JP3226050B2 - Signature Bundle Separation 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 signature bundle separating apparatus capable of handling signatures when supplying signatures to a signature storage section of a bookbinding machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 7 shows a conventional apparatus for supplying a book signature to a signature storage unit of a bookbinding machine. In this figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a bookbinding machine, and reference numeral 2 denotes a bookbinding machine 1.
Reference numeral 3 denotes a signature supply device.

[0003] The signature supply device 3 comprises an upper belt conveyor 5 for arranging a large number of signatures 4 at the height of the signature storage section 2 of the bookbinding machine 1 and aligning them in an upright state, and a height of a work position of an operator. The lower belt conveyor 6 located at the upper side, an inclined belt conveyor 7 for raising the signature 4 from the lower belt conveyor 6 to the upper belt conveyor 5, and an auxiliary belt conveyor 8 for assisting the signature conveyor of the inclined belt conveyor 7
Consists of

[0004] On the lower belt conveyor 6, a large number of signatures 4 with the fold side end facing downward and the facing side edge facing upward are mounted in an upright state, and the lower belt conveyor 6 is mounted with the mounted signature. 4 are conveyed toward the inclined belt conveyor 7. The inclined belt conveyor 7 conveys the signature 4 conveyed from the lower belt conveyor 6 in the plane direction.
The auxiliary belt conveyor 8 holds the signature 4 together with the inclined belt conveyor signature 7 and conveys the signature 4 onto the upper belt conveyor 5. The signatures 4 of the upper belt conveyor 5 have a predetermined number of signatures 4 erected first, and after the signatures 4 are gradually loaded into the signature storage unit 2 after the operation of the bookbinding machine 1 is started,
The signature 4 is transferred to the upper belt conveyor 5 by the lower belt conveyor 6, the inclined belt conveyor 7, and the auxiliary belt conveyor 8.
Refill on top.

[0005]

However, in recent books such as magazines, the number of gravure-printed pages and thin pages has been increased, and the signature has been weakened. The signature 4 is the signature 4 on the inclined belt conveyor 7
Although it is necessary to raise the fold side end and the spread side end horizontally in order to raise the There is a problem that it inclines and falls down on the upper belt conveyor 5 or becomes crumpled with the auxiliary belt conveyor 8.

[0006]

In order to solve such a problem, a signature separating apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises:
A box having a signature bundle that has been folded upright with the fold side portion being placed from above, and having the bottom and side walls rise and support the signature bundle and having openings in the bottom and side walls. And a support member that moves into and out of the opening of the box body and supports the fold side portion of the signature bundle, and an elevating unit that relatively moves the box body or this support member up and down to prepare the signature bundle. And a displacement means for repeatedly displacing the support member in the thickness direction of the signature bundle.

A signature separating apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is the signature separating apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the displacement means sets a rotation center axis parallel to a fold line of the signature. A swing means is provided for swinging at the center, and the support member swings by the swing means.

Further, a signature bundle separating apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the signature bundle separating apparatus according to the first and second aspects, wherein the folding side of the signature bundle in the box body. An air blowing means for blowing air into the site is provided.

A signature bundle separating apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the signature bundle separating apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the supporting member and the box are separated from each other. It is characterized by being inclined about an axis extending in a direction penetrating the bundle.

[0010]

According to the signature bundle separating apparatus of the present invention, the signature bundle is put into the box body, and the box body and the support member are alternately moved up and down by the elevating means. If the supporting member is repeatedly displaced in the thickness direction of the signature bundle by the displacing means, the close contact state of the signature bundle in the box collapses, air enters between the signatures, and the ends of the signatures are aligned. Becomes

Further, according to the apparatus for separating signature bundles according to the second aspect of the present invention, by swinging the swinging means, the supporting member swings, and the fold side portions of the signature bundle are separated from each other. Since it is shifted slightly, air can easily enter the inside of the bundle of signatures in the box body as compared with the case of the first aspect.

Further, in the signature bundle separating apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, air is positively blown into the fold portion of the signature bundle, so that the signature can be easily handled.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a signature bundle separating apparatus, wherein the support member and the box are inclined about an axis extending in a direction penetrating the signature bundle. Not only the fold portion side but also the end portion in the direction perpendicular to the fold portion can be aligned.

Thus, the signature, which has been released from the close contact state after the separation, is kept loosely upright by the box body, so that the edges of the signature can be aligned and transferred to the signature storage section of the bookbinding machine. . Therefore, even if the signatures mounted on the respective tables are weak and easy to bend, the signatures can be separated in a state where the edges are aligned without damaging or crumple.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A signature separating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a signature separating apparatus according to this embodiment. The hand for holding the signature in the thickness direction is used for supplying the signature separating device to the signature storage part of the bookbinding machine.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a box, 11 denotes a rocking plate as a support member, 12 denotes a bearing, 13 denotes a rotating shaft, 14
Is a lever, 15 is an air cylinder with a brake, 16 is a stay, 17 is an air cylinder as a means for raising and lowering the box 10, 18 is an air hole, and 19 is an air nozzle as an air blowing means.

The bottom 10a and the side wall 10b of the box 10 are formed with rectangular openings 10c, 10c, and the rocking plates 11, 11 can enter into the openings 10c, 10c. . 2 and 3 from above.
The signature bundle 20 shown in FIG.
When the bundle of signatures 20 is loaded into the box 10, the signatures are loaded so that the fold side portion of the signature is downward. A stay 16 is fixed to a side wall of the box 10, and an upper end of the stay 16 is fixed to an air cylinder 17.

The lower portion of the oscillating plate 11 is fixed to a rotating shaft 13. The rotating shaft 13 is rotatably held by a bearing 12, and a lever 14 is provided at one end of the rotating shaft 12 so as to protrude in a radial direction of the shaft. An air cylinder 15 is attached to a rotating end of the lever 14. The bearing 12, the rotating shaft 13, the lever 14, and the air cylinder 15 constitute a displacement unit that swings the swing plate 11. The displacement direction of the swing plate 11 is not limited to the swing around the rotation shaft 13 but may be a repetitive displacement movement in the direction in which the air cylinder 15 extends.

An air hole 18 is opened in the signature supporting surface 11a of the rocking plate 11. The air holes 18 are provided in the swing plate 11
The swinging plate 11 is connected to an air nozzle 19 that communicates with the air blowing passage (not shown) formed therein.

Next, the expansion and contraction operation of the air cylinder 15 and the air cylinder 17 will be described.

Tables 1 and 2 show the air cylinders 15, 1
7 illustrates the relationship between the contracted state of the sheet 7 and the bundle of signatures 20 and the rocking plate 11 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0023]

[Table 1] First, the dropping process of the signature bundle 20 of FIG. 2 will be described based on Table 1. At the time of this dropping process, the blowing of air from the air nozzle 19 is stopped. Box 1 with signature bundle 20
In the case of loading at 0, the fold side portion 20a is placed at the bottom and the spread side portion 20b is placed at the top. At this time, as shown in the first column of Table 1, the air cylinder 17 shrinks and the
Is at a high position, and the air cylinder 15 extends to
1 is sloping to the left as shown in FIG. 2a.

Next, as shown in the second column of Table 1, the air cylinder 17 is extended and the box 10 is lowered, and the opening 10
When the oscillating plate 11 is moved into c, the folded bundle 20 is supported by the oscillating plate 11 which is inclined as shown in FIG.
The fold side portion 20a of the signature bundle 20 is obliquely aligned with the support surface 11a.

Further, as shown in the third column of Table 1, when the air cylinder 17 is contracted, the box 10 is raised to a high position, and the signature bundle 20 is again supported by the bottom 10a of the box 10. .

As shown in the fourth column of Table 1, when the air cylinder 15 is contracted, the state temporarily becomes as shown in FIG. 2B, but the swinging plate 11 is inclined rightward as shown in FIG. 2C. I do.

From this state, as shown in the fifth column of Table 1, when the air cylinder 17 is extended in a state where the swing plate 11 is inclined rightward, the signature is attached to the support surface 11a of the inclined swing plate 11. The bundle 20 falls and the fold portion 20 of the signature bundle 20
a is aligned diagonally right.

Thereafter, as shown in the sixth column of Table 1, when the air cylinder 17 is contracted, the fold portion 20a of the signature bundle 20 is supported on the bottom 10a of the box 10 again,
Is horizontally supported. As a result, the close contact state of the signature bundle 20 in the box body 10 is released, and the ends of the signature bundle 20 can be easily aligned.

Next, the signature bundle 2 that has been handled in the box 10
Blow air to zero. This is because, if compressed air is blown before the signature bundle 20 of the box 10 is not loosened, air does not sufficiently enter the signature bundle 20 if the tightness of the signature bundle 20 is strong.

The air is blown into the signature bundle 20 as shown in Table 2.

[0031]

[Table 2] That is, in the air blowing step, the air cylinder 17 is kept in a contracted state. In this state, as shown in the first column of Table 2, when the air cylinder 15 is contracted and air is discharged from the air nozzle 19, as shown in FIG.
The air hole 18 blows air to the right side of the signature bundle 20 of the box 10, and the air enters the right side of the signature bundle 20 in the drawing. Next, as shown in the second column of Table 2, the air nozzle 19
When air is blown out and the air cylinder 15 is extended,
After the oscillating plate 11 is temporarily horizontal as shown in FIG. 3B, the oscillating plate 11 is tilted to the left as shown in FIG. 3A, and air enters the left portion of the signature bundle 2. Further, when the air cylinder 15 is contracted again as shown in the third column of Table 2,
After temporarily reaching the state shown in FIG. 3B, the swinging plate 11 is inclined rightward as shown in FIG. 3C.

As described above, according to the signature separating apparatus according to the present embodiment, the signature bundles 20 that are bundled in close contact with each other.
However, since the inclination of the rocking plate 11 is changed when the signature bundle 20 is dropped, even if the signature bundle 20 is in close contact, the fold side portion 20a of the signature bundle 20 is slightly shifted. As the air enters between the signatures and the frictional force constraining the signatures changes from static friction to kinetic friction, the frictional force between the signatures is reduced and the signature bundle 20 is reduced.
Will be aligned. Moreover, the signature bundle 20
When the air is blown between the signatures, the swing plate 11 is swung, so that the air blown into the bundle of signatures 20 is prevented from being unevenly distributed on one side, and the air is evenly blown into the bundle of signatures 20. .

Therefore, even if the signature bundle 20 is a signature that is difficult to handle due to close contact, such as gravure printing, the signature can be supplied to the bookbinding machine with its edges aligned, and the signature is weak and easy to bend. Can also be separated with the edges aligned without scratching or crumple.

In this embodiment, the step of dropping the bundle of signatures 20 is performed first and the step of blowing air is performed later. However, the step of dropping and the step of blowing air may be performed simultaneously.

The inclination angle of the rocking plate 11, the number of drops, and the drop speed are set to desired values depending on the type of signature to be loosened. Furthermore, the air pressure blown in the air blowing process,
The amount of spraying, the swing speed of the swing plate 11, the amount of the signature bundle 20 set in the box 10, the number of times of operation, and the operation time are also appropriately set according to the type of signature to be loosened.

FIG. 4 shows a modification of the box 10 and the swinging plate 11 of the present embodiment. The box 10 and the swinging plate 11 are centered on a line O extending in the orthogonal direction of the signature bundle 20. It is inclined. An opening 10 c is provided at the bottom and side of the box 10.
10c and an opening 10d are formed. Opening 10
The swing plates 11, 11, and 21 can enter c, 10c, and 10d. Since the oscillating plates 11 and 11 and the oscillating plate 21 cannot enter at the same time, first, the oscillating plates 11 and 11 perform a dropping motion, and then the oscillating plates 11 and 11 are detached from the box body 10 and then oscillated. When the falling part 21 is moved into the opening 10 d and the falling movement is performed, both the crease portion 20 a and the side end of the bundle of signatures 20 inside the box body 10 can be aligned.

FIG. 5 shows a modified example of the repetitive displacement motion of the oscillating plate 11. The repetitive displacement motion of the oscillating plate 11 is not limited to the oscillating motion about the shaft 13 as shown in FIG. A reciprocating motion in the horizontal direction may be used, but in the case of performing the reciprocating motion, it is more effective to perform the dropping step and the air blowing step simultaneously.

FIG. 6 shows the box 10 and the rocking plate 11 shown in FIG.
In this figure, the bottom 30 of the box constitutes a link mechanism that can rotate with respect to the side wall 31 so that the bundle of signatures is formed. A slight deviation is formed at the end of the 20. In FIG. 6, the rocking plate 1 is used for dropping motion.
It is desirable to keep 1 horizontal.

[0039]

According to the apparatus for separating signature bundles according to the present invention, even if the signatures are bundled in close contact with each other, the bundles are separated in an aligned state and the friction is reduced. Can be separated into Therefore, even a signature that is difficult to handle in close contact, such as gravure printing, can be supplied to the bookbinding machine with the edges aligned, and even if the signature is weak and easy to bend,
Separation can be done with the edges aligned without scratching or crumple.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration of a signature separating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of a state in which a box bundle and a rocking plate of the present embodiment are moved up and down relatively to drop a signature bundle on the rocking plate;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which air is blown to a signature in a box body according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a modified example in which the box and the rocking plate of the present embodiment are inclined.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a repetitive displacement direction of the rocking plate of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view when the box of the present embodiment is configured by a link mechanism.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a configuration of a signature separating apparatus using a conventional belt conveyor.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Box body 11 Oscillating plate 12 Bearing 13 Rotating shaft 14 Lever 15 Air cylinder 17 Air cylinder 18 Air hole 19 Air nozzle 20 Signature bundle

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Takamasa Okuma 1-5-1, Taito, Taito-ku, Tokyo Inside Letterpress Printing Co., Ltd. (56) References Japanese Utility Model 1987-47548 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model 3-76837 (JP, U) Actually open 58-102534 (JP, U) Actually open 62-96032 (JP, U) Actually open 1-58562 (JP, U) Really open 64-50904 (JP, U U) Jikken 44-15629 (JP, Y1) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B65H 31/40 B65H 3/62

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A bundle of signatures standing upright with a fold side portion being put in from above, the bundle of signatures is raised and supported by a bottom portion and a side wall portion, and openings are formed in the bottom portion and the side wall portion. A supporting member that moves into and out of the opening of the box body and supports a fold side portion of the signature bundle; and moving the box body or the supporting member up and down relatively to perform the folding. An apparatus for separating signature bundles, comprising: elevating means for preparing a bundle of bundles; and displacement means for repeatedly displacing the support member in the thickness direction of the bundle of signatures. 2. A signature bundle separating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said displacing means comprises a rocking means for rocking about a rotation center axis parallel to a fold line of the signature. A bundle of signatures, wherein the supporting member is swung by means. 3. An apparatus for separating signature bundles according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising air blowing means for blowing air into a fold side portion of the bundle of signatures in the box. Separation of signature bundles. 4. A signature bundle separating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support member and the box are inclined about an axis extending in a direction penetrating the signature bundle. An apparatus for separating signature bundles.