JP2023072805A - gathering machine - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a gathering machine which enables improvement of working efficiency when multiple kinds of newspapers are needed to be handled.SOLUTION: A gathering machine includes a setting unit and a control unit. The setting unit receives an input of data of a delivery order of multiple paper sheets to set a discharge order of the multiple paper sheets in a gathering mechanism. The control unit controls the gathering mechanism so that the multiple paper sheets placed into multiple paper feed shelves are obtained from the paper feed shelves in accordance with the discharge order and integration operation in which the obtained paper sheets are discharged from a discharge port in accordance with the discharge order, is conducted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

This embodiment relates to a collating machine.

A collating machine is a device that stacks a plurality of different types of paper sheets to form a paper bundle. Such collating machines are used, for example, for collating leaflets inserted between newspapers. Newspapers in which such leaflets are inserted are delivered to subscribers of the newspapers.

JP 2014-91604 A

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of cases where one newspaper delivery store delivers a plurality of types of newspapers. In this case, the newspaper delivery store needs to stack multiple types of newspapers delivered by the newspaper delivery person in order of delivery. Traditionally, this work is done manually, which is inefficient.

An object of the present embodiment is to provide a collating machine capable of improving work efficiency when it is necessary to handle a plurality of types of newspapers.

A collating machine of one aspect has a setting section and a control section. The setting unit receives input of delivery order data for a plurality of paper sheets and sets a discharge order for the plurality of paper sheets in the collation mechanism. The control unit acquires a plurality of paper sheets put into a plurality of paper feed racks from the paper feed racks in the order of discharge and discharges the acquired paper sheets from the discharge port in the order of discharge. Controls the collating mechanism.

According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a collating machine capable of improving work efficiency when it is necessary to handle a plurality of types of newspapers.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of the collating machine according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a collating mechanism. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the gathering machine. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the main operation of the gathering machine. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the incorporation process. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of delivery order data. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a mapping result confirmation screen. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the inclusion brand selection screen. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a built-in brand selection screen. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for confirming the use of separator sheets. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a used shelf selection screen. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a packaging use confirmation screen as an installation setting screen. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for confirming the setting of the paper feed shelf. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of discharge order data generated based on the determined discharge order. FIG. 15 is a flow chart showing the incorporation operation.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of a collating machine 1 according to an embodiment. The collating machine 1 collates paper sheets. Paper sheets in the embodiment include, for example, leaflet inserts. Furthermore, paper sheets in the embodiment include newspaper. In the following description, it is assumed that the direction in which the collated bundle is discharged from the collator 1 is the front of the collator 1 . The Y direction is along the front-rear direction of the gathering machine 1 . The positive Y direction is the forward direction. The X direction is the horizontal direction when the collating machine 1 is viewed from the front. The positive direction of the X direction is the right direction. The Z direction is the vertical direction when the gathering machine 1 is viewed from the front. The positive direction of the Z direction is upward. It is assumed that the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction are set similarly in FIG.

The gathering machine 1 has a gathering mechanism 10 . The collating machine 1 may be used in combination with various mechanisms such as a newspaper feeding mechanism (inserter), a folding and conveying mechanism (conveyor), and an elevating mechanism (lifter). By being used in combination with these mechanisms, the collating machine 1 can perform a series of operations, for example, sandwiching the collated leaflets between newspapers supplied from the supply mechanism and conveying them.

The collating mechanism 10 has a plurality of paper feed racks. The collation mechanism 10 is a mechanism for superimposing and ejecting paper sheets fed from a paper feed shelf according to collation settings, built-in settings, and the like. The built-in settings are various settings for generating a bundle of multiple types of newspapers by stacking multiple types of newspapers. The built-in settings will be explained in detail later.

The collating mechanism 10 will be further described below. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the collating mechanism 10. As shown in FIG.

The collating mechanism 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 11 elongated in the Z direction. A plurality of paper feed racks 12 arranged in the Z direction are provided on the front side (left side in the drawing) and the back side (right side in the drawing) of the housing 11 along the Y direction. Hereinafter, the paper feed shelf 12 on the front side will be referred to as the front paper feed shelf 12 , and the paper feed shelf 12 on the back side will be referred to as the rear paper feed shelf 12 . Each paper feed shelf 12 is attached so as to incline downward inside the housing 11 . A plurality of paper sheets are piled up on each of the paper feed racks 12.例文帳に追加In an embodiment, for example, a plurality of piled newspapers may be input as paper sheets. Different types of newspaper may be put into all the paper feed racks, or the same type of newspaper may be put into a plurality of paper feed racks. Furthermore, depending on the newspaper, it may be necessary to insert flyers. In this case, the paper feed rack 12 may be loaded with a plurality of flyers as paper sheets. As will be explained later, leaflets are folded into newspapers fed from a newspaper supply mechanism (inserter). Further, the paper feed shelf 12a at the bottom on the front side of the housing 11 is assigned as a folding stage, which is a paper feed shelf for inserting origami paper. Here, numbers are assigned to paper feed racks into which paper sheets are loaded. The number of the paper feed shelf and the type of paper sheets to be fed can be associated with each other on the setting screen of the collating machine 1 or the like.

A conveying path 13 extending in the Z direction through the center of the housing 11 is provided in the housing 11 . The transport path 13 is provided along the XZ plane between the front-stage sheet feeding rack 12 and the rear-stage sheet feeding rack 12 . That is, the paper sheets taken out from the respective paper feed racks 12 at a predetermined timing are sent to the conveying path 13 and stacked one on top of the other. Then, the plurality of paper sheets in the overlapping state are conveyed downward through the conveying path 13 . A plurality of sets of conveying roller pairs 14 are provided on the conveying path 13 . The conveying roller pair 14 conveys a plurality of paper sheets while sandwiching them.

A first paper feed roller 15 and a second paper feed roller 16 are provided at the lower end of each paper feed shelf 12 in the inclined direction, that is, at the end near the center near the conveying path 13 . The first paper feed roller 15 is arranged so as to contact the uppermost paper sheet among the plurality of paper sheets conveyed from the paper feed rack 12 . The second paper feeding roller 16 is provided downstream of the first paper feeding roller 15 in the sheet feeding direction. Further, a feed roller pair 18 is provided downstream of the second paper feed roller 16 in the direction in which the paper sheets are taken out.

The first paper feed roller 15 rotates in contact with the uppermost one sheet or one copy of the plurality of paper sheets loaded on the paper feed shelf 12 to The kind is sent to the feed roller pair 18.例文帳に追加The second paper feed roller 16 presses the leading edge of the following one sheet or one set of paper sheets against the separation plate 17 to prevent the following paper sheets from being sent to the feed roller pair. That is, the paper sheets fed from the paper feed shelf 12 are sent to the feed roller pair 18 one by one or by one copy. The feed roller pair 18 feeds the paper sheets to the conveying path 13 .

A folding roller pair 19 is arranged at the lower end of the conveying path 13 . The folding roller pair 19 is provided in such a posture that its nip is positioned on an extension line of the conveying path 13 . With this configuration, a plurality of paper sheets conveyed downward via the conveying path 13 are fed into the nip of the folding roller pair 19 .

A pair of feed rollers 18a is provided on the downstream side (on the right side in the drawing) of the paper feed shelf 12a for feeding origami paper. The feed roller pair 18 a feeds the origami paper loaded from the paper feed rack 12 a above the folding roller pair 19 . A locking portion 20 is provided at the leading end of the sheet feeding shelf 12a in the sheet feeding direction. The locking portion 20 stops the origami at a position where the central position of the origami in the paper feeding direction faces the nip of the pair of folding rollers 19 . A folding knife 21 is arranged obliquely above the folding roller pair 19 . Folding knife 21 pushes the central portion of the origami toward the nip of folding roller pair 19 .

With such a configuration, the paper sheets loaded from the respective paper feed racks 12 are stacked on the conveying path 13 and sent to the nip of the folding roller pair 19 . At this point, the center of the pre-fed origami paper is folded by the folding knife 21 . A plurality of paper sheets conveyed through the conveying path 13 in an overlapping state are pushed into the center of the origami and sandwiched between the origami by the rotation of the folding roller pair 19 . A bundle of paper sheets that has passed through the pair of folding rollers 19 and has been folded in two, that is, a collated bundle composed of a plurality of paper sheets sandwiched between origami sheets, is delivered to the conveying belt 22 and delivered to the discharge rollers. It is discharged from the discharge port 24 provided on the front side of the housing 11 via the pair 23 . A collated bundle is thus generated. The collated bundle in the embodiment may be configured by stacking multiple copies of newspaper.

Furthermore, the housing 11 of the gathering mechanism 10 is provided with an operation panel 11a as an interface device. The operation panel 11a is, for example, a touch panel having a display element. The user operates the operation panel 11a to set the collating machine 1. FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the collating machine 1. As shown in FIG. The collating machine 1 of FIG. 3 has a main control circuit 101, sub-control circuits 102, 103, 104 and 105, a display 106, operation switches 107, and a communication module . 3 shows an example in which, in addition to the collating mechanism 10, a newspaper feeding mechanism 30, a folding and conveying mechanism 40, and an elevating mechanism 50 are used in combination. The newspaper feeding mechanism 30 is a mechanism that folds a plurality of piled-up newspapers one by one and feeds them into the conveying mechanism 40 . The newspaper fed into the newspaper supply mechanism 30 may be newspaper that requires leaflet folding. The folding and transporting mechanism 40 is a mechanism that folds the leaflet collated by the collating mechanism 10 into the newspaper fed from the newspaper supply mechanism 30 and transports the newspaper with the leaflet folded to the lifting mechanism 50 . The folding and conveying mechanism 40 is also a mechanism for conveying the newspapers collated by the collating mechanism 10 to the elevating mechanism 50 without the newspapers being fed from the newspaper feeding mechanism 30 . The elevating mechanism 50 is a mechanism for elevating the newspaper conveyed from the folding and conveying mechanism 40 . Mechanisms other than the newspaper feeding mechanism 30, the folding and conveying mechanism 40, and the lifting mechanism 50 may be used in combination with the collating machine 1. FIG.

The main control circuit 101 is a circuit that controls the overall operation of the collating machine 1 including control of the sub-control circuits 102 , 103 , 104 and 105 . The main control circuit 101 is composed of, for example, a processor and memory. A processor of the main control circuit 101 controls the operation of the collating machine 1 according to a control application program stored in memory. For example, the main control circuit 101 can operate as a setting unit that receives input of delivery order data for a plurality of paper sheets and sets the discharge order of the plurality of paper sheets in the collating mechanism. In addition, the main control circuit 101 acquires a plurality of paper sheets put in a plurality of paper feed racks from the paper feed racks in the order of discharge, and discharges the acquired paper sheets from the discharge port in the order of discharge. It can also operate as a control unit that controls the coupling mechanism 10 . A processor is, for example, a CPU, but does not necessarily have to be configured as a CPU. Also, the main control circuit 101 may be configured as a hardware logic circuit such as an ASIC. Also, the processor does not necessarily have to be composed of a single processor, and may be composed of a plurality of processors.

A sub-control circuit 102 is connected to the collating mechanism 10 . The sub-control circuit 102 is a dedicated circuit that controls the operation of the collating mechanism 10 under the main control circuit 101 . The sub control circuit 102 may or may not have a processor and memory apart from the main control circuit 101 .

The sub-control circuit 103 is connected to the newspaper feeding mechanism 30 . The sub-control circuit 103 is a dedicated circuit that controls the operation of the newspaper feeding mechanism 30 under the main control circuit 101 . The sub control circuit 103 may or may not have a processor and memory apart from the main control circuit 101 .

The sub-control circuit 104 is connected to the folding and transporting mechanism 40 . The sub-control circuit 104 is a dedicated circuit that controls the operation of the folding and conveying mechanism 40 under the main control circuit 101 . The sub control circuit 104 may or may not have a processor and memory apart from the main control circuit 101 .

The sub-control circuit 105 is connected to the lifting mechanism 50 . The sub-control circuit 105 is a dedicated circuit that controls the operation of the lifting mechanism 50 under the main control circuit 101 . The sub control circuit 105 may or may not have a processor and memory apart from the main control circuit 101 .

Here, collating machine 1 may have sub-control circuits other than sub-control circuits 102 , 103 , 104 , and 105 .

The display 106 is a display for displaying various states of the collating machine 1, such as an LED and a liquid crystal display of the operation panel 11a. For example, the indicator 106 has an indicator for indicating that the collator 1 is powered on. The display 106 also has a display for displaying a counter for displaying various numbers of collation. The number of collation includes information such as the total number of collated sheets and the number of remaining sheets during the collation operation. Also, the display 106 has a display for displaying various setting screens. The various settings include settings for paper sheets for each column, settings for areas and regions, and the like. The various settings also include settings for built-in operations. Moreover, the display 106 has a display for announcing various errors.

The operation switches 107 include various switches provided in the collating machine 1 and the operation panel 11a described above. For example, the switches of the operation switches 107 include the power switch of the gathering machine 1 . Further, for example, the operation switches 107 include various mode switches. The mode switch is a switch for setting the mode of the collating machine 1 to a specific mode. Specific modes include, for example, a collation mode for collating only paper sheets, and a folding mode such as a mode for folding a collated bundle into newspapers. Further, in embodiments, the particular mode includes an embedded mode that collate multiple types of newspaper according to delivery order. The operation switches 107 may include switches other than these switches. Further, operations similar to those of various switches of the operation switches 107 can also be performed on the operation panel 11a.

The communication module 108 is a module including a processing circuit for communication between the collating machine 1 and an external device such as a server. The communication module 108 includes a wireless communication module required for wireless LAN communication, for example.

The operation of the collating machine 1 will be described below. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the main operation of the gathering machine 1. As shown in FIG. The processing of FIG. 4 is controlled by the main control circuit 101 .

In step S<b>1 , the main control circuit 101 determines whether or not to turn on the collating machine 1 . For example, when the power switch is turned on, it is determined to turn on the collating machine 1 . Further, the main control circuit 101 may monitor whether or not a command is received from the outside via the communication module 108, and determine to turn on the collating machine 1 when the command is confirmed to be received. In step S1, the main control circuit 101 waits until it is determined that the collating machine 1 should be turned on. When it is determined in step S1 to turn on the collating machine 1, the process proceeds to step S2.

In step S2, the main control circuit 101 activates the control application program of the collating machine 1, and causes the operation panel 11a, for example, to display the activation screen. While the startup screen is being displayed, the main control circuit 101 performs various processes required to start up the collating machine 1 .

In step S3 after the start-up process is completed, the main control circuit 101 displays the main screen on the operation panel 11a, for example. On the main screen, the user can start the collating operation or assembly operation of the collating machine 1 and check various states during the collating operation. In addition, the user can display various setting screens from the main screen.

In step S4, the main control circuit 101 determines whether or not to carry out collating operation. For example, when an instruction to set or start a collating operation is given by operating the operation panel 11a on the main screen, it is determined that the collating operation is to be performed. On the other hand, when setting or starting the installation operation is instructed on the main screen, it is determined that the installation operation is to be performed. When it is determined in step S4 that the collation operation is to be performed, the process proceeds to step S5. When it is determined in step S4 that the collation operation is not to be performed, the process proceeds to step S11.

In step S5 when it is determined to perform the collation operation, the main control circuit 101 determines whether or not to perform the setting related to the collation operation. For example, when a setting related to the collation operation is instructed by operating the operation panel 11a or the like, it is determined that the setting related to the collation operation is to be performed. When it is determined in step S5 that the setting related to the collation operation has been instructed, the process proceeds to step S6. When it is determined in step S5 that the setting related to the collation operation has not been instructed, the process proceeds to step S7.

In step S6, the main control circuit 101 makes settings related to the collating operation according to the instruction. For example, the main control circuit 101, according to the instructions, sets paper sheets for each stage, sets areas and zones, sets operation modes, and the like. The main control circuit 101 also sets the sub-control circuits 102, 103, 104 and 105 as required. In setting, the main control circuit 101 also changes the setting screen displayed on the operation panel 11a as necessary. After setting the collation operation, the process proceeds to step S7.

At step S7, the main control circuit 101 determines whether or not an instruction to start the collating operation has been given. When it is determined in step S7 that the start of collation operation has been instructed, the process proceeds to step S8. When it is determined in step S7 that the start of collation operation has not been instructed, the process proceeds to step S10.

At step S8, the main control circuit 101 executes collating operation according to the current settings. For example, when the collating machine 1 is set to only collate, the main control circuit 101 controls the sub-control circuit 102 to cause the collating mechanism 10 to perform the collating operation. On the other hand, when the collating machine 1 is set to collate and fold, the main control circuit 101 controls the sub-control circuits 102, 103 and 104 to control the collating mechanism 10, the newspaper feeding mechanism 30, the folding and folding The collating operation is executed while interlocking the conveying mechanism 40. - 特許庁

In step S9, the main control circuit 101 determines whether or not the collation operation has been completed. For example, it is determined that the collating operation has been completed when a specified number of collated bundles have been collated or a specified number of collated bundles have been folded into newspaper. When it is determined in step S9 that the collation operation has not been completed, the process returns to step S8. When it is determined in step S9 that the collation operation has been completed, the process proceeds to step S10.

In step S10, the main control circuit 101 determines whether or not to turn off the collating machine 1. For example, when the power switch is turned off or when a command to turn off the power is received, it is determined to turn off the collating machine 1 . When it is determined in step S10 that the collating machine 1 is not turned off, the process returns to step S4. When it is determined in step S10 to turn off the collating machine 1, the process of FIG. 4 ends.

In step S11 when it is determined that the incorporation operation is to be carried out, the main control circuit 101 carries out the incorporation process. After the incorporation process, the process moves to step S10. The embedding process will be described below.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the incorporation process. Incorporation processing in the embodiment is processing for a series of operations for collating a plurality of different types of newspapers as paper sheets. As will be described later, in the installation process, not only leaflets but also newspapers are put into the paper feed shelf 12 .

In step S101, the main control circuit 101 determines whether or not to carry out settings related to the built-in operation. For example, when a setting related to the assembling operation is instructed by operating the operation panel 11a or the like, it is determined that the setting related to the assembling operation is to be performed. When it is determined in step S101 that the setting related to the installation operation has been instructed, the process proceeds to step S102. When it is determined in step S101 that the setting related to the installation operation has not been instructed, the process proceeds to step S113.

At step S102, the main control circuit 101 determines whether or not there is data input. In an embodiment, settings for built-in operations are made, for example, by importing pre-generated delivery order data. In step S102, it is determined whether or not the user has input data for import. In step S102, it waits until the data for taking in is input. When it is determined in step S102 that data has been input, the process proceeds to step S103.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of delivery order data. The delivery order data may be data in various formats such as CSV (Comma Separated Value). The delivery order data may be managed by the newspaper delivery store where the collating machine 1 is installed, or may be managed by a server or the like that centrally manages the data of the newspaper delivery store. Furthermore, the delivery order data may be managed in a cloud server built separately from the newspaper delivery store or the like. The delivery order data includes items such as "delivery store name", "delivery area name", "delivery order route", "reader name", "brand name", and "department". These names may be appropriately determined by the newspaper delivery store or server. "Delivery store name" is the name of the newspaper delivery store. The "delivery store name" may include the name of the newspaper delivery store where the collating machine 1 is not installed. The "delivery area name" is the name of the area to which the corresponding newspaper delivery store delivers newspapers. The "delivery area name" may include the name of the delivery area of the newspaper delivery store where the collating machine 1 is not installed. The "routing route" is the delivery route of the newspapers of the corresponding newspaper delivery store. The order of delivery is specified by the "route". The “delivery area name” may also include distribution routes of newspaper delivery stores where the collating machine 1 is not installed. "Reader name" is the name of the reader of the newspaper on the corresponding route. The "brand name" is the brand name of the newspaper to be delivered along the corresponding distribution route. "Copies" is the number of newspapers to be delivered along the corresponding distribution route. The delivery order data may contain information other than these.

In step S103, the main control circuit 101 maps the items of the input delivery order data and the items necessary for setting the built-in operation preset in the collating machine 1. FIG. For example, the main control circuit 101 recognizes items of the input delivery order data and associates items similar to the recognized items. After such data mapping, the main control circuit 101 displays a mapping result confirmation screen on the operation panel 11a, for example. Note that if it is guaranteed that each item in the delivery order data corresponds to each item set in the collating machine 1, mapping processing is unnecessary.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a mapping result confirmation screen. As shown in FIG. 7, the confirmation screen includes an essential information display area 201 and an import data name display area 202 . Furthermore, the confirmation screen includes an OK button 203 .

The essential information display area 201 is an area for displaying a list of items that are essential for setting the installation operation. FIG. 7 shows an example in which items such as "area name", "route", "reader name", "brand name", and "number of copies" are displayed in the essential information display area 201.

The captured data name display area 202 is an area for displaying a list of items captured from the delivery order data. The main control circuit 101 reads delivery order data corresponding to the items essential for the setting of the installation operation, namely "zone name", "routine", "reader's name", "brand name", and "number of copies". , and the result of the fetching is displayed in the fetched data name display column 202a of the fetched data name display column 202. FIG. For example, in FIG. 7, an item corresponding to "area name" is "delivery area name", an item corresponding to "route" is "delivery route", and an item corresponding to "reader name" is "reader name". , "brand name" is displayed as an item corresponding to "brand name", and "copies" is displayed as an item corresponding to "number of copies" in the captured data name display column 202a.

In step S104, the main control circuit 101 determines whether or not the item is corrected by the operation of the operation panel 11a by the user of the collating machine 1 or the like. The user of collator 1 compares each item in essential information display area 201 with each item in captured data name display area 202 to confirm whether the items are correctly mapped. If the item is not correctly mapped, the user corrects the item displayed in the corresponding import data name display field 202a. For example, the user selects an item to be associated from the drop-down list 202b displayed together with the captured data name display field 202a. Alternatively, the user directly inputs the name of the item in the imported data name display field 202a. When such operations are performed, the main control circuit 101 determines that the item has been corrected. When it is determined in step S104 that the item has been corrected, the process proceeds to step S105. When it is determined in step S104 that there is no item correction, the process proceeds to step S106.

In step S105, the main control circuit 101 corrects the mapping result according to the content of the user's correction. Along with this, the main control circuit 101 updates the mapping result confirmation screen. After that, the process moves to step S106.

In step S106, the main control circuit 101 determines whether or not the mapping process is completed by the user's operation of the operation panel 11a. The user compares each item in the essential information display area 201 and each item in the imported data name display area 202 to confirm that the items are correctly mapped, and then selects the OK button 203 . In this case, it is determined that the mapping process is completed. When it is determined in step S106 that the mapping process has been completed, the process proceeds to step S107. When it is determined in step S106 that the mapping process has not been completed, the process returns to step S104.

At step S107, the main control circuit 101 displays an installation setting screen based on the result of the mapping process.

In step S108, the main control circuit 101 determines whether or not setting data has been input in the built-in setting screen. When it is determined in step S108 that setting data has been input within the built-in setting screen, the process proceeds to step S109. When it is determined in step S108 that no setting data has been entered in the built-in setting screen, the process returns to step S107.

In step S109, the main control circuit 101 stores the input setting data in a memory, for example.

In step S110, the main control circuit 101 determines whether or not all the setting data have been input on the corresponding built-in setting screen. When it is determined in step S110 that all the setting data have not been entered on the built-in setting screen, the process returns to step S107. In this case, the main control circuit 101 displays the following installation setting screen. When it is determined in step S110 that all setting data have been entered on the built-in setting screen, the process proceeds to step S111.

Here, the built-in setting screen will be described. 8 to 12 are diagrams showing examples of installation setting screens. Each built-in setting screen will be described below.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an inclusion brand selection screen as an incorporation setting screen. The insert brand is the brand of the newspaper that needs to be inserted into the leaflet. In the embodiment, newspapers that need to be folded into leaflets are fed from the newspaper feeding mechanism 30 to the collating mechanism 10 . The brand name of the newspaper fed from the newspaper supply mechanism 30 is set on the insert brand setting screen.

The insert brand selection screen includes a brand display area 204 . The brand display area 204 is an area for displaying a list of brand names obtained from the delivery order data. Each brand name is provided with a check box 204a. The user can check the check box 204a of the brand name to be set as the insert brand. A brand name with a check is displayed in bold, for example. A brand name with a check may be displayed in a different color instead of in bold.

The user selects the OK button 205 after checking the check box 204a of the brand name to be set as the insert brand. As a result, the main control circuit 101 stores the information of the checked brand name in the memory, for example, as setting data of the brand to be inserted. After that, the main control circuit 101 causes the incorporation setting screen to transition to the incorporation brand selection screen, which is the next incorporation setting screen. Here, it is not always necessary to select the insert brand. In this case, the user selects the OK button 205 without checking the check box 204a. Also in this case, the main control circuit 101 causes the incorporation setting screen to transition to the incorporation brand selection screen, which is the next incorporation setting screen.

Further, depending on the configuration of the newspaper supply mechanism 30, for example, there are some newspapers that cannot be fed into the collating machine 1 with a plurality of types of newspapers. In such a case, a limit may be placed on the number of items that can be set as the inclusion brand. For example, when the newspaper supply mechanism 30 is configured so that only one type of newspaper can be fed, the number of insert brands that can be set may be limited to one.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an incorporated brand selection screen as an incorporated setting screen. The embedding brand is a brand of newspaper that does not need to be folded into a leaflet among the newspaper brands targeted for the embedding operation. In the embodiment, newspapers that do not need to be folded into flyers are put into the collating mechanism 10 from the paper feed shelf 12 . The name of the brand name of the newspaper to be fed from the paper feed shelf 12 is set on the built-in brand setting screen. Here, the built-in brand selection screen can be displayed, for example, when the number of loaded brand names is greater than the number of paper feed racks 12 that can be used in the built-in operation of the collating machine 1 . When the number of imported brand names is equal to or less than the number of paper feed racks 12 that can be used in the incorporation operation of collating machine 1, the display of the incorporated brand selection screen may be omitted.

The built-in brand selection screen includes a brand display area 206 . The brand display area 206 is an area for displaying a list of brand names obtained from the delivery order data. Here, in the brand display area 206 on the built-in brand selection screen, the brand name selected on the fold-in brand selection screen is not displayed. Each brand name is provided with a check box 206a. The user can check the check box 206a of the brand name to be set as the embedded brand. A brand name with a check is displayed in bold, for example. A brand name with a check may be displayed in a different color instead of in bold.

The embedded issue selection screen also includes a remaining number display area 207 . The remaining number display area 207 is a display area for displaying the remaining number that can be selected as an embedded issue. For example, FIG. 9 shows an example in which the number that can be selected as embedded issues is "2". In this case, since two check boxes 206a have already been checked, "0" is displayed in the remaining number display area 207. FIG.

The user checks the checkbox 206a of the brand name to be set as the embedded brand, and then selects the OK button 208. FIG. As a result, the main control circuit 101 stores the information of the checked brand names in the memory, for example, as setting data of the embedded brands. After that, the main control circuit 101 changes the installation setting screen to the next installation setting screen, that is, the separator sheet use confirmation screen. Here, it is not necessary to select as many embedded stocks as the maximum number of selectable stocks.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a separator sheet use confirmation screen as an installation setting screen. Separator paper is paper inserted between collated bundles to indicate the division of newspapers to be delivered to the same reader. As shown in FIG. 6, one reader may subscribe to multiple types of newspapers or subscribe to multiple newspapers. That is, it may be necessary to deliver multiple newspapers to a single reader. On the other hand, in the assembling operation, which will be described later, the newspapers fed from the paper feed shelf 12 or the newspaper feeding mechanism 30 are sequentially stacked according to the order of delivery. In this case, there is a possibility that it will be impossible to determine the position of the division of the newspaper to be delivered to each reader. The separator sheet is inserted at the position of the separator where the delivery destination is changed in the order of delivery.

The separator sheet usage confirmation screen includes a yes button 209 and a no button 210 . A button 209 to be selected is a button to be selected when using a separator sheet. A no button 210 is a button that is selected when no separator sheet is used.

The user selects either the Yes button 209 or the No button 210 and then selects the OK button 211 . As a result, the main control circuit 101 stores information indicating whether or not to use separator sheets as setting data in a memory, for example. After that, the main control circuit 101 causes the installation setting screen to transition to the next installation setting screen, which is the used shelf selection screen.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a used shelf selection screen as an installation setting screen. The used shelf selection screen is a screen for selecting a paper feed shelf to be used for the installation operation. The used shelf selection screen includes a used shelf selection display area 212 . The used shelf selection display area 212 includes a list display of the paper feed racks 12 showing the schematic arrangement of the paper feed racks 12 shown in FIG. The user can select a paper feed rack to be used for the installation operation from the list of paper feed racks 12 . However, as described above, the lowermost paper feed rack on the front side of the housing 11 among the paper feed racks 12 is assigned as a paper feed rack for inserting origami paper, which is a folding stage. Therefore, the paper feed shelf 1212a of the folding stage is displayed in black, for example, so that the user cannot select it. The user selects a paper feed shelf to be used for the loading operation from the remaining shelves. The paper feed shelf 1212b selected by the user is displayed with a bold frame, for example, to indicate to the user that it has been selected. The used shelf selection display area 212 also includes a display of a newspaper feeding mechanism (inserter) as a paper feeding shelf used for the installation operation. When the insert brand is selected, the inserter is displayed with a thick frame, for example. The display indicating that the selection has been completed is not limited to the thick frame display, and may be a display in which the color is changed or the like.

The used shelf selection screen also includes a remaining number display area 213 . The remaining number display area 213 is a display area for displaying the remaining number of usable shelves. The initial value of the remaining number display area 213 may be determined according to, for example, the number of embedded brands selected on the embedded brand selection screen, the use or non-use of separator paper, and the type of leaflet to be inserted in the inserted brand. . For example, when the number of selected built-in brands is "2", separator paper is "used", and the types of leaflets are "three types", the number of available paper feed shelves may be set to "6". . In addition, the initial value of the remaining number display area 213 is set to a number larger than the sum of the number of embedded brands selected on the embedded brand selection screen, whether separator paper is used, and the type of leaflet to be folded into the inserted brand. may have been FIG. 11 shows an example in which the number of available paper feed racks is "6". In this case, since three paper trays have already been selected, "3" is displayed in the remaining number display area 213. FIG.

The user selects the paper feed shelf to be set as the used shelf, and then selects the OK button 214 . As a result, the main control circuit 101 stores the information of the selected paper feed shelf as setting data in the memory, for example. After that, the main control circuit 101 changes the installation setting screen to the packaging use confirmation screen, which is the next installation setting screen. Paper trays do not necessarily have to be selected as many as the selectable limit.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a packaging use confirmation screen as an installation setting screen. For example, during delivery in rainy weather, raindrops can wet the newspaper. The entry of raindrops is suppressed by wrapping the newspaper with a wrapping film. Here, when newspapers are fed into a packaging machine for packaging newspapers, the order of discharging the newspapers from the collating machine 1 and the order of feeding the newspapers into the packaging machine are reversed. Therefore, if the newspapers discharged from the collating machine 1 are put into the packaging machine as they are, the newspapers delivered to the same person will not be properly wrapped. Therefore, during the assembling operation, the order in which the newspapers are discharged from the collating machine 1 is changed depending on whether or not the packaging is used.

The packaging use confirmation screen includes a yes button 215 and a no button 216 . A button 215 to use is a button that is selected when using the packaging. A no button 216 is a button that is selected when pavement is not used.

The user selects either the Yes button 215 or the No button 216 and then selects the OK button 217 . As a result, the main control circuit 101 stores information indicating whether or not packaging is used as setting data in a memory, for example. This completes the input of all setting data on the installation setting screen, and the process proceeds to step S111.

Now, let us return to the description of FIG. In step S111, the main control circuit 101 sets the paper feed shelf based on the setting data. For example, the main control circuit 101 assigns the built-in brand stored in the memory as the brand to be inserted into the newspaper feed mechanism (inserter). Further, the main control circuit 101 assigns the leaflet insert to the paper feed shelf selected for use. The handbill to be inserted into the newspaper of the insert brand may be set in the collating operation, or may be newly set on the insert brand selection screen, for example. In addition, the main control circuit 101 allocates a built-in brand stored in the memory as a brand to be put into the paper feed shelf selected when used. Further, when a separator sheet is used, the main control circuit 101 assigns the separator sheet to the paper feed shelf selected for use. In addition, if one paper feed rack cannot supply the required number of sheets or copies, the main control circuit 101 may allocate a plurality of paper feed racks. After setting the paper feed shelf in this manner, the main control circuit 101 displays a confirmation screen for setting the paper feed shelf. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for confirming the setting of the paper feed shelf. The screen for confirming the setting of the paper feed shelf includes a paper feed shelf setting display area 218 . The paper tray setting display area 218 includes an indication of the assignment to the paper tray selected for use.

At step S112, the main control circuit 101 determines whether or not the setting related to the installation operation is completed. The user puts the newspapers and leaflets into the paper feed rack according to the paper feed rack settings displayed in the paper feed rack setting display area 218 . Then, after inserting newspapers and leaflets according to the setting of the paper feed shelf displayed in the paper feed shelf setting display area 218, the OK button 219 is selected. At this time, the main control circuit 101 determines that the setting related to the installation operation has been completed. In step S112, the main control circuit 101 waits until it is determined that the settings related to the installation operation have been completed. In step S112, when the setting related to the installation operation is completed, the process proceeds to step S113.

In step S<b>113 , the main control circuit 101 sets the order of discharge from the collating mechanism 10 . After that, the process returns to step S101. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of discharge order data generated based on the determined discharge order. The discharge order is usually determined, for example, in the reverse order of the delivery order. In addition, the order of delivery is specified by "route". Here, the setting of the discharge order for the newspapers not selected on the built-in brand selection screen is omitted.

In FIG. 14, the order of delivery to reader A is the first and the order of delivery to reader D is the last. The collating mechanism 10 stacks paper sheets in the order in which they are input. For this reason, the paper sheet that is put in the earliest becomes the bottom. Therefore, if the newspapers are thrown in according to the order of delivery, the newspaper that should be delivered first will be the bottom. On the other hand, since the order of discharge is determined in reverse order of the order of delivery, the newspapers to be delivered first are discharged in the top position. This makes it easier for the newspaper deliverer to deliver the newspaper.

Here, when the setting is made to use separator sheets, the order in which the separator sheets are to be discharged is also determined. As described above, the order of ejection of the separator sheets is the order of ejection corresponding to the positions of the separators. In FIG. 14, the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 10th, and 12th separator sheets are discharged in order. The ejection of the 1st (first) and 12th (last) separators may be omitted. If separators are inserted, the newspaper deliverer can determine the division of the newspaper to be delivered by the separators. Also, the user can determine the division of newspapers to be fed into the packaging machine.

Also, when the setting is to use packaging, the order of discharge is determined in the same order as the order of delivery, contrary to what is shown in FIG. In this case, the user can easily insert the bundle of newspapers into the packaging machine. In addition, when the separator is inserted, the newspaper deliverer can determine the separator of the newspaper to be put into the packaging machine by the separator. That is, wrapping can be done for each newspaper delivered to the same person.

Returning now to the description of FIG. At step S114, the main control circuit 101 determines whether or not an instruction to start the installation operation has been given. When it is determined in step S114 that the start of the installation operation has been instructed, the process proceeds to step S115. When it is determined in step S114 that the start of the installation operation has not been instructed, the process proceeds to step S116.

At step S115, the main control circuit 101 executes the installation operation according to the current settings. The embedding operation will be described below. FIG. 15 is a flow chart showing the incorporation operation.

In step S201, the main control circuit 101 refers to the ejection order data and determines whether or not the next ejection order is the separator sheet. When it is determined in step S201 that the next sheet to be discharged is the separator sheet, the process proceeds to step S202. When it is determined in step S201 that the next paper in the ejection order is not the separator sheet, the process proceeds to step S203.

In step S202, the main control circuit 101 controls the collating mechanism 10 via the sub-control circuit 102 so that separator sheets are fed from the paper feed shelf 12 assigned to the separator sheets. The collating mechanism 10 discharges the separator sheets loaded from the paper feed shelf 12 from the discharge port 24 . The folding and transporting mechanism 40 transports the separator sheet to the lifting mechanism 50 . After that, the process moves to step S206.

In step S203, the main control circuit 101 refers to the discharge order data and determines whether or not the next discharge order is the folded-in brand newspaper. When it is determined in step S203 that the newspaper of the insert brand is to be discharged next, the process proceeds to step S204. In step S203, when it is determined that the next discharge order is not the insert brand, that is, the incorporated brand newspaper, the process proceeds to step S205.

In step S203, the main control circuit 101 controls the collating mechanism 10 via the sub-control circuit 102 so that the leaflet inserts are sequentially fed from the sheet feeding racks to which the leaflet inserts are assigned. In synchronism with this, the main control circuit 101 controls the newspaper feeding mechanism 30 through the sub-control circuit 102 so that the newspaper is fed from the newspaper feeding mechanism 30 . The collation mechanism 10 sequentially discharges the leaflet inserted from the paper feed shelf 12 from the discharge port 24 . The folding and transporting mechanism 40 folds the leaflet collated by the collating mechanism 10 into the newspaper fed from the newspaper feeding mechanism 30 and transports the newspaper with the leaflet folded to the lifting mechanism 50 . After that, the process moves to step S206.

At step S205, the main control circuit 101 causes the collating mechanism 10 to operate the collating mechanism 10 via the sub-control circuit 102 so that one set of newspapers is fed from the paper feed shelf to which the newspapers of the incorporated brand in the next discharge order are assigned. Control. The collation mechanism 10 ejects the newspapers loaded from the paper feed shelf 12 through the ejection port 24 . The folding and conveying mechanism 40 conveys the newspaper to the lifting mechanism 50 . After that, the process moves to step S206.

At step S206, the main control circuit 101 determines whether or not the installation operation has been completed. For example, it is determined that the loading operation has been completed when all paper sheets included in the ejection order data have been ejected. When it is determined in step S206 that the installation operation has not been completed, the process returns to step S201. When it is determined in step S206 that the installation operation has been completed, the main control circuit 101 terminates the processing of FIG.

As described above, according to the embodiment, multiple types of newspapers are collated according to the order of delivery. Therefore, it is not necessary to stack a plurality of newspapers in order of delivery at the newspaper delivery store. In addition, the delivery person of newspapers can deliver the newspapers only by picking the newspapers in order from the bundle of newspapers that have been collated. This improves work efficiency when multiple newspapers need to be handled. Also, in embodiments, the integration operation may be performed utilizing mechanisms provided in existing collating machines. In other words, manufacturing of a dedicated mechanism for the built-in mode can be omitted.

Further, according to the embodiment, separator paper is inserted at the position of the separator where the delivery destination is changed in the order of delivery. The delimiter allows the deliverer to determine the delimiter of the delivery order, so that even if the same person subscribes to multiple copies or multiple types of newspapers, the newspapers can be delivered correctly. Separators also allow the stack of newspapers to be properly loaded into the packaging machine. Further, according to the embodiment, the order of discharging paper sheets from the collating mechanism 10 is changed depending on whether or not packaging is used. This allows the newspaper to be wrapped per reader even when wrapping is used. Also, the bundles of newspapers discharged from the packaging machine are piled up in order of delivery.

[Modification]
Modifications of the embodiment will be described below. In the embodiment, input of delivery order data for generating discharge order data is performed by importing delivery order data prepared in advance. In contrast, all data entry for generating discharge order data may be manually entered. In this case, mapping processing is unnecessary.

Further, in the embodiment, whether or not to change the order of delivery is determined depending on whether or not packaging is used. As mentioned above, the packaging is used, for example, in rainy weather. Therefore, whether or not to change the order of delivery may be determined according to weather conditions, such as changing the order of delivery when it rains. The input of the weather conditions in this case may be input manually by the user, or may be input by a server that can communicate with the gathering machine obtained from a weather forecast site or the like.

Also, the respective built-in setting screens described above are examples and may be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, in the embodiment, each built-in setting screen is displayed on the operation panel 11a, for example. On the other hand, each built-in setting screen may be displayed on a display device separate from the collating machine 1 . For example, the built-in setting screen may be displayed on a display device of a terminal such as a smart phone that can communicate with the gathering machine 1 .

In addition, in the above-described embodiments, newspapers are mentioned as the paper sheets to be incorporated. Paper sheets that are targets of the incorporation operation are not limited to newspapers. For example, paper sheets to be incorporated may be booklets, catalogs, etc., as long as they are relatively thin.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the present invention at the implementation stage. Further, each embodiment may be implemented in combination as appropriate, in which case the combined effect can be obtained. Furthermore, various inventions are included in the above embodiments, and various inventions can be extracted by combinations selected from a plurality of disclosed constituent elements. For example, even if some constituent elements are deleted from all the constituent elements shown in the embodiments, if the problem can be solved and effects can be obtained, the configuration with the constituent elements deleted can be extracted as an invention.

1 collation machine 2 paper feed rack 10 collation mechanism 11 housing 11a operation panel 12, 12a paper feed rack 13 transport path 14 transport roller pair 15 first paper feed roller 16 second feed Paper Rollers 17 Separating Plate 18, 18a Feed Roller Pair 19 Folding Roller Pair 20 Locking Portion 21 Folding Knife 22 Conveying Belt 23 Discharge Roller Pair 24 Discharge Port 30 Newspaper Supply Mechanism 40 Folding and Conveying Mechanism 50 Elevating mechanism 101 Main control circuit 102, 103, 104, 105 Sub control circuit 106 Indicator 107 Operation switches 108 Communication module.

A collating machine according to one aspect includes a setting unit that receives input of delivery order data for a plurality of copies of newspapers , sets a discharge order of the plurality of copies of newspapers in the collating mechanism, and A plurality of copies of newspapers are obtained from the paper feed shelf in the order of discharge, and the collating mechanism is controlled so as to discharge a collated bundle containing the obtained bundle of newspapers from the discharge port in the order of discharge. and a control unit, and the setting unit changes the order of discharge according to whether or not to pack the collated bundle discharged from the discharge port.

Claims (11)

a setting unit that receives input of delivery order data for a plurality of paper sheets and sets the discharge order of the plurality of paper sheets in a collation mechanism;
The plurality of paper sheets put into the plurality of paper feed racks are acquired from the paper feed racks according to the ejection order, and an assembling operation is performed to eject the acquired paper sheets from the ejection port according to the ejection order. a control unit that controls the collation mechanism;
A collating machine comprising a 2. The collating machine according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit changes the order of discharge according to whether or not the plurality of paper sheets discharged from the discharge port are packaged. The setting unit
when the plurality of paper sheets are not wrapped, setting the discharge order in reverse order of the delivery order;
When packaging the plurality of paper sheets, setting the discharge order in the same order as the delivery order;
A gathering machine according to claim 2. The collating machine according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit changes the order of discharge according to the weather. The setting unit
When it is not raining, the discharge order is set in reverse order of the delivery order,
When it rains, the discharge order is set in the same order as the delivery order.
A gathering machine according to claim 4. The setting unit sets the ejection order of the separator sheets at the position of the separator where the delivery destination is changed in the delivery order,
The control unit acquires the separator sheets from the paper feed shelf and controls the collation mechanism to discharge the acquired separator sheets from the discharge port in accordance with the discharge order of the separator sheets. ,
A collating machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5. 7. The collating machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the setting unit further assigns the paper feed shelf into which the plurality of paper sheets are loaded. The setting unit
displaying a setting screen for allowing the user to select the paper feed shelf that can be used for the assignment;
8. The collating machine of claim 7, wherein said assignment is made within said input bin selected by a user. The setting unit
displaying a setting screen for allowing a user to select a paper sheet to be subjected to the incorporation operation from among the plurality of paper sheets;
9. The collating machine according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the paper sheet selected by the user and targeted for the incorporation operation is assigned to the paper feed shelf. The setting unit
displaying a setting screen for allowing a user to select a paper sheet that requires another paper sheet to be folded from among the plurality of paper sheets;
10. The collating machine according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein a paper sheet supply mechanism different from the paper feed shelf is assigned to paper sheets that require folding of other paper sheets selected by the user. . The paper sheets include newspaper,
The collating mechanism acquires the newspapers one by one from the paper feed shelf and ejects the acquired newspapers one by one from the ejection port.
A gathering machine according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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