JP5671941B2 - Plate-like printed material supply method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for supplying a plate-like printed material that automatically supplies a printer with a plate-like printed material such as a booklet or a card. In particular, the present invention relates to a booklet supply method and apparatus capable of automatically supplying a plurality of closed booklets arranged in a horizontal stack one by one.

  As a booklet supply device that automatically supplies a booklet one by one to the next process such as a printer from a state in which a folded booklet having a folded portion made of a plurality of sheet materials such as a passport booklet is overlaid in advance. There are the following devices proposed in Patent Document 1, and methods for controlling an accurate position when sending to the printer in the next process are also disclosed in Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3.

  The conventional booklet supply method represented by the example shown in Patent Document 1 is an upper side of the conveying belt (2) that moves to the take-out side (right side in the figure) as shown in the cross-sectional explanatory view of FIG. A booklet (1) such as a passport arranged in the right direction is conveyed rightward by means of movement of a conveying belt and a spring (not shown), and stopped in a state where the top booklet is pressed against the stopper (3).

Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, the vacuum pad (4) is brought into contact with the take-out side surface of the first booklet and sucked.
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6C, the vacuum pad (4) is lifted upward to take out only the first booklet and send it to the next process. At this time, the booklet adjacent to the first booklet When the frictional resistance between them is large, not only a large force is required for lifting, but also a booklet adjacent to the first booklet is taken out.

When such a failure occurs, not only the booklet cannot be automatically supplied to the next process one by one, but also the conveyance itself may stop.
In the above method, the booklet is simply stacked horizontally, pushed in the direction of the take-out port, and then removed one by one. Since the pressure in the transport direction of the entire booklet is concentrated on the leading part, the friction load between the booklets near the leading part is particularly large. There is a problem that it is too large to be taken out or a plurality of booklets are piled up.

  In order to avoid the pressure in the conveying direction of the entire booklet from concentrating on the leading portion, a method of reducing the pressure between the booklets by once pushing back the entire booklet as shown in FIG.

  According to this method, for example, the booklet (1) arranged on the conveying belt (2) moving to the take-out side (right side in the drawing) as shown in the sectional explanatory view of FIG. Then, the sheet is conveyed rightward by means such as a spring and a spring (not shown) and stopped in a state where the top booklet is pressed against the stopper (3).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7 (B), the conveying belt (2) is moved in the opposite direction by a certain amount to create a gap between the top booklet and the stopper (3), and the vacuum is formed on the take-out side of the top booklet. The pad (4) is brought into contact to try to suck it.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 7C, the gap between the top booklet and the stopper (3) is generated, so that the whole booklet including the top booklet is tilted and sucked by the vacuum pad (4). As a result, the top booklet cannot be lifted and removed by the vacuum pad (4).

  Thus, in the above method of pushing back the entire booklet, the pressure between the booklets can be reduced by avoiding the pressure in the transport direction of the entire booklet from concentrating on the head part, so that the adjacent booklet is not affected. Moreover, although only the top booklet can be lifted with a small force, there is a problem that the arranged booklets themselves are inclined.

JP-A-1-306853 JP 2007-314301 A JP 2007-320688 A

  An apparatus and a method for automatically supplying plate-like printed materials one by one to a printer from a row of plate-like printed materials horizontally stacked on a conveyor belt.

The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is a plate-like substrate supply method for automatically supplying plate-like substrates one by one to a printer from a row of plate-like substrates horizontally stacked on a conveyor belt. Then, the entire horizontally stacked plate-like printed bodies are once pressed in the take-out direction by the movement of the conveyor belt, and at least the upper portion of the horizontally stacked plate-like printed materials except the top is pressed with a fall-preventing plate. A plate-like printed material supply method, wherein a predetermined amount is returned from the take-out direction by moving the conveyor belt while pressing the upper portion, and the suction is removed from the first plate-like printed material by a vacuum head one by one. It is.

  The invention according to claim 2 of the present invention is the plate-shaped printed material supply method according to claim 1, wherein the plate-shaped printed material is a booklet.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plate-like printing material supply device that automatically supplies one plate-like printing material to a printer one by one from a row of plate-like printing materials horizontally stacked on a conveyor belt. a is the entire horizontal stacked to a plate-like printing material, once pressed in the take-out direction, returning the conveyor belt to be driving movement for returning a certain amount from the direction out Installing the plate-like printing material a certain amount In this case , the plate-like printed material is provided with a fall-preventing plate that is pressed against at least the top of the plate-like printed material that is stacked horizontally and moves back and forth as the conveying belt moves. It is a supply device.

According to the plate-like substrate supply method according to the present invention, the plate-like substrate that automatically supplies the plate-like substrate to the printer one by one from the row of plate-like substrates horizontally stacked on the conveyor belt. A method of supplying a printed body, wherein the entire horizontally stacked plate-like printed bodies are pressed once in the take-out direction, and at least the upper part of the horizontally stacked plate-like printed bodies is pressed and the upper part is pressed. While returning a certain amount from the take-out direction and taking out one by one from the top plate-like printed material, the plate-like printed material is surely printed one by one from the row of booklets and cards stacked on the conveyor belt to the printer. The body can be automatically supplied.

  According to the plate-shaped printed material supply method according to the present invention, when the plate-shaped printed material is returned by a certain amount, the plate-shaped printed material is prevented from falling by the plate-shaped printed material falling prevention mechanism. It has become possible to stabilize and secure the suction of the booklet and card by the vacuum head.

  According to the plate-like printed material supply method according to the present invention, the entire plate-like printed material that is horizontally stacked is pressed once in the take-out direction, and is returned to a certain amount when it is fully pushed. By moving, a certain amount of return can be performed easily and reliably.

  According to the plate-shaped printed material supply method according to the present invention, the plate-shaped printed material is pressed against at least the top of the plate-shaped printed material that is horizontally stacked as a mechanism for preventing the plate-shaped printed material from falling down. Since the plate-shaped printed material supply method is provided with a fall prevention plate that moves back and forth with movement, the following effects can be obtained.

  As a mechanism to prevent the plate-shaped printed body from falling down, it is equipped with a fall-preventing plate that moves together with the conveyance belt in a state of being pressed against the upper part of the horizontally stacked plate-shaped printed bodies. The plate-like substrate is moved without falling down, and when the conveyance is stopped, the force applied from the adjacent plate-like substrate is cut off, so that only the leading plate-like substrate is pulled out by the vacuum head. I can do it.

  As a result, when a gap is generated between the stopper and the first plate-like printed material stacked horizontally, troubles such as double take-out of a booklet and suction failure at a vacuum pad can be avoided.

  According to the plate-like substrate supply apparatus according to the present invention, the plate-like substrate that automatically supplies the plate-like substrate to the printer one by one from the row of plate-like substrates horizontally stacked on the conveyor belt. This is a printing body supply device that presses the entire horizontally stacked plate-shaped prints once in the take-out direction, presses at least the upper part of the horizontally stacked plate-shaped prints, and presses the top. While returning a certain amount from the take-out direction while returning at least a transport belt to be driven and a certain amount of the plate-like printed material, at least of the plate-like printed materials stacked horizontally as a plate-like printed material fall prevention mechanism By providing an anti-falling plate that is pressed against the upper part excluding the leading part and moves back and forth with the movement of the conveying belt, 1 is applied to the printer from the beginning of the row of the plate-like printing media horizontally stacked on the conveying belt. Automatic and reliable supply of plate-like substrates It came to be.

It is a schematic side view showing an example of an apparatus used in the plate-like substrate supply method according to the present invention. (A) shows the belt clockwise rotation, (B) shows the belt reverse rotation, and (C) shows the booklet lifting process. It is sectional explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of an example of the apparatus used for the plate-shaped printed material supply method which concerns on this invention. (A) shows the belt right rotation start, (B) shows the belt right rotation stop, and (C) shows the booklet lifting process. It is a partial schematic block diagram of the apparatus used for the plate-shaped to-be-printed body supply method which concerns on this invention (when a booklet is not carried). It is a partial schematic block diagram around the fall prevention plate of the apparatus used for the plate-shaped printed material supply method according to the present invention. (A) is the figure seen from the front, (B) has shown the figure seen from the side, respectively. It is an operation position related figure of the fall prevention board periphery of the apparatus used for the plate-shaped to-be-printed body supply method which concerns on this invention. ▽ indicates a standby position, and an arrow indicates a movement range. It is sectional explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of an example of the conventional plate-shaped to-be-printed body supply apparatus. (A) shows the conveyance belt clockwise rotation (B) and vacuum suction (C) shows the booklet lifting process. It is sectional explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of the other example of the conventional plate-shaped to-be-printed body supply apparatus. (A) is a conveyance belt clockwise rotation (B) is a conveyance belt reverse rotation (C) is a booklet lifting process.

  Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as necessary.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing an example of an apparatus used for a plate-like substrate supply method according to the present invention.
(A) rotates the conveyor belt to the right and pushes the entire stacked booklet in the stopper direction (booklet removal direction), (B) reverses the conveyor belt and returns the entire booklet by a certain amount, (C) shows the steps when the top booklet is sucked and pulled up by a vacuum head (suction pad).

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing the operation of an example of an apparatus used for the plate-like substrate supply method according to the present invention.
(A) rotates the conveyor belt to the right and pushes the entire stacked booklet in the stopper direction (booklet removal direction), (B) reverses the conveyor belt and returns the entire booklet by a certain amount, (C) shows the state when the top booklet is sucked and pulled up with a vacuum head (suction pad).

In the plate-like printed material supply method according to the present invention, the following operations are repeated to take out the plate-shaped printed materials one by one from the top.
In the following description, the case of a passport booklet is shown as an example of the plate-like printed material, but it is not limited to this.

  First, as shown in FIG. 1 (A), the passport booklet (1) is horizontally stacked on the conveyor belt (2) driven in both the left and right directions by the motor (9), and the conveyor belt is rotated to the right to horizontally stack. The entire passport booklet (1) is pushed in the direction of the stopper (3) consisting of a reference wall and a booklet receiving plate (passport booklet take-out direction), and the leading passport booklet is pressed against the stopper (3). At this time, the waiting vacuum head (4) sucks the cover of the first booklet.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 1B, the fall prevention plate (16) is pressed from the upper surface of the booklet so that the booklet does not fall, and then the rotation of the motor (9) is reversed to convey the belt (2). Is driven in the opposite direction, and the entire passport booklet (1) is returned to the left by a certain amount.

  The amount of return at this time is determined by various factors such as the total number of passport booklets (1), the pressure applied to the right side, the friction coefficient of the passport booklet surface, and the elasticity in the thickness direction of the booklet. Since it is in the take-out, it may be set appropriately within a range where this is possible.

Further, as long as the frictional resistance of the booklet is as small as necessary, the return amount may be such that the gap between the stopper (3) and the leading booklet does not occur.
Even if there is a slight gap between the stopper (3) and the first booklet, the booklet of the part restricted by the fall prevention plate (16) that moves in conjunction with the booklet while holding the conveyor belt (2). By reducing the pressure from the top booklet, the top booklet can be kept almost upright.

  In this way, according to the plate-shaped printed material supply method according to the present invention, the horizontally stacked plate-shaped printed materials are pressed once in the take-out direction, and at least the horizontally stacked plate-shaped printed materials are used. By pressing the upper part excluding the top part and returning a fixed amount from the take-out direction while pressing the upper part by at least the movement of the driven conveyor belt, a fixed amount returning operation can be performed easily and reliably. It became so.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1C, the leading passport booklet sucked by the vacuum head (4) is pulled up.
At this time, since the transport belt (2) is driven in the reverse direction in the state shown in FIG. 1 (B) in the leading passport booklet, no force is applied in the thickness direction, so that it is adsorbed by the vacuum head (4). The resistance when pulling upwards is small, and sliding with the adjacent booklet is good, so it is possible to reliably lift and take out only the first book.

  Further, a rotation roller may be provided at a position where the tip booklet tilted by the fall prevention plate (16) or the stopper (3) contacts to reduce friction in the step of lifting the head booklet.

FIG. 3 is a partial schematic configuration diagram of an apparatus used in the plate-like substrate supply method according to the present invention. For simplification of explanation, only device parts when no booklet is placed are displayed.
FIG. 4 is a partial schematic configuration diagram around the fall prevention plate of the apparatus used in the plate-like substrate supply method according to the present invention.
(A) is a front view when the conveyance direction is viewed on the right side, and (B) is a side view when viewed from the take-out direction (leading direction: forward).
FIG. 5 is an operation position related diagram around the fall prevention plate of the apparatus used in the plate-like substrate supply method according to the present invention.
When the booklet transport direction is viewed on the right side, the standby position of each part is indicated by a triangle (▽), and the movement range is indicated by an arrow (← →).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the apparatus used for the plate-like printed material supply method according to the present invention includes a conveying belt (2) for loading and conveying a booklet, a belt driving pulley (13) for driving the conveying belt, and a conveying belt. Standing on top of the belt, if necessary If necessary, the upper surface of the lower booklet is pressed and temporarily fixed, and the fall prevention plate (16) moves in the front-rear direction in synchronization with the conveyor belt. A vacuum head (suction pad) (4) with a back spring that lifts upward, a wall (15) for regulating the head position of the booklet moved forward, and a booklet receiving plate installed behind the spring through the spring It comprises a stopper consisting of (12), a limit switch operating plate (11) and a limit switch (8) for detecting the leading position of the booklet and stopping the conveyor belt (2).

The booklet is set in a state of being stacked horizontally on the transport belt, and is transported back and forth by the transport belt.
As shown in FIG. 4, the fall prevention plate is a plate-like elastic body such as a rubber pad that is pressed from the upper surface of the booklet (1) that is horizontally stacked on the conveyor belt.
14) is linked to the travel of the conveyor belt (2) by holding / releasing.

By moving the fall prevention plate (16) up and down in conjunction with the holding / release of the conveying belt (2), it is possible to prevent the booklet from inclining by pressing from the upper surface of the horizontally stacked booklets (1).
It is also possible to provide a sensor (not shown) for restricting the operating range of the fall prevention plate (16) to a predetermined range so as to move only within the specified range.

The booklet receiving plate (12) is installed behind the wall (15) via a spring (compression spring). When the booklet is not set, the booklet receiving plate (12) stands by with the compression spring extended.
When the booklet moves forward, the compression spring is contracted by the pressure of the top booklet, the position of the receiving plate moves forward (right side in the figure), and balances at the position behind the wall (15).

The vacuum head (4) is connected to a vacuum pump and stands by above the wall (15) as shown in FIG.
When the booklet is transported forward and stopped at the position where the booklet receiving plate (12) is pushed forward, the vacuum head (4) moves to the surface of the first booklet for booklet adsorption while the spring is contracted, and after adsorption, the back of the booklet The spring returns following the return to the transport.
When the spring is fully extended, the top booklet adsorbed is lifted when the backward movement of the booklet stops without moving further. After delivering the booklet to the next process, the vacuum head (4) returns to the standby position.

The limit switch actuating plate (11) contacts the leading booklet to detect the leading position of the booklet, and operates the limit switch (8) at a preset position to stop the conveying belt (2).
Since the example of the relationship of the operation position of each part is shown in FIG. 5, description is abbreviate | omitted.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing the operation of an example of an apparatus used for the plate-like substrate supply method according to the present invention.
(A) of FIG. 2 shows a state when the rotation of the conveyor belt is started in order to press the entire horizontally stacked plate-like printed materials in the stopper direction (plate-like printed material take-out direction). The whole plate-shaped substrate is pressed against the stopper by rotating the conveyance belt clockwise. (C) is the entire plate-shaped printed matter by rotating the conveyance belt in reverse while pressing the fall prevention plate against the upper surface of the plate-shaped substrate. After returning a certain amount, the state when the leading plate-like printed material is sucked up by a vacuum pad and pulled up is shown.

In the plate-like printed material supply method according to the present invention, first, the passport booklet (1) is set from the position shown in FIG. 2A in a state where the passport booklet (1) is horizontally stacked on the conveying belt (2) driven in both the left and right directions. To do.
Next, the conveyor belt (2) is rotated and moved to the right, and the entire horizontally stacked passport booklet (1) is moved in the passport booklet take-out direction (forward).
At this time, the fall prevention plate (16) moves while being held on the belt by the belt holding mechanism (14) while being pressed against the upper surface of the booklet. When the conveyance belt (2) is repeatedly moved forward and backward, the fall prevention plate (16) is lifted upward at the standby position to release the pressure contact with the passport booklet (1) and the conveyance belt holding mechanism (14) is also released.

  According to the plate-shaped printed material supply method according to the present invention, the plate-shaped printed material is pressed against at least the top of the plate-shaped printed material that is horizontally stacked as a mechanism for preventing the plate-shaped printed material from falling down. Since the plate-shaped printed material supply method is provided with a fall prevention plate that moves back and forth with movement, the following effects can be obtained.

  The mechanism that prevents the plate-shaped printed body from collapsing is equipped with a plate that prevents the plate-like printed body from collapsing while being transported together with the conveyance belt while being pressed against the upper part of the horizontally stacked plate-shaped printed materials. The top of the plate-shaped printing medium can be pulled out upward with a vacuum head by reliably moving the sheet-shaped printing body without falling down and cutting off the force applied from the front and rear plate-shaped printing bodies when transport is stopped. I can do it.

  As a result, troubles such as failure to take out a booklet and double takeout, which are likely to occur when a gap is generated between the stopper and the leading plate-shaped substrate, can be avoided.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2B, when the passport booklet at the top (right side in the figure) comes into contact with and pressed against the booklet receiving plate (12), it moves to the right while contacting the top passport booklet. The right end of the limit switch operating plate (11) that has been in contact with the limit switch (8) operates the switch, and the conveyor belt (2) stops.

As a method of stopping the conveyor belt (2) when the first passport booklet comes into contact with the booklet receiving plate (12) and is pressed, the limit switch operating plate (11) contacts the limit switch (8). However, other methods such as position detection using an optical sensor can be used.
Next, a vacuum pump (not shown) connected to the vacuum head (4) is actuated to press the vacuum head against the top booklet surface to suck the top booklet.

According to the plate-like printed material supply method according to the present invention, the vacuum cover (4) removes the cover of the booklet at the position of the front booklet surface, which is the specified position when the advance of the transport belt (2) is stopped. Therefore, the booklet can be set regardless of the thickness of the booklet and can be supplied without any problem even if booklets having different thicknesses are mixed.
Next, at a specified position (standby position: see FIG. 5) excluding the first few books, the fall prevention plate (16) is lowered and pressed against the upper surface of the booklet. 14) sandwich the conveyor belt (2).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2 (C), the transport belt (2) is moved backward to return the entire booklet (1) by a specified amount, and the position where the spring of the vacuum head (4) has exceeded the fully extended state. After returning to, stop the conveyor belt (2). As a result, the first booklet adsorbed by the vacuum head (4) is released from the pressure from the adjacent booklet and can move freely upward without friction.

Next, the top booklet adsorbed by the vacuum head (4) is lifted upward together with the vacuum head (4) and delivered to the next step.
At this time, the first few booklets that are not held down by the fall prevention plate (16) are slightly tilted back and forth. Is corrected to the same alignment as the original state.

  Although not shown in the drawing, when the entire passport booklet (1) is placed on the conveyor belt (2), it is placed behind the conveyor belt in order to prevent it from falling backward or to assist the forward movement. It is possible to provide a stopper or spring for another support.

  Further, by providing a contact terminal of a limit switch on the opposite side of the plate-shaped substrate to the stopper (3) and an optical sensor (not shown), the stop position where the entire plate-shaped substrate has been pressed once can be accurately determined. It can be judged and the amount to push back can be made inconsistent.

As described above, according to the plate-like printed material supply method according to the present invention, the plate-like printed materials are automatically supplied to the printer one by one from the row of plate-like printed materials horizontally stacked on the conveyor belt. A method of supplying a plate-shaped printing medium to be supplied, wherein the entire horizontally stacked plate-shaped printing medium is pressed once in the take-out direction, and at least the upper portion of the horizontally stacked plate-shaped printing medium is removed by pressing. By pressing the upper part and returning a certain amount from the take-out direction, and taking out one by one from the top plate-like substrate, it is possible to make sure one by one from the row of booklets and cards stacked on the conveyor belt to the printer. It is now possible to automatically supply a plate-shaped substrate.

  As described above, according to the plate-shaped printed material supply apparatus according to the present invention, the plate-shaped printed materials are automatically supplied to the printer one by one from the row of the plate-shaped printed materials horizontally stacked on the conveyor belt. A plate-shaped printing medium supply device that presses the entire horizontally stacked plate-shaped printing medium in the take-out direction, and presses at least the top of the horizontally stacked plate-shaped printing medium except for the top portion. In order to return a fixed amount from the take-out direction while pressing the upper part, and at least when the plate-shaped printed material is returned by a fixed amount, the plate-shaped substrate stacked horizontally as a plate-shaped printed material collapse prevention mechanism is returned. The top of the line of plate-shaped prints that are stacked horizontally on the conveyor belt is equipped with a fall prevention plate that is pressed against at least the top of the print body and moves back and forth as the conveyor belt moves. Surely plate-like marking one by one on the printer Automatic supply of the body came to be.

In this way, according to the present invention, when the plate-like printed materials are automatically supplied to the printer one by one from the row of plate-like printed materials horizontally stacked on the conveyor belt, it is ensured from the top. It became possible to automatically supply a plate-like substrate one by one.
Furthermore, it is possible to accurately and accurately determine the position where the plate-shaped substrate has been pressed once easily and reliably, and to return a certain amount, and the suction of the top plate-shaped substrate by the vacuum head can be stabilized and reliably supplied. It became.

  Further, according to the present invention, since the plate-like printed material can be easily supported with a weak force without almost tilting in the gap between the stopper and the first plate-like printed material, the first plate-like printed material When pulling out the upper part with a vacuum head, it is possible to remove the frictional resistance between the surface of the plate-like substrate and the plate-like substrate fall prevention mechanism, and reliably extract the leading plate-like substrate with a light force. It became so.

  The method and apparatus of the present invention can be applied not only to passport booklets and cards, but also to other products in which plate-like printed materials are taken out from the aligned state one by one and sent to the next process. .

1 ... Plate-shaped substrate (passport booklet)
2 ... Conveyor belt 3 ... Stopper 4 ... Vacuum head (Suction pad)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 ... Plate-shaped to-be-printed body fall prevention mechanism 6 ... Rotating roller 7 ... Spring 8 ... Limit switch 9 ... Motor 10 ... Shaft 11 ... Limit switch operating plate 12 ... Booklet receiving plate 13 ... Belt drive pulley 14 ... Belt holding mechanism 15 ... Wall (standard)
16 ... Fall prevention plate

Claims (3)

A plate-like substrate supply method for automatically supplying a plate-like substrate to a printer one by one from a row of plate-like substrates horizontally arranged on a conveyor belt, the plate-like substrate being stacked horizontally The entire printed body is pressed once in the take-out direction by the movement of the conveyor belt, and at least the top of the horizontally stacked plate-shaped substrate is pressed with a fall prevention plate, and the conveyor belt moves while pressing the top. constant return amount, a plate-shaped printing material supply method characterized by retrieving a plate printing material of the top portion and the suction one at a time vacuum head from the take-out direction by.   The plate-like printed material supply method according to claim 1, wherein the plate-shaped printed material is a booklet. A plate-shaped substrate supply apparatus that automatically supplies a plate-shaped substrate to a printer from a row of plate-shaped substrates horizontally stacked on a conveyor belt, the plate-shaped substrate being stacked horizontally the entire printing substrate, once pressed in the take-out direction, the conveyor belt that is driving movement for returning the Eject direction a certain amount, when returning the plate-like printing material a certain amount, the lateral loading is a plate-like printing material A plate-shaped printed material supply apparatus comprising: a fall prevention plate that is pressed against at least an upper portion of the sheet and moves forward and backward as the conveying belt moves.

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