JP2667081B2 - Print integration device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a print stacking apparatus, and more particularly to a print stacking apparatus in which a print sent from a print sending section is dropped onto a stacking section so that the thickness direction of the print is horizontal or forms a predetermined angle with the horizontal. The present invention relates to a print accumulating device that accumulates in a printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a photographic processing process, an image recorded on a negative film is printed on a photographic paper by a printer, and a cut mark is provided for each image.
A sort mark is provided for each predetermined frame corresponding to the order. The photographic paper on which an image or the like is printed by the printer is processed by the processor for development, fixing, washing, and drying, and then cut for each image based on the cut mark, thereby forming a large number of prints. Each print is put together for each order on the basis of the sort mark and collated with the negative film, and packed together with the corresponding negative film and shipped.

On the other hand, recently, for example, a printer processor which automatically processes from a printing process to a collating process with a single device is becoming popular. In this printer processor, a print accommodating apparatus (so-called sorter) having a large number of accommodating sections and accommodating and storing a large number of prints in a different accommodating section for each order so that collation in the collating step is easy. It has. The cut photographic paper is sent out from the print sending section as a photographic print, falls by its own weight into the stacking section, and is stacked. When prints for one order are stacked in the stacking unit, the stacked prints are moved to the storage unit corresponding to the stacking unit among the multiple storage units of the print storage device.

[0004]

However, in the above-described stacking device, the prints sent from the print sending unit are stacked by being sequentially dropped, so that the prints are stacked.
The prints are stacked on the stacking unit in a state where the position in the width direction is not constant. Further, the print sent out from the print sending-out portion is curved from one end to the other end in the width direction (curled state) so that the emulsion surface side is the inner side due to being heated by the drying process in the drying part. It has become. As described above, since the individual prints are moved to the storage section of the sorter in a state in which the width direction positions are not fixed and the individual prints are curled, conveyance failures such as being caught by the storage plate that partitions the storage section occur, and In some cases, there was a problem in handling prints when transporting the prints in the process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and has as its object to provide a print stacking apparatus capable of preventing occurrence of a transport failure when moving prints stacked in a stacking unit. .

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a print stacking apparatus according to the present invention is arranged such that a print sent from a print sending section is dropped on the stacking section so that the thickness direction of the print is horizontal or horizontal. A print stacking device for stacking at a predetermined angle with respect to the printing device, wherein a guide having a width smaller than the width of the print and having flexibility is provided from the print sending unit to the stacking unit. I have.

It is preferable that a pressing member for pressing the prints stacked in the stacking section in the thickness direction of the prints is further provided.

A passage formed so that the width of the print gradually decreases toward the downstream side in the movement direction of the print as the print passes, and a moving means for moving the prints accumulated in the accumulation section along the passage. Is preferably further provided.

[0009]

The print heated by the drying process is sent out from the print sending section and is accumulated in the accumulation section such that the thickness direction of the print is horizontal or forms a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal. At this time, the emulsion layer is formed. In many cases, the curved surface is curved from one end to the other end in the width direction, that is, the curled state, with the surface on the curved side being inside. For this reason, in the present invention, from the print sending section to the collecting section,
A guide having flexibility and a width smaller than the width of the print is provided.

Thus, for example, if the guide is arranged so as to correspond to the vicinity of the center in the width direction of the print on the surface inside the curl of the print, the width of the guide in the falling state of the print sent from the print sending unit is reduced. Due to the contact of the end with the print in the direction, for example, the portion corresponding to the guide is restricted from moving from near the center in the width direction to the end, and the state near the center in the width direction substantially maintains the state corresponding to the guide. Then, it is dropped to the collecting section along the guide.
Accordingly, the position in the width direction of the prints stacked on the stacking unit is substantially constant, so that occurrence of a conveyance failure when moving the prints stacked on the stacking unit is prevented.

Also, the prints already stacked in the stacking section may slightly move in the width direction in the stacking state by contacting and interfering with the falling prints. For this reason, it is preferable to further provide a pressing member for pressing the prints accumulated in the accumulation section in the thickness direction of the prints. Accordingly, the movement of the prints already stacked in the stacking section in the width direction is restricted, and the position of the falling prints in the width direction is substantially constant by the guide according to the first aspect of the present invention. The prints are stably stacked in the stacking section with the position in the width direction being constant.

A passage formed so that the width of the print gradually decreases toward the downstream side in the moving direction of the print as the print passes, and a moving means for moving the prints accumulated in the accumulation section along the passage. Is preferably further provided. Thereby, when the prints accumulated in the accumulation section are moved by the moving means, the prints are deformed so that the curvature in the thickness direction of the prints is reduced, that is, the degree of curl is reduced. It is possible to prevent occurrence of transport failure when moving the accumulated prints.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 show a printer processor 10 to which the present invention is applied. First, the overall configuration of the printer processor 10 will be described.

(Overall Configuration) This printer processor 10
The print unit 13 is integrally provided in front of the processor unit 12, and the print sending unit 14 is integrally provided in the rear thereof. A negative film F, which has been developed in advance, is set on the print unit 13 in a state wound on a reel 16.
The negative film F is pulled out of the reel 16 at the leading end, is conveyed by conveying means (not shown), and is sent out in the direction of arrow A through a negative mask 18 disposed at the printing position.

An optical system 19 is provided above the negative mask 18, and a light source 22 is provided below the negative mask 18. Above the optical system 19, a magazine 21 that accommodates a long photographic paper wound in a roll shape is loaded. In the printing unit 13, the image of the negative film F positioned at the printing position is printed on the printing paper drawn from the magazine 21, and a cut mark is given for each image frame and a sort mark is given for each order.
It is transported into the processor unit 12.

In the processor section 12, a developing tank, a fixing tank, a washing tank, a drying section and the like (not shown) are sequentially arranged.
The photographic paper subjected to the development, fixing, rinsing, and drying processes in the processor unit 12 is cut for each image frame by a print sending unit 14 arranged on the downstream side of the processor unit 12 to obtain a photographic print P. Sent out (arrow D in FIG. 1)
direction).

The photographic prints P sent from the print sending section 14 are stored in the horizontal sorter 32 corresponding to the print stacking apparatus of the present invention. A first sorter 34 is arranged adjacent to the horizontal sorter 32. When the photographic prints P for one order are stored in the horizontal sorter 32, the horizontal sorter 32 moves the photographic prints P to the first sorter 34. The photographic print P moved to the first sorter 34 is conveyed in the direction of arrow F and is sent to the second sorter 36 adjacent to the first sorter 34.

On the other hand, the negative film F sent out from the negative mask 18 in the direction of arrow A includes a plurality of guide rollers 24.
Is guided in the direction of arrow B perpendicular to the direction of arrow A,
It is transported to the negative cut inserter 26. The negative cut inserter 26 is provided with a cutter that detects the frame position of the negative film F, cuts the negative film F for each order, and further cuts into several piece negatives (e.g., every 6 frames). The negative sheet S for accommodating the piece negative is wound around the sheet reel 28, and the piece negative is sequentially inserted into the negative sheet S pulled out from the sheet reel 28 in the negative insertion portion 102. When the negative sheet S accommodates the negative film F for one order, the negative sheet S is cut by the cutting unit 104 and is accumulated in the sheet storage unit 29.

As shown in FIG. 11, the worker 25 can reach the negative sheets S accumulated in the sheet storage section 29,
At the predetermined work position where the photographic prints P accommodated in the second sorter 36 can be reached, sit down toward the collation table 30 arranged along the second sorter 36 (direction of arrow C) to perform the collation work. . That is, the negative sheets S accumulated in the sheet accumulating section 29 and the photographic prints P accommodated in the second sorter 36 are taken out, the images are collated, and the photographic prints P and the negative film F corresponding to one order are accommodated. The negative sheet S is packed in the same DP bag.

The second sorter 3 is located near the worker 25.
A switch 27 is provided at the hand and a foot switch 31 is provided at the feet as an instruction means for continuously moving the device 6. The switch 27 and the foot switch 31 are connected to a control circuit 96 (see FIG. 10). Next, the print sending section 14, the horizontal sorter 32, and the first sorter 3
4. Details of the second sorter 36 will be described.

(Structure of the print sending section 14) FIG.
As shown in (1), the print sending section 14 is provided with a cut mark sensor 94 that is disposed near the photographic paper transport path and detects a cut mark added to the photographic paper, and a sort mark sensor 95 that detects a sort mark. Have been. The cut mark sensor 94 and the sort mark sensor 95 are connected to a control circuit 96, and the detection result is transmitted to the control circuit 96.
Output to The printer processor 10 can process a plurality of types of photographic paper having different widths. However, in each processing unit including the print feed unit 14, the vicinity of the center in the width direction is substantially independent of the width of the photographic paper. The photographic paper is transported so as to move at a certain position.

One of the transport rollers arranged along the photographic paper transport path is connected to an encoder 97, and the encoder 97 is connected to a control circuit 96. The transport roller rotates according to the transport amount of the photographic paper,
This rotation is transmitted to the encoder 97 and is converted into a pulse signal having a number of pulses corresponding to the rotation amount of the conveyance roller, that is, the conveyance amount of the photographic paper, and is output to the control circuit 96.

A pair of cutters 98 are arranged on the downstream side of the position where the cut mark sensor 94 is provided, with the pair of cutters 98 opposed to each other with the photographic paper conveyance path therebetween. The cutter 98 is connected to the control circuit 96, and cuts the photographic paper for each image frame in response to a signal from the control circuit 96. Cut photographic paper is photo print P
As shown in FIG. 5, the print sheet is sent out from the print feed unit 14 through the feed port 14A shown in FIG.
2 are stacked so that the thickness direction of the photographic prints P forms a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal.

In FIG. 5, a support member 99 is mounted below the outlet 14A. The support member 99 is detachable, and is attached when the size of the photographic print P to be sent out is small in the longitudinal direction, and supports the lower surface of the photographic print P sent out to stabilize the fall of the photographic print P to the storage plate 42. Have.

(Structure of Horizontal Sorter 32) As shown in FIG. 5, the horizontal sorter 32 has a substantially U-shaped receiving plate 42 opened upward. Also, the print sending unit 1
A band-shaped tape 38 as a guide is attached to the upper part of the casing 4 via a bracket 37, and the tip of the tape 38 extends to near the bottom of the housing plate 42. The tape 38 is formed of a flexible member (for example, polyester used as a film base), and has a width smaller than that of the photographic paper having the smallest width that can be processed by the printer processor 10. The intermediate portion of the tape 38 is disposed so as to substantially follow the movement locus near the center in the width direction of the photographic print P when the photographic print P sent from the delivery port 14A falls toward the storage plate 42. I have.

The photographic print P delivered through the print delivery port 14A is heated by the drying process in the processor section 12 and is in a curled state from one end to the other end in the width direction, that is, a curled state. The tape 38 is provided so as to correspond to the surface inside the curl of the photographic print P.

On the other hand, a plate 39 is mounted on the opposite side of the print sending section 14 across the housing plate 42 so as to extend obliquely above the housing plate 42, and to the plate 39 via a bracket 41. A belt-shaped tape 40 as a pressing member is attached. The tape 40 is also formed of a flexible member like the tape 38. The tip of the tape 40 extends near the bottom of the accommodating plate 42 and is in contact with the tip of the tape 38.

A guide rod 33 is mounted near the end of the receiving plate 42 on the first sorter 34 side. The guide rod 33 projects from the side on which the plate 39 is mounted, and
It is bent so that the distance from the side wall on the side becomes gradually smaller toward the first sorter 36 side (see also FIG. 3). Accordingly, the path of the photographic print P, which is accumulated on the storage plate 42 and is pressed and moved by the rod 50 described later, has a width downstream in the moving direction of the photographic print P, that is, the first sorter 34.
It is formed so as to gradually decrease toward the side.

As shown in FIG. 6, a shaft 43 rotatably supported by a support member (not shown) is disposed at an end of the storage plate 42 on the first sorter 34 side. A pair of sprocket wheels 44A,
44B is fixed. Also, on the other end in the longitudinal direction,
Similarly, a shaft 45 to which a pair of sprocket wheels 46A and 46B is fixed is arranged. An endless chain 47 is wound around the sprocket wheels 44A and 46A and the sprocket wheels 44B and 46B. The chain 47 rotates upon transmission of the driving force of a motor 48 (see FIG. 10). The motor 48 is connected to a control circuit 96 via a driver 49, and the drive is controlled by the control circuit 96.

Two rods 5 are provided between the two chains 47.
0 is bridged and fixed. The U-shaped legs of the storage plate 42 have rods 5 when the chain 47 is rotated.
A groove 51 is provided along the longitudinal direction corresponding to the 0 movement locus. Accordingly, when the chain 47 is rotated, the rod 50 moves inside the accommodation plate 42 through the groove 51, and when the chain 47 is further rotated, the rod 50 is circulated below the accommodation plate 42. The motor 48 is a rod 50
Rotates the chain 47 so that moves inside the housing plate 42 in the direction of arrow E. Accordingly, the photographic prints P accumulated in the storage plate 42 are pressed by the rod 50 and moved in the direction of arrow E, that is, toward the first sorter 34, and are stored in the insertion portion 60 corresponding to the horizontal sorter 32. Unit (described later).

(Configuration of First Sorter 34) First Sorter 34
Includes an upper sprocket wheel 54 arranged at substantially the same height as the lateral sorter 32, and a lower sprocket wheel 55 arranged obliquely below the upper sprocket wheel 54 so that the axes of rotation are parallel to each other. An endless chain 56 is wound around the pair of sprockets. One end of the endless chain 56 is bent at a substantially right angle, and
A is formed at a constant pitch PT
It is attached so as to protrude from the endless chain 56 at right angles.

A photo print P is provided between the opposing storage plates 58.
When the photographic print P is inserted into the storage portion located at the insertion portion 60, the mounting portion 58A forming the bottom of the storage portion has the lower edge of the photographic print P To support. In this state, the photographic print P arranged in the accommodation section is supported by leaning on the accommodation plate 58 that partitions the accommodation section and the accommodation section arranged diagonally below. Some bending occurs due to the weight of the print P.

The driving force of the motor 62 (see FIG. 10) is transmitted to the endless chain 56, and the endless chain 56 is moved in the direction of the arrow F, and the accommodating portion is circulated accordingly, and the photographic print P is inserted by the insertion portion 60. The storage unit is moved toward the extraction unit 61 corresponding to the second sorter 36. The motor 62 is connected to the control circuit 96 via the driver 63, and the drive is controlled by the control circuit 96.

As shown in FIG. 6, a guide rod 66 is provided between the take-out portion 61 of the first sorter 34 and the insertion portion 88 of the second sorter 36. The guide rod 66 is arranged such that a middle portion in the longitudinal direction is fixed to a bracket attached to a frame (not shown). One end of the guide rod 66 enters the take-out portion 61 of the first sorter 34, and the other end enters the insertion portion 60 of the second sorter 36. For this reason, a notch 58B is formed in each accommodation plate 58 so that the one end does not contact the accommodation plate 58. In addition,
Both ends of the guide rod 66 are the first sorter 34 and the second sorter 3
6 is extended outward from the central portion in the width direction so that the photographic print P can be reliably supported.

The storage plate 58 of the first sorter 34 that has reached the take-out portion 61 is inverted near the portion where it is wound around the lower sprocket wheel 55. When the storage plate 58 leaning on the photographic print P is turned over, the photographic print P is delivered to the guide rod 66 with the storage plate 58 rotated below the guide rod 66 (see FIG. 7). As shown in FIG. 7, when the longitudinal dimension of the photo print P is large, the photo print P is also supported by the end of the casing 64 of the printer processor 10.

The second sorter 61 with the take-out part 61 of the first sorter 34 interposed
A pusher 68 is arranged on the opposite side of the sorter 36 installation site. The pusher 68 is fixed to one end of a slide bar 69, and the slide bar 69 can be moved by a roller 46 in the direction in which the photographic print P is sent out (the direction of arrow G). The slide bar 69 is connected near the tip of the lever 70, and the intermediate part of the lever 70 is connected to the crank 71. The crank 71 is the motor 7
2 drive shafts. The motor 72 is connected to a control circuit 96 via a driver 73 (see FIG. 10). When the crank 71 is rotated by the driving force of the motor 72, the lever 70 reciprocates and the pusher 68 reciprocates to the second sorter 36.

As shown in FIG. 9, the pusher 68 is provided with a notch 68A, which comes into contact with the photographic print P supported by the guide rod 66 without interfering with the guide rod 66, and allows the photographic print P to be removed. It is sent in the direction of arrow G toward the 2 sorter 36. The pusher 68 has a second sorter 3 on each of a side corresponding to the upper surface of the photographic print P and a side corresponding to the lower surface of the photographic print P at the time of contact with the photographic print P.
Flanges 68B and 68C protruding toward 6 are formed.

As shown in FIG. 8, slightly upstream of the take-out portion 61 of the first sorter 34, more specifically, the first sorter 34.
A limit switch 74 is provided on the upstream side of the accommodating portion by one pitch from the take-out portion 61. The detection arm 74A of the limit switch 74 is provided with the notch 58 of the accommodation plate 58.
It is inserted into a cutout 58C provided on the opposite side to B, and comes into contact with the end of the photographic print P supported by the storage plate 58 so that the presence or absence of the photographic print P can be detected. The limit switch 74 is connected to the control circuit 96 and outputs a detection result to the control circuit 96.

Further, a pusher 68 with the take-out portion 61 interposed therebetween
A light emitting element 76A is provided on the side of the second sorter 36, and a light receiving element 76B is provided on the side of the second sorter 36. These light emitting elements 76A
The light receiving element 76B constitutes a sensor 76 (see FIG. 10), and is connected to a control circuit 96. Light emitting element 7
The light emitted from 6A is output to the taking-out section 61 by the photographic print P.
Is not present, the light is received by the light receiving element 76B,
When the photographic print P is present, it is reflected by the photographic print P and does not reach the light receiving element 76B. As a result, the photo print P is taken out of the take-out unit 61.
Is detected.

(Configuration of Second Sorter 36) Second Sorter 36
Has an endless chain 84 spanning between a first sprocket wheel 82 and a second sprocket wheel 83, which are arranged at the same height, and a mounting portion 86A of a receiving plate 86 is fixed to the endless chain 84. An accommodating portion is formed. The endless chain 84 is a motor 78 constituting the driving means of the present invention.
When the driving force (see FIG. 10) is transmitted, the housing plate 86 rotates in the direction of arrow H, and the housing plate 86 and each of the housing portions are circulated. The motor 78 is connected to a control circuit 96 via a driver 79, and the drive is controlled by the control circuit 96. The above-mentioned foot switch 31 is also connected to the control circuit 96.

The notches 86 corresponding to the ends of the guide rods 66 protruding toward the second sorter 36 are also provided in these storage plates 86.
B is formed. The second sorter 36 is the first sorter 34
The portion corresponding to the extraction portion 61 is an insertion portion 88, and the portion corresponding to the second sprocket wheel 83 on the opposite side in the horizontal direction is an extraction portion 89. If the photographic print P cannot be taken out between the insertion section 88 and the take-out section 89, the storage plate 86 is inverted around the second sprocket wheel 83 and moves downward. The portion 92 (see FIG. 2) is dropped.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the first sorter 3
4 and the insertion portion 88 of the second sorter 36, the storage plate 86 is stopped moving with the storage plate 86 being disposed slightly below the guide rod 66, and the storage plate 58 is further lower than the storage plate 86. The movement is stopped in the state of being arranged at the. Therefore, the photographic print P placed on the guide rod 66 slides from one end 66A to one end 66B when the pusher 68 is driven in the direction of arrow G by the motor 72,
The second sorter 36 is moved slightly above the storage plate 86. When the second sorter 36 moves in the direction of arrow H in this state, the photographic print P placed on the one end 66B is picked up by the storage plate 86 and transferred to the second sorter 36.

In order to smoothly carry out this delivery operation, the sprocket wheel 82 of the second sorter 36 is arranged below the sprocket wheel 55 of the first sorter 34 by a length L (see FIG. 7).

A sensor 90 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) for detecting the presence or absence of a photographic print P in each storage section is provided at a required position immediately before the take-out section 89 of the second sorter 36. The sensor 90 corresponds to the notch 86B of the housing plate 86.

(Operation of the present embodiment) Next, FIGS.
The operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the main routine of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The main routine is executed when the leading edge of the photographic paper processed by the processor unit 12 reaches the print delivery unit 14.

In step 200, the flag area provided on the memory of the control circuit 96 is set to "0", and the count value of a counter described later is set to "0". In step 202, the printing paper is conveyed. Along with this conveyance, a plurality of conveyance rollers arranged along the conveyance path rotate, and the encoder 97 outputs pulse signals of a pulse number corresponding to the conveyance amount of the printing paper. In step 204, it is determined whether or not the cut mark sensor 94 has detected a cut mark applied to the edge or the like of the printing paper. When the determination in step 204 is negative, the process returns to step 202, and the conveyance of the printing paper is continued until the determination in step 204 is positive.

If the determination at step 204 is affirmative, the routine proceeds to step 206, where it is determined whether or not the flag area is "0". If the determination in step 206 is affirmative,
At step 208, it is determined whether or not the count value is "0".
If the determination in step 208 is affirmative, counting of the number of pulses of the pulse signal input from the encoder 97 is started in step 210. In step 214, the photographic paper is conveyed by a predetermined distance corresponding to the distance between the portion where the cut mark sensor 94 is provided and the portion where the cutter 98 is provided, and then the cutter 98 is operated to perform a photographic paper cutting process. At this time, the cutter 98 is operated twice so that the portion to which the cut mark is added is removed. Thereby, an unnecessary portion at the leading end of the photographic paper is removed.

In step 216, it is determined whether or not the sort mark added to the printing paper is detected by the sort mark sensor 95. If the determination in step 216 is negative, the process returns to step 202, and transport of the photographic paper is restarted. When the cut mark is detected again, step 20 is executed.
Since the determinations of steps 4 and 206 are affirmative, and the number of pulses has been counted, the determination of step 208 is denied. In step 212, the counting is stopped and the current count value is stored. The stored count value corresponds to the longitudinal dimension of the leading photographic print P of one order. In this step 212, the flag area is set to "1". As a result, the determination in step 206 is denied and the pulse counting is not performed until the flag area is set to "0" next time.

By the cutting process in the next step 214, the leading end of the cut photographic paper is sent out as the photographic print P through the sending-out port 14A, and falls toward the storage plate 42 of the horizontal sorter 32. At this time, the photographic print P is heated by the drying process in the processor unit 12 and is curved from one end to the other in the width direction, that is, is in a curled state. However, the tape 38 is disposed outside the delivery port 14A so as to extend substantially from the print delivery portion 14 to the accommodating plate 42 along the movement trajectory near the center in the width direction when the photographic print P falls. As shown in FIG. 16, the photographic print P is dropped in the direction of arrow D in a state that the vicinity of the center in the width direction corresponds to the tape 38.

As described above, the photo print P is curled from one end to the other in the width direction, and the width of the tape 38 is sufficiently smaller than the width of the print of the photo print P. In this state, both ends of the tape 38 in the width direction come into contact with the photo print P, and the movement of the photo print P in the width direction (the direction orthogonal to the direction of arrow D) is restricted, and the photo print P is approximately constant on the storage plate 42. To the position of. Since the processing of steps 202 to 216 is repeated until the determination of step 216 is affirmative, the print sending section 14 sends out the photographic prints P corresponding to one order one after another and drops toward the accommodation plate 42. I do.

As a result, the photographic prints P already dropped and accumulated on the housing plate 42 may come into contact with and interfere with the falling photographic prints P. The photographic print P is pressed in the thickness direction (the direction of the arrow I in FIG. 16) near the center in the width direction due to the bending of the flexible tape 40, so that movement in the width direction is restricted. Further, even if the amount of accumulation of the photo prints P on the storage plate 42 gradually increases, and even if the total thickness of the accumulated photo prints P becomes large, the pressing force is further increased by increasing the amount of bending of the tape 40. Therefore, the photographic prints P are stably stacked on the receiving plate 42 with the widthwise position being fixed.

When photographic prints P corresponding to one order are accumulated, a sort mark is detected by the sort mark sensor 95, and the determination in step 216 is affirmed.
Move to step 218. In step 218, it is determined whether the count value stored in step 212 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. As the predetermined value, for example, the longitudinal dimension is
If the count value of the number of pulses in the case of 110 mm is set, and the longitudinal dimension of the photographic print P is less than 110 mm (for example, E size, L size, etc.), the above determination is denied, and the image is provided on the memory in step 220. The area for storing the moving pitch of the first sorter 34 is set to “1”. If the longitudinal dimension is 110 mm or more (for example, Brownie size, panoramic size, etc.), the above determination is affirmed,
In step 222, the area for storing the moving pitch is set to "2".

In the next step 224, a sorter driving process is performed. Details of the sorter driving process will be described later.
In the next step 226, it is determined whether or not the photographic print P to be processed has run out, for example, by detecting the trailing edge of the printing paper. If the determination in step 226 is negative, the process returns to step 200, sets the flag area and the count value to "0", and repeats the above processing. As a result, the corresponding photographic print P is set to one for the next one order.
In addition to cutting each sheet, the longitudinal dimension of the leading photographic print P is detected. If the determination in step 226 is affirmative, the processing of the main routine ends.

Next, the sorter driving process will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When this routine is executed, as described above, the photographic prints P corresponding to one order are accumulated on the storage plate 42 of the horizontal sorter 32, and "1" is stored in the area for storing the moving pitch.
Or, “2” is set.

In step 250, the limit switch 74
Is turned on. When the limit switch 74 is turned off, the detection arm 74A is not in contact with the photographic print P, and the photographic print P is stored in the storage section one pitch upstream of the extraction section 61 of the first sorter 34.
Is not contained. In this case, in step 252, the motor 62 is driven to move the first sorter 34 downstream (in the direction of arrow F) by one pitch of the accommodation section.
Move to 0.

On the other hand, when the limit switch 74 is ON, the detection arm 74A is in contact with the photographic print P, and the photographic print P is stored in the storage section one pitch upstream of the take-out section 61. I have. In this case, in step 254, the first sorter 34 is moved in the same manner as in step 252. Thus, the photographic print P detected by the limit switch 74 is stored in the storage plate 58.
Is moved to the take-out portion 61 with the movement of the guide rod 66, and the accommodation plate 58 is moved downward below the guide rod 66 to be supported by the guide rod 66. Next step 256
Then, a traverse process for moving the photographic print P from the first sorter 34 to the second sorter 36 is performed.

The details of the horizontal feed process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
Then, the motor 72 is driven to move the pusher 68 back and forth. As a result, the photographic print P located at the take-out portion 61 is generally pressed at one end in the width direction by the pusher 68 and the upper surface and the lower surface are pushed by the pusher 68.
Contact with the flanges 68B and 68C formed on the second member is restricted from increasing the degree of curl due to pressing, and the second
It is moved to the insertion section 88 of the sorter 36.

In step 302, it is determined whether or not the photographic print P remains in the take-out section 61 based on the signal input from the sensor 76. When the determination in step 302 is denied, the horizontal feed processing ends. For example, if all the photo prints P cannot be moved and a part of one photo print P remains in the extracting unit 61 and the determination in step 302 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step 304. Pusher 6 again as in step 300
8 is reciprocated. As a result, for example, the photographic print P remaining in the take-out section 61 is moved, and the photographic print P is almost always inserted into the insertion section 88 of the second sorter 36.
Moved to In step 306, the step 302
It is determined whether or not the photographic print P remains in the take-out unit 61 in the same manner as described above. If the determination in step 306 is negative, the horizontal feed processing of the photographic print P ends.

If the determination in step 306 is also affirmative, it is determined that the photographic print P cannot be automatically laterally fed for some reason, an alarm is issued in step 308 to notify the operator, and in step 310, the operation is restarted. Wait until there is a driving instruction. The operator detects an abnormality by the alarm, takes measures such as correcting the curl of the photographic print P located in the take-out unit 61, and instructs re-driving. As a result, the process returns to step 300 in which the determination in step 310 is affirmed, and the traverse processing is performed in the same manner as described above. As described above, since the alarm is issued when the photographic print P cannot be moved even if the pusher 68 is operated twice, the number of times the alarm is issued is reduced, and the burden on the operator can be reduced.

The horizontal feed process is completed and the second photo print P
When the movement to the sorter 36 is completed, the process proceeds to step 258 in the flowchart of FIG. 13, in which the motor 78 is driven to move the second sorter 36 downstream by one pitch of the accommodating portion (arrow H).
Direction), and proceeds to step 260. In addition,
At this point in time, the process of step 252 or step 254 is being executed, so the first sorter 34 has been moved by one pitch of the accommodating portion. In step 260, it is determined whether or not the area for storing the moving pitch is "2".

If the determination in step 260 is negative, it is determined that the photographic prints P stacked on the storage plate 42 of the horizontal sorter 32 are photographic prints whose longitudinal dimension is smaller than a predetermined value, and step 272 is performed. Move to. In step 272, the motor 4 moves so that the rod 50 moves in the direction of the arrow E inside the accommodation plate 42 and the chain 47 makes a half rotation.
8 is driven. Thereby, the storage plate 42 of the horizontal sorter 32
The photographic prints P accumulated on the upper side are pressed by the rod 50 and inserted into the storage section located at the insertion section 60 of the first sorter 34.

At this time, the photographic prints P are accumulated on the housing plate 42 by the above-described tapes 38 and 40 so that the position in the width direction is constant, and the photographic prints P are bent by the guide rods 33 as the photographic prints P move. Is corrected so as to reduce the degree of curl, that is, the photographic print P is transferred to the first sorter 34.
When transported to the printer, no transport failure or the like occurs due to curling. When the process of step 272 is executed, the sorter driving process is terminated, and the above-described photographic paper cutting process of the main routine is restarted.

On the other hand, if the determination in step 260 is affirmative, the same processing as in steps 250 to 258 is performed in steps 262 to 270. Thereby, the first sorter 34 is further moved by one pitch of the accommodating portion. Accordingly, in the next step 272, a photographic print P having a longitudinal dimension equal to or larger than a predetermined value is inserted into the storage section located at the insertion section 60. Does not contain P. Therefore, there is no inconvenience that the pusher 68 is reciprocated when the obliquely lower storage section reaches the extraction section 61 and the pusher 68 interferes with the storage plate 58.

When photographic prints P whose longitudinal dimensions are equal to or greater than a predetermined value are successive, the photographic prints P are stored in the storage section of the first sorter 34 every other one as shown in FIG. For this reason, these photographic prints P
Even if the pusher 68 is moved to move to the sorter 36, the pusher 68 does not interfere with the storage plate 58 and the first sorter 3
The movement of the photographic print P from 4 to the second sorter 36 is performed smoothly.

In the sorter driving process shown in FIG.
The accommodation section of the sorter 36 is intermittently moved. That is, only when the lateral feeding process (steps 256 and 268) for moving the photographic print P to the second sorter 36 is performed,
The second sorter 36 is moved (steps 258, 27)
0), the photographic prints P are successively accommodated in the accommodating portions adjacent to the second sorter 36 irrespective of the dimension in the longitudinal direction, and the large number of accommodating portions provided in the second sorter 36 can be effectively used. it can. Further, since the second sorter 36 has the storage sections arranged substantially in the horizontal direction, even if the storage section stores a photographic print P whose longitudinal dimension is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the bending amount of the storage plate 86 is small, There is no adverse effect on the removal of the photographic print P from the second sorter 36 or the like.

Next, the switch-on interruption routine of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This routine is interrupted and executed when the switch 25 or the foot switch 31 is turned on by the worker 25 performing the collation operation to instruct the continuous movement of the accommodation section of the second sorter 36.

In step 350, the motor 78 is driven to move the accommodating portion of the second sorter 36 in the arrow H direction. In the next step 352, it is determined whether the switch 27 or the foot switch 31 is on. The worker is a photo print P
The switch 27 or the foot switch 31 is turned on until the accommodation section accommodating reaches a reachable area. While the switch 27 or the foot switch 31 is on, the determination in step 352 is affirmative, and step 350 is repeatedly performed, so that the housing portion of the second sorter 36 is continuously moved in the arrow H direction.

Since the working position of the worker 25 is on the downstream side in the direction of the arrow H, the second position containing the photographic print P is set.
Even when the storage section of the sorter 36 is out of the reach of the worker 25, the storage section moves continuously toward the reach of the worker 25. For this reason, the worker 25 interrupts the collation work or reciprocates between a predetermined work position where the sheet storage unit 29 can be reached and a position where the storage unit that stores the photo prints P can be reached. There is no need to perform any work, and the workability of the collation work is improved. Further, even when the number of storage sections of the second sorter 36 is increased, for example, to accommodate a larger number of photographic prints P, this does not adversely affect the collation operation.

The operator turns off the switch 27 or the foot switch 31 when the storage unit for storing the photographic print P moves to a reachable area. Thereby, step 352 is performed.
Is denied, and the routine goes to step 354. In step 354, among the storage sections located on the upstream side of the insertion section 88 of the second sorter 36, the storage section closest to the insertion section 88 is positioned on the insertion section 88, and the process is terminated.
As a result, in the next sorter driving process, the photographic print P is stored in the positioned storage section. In the present embodiment, the tape 38 as a guide is arranged so as to correspond to the surface inside the curl of the photo print P. However, for example, two tapes are used to correspond to both surfaces of the photo print P. Is also good. Also, a plurality of tapes may correspond to the surface inside the curl.

In this embodiment, the flexible tape 40 is used as the pressing member, and the flexure of the tape 40 is used to press the photographic print P. However, a leaf spring or the like is used as the pressing member. A biasing means may be used to press the photographic print P by the biasing force of the biasing means. In the present embodiment, the width of the tape 40 is set to be substantially the same as that of the tape 38 (see FIG. 3 and the like), and the vicinity of the center of the photographic print P in the width direction is pressed in the thickness direction. In order to restrict the movement of the tape in the width direction, any part of the integrated photo prints P may be pressed in the thickness direction. You may make it press.

In this embodiment, the size of the passage of the photographic print P, which is accumulated on the housing plate 42 by the guide rod 33 and is pressed and moved by the rod 50, in the direction corresponding to the thickness direction of the photographic print P. Is formed so as to gradually decrease toward the first sorter 34 side. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the accommodation plate 42 having a substantially U-shaped cross section
By changing the distance between the legs of the photo print P
May be formed as described above.

[0072]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the guide having the flexibility and the width smaller than the width of the print is provided from the print sending section to the stacking section, the prints stacked on the stacking section are provided. An excellent effect is obtained in that the occurrence of conveyance failure during the movement can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a printer processor to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the periphery of a print take-out unit and a horizontal sorter.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of each sorter.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a print transfer unit of a first sorter and a second sorter.

FIG. 8 is a right side view of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a print transfer section of a first sorter and a second sorter.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a connection relationship between a control circuit and each device.

FIG. 11 is a side view showing a work position of a worker who performs a collation work.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a main routine of the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a sorter driving process.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating print lateral movement processing.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an interruption process when continuous movement of a second sorter is instructed.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view for explaining the operation of the tape of the print sending section.

FIG. 17 is a side view of the first sorter for explaining the operation when photographic prints P having a large longitudinal dimension continue.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 printer processor 14 print sending section 32 horizontal sorter 33 guide rod 38 tape (guide) 40 tape (pressing member) 42 accommodation plate (stacking section)

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A print stacking apparatus for dropping a print sent from a print sending section onto a stacking section and stacking the prints so that the thickness direction of the prints is horizontal or at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal. A print stacking apparatus comprising a guide having flexibility and a width smaller than a width of a print provided from a sending-out section to the stacking section. 2. The print stacking apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pressing member for pressing the prints stacked in the stacking section in a thickness direction of the prints. 3. A passage formed so that the width of the print is gradually reduced toward the downstream side in the movement direction of the print as the print passes, and a moving means for moving the prints accumulated in the accumulation section along the passage. The print accumulation device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: