JP2017109315A - Booklet page turning device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a page turning device capable of performing stable page turning operation which is hardly affected by circumferential environment, paper quality conditions of a booklet, etc., according to the present invention for the purpose of stable page turning operation since a device which turns pages of a booklet is apt to have problems such that a target page cannot be turned and a page which need not be turned is turned, and so on.SOLUTION: A page turning device has booklet conveying means 3 of conveying a booklet 4 and is provided with air flow generating means of generating a prescribed flow velocity of an air layer on a surface where a page 4P of the booklet is turned at a part of a conveyance path 31L of the booklet conveying means. An air flow is generated on a turning surface side of the booklet which is conveyed so as to let the page to be turned slightly float. The page to be turned and the unturned page under it are securely separated by utilizing the flotation of the page to be turned so as to carry out stable page turning operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a booklet page turning device for turning a page of a booklet composed of a plurality of pages, and relates to a page turning device that enables a stable page turning operation that is not easily influenced by the ambient environment, paper quality conditions of the booklet, and the like.

  As a method and apparatus for automatically turning a page of a booklet, a method of turning pages apart by pressing a friction member against the page to be turned, as described in Patent Document 5, is generally used.

  However, in this method using friction, the frictional resistance of the page surface to be turned with the friction member turning the page, the frictional resistance between the turning page and the non-turning page below, and the rigidity of the medium such as paper constituting the page are affected. Receive. Since these parameters are easily affected by the material and the environment, depending on the page material of the booklet and the surrounding environment such as the temperature and humidity when actually turning the page, you can turn over pages or turn over multiple pages at the same time. And other problems occurred. In the method of turning pages using these friction members, there is a limit to the stability of the turning operation. Therefore, a booklet turning method that does not use the friction members has been proposed.

As a method not using a friction member, Patent Documents 1 to 4 describe a method of turning a page of a booklet by holding a page surface to be turned using air suction or blowing.
Patent Documents 2 and 3 are systems in which booklet turning is performed by sucking and holding a turning page by suction means and moving the suction means by air suction.

  Patent document 1 is also a page turning method by suction, but the method of patent document 1 is a proposed method for the purpose of realizing page turning without soiling or damaging the front surface of the paper. is there. In this method, the page is adsorbed by utilizing the Bernoulli effect by blowing air to the surface of the turning page. By blowing air to the surface of the page to be turned, a thin air layer is formed between the suction member and the page to be turned, and the page can be sucked without contact.

  Patent document 4 is also a method of adsorbing pages using the Bernoulli effect. Patent Document 4 is not an apparatus intended for turning a booklet page, but is a system that can also be used for a booklet page turning operation.

JP 2011-121351 A JP 2010-234682 A JP-A-2015-550 JP 2013-249200 A JP-A-2005-212909

  There are some problems in the method of turning pages by sucking and holding pages by using the suction and blowing of air.

  First, the methods disclosed in Patent Document 1 to Patent Document 4 are basically methods in which a booklet is fixed and page turning is performed by moving an adsorbing means that adsorbs a page to be turned. Since the movement of the page adsorbing means when turning pages is relatively complicated, there is a problem that the mechanism for realizing it is also complicated.

  Moreover, in the apparatus which fixes the booklet currently disclosed by patent document 1 to patent document 4, and turns a page, the mechanism which fixes a booklet to a fixing | fixed part or replaces the fixed booklet is also required. In particular, in an apparatus that turns a plurality of booklets in a short time, it is important to easily realize a booklet replacement operation for the page turning mechanism. For example, in a bank passbook bookkeeping device, it is necessary to transport the inserted passbook to a printing mechanism or page turning mechanism in the device. A page turning mechanism that takes into account the loading and unloading operations of these booklets is necessary. However, when the methods disclosed in Patent Document 1 to Patent Document 4 are used in a bank passbook / book entry machine or the like, there is also a problem that a mechanism for replacing a booklet with a page turning mechanism is complicated.

  Further, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3 in which the page turned by suction of air is sucked to the suction means by negative pressure, the page surface may be soiled as described in Patent Document 1. In addition, if the attractive force is too high, there is a high possibility that the page to be turned will be wrinkled.

  In addition, due to the negative pressure of the suction means at the time of page suction, the next page of the page to be turned is also sucked, and there is a high possibility that two or more pages will be turned simultaneously. This is because the material such as paper constituting the page has air permeability. In Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3 in which a page to be turned is closely attached to the suction means, there is a high possibility that the negative pressure reaches the second and subsequent pages, and there is a high risk of turning over a plurality of pages at the same time. .

  In the method of adsorbing pages by the Bernoulli effect using the air flow that is blown out disclosed in Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 4, it is essential to properly maintain the gap between the turning page and the adsorbing means. If an appropriate gap cannot be maintained even a little, a positive pressure due to the blown air is generated on the page surface. For this reason, the problem that it becomes impossible to suck and hold the pages to be picked up easily occurs, and when applied to an actual device that handles booklets with various conditions, the method using the Bernoulli effect by these blowouts realizes stable page turning operation It must be said that it is extremely difficult to do. The present invention has been made in view of these problems.

  An object of the present invention is to realize an apparatus capable of efficiently realizing page turning of a plurality of booklets with a relatively simple configuration. An apparatus capable of efficiently realizing the page turning of a plurality of booklets is to provide a page turning mechanism that takes into consideration the conveying means in the booklet apparatus. Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus that realizes stable page turning even under various booklet conditions.

  In order to solve these problems, the booklet page turning apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration. First, it has a booklet conveying means for conveying a booklet, and an air flow generating means for generating a predetermined flow velocity in an upper air layer on the side of the page to be turned is provided in at least one of the conveying paths of the booklet conveying means. Further, a page turning mechanism unit for separating the page to be turned up by the air flow generating means and the non-turning page on the lower side and turning the page is arranged.

  The air flow generating means described above is disposed at least in one of the conveyance paths of the booklet conveying means so as to face the page surface to which the booklet to be conveyed is turned and to have a gap. The air flow generating means is an exhaust means for exhausting air on the page surface to which the booklet is turned. Further, the air flow generating means is arranged so that the air flow generated on the page surface to which the booklet is turned is directed from the page end to the binding side end of the page.

  Further, the booklet transporting unit is a nip transporting unit that sandwiches a booklet transported by a pair of pressed transporting rollers or a belt and transports the booklet by rotation of the transporting roller or the belt. Then, by providing a place where the interval between the plurality of nip conveying means arranged in the conveying direction is approximately the width of the booklet in the page conveying direction, and arranging the air flow generating means in the section, this booklet conveying It is configured so that pages can be turned using a section. In addition, a section for turning the pages of the booklet is provided with a separating member for insertion between the page that rises by the air flow generating means and the non-turned page below the page. This separating member serves as a turning page guide mechanism, and is configured such that the pages separated by the air flow generating means are turned along with the conveyance of the booklet.

  Thus, in the page turning mechanism of the invention, the air flow conveying means for separating the pages is fixedly arranged in the apparatus in a non-contact manner with the booklet, and the booklet page turning operation using the booklet conveying behavior by the booklet conveying means. Therefore, stable page turning can be realized with a relatively simple configuration.

  According to the present invention, the surface page of the booklet being conveyed is floated and separated by the negative pressure generated by the airflow generating means arranged in the booklet conveyance path and the Bernoulli effect by the airflow, and the guide arranged in the same section By using the members, it is possible to turn up the turning pages from the booklet to be conveyed. It is possible to provide an apparatus that can realize page turning of a booklet that is transported stably and sequentially with a relatively simple configuration without the need for a movable mechanism that performs complicated movement or large movement. Is. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the following description of the embodiments.

It is a figure for demonstrating the basic composition of the page turning mechanism part of this invention. It is sectional drawing explaining the structure from the upper surface of the page turning mechanism part of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the turning operation | movement of the page turning mechanism of this invention. It is a figure explaining the relationship between the nip shape of a conveyance roller, and the shape of a booklet. It is a figure for demonstrating one Example for strengthening page separation power in the page turning mechanism of this invention. In the page turning mechanism of this invention, it is a figure for demonstrating the other Example for strengthening page separation power. It is a figure for demonstrating one Example regarding the control method for stabilizing a page separation force in the page turning mechanism of this invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a page turning apparatus using the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of an embodiment of a booklet page turning mechanism unit of the present invention. The figure is also a part of the booklet transport path and a part of the booklet transport path in which the page turning mechanism is incorporated. The page turning device is for turning a page of a booklet composed of a plurality of pages. At least one of the booklet transport means for transporting the booklet and the transport path of the booklet transport means is the air above the page surface to which the booklet is to be turned. An air flow generating means for generating a predetermined flow velocity in the layer, and a page turning mechanism for separating the page that has been lifted by the air flow generating means and a non-turning page below the page to be turned are provided.

  The booklet page turning mechanism unit is configured between a pair of rollers 3L, 3M, and 3R configured by a pair of opposed roller shafts for transporting the booklet. The conveyance rollers 3L, 3M, and 3R, which are booklet conveyance means, are driving rollers in which one roller is given a driving force by a motor or the like, and the other opposite roller is a predetermined pressing force by a spring or the like. Pressure is applied and pressed against the drive roller side. Further, the three sets of transport rollers 3L, 3M, and 3R in the illustrated embodiment use rollers having a rubber-like elastic layer on the surface. Due to the deformation of the elastic layer of the roller and the movement of the roller pressed by the above-described spring or the like, relatively stable conveyance can be realized even for booklets having different thicknesses. In the apparatus of the embodiment, both the driving roller and the pressing roller are provided with an elastic layer. This is to increase the coefficient of friction between the booklet and the roller and realize more stable booklet conveyance. However, depending on the conditions of the booklet to be transported, there is no problem as long as the elastic layer can be stably transported and transported between the rollers even if one of the elastic layers is not formed. The transport rollers 3L, 3M, and 3R are nip transport means that sandwich the booklet 4 transported by a pair of pressed transport rollers and transport the booklet by the rotation of the transport roller.

  In the apparatus of the embodiment of FIG. 1, the distance between the rollers that transport the booklet 4 (the distance between the centers of the rollers 3L and 3M and the distance between the centers of the rollers 3M and 3R) is the width in the transport direction of the booklet 4 that is transported. They are arranged with a distance shorter by several mm to several cm than the width in the conveyance direction of the booklet 4 to be conveyed, which is the same distance or less. In the booklet page turning mechanism of the present invention, in order to turn the page between adjacent transport rollers (rollers 3L and 3M or rollers 3M and 3R), the distance between the longer transport rollers close to the width in the transport direction of the booklet 4 is necessary. Needless to say, when the distance between the rollers is longer than the width of the booklet 4 in the conveyance direction, the booklet 4 cannot be transferred between the rollers, so that the booklet cannot be conveyed. However, the conveyance rollers 3L, 3M, and 3R have some elasticity in the booklet itself, and if the roller has an elastic layer, a certain amount of width is formed in the nip portion of the roller that holds the booklet. Therefore, even if the distance between the conveyance rollers is as far as the distance in the conveyance direction of the booklet 4 to be conveyed, in most cases, there is no problem in the transfer between the conveyance rollers. In the apparatus of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the transport rollers 3L, 3M, and 3R are arranged at intervals shorter by about 5 mm than the width in the transport direction of the booklet 4 to be transported. That is, the distance between the conveyance roller 3L located on the upstream side in the conveyance direction and the conveyance roller 3M located on the downstream side in the conveyance direction, and the conveyance roller 3M located on the upstream side in the conveyance direction and the conveyance roller located on the downstream side in the conveyance direction The distance between 3R and the width of the booklet 4 in the conveyance direction is the same or less. In the apparatus of the embodiment of FIG. 1, the case where the booklet conveying means is configured by the conveying rollers 3L, 3M, and 3R each consisting of a pair of roller shafts has been described, but a belt is used instead of the conveying rollers, The booklet 4 may be transported by the rotation of the belt.

  In the apparatus of one embodiment of the present invention shown in the figure, the upper guides 6L and 6R and the lower guides 5R and 5L are provided in the conveyance path between the conveyance rollers. Air suction ports 2L and 2R are provided in part of the upper guides 6L and 6R. Suction fans 1L and 1R are arranged inside the suction ports 2R and 2L as air flow generating means so that air in the conveyance path is sucked from the upper guides 6L and 6R side of the conveyance path. The suction mechanism provided on the upper guides 6L and 6R is for sucking and floating the upper page surface of the booklet 4 that has been transported, and exhausts the air above the turning page surface side of the booklet 4 ( Exhaust means).

  Each of the upper guides 6L and 6R has an opening in the vicinity of the central conveyance roller 3M, and a page return space 8 for turning pages is disposed above the central conveyance roller 3M. Further, a claw-shaped guide member 7 serving as a page turning guide mechanism is disposed before and after the central conveying roller 3M. The claw-shaped guide member 7 constitutes a separation member to be inserted between the turning page 4P on the uppermost surface of the booklet 4 that has been levitated by the air flow generating means and the non-turning page disposed below it. . The claw-shaped guide member 7 is disposed between the upper guide 6L and the upper guide 6R, and is transported between the upper guide 6R and the lower guide 5R from the transport path 31L between the upper guide 6L and the lower guide 5L. An inclined surface 7L that moves toward the upper page return space 8 as it moves toward the path 31R, and toward the upper page return space 8 as it moves from the conveyance path 31R toward the conveyance path 31L. And an inclined surface 7R to be transferred. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, when the booklet 4 is transported in the transport path 31L toward the transport path 31R, the turning page 4P of the booklet 4 that has been lifted by suction from the upper guide 6L side has a nail shape. The page is turned by using the page return space 8 by being caught on the upper inclined surface 7L of the guide member 7 and transporting the booklet 4. The booklet 4 is conveyed with the turning page 4P floating from the non-turning page, and the claw-shaped guide member 7 is inserted between the turning page 4P and the non-turning page. Then, the page end of the turning page 4P comes into contact with the inclined surface 7L of the claw-shaped guide member 7, is guided along the inclined surface 7L, and is lifted upward. Then, by further transport movement, the binding end 4T is turned over to the opposite side with the rotation center as the center of rotation.

  An intake port 10 is provided above the page return space 8. This is a hole through which air flowing through the suction ports 2R and 2L provided in the upper guides 6L and 6R flows into the transport paths 31L and 31R. If sufficient air is not supplied from the intake port 10, the conveyance paths 31L and 31R and the page return space 8 have negative pressure.

  When the pressure in the transport paths 31L and 31R or the page return space 8 becomes negative, the air flows through various gaps, so the air flow becomes unstable. When the air flow becomes unstable, the floating of the page of the booklet 4 due to suction from the suction ports 2L and 2R provided in the upper guides 6L and 6R becomes unstable. Therefore, the intake port 10 needs to be able to intake a sufficient intake amount with respect to the intake amount from the upper guides 6L and 6R. In the embodiment of the present invention shown in the figure, an embodiment configuration in which a fan 9 for assisting the intake air amount is provided is described. However, it is not necessary to provide such an assist fan 9 as long as a sufficient opening area can be provided in the intake port 10.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the booklet page turning mechanism portion of the present invention shown in FIG. First, in the booklet page turning mechanism of the present invention, both sides are sandwiched between side plates 13a and 13b. The upper guides 6L and 6R and the lower guides 5L and 5R described above have the same width as the interval between the two side plates 13a and 13b.

  Further, the left and right transport rollers 3L and 3R have the same width as the interval between the side plates 13a and 13b. With these structures, the conveyance path 31L has a side surface 13a, 13b, an upper guide 6L, a lower guide 5L, and a conveyance roller 3L. The conveyance path 31R has an open surface on the side of the center claw-shaped guide member 7 and the page return space 8 by the side plates 13a, 13b, the upper guide 6R, the lower guide 5R, and the conveyance roller 3R. The box shape is a “ko” shape. Further, suction ports 2L and 2R having an opening width substantially close to the booklet width are provided in the back side of the box shape, that is, on the upper guides 6L and 6R on the conveying rollers 3L and 3R on both sides. The suction ports 2L and 2R are arranged to face the upper surface of the turning page 4P on the uppermost surface of the booklet 4 to be conveyed and have a gap.

  By forming such a box shape and providing wide suction ports 2L and 2R in the width direction on the back side, an air flow from the page end of the booklet 4 toward the binding side can be formed. Furthermore, since the suction ports 2L and 2R are provided on the upper guides 6L and 6R side, an air layer having a relatively fast flow can be formed on the turning page 4P side of the booklet surface.

  By forming such an air layer on the turning page 4P side of the booklet surface, it is possible to generate a pulling force of the turning page 4P toward the upper guides 6L and 6R according to Bernoulli's law. The suction ports 2L and 2R provided in the upper guides 6L and 6R are widely provided on the inner side of the box shape, that is, on the conveying rollers 3L and 3R on both sides. This is because it is generated in 31L and 31R. Thus, for example, the turning page 4P on the uppermost surface of the booklet 4 that is conveyed toward the conveyance path 31R side along the conveyance path 31L is not only near the suction port 2L provided in the upper guide 6L but also along the upper guide 6L. The page turning page 4P on the top surface of the booklet 4 that is transported through the transport path 31R toward the transport path 31L is a suction provided on the upper guide 6R. A suction force that travels along the upper guide 6R as well as the vicinity of the mouth 2R is given. Furthermore, since an air flow is generated between the top turning page 4P of the booklet 4 and the upper guides 6L, 6R, it may come into contact with the top turning page 4P of the booklet 4 and the upper guides 6L, 6R. Therefore, smooth conveyance can be realized.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the central transport roller 3M is composed of a plurality of short rollers, unlike the transport rollers 3L and 3R on both sides. A claw-shaped guide member 7 for separating the turning page 4P on the uppermost surface of the booklet 4 that has floated by suction is disposed in the gap portion of the roller 3M.

  The central conveyance roller 3M portion has such a gap because it is necessary to smoothly flow the air flow from the page return space 8 and the air inlet 10 disposed in the upper part to the box shape side. A roller structure was adopted. In the apparatus of the present embodiment, the width and number of rollers and the arrangement of the claw-shaped guide members are as shown in FIG. 2, but in the actual apparatus, the width, number and arrangement of the central conveying roller 3M, It is necessary to optimize the width of the claw-shaped guide member for each apparatus in consideration of the stability of conveyance, the stability of page separation, and the air flow.

  Next, the turning operation in the page turning mechanism portion which is an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described. FIG. 3 shows the page turning operation by the page turning mechanism of the present invention in order. The page turning operation by the page turning mechanism of the present invention is performed in the order of [1] to [8] in the figure.

  In the booklet page turning method of the present invention, an air flow is generated between the top turning page 4P of the booklet 4 and the upper guide 6L facing the turning page 4P, and the turning page 4P is arranged below the turning page 4P. A step of floating from the non-turned page, and a booklet 4 is conveyed from the page end side toward the binding end 4T side, and the nail-like guide member 7 which is a separation member disposed in front is turned to the page 4P. In the state where the nail-shaped guide member 7 is interposed between the turning page 4P and the non-turning page, the booklet 4 is further conveyed forward and turned by the nail-shaped guide member 7. Includes the step of turning the page 4P.

  First, [1] shows a state in which the booklet 4 is conveyed to the conveyance path 31L by the rotation of the conveyance roller 3L from the left in the drawing. At this time, the left suction fan 1L performs a suction operation, and air is sucked from the left suction port 2L. In [1] to [8], the right suction fan 1R does not perform the suction operation, and air is not sucked from the right suction port 2R.

  Next, when the booklet 4 is transported to the position [2], the turning page 4P on the uppermost surface of the booklet 4 is sucked up by the suction force of air from the suction port 2L. As a result, the clearance between the turning page 4P on the uppermost surface of the booklet 4 and the upper guide 6L is narrowed, so that the air flow velocity at this position increases. Then, due to this air flow, a negative pressure is generated by Bernoulli's principle, and the top turning page 4P is conveyed along the upper guide 6L. Since the booklet 4 is transported so that it is basically transported horizontally from the transport roller 4L, only the uppermost turning page 4P lifted by the negative pressure suction force is separated and transported in the vicinity of the upper guide 6L. Will be.

  FIG. 4 schematically shows the nip shape at the conveyance roller 4L portion. When the upper and lower elastic rollers have the same hardness as shown in FIG. 5B, the nip shape between the rollers becomes flat, and the booklet 4 conveyed through the nip is carried out almost horizontally. On the other hand, when the upper roller surface is soft and the nip shape is convex upward as shown in (a) in the figure, the booklet 4 conveyed through the nip faces downward (lower guide 5L side). Are carried out. Conversely, when the lower roller surface is soft and the nip shape is convex downward as shown in (c) in the figure, the booklet 4 conveyed through the nip is unloaded toward the upper side (upper guide 6L side). The In order to separate only the turning page 4P on the top surface of the booklet 4, the nip shape of the conveying rollers 3L and 3R on both sides is in the state of (b) in FIG. 4 or slightly upwardly convex (a). In addition, it is necessary to select the hardness of the roller. It is also possible to adjust the transport direction of the booklet 4 unloaded from the transport roller 3L to the lower guide 5L side by arranging the upper roller slightly shifted to the center transport roller 3M side. Becomes minute.

  By using these methods to properly select the nip shape, etc., and by optimizing the carry-out direction of the booklet 4 to be carried out, the page turning device of the present invention can reliably and without turning two sheets. Only one page on the front side can be separated.

  When the booklet 4 is transported to the position indicated by [3] in Fig. 3 with the top turning page 4P on the top surface of the booklet 4 floating, only the top turning page 4P has a nail-like edge. It contacts the inclined surface 7L of the guide member 7.

  Thereafter, as shown in [4] in the figure, the other pages of the booklet 4 are conveyed while being sandwiched between the central conveying rollers 3M, so that the uppermost turning page 4P extends along the claw-shaped guide member 7. (The top turning page 4P moves as indicated by the arrow A in the figure).

  As shown in [5] to [6] in FIG. 3, the booklet 4 is conveyed by the center and right conveyance rollers 3M and 3R as it is. 4P is turned over and placed on the opposite side via the binding end 4T (the top-most turning page 4P moves as indicated by arrows B to C in the figure).

  After the turning page 4P on the top surface is completely turned over, as shown in [7] to [8] in FIG. 3, the conveyance rollers 3L, 3M, and 3R are reversed, so that [1] in FIG. Return booklet 4 to position.

  In the page turning mechanism unit of the present invention, it is possible to turn the pages of the booklet 4 by a series of these transport operations.

  In the page turning mechanism of the present invention described so far, it is important to reliably separate the turning page 4P on the uppermost surface of the booklet 4 carried out from the conveying roller 3L to the upper guide 6L side. For this purpose, it is necessary to secure a sufficient force for pulling the booklet front end (uppermost page turning 4P) immediately after unloading from the transport roller 3L toward the upper guide 6L.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a method of increasing the suction force for pulling in the booklet front end (uppermost page) immediately after unloading from the transport roller 3L. In FIG. 5, the upper guide 6L is inclined so that the suction port 2 is directed to the booklet 4 immediately after being discharged from the transport roller 3L. The upper guide 6L is inclined so as to gradually approach the lower guide 5L as it moves from the opening side to the conveying roller 3L side. As a result, the inner side of the box shape is narrowed, so that the air flow rate increases and the negative pressure also increases. For this reason, it is possible to greatly increase the suction force for pulling in the booklet front end portion (uppermost turning page 4P) immediately after unloading from the transport roller 3L.

  However, in this case, in FIG. 5, there is a possibility that the front end of the booklet (uppermost turning page 4P) immediately after unloading from the conveying roller 3L is in close contact with the vicinity of the suction port 2L of the upper guide 6L. In that case, since the separated top turning page 4P sticks to the guide surface of the upper guide 6L and does not move, it may not be sent to the claw-shaped guide member 7 and the page return space 8 side. With regard to the lowering amount (height position), it is necessary to pay sufficient attention to the appropriate amount.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining another method for increasing the suction force that pulls in the booklet front end (uppermost page) immediately after unloading from the transport roller 3L. In FIG. 6, a protruding portion 14 that is a smooth protruding portion is provided on the downstream side of the suction port 2L of the upper guide 6L. As a result, the cross-sectional area of a part of the box shape decreases, so that the flow velocity of that part increases and the suction force according to Bernoulli's principle increases. This method has a smaller increase in suction force than the method in which the suction port 2L itself described in FIG. 5 is brought close to the position where the booklet 4 is transported from the transport roller 3L, but it can stick to the guide surface of the upper guide 6L. There is little nature. However, there is a possibility that the tip of the separated top turning page 4P will collide with the provided projection 14 and a jam may occur, so it is necessary to carefully select the shape, friction coefficient, etc. of the projection 14 There is.

  Finally, in the page turning mechanism of the present invention, a method of separating the turning page 4P on the uppermost surface of the booklet 4 to the upper guide 6 side more stably and reliably using a control technique will be described.

  In the page turning mechanism of the present invention, in order to realize a stable page turning operation, it is most important to stably separate negative pressure of the uppermost turning page 4P of the booklet 4 sent out by the conveying roller 3. . By detecting the separation state of the turning page 4P on the top surface of the booklet 4 carried out by the transport roller 3 with a sensor and controlling the negative suction pressure and the drive of the transport roller 3, the stability and reliability of the turning operation can be improved. , Can be improved significantly.

  FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a control mechanism used in the page turning mechanism of the present invention. In the following description, only the left part of the page turning mechanism will be described, but the right part may have the same configuration. In the page turning mechanism of the present invention, the uppermost page position detecting means 15 is provided in the upper guide 6L portion of the booklet 4 where the uppermost page turning page 4P is separated, so that the uppermost page turning page 4P floats. Can be easily detected. As the uppermost page position detection means 15, a generally used distance sensor, proximity sensor distance sensor, or the like can be used. By using the distance sensor to detect the distance between the top-turning page 4P that has been levitated and the upper guide 6L, it is possible to control to a more appropriate levitating amount.

  The top page height information 19 detected by the top page position detection unit 15 is sent to the page separation control unit 18. The page separation control means 18 adjusts the suction pressure or the suction flow rate so that the detected uppermost page height information 19 is appropriate. Increase the suction pressure or flow rate if the flying height of the top turning page 4P is insufficient. Further, when the floating amount of the uppermost turning page 4P is large and there is a possibility of sticking to the guide surface of the upper guide 6L, the suction pressure or the suction flow rate is controlled to be lowered. If the uppermost turning page 4P sticks to the guide surface of the upper guide 6L because the suction pressure or flow rate is too high, the page may be caught by the guide and jamming may occur. Further, when the uppermost turning page 4P is sucked at such a high suction pressure / flow rate, there is a possibility that the lower page is also sucked up. In such a case, it causes a problem such as turning a plurality of pages simultaneously. For this reason, in the page turning mechanism of the present invention, it is necessary to control the suction conditions so that the separation height of the uppermost turning page 4P is always properly controlled.

  As a method for controlling the suction conditions, that is, the suction pressure and flow rate, it can be realized by controlling 21 the output of the suction fan 1L (1R), that is, the rotational speed. Although depending on the selection conditions of the suction fan 1L (1R), when only the output control of the suction fan 1L (1R) is performed, the control responsiveness and the accuracy and stability of the control pressure may be insufficient.

  In such a case, there is a method in which a pressure detection sensor 17 is provided in the suction buffer 25 portion provided immediately above the suction port 2L to detect the pressure information 20 in the suction buffer and perform feedback control of the pressure in the suction buffer. It is valid.

  In addition, if a leak valve 16 is provided in a part of the suction buffer 25 and a method of controlling the amount of leak from the suction buffer 25 is used, the pressure in the suction buffer 25 directly affects only the output of the suction fan 1L (1R). It is also possible to perform control with high responsiveness and higher accuracy than the control method. Needless to say, it is also effective to perform control by combining the output control of the suction fan 1L (1R) and the leak amount of the leak valve 16 based on the pressure detection information 20 in the suction buffer 25.

  Further, the conveyance speed and conveyance position of the booklet 4 to be conveyed also affect the height of the turning page 4P on the uppermost surface of the booklet 4 to be sucked. From this, if the transport roller drive control signal 23, that is, the feed speed and transport position of the booklet 4, is controlled, the flying height control of the uppermost turning page 4P can be performed more stably. For example, control such as reducing the conveyance speed or stopping the conveyance of the temporary booklet 4 is effective near the suction port 2L or near the front end of the booklet near the claw-shaped guide member 7. Combining these transport controls with the aforementioned suction output control is a very effective means.

  By providing the page separation control means 18 in the page turning mechanism of the present invention in order to realize these controls, it is possible to significantly improve the stability and reliability of the turning operation. The page separation control means 18 is arranged as a subsystem that performs communication 24 with a host system that controls the entire apparatus and performs the control.

  If this control system is applied to the page turning mechanism of the present invention, more reliable page turning can be achieved under a wider range of booklet conditions and environmental conditions. In addition, even if the page is not turned by this control, the uppermost page position detection means 15 can detect it, causing a serious failure to the device or seriously damaging the booklet 4. It is also possible to prevent unforeseen events. If the booklet page turning mechanism of the present invention detects a booklet 4 that does not turn the page, it can be easily handled such as returning it to the transport source by rotating the transport rollers 3L, 3M, 3R in reverse. is there. Thus, by applying the present invention, a very fail-safe booklet page turning mechanism can be constructed.

  As a supplementary explanation, the description of the embodiment of the present invention so far has been focused on the operation of turning the page to the left. However, as shown in FIG. 1, the page turning mechanism according to the present invention is configured symmetrically. Accordingly, it goes without saying that the operation of turning the page to the right side can be easily realized by sending the booklet 4 from the conveying roller 3R side. As described above, the page turning mechanism of the present invention enables the booklet 4 to be turned in any direction.

  As described above, by applying the page turning mechanism of the present invention, it is possible to provide an extremely stable page turning apparatus with a relatively simple configuration.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various designs can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention described in the claims. It can be changed. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and is not necessarily limited to one having all the configurations described. Further, a part of the configuration of an embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and the configuration of another embodiment can be added to the configuration of an embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, and replace other configurations for a part of the configuration of each embodiment.

1 ・ ・ ・ Suction fan (1L: Left suction fan, 1R: Right suction fan)
2L, 2R ... Suction port 3 ... Conveying roller
(3L: Left transport roller, 3M: Center transport roller, 3R: Right transport roller)
4 ・ ・ ・ Booklet
(4P: booklet turning page, top page)
5L, 5R ... Lower guide 6L, 6R ... Upper guide 7 ... Claw-shaped guide member 8 ... Page return space 9 ... Intake assist fan 10 ... Intake port 11 ... Exhaust 12 ・ ・ ・ Intake 13 ・ ・ ・ Side plate
(13a / 13b: Side plates on both sides)
14 ... Projection 15 provided on the upper guide ... Uppermost page position detection means
(Use page separation detection sensor, proximity sensor, distance sensor, etc.)
16 ・ ・ ・ Suction buffer leak amount adjustment valve 17 ・ ・ ・ Pressure detection sensor 18 ・ ・ ・ Page separation control means 19 ・ ・ ・ Top surface page height information 20 ・ ・ ・ Suction buffer pressure information 21 ・ ・ ・ Suction Fan suction force control signal 22 ... Suction buffer leak amount adjustment signal 23 ... Transport roller drive control signal (speed and transport position)
24 ... Communication signal with the entire device control system (higher system) 25 ... Suction buffer

Claims (8)

A booklet page turning device for turning a page of a multi-page booklet,
The apparatus has a booklet conveying means for conveying a booklet for turning pages, and generates a predetermined flow velocity in an upper air layer on the page turning side of the booklet in at least one of the conveying paths of the booklet conveying means. A booklet page turning characterized in that it is provided with an air flow generating means, and further comprising a page turning mechanism section for separating the turning page floated by the air flow generating means and a non-turning page below the page and turning the page. apparatus.   2. The air flow generation means according to claim 1, wherein the air flow generation means is disposed at least in one place on a conveyance path of the booklet conveyance means so as to face the turning page surface of the booklet to be conveyed and to have a gap. Booklet page turning device described.   2. The booklet page turning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the air flow generating means is an exhaust means for exhausting air on a booklet turning page surface.   2. The booklet page turning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the airflow generating means is configured to generate an airflow from a page end of the booklet turning page toward the binding side.   The booklet conveying means is a nip conveying means that sandwiches a booklet conveyed by a pair of pressed conveying rollers or belt and conveys the booklet by rotation of the conveying roller or belt, and the air flow generating means is disposed. The distance between the conveyance roller or belt located upstream in the conveyance direction and the conveyance roller or belt located downstream in the conveyance direction is equal to or less than the width of the booklet in the conveyance direction. 2. The booklet page turning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the booklet page turning apparatus is provided.   2. The booklet page turning mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the page turning mechanism has a separating member for inserting between the turning page floated by the air flow generating means and the non-turning page below the page. apparatus.   The page turning mechanism is constituted by a guide member or a guide mechanism for turning a booklet turning page apart from other non-turning pages in accordance with the booklet carrying behavior of the booklet carrying means. Item 1. A booklet page turning device according to item 1. Generating an air flow between the turning page on the uppermost surface of the booklet and the upper guide facing the turning page, so as to float the turning page from the non-turning page disposed under the turning page;
Conveying the booklet from the page end side toward the binding end side and interposing a separating member disposed in front between the turning page and the non-turning page;
Conveying the booklet further forward from a state where the separating member is interposed between the turning page and the non-turning page, and turning the turning page back by the separating member;
A method for turning a booklet page, characterized by including:

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