JP3689839B2 - Paper sheet delivery system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a paper sheet delivery system, and is particularly suitable for a paper sheet processing system for transporting a paper sheet such as a postal matter or a form from one processing apparatus to another processing apparatus. The present invention relates to a paper sheet delivery system.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a conventional paper sheet delivery device, for example, there is a paper sheet storage device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-193837. In order to transport paper sheets from one paper sheet handling device in which paper sheets are stored to another paper sheet handling device, this apparatus temporarily stores a paper sheet, A feeding unit for feeding out the leaves, a transport unit for transporting the paper sheets, and a moving unit for moving between the paper sheet handling apparatuses are provided.
[0003]
The paper sheet delivery section is provided with a retractable paper sheet transport section. This facilitates alignment between the paper sheet storage device and the paper sheet handling device when delivering the paper sheets.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, considering the operation status of the delivery device that delivers paper sheets from one processing device to another processing device, the sorting machine that is the downstream processing device, the installation location, etc., the above-mentioned paper sheets Like the storage device, a buffer unit having a storage unit for temporarily storing paper sheets to be delivered and a feeding unit for feeding out the stored paper sheets again is necessary.
[0005]
If there is no buffer unit, for example, when a sheet is transported from the upstream processing apparatus to the downstream processing apparatus, and other processing operations are performed in the downstream processing apparatus, Paper sheets from the processing apparatus on the side are mixed and normal processing cannot be performed.
[0006]
In addition, when the downstream processing device exists away from the upstream processing device, the delivery device needs to move like the above-described paper sheet storage device, and there is no buffer unit. Cannot move.
[0007]
By the way, in the apparatus for processing paper sheets, there is an apparatus for processing only the paper sheets to be processed whose front, back, front and back are predetermined. In such an apparatus, for example, if the front and back sides are different, the process cannot be performed and is excluded inside the processing apparatus.
[0008]
For this reason, in order to increase the processing efficiency in the processing apparatus, it is necessary to align the front, back, front and back of the paper sheet conveyed from the other processing apparatus in a state where it is processed in the processing apparatus. .
[0009]
Also, in the apparatus for processing paper sheets, a reference position in the width direction of the conveyed paper sheets is also determined in order to print information on the paper sheets and read information written on the paper sheets. May have been.
[0010]
However, in the conventional paper sheet delivery device as in the paper sheet storage device described above, although the buffer unit is provided, the front and back and front and back of the paper sheet, or the paper sheet to be conveyed The reference position is not taken into consideration, and there is a problem that normal processing operation cannot be performed in the downstream processing apparatus.
[0011]
Further, in the paper sheet delivery device having the buffer unit, the closer the feeding unit of the buffer unit is to the processing device on the downstream side, the smaller the distance that the operator can move and the easier the processing operation. The above-mentioned paper sheet storage device did not consider this point.
[0012]
The purpose of the present invention is to improve the processing efficiency of paper sheets, such as the front / back and front / rear states of the paper sheets transported from other processing apparatuses, It is an object of the present invention to provide a paper sheet delivery system capable of performing a normal processing operation in a downstream processing apparatus in consideration of easiness and the like.
[0013]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a paper sheet delivery system according to the present invention includes a transport unit that transports paper sheets from an upstream processing apparatus to a downstream processing apparatus among a plurality of paper sheet processing apparatuses, A buffer unit for collecting paper sheets conveyed from the upstream processing apparatus, Based on the signal indicating whether the delivery generated from the downstream processing apparatus is possible, Paper sheets transported from the upstream processing device are the downstream processing device or the buffer unit. of It is characterized by having a control means for controlling which is conveyed.
[0014]
Also, a transport unit that transports paper sheets from the upstream processing apparatus to the downstream processing apparatus among a plurality of paper sheet processing apparatuses, and a buffer unit that accumulates the paper sheets transported from the upstream processing apparatus And Based on the signal indicating whether or not the delivery generated from the downstream processing device is possible and the given priority signal, Of the upstream processing device or the buffer unit of It has a control means which controls which paper sheet is conveyed to the said downstream processing apparatus.
[0015]
Further, a first transport path for transporting paper sheets from the upstream processing apparatus to the downstream processing apparatus, and a second transport path branched from the middle of the first transport path between the plurality of paper sheet processing apparatuses. A buffer unit that collects and feeds out the paper sheets of the second transport path, and a third transport path that transports the paper sheets fed out of the buffer unit and joins the first transport path, Based on the signal indicating whether the delivery generated from the downstream processing apparatus is possible, Controlling which paper sheet conveyed from the upstream processing apparatus is conveyed to either the downstream processing apparatus or the buffer unit, Based on the priority signal given Of the upstream processing device or the buffer unit of It has a control means which controls which paper sheet is conveyed to the said downstream processing apparatus.
[0016]
Further, the apparatus conveys and delivers paper sheets from the upstream processing apparatus to the downstream processing apparatus among a plurality of paper sheet processing apparatuses, and the paper sheets are supplied from the upstream processing apparatus. A supply port, a delivery port for delivering paper sheets to the downstream processing device, a first conveyance path for conveying the paper sheets between the supply port and the delivery port, and a middle of the first conveyance path The branched second transport path, the sorting means for distributing the paper sheets to the first transport path or the second transport path, and the sheets transported to the second transport path are temporarily collected and once again A buffer unit that separates and feeds the paper, and a paper sheet that is fed from the buffer unit joins the first transport path downstream from the branching portion between the first transport path and the second transport path. With three transport paths, Based on the signal indicating whether the delivery generated from the downstream processing apparatus is possible, Controlling which paper sheet conveyed from the upstream processing apparatus is conveyed to either the downstream processing apparatus or the buffer unit, Based on the priority signal given Of the upstream processing device or the buffer unit of It has a control means which controls which paper sheet is conveyed to the said downstream processing apparatus.
[0017]
Further, the apparatus conveys and delivers paper sheets from the upstream processing apparatus to the downstream processing apparatus among a plurality of paper sheet processing apparatuses, and the paper sheets are supplied from the upstream processing apparatus. A supply port, a delivery port for delivering paper sheets to the downstream processing device, a conveyance path for conveying paper sheets between the supply port and the delivery port, Based on the signal indicating whether the delivery generated from the downstream processing device is possible And a control means for controlling the transport speed of the transport path, whereby the transport path has a buffer function.
[0018]
Further, the apparatus conveys and delivers paper sheets from the upstream processing apparatus to the downstream processing apparatus among a plurality of paper sheet processing apparatuses, and the paper sheets are supplied from the upstream processing apparatus. Having a supply port and a delivery port for delivering paper sheets to the downstream processing apparatus, and having a plurality of paper sheet conveying paths having at least different routes between the supply port and the delivery port, Based on the signal indicating whether the delivery generated from the downstream processing apparatus is possible, By providing a control means for controlling the conveyance speed of any one of the plurality of paper sheet conveyance paths, the conveyance path has a buffer function.
[0019]
Further, the present invention is characterized in that paper sheet positioning means for adjusting the position in the width direction of the transported paper sheet is provided in any of the transport paths of the paper sheet.
Furthermore, the buffer unit can be provided with a feeding unit provided in the direction of the processing apparatus on the downstream side, and a transport mechanism for transporting the paper sheets temporarily accumulated in the feeding unit.
[0020]
According to the present invention, the paper sheet delivery control means enables reliable delivery without jam and the like, and the front, back, front and back of the paper sheet conveyed from another processing apparatus Can be pre-arranged to be processed. Moreover, the reference position in the width direction of the conveyed paper sheet or the ease of operation is sufficiently taken into consideration, and the processing efficiency of the paper sheet is improved.
[0021]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a letter processing system to which an embodiment of a paper sheet delivery system of the present invention is applied. The paper sheets handled in this example are regular postal letters such as postcards and sealed letters.
[0022]
The letter processing system shown in FIG. 1 includes a postal letter automatic sorting and stamping apparatus 1, a postal letter delivery apparatus 2 which is an embodiment of the paper sheet delivery system of the present invention, and a postal letter sorter 3. .
[0023]
The automatic sorting and stamping device 1 performs postmarking on postal letters whose postage amounts are not uniform, and processes postal letters so that the postage amounts are aligned. The postal letter supply unit 101, the postal letter , A first detection device 103 for detecting a charge stamp face of a postal letter, a front / back reversing device 104 and a bypass conveyance path 105 connected in parallel downstream of the first detection device 103.
[0024]
Further, a second fee stamp surface detection device 106 downstream thereof, a front / reverse reversing device 107 connected in parallel downstream of the second detection device, a bypass conveyance path 108, a postmarking device 109, and an automatic sorting and stamping device And a controller 112 for controlling the operation of the automatic sorting and stamping device.
[0025]
The postal letter delivery device 2 is a device that transports a postal letter conveyed from the upstream automatic sorting and stamping device 1 to the downstream postal sorting machine 3 and delivers it. A supply port 201 through which a postal letter is transported and supplied from the automatic sorting and stamping device and a delivery port 202 for transporting and delivering the postal letter to the sorting machine 3 on the downstream side are provided.
[0026]
A first conveyance path 203 that conveys a postal letter between the supply port 201 and the delivery port 202 and a second conveyance path 204 branched from the middle of the first conveyance path 203 are conveyed. Sorting means 205 for distributing the postal letters to the first transport path 203 and the second transport path 204, and the postal letters provided at the end of the second transport path 204 are temporarily collected and separated one by one again. And a buffer unit 206 for feeding out.
[0027]
Further, the third conveyance path 207 that conveys the postal letter fed out from the buffer unit 206 and the third conveyance path 207 are separated from the second conveyance path 204 of the first conveyance path 203. A junction unit 208 that joins the first conveyance path 203 is provided on the downstream side.
[0028]
Furthermore, a postal letter alignment device 209 provided in the first transport path 203 between the junction unit 208 and the delivery port 202, a control unit 210 for controlling the operation of the delivery device, and the like are provided.
[0029]
The postal letter sorter 3 is a postal letter conveyed from the automatic sorting and stamping device 1 via the postal letter delivery device 2 or a mail address or bar written on the postal letter supplied from the postal mail feeder. The sorting information such as a code is read, and the sorting processing of letters is performed based on the sorting information.
[0030]
Accordingly, the hopper 301 for setting the postal letters to be supplied, the supply unit 302 for sequentially supplying the postal letters one by one, the transport path 303 for transporting the postal letters, and the foreign matter for detecting that the postal letters are not suitable for the processing of the sorting machine 3. The first reject stacking unit 305 that accumulates postal letters that are determined to be inappropriate by the sorting unit 3 by the detection unit 304 and the foreign matter detection unit 304, and the postal processing that is determined to be inappropriate to the first reject stacking unit. It has a gate member 306 for switching the conveying direction of the letter.
[0031]
Further, the first positioning unit 307 for correcting the posture of the postal letter, the reading unit 308 for reading the postal letter category information, and the multi-feed for detecting that two or more postal letters are erroneously supplied in the supply unit 302. In order to convey the postal letter determined to be double-fed to the detection unit 309, the second reject accumulating unit 310 for accumulating the postal letter determined to be double-fed by the double-feeding detection unit 309, and the second reject accumulating unit 310 A gate member 311 for switching the conveyance direction is provided.
[0032]
In addition, the second positioning unit 312 for correcting the posture of the postal letter, the printing unit 313 for printing a machine code such as a barcode in accordance with the postal letter classification information, A print confirmation unit 314 for confirming that the postal letter has been printed, a stage gate 315 for distributing the postal letter to each stage, and a stacking part 316 for stacking the postal letter in the thickness direction.
[0033]
A display unit 317 for displaying the operation status of the sorting machine 3; a sorting setting unit 318 for setting a pattern of sorting information to be assigned to the stacking unit 316; a supply port 319 through which a postal letter is supplied from the postal letter delivery device 2; A control unit 320 for controlling the operation of the sorting machine is provided.
[0034]
Next, the operation of this system will be described along the flow of letters.
The operator sets a postal letter to be processed into the supply unit 101 of the automatic sorting and stamping apparatus 1 or the hopper 301 of the sorting machine 3.
[0035]
At this time, the postal letter set to the supply unit 101 of the automatic sorting and stamping apparatus 1 may be irregular on the front, back, front and back, but the front, back, front and back of the postal letter set on the hopper 301 of the sorting machine 3 3 are arranged in advance so that they can be processed in step 3.
[0036]
When the operator places the postal letter on the hopper 301 of the sorting machine 3 and switches on the supply start, the hopper 301 conveys the postal letter toward the supply unit 302 by the command signal from the control device 320 and supplies it. The unit 302 sequentially supplies the postal letters that are close to the conveyance path 303.
[0037]
On the conveyance path 303, first, the foreign matter detection unit 304 determines whether the postal letter can be processed by the sorter 3. Here, when it is determined that the processing cannot be performed, the first transfer gate 306 is switched, and the postal letter is input to the first reject stacking unit 305.
[0038]
On the other hand, a postal letter determined to be processed is read by the reading unit 308 for classification information such as an address. Next, the double feed detection unit 309 detects that two or more postal letters do not overlap. Here, when it is determined that two or more sheets overlap, the second transfer gate 311 is switched, and the postal letter is put into the second reject stacking unit 310.
[0039]
The postal letter determined to be normal is adjusted in posture by the second positioning unit 312 and then printed by the printing unit 313 in accordance with the classification information. When the print confirmation unit 314 confirms that the barcode or the like has been printed normally, the step gate 315 is switched according to the classification information and a postal letter is inserted into the predetermined stacking unit 316. The sorter 3 performs the above processing for a plurality of postal letters in parallel, and sorts each postal letter into a predetermined stacking unit 316.
[0040]
On the other hand, when the operator places a postal letter on the supply unit 101 of the automatic sorting and stamping device and turns on the supply start switch, the supply unit 101 sequentially transfers the postal letter according to a command signal from the control unit 112. 102.
[0041]
The first detecting device 103 for the fee stamp surface detects whether the fee stamp surface is present on either the front or back of the mail letter being conveyed. Then, based on this detection signal, the postal matter whose fee stamp face does not match in the postmarking process in the subsequent stage is sent to the front / back reversing device 104, the front / back is reversed, and the matching postal matter is transported to the bypass transport path 105. The front and back of the postal letter are aligned at the part.
[0042]
Next, the second detecting device for the fee stamp surface detects whether the fee stamp surface is present before or after the mail letter that has been conveyed. Then, based on this detection signal, the postal matter whose fee stamp face does not match for the postmarking process in the subsequent stage is sent to the front / rear reversing device 107, the front / rear is reversed, and the matched postal matter is transported to the bypass transport path 108. The front, back, front and back of the postal letter are aligned.
[0043]
The postal matter with the front and back and front and back aligned is further transported and postmarked by the postmarking device, and is stacked on the stacking device 110 or transported to the transport path 111 and transported toward the postal letter delivery device 2. .
[0044]
The postal letter transported to the transport path 111 is delivered to the first transport path 203 of the postal letter delivery apparatus 2 through the supply port 201. At this time, the control unit 210 of the delivery device 2 receives a signal indicating whether or not the postal letter can be conveyed to the sorting machine 3 as it is from the sorting machine 3 which is a downstream processing apparatus. If it can be transported as it is, the mail is transported through the first transport path 203 as it is.
[0045]
Then, in the positioning device 209 provided immediately before the mail letter delivery port 202 to the sorting machine 3, the postal letter is sent so that the transport position in the width direction of the postal letter matches the transport position of the sorting machine 3. Posture correction is performed. At the same time, the skew of the postal letter is also corrected.
[0046]
On the other hand, when the signal from the sorting machine 3 which is the downstream processing device cannot convey the postal letter, the control unit 210 sends the postal letter to the second conveying path 204 to the postal letter sorting unit 205. A command signal is issued so that the postal letter is conveyed to the second conveyance path 204. Then, it is temporarily accumulated in the buffer unit 206 provided at the end of the second transport path 204.
[0047]
Here, an example of the operation control flow of the postal letter delivery apparatus 2 will be described with reference to FIG.
When the postal letter delivery apparatus 2 is activated, the control unit 210 first confirms a signal generated from the sorting machine 3, that is, a signal indicating whether delivery and delivery are possible.
[0048]
When the delivery operation is possible, the control unit 210 is then given a determination as to whether the device whose operation is prioritized is the upstream automatic sorting and stamping device 1 or the own device delivery device 2. Based on the priority signal.
[0049]
When the priority device is the upstream automatic sorting and stamping machine 1, the delivery device 2 delivers the postal letter conveyed from the stamping device 1 through the first conveyance path 203 as it is.
[0050]
If a failure such as a conveyance jam occurs during conveyance, a signal for stopping the operation of the stamping device 1 that is an upstream device is first issued. Next, the delivery device 2 that is the own device is stopped, and a waiting state for restarting is entered. If there is no failure, the above-described delivery operation is repeated until a device stop signal is generated.
[0051]
When the priority device is the delivery device 2 of the own device, it is first confirmed whether or not there is a postal letter in the buffer unit 206 of the own device. If there is a postal letter in the buffer unit 206, the operation moves to the operation of delivering the postal letter to the sorting machine 3.
[0052]
At that time, a stop signal for the upstream stamping device 1 is generated so that the postal letter delivered from the buffer unit 206 to the sorting machine 3 does not overlap with the postal letter from the upstream stamping device. Then, the postal letter in the buffer unit 206 of the own machine is drawn out until it disappears.
[0053]
When there is no postal letter in the buffer unit 206 of its own machine, it generates a signal indicating that the operation can be performed next to the upstream stamping device and a signal in which the upstream device is in a priority state. Perform the action.
[0054]
When the delivery signal from the sorting machine 3 becomes impossible and the delivery of the postal letter to the sorting machine 3 which is a downstream device becomes impossible, the control unit 210 sends the postal letter conveyed from the stamping device 1 to the buffer unit. The sorting unit 205 is switched so as to be conveyed to 206.
[0055]
As a result, the postal letter conveyed from the stamping apparatus 1 is temporarily accumulated in the accumulation mechanism 206A in the buffer unit 206.
[0056]
If a failure such as a paper jam occurs during operation, first, a signal for stopping the operation of the stamping apparatus 1 that is an upstream device is issued. Then, the delivery device 2 which is its own machine is stopped, and a waiting state for restarting is entered. If there is no failure, the above integration operation is repeated.
[0057]
When the stacking mechanism 206A is full, a signal for stopping the operation of the stamping apparatus 1, which is an upstream device, is issued. Next, the delivery device 2 that is the own device is stopped, and a waiting state for restarting is entered.
[0058]
By the way, the buffer unit 206 of the delivery device 2 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is configured such that the front end side of the collected postal letters is also the front end side when being fed out from the buffer unit.
[0059]
Further, the stacking mechanism 206A of the buffer unit 206 is provided on the automatic sorting and stamping machine side, the feeding unit 206B of the buffer unit 206 is provided on the sorting machine side, and the postal letter feeding mechanism 206C of the buffer unit 206 is provided in the buffer unit 206B. The mail letters collected in the unit 206 operate so as to be sent from the automatic sorting and stamping machine side to the sorting machine side.
[0060]
The postal letter conveyed on the third conveyance path 207 merges with the first conveyance path 203 at the merge unit 208 and is delivered to the first conveyance path. Then, the orientation of the postal letter is corrected by the aligning device 209 so that the transport position in the width direction of the postal letter coincides with the transport position of the sorting machine 3, and at the same time, as described above, the skew of the postal letter is corrected. Corrections are also made.
[0061]
The postal letter conveyed from the delivery device 2 by one of the two routes described above is delivered to the supply port 319 of the sorting machine 3 through the delivery port 202. In the present embodiment, the postal letter supplied from the supply port 319 to the sorting machine 3 is delivered to the transport path 303B joining the main transport path 303A of the sorting machine 3 immediately before the reading unit 308 of the sorting machine 3. Subsequent processing is exactly the same as the operation of the sorting machine 3 described above.
[0062]
Like the buffer unit 206 of the delivery device of the system shown in FIG. 1, the front end side of the postal letter stacked in the buffer unit 206 is also the front end side when being fed out from the buffer unit 206. The advantage is that the postal letters can be transported to the third transport path 207 as they are in the accumulated posture and merged with the first transport path 203, so that it is easy to ensure reliability. It is.
[0063]
In addition, when the postal letters are stacked in the buffer unit 206 by using gravity, the stacking mechanism can be simplified, and the postal letter having a relatively heavy weight can be obtained by using the gravity at the time of feeding. Can also be paid out.
[0064]
As another advantage, as shown in FIG. 2, a detection unit 211 that detects that there are two or more postal letters delivered from the buffer unit 206, and a distribution unit that sorts the postal letters according to the detection signal of the detection unit 211. 212 and the postal letter sorted by the sorting unit 212, and by providing a fourth transport path 213 that merges with the second transport path, even if there are two or more postal letters delivered again, Since the data are accumulated in the buffer unit 206, it is possible to enable a retrial retry operation.
[0065]
In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the stacking mechanism 206A of the buffer unit 206 is provided on the automatic sorting and stamping machine side, the feeding unit 206B of the buffer unit 206 is provided on the sorting machine side, and the postal letter feeding mechanism 206C of the buffer unit 206 is The mail letters collected in the buffer unit 206 operate so as to be sent from the automatic sorting and stamping machine side to the sorting machine side.
[0066]
By adopting such a configuration, for example, an operator working in the vicinity of the sorter 3 hopper unit 301 may generate a jam or feeding failure that may occur in the feeding unit 206B of the buffer unit 206 of the delivery device 2. It is possible to cope with such troubles (when an error occurs, the operator is notified by a lamp display and sound) without moving much.
[0067]
In consideration of this point, when the processing device on the downstream side of the delivery device 2 has a supply unit like the sorting machine of the present embodiment, it is a processing device on the downstream side as shown in FIG. It is most desirable that the postal letter feed direction in the supply unit 302 of the sorting machine 3 is the direction of the delivery device 2, and the supply unit 302 comes to the delivery device 2 side of the hopper 301.
[0068]
FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the postal letter delivery apparatus 2 which is an embodiment of the paper sheet delivery system of the present invention. In this embodiment, the buffer unit 206 of the delivery device 2 includes a stacking mechanism 206D and a feeding mechanism 206E that become the rear end side of the postal letter when the front end side of the postal letter to be stacked is fed out. .
[0069]
Note that the postal letter feeding mechanism 206C in the buffer unit 206 operates to feed from the automatic sorting and stamping machine 1 side to the sorting machine 3 side, as in the embodiment of FIG. In the case of such a buffer unit 206, when the front and back ends of the postal letters temporarily accumulated and the front and back of the postal letters are switched before and after the accumulating operation and the postal letters are conveyed as they are, 3 cannot process postal letters.
[0070]
For this reason, in the present embodiment, a reversing device 214 that reverses the front end and the rear end of the postal letter is provided in the middle of the third transport path 207 that transports the postal letter from the buffer unit 206. By providing the reversing device 214 in this way, the front and back of the postal letter can be aligned with the rear end of the front end.
[0071]
When the reverse device 214 for reversing the leading edge and the trailing edge of the postal letter is not provided in the third conveying path 207, as shown in FIG. Thus, in the 1st conveyance path 203, you may provide in the range downstream from the branch part with a 2nd conveyance means, and upstream from the confluence | merging part 208. FIG.
[0072]
In both cases, the postal letter transported through the first transport path and the postal letter transported via the buffer unit 206 are in a state in which the front and back and the leading end and rear end are aligned at the junction 208. be able to.
[0073]
In particular, when the reversing device 214 shown in FIG. 6 is provided in the first transport path 203, the front and back of the postal letter and the front end of the postal letter at the supply port 201 that is the entrance of the delivery device and the delivery port 202 that is the exit Since the rear ends are completely different, it is useful when the conveying state between the upstream automatic sorting and stamping apparatus 1 and the downstream sorting machine 3 is completely different.
[0074]
In order to improve the reliability when reversing the leading and trailing edges of media of various lengths such as postal letters, the leading and trailing edges of the postal letter are placed at the inlet / outlet of the reversing device. A postal letter detection sensor 215 for detecting the postal letter may be provided, and the transport of the postal letter may be controlled by the upstream mechanism unit based on the detection signal.
[0075]
For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, when the postal letter detection sensor 215 provided in the reversing unit 214 generates a signal for detecting the presence of the postal letter, the feeding mechanism of the buffer unit 206 is used. A control operation such as interrupting the operation of 206E or reducing the speed of the operation is performed. By performing such control, it is possible to prevent a failure that occurs when postal letters collide in the reversing device 214 or in the vicinity thereof.
[0076]
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, when the postal letter detection sensor 215 provided in the reversing device 214 generates a signal for detecting the presence of the postal letter, the signal information is controlled. To the control unit 112 of the automatic sorting and stamping device on the upstream side.
[0077]
Based on this signal, the control unit 112 controls the operation of the automatic sorting and stamping apparatus 1. In consideration of the control method, the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is considered to be the easiest because there is no exchange of signals with other devices.
[0078]
In the embodiment of the paper sheet delivery system shown so far, an accumulation mechanism for temporarily accumulating paper sheets as a buffer unit and a feeding mechanism for feeding out the accumulated paper sheets are provided.
[0079]
If such a stacking / feeding mechanism is provided, for example, it may be considered that a problem of reliability in which two or more sheets are fed at the same time or a problem that the mechanism is complicated occur.
[0080]
FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the paper sheet delivery system considering such a problem. The postal letter delivery device 2 in this embodiment transports and delivers the postal letter from the upstream automatic sorting and stamping device to the supply port 201 to which the postal letter is conveyed and supplied to the downstream sorting machine 3. A delivery port 202 and a first transport path 203 for transporting a postal letter between the supply port 201 and the delivery port 202 are provided.
[0081]
Then, the second conveyance path 204 that branches from the middle of the first conveyance path 203 and merges again with the first conveyance path 203 at the merging section 208 downstream from the branch section, and the postal letter to be conveyed are the first one. Sorting means 205 that sorts to one transport path 203 and second transport path 204, a postal letter leveling device 209 provided in the first transport path 203 between the junction 208 and the delivery port 202, and delivery A control unit 210 for controlling the operation of the apparatus is provided.
[0082]
In this embodiment, the second transport path serves as a buffer, and when the postal letter transported from the automatic sorting and stamping device 1 cannot be delivered to the sorting machine 3 as it is, the sorting means 205 sends the postal letter. The letter is conveyed to the second conveyance path 204.
[0083]
At this time, the second transport path 204 is driven at a speed lower than the speed of the first transport path 203 by a drive source (not shown) different from the drive source that drives the first transport path 203.
[0084]
Since the postal letter that has been transported to the second transport path 204 has a transport speed slower than that of the first transport path 203, the postal letter within the second transport path is being transported in a state where some of the consecutive mail pieces overlap. It is stored in.
[0085]
The maximum number of stored sheets is until the head of the mail stored first reaches the postal letter detection sensor 219 provided immediately before the merge unit 208. If the first postal letter reaches the postal letter detection sensor 219, the control unit 210 generates a signal for stopping the automatic sorting and stamping apparatus 1.
[0086]
When the postal letter stored in the second conveyance path 204 is delivered to the sorting machine 3, the second conveyance path is again driven at a slower speed than the first conveyance path 203. The stored postal letters are fed out to the first transport path 203 by causing a gap between consecutive postal letters at the junction 208 due to the speed difference between the first transport path 203 and the second transport path 204. It is. The subsequent processing is the same as in the above-described embodiment.
In addition, when delivering to the 1st conveyance path, you may drive a 2nd conveyance path intermittently so that it may demonstrate below.
[0087]
When the postal letter stored in the conveyance path 204 is transferred to the sorting machine 3, the second conveyance path 204 is driven so as to have a speed equal to the speed of the first conveyance path 203. When the postal letter detection sensor 219 detects the presence of a postal letter to be delivered, the second conveyance path 204 is stopped or decelerated to drive the continuous postal letters to generate an interval. While performing, the postal letter is delivered to the first conveyance path 203.
[0088]
Furthermore, what is shown in FIG. 8 is also considered as other embodiment of a paper sheet delivery system.
The delivery device 2 includes a supply port 201 to which a postal letter is transported and supplied from an automatic sorting and stamping device on the upstream side, a delivery port 202 to transport and deliver the postal letter to the sorting machine 3 on the downstream side, and the supply port A conveyance path 203 that conveys a postal letter between 201 and the delivery port 202, a positioning device 209, a control unit 210 that controls the operation of the delivery device, and the like.
[0089]
In this delivery device, when the conveyance path 203 itself also serves as a buffer and the postal letter conveyed from the automatic sorting and stamping apparatus 1 cannot be delivered to the sorting machine 3 as it is, the automatic sorting and stamping apparatus 1 sends the postal letter. Is received, the transport path 203 is driven at a speed slower than the speed of the transport path 111 of the automatic sorting and stamping apparatus 1.
[0090]
For this reason, it is stored in the conveyance path 203 while being conveyed in a state in which a part of continuous mail pieces overlap each other. The maximum number of stored sheets is until the head of the mail stored first reaches the postal letter detection sensor 220 provided immediately before the positioning device 209. If the first postal letter reaches the postal letter detection sensor 220, the control unit 210 generates a signal for stopping the automatic sorting and stamping apparatus 1.
[0091]
When the postal letter stored in the conveyance path 203 is transferred to the sorting machine 3, the conveyance path 203 is driven so as to have a speed equal to the speed of the sorting machine 3. Then, when the postal letter detection sensor 220 detects the presence of the postal letter to be delivered, the sorting machine is operated while driving the carriage path to stop or decelerate and generate a gap between consecutive postal letters. Deliver the letter to 3
[0092]
In the embodiment of FIG. 8, when the postal letter from the automatic sorting and stamping apparatus 1 is transferred to the sorting machine 3 as it is, the conveyance path 203 is driven to match the speed of the automatic sorting and stamping apparatus and sorting machine. .
[0093]
In the embodiments described so far, the postal letter delivery device 2 has the positioning device 209. However, the transfer position between the delivery device 2 and the sorting machine 3 which is the downstream processing device is set in advance. The alignment device 209 may not be provided as long as consistency is achieved. However, even in this case, when it is necessary to correct the skew of the postal letter, the positioning device 209 for correcting the skew is necessary.
[0094]
In the embodiments described so far, it is assumed that all postal letters processed by the upstream automatic sorting and stamping apparatus can be processed by the delivery apparatus. In reality, however, a postal letter that cannot be processed by the sorting machine 3, which is a downstream processing apparatus, may be supplied from the upstream automatic sorting and stamping apparatus.
[0095]
In such a case, as shown in FIG. 9, for example, between a supply port 201 of the delivery device 2 and a branching portion of the first conveyance path 203 and the second conveyance path 204 as shown in FIG. Alternatively, a mail letter that cannot be processed by the sorting machine 3 may be excluded by providing an abnormality detection means 216, a sorting means 217, a stacking means 218, and the like.
[0096]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the front, back, front, back, front and back of a paper sheet conveyed from another processing apparatus can be aligned in advance to be processed by the processing apparatus. In addition, consideration is given to the reference position in the width direction of the paper sheet being transported or ease of operation, etc., improving the paper sheet processing efficiency and realizing a highly reliable paper sheet delivery system. can do.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a letter processing system to which an embodiment of a paper sheet delivery system of the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the paper sheet delivery system of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing another example of a letter processing system to which an embodiment of the paper sheet delivery system of the present invention is applied.
FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the paper sheet delivery system of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the paper sheet delivery system of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the paper sheet delivery system of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the paper sheet delivery system of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the paper sheet delivery system of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the paper sheet delivery system of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an operation control flow of the postal letter delivery apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Automatic sorting and stamping device
2 Postal letter delivery device
3 Sorting machine
201 Supply port
202 Delivery port
203 First transport path
204 Second transport path
205 Sorting means
206 Buffer part
207 Third transfer path
208 Junction
209 Positioning device
210 Control unit
214 Front / rear end reversing device

Claims (11)

Conveying means for conveying paper sheets from the upstream processing apparatus to the downstream processing apparatus and a buffer unit for accumulating the paper sheets conveyed from the upstream processing apparatus between the plurality of paper sheet processing apparatuses. A paper sheet transported from the upstream processing device based on a signal indicating whether or not delivery generated from the downstream processing device is possible , whichever of the downstream processing device or the buffer unit A paper sheet delivery system comprising control means for controlling whether the paper is conveyed. Conveying means for conveying paper sheets from the upstream processing apparatus to the downstream processing apparatus and a buffer unit for accumulating the paper sheets conveyed from the upstream processing apparatus between the plurality of paper sheet processing apparatuses. comprising, on the basis of the downstream processing device is possible or not one of the signals and given priority signal transfer which is generated from the downstream processing any sheet of the upstream-side processing unit or the buffer unit A paper sheet delivery system comprising control means for controlling whether the paper is conveyed to the apparatus. Among the plurality of paper sheet processing apparatuses, a first transport path for transporting paper sheets from the upstream processing apparatus to the downstream processing apparatus, a second transport path branched from the middle of the first transport path, and a buffer unit for feeding and accumulating a paper sheet in the second conveyance path to convey the sheet fed out from said buffer unit, and a third conveying path merging into the first transport path, the downstream processing Based on a signal generated by the apparatus indicating whether delivery is possible or not, the paper sheet conveyed from the upstream processing apparatus is controlled to be conveyed to either the downstream processing apparatus or the buffer unit. together, paper, characterized in that it comprises a control means for controlling whether to convey any sheet of the upstream-side processing unit or the buffer unit to the downstream processing apparatus based on the priority signal given Kind delivery system. A device for conveying and transferring paper sheets from an upstream processing apparatus to a downstream processing apparatus among a plurality of paper sheet processing apparatuses, and for supplying paper sheets from the upstream processing apparatus And a delivery port for delivering paper sheets to the downstream processing device, a first conveyance path for conveying paper sheets between the supply port and the delivery port, and a branch from the middle of the first conveyance path A second conveying path, a sorting unit that sorts the paper sheets to the first conveying path or the second conveying path, and the paper sheets conveyed to the second conveying path are temporarily accumulated and again one by one. A buffer unit that separates and feeds out, and a third transport in which the paper sheet fed out from the buffer unit joins the first transport path downstream from the branching portion between the first transport path and the second transport path and a road, to be whether the signal transfer which is generated from the downstream processing apparatus Zui with the sheets conveyed from the upstream processing unit, wherein the downstream processing device or to control whether to convey in any of the buffer unit, the upstream processing apparatus based on the priority signal given or paper sheet transfer system characterized by comprising control means for controlling whether to convey to the downstream processing apparatus of any of the sheet of the buffer unit.   5. The paper sheet delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the buffer unit has a stacking mechanism in which a leading end side of the stacked paper sheets and a leading end side of the fed paper sheets coincide with each other. A paper sheet delivery system characterized by comprising a feeding mechanism.   5. The paper sheet delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the buffer section is arranged such that a leading end side of the paper sheets when stacked is a rear end side of the paper sheets when being fed out. And a reversing means for reversing the leading edge and the trailing edge of the paper sheet in either the second conveying path or the third conveying path. Paper sheet delivery system.   5. The paper sheet delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the buffer section is arranged such that a leading end side of the paper sheets when stacked is a rear end side of the paper sheets when being fed out. The leading edge and the trailing edge of the paper sheet are inverted between the branching section to the buffer section of the first transport path and the merging section from the buffer section. A paper sheet processing apparatus comprising reversing means for performing the above processing.   8. The paper sheet delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the buffer unit includes a feeding mechanism for feeding the accumulated paper sheets to a downstream feeding mechanism. Leaf processing equipment. A device for conveying and transferring paper sheets from an upstream processing apparatus to a downstream processing apparatus among a plurality of paper sheet processing apparatuses, and for supplying paper sheets from the upstream processing apparatus And a delivery port for delivering paper sheets to the downstream processing device, a conveyance path for conveying paper sheets between the supply port and the delivery port, and a delivery generated from the downstream processing device are possible. And a control means for controlling the transport speed of the transport path based on a signal indicating whether or not the transport path has a buffer function. A device for conveying and transferring paper sheets from an upstream processing apparatus to a downstream processing apparatus among a plurality of paper sheet processing apparatuses, and for supplying paper sheets from the upstream processing apparatus And a delivery port for delivering paper sheets to the downstream processing apparatus, and a plurality of paper sheet conveyance paths having different routes at least between the supply port and the delivery port, and the downstream side The conveyance path includes control means for controlling a conveyance speed of any one of the plurality of paper sheet conveyance paths based on a signal indicating whether delivery is possible generated from the processing device. Has a buffer function, a paper sheet delivery system.   11. The paper sheet delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the paper sheet positioning means adjusts the position in the width direction of the paper sheet to be transported to any one of the transport paths of the paper sheet. A paper sheet delivery system characterized by comprising:

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