US3469836A

US3469836A - Sheet handling and sampling apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3469836A
Application number: US597692A
Authority: US
Inventors: Farhang Javid
Original assignee: Cameron Machine Co
Current assignee: Somerset Technologies Inc; Cameron Machine Co
Priority date: 1966-11-29
Filing date: 1966-11-29
Publication date: 1969-09-30
Anticipated expiration: 1986-09-30
Also published as: GB1187418A; DE1561711A1

Description

Sept. 30, 1969 F. JAVID SHEET HANDLING AND SAMPLING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 29, 1966 E Z OwUKOu 1 WEN 1 ()R. FARHANG JAVI D WJOKPZOU ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,469,836 SHEET HANDLING AND SAMPLING APPARATUS Farhang Javid, Willirnantic, Conn., assignor to Cameron Machine Company, a corporation of New York Filed Nov. 29, 1966, Ser. No. 597,692 Int. Cl. B65h 29/62 US. Cl. 271--64 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In a high speed sheet handling apparatus having a conveying means extending along a first path, a sampling device including second conveying means extending along a second path disposed in downwardly inclined relation to the first path, and sheet sensing means positioned in said downwardly inclined second path, the second conveying means having control means for reducing the speed of deflected sheets, and the sheet sensing means having a signal means for operating the control means in respons to the presence of a deflected sheet as its trailing edge leaves the first path.

This invention generally relates to sheet handling equipment and particularly concerns an improvement of the sheet handling system which is the subject of United States Patent No. 3,218,897 issued Nov. 23, 1965, in the name of Dudley H. Geigenmiller et al., for a Sheet Feeding Apparatus and assigned to the assignee of t present invention.

A principal object of the invention is to provide an improved high speed sheet handling machine incorporating a low cost sampling apparatus normally associated with more expensive sheet handling equipment.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved sampling apparatus of the above described type which includes a minimum number of parts, is readily incorporated in both new and existing sheet handling equipment and is particularly suited for economical manufacture and installation to provide reliable operation over a long service life.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatical side elevational view of a high speed sheet handling machine embodying a sampling apparatus in accordance with the invention; and

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view showing another embodiment of a sampling apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention.

Referring now to the drawing in detail wherein a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated, it will be understood that the sheet handling machine of this invention is particularly useful in handling sheet material such as paper cut from a web by a sheeter, as described in the above identified Patent No. 3,218,897, and thereafter conveying the cut sheets to a layboy or sheet stacking device. Any interference between the trailing edge of the cut sheet and the leading edge of the following web is eliminated by high speed tapes 10 which cooperate with high speed tapes 11 and 12 to pull the cut sheets away at a speed higher than that of the following web and to produce a gap between successive sheets. Each sheet is retarded and its trailing edge is overlapped by a leading edge of a following sheet in an overlapping station 13, before being fed onto low speed tapes 14 and conveyed to a layboy, not shown. The overlapping station 13 comprises a suction device positioned between the high and low speed tapes 12 and 14 and is operated in synchronism with the passage of each sheet as described in the aforementioned Patent No. 3,218,897. For the purpose of this invention, the sheet handling machine will be treated as applied to the handling of only a single path of sheets, each defined by a plurality of relatively narrow tapes, although it will be understood that the machine is useful in handling a plurality of sheets fed along independent parallel paths.

In accordance with the present invention, a sampling apparatus is provided which includes an inclined tape section 16 and which is particularly suited for low cost manufacture and assembly to effect eflicient sheet sampling heretofore associated only with high cost machines. The inclined tape section 16 has opposed upper and lower tapes 18 and 20 positioned below the first or main sheet path and sloping downwardly therefrom to define in part a second path for conveying deflected sheets away from the main sheet path upon actuation of a V-Shaped deflector 22 disposed between high speed tapes 11 and 12. When it is desired to deflect a sheet for sampling purposes, the deflector 22 is actuated by any suitable means to rotate upwardly between the tapes 10 from a nonactuated position in the plane of the main sheet path to act upon the leading edge of a sheet to be deflected and to direct it onto the inclined tape section 16.

Lower tapes 20 are supported by a pair of rolls 24 and 26, the latter being the drive roll. Upper tapes 18 are supported by suitable rolls 28 and 30 and are driven by roll 32, with roll 30 providing a nip between the opposed tapes 18 and 20 for receiving the leading edge of each deflected sheet and to effect a positive driving action as it is being fed along the inclined tape section 16.

In operation, the drive rolls 26 and 32 are driven at substantially the same speed as that of the high speed tapes 10 and 11 to ensure that a deflected sheet will be immediately removed from the main sheet path Without interfering with the leading edge of a following sheet.

In view of the high operating speed of the main feed tapes 10, 11, typically between 1000 and 1 500 feet per minute, continuous positive control must be effected on each deflected sheet, and its is imperative that each deflected sheet be slowed down before delivery to a stacking device, such as that partly shown at 34 adjacent the lower end of the inclined tape section 16, to ensure that the deflected sheets will be delivered in damage-free condition for inspectional sampling and similar purposes.

To provide proper handling of a deflected sheet, both drive rolls 26 and 32 are positively driven at the same speed by a common variable speed drive the operation of which is governed by suitable controls in accordance with conventional techniques. The controls and the drive, schematically illustrated in FIG. 1, respond to a signal from one or more photoelectric devices 36 each of which consist of a light source 38 and a photocell 40 positioned upstream of the nip roll 30 in the inclined tape section 16, preferably about one sheet length from its intersection with the main sheet path. As the leading edge of a deflected sheet travels through the photoelectric devices 36, a signal from the photoelectric devices to the controls is broken as the trailing edge of the deflected sheet leaves the main sheet path such that the presence of a deflected sheet on the inclined tape section 16 is immediately sensed by the controls which simultaneously operate the variable speed drive to clow down the drive rolls 26 and 32 and thereby retard the deflected sheet being conveyed by tapes 18 and 20. In order that the passage of a deflected sheet be constantly controlled, the variable speed drive for rolls 26 and 32 effects a substantial reduction in the speed of the deflected sheets and preferably is capable of completely stopping the inclined tape section 16 and thereafter restarting the tapes 18 and 20, if desired, at an extremely low speed to ensure that each deflected sheet is delivered to the stacking device 34 in a damage-free condition.

The above described sampling apparatus is readily incorporated in either new or existing sheet handling equipment requiring an efliicient sampling system while at the same time permitting significantly low cost manufacture and installation. Moreover, the above described apparatus is a durable, compact unit and is capable of reliably delivering a deflected sheet to a stacking device without in any way damaging the sheet or jamming the machine.

Referring now to FIG. 2 wherein another embodiment of a sampling system is shown, the same reference numerals followed by the letter a have been utilized to identify like parts. Both tapes 18a, 20a of an inclined tape section 16a are operated at a constant speed in unison with that of high speed tapes 11a by a suitable driving arrangement whereby deflected sheets are immediately pulled away from the high speed tape section a and fed along the inclined tape section 16a toward a stacking device 34a. The lower runs of the upper tapes 18a are shown extending beyond the lower tapes 20a, and as each deflected sheet passes therefrom, its leading edge is fed into the stacking device 34a while the trailing edge of each deflected sheet tends to cling to the lower run of the upper tapes 18a.

To properly control a sequence of deflected sheets and to maintain the same free of any interference despite their high speed of travel, a stationary suction plate 42 is provided in the second embodiment near the lower end of tape section 16a in a plane just below but parallel to the inclined upper rim of lower tapes 18a, The suction plate 42 is positioned immediately below the upper tapes 18a for retarding and displacing the trailing edge of each deflected sheet relative to the leading edge of the following sheet by the action of a rotating suction drum 44 to effect overlapping of the deflected sheets.

The vacuum applied at the suction plate 42 is controlled by a photoelectric gap sensing device 36a positioned in the inclined tape section 16a a predetermined distance upstream of the suction plate 42 and, as described in the aforementioned Patent No. 3,218,897, the rotating suction drum 44 is synchronized with the passage of each deflected sheet whereby any air cushion below its trailing edge is removed as it passes over the suction plate 42 to permit each deflected sheet to fall under its own weight at a faster rate so that it will be retarded and overlapped by the leading edge of the following sheet. If there is no following sheet, a three-way solenoid operated valve 46 is energized in response to a signal from the photoelectric device 36a to create additional vacuum at the suction plate 42 of an amount sufl'lcient to stop and hold the sheet until a signal emanating from the photoelectric device 36a is interrupted by the next following deflected sheet to ensure a properly overlapped sequence of sheets. Interruption of the signal from the photoelectric device 36a causes the valve 46 to be de-energized and returned to a normally open condition whereby forced air is applied to the suction plate 42 to facilitate release of the previously held sheet to slide away from the suction plate 42 and onto the stacking device 34a, e.g., by the force of gravity.

The construction and assembly of a sheet handling system according to this invention is considerably simplified and results in significant reduction of cost to the manufacturer and the user while at the same time providing reliable sheet handling in a high speed production operation. In addition to requiring but a minimum number of parts, a sampling apparatus of this invention is particularly suited to be readily incorporated in either new or existing sheet handling equipment for operation over an extended service life with minimal maintenance requirements.

I claim:

1. A sheet handling and sampling apparatus comprising high speed conveying means for feeding a plurality of sheets along a first path, a deflector associated with said first path for deflecting sheets therefrom, additional conveying means for feeding deflected sheets along a second path away from said first path at a speed substantially the same as that of sheets being fed along said first path, said second path sloping downwardly in inclined relation to said first path, said additional conveying means having sensing means positioned in said inclined second path for sensing a deflected sheet as it is being fed by said additional conveying means along said inclined second path, and said additional conveying means further including control means responsive to said sensing means for reducing the speed of said additional conveyor means and positively controlling the advance of the deflected sheets along said inclined second path to permit the collection of deflected sheets in damage-free condition for inspectional sampling.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said additional conveying means comprises a pair of opposed variable speed tapes for conveying deflected sheets away from said first path.

3. A sheet handling and sampling apparatus comprising high speed conveying means for feeding a plurality of sheets along a first path, a deflector associated with said first path for deflecting sheets therefrom, a pair of opposed variable speed tapes for conveying deflected sheets along a second path away from said first path, said tapes being operable at a speed substantially the same as that of sheets being fed along said first path, and means for reducing the speed of said tapes responsive to the passage of a deflected sheet along the second path to positively control the advance of deflected sheets to permit their being collected in damage-free condition for inspectional sampling.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the speed of said tapes is variable between a maximum operating speed and complete stoppage, said maximum operating speed being substantially the same as that of sheets being fed along said first path.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said means for reducing the speed of said tapes includes signal means at a predetermined location in said second path responsive to the presence of a deflected sheet.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said means for reducing the speed of said tapes includes a photoelectric device positioned at a predetermined location in said second path for controlling the speed of said tapes, said photoelectric device being responsive to the presence of a deflected sheet for reducing the speed of said tapes.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said second path intersects said first path and lies in downwardly inclined relation thereto, and wherein said photoelectric device is positioned in said second path approximately one sheet length from its intersection with said first path.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said tapes are positioned below said first path and slope downwardly therefrom in inclined relation thereto, and wherein a stacking device is positioned at a lowermost end of said tapes for receiving and collecting deflected sheets.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,427,223 9/ 1947 Moore. 3,218,897 11/1965 Geigenmiller et al. 271-64 X 3,232,605 2/1966 Plummer'i; 27146 3,315,956 4/1967 Lyman 271-46 RICHARD E. AEGERTER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 271-68