JPH04286907A - Sensing device for sending state of plate-like member - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To securely sense whether or not paper leaves are being sent by a predetermined number and also immediately support exchange of item types. CONSTITUTION:A contact roller 18 is placed with force applied on an outer periphery of an inverting roller 5 constituting a carrier path of paper leaves 2. When the paper leaves 2 pass between both rollers 5, 18, the contact roller 18 is lifted so that a sensing arm 16 holding the contact roller 18 is rocked. A gap sensor 20 detects an amount of the rocking. A controller determines a state of the paper leaves 2 being sent by comparing an output value from the gap sensor 20 with a pre-specified reference value.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for detecting the feeding status of a plate-like member, which detects whether a specified number of sheets are being fed normally when feeding a plate-like member such as paper sheets.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in an apparatus for producing envelopes containing inserts, it is necessary to reliably feed the inserts one by one from a magazine. However, in rare cases, two or more sheets may be sent together, and in order to prevent defective products from being manufactured in this case, a detection device is used to detect that two or more sheets are sent out in duplicate.

[0003] As this detection device, for example, a real fair 1-
The technique disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 42005 is known. According to the technology described herein, a feed roller and a detection roller are arranged opposite to the conveyance path of paper sheets, and there is a gap between the two rollers that is at least the thickness of one paper sheet and the thickness of two sheets. The detection roller is rotated when two or more sheets pass between the two rollers. A metal detector detects a detection plate that rotates together with the detection roller, thereby detecting two-sheet feeding.

0004

However, according to the above technology, it is necessary to accurately set the gap between the feed roller and the detection roller according to the thickness of one sheet of paper.
Every time the thickness of the paper sheets to be processed changes, the gap between the two rollers must be reset, making it impossible to immediately respond to changes in product types.

Furthermore, it is not possible to detect when no paper sheet has been fed out, and this detection has been left to other means.

[0006]

[Object of the Invention] Accordingly, the present invention provides detection of the feeding status of a plate-shaped member, which can reliably detect whether or not a predetermined number of plate-shaped members are being fed, and which can also immediately respond to product type changes. The purpose is to provide equipment.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a conveyance path for a plate-shaped member, a detection arm having a contactor facing the conveyance path in a biased state, and a detection arm for the detection arm. a displacement sensor that detects a movement amount; a storage unit that stores an output value of the displacement sensor as a reference value when a specified number of plate members are interposed between the conveyance path and the contact; The present invention is characterized by comprising a control device including a determination unit that determines the feeding state of the plate-shaped member based on the output value of the displacement sensor and the reference value when the member is in the feeding state.

[0008]

[Operation] According to the present invention, in the feeding state of the plate-like member, the amount of movement of the detection arm when the plate-like member is reliably fed by a specified number of sheets is equal to the amount of movement when the plate-like member is fed by a specified number or more at one time. The amount of movement is smaller than the amount of movement and is larger than the amount of movement when the number of sheets is less than the specified number, including the case where no sheets are sent. Therefore, by detecting the amount of movement of the detection arm in the feeding state of the plate-like member with the displacement sensor, the feeding state of the plate-like member can be determined.

Furthermore, if the thickness of the plate member changes due to a change in product type, it is sufficient to change the reference value accordingly.

0010

Embodiments Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the paper sheet feeding device, and Figure 2 is Figure 1.
3 is a partial perspective view of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a side view schematically showing a part of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control system. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a magazine, which stores paper sheets 2 in a stacked manner. The bottom plate 3 of the magazine 1 has a notch 3a, and a feed roller 4a is located in correspondence with this notch 3a, and a feed roller 4b and a two-sheet feed prevention roller 4c are opposed to the downstream side. It will be established. Reference numeral 5 denotes a reversing roller 5, which is provided with a suction section 6 in a certain range on its outer periphery, and is connected to a vacuum source (not shown) while the reversing roller 5 rotates approximately 180 degrees from the position shown in FIG. . These rollers 4a to 4c,
5 forms a conveyance path for the paper sheets 2, and is configured such that the paper sheets 2 are intermittently fed from the magazine 1. Inverted low
A detection plate 8 is fixed to the rotating shaft 7 of the roller 5. A protrusion 9 corresponding to the suction part 6 is formed on the detection plate 8, and the protrusion 9 is detected by the sensor 10 during rotation of the rotating shaft 7. Reference numeral 11 denotes a feeding state detection device for paper sheets 2, and the details will be described later, but this detection device 11 detects whether or not there is only one paper sheet 2 being fed by the reversing roller 5. be.

Below the reversing roller 5, a conveyor 1 is provided.
2 is provided. The conveyor 12 has a belt 14 that is wound around a sprocket 13 and driven. Feed claws 15 are protruded from the belt 14 at equal pitches, and the feed claws 15 cause a reversing roller 5 to be rotated. The paper sheets 2 sent out are carried one by one into a processing device such as an envelope insertion section.

Next, the feeding state detection device 11 will be explained using FIGS. 3 and 4. Reference numeral 16 denotes a detection arm, whose approximately central portion is rotatably supported by a fixed shaft 17.
A contact roller 18 is provided at one end so as to face the outer periphery of the reversing roller 5. A bracket 19 is fixedly supported on the fixed shaft 17, and a gap sensor 20 whose output value has linear characteristics is supported on the bracket 19. The gap sensor 20 is configured to detect the amount of swing of the detection arm 16 by directing its detection surface toward the other end of the detection arm 16 and detecting the distance from the other end of the detection arm 16 . The contact roller 18 is urged toward the reversing roller 5 by a spring 21 interposed between the detection arm 16 and the bracket 19, and the rotation of the detection arm 16 by the spring 21 is prevented by a stopper provided on the bracket 19. 22
It is now restricted by. The protruding position of this stopper 22 is adjusted so that the contact roller 18 comes into contact with the reversing roller 5 by the biasing force of the spring 21, and the output value of the gap sensor 21 at this time is set to zero volts. be done.

Next, the control system will be explained using FIG. 5. A control device 23 includes a control section 24, a storage section 25, and a determination section 26. Reference numeral 27 denotes a changeover switch connected to the control section 24, which allows switching between setting mode A and normal mode B. When the setting mode A is selected by the changeover switch 27 and the start button is pressed, this signal is input to the control section 24, and the control section 24 starts the rollers 4a to 4c and 5 to move the paper sheets 2 into 1. While feeding out the sheet, the sheet is stopped when the sensor 10 detects the protrusion 9 of the detection plate 8. The output value of the gap sensor 20 at the time of this stop is stored in the storage section 25 via the control section 24 as a reference output value.

Further, when the normal mode B is selected by the changeover switch 27 and the start button is pressed, the rollers 4
a to 4c and 5 are rotated, and paper sheets 2 are sequentially and intermittently delivered from the magazine 1. Then, at the timing when the sensor 10 detects the protrusion 9 of the detection plate 8, the control section 24 takes in the output value from the gap sensor 20, and the determination section 2
In step 6, the output value of the gap sensor 20 taken in by the control section 24 is compared with the reference output value stored in the storage section 25 to determine whether the feeding state of the paper sheet 2 is good or bad. If it is determined that the feeding condition is poor, the control section 24 outputs a stop command to the drive section of the device.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be explained.

First, at the time of initial setting, when setting mode A is selected with the changeover switch 27 and the start button is pressed, the signal is input to the control section 24, so that the rollers 4a to 4c, 5 are activated. The magazine 1 is rotated, and one paper sheet 2 is sent out from the magazine 1. and sensor 10
When detecting the protrusion 9 of the detection plate 8, the rotation of the rollers 4a to 4c and 5 is stopped. In this stopped state, as shown in FIG. 4, the sheet 2 is interposed between the reversing roller 5 and the contact roller 18, so that
The detection arm 16 is swung clockwise. Therefore, the output value of the gap sensor 20 at this time is stored in the storage unit 25 as a reference output value, and the initial setting is completed.

Next, normal operation will be explained. In this case, when the normal mode B is selected by the changeover switch 27 and the start switch is pressed, the signal is input to the control section 24, and the rollers 4a to 4c, 5 are rotated. During the rotation of the reversing roller 5, the gap sensor 20
The output value from is taken into the control section 24. The captured output value and the reference output value stored in the storage section 25 are then compared in the determination section 26 via the control section 24, and the feeding state of the paper sheet 2 is determined.

This determination will be explained by giving an example. For example, in the initial setting, if the output value of the gap sensor 20 is 3 volts when one paper sheet 2 is present between the reversing roller 5 and the contact roller 18, this output value is is stored as a reference output value. In normal mode B, if the output value of the gap sensor 20 when the sensor 10 detects the protrusion 9 of the detection plate 8 is 3 volts, which is the same output value as the reference output value, the sheets are fed one by one. The determining unit 26 determines that the state, that is, the feeding state is good. In reality, there are processing distortions in the reversing roller 5 and contact roller 18, variations in the thickness of the paper sheet 2 itself, etc., so in this embodiment, although it depends on the output characteristics of the gap sensor 20 used, , the tolerance is plus or minus 1 volt (
The thickness is varied within plus or minus 30%), and if the output value from the gap sensor 20 is in the range of 2 volts to 4 volts, it is determined to be good.

On the other hand, when two or more paper sheets 2 are fed at one time, the amount of swing of the detection arm 16 becomes larger than when one sheet is normally fed, and therefore the gap sensor 2
The output value from 0 also exceeds the allowable upper limit of 4 volts. On the other hand, when no paper sheet 2 is fed, when the sensor 10 detects the protrusion 9 of the detection plate 8, the output value from the gap sensor 20 is less than the allowable lower limit of 2 volts. Therefore, when two or more paper sheets 2 are fed at one time, or when no paper sheets are fed at a time, the output values from the gap sensor 20 are both out of the allowable range, so the determination unit 26 determines whether the paper sheets 2 are fed or not. It is determined that the condition is abnormal, and the control unit 24 stops the rotation of the rollers 4a to 4c and 5. According to the embodiment described above, based on the output value of the gap sensor 20, the feeding status of the paper sheets 2 is determined to be a good state in which one sheet is being fed normally, or a good state in which two or more sheets are being fed at a time. This judgment can be made for all three conditions: an abnormal condition in which the paper has been stored, and an abnormal condition in which not a single sheet has been sent.

Furthermore, when the paper sheets 2 to be processed are replaced, the initial mode A is selected with the changeover switch 27, and the output value of the gap sensor 20 for the replaced paper sheets 2 is used as the new reference output value. Once stored in the storage unit 25, the feeding state of the paper sheet 2 can be determined by the determination unit 26 in the same manner as described above. Therefore, it is possible to immediately respond to changes in product types.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the detection position of the sensor 10 is set with respect to an imaginary line connecting the contact point between the reversing roller 5 and the contact roller 18 and the rotation center axis of the reversing roller 5. Inverted low
By displacing the contact roller 18 in the direction of rotation of the paper sheet 5, at the time when the sensor 10 detects the protrusion 9 of the detection plate 8, the contact roller 18 is able to suck the paper sheet 2 at the suction section 6. This will result in contact with the exposed part. In other words, since the detection arm 16 is swung by the portion of the sheet 2 that is in close contact with the outer periphery of the reversing roller 5, accurate determination can be made.

In the above embodiment, the initial mode A is selected each time the type is changed, and the reference output value corresponding to the paper sheet 2 to be processed is set. A reference output value may be set in advance in the storage unit in correspondence with the thickness of the item No. 2, and the reference output value corresponding to the thickness of the product to be processed this time may be selectively used.

Next, a second embodiment of a detection circuit using the gap sensor 20 will be described. Figure 6 is an electrical circuit diagram, and Figure 7 is the detection arm 16 and gap sensor 20.
8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the distance between the paper sheets and the output voltage, and FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the thickness of the paper sheet and the output voltage. In Figure 6, 3
0 is the first amplifier, which converts the displacement of the detection arm 16 detected by the gap sensor 20 into a voltage (the straight line V1 in FIG. 7
). A second amplifier 31 has a zero point adjustment function. In other words, this second amplifier 31 multiplies the output voltage from the first amplifier 30 by a (straight line V2 in FIG. When there is no paper sheet 2, the output is set to zero volts (straight line V3 in FIG. 7). Reference numeral 32 denotes a reference voltage adjustment section, which adjusts the output voltage from the second amplifier 31 while watching the voltmeter 36, so that one sheet of paper 2 can be adjusted between the reversing roller 5 and the contact roller 18. This is to adjust the output voltage from the third amplifier 33 (described later) when interposed to be constant regardless of the thickness of the paper sheet 2. 3
3 is a third amplifier, which further multiplies the output voltage from the second amplifier 31 by b times (straight line V4 in FIG. 7). Providing this third amplifier 33 is effective when the paper sheet 2 is extremely thin. 34 and 35 are comparators,
A comparator 34 compares the output voltage from the third amplifier 33 with a reference voltage Va for two-sheet detection to detect the presence or absence of two-sheet feeding, and a comparator 35 compares the output voltage from the third amplifier 33 with a reference voltage Vb for detecting the presence or absence of paper sheets. The presence or absence of the paper sheet 2 is detected.

An example using specific numerical values will be explained with reference to FIG. When one paper sheet 2 to be processed this time is interposed between the reversing roller 5 and the contact roller 18, the final output voltage Vx from the third amplifier 33 is set to 5 volts and 2 volts.
The reference voltage Va for sheet detection is 7 volts, the reference voltage Vb for detecting the presence or absence of paper sheets is 1 volt, the thickness of one sheet of paper sheet 2 to be processed this time is 0.5 mm, times a = 6 times, b times=20
Assume that the condition is set to double. In this case, in FIG. 8, the straight line ■ indicates that when a sheet of paper 2 is interposed between the reversing roller 5 and the contact roller 18, the gap sensor
Multiply the output value by a (6 times), and the second value after zero point adjustment.
The output voltage from the amplifier 31 is 6 volts at a thickness of 0.5 mm. Then, this voltage is multiplied b (20 times) by the third amplifier 33 to form a straight line (2), and further adjusted by the reference voltage adjustment section 32, the thickness is 0.5
The output voltage is 5 volts (=Vx) in millimeters and is a straight line. Note that the straight line ■ is the straight line before multiplying by b.
, that is, a diagram showing the characteristics of 1/b of the straight line ■.

Now, in normal mode B, the final output voltage Vy when one paper sheet 2 is fed is theoretically 5 volts, which is the same value as the set value. Then, when the output voltage Vy is compared with the reference voltage Va for detecting two sheets and the reference voltage Vb for detecting the presence or absence of paper sheets, Vy<Va and Vy>Vb are established, indicating that there is no two-sheet feeding and there is a paper sheet present. It is determined that one sheet was sent to .

On the other hand, if two sheets of paper are fed, the paper thickness is 1 mm, and the straight line ■ is about 6.3 volts, so Vy is 6.3 x 20 = 126 volts (theoretical value). . When this output voltage Vy is compared with Va and Vb, Va<Vy and Vb<Vy are established, indicating that two sheets have been fed and a sheet has been fed, and it is determined that there is an abnormal feed.

Further, when no paper sheet 2 is fed out, the output voltage Vy becomes zero volts, and Vy
<Va, Vy<Vb is established, there is no two-sheet feeding, there is no paper sheet, and it is determined that there is an abnormal feeding.

In the second embodiment described above, V
By comparing y, Va, and Vb, normal feeding of paper sheet 2, 2
It is possible to determine the three states of sheet feeding and no sheet feeding in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

Furthermore, even if the thickness of the paper sheet 2 changes due to a change in type, etc., the adjustment can be made immediately by adjusting the reference voltage adjustment section 32 so that the output voltage Vx is 5 volts in the initial setting. can do.

In the two embodiments described above, the contact roller 18 is in contact with the outer periphery of the reversing roller 5 when the paper sheet 2 is not interposed, but the minimum thickness of the paper sheet 2 to be processed is As long as the distance is less than 200 m, a gap may be created between the two rollers.

Further, the contact roller 18 is provided opposite to the outer periphery of the reversing drum 5 that forms the conveyance path for the paper sheets 2. It is sufficient if it is within the conveyance path, for example, the feed roller 4b and the reversing roller.
It may also be provided in the conveyance path between the roller 5 and the roller 5.

In addition to the reversing drum 5, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. The contact roller 18 may be provided in the conveying path so that the contact roller 18 comes into contact with the outer periphery of the disk 40. By doing so, fluctuations in the output value from the gap sensor 20 due to machining distortion can be suppressed, and more accurate feeding state detection can be performed.

Although the detection arm 16 has been described as a swinging type, for example, if the contact roller 1
8 is configured so that it can be moved linearly by contacting it,
The amount of linear movement may be detected, and the contact roller 18 may be replaced with a tongue-shaped member. .

[0034] Also, a gap sensor 2 is used as a displacement sensor.
Although the example using 0 has been described, instead of this, another detection means such as Magnescale may be used as long as it can detect the amount of movement of the detection arm in an analog manner.

Further, in the embodiment, an example in which the specified number of sheets is one is explained, but if two or more sheets are supplied at a time, that number can be considered as the specified number of sheets.

The present invention can also be applied to other plate-like members such as iron plates in addition to paper sheets 2 as the plate-like member.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reliably detect whether or not a predetermined number of plate-like members are being fed, and it is also possible to immediately respond to changes in product types.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a paper sheet feeding device.

FIG. 2 is a detailed view of a portion of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view schematically showing a part of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control system.

FIG. 6 is an electrical circuit diagram.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the relationship between the distance between the detection arm 16 and the gap sensor 20 and the output voltage.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the thickness of paper sheets and output voltage.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 Paper sheets (plate-shaped member) 5 Reversing roller 8 Detection plate 9 Projection 10 Sensor 11 Feeding state detection device 16 Detection arm 18 Contact roller (contact) 20 Gap sensor (displacement sensor) 23 Control Device 24 Control section 25 Storage section 26 Judgment section

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A conveyance path for a plate-like member, a detection arm having a contact element facing the conveyance path in a biased state, a displacement sensor that detects the amount of movement of the detection arm, and a displacement sensor that detects the movement amount of the detection arm, a storage unit that stores, as a reference value, an output value of the displacement sensor when a predetermined number of plate-like members are interposed between the plate-like member and the child; an output value of the displacement sensor when the plate-like member is in a feeding state and the reference value; A control device comprising a determination unit that determines the feeding state of the plate-like member based on the value of the feed state of the plate-like member.