JPH0349861B2 - - 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;
The sheet material is formed to move substantially horizontally between an intervention position in which it intervenes in the stack and an exit position away from the stack, and an edge portion is formed on the side of the front end opposite to one end of the sheet material. a sheet bundle lifting member capable of holding a predetermined number of sheet materials as a bundle and movable in vertical and substantially horizontal directions; It is set at a vertical position opposite to the space between the predetermined number of sheets detected by the means and the sheet material below it, and is moved in a substantially horizontal direction at this vertical position to After the sheet bundle holding means holds the sheet bundle by the sheet bundle lifting member that has intervened between the sheet materials and lifted the upper sheet material, the sheet bundle lifting member interposes between the sheet materials and lifts the upper sheet material. a lifting member driving device that moves the sheet material to a position where it is pressed from above; a manual handle that moves the sheet bundle lifting member in a substantially horizontal direction; and a predetermined number of sheet materials lifted by the sheet bundle lifting member. 1, and after the sheet bundle clamping means clamps the sheet bundle, the sheet bundle clamping means is moved in a substantially horizontal direction to grasp the sheet bundle. a holding means driving device that separates the sheet bundle from the upper part of the stack; and a holding means driving device that sets the sheet bundle pressing means to the stack pressing position while the sheet bundle lifting member moves while contacting the stack; The sheet bundle pressing means control device sets the sheet bundle pressing means to the stack releasing position when the sheet bundle holding means grips the sheet bundle and separates the sheet bundle from the upper part of the stack.

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.

Further, in the sheet bundle separation and supply device of the present invention having the above configuration, the sheet bundle lifting member is advanced from the exit position to the intervention position, and the sheet bundle lifting member lifts a predetermined number of sheet materials from above. The sheet bundle holding means is capable of reliably holding these sheet materials, and since the sheet bundle lifting member can be quickly moved forward by the operator's manual handle operation, the efficiency of the sheet separation and supply work is increased. It will be done.

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 sheet whose surface is coated with a photosensitive material, and as shown in the figure, the sheets 1 are aligned and stacked on a pallet 2 at the stacking position, and the stacked 3 is formed. The device of this embodiment has sheet 1
are used for supplying the sheet bundles 4 of one packaging unit each from the top of the stack 3 to the next packaging process. In the stack 3, two sheets of padding cardboard 5 are sandwiched between each packaging unit so that when the sheet bundle 4 is separated, padding cardboards 5 for protecting the sheets are placed above and below the sheet bundle 4. It is rare.

One end 1a of the sheet 1 forming the stack 3 (right end in the figure)
A sheet bundle pressing means 6 is disposed on the stack 3 at a position away from the sheet inward side (sheet center side). 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 sheet 1 is provided at the bottom of the sheet 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 detecting means 15 detects that the roller 23 is applied to one corner of the paperboard 5 on the sheet end 1a side from above the stack 3 under its own weight. 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 seat 1, two openings 28a, 28 are provided near the front end (left end in the figure).
A sheet bundle lifting member 28 is provided which has a manual handle 28c on the side thereof and whose front end is bent downward. This sheet bundle lifting member 28 is connected to a lifting member driving device as shown in detail in FIG. It is movable in a substantially horizontal direction (in the direction of arrow A in the figure) between the two, and its front end is swingable in the vertical direction as shown by arrow C in the figure. Hereinafter, the lifting member driving device will be explained in detail with reference to FIG. 2. Two sets of rod support members 51a, 51b and 52a, 52b are fixed on the frame 50, and one set of rod support members 51a, 5
A pair of guide rods 53 are fixed between the rod support members 1b, and a pair of guide rods 54 are fixed between the other rod support members 52a and 52b. The guide rods 53 and 54 have moving members 55 and 54, respectively.
56 are slidably supported, and these moving members 5
Rotating members 59 and 60 are supported on the upper parts of 5 and 56 so as to be rotatable about rotation shafts 57 and 58. The sheet bundle lifting member 28 is connected to the rotating member 59,
It is supported approximately horizontally on the upper surface of 60 using pins 61 and 62, respectively. Therefore, the sheet bundle lifting member 28 moves in the direction of the arrow A along the guide rods 53 and 54, and also moves along the rotation shafts 59 and 60.
It can swing vertically around the center. Here, the sheet bundle lifting member 28 is rotatably supported in a substantially horizontal plane around a pin 62, and a pin hole (not shown) through which the pin 61 is passed is slightly larger than the diameter of the pin 61. It is set to diameter.

the rod support member 51b farther from the stack 3;
A forward cylinder 63, a backward cylinder 64, and a forward cylinder 65 are fixed to each of the cylinders 52b. Each cylinder 63, 64, 65 is made of an air cylinder, for example, and the forward cylinder 63 of the rod support member 51b is connected to the piston rod 6.
An abutting portion 66 fixed to the tip of the movable member 3a is arranged at a position where it can abut the lower rear end surface 55a of the movable member 55. The retraction cylinder 64 has its piston rod 64a passed through a through hole 55b provided at the bottom of the moving member 55, and when the piston rod 64a is contracted, the abutment part 67 fixed to the tip of the piston rod 64a moves the moving member 55 backward ( It is designed to be pulled to the right (in Figure 1). on the other hand,
The piston rod 65a of the advancement cylinder 65 of the rod support member 52b is directly connected to the lower part of the moving member 56.

A contact piece 68 that extends downward is fixed to the lower surface of the sheet bundle lifting member 28 at a position on the rear side of the rotation shafts 57 and 58, and the sheet bundle lifting member 28 is fixed to the upper surface of the pedestal 50. A vertically movable cylinder 69 is fixed to which the tip of a piston rod 69a faces the abutting piece 68 when the piston is advanced to the aforementioned intervention position.

As shown in FIG. 1, two fingers 30, 3 are provided on the upper side of the sheet bundle lifting member 28.
1, and is provided with a sheet bundle holding means 32 that is movable in the vertical direction (in the direction of arrow D in the figure) and in the substantially horizontal direction (in the direction of arrow E in the figure). Each of the fingers 30, 31 has claw members 30a, 31a facing the sheet 1 side at the lower end thereof, and faces the claw members 30a, 31a from above, and is driven by a drive device (not shown) to 31a
The chucks 33, 3 are moved vertically relative to
It has 4. This sheet bundle holding means 32 is
For example, it is moved in each of the above directions (directions of arrows D and E) by a clamping means driving device 35 constituted by a known device such as an air cylinder device.

The operation of the apparatus of this embodiment having the above configuration will be explained below. When separating the sheets 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. Thereby, the pressing 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 sheet 1. At this time, due to the action of the rubber 14 fixed to the lower surface of the presser member 11 and the springs 12 and 13, a large impact is prevented from acting on the sheet 1 via the padding cardboard 5, and the sheet 1 or the padding cardboard is 5 damage is prevented.

Next, the operator moves the corner of the sheet 1 of the highest packaging unit number of the stack 3 (the auxiliary lifting member 36
(the corner opposite to) is gripped together with the upper and lower padding cardboard 5 as a bundle of sheets 4, and is slightly lifted from the sheets 1 below.

When the sheet bundle 4 is lifted as described above,
The sheet bundle 4 is applied to the roller 2 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 manner, the amount of protrusion of the piston rod 22a of the air cylinder 22 is detected by the rod length detection device 27, and the upper cardboard 5 of the sheet bundle 4 is The upper surface level of is detected. Since the thickness of the sheet bundle 4 consisting of a predetermined packaging unit number of sheets 1 and two pieces of padding cardboard 5 is constant, if the upper surface level of the upper padding cardboard 5 is detected as described above, , the lower surface level of the backing cardboard 5 on the lower side of the sheet bundle 4 is detected.

As described above, the pedestal 50 that supports the sheet bundle lifting member 28 is driven in the vertical direction (in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 1) by the lifting member vertical drive device 29, which includes, for example, a cylinder device. It's summery.
The vertical drive device 29 drives the sheet bundle lifting member 28 in the vertical direction in response to a signal S representing the lower surface level of the cardboard 5 on the lower side of the sheet bundle 4.
is set at a position facing the gap below the lifted sheet bundle 4.

Sheet bundle lifting member 2 set in this vertical position
8 is then advanced along guide rods 53 and 54 by the operator grasping and operating the manual handle 28c, and its front end is inserted under the sheet bundle 4. At this time, as described above, the moving member 56 farther from the manual handle 28c is connected to the piston rod 65a of the forward cylinder 65, so even if the operator performs a forward operation, the moving member 56 does not move, and the manual handle 28c Only the moving member 56 closest to moves forward. Therefore, the sheet bundle lifting member 28 rotates in a substantially horizontal plane about the pin 62, and enters the lower side of the sheet bundle 4 from the edge portion 28d on the side of the front end. For example, when the moving member 55
When the position of the forward cylinders 63, 65 is detected by a limit switch or the like, the two forward cylinders 63, 65
is actuated to extend the piston rods 63a, 65a. Then, the sheet bundle lifting member 28
The hyper-moving members 55 and 56 are connected to the piston rod 63.
It is further advanced by being pushed by a and 65a. At this time, both forward cylinders 63, 65
is operated so that the sheet stack lifting member 28 is finally parallel to the stack 3 and its front end completely enters the stack 3, but the forward cylinder 65 is slightly more advanced than the forward cylinder 63. It is activated with a delay. Thereby, the sheet bundle lifting member 28 gradually enters the stack 3 from the edge portion 28d side inserted into the stack 3 by manual operation toward the opposite side end. Therefore, the sheet bundle lifting member 28 can smoothly enter the stack 3 without being caught by the lower edge of the sheet bundle 4.

When the front end of the sheet bundle lifting member 28 completely enters the stack 3 as described above, the end of the sheet bundle 4 is separated from the lower sheet 1 by the sheet bundle lifting member 28. and be able to lift high. Note that even if the sheet bundle 4 is lifted in this way, the sheet bundle 4 is pressed by the presser member 11, so that the sheets 1 constituting the sheet bundle 4 are
is not cluttered. Also, at this time, the sheet bundle 4 is curved so that the upper side is concave, but as described above, the end surface 14a of the rubber 14 of the presser member 11
Since it is formed into a convex curved surface, the cardboard 5 or the sheet 1 will not be bent or scratched.

When the sheet 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 chucks 33, 34 are lowered to a position opposite to one end of the sheet bundle 4 (the vertical position of the lifted sheet bundle 4 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 sheet bundle 4 enters the gap, and is stopped at that position. Next, the chuck 3 of this sheet bundle holding means 32
3, 34 are moved downward, and one end of the sheet bundle 4 is connected to these chucks 33, 34 and the claw members 30a, 31.
It is held between a. When the sheet bundle holding means 32 is lowered to grip the sheet 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 sheet 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 shown above, one end of the sheet bundle 4 is connected to the chuck 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 pressing member 11 is released, the sheet bundle 4 is already held by the sheet bundle holding means 32 as described above, so that the sheets 1 constituting the sheet bundle 4 are There will be no clutter. Next, the piston rod 69a of the vertically movable cylinder 69 is raised, and the abutting piece 68 facing the piston rod 69a is pushed up by the piston rod 69a. As a result, the sheet bundle lifting member 28 is swung in the downward direction of the arrow C in FIG. The sheet 1 (directly the cardboard 5) forming the body 3 is pressed from above. In this way, the sheet 1 below the sheet bundle 4 is pressed,
Once fixed, the sheet bundle holding means 32 that is holding the sheet bundle 4 is then moved rearward, that is, to the right in FIG.
The sheet bundle 4 is moved onto a conveyance means such as a roller conveyor, which is arranged behind the sheet bundle 8. Then, the chucks 33 and 34 of the sheet bundle holding means 32 are moved upward to release the gripping of the sheet bundle 4, and the sheet bundle 4 separated from the stack 3 is transferred to the conveying means. It is then supplied to the next packaging process.

After the sheet bundle 4 is separated, the vertical movement cylinder 6
9 is actuated to lower the piston rod 69a, and the sheet bundle lifting member 28 swings so that its front end separates from the lower sheet 1 due to the weight balance. And then the reverse cylinder 6
The piston rod 64a of No. 4 is compressed, and the contact portion 67 at the tip of the piston rod 64a is connected to the moving member 55.
By pulling backward, the sheet bundle lifting member 2
8 is returned to its exit position away from the collection 3.

In the above embodiment, in order to protect the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet bundle 4 that is separated from the stack 3,
A padding cardboard 5 is arranged for every predetermined number of sheets 1, but the sheet bundle separation and feeding device of the present invention is capable of handling a stack of sheet materials in which such padding cardboard is not arranged. Of course, it is also applicable.

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. Further, since the sheet bundle lifting member can be quickly inserted into the sheet material stack by manual operation, the efficiency of the sheet separation and supply operation is greatly increased.

[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 in detail the specific structure of the lifting member driving device of the above embodiment. 1... Sheet, 1a... One end of the sheet, 3...
Sheet stack, 4... Sheet bundle, 6... Sheet bundle pressing means, 15... Sheet level detection means, 27
... Rod length detection device, 28 ... Sheet bundle lifting member, 28c ... Manual handle, 28d ... Edge portion, 29 ... Lifting member drive device, 32 ... Sheet bundle holding means, 35 ... Holding means Drive device, 45...
... Pressurized air control device, 53, 54... Guide rod, 55, 56... Moving member, 57, 58... Rotating shaft, 59, 60... Rotating member, 63, 65...
Forward cylinder, 64...Reverse cylinder, 69...
Vertical cylinder.

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 having an edge portion 28d formed on the side of the front end opposite to one end of the sheet material 1, capable of holding a predetermined number of sheet materials 1 as a bundle and moving in the vertical direction and approximately horizontal direction; a sheet bundle holding means 32 capable of holding the sheet bundle holding member 2 in the exit position;
8 is set at a vertical position facing between the predetermined number of sheet materials 1 detected by the sheet level detection means 15 and the sheet material 1 below it, and approximately at this vertical position. The sheet bundle lifting member, which has been moved in the horizontal direction and has interposed between the sheet materials from the edge portion and lifted the upper sheet material, is held at the intervention position after the sheet bundle holding means has clamped the sheet bundle. a lifting member drive device 29 that moves the sheet material 1 following the predetermined number of sheet materials 1 to a position where it is pressed from above; a manual handle 28c that moves the sheet bundle lifting member 28 in a substantially horizontal direction; and the sheet. The sheet bundle holding means 32 is moved to a position where it can hold the one end of the sheet bundle made up of a predetermined number of sheet materials 1 lifted by the bundle lifting member 28, and the sheet bundle holding means 32 After holding 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.