JPH0451468B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a flat plate comprising a main conveyor for conveying a flat object such as a letter, and a sorting means for guiding a desired flat object on the main conveyor to a lower part of the main conveyor. The present invention relates to a receiving device which is used in combination with a shaped object conveying device and for receiving flat shaped objects guided from above the main conveyor to below the main conveyor by the sorting means of the flat shaped object conveying device.

This main receiving device is used, for example, in a letter sorting device in which letters, including envelopes and postcards, conveyed by a conveyor are sorted into a selected one of a plurality of book boxes.

In the letter sorting device, the plurality of bookcases are made of transparent material so that the amount of letters accumulated therein can be easily seen, and each of the plurality of bookcases becomes full. must be emptied by the operator before use.

In the letter sorting device described in US Pat. No. 3,782,541, a push plate is provided for each of a plurality of fixed bookcases and is movable across the respective bookcases. This push plate moves across the corresponding bookcase when the total weight of multiple letters accumulated in the corresponding bookcase reaches a predetermined value, and removes the multiple letters in the corresponding bookcase. Push it out of the corresponding bookcase and store it in another transport container.

In such a conventional letter sorting device, a number of letters stored in each bookcase located below the number of letters are stuck together due to the weight of a number of other letters stored above the number of letters, and the number of letters stored in each bookcase is pushed into close contact with the other number of letters stored above it. is pressed against the bottom plate of the Furthermore, the push plate slides on the bottom plate of the bookcase.

For these reasons, printing such as postmarks and express delivery stamps stamped at the post office on the surface of letters may be transferred to the surface of other letters that are in close contact with them, or the above-mentioned sliding may cause ink to rub, causing the above-mentioned printing and The writing around the above print may become unclear.

Furthermore, in the conventional letter sorting device described above, the interval between when multiple letters are pushed out from each bookcase and when multiple letters are pushed out from the next bookcase is irregular, and furthermore, The number of letters pushed out at one time is so large that the corresponding transfer container is full. Therefore, a full transfer container must be immediately replaced with another empty transfer container, which places a heavy burden on the operator.

This invention was made under the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to collect a plurality of flat objects that are guided from above the main conveyor to below the main conveyor and accumulated under the main conveyor by the sorting means of the flat object conveyor. A mark formed by ink adhered to the surface of the object may be transferred to the surface of another flat object that is in close contact with the object, or the ink may rub off due to the transfer from below, and the mark formed by the ink may be It is an object of the present invention to provide a receiving device for a flat object that does not make the writing around the ink unclear and that reduces the burden on the operator.

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

1 and 2 show a schematic side view and a top view of a device for receiving flat objects according to an embodiment of the invention combined with a letter sorting device as a device for transporting flat objects. has been done.

The letter sorting device includes a main conveyor 2 for conveying letters including envelopes and postcards as flat objects, and a flow divider 3 as a sorting means for guiding desired letters downward from above the main conveyor 2. . A flat object receiving device according to an embodiment of the present invention combined with this letter sorting device extends from a position below the main conveyor 2 corresponding to the flow divider 3 in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the main conveyor 2. It includes a container 1 to be discharged, and a sub-conveyor 4 arranged in the container 1 in correspondence with a flow divider 3 and extending from below the main conveyor 2 in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the main conveyor 2.

The diverter 3 diverts desired letters from among the large number of letters conveyed by the main conveyor 2 and guides them onto the corresponding sub-conveyor 4 below the main conveyor 2.

In the container 1, below the flow divider 3, a guide means is arranged to place the letters diverted from the main conveyor 2 by the flow divider 3 onto the corresponding sub-conveyor 4 below the main conveyor 2 in a predetermined posture. has been done.

The guide means includes a pair of guide members 5 and 6 spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the sub-conveyor 4. Each of the pair of guide members 5 and 6 extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the sub-conveyor 4, and the guide member 6 on the downstream side of the sub-conveyor 4, that is, on the extending end side of the sub-conveyor 4 consists of a flexible, transparent polymer curtain.

Letters introduced horizontally from the top of the main conveyor 2 into the container 1 below by the flow divider 3 are guided by a pair of guide members 5 and 6 so that the longitudinal edges of the letters are parallel to the rear part of the container 1. is placed on the sub-conveyor 4, and thereby the sub-conveyor 4
This prevents the letters placed on top from being skewed.

In the container 1, below the flow divider 3, there is further provided an optical detection means (not shown) for detecting a predetermined height of a pile formed by a plurality of letters 7 placed on the sub-conveyor 4. , the sub-conveyor 4 is equipped with an optical detection means (not shown) that detects a plurality of letters 7 at a predetermined height.
As long as the stacks of letters 7 on the sub-conveyor 4 are detected, the stacks of letters 7 on the sub-conveyor 4 are moved away from below the main conveyor 2.

The above-mentioned detection means (not shown) is equipped with an override device, and when the override device is manually operated, the above-mentioned detection means (not shown) causes the sub-conveyor 4 to perform the above operation regardless of whether or not the letter 7 is detected.

The optical detection means (not shown) also detects a letter introduced from above the main conveyor 2 into the container 1 below by the flow divider 3, and this letter is in the detection area of the optical detection means (not shown). The sub conveyor 4 is caused to perform the above operation only while passing through the conveyor. However, the above-mentioned operation of the sub-conveyor 4 at this time is only slight.

In the embodiment according to the present invention constructed as described above, each time a letter is introduced from the main conveyor 2 into the lower container 1 by the flow divider 3, the optical detection means (not shown) detects the letter. Detected,
The sub-conveyor 4 moves its upper surface slightly in a direction away from below the main conveyor 2.

Therefore, a plurality of letters 7 introduced into the lower container 1 from above the main conveyor 2 by the flow divider 3 are placed on the sub-conveyor 4 in a state where they overlap each other, and the plurality of letters The peaks constructed on the conveyor 4 are inclined slightly inward, ie in a direction away from the open end of the container 1.

A plurality of letters 7 placed on the sub-conveyor 4 are gradually moved towards the open end of the container 1 by the sub-conveyor 4 each time a letter is introduced from above the main conveyor 2 into the container 1 below by the flow divider 3. The guide member 6, which is carried and constituted by a flexible transparent polymer curtain, is pushed away.

When it is detected that the above-mentioned pile of letters 7 has reached a predetermined height by the above-mentioned optical detection means (not shown), the above-mentioned pile of letters 7 is detected until the above-mentioned optical detection means (not shown) no longer detects it. The sub conveyor 4 moves its upper surface in a direction away from below the main conveyor 2.

Then, a plurality of letters 7, which are sequentially introduced into the lower container 1 from the top of the main conveyor 2 by the flow divider 3, are placed on the sub-conveyor 4, following the above-mentioned pile of letters 7, to the next pile of letters. The configuration is duplicated as described above.

As described in detail above, in this embodiment, a pile of letters 7 of a predetermined height is continuously formed on the sub-conveyor 4.

The pile of letters 7 on the sub-conveyor 4 is the container 1
is removed from the sub-conveyor 4 by the operator at the open end of the conveyor.

In this embodiment, the piles of letters 7 that have not yet reached the open end of the container 1 are forced to reach the open end of the container 1 by operating the overwriting device of the detection means (not shown). can be removed from the sub-conveyor 4.

As described in detail above, in this embodiment, a substantially predetermined amount of letters 7 are sequentially delivered to the open end of the container 1 by the sub-conveyor 4, so that the operator can
If a certain amount of the pile of letters 7 that has reached the open end of the container 1 is removed from the sub-conveyor 7, the next pile of letters 7 that have reached the open end of the container 1 can be removed by removing the pile of letters 7 on the sub-conveyor 4. This can be determined by observing the movement of mountains. Moreover, by operating the override device of the detection means (not shown), a desired amount of letters 7 can be transferred to the sub-conveyor 4 at once.
It can be removed from above.

Therefore, a large pile of letters 7 suddenly appears at the open end of the container 1, and the operator has difficulty removing this pile before the next large pile of letters 7 appears at the open end of the container 1. The burden on the operator is reduced, and the piles of letters 7 must be removed next after the piles of letters 7 have been removed from the sub-conveyor 4 by operating the override device of the detection means (not shown). The operator can control to a certain extent the interval until the time when it does not occur.

Moreover, the plurality of letters 7 are sequentially sent from the lower part of the main conveyor 2 to the open end of the container 1 by the sub-conveyor 4, and are overlapped on the sub-conveyor 4 with some parts overlapping each other. Postmarks, express delivery stamps, etc. stamped at the post office on the surface of multiple letters 7 accumulated in the mail may be transferred to the surface of other letters, or the ink may rub off and the above-mentioned printing or The writing around the above-mentioned printing does not become unclear.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 is a schematic side view of a device for receiving flat objects according to an embodiment of the invention combined with a letter sorting device as a device for transporting flat objects; FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of an embodiment of the invention. 1... Container, 2... Main conveyor, 3... Divider, 4... Sub-conveyor, 5, 6... Guide member, 7
……letter.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A flat object conveying device comprising a main conveyor 2 for transporting a flat object, and a sorting means 3 for guiding a desired flat object on the main conveyor 2 below the main conveyor 2. Containers 1 are arranged below the main conveyor 2 in correspondence with the sorting means 3 and extend from below the main conveyor 2 in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the main conveyor 2. A flat object is placed in the container 1 corresponding to the sorting means 3, guided downward from the main conveyor 2 by the sorting means 3, and is placed in the container 1 in the longitudinal direction of the main conveyor 2 from below the main conveyor 2. A sub-conveyor 4 extends in a direction intersecting the main conveyor 2; detects a flat object guided downward by the sorting means 3 from above the main conveyor 2, and guides it downward from above the main conveyor 2 by the sorting means 3 and a detection means for detecting a predetermined height of a mountain constituting a plurality of flat plate-shaped objects placed on the sub conveyor 4 after being conveyed; It corresponds to the detection of a flat object guided downward by the sorting means 3 from above the conveyor 2 and the detection of a predetermined height of a mountain formed by a plurality of flat objects placed on the sub-conveyor 4. The flat object is driven by the sub conveyor 4 and moves the plurality of flat objects placed on the sub conveyor 4 away from below the main conveyor 2 in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the main conveyor 2. Receiving device. 2. Guide means 5 and 6 are provided in the container 1 for arranging the flat plate-shaped object guided downward by the sorting means 3 from above the main conveyor 2 onto the second conveyor 4 in a predetermined posture. A receiving device for a flat plate-shaped object according to claim 1, characterized in that: 3 The guide means 5 and 6 are provided with a pair of guide members spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the sub-conveyor 4 below the main conveyor 2, and the pair of guide members guide the sub-conveyor 4 downstream. 3. The device for receiving a flat object according to claim 2, wherein the side portion 6 is constituted by a flexible curtain. 4. The flat object receiving device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the detection means is a detection means using light. 5. The flat object receiving device according to claim 1, wherein the detection means includes an override device.