JPH1149383A - Paper feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To stably feed a large number of sheets by simultaneously loading them by controlling pressing speed or a pressing position of a driving means so that contact force of the sheets and a fetching rotor can be held in a specified range by providing the driving means to press a sheet loading means to the fetching rotor. SOLUTION: When a sheet rises toward a rotor 1 and an upper surface of the sheet makes contact with the rotor 1, contact force against the rotor 1 is generated, and thereafter, the contact force increases as a backup 11 continues to rise. When the contact force increases and exceeds a push-up rotational moment, a sheet holding surface of the backup 11 rotates downward, and a surface of the backup 11 moves downward relative to a holder block 12. Thereafter, a change appears in output of a non-contact displacement gauge 21. A command is transmitted to a motor 3 so as to stop rising of the backup 11 or to reduce speed of it by detecting this change. Consequently, it is possible to feed paper in a state of constantly keeping downward displacement quantity of the backup 11 constant.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device for supplying sheets to a conveying device in order to sequentially take out and convey stacked sheets.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 6 shows a paper feed mechanism of a conventional paper feeder. The take-out rotor 61 has a vacuum chamber inside, and has a configuration in which a cylinder having a suction hole on the outside rotates. The vacuum chamber has a notch in the sheet direction, and generates a vacuum suction force outside the rotor 61 when the suction hole and the cutout portion coincide with each other, and suctions the uppermost surface of the sheet 60 supplied from below.
It is separated from the bundle of paper sheets and put into the transport system.

In this method, the suction force is generated only when the suction hole comes to the upper part of the paper sheet, so that the rotor 61 can take in one paper sheet per rotation in the apparatus. The backup 62 carries a bundle of stacked paper sheets 60 and is initially waiting at a position distant from the take-out rotor 61. When a feed start command is input from the system, the motor 62
3 rotates and raises the backup 62 to take out the bundle of paper sheets 60 and push it out toward the rotor 61 at high speed.

When the uppermost sheet of the bundle of sheets 60 comes into contact with the surface of the take-out rotor 61, the vacuum pump is turned on and the take-out rotor 61 starts taking out the sheets. At that time, the backup 62 reduces the pushing speed so that the bundle of the sheets 60 is not excessively pressed against the take-out rotor 61.

[0005] A two-sheet taking prevention block 66 is arranged opposite to the take-out rotor 61. This block 66 has a vacuum suction force, and when a plurality of paper sheets 60 are taken out and taken out, except for the paper sheet directly in contact with the rotor 61, the other paper sheet is sucked and stopped. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a plurality of paper sheets 60 from being overlapped and inserted into the transport path.

In taking in such a sheet, it is important that the intervals at which the sheet is taken in are uniform in order to perform a subsequent inspection of the sheet. Is a hindrance to inspection, and it is important to minimize its occurrence.

For this purpose, the paper sheet 60 and the take-out rotor 6
The state of contact with 1 is a very important factor. If the contact force between the two is insufficient, the rotor 61 cannot take out the paper sheet 60 and repeatedly blows. On the other hand, if the contact force between the two is too large, jamming or taking out two sheets frequently occurs, and good taking-out cannot be performed.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 6, in order to solve the above-described problem, the lever 64 for detecting the uppermost surface of the stacked paper sheets 60 is brought into contact with the uppermost paper sheet 60. Provided. The lever 64 is rotatably supported, and the rotation support portion is connected to a sensor 65 such as a rotary encoder or a potentiometer that outputs different signals depending on the rotation position.

By monitoring the output of the sensor 65, the system grasps the positional relationship between the upper surface of the paper sheet 60 and the take-out rotor 61, and determines whether the bundle of the paper sheet 60 is in contact with the surface of the rotor 61. It is a method of trying.

In other words, if the position of the upper surface of the paper sheet 60 detected by the lever 64 is at a position where the surface of the paper sheet 60 is slightly bitten into the surface position of the take-out rotor 61, it is determined that the upper surface of the paper sheet 60 is in contact with the take-out rotor 61. Then, the pushing speed of the backup 62 during the take-out operation is controlled so as to keep this state.

However, when the paper sheet 60 is taken out at a high speed, the paper sheet slightly fluctuates above and below its surface. In this method, since the lever 64 vibrates under the influence of the flutter, there is a possibility that the control may oscillate. Further, if the lever 64 is made heavy to suppress the flutter, the operation of taking out the paper sheet 60 is undesirably affected by the weight of the lever 64. Further, when the paper sheet 60 is slightly curled in the whole bundle, the positioning itself between the surface of the take-out rotor 61 and the upper surface of the paper sheet 60 is out of order, so that it is impossible to realize high-speed and stable contact. It is.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, a system in which a force sensor 70 is built in the bottom portion of the backup 62 supporting the paper sheet 60 and the direct contact force is measured can be considered, but the influence of the weight of the paper sheet to be mounted is considered. It has to be taken into consideration, and there is a disadvantage that control becomes difficult. In particular, when the number of paper sheets 60 to be mounted increases and approaches 1,000, the force sensor 70 takes a considerable weight, and it is difficult to detect a delicate contact force between the take-out rotor 61 and the paper sheet 60 in this state. Become. Therefore, there is a need for a new sheet feeding device that keeps the contact between the take-out rotor 61 and the sheet 60 stable regardless of the number of sheets.

[0013]

As described above, it is extremely difficult for the conventional paper feeder to load and take out many sheets at once. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a paper feeder which has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and in which a large number of paper sheets are simultaneously mounted to enable stable paper feed.

[0014]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a paper feed mechanism capable of simultaneously loading a large number of paper sheets and stably feeding papers, while compensating for the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional paper feed system. That is, in the present invention, a take-out rotor for contacting the stacked sheets and separating the sheets one by one, and a sheet feed for mounting the stacked sheets and pressing the stacked sheets against the take-out rotor A paper feeding device, comprising: a paper loading unit for mounting the paper sheet; a driving unit for pressing the paper mounting unit against the take-out rotor; Control means for controlling a pressing speed or a pressing position of the driving means such that a contact force between the leaf and the take-out rotor falls within a predetermined range.

Further, the control means includes a contact force detecting means for detecting the contact force, and controls the driving means in accordance with an output of the contact force detecting means.

Further, the paper sheet mounting means comprises a balance mechanism rotatably provided with a mounting surface for mounting the paper sheet, and the drive means for pressing the balance mechanism against the take-out rotor. The control means applies a predetermined rotating force to the balance mechanism and presses the balance mechanism in the direction of the takeout rotor with a predetermined second pressing force. Turning force applying means for attaching, pressing force detecting means for detecting a difference between the second pressing force and the first pressing force, and controlling the driving device according to an output of the pressing force detecting means. And a drive control means.

Further, the turning power applying means comprises an actuator for applying a predetermined turning power to the balance mechanism. Further, the turning power applying means is constituted by a weight for applying a predetermined turning power to the balance mechanism.

The paper sheet mounting means includes a mounting plate capable of changing a size of a mounting surface of the paper sheet in accordance with a type of the paper sheet, and the mounting plate being rotatable around its rotation center. And a displacement means for variably supporting the rotation center position of the holder block according to the type or weight of the paper sheet.

Further, the paper sheet mounting means is constituted by a balance mechanism having a mounting surface for mounting the paper sheet and having a fulcrum for rotation support above the uppermost surface of the paper sheet, and the fulcrum of the balance mechanism is the rotating rotor. Is arranged at a position substantially at the center of the paper sheet length with respect to the paper sheet take-out direction.

Further, the position of the fulcrum of the balance mechanism is provided so as to be adjustable at about a half of the paper sheet length according to the length of the paper sheet to be mounted. A rotating rotor for contacting the stacked sheets and separating the sheets one by one; a sheet mounting unit for mounting the stacked sheets; and the sheet mounting unit. A sheet feeding device having sheet feeding means for pressing against a rotating rotor,
The paper sheet mounting means includes a mounting plate capable of changing the size of a mounting surface of the paper sheet according to the type of the paper sheet, and a support plate for supporting the mounting plate so as to be rotatable around its rotation center. A balance mechanism; and a supporting means for variably supporting the rotation center position of the balance mechanism in accordance with the size of the sheet.

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a sheet feeding apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the take-out rotor 1 is a take-out rotor of a continuous rotation type that rotates continuously in conjunction with a transport belt 2. The inside of the take-out rotor 1 is depressurized by a vacuum pump. When the take-out hole comes to a predetermined position, the hole is released, the sheet located at the bottom is instantaneously adsorbed, and the adsorbed sheet is removed from the remaining sheet. After being separated from the bundle, it is transported to the transport path.

The bundle of paper sheets is usually carried in from a pre-processing unit (not shown) in units of about 1000 sheets, and is stacked on the backup 11. The backup 11 and the entire holding unit are held by a drive system driven up and down by the motor 3. This drive system is composed of the ball screw 4, the slider 5, and the like, so that the entire backup 11 can be smoothly moved up and down.

The backup 11 is rotatably held by the holder block 12 around the backup rotation shaft 13 and constitutes a balance mechanism. The backup 11 has one end connected to the linear actuator 14. The backup rotation shaft 13 is set so as to always be located above the upper surface of the sheet bundle.
Is set so that the portion to which the force from the linear actuator 14 is applied is shifted from the position of the backup rotation shaft 13, and more specifically, is shifted toward the side closer to the rotor 1. The force acts as a rotational moment in a direction in which the backup 11 is pressed against the rotor 1.

As a result, the linear actuator 14
A rotational moment can be applied to the backup 11 in accordance with the applied voltage. Under a constant voltage condition, the rotational moment is always constant within the allowable stroke of the linear actuator 14.

The rotational moment applied by the linear actuator 14 causes the backup rotary shaft 1 to rotate.
A configuration is also possible in which the balance of the three centers is adjusted to cancel the occurrence of a moment due to its own weight or the weight of the loaded paper sheet.

A non-contact displacement meter 21 is disposed below the backup 11, and can detect the amount of displacement of the rotational position on the bottom surface of the backup 11. This non-contact displacement meter 21
For example, if the backup 11 is made to rotate by a very small amount with respect to the axis, the amount can be accurately detected.

A nozzle (not shown) for supplying loose air is arranged at the end of the paper feeding mechanism in the paper sheet insertion direction. Air is blown from the side of the sheet bundle, and air is blown between the sheet bundles to perform a separating operation. This reduces the take-out of the paper sheet when it is taken out.

On the transport path adjacent to the take-out rotor 1,
A two-sheet taking prevention block 22 is provided. This block 22 has a vacuum suction force, and when a plurality of sheets are taken out in a stack, it is possible to suck and stop other sheets except for the sheet directly contacting the rotor 1. It is configured to prevent paper sheets from being inserted into the transport path in an overlapping manner.

A pair of sensors 31 are arranged vertically with respect to the backup 11 in the figure. This sensor 3
Reference numeral 1 denotes, for example, a photoelectric switching sensor in which a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit are arranged vertically above and below a hole (not shown) penetrating the backup 11.
1 can be detected.

The entire takeout mechanism described above is controlled by a controller (not shown). This controller is connected to the information of each sensor and the overall controller that controls the entire apparatus, and controls so that extraction is optimally performed. Specifically, the controller observes the state of the sheet bundle being picked up, and controls the speed and position of the backup 11 so that the picking is performed in an optimum state as much as possible.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of the backup operation constituting the balance mechanism of the present invention. The paper sheet removal in the present invention is performed in the following procedure. First, the backup 11 is stationary at the reference position. A constant voltage V is applied to the linear actuator 14, the sheet holding surface of the backup 11 is given a rotational force of a rotational moment T in the direction of the take-out rotor 1, and is pressed against a stopper 15 provided on the holder block 12. Stopped in a state.

In this state, as shown in FIG.
It is carried on and stacked and placed. In the present embodiment, the paper sheet 10 is carried in from the rear in the direction in which the paper sheet 10 is taken out. When the sensor 31 detects that the paper sheet 10 has been carried into the backup 11, the controller starts a paper feeding operation. A command to raise the backup 11 is sent to the motor 3, and the sheet 10 starts rising toward the rotor 1.

When the paper sheet 10 rises toward the rotor 1 and the upper surface of the paper sheet 10 comes into contact with the rotor 1, a contact force F against the rotor 1 is generated. Thereafter, as the backup 11 continues to rise, the contact force F increases. I do. The contact force F becomes a rotational moment for pushing down the backup 11, and acts in a direction opposite to the rotational moment T pushed up by the linear actuator. The contact force F increases and the rotational moment T
(F> T), the sheet holding surface of the backup 11 rotates downward, and the surface of the backup 11 moves downward with respect to the holder block 12.

As a result, the non-contact displacement meter 21 (see FIG. 1)
The distance between the backup meter 11 and the
Changes appear in the output. That is, the non-contact displacement meter 2
Reference numeral 1 serves as a contact force detection sensor capable of detecting a difference between a pressing force that gives a rotational moment T and a reaction force F of the pressing force generated by driving the motor 3.

In the state shown in FIG. 2-2 described above, when a change in the displacement meter 21 is detected and a command is issued to the motor 3 to stop or decelerate the backup 11, the backup 11 is always directed downward. Paper can be fed while the displacement is kept constant.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 2-3, the paper sheet 10 is taken out, taken out by the rotor 1, and the backup 11 rises as the paper sheet 10 decreases, but as described above, the linear actuator 14 In order to output a constant force, the pushing-up force is constant regardless of the position where the backup 11 rotates. Therefore, the contact force between the take-out rotor 1 and the sheet contact portion does not increase by a certain value or more, and a sheet feeding state in which stable contact between the rotor and the sheet is maintained can be realized.

At the end of sheet feeding as shown in FIG. 2-4, the sensor 31 detects that the sheet has run out, lowers the backup and returns to the initial state. As described above, in the first embodiment, the backup 11 on which the paper sheet is mounted has a balance-like configuration, and adjustment is performed so as to be balanced around the rotation axis 13 of the backup 11. The rotating shaft 13 is arranged at the center in the length direction of the paper sheet. No matter how many sheets are loaded on the backup 11 in this state, the balance will not be lost.

In this balanced state, the actuator 1
4 and the like, a pressing force against the take-out rotor 1 (a force equivalent to a contact force in the take-out direction) is applied, and the backup unit 11 serving as a paper feed table is raised by driving means such as the motor 3. When the pressure becomes equal to the pressing force, the backup 11 constituting the balance mechanism makes a minute rotation. By detecting this rotation, the rising speed of the backup is controlled so as to maintain the pressing force within a predetermined range, so that stable contact can be maintained without being affected by the number of sheets.

In the system of the first embodiment, the voltage to the linear actuator 14 is adjusted by the control unit even when the contact force with the rotor 1 has to be changed according to the type and state of the sheet. By doing, backup 1
Since the pressing force of 1 can be easily adjusted, the pressing force can be easily adjusted, and stable removal of paper sheets in various states can be realized.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 3 shows a configuration of a sheet feeding apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the example of FIG. 3, instead of the linear actuator 14 used in the first embodiment, a weight 4 for generating a push-up moment of the backup 11 constituting the balance mechanism is provided.
1 is mounted.

As described above, since the weight 41 is used, electrical adjustment of the contact force cannot be performed. However, once the optimum conditions are set, the structure is much simpler in terms of mechanism, and A highly reliable mechanism can be realized. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

In the second embodiment, the mechanism for pressing the backup 11 against the rotor 1 is a simpler mechanism by simply providing the weight 41, and realizes a reliable mechanism. The configuration shown in the second embodiment is sufficiently effective under use conditions in which there is no variation in the types and states of paper sheets.

(Third Embodiment) In the paper feeding device of the present invention shown in the first and second embodiments, the contact force between the paper sheet and the take-out rotor is kept constant during the paper feeding operation. , And even if more than 1000 sheets are simultaneously loaded, it is possible to perform an operation of taking out sheets with extremely stable pitch without errors such as missed sheets and picking up two sheets. .

In order to sufficiently obtain the above-described effects, it is desirable that the backup 11 be balanced around the backup rotary shaft 13 regardless of whether the paper sheet is mounted or not. Otherwise, the moment varies depending on the size of the mounted paper or the weight of the paper, and the contact force between the rotor and the paper changes.

However, when the type of paper sheet to be mounted is changed, the total length of the paper sheet may change. Then, if the shaft and the backup position are fixed, the balance is broken when the paper sheet is mounted, and the above advantage cannot be obtained. It is also necessary to consider that the weight of the mounted paper sheets changes as the number of paper sheets decreases while the paper sheets are being taken out.

Therefore, in the third embodiment, the positional relationship between the backing paper mounting surface and the shaft is configured to be adjustable, and this adjusting operation will be described below. FIG.
FIG. 9 shows a configuration example of the backup 11 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 4-1 is a configuration diagram of the backup 11 viewed from the front, FIG. 4-2 is a configuration diagram of the backup 11 viewed from the side, and FIG. 4-3 is a configuration diagram of the backup 11 viewed from the top.

The backup 11 includes the paper sheet mounting plates 52, 5
3 is configured to mount a paper sheet thereon. As shown in FIG. 4-2, the paper sheet mounting plates 52 and 53 have a substantially T-shaped cross-sectional shape in which a flange is formed as a guide slidable with respect to the backup 11, and each has a nested backup. 11. Then, as shown in FIG. 4C, the paper sheet mounting plates 52 and 53 can be displaced linearly with respect to the backup 11 in the direction of the arrow, that is, in the paper sheet take-out direction. Mounting plates 52, 53
Are arranged in a nested manner as shown in this figure, and are designed so that the loaded paper sheets do not fall even if the mounting plates 52 and 53 slide back and forth in the paper sheet take-out direction.

The guide and the mounting plates 52 and 53 can be fixed with, for example, set screws 54 as shown in FIG. In the third embodiment, the position of the holder block 12 holding the backup rotary shaft 13 is taken out and slidable with respect to the take-out rotor 1 back and forth in the paper sheet take-out direction.

The operation of sliding the holder block 12 back and forth with respect to the rotor 1 in the sheet removing direction will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 5B, it is assumed that the backup 11 is balanced around the backup rotation axis 13. The state shown in FIG.
This is a setting for mounting a paper sheet of length L as indicated by -1. However, as shown in FIG. 5-3, when the type of paper sheet is switched and a ticket of length L # is taken out, the balance is lost, so that it becomes impossible to mount a large number of paper sheets.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5-4, first, the backup rotary shaft 13 is slid backward (forward) by the amount of (L−L ｀) / 2 as shown in the figure. Of course, the positions of the mounting plates 52 and 53 are shifted by that amount. Then, the mounting plate 52 is moved (L
−L 板) / 2, and the mounting plate 53 is slid backward by the same amount.

As a result, the total length of the mounting portion is L ｀, and the backup configuration is balanced around the backup rotary shaft 13, so that a ticket having a length of L ｀ can be similarly stably taken out.

As described above, according to the configuration of the sheet feeding device shown in the first to third embodiments of the present invention, a sheet feeding device capable of feeding a large amount of sheets at a time is realized. it can. Further, even if the length of the paper sheet changes due to switching or the like, it can be easily handled.

[0053]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to provide a paper feeder that can simultaneously load a large number of paper sheets and enables stable paper feed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a sheet feeding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a backup operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a sheet feeding device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a structural explanatory diagram of a backup according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a backup adjusting mechanism according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a conventional sheet feeding device.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of another conventional sheet feeding device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 take-out rotor 2 sheet transport path 3 motor (drive means) 1 ball screw 5 slider 1 paper feed block 11 backup (sheet loading means, balance mechanism) 12 holder block (balance mechanism) 13 backup rotary shaft 14 linear actuator 15 Stopper 21 Non-contact displacement meter 22 Prevention block for two sheets 31 Photoelectric sensor 41 Weight 52, 53 Sheet mounting plate

Claims (9)

[Claims] A take-out rotor for contacting the stacked sheets and separating the sheets one by one; and a paper feed mechanism for mounting the stacked sheets and pressing the stacked sheets against the take-out rotor. In the sheet feeding device, the sheet feeding mechanism includes a sheet mounting unit for mounting the sheet, a driving unit for pressing the sheet mounting unit against the take-out rotor, and the sheet. A sheet feeding device comprising: a control unit for controlling a pressing speed or a pressing position of the driving unit such that a contact force with the take-out rotor falls within a predetermined range. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means includes a contact force detecting means for detecting said contact force, and controls said driving means in accordance with an output of said contact force detecting means. Paper feeder. 3. The paper sheet mounting means comprises a balance mechanism rotatably provided with a mounting surface for mounting the paper sheet,
The driving unit includes a driving device that generates a first pressing force for pressing the balance mechanism against the take-out rotor, and the control unit applies a predetermined rotating power to the balance mechanism to perform the rotation. Turning force applying means for pressing the second pressing force in the direction of the take-out rotor with a predetermined second pressing force; pressing force detecting means for detecting a difference between the second pressing force and the first pressing force; 2. The sheet feeder according to claim 1, further comprising a drive control unit that controls the drive unit in accordance with an output of the pressing force detection unit. 4. The paper feeding apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said rotating power applying means comprises an actuator for applying a predetermined rotating power to said balance mechanism. 5. The sheet feeding device according to claim 3, wherein said rotating power applying means comprises a weight for applying a predetermined rotating power to said balance mechanism. 6. The paper sheet mounting means, comprising: a mounting plate capable of changing a size of a mounting surface of the paper sheet according to a type of the paper sheet;
A holder block for rotatably supporting the mounting plate about its center of rotation; and a displacement means for variably supporting the center of rotation of the holder block according to the type or weight of the paper sheet. The paper feeding device according to claim 1, wherein: 7. The paper sheet mounting means is constituted by a balance mechanism having a mounting surface for mounting the paper sheet and having a fulcrum of rotation support above the uppermost surface of the paper sheet, wherein the fulcrum of the balance mechanism is the rotary rotor. 2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding device is disposed at a position substantially at the center of the sheet length with respect to the sheet picking direction. 8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the position of the fulcrum of said balance mechanism is adjustable at a position of about half of the sheet length according to the length of the sheet to be mounted. Paper feeder. 9. A rotating rotor for contacting the stacked sheets and separating the sheets one by one, sheet mounting means for mounting the stacked sheets, and sheet mounting. A sheet feeding unit for pressing a unit against the rotating rotor, wherein the sheet mounting unit can change a size of a mounting surface of the sheet according to a type of the sheet. A mounting plate, a balance mechanism for rotatably supporting the mounting plate around its rotation center, and a support for variably supporting the rotation center position of the balance mechanism according to the type or weight of the paper sheet. And a paper feeder.