JP7346999B2 - Enveloping and sealing machine and control method for the enveloping and sealing machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a technology for enclosing and sealing a collection of items, including cut forms, in an envelope, and more specifically, to a technology for personalizing a collection of items according to the address of the envelope.

An insert-sealing machine that encloses and seals collated materials, including cut forms, into envelopes has multiple feeders that feed cut forms and enclosures, and forms collated materials by accumulating the cut forms and enclosures fed by the feeders. , an inserter for inserting the formed collated material into an envelope, a sealer for gluing and sealing the envelope containing the collated material, and a controller for controlling the inserting and sealing operation.

When personalizing a collection according to the address of the envelope, the controller of the inserting and sealing machine needs a function to control the operation of the feeder according to the address of the envelope. As a method for controlling the operation of envelopes according to their destinations, Patent Document 1 discloses that an address form on which the address of the envelope is printed and control data that describes the enclosing materials that follow are printed on the address form, and the enveloping/sealing machine side prints control data on the address form. An invention is disclosed in which control data printed on an address form is read and an address form and subsequent enclosures are formed as a collated object.

In addition, in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2, the controller of the enclosing and sealing machine stores the number of cut forms included in the collected items and the number data indicating the enclosed items in association with the serial number, and then the envelopes are When inserting and sealing, the controller reads the serial number from the cut form fed by the feeder that serves as the entrance to the inserting and sealing machine, and refers to the sheet count data associated with this serial number to determine the feed of the cut form and the enclosed items. You are in control of your feed.

As described above, the conventional method of controlling the operation of the feeder of an inserting and sealing machine according to the destination of the envelope is as in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2. The feeder operation is controlled by reading the control data from the cut form by printing the control data containing the contents on the cut form, but this conventional method can be realized with an inserting and sealing machine that is compatible with continuous forms. This was not possible with an insert-sealing machine that was only compatible with cut forms.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-273109 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-109534

Therefore, the present invention aims to enable an inserting and sealing machine that is compatible only with cut forms to personalize the collected items to be placed in envelopes according to the destination without reading data for controlling the feeder from the cut forms. purpose.

A first invention for solving the above-mentioned problems includes a tray for loading a plurality of cut forms named in units of envelope destinations, and at least one form feeder for feeding the cut forms stacked on the tray one by one. and a controller for controlling the operation of enclosing and sealing, and the controller stores the number of cut forms arranged according to the collation order of the cut forms, and the storage position of the number of forms is associated with the form feeder. A control file containing a collation code and a serial number indicating the order of collation is stored for each destination,
A bar code that encodes a form code containing the serial number of the control file corresponding to the cut form and a sheet number indicating the order of the cut form in the collated object is printed on each cut form, and the form is printed on each cut form. The feeder has a barcode reader that reads the barcode printed on the cut form, and when performing enclosing and sealing, the controller reads the number of forms from the form feeder associated with the storage position of the number of forms. A process of feeding cut forms is performed in the order of the number of forms included in the collation code of the control file to form a collated object, and a process of inserting and sealing the formed collated object into an empty envelope. , is executed for each control file in ascending order of the serial number of serial numbers or descending order of the serial number of serial numbers, and is included in the form code read by the barcode reader in the process of feeding cut forms of the number of forms. By comparing the serial number of serial numbers with the serial number of serial numbers of the control file currently in use, the destination of the cut form fed by the form feeder is inspected, and furthermore, the destination of the cut form fed by the form feeder is checked, and further The inserting and sealing machine is characterized in that it executes a process of checking the order of cut forms fed by the form feeder by checking the continuity of the sheet number included in the form code. The controller of the enclosing and sealing machine according to the first invention stores the control file containing the serial number and the collation code for each destination so that the cut form included in the collated material can be personalized according to the destination. Then, the content of the control file is read for each destination to control the enclosing and sealing operation. Further, in the first aspect of the invention, a disturbance in the order of the cut forms stacked on the tray can be detected on the side of the inserting and sealing machine.

Furthermore, a second invention provides the enclosing and sealing machine according to the first invention , which includes a hopper for loading enclosures, and at least one enclosure feeder for feeding the enclosures loaded in the hopper one by one. The collation code of the control file stores an enclosure flag for each enclosure arranged according to the collation order of the enclosures, and in the collation code, the storage position of the enclosure flag and the enclosure feeder are determined. When the enclosure flag is set to ON, the controller controls the control file to feed the enclosure from the enclosure feeder associated with the storage position of the enclosure flag. The method is characterized in that the processing is performed in the order in which the enclosure flags included in the collation code are arranged to form a collation including a cut form and an enclosure. The third invention is an invention in which the enclosed items included in the collected item can be personalized according to the destination.

Furthermore, the third invention has a tray for loading a plurality of cut forms named in units of destinations to which the envelopes are to be sent, and at least one form feeder for feeding the cut forms stacked on the tray one by one. and a control method for an inserting and sealing machine including a controller for controlling the operation of inserting and sealing, the method storing the number of cut forms arranged according to the collation order of the cut forms, and controlling the storage position of the number of forms and the form feeder. A control file is prepared for each destination, including a collation code associated with the collation code and a serial number representing the order of collation, and the serial number of the serial number of the control file corresponding to the cut form and the cut in the collated material are prepared for each destination. A barcode encoded with a form code including a sheet number indicating the order of the forms is printed on each cut form, and the form feeder has a barcode reader that reads the barcode printed on the cut form. When executing enclosing and sealing, the controller performs a process of feeding the cut form of the number of forms from the form feeder associated with the storage position of the number of forms, according to the process of feeding the cut forms of the number of forms included in the collation code of the control file. The process of forming a collated material by performing the processing in the order of the number of sheets, and inserting and sealing the formed collated material into empty envelopes is performed in the control file in ascending order of the serial number of serial numbers or descending order of the serial number of serial numbers. In the process of feeding cut forms of the number of forms, the controller uses the serial number of the serial number included in the form code read by the barcode reader and the control file currently in use. By comparing the serial numbers, the destination of the cut form fed by the form feeder is checked, and furthermore, the continuity of the sheet number included in the form code read by the barcode reader is checked. This is a method of controlling an inserting and sealing machine , characterized in that a process of inspecting the order of cut forms fed by the form feeder is executed .

Furthermore, a fourth invention is a method for controlling an enclosing and sealing machine according to the third invention , wherein the enclosing and sealing machine has a hopper for loading enclosures, and the enclosures loaded in the hopper are individually controlled. the collation code of the control file stores an enclosure flag for each enclosure arranged in the collation order of the enclosures; The storage position of the flag and the enclosure feeder are associated with each other, and when the enclosure flag is turned on, the controller moves the enclosure from the enclosure feeder associated with the storage position of the enclosure flag. The present invention is characterized in that the process of feeding objects is performed in the order in which the enclosure flags included in the collation code of the control file are arranged to form a collated object including a cut form and an enclosure.

As described above, according to the present invention, in an inserting and sealing machine that is compatible only with cut forms, it is possible to personalize the collected items to be placed in envelopes according to the destination without reading data for controlling the feeder from the cut forms.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating main parts of an enclosing and sealing machine to which the present invention is applied. A diagram explaining a key form and a sub form. Block diagram of the enveloping and sealing machine. The figure explaining an example of a control file. A diagram explaining a form code. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the contents of processing performed by the controller of the enclosing and sealing machine. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating cut form feed processing. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating enclosure feed processing. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the enclosing and sealing process. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating thickness inspection processing.

From here, embodiments according to the present invention will be described. This embodiment is provided to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Further, unless otherwise specified, the drawings are schematic diagrams drawn to facilitate understanding of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the main parts of an enclosing and sealing machine 1 to which the present invention is applied. The present invention is characterized by a control method for the inserting and sealing machine 1 that is compatible only with the cut form 2, and since a commercially available device can be used as the inserting and sealing machine 1 to which the present invention is applied, the inserting and sealing machine 1 can be The detailed mechanism of the main parts will not be explained.

The main parts of the enclosing and sealing machine 1 shown in FIG. including. The main parts of the enclosing and sealing machine 1 include a mechanism for folding the cut form 2 to be inserted into an empty envelope 4, but this is omitted here.

The form feeder 11 has a tray 110 on which cut forms 2 are loaded in units of destinations to which envelopes 4 are to be sent, and is a mechanism that feeds the cut forms 2 stacked on the tray 110 one by one. Although the number of form feeders 11 included in the enclosing and sealing machine 1 may be arbitrary, in FIG. 1, the number of form feeders 11 is set to two in order to make the invention easier to understand.

In this embodiment, the two form feeders 11 are loaded with cut forms 2 of different types. A key form 2a, which is a cut form 2 in which the address of the individual to whom the envelope 4 is to be sent, is written on the tray 110 of the upper form feeder 11a. Furthermore, a sub-form 2b, which is a cut form 2 different in type from the key form 2a, is loaded on the tray 110 of the second-stage form feeder 11b.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the key form 2a and the sub-form 2b. FIG. 2(a) shows the key form 2a mounted on the tray 110 of the upper form feeder 11a, and FIG. The sub-form 2b mounted on the tray 110 of the form feeder 11b is illustrated.

In the case of cut forms 2, unlike continuous forms, the order of the cut forms 2 loaded on the tray 110 of the form feeder 11 is not necessarily guaranteed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, a barcode 20 encoded with a form code including data indicating the order of cut forms 2 is printed on each of the key form 2a and the sub form 2b. The order of these cut forms 2 can be checked by using . The barcode 20 printed on the cut form 2 may be an OMR (Optical Mark Recognition) or a one-dimensional barcode, but in FIG. 2, the barcode 20 printed on the cut form 2 is one of two-dimensional barcodes. It is a QR code (registered trademark).

A tray 110 of the upper form feeder 11 is loaded with a plurality of key forms 2a named in units of destinations to which envelopes 4 are to be sent, and the above-mentioned barcode 20 is printed on each key form 2a. The cut form 2 illustrated in FIG. 2(a) includes at least a key form 2a1 to be sent to destination A, a key form 2a2 to be sent to destination B, and a key form 2a3 to be sent to destination C. 2a1, the key form 2a2 to be sent to destination B and the key form 2a3 to be sent to destination C are sorted in the following order: key form 2a1 to be sent to destination A, key form 2a2 to be sent to destination B, and key form 2a3 to be sent to destination C. It has become. Further, when there are a plurality of key forms 2a to be sent to one destination, the key forms 2a are arranged in a predetermined order (for example, page order).

Similarly, the tray 110 of the second-stage form feeder 11 is loaded with a plurality of sub-forms 2b named in units of destinations to which the envelopes 4 are sent, and each sub-form 2b has the above-mentioned barcode 20. It is printed. In FIG. 2(b), it includes at least a sub-form 2b1 to be sent to destination A, a sub-form 2b2 to be sent to destination B, and a sub-form 2b3 to be sent to destination C. The sub-form 2b2 to be sent to destination C and the sub-form 2b3 to be sent to destination C are sorted in the following order: sub-form 2b1 to be sent to destination A, sub-form 2b2 to be sent to destination B, and sub-form 2b3 to be sent to destination C. Further, when there are a plurality of sub-forms 2b to be sent to one destination, the sub-forms 2b are arranged in a predetermined order (for example, page order).

The barcode reader 111 is a device that reads the barcode 20 printed on the cut form 2, and the accumulator 13 is a mechanism for accumulating a plurality of cut forms 2 to be enclosed in one envelope 4. A barcode reader 111 is attached to the form feeder 11 , and the barcode 20 printed on the cut form 2 is read by the barcode reader 111 on its way to the accumulator 13 .

The enclosure feeder 12 has a hopper 120 for loading enclosures 3, and is a mechanism that feeds the enclosures 3 loaded in the hopper 120 one by one. Although the number of enclosure feeders 12 provided in the enclosure sealing machine 1 may be arbitrary, in FIG. 1, the number of enclosure feeders 12 is set to two in order to make the invention easier to understand.

In this embodiment, the two enclosure feeders 12 are loaded with enclosures 3 of different types. The hopper 120 of the right enclosure feeder 12 is loaded with the main enclosure 3a, which is the main enclosure 3, and the hopper 120 of the left enclosure feeder 12 is loaded with the sub enclosure 3b, which is the sub enclosure 3. has been done.

The envelope feeder is a mechanism that feeds envelopes 4 one by one to the enclosing and sealing machine 1. Further, the inserter 15 and the sealer 16 are mechanisms for inserting and sealing the envelope 4. The inserter 15 has a pocket for accumulating the cut form 2 accumulated in the accumulator 13 and the enclosure 3 fed from the enclosure feeder 12 to form a collated object 5. This is a mechanism for putting the collected items 5 into the envelope 4. The sealer 16 is a mechanism that glues and seals the envelope 4 into which the collected items 5 have been placed.

The conveyor 18 is a mechanism that conveys the envelope 4a after being inserted and sealed, and the thickness sensor 17 is a sensor that measures the thickness of the envelope 4a after being inserted and sealed, which is conveyed by the conveyor 18. The enveloping and sealing machine 1 is equipped for inspection.

The controller 10 is a device running a computer program that controls the operation of the encapsulation and sealing, and the touch panel 10a is a monitor equipped with a touch sensor on which buttons for performing various settings related to the encapsulation and sealing are displayed.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the enclosing and sealing machine 1. The controller 10 of the inserting and sealing machine 1 is a device realized by a computer board having a processor, RAM (Random Access Memory), storage memory, etc. The main parts of 1 are connected to each other.

The controller 10 of the coverslipping machine 1 of this embodiment includes an operating system specialized for controlling the coverslipping machine 1 and buttons for performing various settings of the coverslipping machine 1 as an application running on this operating system. is displayed on the touch panel 10a, and a control program is implemented to control the operation of the enclosing and sealing machine 1 according to the contents set using the touch panel 10a.

Data used by the controller 10 of the enclosing and sealing machine 1 when enclosing and sealing the envelopes 4 will be explained. In order to personalize the collected item 5 according to the address of the envelope 4, data indicating the specifications of the collected item 5 according to the address of the envelope 4 is required. In the present invention, before sealing is performed, a control file 100 including a collation code 102 that describes the specifications of the collated items 5 is prepared for each destination of the envelope 4 included in the item, and the control file 100 is used to perform the sealing process. It is registered in the controller 10 of the machine 1. Specifically, in the storage of the controller 10 of the enclosing and sealing machine 1, a folder 100a is generated for each item, and this folder 100a contains the envelopes included in the item as data used for enclosing and sealing the item corresponding to the folder 100a. Control files 100 for each of the four destinations are stored.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the control file 100. The control file 100 includes a serial number 101 and a collation code 102. The serial number 101 is data that identifies the destination and is a serial number that indicates the order of collection, and the collation code 102 is data that indicates the specifications of the collated items 5 to be inserted into the envelope 4.

The collation code 102 stores at least the number 103 of cut sheets 2 arranged in the collation order of the cut sheets 2, and in the collation code 102, the storage position of the number 103 of sheets is associated with the form feeder 11. . In this embodiment, the key form 2a and the sub-form 2b are included in the cut form 2, so the collation code 102 shown in FIG. 4 can store two forms 103. In this embodiment, the first storage position related to the number of forms 103 is associated with the upper form feeder 11a, and the number of forms 103a of the key forms 2a is stored. Further, the second storage position related to the number of forms 103 is associated with the lower form feeder 11b, and the number of forms 103b of the sub-forms 2b is stored.

Further, the collation code 102 stores at least enclosure flags 104 arranged in the order of collation of the enclosures 3, and in the collation code 102, the storage positions of the enclosure flags 104 are associated with the enclosure feeder 12. There is. The enclosure flag 104 is a flag indicating the presence or absence of the enclosure 3. In this embodiment, the main enclosure 3a and the sub-enclosure 3b are included in the enclosure 3, so the collation code 102 shown in FIG. 4 can store two enclosure flags 104. In this embodiment, the first storage position of the enclosure flag 104 is associated with the right enclosure feeder 12a, and the enclosure flag 104a of the main enclosure 3a is stored. Further, the second storage position related to the enclosure flag 104 is associated with the left enclosure feeder 12b, and the enclosure flag 104b of the sub-enclosure 3b is stored.

The controller 10 of the enclosing and sealing machine 1 according to the present embodiment performs a process as indicated by the collation code 102 of the control file 100 for each control file 100 stored in the folder 100a corresponding to the item selected using the touch panel 10a. A process of forming a collated material 5 with specifications to be used and enclosing it in an empty envelope 4 is executed for each control file 100 in ascending order of serial number 101 or descending order of serial number 101.

In the case of cut forms 2, unlike continuous forms, the order of the cut forms 2 stacked on the tray 110 of the form feeder 11 cannot necessarily be guaranteed. Then, the barcode 20 encoded with the form code 200 including data indicating the order is printed on the cut form 2, and the controller 10 reads the barcode 20 from the cut form 2 fed by the form feeder 11. A process is performed to confirm the order of the cut forms 2 that have been fed.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the form code 200. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the form code 200 encoded in the barcode 20 printed on the cut form 2 includes an item code 201 for identifying the item, and a serial number of the control file 100 to which the cut form 2 corresponds. 202, a sheet number 203 indicating the order of the cut forms 2 in the collected object 5, and a total number of forms 204.

In this embodiment, there are two types of cut forms 2, key forms 2a and sub forms 2b, and the control file 100 describes the number of forms 103 for each, but the total number of forms 204 in the form code 200 is This is the total number of cut forms 2 to be included in compound 5. For example, if the number of forms 103 of the key form 2a is two and the number of forms 103 of the sub-form 2b is three, the total number of forms 204 in the form code 200 is five (two + three). The sheet number 203 of the form code 200 is data indicating the order of the cut forms 2 in the collected object 5, and the type of the cut forms 2 is not considered in the sheet number 203 of the form code 200. In the above case, 203 included in the form code 200 of the key form 2a fed first is "1", and 203 included in the form code 200 of the sub form 2b fed last is "5".

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the contents of the processing performed by the controller 10 of the enclosing and sealing machine 1, and this explanation also serves as an explanation of the control method of the enclosing and sealing machine 1. As described above, when executing the inserting and sealing machine 1, the controller 10 of the enclosing and sealing machine 1 creates the control file 100 for each control file 100 stored in the folder 100a corresponding to the item selected using the touch panel 10a. The loop process S10 of generating the collated items 5 having the specifications indicated by the collating code 102 and enclosing them in one envelope 4 and sealing them is performed in ascending order of serial number 101 or descending order of serial number 101. Execute every 100 control files.

In this loop process S10, the controller 10 of the enclosing and sealing machine 1 performs a cut form feeding process S100 in which the cut form 2 is fed, and an enclosure feed process S100 in which the enclosure 3 is fed, as a process for forming the collected object 5 to be placed in the envelope 4. Feed processing S200 is executed. Next, the controller 10 of the enclosing and sealing machine 1 executes an enclosing and sealing process S300 for enclosing and sealing the collected items 5 into the envelopes 4. Next, the controller 10 of the enclosing and sealing machine 1 executes a thickness inspection process S400 for inspecting the thickness of the envelope 4 that has been enclosed and sealed.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the cut form feed process S100. In the cut form feeding process S100, the controller 10 inputs the expected sheet number for checking the continuity of the sheet number 203 included in the form code 200 read from the cut form 2 fed by the form feeder 11 and the sheet feeder 11. A feed counter for counting the number of cut forms 2 fed from the feed counter is initialized (S101). Here, the initial values of the expected sheet number and the feed counter are "0".

Next, the controller 10 obtains the number of forms 103 stored in the first storage position related to the number of forms 103 from the collation code 102 included in the control file 100 that is the target of loop processing (S102), and The target expected number and the feed counter are each incremented by one (S103).

Next, the controller 10 operates the form feeder 11 associated with the storage position of the number of forms 103 at this point, and selects the first cut form 2 from among the cut forms 2 loaded on the tray 110 of this form feeder 11. The cut form 2 is fed (S104).

Next, the controller 10 causes the barcode reader 111 of this form feeder 11 to read the barcode 20 printed on the cut form 2 fed by the form feeder 11, and from this barcode reader 111, the form feeder 11 The form code 200 of the fed cut form 2 is acquired (S105). Note that the cut form 2 fed by the form feeder 11 is conveyed to the accumulator 13.

Next, the controller 10 compares the serial number 202 included in the form code 200 read from the cut form 2 with the serial number 101 of the control file 100 to be subjected to loop processing (S10). The destination of cut form 2 is confirmed (S106).

If the destination of the cut form 2 fed by the form feeder 11 is wrong, that is, the serial number 202 included in the form code 200 read from the cut form 2 is the control file 100 that is subject to loop processing (S10). If the serial number 101 does not match the serial number 101, the controller 10 outputs a form error and then stops the operation of the enclosing and sealing machine 1, and interrupts the subsequent operation (S112).

If the destination of the cut form 2 fed by the form feeder 11 is correct, that is, the serial number 202 included in the form code 200 read from the cut form 2 is the one in the control file 100 that is the target of the loop process (S10). If it matches the serial number 101, the controller 10 checks whether the sheet number 203 included in the sheet code 200 read from the cut sheet 2 matches the expected sheet number at this point, and then sends the sheet to the sheet feeder 11. The order of the cut form 2 fed by is confirmed (S107).

If the order of the cut forms 2 fed by the form feeder 11 is wrong, that is, if the sheet number 203 included in the form code 200 read from the cut form 2 does not match the expected sheet number at this point, the controller 10 stops the operation of the enclosing and sealing machine 1 after outputting a form error, and interrupts the subsequent operation (S112).

If the order of the cut forms 2 fed by the form feeder 11 is correct, that is, if the sheet number 203 included in the form code 200 read from the cut form 2 matches the expected sheet number at this point, the controller 10 , the value of the feed counter is checked to see if there is a cut form 2 to be fed next (S108). Note that whether or not there is a cut form 2 to be fed next is confirmed by checking whether the current feed counter has reached the current number of forms 103.

If there is a cut form 2 to be fed next, that is, if the value of the feed counter at this point is less than the number of forms 103 at this point, the controller 10 returns the process to S103 in FIG. If there is no cut form 2 to be fed next, that is, if the value of the feed counter at this point matches the current number of forms 103, the controller 10 checks whether there is the next number of forms 103 ( S109). Note that whether or not there is the next number of forms 103 can be determined from the storage position of the number of forms 103 and the format of the collation code 102 at this point.

If there is the next number of forms 103, the controller 10 initializes only the feed counter (S110), obtains the number of forms 103 stored in the next storage position from the collation code 102 (S111), The process returns to S103 in FIG. If there is no next number of forms 103, the controller 10 moves the cut forms 2 accumulated in the accumulator 13 to the pocket of the inserter 15, and the process in FIG. 7 ends.

In the collation code 102 illustrated in FIG. 4, the number of forms 103a of the key form 2a and the number of forms 103b of the sub form 2b are stored in the order of the number of forms 103a of the key form 2a and the number of forms 103b of the sub form 2b. Therefore, by executing the procedure in FIG. 7, the key form 2a is fed from the upper form feeder 11a, and then the sub form 2b is fed from the lower form feeder 11b.

Specifically, when the number of forms 103 of the key form 2a is two and the number of forms 103 of the sub form 2b is three, when two key forms 2a are fed from the upper form feeder 11a, as shown in FIG. In , the number of forms 103 used for feeding the cut form 2 is switched to the number of forms 103b of the sub-form 2b, and when three sub-forms 2b are fed from the lower form feeder 11, the procedure in FIG. 7 ends. Become.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the enclosure feed process S200. In the enclosure feed process S200, the controller 10 first selects the enclosure flag stored in the first storage position related to the enclosure flag 104 from the collation code 102 included in the control file 100 that is the target of the loop process S10. 104 (S201).

Next, the controller 10 checks whether the enclosure flag 104 acquired from the collation code 102 is ON (S202). When the enclosure flag 104 is OFF, that is, when there is no enclosure 3, the controller 10 advances the process to S204 in FIG. 8 without feeding the enclosure 3. When the enclosure flag 104 is ON, that is, when the enclosure 3 is present, the controller 10 operates the enclosure feeder 12 associated with the storage position of the enclosure flag 104 to feed the enclosure 3 (S203 ), the enclosure 3 fed by the enclosure feeder 12 is conveyed to the pocket of the inserter 15.

In S204 of FIG. 8, the controller 10 checks whether the next enclosure flag 104 is present in the collation code 102. If there is a next enclosure flag 104, the controller 10 obtains the next enclosure flag 104 from the collation code 102 (S205), returns the process to S202 in FIG. 8, and indicates that there is no next enclosure flag 104. If so, the enclosure feed process S200 is ended. Note that whether or not there is the next enclosure flag 104 can be determined from the storage position of the enclosure flag 104 and the format of the collation code 102 at this point in time.

The collation code 102 illustrated in FIG. Since the enclosure flags 104b are stored in the order, by executing the procedure shown in FIG. 8, the main enclosure 3a is fed from the enclosure feeder 12a on the right side, and then the sub enclosure Object 3b will be fed.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the enclosing and sealing process S300. In the inserting and sealing process S300, the controller 10 first operates the envelope feeder 14 to feed one envelope 4 to the inserter 15 (S301), then operates the inserter 15 to remove the sheets accumulated in the pocket of the inserter 15. After inserting the assembled article 5 into the envelope 4 (S302), the sealer 16 is activated and the envelope 4 containing the assembled article 5 is sealed with glue (S303), thereby sealing the envelope with the assembled article 5 inserted. 4 is enclosed and sealed, and the enclosing and sealing process is completed.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the thickness inspection process S400. When the thickness sensor 17 provided on the delivery side of the inserting and sealing machine 1 measures the thickness of the envelope 4a after being inserted and sealed (S401), the controller 10 of the inserting and sealing machine 1 measures the thickness of the envelope 4a after being inserted and sealed. After specifying the control file 100 corresponding to (S402), the expected thickness value is calculated using the control file 100 (S403), and the actual thickness value measured by the thickness sensor 17 and the expected thickness value are compared (S404). .

If the envelope 4 is of the window type and the barcode 20 is visible through the window, read the barcode 20 through the window and use the number serial number 202 of the form code 200 encoded in the barcode 20 to determine the number of copies after the envelope is sealed. The control file 100 corresponding to the envelope 4 can be specified. Further, since the controller 10 can grasp the timing at which the envelope 4 after being inserted and sealed is discharged onto the conveyor 18, the control file 100 corresponding to the envelope 4 after being inserted and sealed can also be specified using this timing.

The formula for calculating the expected thickness is: "Total thickness of cut form 2 for each type of cut form 2 (number of cut forms 2 x thickness of cut forms) + total thickness of enclosures 3 for each type of enclosures 3 + The thickness of the envelope will be 4. For example, in the case of the control file 100 illustrated in FIG. 4, the formula for calculating the expected thickness is "Number of key forms 2a x Thickness of key forms 2a + Number of sub forms 2b x Thickness of sub forms 2b + Main enclosure. 3a (if there is a main enclosure 3a) + thickness of the sub-enclosure 3b (if there is a sub-enclosure 3b) + thickness of the envelope 4. Although a file in which the thickness of the key form 2a, etc. is recorded may be stored in the controller 10, it is common to input the thickness of the key form 2a, etc. using the touch panel 10a.

If the controller 10 of the enclosing and sealing machine 1 can consider that the expected thickness value and the actual thickness value match, it ends the thickness inspection process for the envelope 4a after being inserted and sealed, and it cannot consider that the expected thickness value and the actual thickness value match. If so, the operation of the enveloping and sealing machine 1 is stopped after outputting a collation error, and subsequent operations are interrupted (S405).

1 Enclosure sealing machine 10 Controller 100 Control file 101 Number of serial numbers 102 Collation code 103 Number of forms 104 Enclosure flag 11 Form feeder 110 Tray 111 Barcode reader 12 Enclosure feeder 120 Hopper 15 Inserter 16 Sealer 17 Thickness sensor 2 Cut form 20 Barcode 200 Form code 202 Serial number 203 Number of sheets 204 Total number of forms 3 Enclosed items 4 Envelopes 5 Collated items

Claims (4)

It has a tray for loading a plurality of cut forms named in units of envelope addresses, at least one form feeder for feeding the cut forms loaded on the tray one by one, and a controller for controlling the operation of inserting and sealing. Prepare,
The controller stores the number of cut forms arranged according to the collation order of the cut forms, and stores the storage position of the number of forms, a collation code that associates the form feeder, and a serial number representing the collation order. A bar code that stores a control file for each destination, and encodes a form code containing the serial number of the control file corresponding to the cut form and a sheet number indicating the order of the cut form in the collated material. is printed on each cut form, and the form feeder has a barcode reader that reads the barcode printed on the cut form,
The controller includes:
When performing enclosing and sealing, the process of feeding cut forms of the number of forms from the form feeder associated with the storage position of the number of forms is performed according to the sequence of the number of forms included in the collation code of the control file. A process of sequentially forming a collated item and inserting and sealing the formed collated item into an empty envelope is executed for each control file in ascending order of the serial number of serial numbers or descending order of the serial number of serial numbers. ，
In the process of feeding the cut form of the number of forms, the serial number of serial numbers included in the form code read by the barcode reader is compared with the serial number of serial numbers of the control file being used at this point. Then, by checking the destination of the cut form fed by the form feeder and further checking the continuity of the sheet number included in the form code read by the barcode reader, it is possible to determine the destination of the cut form fed by the form feeder. Executes the process of checking the order of cut forms ,
An enclosing and sealing machine characterized by the following. comprising a hopper for loading enclosures, and at least one enclosure feeder for feeding the enclosures loaded in the hopper one by one,
The collation code of the control file stores an enclosure flag for each enclosure arranged according to the collation order of the enclosures, and in the collation code, the storage position of the enclosure flag is associated with the enclosure feeder. has been
When the enclosure flag is ON, the controller causes the collation code in the control file to specify a process for feeding enclosures from the enclosure feeder associated with the storage position of the enclosure flag. forming a collated item containing the cut form and the enclosed item by performing the processing in the order in which the enclosed item flags are arranged;
The enclosing and sealing machine according to claim 1 , characterized in that: It has a tray for loading a plurality of cut forms named in units of destinations to which envelopes are to be sent, at least one form feeder for feeding the cut forms loaded on the tray one by one, and an operation for inserting and sealing. A method for controlling an enveloping and sealing machine equipped with a controller for controlling,
A control file that stores the number of cut forms arranged according to the order of collation of the cut forms, and includes a collation code that associates the storage position of the number of forms with the form feeder, and a serial number representing the order of collation. is prepared for each destination, and a barcode encoded with a form code containing the serial number of the control file corresponding to the cut form and the sheet number indicating the order of cut forms in the collated material is attached to each cut. The form feeder has a barcode reader that reads the barcode printed on the cut form;
The controller includes:
When performing enclosing and sealing, the process of feeding cut forms of the number of forms from the form feeder associated with the storage position of the number of forms is performed according to the sequence of the number of forms included in the collation code of the control file. A process of sequentially forming a collated item and inserting and sealing the formed collated item into an empty envelope is executed for each control file in ascending order of the serial number of serial numbers or descending order of the serial number of serial numbers. ，
In the process of feeding the cut form of the number of forms, the controller uses the serial number of serial numbers included in the form code read by the barcode reader and the serial number of serial numbers of the control file being used at this point. The destination of the cut form fed by the form feeder is checked by checking the destination of the cut form fed by the form feeder, and the continuity of the sheet number included in the form code read by the barcode reader is checked. Executes the process of inspecting the order of cut forms fed by the feeder ,
A method of controlling an enclosing and sealing machine, characterized in that: The enclosing and sealing machine has a hopper for loading enclosures, and at least one enclosure feeder for feeding the enclosures loaded in the hopper one by one,
The collation code of the control file stores an enclosure flag for each enclosure arranged according to the collation order of the enclosures, and in the collation code, the storage position of the enclosure flag is associated with the enclosure feeder. has been
When the enclosure flag is ON, the controller causes the collation code in the control file to specify a process for feeding enclosures from the enclosure feeder associated with the storage position of the enclosure flag. forming a collated item containing the cut form and the enclosed item by performing the processing in the order in which the enclosed item flags are arranged;
4. The method of controlling an enclosing and sealing machine according to claim 3 .

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