JPS625866B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a sheet counting, stacking and discharging device that counts punched sheets such as corrugated cardboard sheets and conveys them to the next process in batches of a predetermined number of sheets.

Conventionally, when corrugated cardboard sheets are punched out with a punching machine and then conveyed to the next process, sheet counting, stacking and carrying out devices shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 have been used. In the figure, the pre-process is fed and the punched sheet 1 is supplied to a hopper 2 by an entrance conveyor 3.
Reference numeral 4 denotes a register disposed in the center of the hopper 2 so as to be able to enter and exit the hopper 2 at will, and partitions the sheets 1 into batches of a predetermined number of sheets. Reference numeral 5 denotes an elevator that can move up and down, and after stacking a predetermined amount of sheets 1 that fall one by one into the hopper 2, it descends and is conveyed to the next binding machine by an exit conveyor 6, and then rises again. . The sheets 1 in between are stacked by pushing the ledge 4 into the hopper. 7 is the front part of the hopper 2, and the gate 8 is located at the bottom of it.
is swingably attached to the exit conveyor 6.
When carrying out the sheet bundle, open it so that it does not get in the way. Reference numeral 9 denotes a photoelectronic switch disposed at the end of the entrance conveyor 3 at the entrance of the hopper 2, and is controlled to count only when sheets are conveyed on the entrance conveyor 3 at a distance greater than a certain distance. The entry and exit of the cash register 4 is controlled by the count of the photoelectronic switch 9.
Figure 1 shows the state of work disclosure, and sheet 1
are counted one by one by the photoelectronic switch 9 and stacked on the cash register 4 in the hopper 2. After a suitable number of sheets 1 have been accumulated on the register 4, the register 4 is taken out from the hopper 2. The sheets 1 are continuously stacked on the elevator 5, and when the number reaches a predetermined number, the register 4 is put into the hopper 2 again to separate it from the next sheet. The next sheet and subsequent sheets are stacked on the cash register 4, and at the same time the elevator 5 descends, and after the elevator 5 reaches the lower limit, the gate 8 is opened and the exit conveyor 6 takes the elevator 5 to the next process.
Conveys the upper sheet bundle. Thereafter, the elevator 5 rises again, repeats the above operation, and carries out the sheets as a bundle of a predetermined number of sheets to the next process. sheet 1
For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a hole 13 having a length L is punched out by a punching machine in the previous step. The counting mechanism of the photoelectronic switch 9 is shown in FIG. 4, where 14 is a sheet counter, 15 is a sheet spacing confirmation counter, 16 is a sheet spacing setting device, and 10 is a proximity switch, which is attached to the drive roll shaft of the entrance conveyor 3. The protrusion of the proximal body 10' is detected and a pulse is transmitted. Now, assuming that the length L of the hole 13 is 200 mm or less, let us consider a case where sheets are conveyed at intervals of 200 mm or more. Assuming that the pulse interval of the proximity switch 10 is converted to the advance amount of the sheet on the entrance conveyor 3 and is 20 mm, the setting device 16 has a value of 11 (=
200/20+1). Under the condition that the photoelectronic switch 9 is in the light receiving state, the counter 15 counts the number of pulses of the proximity switch 10, and when it counts 11 and becomes the same as the setting device 16, it outputs. Next, when the photoelectronic switch 9 is shielded from light by the sheet 1, the sheet counter 14 counts on the condition that the counter 15 is outputting. At the same time, the counter 15 is reset to prepare for the next count. Further, the counter 15 is reset when the pulse number of the proximity switch 10 is less than 10 and the photoelectronic switch 9 is shielded from light. 17 in Figure 5
18 is a variable speed controller, 19 is a ratio setting device, 20 is a sheet spacing calculator, and 21 is a detector for the paper feeding and punching speed in the previous process.

In a punching machine, one sheet is delivered by one rotation of the punching cylinder, so the sheet interval is the difference between the peripheral length of the punching cylinder and the sheet length. If the sheet spacing is 200mm or more as assumed above, the speed of the punching machine and the surface speed of the three entrance conveyor belts may be in a 1:1 relationship, but if the sheet spacing is less than 200mm, the surface speed of the three entrance conveyor belts should be 1:1. It is necessary to increase the sheet spacing by increasing the speed of the punching machine. That is, the ratio of the speed of the punching machine and the surface speed of the entrance conveyor 3 belt must be set so that the circumferential length of the punching cylinder is the sheet length + 200 mm. When automatically controlling the ratio, the seat length is detected by some method, the seat interval is calculated by the calculator 20 to determine that the difference between the cylinder circumference and the seat length is 200 mm or less, and the result is used to set the ratio. 19 to control the motor 17.

As described above, this sheet counting, stacking and discharging device has a complicated counting circuit, and there is a high possibility of erroneous counting. Furthermore, since counting is performed using a photoelectronic switch after sheet punching, it is necessary to limit the dimensions of the punched holes in the sheet, and on the other hand, when conveying the sheets, the interval between sheets must be a specified amount or more, which limits the work speed. , a heavy load is placed on the inlet conveyor drive motor. Furthermore, since the speed of the entrance conveyor is controlled by detecting the sheet spacing, there is a drawback that the control becomes complicated.

In order to prevent erroneous counting due to punched holes in the device, the devices shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 are used. That is, photoelectronic switch 1
1 and 12 are mounted at the rear end of the entrance conveyor 3 in the sheet advancing direction with an interval larger than the punched holes and smaller than the sheet spacing. The counting circuit of this device will be explained with reference to FIG.
is a flip-flop and optoelectronic switch 1
It is set when both 1 and 12 are in the light receiving state (when the sheet interval is detected). first sheet 1
Since the light has not reached the position of the photoelectronic switch 12, that is, both photoelectronic switches 11 and 12 are receiving light, the flip-flop 22 is set. When the sheet 1 advances and the optoelectronic switch 11 is shielded from light by the sheet 1, the flip-flop 2
2 is set, the sheet counter 14 increments. At the same time, flip-flop 22 is reset and ready for the next count.

However, even in this device, the counting circuit is complicated and there is a risk of erroneous counting. Further, the size of the punched holes must be equal to or smaller than the distance between the photoelectronic switches 11 and 12. Furthermore, since the speed control of the entrance conveyor needs to be carried out in substantially the same manner as in the above-mentioned apparatus, it has the disadvantage that the control is complicated like in the above-mentioned apparatus.

The present invention is a device that counts sheets punched in a punching machine, stacks them in a hopper, divides the sheets into batches of a predetermined number of sheets in the same hopper, and transports them to the next process. and a tracking mechanism that tracks the positions of the sheets counted by the counting mechanism from the punching machine to the hopper entrance, and thereby controls the movement of the register. The purpose is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional method, to eliminate the risk of erroneous counting by counting the sheets before punching, and to detect and control the conveyance position of the sheets to improve work efficiency. faster speed,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet counting, stacking and discharging device with a simplified control system.

The present invention is configured as described above, and the counting mechanism counts the sheets at the entrance of the punching machine in a state that has not yet been punched. When the count reaches a predetermined number, the moving position of the sheet is tracked by the tracking mechanism. Then, when it detects that the same sheet has reached the hopper entrance, it is moved in and out of the register, partitioned into a predetermined number of sheets, and carried out in batches to the next process.

As described above, according to the present invention, since the sheet is counted before it is punched out, there is no risk of erroneous counting caused by the punched holes, and as a result, the counting mechanism does not require a function to prevent erroneous counting, so it can be a simple mechanism. Furthermore, since the moving position of the sheets is tracked to control registration, etc., there is no need to consider the sheet spacing, work efficiency is increased, and the sheet moving speed can be easily controlled.

The present invention will now be explained in detail with reference to the most preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 8-12.
In the figures, the same reference numerals as above indicate the same parts. 2
4 is a punching machine for punching the sheet 1. The punching machine 24 has a sheet feeding table 25 and sheets 26 arranged on the table 25 and stacked on the table 25.
Seat pedestal 27 and front support 2 that support the rear end
8. Punching car 29 for feeding the sheets one by one through the gap between the front cover 28 and table 25 from the bottom of the stacked sheets, a pair of feed rolls 30 for feeding the sheets that have been kicked in, and punching out the sheets. A die cylinder 31 and an anvil cylinder 32 for counting, a photoelectronic switch 33 for counting the number of sheets, a sheet counter 23 for counting the number of sheets, and a puncher drive crankshaft 34 for detecting that the sheet is caught in the feed roll 30. It consists of an attached proximity switch 35. Reference numeral 36 denotes a proximity switch attached to the drive roller shaft of the entrance conveyor 3, which emits one pulse every time a predetermined amount of sheet movement on the entrance conveyor 3 is carried out.

The present embodiment is constructed as described above, and its operation will be explained next. In the initial state, the sheet holder 27 of the punching machine 24 is raised and paper feeding is stopped. The crankshaft 34 rotates according to the operation command,
As a result, the picker 29 swings back and forth, and when the sheet holder 27 is lowered in response to a paper feed command, it is ready to feed sheets one by one at any time. Furthermore, the crankshaft 34 feeds one sheet per revolution,
Die cylinder 31 and anvil cylinder 32
rotates at a ratio of 1:1 to the rotation of the crankshaft 34. The inlet conveyor 3 of the delivery unit 37 is operated at a 1:1 ratio with the speed of the paper feed punching unit 24. The cash register 4 is in the hopper 2, the elevator 5 is in the ascending state, the gate 8 is in the closed state, and the exit conveyor 6 is always operated at a constant speed. When the sheet receiving table 27 is lowered in response to a sheet feeding start command and sheet feeding is started, the photoelectronic switch 33 is shielded from light immediately after the sheet passes the front cover 28, as shown in FIG. The photoelectronic switch 33 counts when it is shielded from light. When the photoelectronic switch 33 is shielded from light by the predetermined number of sheets to be accumulated on the register 4 + the first sheet, the sheet tracking mechanism, which will be described later, detects when the leading edge of the sheet reaches the entrance of the hopper 2.
Go out. The seat is then supported by the elevator 5. Further sheets are fed, and after the photoelectronic switch 33 counts the final sheet of the set batch, the next first sheet is tracked by the sheet tracking mechanism described later, and when the leading edge of the sheet reaches the entrance of the hopper 2. , insert the register 4 into the hopper 2 and partition the batch. At the same time, the elevator 5 is lowered, and after reaching the lower limit, the gate 8 is opened to transport the bundle of sheets to the next process. Thereafter, the elevator 5 rises again, and during this time the sheets are stacked on the cash register 4 which is in the hopper 2. Next, the tracking mechanism will be explained.

After the leading edge of the sheet shields the photoelectronic switch 33 from light, the proximity switch 35 detects the actuating piece, thereby activating the tracking mechanism. That is, the tracking starting point is the point where the leading edge of the sheet is bitten by the feed roll 30 (the center of the feed roll). Furthermore, since the entrance conveyor 3 is operated at a ratio of 1:1 to the sheet feeding speed of the punching machine 24, the sheet tracking distance (=l ₅ -l ₂ ) is expressed by the following relational expression.

l ₅ - _{l 2} = (n ₁ - 1) x l ₃ = (n ₂ - 1) x l ₄ (1) l ₅ : Distance from front piece 28 to the end of the entrance conveyor l ₂ : From front piece 28 to feed roll 30 l ₃ : Circumferential length of the die cylinder 31 l ₄ : Amount of advance of the sheet on the entrance conveyor 3 during one pulse of the proximity switch 36 n ₁ : Number of pulses of the proximity switch 35 n ₂ : Pulse of the proximity switch 36 However, since the speed of the entrance conveyor 3 actually has some error (normally ±5% or less) with respect to the speed of the punching machine 24, the proximity switch 35 is used to control the speed of the entrance conveyor 3 until the sheet gets on the entrance conveyor 3. 3
Tracking using the proximity switch 36 has good tracking accuracy. Therefore, equation (1) can be converted as follows.

l ₅ −l ₂ = (n ₁ ′−1) × l ₃ + (n ₂ ′−1) × l ₄ (2) n ₁ ′: Number of pulses of the proximity switch 35 until the sheet almost reaches the entrance conveyor n ₂ ': Number of pulses of the proximity switch 36 while the sheet is on the entrance conveyor Now, for the sake of explanation, let us assume a concrete value.
The batch is 20 sheets/bundle, _{the retrieval OUT timing (the number of sheets accumulated on the retrieval unit) is 9 sheets, the distance from the feed roll 30 to the entrance of the entrance conveyor 3 is 600 mm, l 2 is} 100 mm, l ₃ is 950 mm, l ₄ to 25mm, l ₅
Assume that 2200mm. When n ₁ ' is assumed to be 2 pulses and substituted into equation (2), 2200-100=(2-1) x 950 + (n ₂ '-1) x 25 n ₂ ' becomes 47 pulses. That is, after the sheet to be tracked shields the photoelectronic switch 33 from light, the proximity switch 3
5 counts 2, then proximity switch 36 47
Once counted, the leading edge of the sheet to be tracked will reach the hopper 2 entrance. (Refer to Fig. 9) The above dimensions are determined from the layout of the machine, and as shown in Fig. 12, the paper feed unit 3
8, printing units 39, 40, conveyor 41
Also, even those that reach the delivery unit 37 via the punching unit 42 can be tracked in the same way as described above, just by increasing the _l5 dimension.

Furthermore, if the entrance conveyor is driven by the same motor as the pre-processing unit, there will be no error in speed, so tracking is possible even with one proximity switch.

Note that the counting mechanism is not limited to a photoelectronic switch, but may be one that makes contact with the sheet and counts, for example.

According to this embodiment, since the photoelectronic switch counts the sheets before they are punched out by the punching machine, there is no risk of miscounting due to punched holes in the sheets, and the counting mechanism is thereby simplified. There is no need to limit the dimensions of the punched hole. In addition, the photoelectronic switch counts the number of sheets when a given sheet reaches the hopper entrance, and then detects it by the number of pulses generated by the proximity switch, and controls the input and output timing of the receptacle, making control easy. Moreover, it is not necessary to always maintain the sheet interval at a certain interval or more, and even when the unit is driven by a separate motor from the previous process unit, the speed ratio control can be simplified and work efficiency can be increased.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an overall schematic explanatory diagram of a conventional sheet counting, stacking and discharging device, Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the entrance conveyor section of the device in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a punched corrugated cardboard sheet. , FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing the counting mechanism of the device shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the inlet conveyor drive control mechanism of the device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing the counting mechanism of the device shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram showing the counting mechanism of the device shown in FIG. 6.
The figures show a sheet counting, stacking and discharging device which is an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8 is an overall schematic explanatory diagram thereof, and FIG.
10 is a circuit diagram showing the counting mechanism, FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the drive control mechanism of the entrance conveyor, and FIG. 12 shows another embodiment of this embodiment. FIG. 1, 2... Sheet, 2... Hopper, 4... Registration,
33...Photoelectronic switch, 35...Proximity switch, 3
6...Proximity switch.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 In a device that counts sheets punched in a punching machine and stacks them in a hopper, divides the sheets into batches of a predetermined number of sheets in the same hopper by a retrieval unit, and carries them out to the next process, A counting mechanism for counting the sheets supplied to the cutting machine; and a tracking mechanism for tracking the position of the sheets counted by the counting mechanism from the cutting machine to the hopper entrance, and controlling the movement of the register based on the tracking result. Characteristic sheet counting stacking and unloading device.