JPH0349860B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a sheet bundle separation and supply device that takes out a predetermined number of sheet materials as a sheet bundle from a stack of sheet materials.

Sheet materials such as paper and thin metal plates are often formed by cutting strips to a predetermined length, and then stacking them in large numbers for the next process such as removal and packaging. . After forming such a stack of sheet materials, when packaging is to be performed next time, a predetermined number of sheet materials (for example, the number of sheets per packaging unit for packaging) are collected from the stack into a sheet bundle. It is necessary to take it out.

As described above, conventional devices for taking out a predetermined number of sheet materials from a sheet stack as a sheet bundle have been conventionally used to push out a predetermined number of sheets at the top of the sheet stack in a substantially horizontal direction using a pusher. There is a known method in which a stack of sheets is placed on a conveyance means such as a roller conveyor and separated from a sheet stack. However, in the case of such a sheet bundle separation and supply device using a pusher, the sheet materials are separated in advance so that the predetermined number of sheets making up the sheet bundle are not disturbed when they are pushed out by the pusher. It was necessary to bundle and accumulate a predetermined number of sheets using tape or the like. As described above, bundling the sheet materials during sheet material accumulation naturally requires considerable manpower and equipment, and also lengthens the time required for sheet material accumulation.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible to take out a predetermined number of sheet materials as a bundle from a sheet stack in which the sheet materials are simply piled up one by one. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet bundle separation and supply device that makes it unnecessary to bundle sheet materials into a predetermined number of sheets when stacking the sheet materials.

The sheet bundle separation and supply device of the present invention has a pressing position where the stack is pressed from above at a position inwardly away from one end of the sheet materials stacked one by one to form the stack, and a pressing position where the stack is released. a sheet bundle pressing means provided to be able to take a release position; a sheet level detection means for detecting the position of a predetermined number of sheet materials from the top in the stack; a sheet level detection means disposed at a position facing one end of the sheet materials;
a sheet bundle lifting member formed to move in a substantially horizontal direction between an intervention position that intervenes in the stack and an exit position that separates from the stack; a sheet bundle holding means capable of gripping the sheet bundle and moving in a vertical direction and a substantially horizontal direction; After being set at a vertical position facing the gap between the sheet material below, it is sent in a substantially horizontal direction to an intervention position, and then moved to a position where the next sheet material after the predetermined number of sheet materials is pressed from above. a lifting member driving device, moving the sheet bundle holding means to a position where it can hold the one end of the sheet bundle made up of a predetermined number of sheet materials lifted by the sheet bundle lifting member; a clamping means driving device that clamps the sheet bundle and then moves the sheet bundle clamping means in a substantially horizontal direction to separate the sheet bundle from the upper part of the stack; and while the sheet bundle lifting member is in contact with the stack. During the movement, the sheet bundle pressing means is set to the stack pressing position, and the sheet bundle holding means clamps the sheet bundle, and when separating the sheet bundle from the upper part of the stack, the sheet bundle pressing means is set to the stack pressing position. It consists of a sheet bundle holding means control device that sets the sheet bundle holding means to the desired position.

In the sheet bundle separation and supply device of the present invention having the above configuration, a predetermined number of sheets on the upper part of the stack is lifted as a sheet bundle by the sheet bundle lifting member and is held until the sheet bundle is clamped by the sheet bundle holding means. During this time, these sheet materials are pressed by the sheet bundle holding means, so that the sheet materials are not disturbed and are held by the sheet bundle holding means as an orderly bundle of sheets. Therefore, it is not necessary to bind a predetermined number of sheet materials together with tape or the like in advance, as in the case of using the above-mentioned device using a pusher.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a sheet bundle separation and feeding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The sheet material handled by the apparatus of this embodiment is, for example, an aluminum web whose surface is coated with a photosensitive material, and as shown in the figure, the web 1 is stacked in alignment on a pallet 2 at a stacking position, and the stacked body is 3 is formed. The apparatus of this embodiment has a web 1
is used for supplying the webs from the top of the stack 3 to the next packaging process as a web bundle 4 of one packaging unit each from the top of the stack 3. In the stack 3, two sheets of padding cardboard 5 are sandwiched for each packaging unit so that when the bundle 4 is separated, padding cardboards 5 for protecting the web are placed above and below the web bundle 4. ing.

One end 1a of the web 1 forming the aggregate 3 (right end in the figure)
A sheet bundle pressing means 6 is disposed on the stack 3 at a position away from the inside of the web (towards the center of the web). The sheet bundle holding means 6 has two guide rods 8 and 9 inserted through a base plate 10 into the tip of the piston rod 7a of an air cylinder 7 which is arranged vertically with the piston rod 7a facing downward, so that the sheet bundle holding means 6 can move vertically. The presser member 11 thus formed is supported via shock absorbing springs 12 and 13.
An end surface 14 on the one end 1a side of the web 1 is located at the bottom of the web 1.
A rubber 14 having a convex curved surface is fixed to the lower part of a.

A sheet level detecting means 15 is disposed on the left side of the sheet bundle pressing means 6 in the drawing. The sheet level detection means 15 includes an arm 18 which swings about a fulcrum 16 and has a roller shaft 17 supported at its tip, and which supports the arm 18 and is guided by two guide rods 19 and 20 in the vertical direction. The air cylinder 22 supports a movable substrate 21 at the tip of a piston rod 22a. A roller 23 is supported at the tip of the roller shaft 17, and the sheet level detection means 15 detects that the roller 23 is placed under its own weight at one corner of the web end 1a of the cardboard 5 from above the stack 3. They are placed in such a position that they come into contact with each other. Also, the substrate 21 and the arm 18 that swings as described above with respect to the substrate 21.
and, for example, the light emitting part 2 of the photoelectric device.
4 and a light receiving section 25 are provided, and a predetermined swing position of the arm 18 is detected by the photoelectric device. The roller shaft 17 is fixed with the fixing screw 2.
6, the length of the downward protrusion from the arm 18 can be adjusted. The amount of protrusion of the piston rod 22a of the air cylinder 22 is detected by the rod length detection device 27, and therefore, the photoelectric device detects that the arm 18 is at a predetermined swinging position. By driving the air cylinder 22 so that the piston rod 22a protrudes at that time and detecting the amount of protrusion of the piston rod 22a, the level of the upper surface of the cardboard 5 that the roller 23 is in contact with can be detected.

At a position facing one end 1a of the web 1, two openings 28a, 28 are provided near the front end (left end in the figure).
A sheet bundle lifting member 28 having a front end bent downward is provided. As shown in the figure, the sheet bundle lifting member 28 moves in a substantially horizontal direction (in the direction of arrow A in the figure) between a position away from the web 1 (exit position) and an intervention position intervening between the webs 1 of the stack 3. ), and is also movable in the vertical direction (direction of arrow B in the figure), and its front end is swingable in the vertical direction as shown by arrow C in the figure. This sheet bundle lifting member 28 is moved in each of the above-mentioned directions (arrows A, B, and C directions) by a lifting member driving device 29 constituted by a known device such as an air cylinder device.

The sheet bundle holding member 28 has two fingers 30 and 31 on the upper side thereof and is movable in the vertical direction (direction of arrow D in the figure) and approximately horizontal direction (direction of arrow E in the figure). Means 32 are arranged. Each of the fingers 30 and 31 has claw members 30a and 31a facing the web 1 side at the lower end, respectively.
It also has chuckers 33, 34 which face the claw members 30a, 31a from above and are moved vertically relative to the claw members 30a, 31a by a drive device (not shown). This sheet bundle holding means 32 includes a holding means driving device 3 constituted by a known device such as an air cylinder device, for example.
5 in the above directions (directions of arrows D and E).

A sheet bundle auxiliary lifting member 36 is provided at a position facing the corner of the web 1 on the side of the sheet bundle lifting member 28.
is installed. This auxiliary lifting member 36
As shown in detail in the figure, a substantially L-shaped edge portion 3 with a tip facing toward the center of the web 1 is provided at the front end of the base portion 38 to which a handle 37 is fixed.
9 is fixed, a piston rod 40a of a vertically moving cylinder 40 is fixed to the upper part of the base 38, and a forward cylinder 41 and a backward cylinder 42 are arranged behind the base 38. The above three cylinders 4
Reference numerals 0, 41, and 42 are, for example, air cylinders, etc., and the forward cylinder 41 has an abutting portion 41b fixed to the tip of the piston rod 41a and a base 3.
disposed at a position where it can abut against the rear end surface 38a of 8;
Also, the retraction cylinder 42 is connected to its piston rod 42.
a is passed through the through hole 38b provided in the base 38, and the contact portion 4 is fixed to the tip of the piston rod 42a when the piston rod 42a is contracted.
2b is adapted to pull the base 38 backward (to the right in FIG. 1). A pressurized air pipe 43 connected to, for example, an air compressor is housed in the edge portion 39, and the tip of the pipe 43 supplies pressurized air from the tip of the edge portion 39 to the center side of the web 1. A jetting nozzle 44 is connected. Further, the front edge portion of the edge portion 39 is formed into a curved surface that gently asymptotes as the upper surface moves toward the lower surface.

The operation of the apparatus of this embodiment having the above configuration will be explained below. When separating the web 1 stacked on a pallet 2 by a known method into a bundle of a predetermined number of packaging units from the stack 3, first the pallet 2 on which the stack 3 is placed is shown in FIG. set in position. Next, the pressurized air control device 45 that controls pressurized air supply to the air cylinder 7 and controls the operation of the presser member 11 is activated, and the air cylinder 7
The piston rod 7a is extended. As a result, the presser member 11 supported by the piston rod 7a presses the stack 3 from above at a position spaced inwardly from one end 1a of the web 1. At this time, due to the action of the rubber 14 fixed to the lower surface of the holding member 11 and the springs 12 and 13, a large impact is prevented from being applied to the web 1 via the padding cardboard 5, and the web 1 or the padding cardboard 5 damage is prevented.

Next, the operator moves the corner of the web 1 of the uppermost packaging unit number of the stack 3 (the auxiliary lifting member 36
2) is gripped together with the upper and lower padding cardboard 5 as a web bundle 4, and is slightly lifted from the web 1 below. Once the web bundle 4 has been lifted slightly, the auxiliary lifting member 36 is then moved by the operator to the handle 3.
7 is moved forward by grasping and operating it, and the front end of the edge portion 39 is inserted under the web bundle 4. Next, by operating, for example, an operating button, the forward cylinder 41 is actuated to extend the piston rod 41a, and the auxiliary lifting member 36 is pushed by the piston rod 41a, so that the edge portion 39 advances deeply into the stack 3. move forward until When the edge part 39 is inserted into the stack 3 in this way, air is ejected from the nozzle 44 provided on the edge part 39, so that this air causes the cardboard paper 5 above and below the edge part 39 to Alternatively, the web 1 is spread up and down, and the edge portion 39 can be easily inserted into the stack 3 without being hindered by the padding paper 5 or the web 1.

The forward cylinder 41 has its piston rod 41
When the piston rod 40a is extended by a predetermined length, the operation is stopped, and the vertical movement cylinder 40 is then activated to contract the piston rod 40a. As a result, the auxiliary lifting member 36 is raised, and the web bundle 4 is lifted even higher by the edge portion 39 of the auxiliary lifting member 36 (the state shown in FIG. 1). When the web bundle 4 is lifted in this manner, the lower surface of the web bundle 4 (directly, the lower surface of the cardboard 5) comes into contact with the front edge of the edge portion 39, but as described above, this edge portion 39 Since the leading edge of the web 1 is curved, the edge 39 prevents the web 1 or the cardboard 5 forming the web bundle 4 from being folded or damaged.

When the web bundle 4 is lifted as described above,
The roller 2 is applied to the web bundle 4 through the cardboard 5.
The arm 18 of the seat level detection means 15, which is in contact with the arm 3, swings. The operation of the air cylinder 22 is controlled by the photoelectric device described above so that the arm 18 takes a predetermined swing position, and the air cylinder 22 is stopped at that position. When the arm 18 is set at a predetermined swing position in this way, the amount of protrusion of the piston rod 22a of the air cylinder 22 is detected by the rod length detecting device 27, and the upper cardboard 5 of the web bundle 4 is The upper surface level is detected. Webs 1 and 2 of the predetermined number of packaging units
Since the thickness of the web bundle 4 made up of two sheets of padding cardboard 5 is constant, if the upper surface level of the upper padding cardboard 5 is detected as described above, the lower padding of the web bundle 4 is detected. The lower surface level of the cardboard 5 is detected.

The lifting member driving device 29 moves the sheet bundle lifting member 28 at the exit position away from the stack 3 in the vertical direction in response to a signal S representing the lower surface level of the backing cardboard 5 on the lower side of the web bundle 4. The sheet bundle lifting member 28 is set at a vertical position opposite to the gap below the lifted web bundle 4. Next, the lifting member driving device 29 advances the sheet bundle lifting member 28 set in this vertical position in a substantially horizontal direction, and moves the front end of the lifting member 28 to the stacked body 3 below the web bundle 4. Intervene within. At this time, as described above, the web bundle 3 is pressed from above by the sheet bundle holding means 6, so even if the web bundle 4 comes into contact with the advancing sheet bundle lifting member 28, it will not remain on the stack 3. It won't slip off.

Note that when the sheet bundle lifting member 28 is interposed below the web bundle 4 as described above, for example, a link mechanism or the like is used to lift the sheet bundle closer to the auxiliary lifting member 36 that is lifting the web bundle 4. If the side end of the member 28 is intervened first and the opposite side end is intervened later, the sheet bundle lifting member 28 can intervene into the stack 3 more smoothly.

When the sheet bundle lifting member 28 intervenes below the web bundle 4, the lifting member driving device 29 then raises the sheet bundle lifting member 28 by a predetermined length. One end 1 of the web 1 thereby forming the web bundle 4
The portion on the a side is largely lifted from the web 1 below by the sheet bundle lifting member 28. In this way, the sheet bundle lifting member 28 lifts the web bundle 4.
When you lift the web 1 that makes up the web bundle 4
is curved so that the upper part is concave, but as described above, the end surface 14a of the rubber 14 of the presser member 11 is formed into a convex curved surface, so the padding cardboard 5
Alternatively, the web 1 is prevented from being bent or damaged.

When the web bundle 4 is lifted by the sheet bundle lifting member 28, the clamping means driving device 35 is activated, and the sheet bundle clamping means 32 moves from the upper standby position to the claw members 30 of its fingers 30, 31.
a, 31a and the chuckers 33, 34 are lowered to a position opposite to one end of the web bundle 4 (the vertical position of the web bundle 4 being lifted is the vertical position of the sheet bundle lifting member 28). Therefore, by setting the sheet bundle holding means 32 at a predetermined vertical position with respect to the sheet bundle lifting member 28, the sheet bundle holding means 32 can be accurately set at the above position.) . Thereafter, the sheet bundle holding means 32 is advanced in a substantially horizontal direction to a position where the web bundle 4 enters the gap, and is stopped at that position. Next, the chuckers 33 and 34 of the sheet bundle holding means 32 are moved downward, and one end of the web bundle 4 is attached to these chuckers 33 and 34 and the claw member 30.
a, 31a. When the sheet bundle holding means 32 is lowered to grip the web bundle 4 in this manner, the lower portions of the fingers 30 and 31 are inserted into the openings 28a and 28b of the sheet bundle lifting member 28 that is lifting the web bundle 4. Since the sheet bundle holding means 32 is moved forward, the lowering movement of the sheet bundle holding means 32 is not hindered by the sheet bundle lifting member 28.

As mentioned above, one end of the web bundle 4 is attached to the chuck car 3.
3, 34 and the claw members 30a, 31a, the air cylinder 7 of the sheet bundle pressing means 6 is operated to compress the piston rod 7a, and the stack 3 is held by the pressing member 11. The pressure is released. Even when the pressure on the stack 3 by the presser member 11 is released, the web bundle 4 is already held by the sheet bundle holding means 32 as described above, so the webs 1 constituting the web bundle 4 are There will be no clutter. Next, the sheet bundle lifting member 28 is swung in the downward direction of the arrow C in FIG. 1, and its front end presses the web 1 forming the stack 3 below the web bundle 4 from above. .
In this way, the web 1 below the web bundle 4
When the web bundle 4 is pressed and fixed, the sheet bundle clamping means 32 that clamps the web bundle 4 is moved rearward, that is, to the right in FIG. 1, and is placed, for example, behind the sheet bundle lifting member 28. The web bundle 4 is moved onto a conveying means such as a cola conveyor. Then, the chuckers 33 and 34 of the sheet bundle holding means 32 are moved upward to release the grip on the web bundle 4, and the web bundle 4 separated from the stack 3 is transferred to the conveying means. It is then supplied to the next packaging process.

In the embodiment described above, before the sheet bundle lifting member 28 intervenes below the web bundle 4,
An auxiliary lifting member 36 is used that lifts the web bundle 4 slightly to facilitate intervention of the sheet bundle lifting member 28.
It is also possible to facilitate the intervention of the sheet bundle lifting member 28 into the stack 3 by having the operator lift the web bundle 4 to a certain height without providing a special setting.

Further, in the above embodiment, in order to protect the upper and lower surfaces of the web bundle 4 separated from the stack 3, the padding cardboard 5 is arranged for every predetermined number of webs 1, but the present invention Of course, the sheet bundle separation and supply device described above can also be applied to a stack of sheet materials on which no padding cardboard is arranged.

Further, as a device for detecting the position of a predetermined number of sheet materials from the top in the stack, a known device other than the sheet level detecting means 15 in the above embodiment may be used; When the thickness of the sheet bundle changes, such as when the number of sheet materials that make up the sheet bundle changes or because the cardboard absorbs moisture in the air and changes its thickness, the roller shaft 17 Arm 1 of
By changing the length of the protrusion from 8, it is convenient because the thickness of the sheet bundle can be easily changed.

As explained in detail above, according to the sheet bundle separation and supply device of the present invention, there is no need to bundle the sheet materials with tape or the like every predetermined number of sheets, and the sheet materials are neatly separated from the sheet stack by a predetermined number. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the acquisition and expense required for bundling sheet materials, and to shorten the time required to accumulate sheet materials.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
The figure is a perspective view showing a part of the above embodiment in detail. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Web, 1a... One end of the web, 3... Web stack, 4... Web bundle, 6... Sheet bundle pressing means,
15... Sheet level detection means, 27... Rod length detection device, 28... Sheet bundle lifting member, 29... Lifting member driving device, 32... Sheet bundle holding means, 35... Holding means driving device, 45... Sheet bundle pressing means Control device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A pressing position for pressing the stack 3 from above at a position inwardly away from one end of the sheet material 1 that is stacked one by one to form the stack 3; and the stack 3;
Sheet bundle pressing means 6 provided so as to be able to take a release position in which the sheet material 1 is released; and sheet level detection means 1 for detecting the position of a predetermined number of sheet materials 1 from the top in the stack 3.
5. Disposed at a position facing one end of the sheet material 1, and formed to move in a substantially horizontal direction between an intervention position where it intervenes in the stack 3 and an exit position away from the stack 3. a sheet bundle lifting member 28; a sheet bundle holding means 32 capable of gripping a predetermined number of sheet materials 1 as a bundle from the one end side and movable in the vertical direction and substantially horizontal direction; At the exit position, the sheet level is set at a vertical position facing between the predetermined number of sheets 1 detected by the sheet level detection means 15 and the sheet material 1 below it, and then approximately horizontally to the intervention position. a lifting member driving device 29 that moves the sheet material 1 following the predetermined number of sheet materials 1 to a position where the sheet material 1 after the predetermined number of sheet materials 1 is pressed from above; The sheet bundle holding means 32 is moved to a position where it can hold the one end of the sheet bundle made of sheet materials 1, and after the sheet bundle holding means 32 has held the sheet bundle, the sheet bundle holding means 32
is moved in a substantially horizontal direction to place the sheet bundle in stack 3.
a holding means driving device 35 for separating from the upper part; and while the sheet bundle lifting member 28 moves while contacting the stack 3, the sheet bundle pressing means 6 is set to the stack pressing position; A sheet bundle separation and supply device comprising a sheet bundle pressing means control device 45 that sets the sheet bundle pressing means 6 to the stack release position when the holding means 32 clamps the sheet bundle and separates the sheet bundle from the upper part of the stack 3.