JP5612937B2 - Sealing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sealing device that seals an envelope in which contents such as a note paper, a document, or a booklet are sealed.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a sealing device has been developed in which glue is automatically applied to a manual sealing operation, a fold is formed in the flap, and the flap is folded and attached to the envelope body side (Patent Document 1).

  The sealing device is configured to apply the glue to the flap using the tape glue to which the glue is applied.

  By the way, the above-mentioned tape paste is usually manufactured so as to obtain an optimum adhesive force under normal temperature conditions. Therefore, in an environment where the processing temperature is lower than room temperature, particularly below 15 ° C., the adhesive strength of the glue is reduced, and sealing failure may occur. In addition, depending on the hardness, softness, and quality of the paper used as the envelope material, the paste may be difficult to penetrate inside the paper. If the paper is difficult to penetrate, the sealing failure may be further increased. .

  As a countermeasure against the above-described sealing failure, the sealing device of Patent Document 2 delays the timing at which the envelope flap separates from the transfer roller for glue transfer during low temperature processing, and slows the speed at which the envelope is sent out from the transfer roller. By doing so, the transferability of the glue to the flap is improved and the sealing performance is maintained.

JP 2007-55270 A JP 2009-274859 A

  In the sealing device of Patent Document 2, the sealing performance is maintained by ensuring a sufficient amount of paste transferred from the tape glue to the envelope flap even at low temperatures. However, the flap to which the glue is applied is attached to the envelope body. The operation itself is performed under the same conditions at normal temperature and low temperature, and there is a limit to the maintenance of adhesive strength and sealing performance.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a sealing device that can reliably adhere a flap to an envelope body even at low temperatures or when using a thick envelope by devising control of the operation of the sealing portion in the sealing device. That is.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has an envelope supply unit that supplies unsealed envelopes one by one, a glue application unit that applies glue to a predetermined portion of the supplied envelope, and glue applied a creasing unit that forms a crease on the envelope flap, and a sealing portion which is stuck on the envelope body by folding the flaps, the sealing device and a plurality of transport mechanisms for transporting the envelope, the The sealing unit includes a driving roller and a pressing roller that folds the flap between the driving roller and sticks the driving roller to the envelope body, and further controls the rotation of the driving roller. By changing the drive roller of the sealing unit between rotation in one direction and reciprocating rotation by the control unit, the sealing operation in the sealing unit is different from the pasting time. Multiple sealing work modes Thereby enabling Rikae.

As a control form different from the above-mentioned invention, an envelope supply unit that supplies unencapsulated envelopes one by one, a paste application unit that applies glue to a predetermined location of the supplied envelope, and the paste applied A sealing device comprising: a crease forming part that forms a crease in a flap of an envelope; a sealing part that folds the flap and sticks it to an envelope body side; and a plurality of transport mechanisms that transport the envelope. The stopper includes a drive roller and a pressing roller that folds the flap between the drive roller and sticks the flap to the envelope body, and further includes a control unit that can control the rotation of the drive roller. And the control unit changes the driving roller of the sealing unit between continuous rotation and intermittent rotation including temporary stop, so that the sealing operation in the sealing unit can be performed in the pasting time. Different sealing work modes It is set to be switched to.

  In the above invention, switching of the sealing work mode can be performed by manual input on the operation panel. In addition to or instead of this, a temperature sensor for detecting the ambient temperature of the sealing device is provided, and the temperature sensor The sealing operation mode can also be switched due to the difference in the detected temperature due to. For example, the first sealing operation mode when the detected temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature and the second sealing time when the detection temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature and the sticking time is longer than that of the first sealing operation mode. You can switch between work modes.

  Further, in addition to the operation control of the sealing portion, the operation of the crease forming portion can be controlled as follows corresponding to each sealing operation mode.

(A) The crease forming part includes a convex part and an insertion part through which the convex part can be inserted, for example, a concave part or an opening part, and the convex part into the insertion part according to the plurality of sealing operation modes. Different depth of entry. For example, when the temperature is low, the envelope is thick, or the paper is stiff, the penetration depth is increased.

(B) The number of protrusions of the convex portion into the insertion portion is varied according to the plurality of sealing operation modes. For example, when the temperature is low, the envelope is thick, or the paper is stiff, the number of rushes is set to a plurality of times.

(C) Depending on the plurality of sealing operation modes, the entry time of the convex portion into the insertion portion is varied. For example, when the temperature is low, the envelope is thick, or the paper is stiff, the projection is temporarily stopped in a state where the projection is inserted into the insertion portion.

  Furthermore, in addition to the control of the sealing part, the operation of the glue application part can be controlled as follows in accordance with each sealing operation mode.

(A) The glue application unit includes a glue application table on which the flap of the envelope is placed, and a tape glue that is pressed against the flap on the glue application table to apply glue to the flap, A heating means is provided on the glue application table, and the heating state by the heating means is varied according to the plurality of sealing operation modes. For example, when the temperature is low, the envelope is thick, or the paper is stiff, the heating means is turned on to heat the flap and the glue thereon.

(B) The pressing force for pressing the tape paste against the flap is varied according to the plurality of sealing operation modes. For example, when the temperature is low, the envelope is thick, or the paper is stiff, the force for pressing the tape glue against the flap is increased.

(1) By controlling the rotation of the driving roller of the sealing unit, for example, the driving roller of the sealing unit is changed between rotation in only one direction and reciprocating rotation, or continuous rotation Since the sealing operation in the sealing part can be switched to a plurality of sealing operation modes with different sticking times by changing between intermittent rotation including temporary stop, for example, When it is low, when the envelope is thick, or when the paper is stiff, the above adjustment of the drive roller alone can be used to select a sealing operation mode with a long sticking time, strengthen the adhesive force, and reduce sealing defects. be able to.

(2) If the switching of the sealing work mode is performed by manual input on the operation panel, the operator can arbitrarily and appropriately select a sealing work mode suitable for the type of envelope paper.

(3) If the sealing operation mode is automatically selected according to the temperature level by the temperature sensor, the efficiency of the sealing operation is improved.

(4) In addition to the control of the bonded wear time of the sealing portion, plunge depth into the insertion portion of the convex portion of the fold forming portion, since so as to change the rush time or rush times, for example, when a low temperature When the envelope paper thickness is thick or the paper is stiff, the crease can be formed firmly by increasing the entry depth, increasing the number of entry, or increasing the entry time. Thereby, after sticking in a sealing part, the force which the flap of an envelope tends to leave | separate from an envelope main body can be suppressed, and adhesive force can be raised further.

(5) In addition to the control of the sealing part, in the glue application part, if a heating means is provided and the heating state can be changed, for example, when the temperature is low, when the envelope is thick or when the paper is stiff When it is strong, the heating means can be turned on to heat the flap and the glue on it to increase the adhesive strength of the glue.

(6) Also, if the pressing force for pressing the tape glue against the flap is made different according to the plurality of sealing operation modes, for example, when the temperature is low, the envelope is thick Alternatively, when the paper is stiff, the force for pressing the tape glue against the flap can be increased.

1 is an overall perspective view of a sealing device according to the present invention. It is a top view inside the sealing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a side view of the sealing device as seen in the direction of arrow IV in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is an enlarged VV cross-sectional view of FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 3. It is the expanded side view seen in the arrow VII direction of FIG. FIG. 8 is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of the main part of FIG. 7. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of the sealing apparatus of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the envelope before sealing work. It is a perspective view which shows the state of the envelope at the time of a rolling and conveyance process. It is a perspective view which shows the state of the envelope at the time of a paste application | coating process. It is a perspective view which shows the state of the envelope at the time of a crease | fold formation process. It is a perspective view which shows the state of the envelope at the time of a sealing process. It is sectional drawing which shows the modification of a crease formation part.

[Configuration of sealing device as a whole]
1 to 4 show the overall configuration of the sealing device according to the present invention. Based on these drawings, an outline of the entire sealing device will be described first.

  In FIG. 1, which is a perspective view, the conveyance path of the envelope N is a reciprocating type (or switchback type) having an outward path and a return path, the transport direction of the forward path is indicated by an arrow F1, and the transport direction of the return path is indicated by an arrow F2. Is shown. For convenience of explanation, the forward conveyance direction F1 side will be referred to as “front side” of the apparatus, and the conveyance width direction W orthogonal to the conveyance direction F1 (and F2) will be appropriately referred to as “left-right direction” of the apparatus. .

  The sealing device is provided with an envelope supply unit 2 for loading an unsealed envelope N on the upper rear side of the main body case 4 and an envelope receiving unit 3 for loading the envelope N discharged after sealing. It has been. An operation panel 5 is provided on one end of the main body case 4 in the transport width direction W. Further, in the main body case 4, a control unit 6 that controls each operation unit described later is built in the vicinity of the operation panel 5.

  2 is a plan view of the inside of the apparatus, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a side view as viewed in the direction of arrow IV in FIG. In order from the side, a separating roller mechanism 11, a conveying roller mechanism 12, a sealing portion 13, a glue applying portion 14, a crease forming portion 15, and a positioning roller mechanism 16 are disposed. The whirling mechanism 11, the sealing portion 13, and the positioning roller mechanism 16 also serve as a transport roller mechanism.

(Envelope supply unit 2)
In FIG. 2, the envelope supply unit 2 includes a supply base 21 on which a large number of envelopes are stacked, a pair of left and right side guide plates 22, and a plurality of supply rollers 23 that protrude upward from openings formed in the supply base 21. A number of cut grooves extending in the conveyance width direction W are formed on the surface of the supply roller 23. The position of the side guide plate 22 in the conveyance width direction W can be adjusted according to the size of the envelope. A light transmission type envelope detection sensor 28 that detects the presence or absence of an envelope on the supply table 21 is provided at the center of the supply table 21.

  In FIG. 3, the envelope supply unit 2 is provided with a thick plate-shaped resin weight 29 to prevent the loaded envelope N from floating. The envelope detection sensor 28 is made of a transparent resin material so as not to hinder the detection operation.

  In FIG. 4, the rotation shaft 23 a of each supply roller 23 is connected to a first drive motor 26 via a gear transmission mechanism 24 and a first belt transmission mechanism 25, and the first drive motor 26 makes a total. All the supply rollers 23 rotate synchronously.

(Rolling roller mechanism 11)
In FIG. 3, the whirling roller mechanism 11 includes a driving roller 31 disposed on the lower side of the forward path and a whirling roller 32 disposed on the upper side of the driving roller 31 and biased toward the driving roller by a spring. The driving roller 31 is rotationally driven so as to send the envelope in the forward conveyance direction F1, and the rolling roller 32 does not rotate in the direction of sending the envelope in the forward conveyance direction F1.

  In FIG. 4, the drive shaft 33 of the drive roller 31 is configured to rotate synchronously with the supply roller 23 via the gear transmission 24.

(Conveyance roller mechanism 12)
In FIG. 3, the transport roller mechanism 12 includes a drive roller 41 disposed below the forward transport path, and a pressing roller 42 disposed above the drive roller 41 and biased toward the drive roller by a spring. The drive roller 41 is rotationally driven so as to send the envelope in the forward path conveyance direction F1.

  In FIG. 4, the drive shaft 43 of the drive roller 41 is connected to a second belt transmission mechanism 45, and the second belt transmission mechanism 45 is connected to a second drive motor 49.

(Sealing part 13)
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the sealing portion 13, which is composed of a driving roller 51 disposed below the forward / return conveying path and a pressing roller 52 disposed above the driving roller 51. The drive roller 51 and the pressing roller 52 are both formed so as to extend over substantially the entire width in the conveying width direction W of the conveying path, and the pressing roller 52 is formed of urethane rubber whose surface is elastic. The drive shaft 53 of the drive roller 51 is rotatably supported on the left and right side walls 35.

  Both ends in the axial direction of the roller support shaft 54 to which the pressing roller 52 is fixed are supported by a fixed holding case 56 so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and are urged downward by a compression spring 57 so that the drive roller 51 It is in pressure contact.

  In FIG. 3, the sealing unit 13 includes two pairs of the driving roller 51 and the pressing roller 52 with an interval in the front-rear direction, and a light-transmitting envelope is provided between the front-rear roller pair. A detection sensor 58 is provided. As shown in FIG. 4, the drive shaft 53 of each lower drive roller 51 is connected to a third drive motor 56 via a third belt transmission mechanism 55. By switching the reverse rotation, it rotates in either of the arrows A1 and A2. That is, the envelope conveyance direction can be switched between the forward conveyance direction F1 and the backward conveyance direction F2. Furthermore, the rotational speed of the drive roller 51 can be controlled by controlling the rotational speed of the third drive motor 56.

  In FIG. 2, a pair of the envelope detection sensors 58 are arranged at intervals in the conveyance width direction W, and in addition to the presence / absence of passage of the envelope by detecting passage of the rear end (or front end) of the envelope. The skew of the envelope due to the difference in detection timing between the left and right detection sensors 58 and the count start position for determining the envelope stop position in the crease forming unit 15 and the glue applying unit 14 are detected.

  In a normal operation, the pair of envelope detection sensors 58 starts counting for positioning at the time of forming the crease and applying glue using the average value of the values detected by the two envelope detection sensors 58 as a reference. However, when the difference between the detection points of the two envelope detection sensors 58 exceeds a predetermined time, it is determined that the skewing degree of the envelope has increased, and a conveyance error warning is issued.

  In the case of the envelope for the third type mail, the stop position of the envelope is obtained on the basis of a preset flap length value, and error determination is performed.

(Glue application part 14)
6 is a cross-sectional view of the glue application portion 14 and the crease forming portion 15, FIG. 7 is an enlarged side view of the paste application portion 14 and the crease formation portion 15, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of the main part of FIG. In FIG. 6, the glue application unit 14 includes a slider 63 movably supported by upper and lower guide rails 61, 62 extending in the conveyance width direction W, a cassette holder 64 supported by the slider 63 so as to be movable up and down, A tape glue cassette 65 detachably attached to the cassette holder 64 and a glue application table 66 arranged below the tape glue cassette 65 are provided. The guide rails 61 and 62 are supported on the left and right side walls of the holding case 60. The slider 63 is connected to a belt-type drive mechanism 67 laid in parallel with the guide rail 62, and the cassette holder 64 is connected to a lift drive motor 68 disposed in the slider 63. 6 shows the cassette holder 64 with the cover member 75 (see FIG. 11) removed.

  In the tape glue cassette 65, a supply reel 72 around which unused tape glue 71 is wound and a take-up reel 73 for winding up the used tape are provided. A pressure roller 75 is rotatably provided.

  The tape glue 71 is obtained by adhering the glue to the surface of the tape main body so as to be peeled off. The tape glue 71 extends downward from the supply reel 72 and is wound around the pressure roller 75, and U-turns upward. It is wound up. The supply reel 72 rotates only in the rotation direction X1 for supplying the tape glue. Further, the supply reel 72 and the take-up reel 73 are wound by the take-up reel 73 in accordance with the amount of the tape glue 71 drawn from the rotating supply reel 72, as in the known correction tape mechanism for erasing ink. The gear-type interlocking mechanism is interlocked so as to rotate in the direction Y1. The holding case 60 is provided with a temperature sensor 7 that detects an ambient temperature in the vicinity of the tape glue 71.

  In FIG. 7, the tape glue cassette 65 is housed in the cover member 75, and the tape glue cassette 75 can be replaced by opening the front wall of the cover member 75. The holding case 60 is provided with a slide drive motor 79 for driving the belt-type drive mechanism 67.

  The holding case 60 can be manually changed in the front-rear direction position, whereby the front-rear direction position (distance) of the gluing region M2 with respect to the root (crease formation position) M1 of the crease forming part 15 to be described later is set. It can be changed according to the size of the envelope flap.

  In FIG. 8, a glue application base 66 is obtained by spreading a platen rubber 76 on the upper surface of a U-shaped base sheet metal 66a, and a heater 77 is disposed as a heating element inside the base sheet metal 66a. Has been. The heater 77 may be a planar heating element or a rod-like heating element. Further, as the platen rubber 76, silicon rubber or the like that is resistant to glue and has heat resistance is suitable.

  FIG. 12 shows a gluing process by the glue applying unit 14, and the tape glue cassette 65 is lowered from the rising position (operation start position) P0 on one end side in the conveyance width direction W, and the pressure roller at the lowered position P1. 75 presses the tape glue 71 against the upper surface of the glue application table 66, and then moves the tape glue cassette 65 to the other end side in the transport width direction W, thereby rotating the pressure roller 75 by friction, and the tape The paste 71 is applied to the flap Na of the envelope N. Then, after reaching the other end end position P2 in the conveyance width direction W, the position rises to a position P3, moves from the position P3 in the conveyance width direction W, and returns to the work start position P0. The descending position P1 can be adjusted by finely adjusting the descending stroke of the cassette holder 64 that can be moved up and down, for example, thereby adjusting the force with which the pressure roller 75 presses the tape glue 71 against the flap Na. be able to.

  In FIG. 6, the supply reel 72 or the take-up reel 73 is provided with a rotation detector for detecting whether the supply reel 72 or the take-up reel 73 is rotating. When the rotation detecting unit detects that the supply reel 72 or the take-up reel 73 stops rotating while moving from P1 to the other end end position P2, it determines that the tape glue 71 has ended and displays an appropriate alarm display. Thus, the end of tape glue (or replacement) is notified.

  Further, the rotation detection unit has a rotation speed detection function. When it is detected that the supply reel 72 or the take-up reel 73 has changed to a preset rotation speed range, the remaining amount of the tape glue 17 is small. It is determined that the tape glue end time is approaching by an appropriate alarm display.

  As a specific example of the rotation detection unit, for example, a disk that rotates integrally with the take-up reel 73 is provided with a reflection part and a non-reflection part of a light reflection sensor, and the disk is opposed to the disk. A reflection-type photosensor that emits detection light toward the surface is provided, and the reflection part and the non-reflection part pass through the region of the emission light from the reflection-type photosensor four times while the take-up reel 73 rotates once. And Thus, the rotation speed is detected together with the stop of the take-up reel 73 by the change of the time of passing four times (time of one rotation of the take-up reel).

(Fold forming part 15)
In FIG. 7, the crease forming unit 15 includes a lower mold 81 disposed so as to be adjacent to the forward application direction F1 side of the glue application base 66 of the glue application unit 14, and a convex part facing the lower mold 81 from above. The lower die 81 has a substantially V-shaped crease forming recess (insertion portion) 81a, and the upper die (projection) 82 can be fitted into the recess 81a. It is formed in a thick plate shape. The upper mold 82 is fixed to the upper end of an elevating frame 83 that can be raised and lowered.

  In FIG. 6, the elevating frame 83 has a side wall portion 83 a that extends in the transport width direction W and extends downward from both ends of the transport width direction W, and the lower end portions of the side wall portions 83 a include A pair of left and right slide bosses 86 are formed via the connecting bar 85, and both slide bosses 86 are fitted to a pair of left and right guide rods 87 so as to be movable up and down.

  The connecting bar 85 is connected to a crankshaft 90 via a pair of left and right links 88, and the crankshaft 90 is connected to a fold forming drive motor 92 via a transmission gear 91. That is, by rotating the fold forming drive motor 92, the connecting bar 85 and the slide boss 86 are moved up and down via the crankshaft 90 and the link 88, thereby moving the lifting frame 83 and the upper die 82 up and down.

  The crease forming drive motor 92 is a stepping motor. As shown in the crease forming process diagram of FIG. 13, the upper mold 82 is lowered from the raised position K0 and once at an intermediate position K1 where the envelope N is lightly contacted. With the envelope stopped at the intermediate position K1, the gluing operation shown in FIG. 12 is performed. Thereafter, the glue is lowered to the lowest position K2 shown in FIG. The operation is controlled to form

  The lowermost position K2 can be adjusted in the vertical direction by changing the lever ratio by adjusting the support position of the link 88 with respect to the crankshaft 90 in FIG. 6, for example. That is, it is possible to adjust the amount by which the upper die 81 enters the recess 81a of the lower die 81.

(Positioning roller mechanism 16)
In FIG. 3, the positioning roller mechanism 16 is disposed on the front side of the crease forming unit 15, and includes a driving roller 101 disposed on the lower side of the conveyance path and a pressing roller 102 facing the driving roller 101 from above. It is configured.

  Two pairs of roller pairs of the driving roller 101 and the pressing roller 102 are provided at regular intervals in the front-rear direction.

  The drive shaft 103 of the drive roller 101 is connected to the third belt transmission mechanism 55 as shown in FIG. That is, the two drive shafts 103 of the positioning roller mechanism 16 are configured to rotate in the same direction and synchronously with the drive shaft 53 of the sealing portion 13 via the third belt transmission 55. Yes.

  In FIG. 3, the positioning roller mechanism 16 is also provided with a light transmission type envelope detection sensor 110 for detecting the presence or absence of an envelope.

(Outline of control system)
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a control system of each operation unit of the sealing device. An input unit of the control unit 6 includes an operation panel 5, a temperature sensor 7 of the glue application unit 14, and an envelope detection sensor of the envelope supply unit 2. 28, the envelope detection sensor 52 of the sealing unit 13 and the envelope detection sensor 110 of the positioning roller mechanism 16 are electrically connected, and various signals are input. The output unit of the control unit 6 includes a first drive motor 26 for synchronously driving the envelope supply unit 2 and the rolling roller mechanism 11, a second drive motor 49 for driving the transport roller mechanism 12, and a sealing unit. 13 and an electric motor 56 for driving the positioning roller mechanism 16 synchronously, an elevating drive motor 68 and a slide drive motor 79 for driving the glue applying unit 14, and a crease forming unit for driving the crease forming unit 15. A drive motor 92 is electrically connected to control the operation of each part and each mechanism.

  The operation control of the sealing part 13, the glue application part 14, and the crease forming part 15 will be described in detail.

(Operation control of the sealing part 13)
The control unit 6 includes, for example, a first sealing operation mode that defines the operation of the sealing unit 13 at normal temperature, when the envelope is not thick, or when the paper is weak, and at low temperatures, the envelope The second sealing operation mode that defines the operation of the sealing portion 13 when the paper thickness is thick or the paper is stiff is stored.

  The first and second sealing work modes are basically different in the time of attaching the flap by the pressing roller 52 of the sealing portion 13 and are attached in the first sealing work mode. Each sealing work mode is set so that the sticking time in the second sealing work mode becomes longer depending on the time.

  The following (a), (b) and (c) can be applied as means for varying the sticking time by the pressing roller 52. Of course, each of the means (a), (b) and (c) can be carried out individually or in combination as appropriate.

(A) Regarding the rotational speed of the driving roller 51 of the sealing portion 13, the rotational speed of the driving roller 51 in the second sealing work mode is set slower than the first sealing work mode. Thereby, the sticking time in the second sealing work mode is ensured longer than the sticking time in the first sealing work mode.

(B) The rotation direction of the drive roller 51 of the sealing unit 13 is changed between rotation in only one direction and reciprocal rotation. In other words, by setting the rotation in only one direction in the first sealing work mode and setting the reciprocating rotation in the second sealing work mode, the second sealing is performed more than in the first sealing work mode. Ensure long working mode sticking time.

(C) The driving roller 51 of the sealing portion 13 is set to be changed between continuous rotation and intermittent rotation including temporary stop. That is, in the first sealing work mode, continuous rotation is performed, and in the second sealing work mode, intermittent rotation is performed, so that the second sealing work mode is attached more than the first sealing work mode. Secure a long time.

(Operation control of glue application unit 14)
In the present embodiment, in addition to the operation control of the sealing unit 13, in the glue application unit 14, in the first sealing operation mode, the heater 77 of the glue application table 66 is turned off, while the second sealing is performed. In the work mode, the heater 77 is controlled to be turned on.

  Further, instead of turning on or off the heater 77, in addition to this, the force for pressing the tape glue 71 against the flap Na by the pressure roller 75 is changed. That is, the pressing force in the second sealing work mode is set higher than that in the first sealing work mode.

(Operation control of the crease forming part 15)
Further, in the present embodiment, in addition to the control of the sealing portion 13, the crease forming portion 15 relates to the penetration depth (lowermost position K2) of the upper die 82 with respect to the lower die 81 in the first sealing work mode. The penetration depth in the second sealing work mode is set deeper than the penetration depth at.

  Further, instead of changing the penetration depth of the upper die 82, the number of times of entry into the lower die 81 of the upper die 82 is greater than the number of times of entry in the first sealing operation mode. The number of times of rushing can be increased, or the upper die 82 can be stopped at the lowest position K2 in the second sealing operation mode with respect to the rushing time into the lower die 81 of the upper die 82.

(Switching operation control)
Switching between the first sealing work mode and the second sealing work mode can be arbitrarily performed by operating a key or a button on the operation panel 5, but in addition to this, the temperature sensor 7 of the glue applying unit 14 can be switched. It can also be performed automatically depending on the detected temperature.

  For example, in the case of manual setting, when the paper thickness of the envelope is not thick or the paper is weak, the operator selects the first sealing work mode by operating the keys or buttons on the operation panel 5. On the other hand, when the paper thickness of the envelope is thick or the paper is stiff, the operator selects the second sealing work mode by operating a key or button on the operation panel 5.

  On the other hand, in the case of automatic setting, the mode switching by the temperature sensor 7 is set to automatic, and when the detected temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature (for example, 15 ° C.), the mode is automatically switched to the first sealing work mode. If the temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature, the mode automatically switches to the second sealing operation mode.

[Sealing work 1]
When the sealing work mode is automatically set, as described above, when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 7 is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature (for example, 15 ° C.), the first sealing work mode (normal temperature mode) is set, and the opposite In addition, when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 7 is lower than the predetermined temperature, the second sealing work mode (normal temperature mode) is set.

  The outline of the entire sealing operation will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The envelope N loaded on the envelope supply unit 2 is supplied in the forward conveyance direction F1 from the lowest position by the rotation of the supply roller 23, and the And is conveyed to the sealing unit 13 by the conveying roller mechanism 12. The sealing portion 13 that also functions as a transport roller mechanism is further transported in the forward transport direction F1, passes through the paste application portion 14 and the crease forming portion 15, and most of the envelope N is the upper and lower rollers 101 of the positioning roller mechanism 16. , 102 and is stopped at a predetermined position where the rear end flap of the envelope N reaches the glue receiving table 66 of the glue application unit 14.

  In the stop state, glue is applied to the flap of the envelope N by the glue applying unit 14, and a fold is formed in the flap by the crease forming unit 15. Thereafter, the rollers 101 and 102 of the positioning roller mechanism 16 and the rollers 51 and 52 of the sealing unit are reversed, whereby the envelope N is conveyed in the backward conveyance direction F2 and between the rollers 51 and 52 of the sealing unit 13. By passing, the flap is stuck to the envelope body and discharged to the envelope receiver 3.

Next, each work process will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 10 shows a state of the envelope N before supply, the flap Na in the opened state is located at the rear end, and the supply base 21 of the envelope supply unit 2 with the glued surface of the flap Na facing upward. Loaded on top.

  FIG. 11 shows a rolling process and a conveying process. In the rolling roller mechanism 11, the envelope N is sandwiched between the driving roller 31 and the rolling roller 32, and the driving roller 31 rotates in the direction of the arrow A1. On the other hand, the roller 32 does not rotate in the direction of the arrow B1. Thereby, even if the envelope N is double fed, only the lower envelope N is supplied and the upper envelope N is stopped. That is, the envelopes are separated one by one.

  In the conveyance roller mechanism 12, the envelope N is quickly conveyed in the forward conveyance direction F1 by rotating the driving roller 41 in the arrow A1 direction and the pressing roller 42 in the arrow B1 direction.

  FIG. 12 shows a gluing process, and FIG. 13 shows a crease forming process. In FIG. 12, the envelope N is front and rear so that the flap Na of the envelope N is located on the glue receiving base 66 of the glue application unit 14 and the root (fold formation position) M1 of the flap Na is located on the crease formation unit 14. The rollers 101 and 102 of the pair of positioning roller mechanisms 16 are stopped and held at predetermined positions. First, the upper mold 82 of the crease forming portion 15 is lowered to the intermediate position K1 in FIG. 13, and the flap Na is stabilized in a horizontal state by lightly pressing the root of the flap Na. 66, and then the tape glue cassette 65 of the glue applicator 14 is lowered to the lowered position P1 and moved in the conveying width direction W to the opposite glue end position P2, thereby the upper surface of the flap Na (glue Glue is applied to the area M2).

  When the second sealing operation mode is set in the glue application step, the heater 77 of the glue application table 66 is turned on, the temperature of the glue is increased, and the glue is transferred from the tape glue 71 to the flap Na. The amount can be increased.

  Alternatively, the pressing force of the tape glue 71 by the pressure roller 75 can be increased, and the amount of glue transferred can be increased.

  After completion of the gluing process, in FIG. 13, the upper mold 82 of the crease forming portion 15 is further lowered from the intermediate position K1 to the lowest position K2, thereby forming a crease at the root M1 of the flap Na and raising the flap Na upward. Tilt to.

  In the crease forming step, the upper mold 82 penetrates deeper into the recess 81a of the lower mold 81 in the second sealing work mode than in the first sealing work mode. Is firmly formed. By firmly forming the folds in this way, the force applied in the direction in which the flap Na tends to be separated from the envelope body can be reduced after sticking in the sealing portion described later, and the adhesive force can be increased.

  Further, instead of changing the depth of penetration of the upper die 82, in the second sealing operation mode, the number of times of rushing the upper die 82 is set to a plurality of times, or temporarily stopped at the lowest position K2, The crease is firmly formed.

  When the gluing step and the crease forming step are finished, in FIGS. 12 and 13, the rollers 101 and 102 of the positioning roller mechanism 16 are reversed in the directions of arrows A2 and B2, and the envelope N is conveyed in the backward conveyance direction F2. To do.

  FIG. 14 shows a sealing process. The driving roller 51 and the pressing roller 52 of the sealing portion 13 are also reversed in the directions of arrows A2 and B2, and the bent flap Na is inserted between the rollers 51 and 52. Thus, the flap Na is folded and stuck so as to completely overlap the envelope body side.

  In this sealing step, when the second sealing work mode is set, the driving roller 51 and the pressing roller 52 are rotated in the directions of the arrows A2 and B2 at a lower rotational speed than in the first sealing work mode. Rotating, thereby extending the sticking time and increasing the adhesive force.

  Further, the rotation control of the driving roller 51 is set to the first sealing work mode by rotation in only one direction (arrow A2 direction) and the second sealing work mode by reciprocating rotation (arrow A2 and arrow A1). In the case of the second sealing operation mode, the flap Na is ejected after reciprocating once or several times in the directions of the arrows F1 and F2 by the reciprocating rotation of the driving roller 51. Therefore, even in this case, the adhesive force is increased.

  Even when the rotation control of the drive roller 51 is set to the first sealing work mode by continuous rotation and the second sealing work mode by intermittent rotation including temporary stop at the lowest position K2. In the second sealing work mode, the flap Na is pressed against the envelope body for a longer time than in the first sealing work mode. Even in this case, the adhesive force is increased.

[Sealing work 2]
When manual setting is performed instead of automatic setting by the temperature sensor 7 as described above, the operator arbitrarily sets one of the first and second sealing operation modes depending on the paper thickness or the paper quality of the envelope. .

  For example, when the paper thickness is thick and the paper quality is difficult to permeate the glue, or when the paper is stiff, the second sealing work mode is selected and manually set by the key switch of the operation panel 5 or the like.

[Other embodiments]
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the configuration is switched to two stages of the first sealing work mode and the second sealing work mode. However, the structure may be switched to three stages or more.

(2) In the embodiment, between the first sealing operation mode and the second sealing operation mode, rotation control of the driving roller of the sealing unit, on / off control of the heater in the glue application unit, and crease formation Although all of the upper mold operation control in the section is carried out, it is possible to improve the adhesive force in the second sealing operation mode only by controlling the rotation of the driving roller in at least the sealing section. .

(3) FIG. 15 is a modification of the crease forming portion 13, and the lowermost position K2 of the upper die 82 is adjustable, and the bottom portion of the crease forming recess 81 a of the lower die 81 is made of rubber. A damper member 111 is laid. When the upper die 82 is lowered to the lowest position K2, the upper die 82 contacts the damper member 111 and compresses. Thereby, since the crease is reliably and firmly formed at the root of the flap Na, the sealing operation can be performed reliably, and the flap Na can be prevented from separating from the envelope body after sealing.

(4) The lower mold 81 of the crease forming part 15 in the above embodiment includes a concave part 81a having a bottom surface as an insertion part into which the upper mold 82 having a convex part enters, but has an opening that penetrates in the vertical direction. The lower mold 81 can also be provided.

(5) In the above-described embodiment, glue (adhesive) is applied in the glue application unit 14, but dry glue (dry adhesive) is applied in advance to the flap Na of the envelope N, and the glue application unit 14. In the above, by supplying water, moisture can be imparted to the dry glue to exhibit an adhesive function.

(6) In the above-described embodiment, the reciprocating sealing device having the transport path having the forward path and the return path has been described. However, the present invention is also applicable to a sealing apparatus having a through-type transport path having only one transport direction. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 Envelope supply part 12 Conveyance roller mechanism 13 Sealing part 14 Glue application part 15 Fold formation part 51 Sealing part drive roller 52 Sealing part presser roller 56 Electric motor 81 Lower mold (concave type) of crease formation part
81a Concave part (insertion part)
82 Upper mold of crease forming part (convex type)
N envelope Na flap

Claims (11)

Envelope supply unit that supplies unsealed envelopes one by one, a glue application unit that applies glue to a predetermined portion of the supplied envelope, and a fold formation that forms a crease in the flap of the envelope to which glue has been applied In a sealing device comprising: a portion, a sealing portion that folds the flap and adheres to the envelope body side, and a plurality of transport mechanisms that transport the envelope,
The sealing portion includes a driving roller and a pressing roller that folds the flap between the driving roller and adheres to the envelope body,
Furthermore, a control unit capable of controlling the rotation of the drive roller is provided, and the control unit changes the drive roller of the sealing unit between rotation in only one direction and reciprocal rotation, thereby enabling the sealing. A sealing device characterized in that the sealing operation at the stopper can be switched to a plurality of sealing operation modes having different sticking times. Envelope supply unit that supplies unsealed envelopes one by one, a glue application unit that applies glue to a predetermined portion of the supplied envelope, and a fold formation that forms a crease in the flap of the envelope to which glue has been applied In a sealing device comprising: a portion, a sealing portion that folds the flap and adheres to the envelope body side, and a plurality of transport mechanisms that transport the envelope,
The sealing portion includes a driving roller and a pressing roller that folds the flap between the driving roller and adheres to the envelope body,
Furthermore, it comprises a control unit capable of controlling the rotation of the drive roller, and the control unit changes the drive roller of the sealing unit between continuous rotation and intermittent rotation including temporary stop, A sealing device characterized in that the sealing work in the sealing part can be switched to a plurality of sealing work modes having different sticking times . Envelope supply unit that supplies unsealed envelopes one by one, a glue application unit that applies glue to a predetermined portion of the supplied envelope, and a fold formation that forms a crease in the flap of the envelope to which glue has been applied In a sealing device comprising: a portion, a sealing portion that folds the flap and adheres to the envelope body side, and a plurality of transport mechanisms that transport the envelope,
The sealing portion includes a driving roller and a pressing roller that folds the flap between the driving roller and adheres to the envelope body,
Further, a control unit capable of controlling the rotation of the driving roller is provided, and by controlling the rotation of the driving roller, the sealing operation in the sealing unit is switched to a plurality of sealing operation modes having different sticking times. Is possible,
The crease forming part includes a convex part and an insertion part through which the convex part can be inserted,
According to the plurality of sealing operation modes, the penetration depth of the convex portion into the insertion portion is made different . Envelope supply unit that supplies unsealed envelopes one by one, a glue application unit that applies glue to a predetermined portion of the supplied envelope, and a fold formation that forms a crease in the flap of the envelope to which glue has been applied In a sealing device comprising: a portion, a sealing portion that folds the flap and adheres to the envelope body side, and a plurality of transport mechanisms that transport the envelope,
The sealing portion includes a driving roller and a pressing roller that folds the flap between the driving roller and adheres to the envelope body,
Further, a control unit capable of controlling the rotation of the driving roller is provided, and by controlling the rotation of the driving roller, the sealing operation in the sealing unit is switched to a plurality of sealing operation modes having different sticking times. Is possible,
The crease forming part includes a convex part and an insertion part through which the convex part can be inserted,
The sealing device, wherein the number of protrusions of the convex portion into the insertion portion is made different according to the plurality of sealing operation modes. Envelope supply unit that supplies unsealed envelopes one by one, a glue application unit that applies glue to a predetermined portion of the supplied envelope, and a fold formation that forms a crease in the flap of the envelope to which glue has been applied In a sealing device comprising: a portion, a sealing portion that folds the flap and adheres to the envelope body side, and a plurality of transport mechanisms that transport the envelope,
The sealing portion includes a driving roller and a pressing roller that folds the flap between the driving roller and adheres to the envelope body,
Further, a control unit capable of controlling the rotation of the driving roller is provided, and by controlling the rotation of the driving roller, the sealing operation in the sealing unit is switched to a plurality of sealing operation modes having different sticking times. Is possible,
The crease forming part includes a convex part and an insertion part through which the convex part can be inserted,
According to the plurality of sealing operation modes, a sealing device is characterized in that the time of entry of the convex portion into the insertion portion is varied . The sealing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A sealing device in which means for changing the rotational speed of the drive roller of the sealing portion are combined as setting means for the plurality of sealing work modes having different sticking times . The sealing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A sealing device in which manual input means on an operation panel connected to the control unit is combined as setting means for the plurality of sealing work modes having different sticking times . The sealing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A temperature sensor that detects the ambient temperature of the sealing device is provided as a setting means for the plurality of sealing work modes with different sticking times, and the first sealing work mode when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature And a sealing device in which a means for changing to the second sealing work mode when the sticking time is longer than the first sealing work mode when the temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature is combined . The sealing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The glue application unit includes a glue application table on which the flap of the envelope is placed, and a tape glue that is pressed against the flap on the glue application table and applies the glue to the flap.
A sealing device in which a heating means is provided on the glue application table, and a heating state by the heating means is varied according to the plurality of sealing operation modes . The sealing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The glue application unit includes a glue application table on which the flap of the envelope is placed, and a tape glue that is pressed against the flap on the glue application table and applies the glue to the flap.
A sealing device in which the pressing force for pressing the tape paste against the flap is varied according to the plurality of sealing operation modes . The sealing device according to claim 9,
A sealing device in which the pressing force for pressing the tape paste against the flap is varied according to the plurality of sealing operation modes .

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