it does not protrude from the transport surface of the first transport unit 1.

  First, the control unit drives the motors 6 and 12 to endlessly rotate the endless belts 4, 10, and 42 of the first conveyance unit 1, the second conveyance unit 2, and the sandwiching belt 40. As shown in FIG. 4, the book block stack S from the upstream side of the volume separator is transported in the transport direction Y by the first transport unit 1. The first sensor A detects passage of the front end of the book block stack S. Based on this detection signal, the control unit stops the first transport unit 1 while gradually decreasing the transport speed.

  Thereby, as shown in FIG. 5, the book block stack S is conveyed until it abuts against the stopper 16. The second sensor B detects the passage of the book block stack S. Based on this detection signal, the control unit drives the elevating drive unit 20 to raise the upstream stopper 19 so that the next book block stack S is not carried into the first transport unit 1. Further, based on this detection signal, the control unit drives the elevating drive unit 23 to raise the pusher 22 from the standby position, and causes the upper portion to protrude upward from the conveyance surface of the first conveyance unit 1.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the control unit drives the motor 26 to move the pusher 22 in the transport direction Y by the crank operation of the horizontal drive unit 25, thereby pushing the pusher 22 against the rear end surface of the lowermost book block T. Hit it. Since the stopper 16 is in contact with a book block T other than the lowermost stage, only the lowermost book block T is pushed out from between the first conveying unit 1 and the stopper 16 to the second conveying unit 2 by the pusher 22.

  At this time, the third sensor C detects the passage of the front end of the extruded bottom book block T. Based on this detection signal, the control unit operates the elevating drive unit 43 to lower the sandwich belt 40 and sandwich the book block T between the sandwich belt 40 and the second transport unit 2, and as shown in FIG. Then, it is pulled out from between the first transport unit 1 and the stopper 16. More specifically, the upstream end portion of the sandwiching belt 40 is swung downward, and the front end side of the pushed book block T is sandwiched and pulled out using the upstream roller 41a.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the pusher 22 finishes pushing out the book block T, the control unit lowers the pusher 22 to a position where the upper part does not protrude from the conveyance surface of the first conveyance unit 1. Then, the pusher 22 returns to the standby position by the crank operation as shown in FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 8, when the book block T is completely pulled out from between the first transport unit 1 and the stopper 16 by the drawer unit 39, the third sensor C detects the passage of the rear end of the book block T. The controller raises the sandwich belt 40 based on the detection signal. The book block T is transported by the second transport unit 2 to a processing device downstream of the booklet device.

  Thereafter, the control unit repeats this separation operation until the second sensor B detects the passage of the rear end of the uppermost book block T. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the control unit returns the pusher 22 to the standby position based on the detection signal of the second sensor B, and stops the horizontal driving unit 25. Further, the control unit lowers the upstream stopper 19 based on this detection signal so that the next book block stack S can be transported to the first transport unit 1. Further, the control unit rotates the endless belt 4 of the first transport unit 1 endlessly based on the detection signal. As a result, the next book block stack S is transported to the first transport unit 1 and the lowermost book block T is sequentially separated in the same manner.

  As described above, the push-out unit 21 of the booklet apparatus according to the present invention is a horizontal drive that moves the pusher 22 together with the lift drive unit 23 along the guide 24 that extends in the transport direction Y, and the lift drive unit 23 that moves the pusher 22 up and down. By providing the unit 25, the book block T is pushed out. Therefore, there is no need for a complicated structure by providing a plurality of pusher mounting support portions at appropriate intervals on the entire endless belt as in the prior art, and there is no danger of deformation or breakage of the book block T due to bending of the endless chain. Absent. That is, the extrusion unit 21 has a simple configuration and pushes out the lowermost book block T without deformation or breakage. In addition, the number of parts can be reduced, and as a result, the cost can be reduced and maintenance is easier.

  Further, the position change unit 35 can change the position of the pusher 22 in the transport direction Y with respect to the first transport unit 1, that is, the standby position of the pusher 22 can be changed. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the pusher 22 can be appropriately pressed against the rear end surface of the book block T regardless of the length in the transport direction Y of the book block T. That is, it is possible to deal with book blocks T having various lengths in the transport direction Y.

  Although one embodiment of the booklet device according to the present invention has been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st conveyance part 2 1st conveyance part 16 Stopper 21 Extrusion unit 22 Pusher 23 The raising / lowering drive part 24 guide 25 for a pusher Horizontal drive part 35 Position change unit 36a-36d Pulley (an example of a rotary body)
37 Endless belt (endless cord)
37a Linear portion 39 Drawer unit 40 Pinch belt 43 Lifting drive unit S for belt Book block stack T Book block Y Transport direction

Claims (5)

A separation apparatus that sequentially separates the book block at the lowest level from a book block stack composed of a stack of temporarily bound book blocks,
A first transport unit for transporting the book block stack in the transport direction;
A second transport unit disposed downstream of the first transport unit for transporting the book block in the transport direction;
A stopper for preventing the book blocks other than the lowest stage of the book block stack from moving in the transport direction, disposed above the downstream end of the first transport unit;
An extrusion unit for partially extruding the lowermost book block in the book block stack from between the stopper and the first transport unit in the transport direction;
A drawer unit for pulling out the book block pushed out by the extrusion unit between the second transport unit and pulling it out between the stopper and the first transport unit in the transport direction;
The extrusion unit is
A pusher for pushing the lowermost book block in the transport direction;
A guide provided to extend in the transport direction;
An elevating drive unit that raises and lowers the pusher between a position where the upper part protrudes above the conveying surface of the first conveying part and a position where the upper part does not protrude above the conveying surface of the first conveying part; ,
A horizontal drive unit that moves the pusher along the guide together with the lift drive unit,
A separate volume device characterized by that.   2. The volume according to claim 1, further comprising a position changing unit that moves the pusher together with the elevating drive unit and the horizontal drive unit to change the position of the pusher in the transport direction with respect to the first transport unit. apparatus. The pusher, the elevating drive unit, and the horizontal drive unit are integrally provided to be movable along the guide,
The position changing unit spans a plurality of rotating bodies so as to have a straight portion extending along the guide, and the endless cord-like body in which the elevating drive unit is attached to the straight portion, and the cord-like shape The booklet device according to claim 2, further comprising: an operation handle connected to a rotation shaft of one of the rotating bodies to endlessly rotate the body. The lifting drive unit is a linear actuator that supports and pushes the pusher,
The said horizontal drive part is equipped with a motor, and the crank mechanism which act | operates with the said motor and reciprocates the said pusher and the said raising / lowering drive part along the said guide, The Claim 1 to Claim 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. A volume separation apparatus according to any one of the above.   The draw-out unit is provided above the second conveyance unit so as to face the second conveyance unit, and a pinching belt provided so as to be swingable up and down around an end portion on the downstream side in the conveyance direction. 5. A booklet apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a belt raising / lowering drive unit that swings the sandwiching belt up and down.

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