WO2012055520A1

WO2012055520A1 - Apparatus for separating cards supplied in a stack

Info

Publication number: WO2012055520A1
Application number: PCT/EP2011/005333
Authority: WO
Inventors: Richard Steif
Original assignee: Mühlbauer Ag
Priority date: 2010-10-29
Filing date: 2011-10-21
Publication date: 2012-05-03
Also published as: EP2632833B1; EP2632833A1; DE102010050043A1; DE102010050043B4

Abstract

An apparatus (10) for separating cards (16) in a card stack (14) supplied in a card magazine (12) has a preliminary separator, (19) for conveying one or more cards out of the card magazine, and a holder (20) for accommodating the one or more cards conveyed out of the card magazine, wherein the holder discharges a single card in each case to a downstream processing station (VS).

Description

Device for separating cards provided in a stack

description

background

The invention relates to a device for separating cards provided in a stack, such as identity cards, credit cards, bank cards, telephone cards or the like.

Such separation devices are used both in card production systems and card personalization systems.

In personalization systems, the cards are provided with user-specific information. For smart cards, personalization involves electronically writing the information into the integrated chip memory; Magnetic stripe cards are understood as describing the magnetic stripe. In addition, personalization also includes printing and labeling with user-specific data.

State of the art

One way to separate cards from a magazine is described in DE-OS 38 14 075. With the device described there, the vertical stack of cards is processed from above by the respective top card is removed with a suction head from the pile of cards. However, the installation and operation of such a separation device is very complicated and expensive, since this vacuum pumps and suction lines are needed. For this reason, such separation devices are used only in connection with systems for mass production of cards.

Another card separating device is described in DE PS 27 52 569. The stack of cards is processed from the bottom by the lowest card is pulled out with a friction roller from the stack above it. Here, however, occurs at card stacks from a certain height a problem: The friction between the card to be separated and the card above is so large that the friction roller when trying to isolate the card very easily "crazy" and thus on due to the high stack weight the sensitive card Surface due to friction between the peeled card and the overlying card leaves unwanted scratches and visible sanding marks.

Another card separating device is described in DE OS 40 08 965. The stack of cards is also processed from below by a motor-driven, endlessly circulating conveyor belt with a driver for the card to be separated is arranged below the card stack. A disadvantage of this separating device is a relatively low separation speed, since the driver has to cover a relatively long distance for singling. In addition, in this case the attachment of the driver to the conveyor belt is problematic and wear-prone.

In DE PS 37 29 920 a cardboard sheet feeding device is described in which the cardboard sheet stack from below by a guided in the separating direction slider which is driven by a motor-driven crank mechanism. At the reversal points of the crank mechanism large inertial forces must be overcome. These are reduced in the device described in DE PS 37 29 920 by suitable damper devices. A disadvantage is that the stack of cardboard sheets is guided at an angle and thereby the surface pressure on the cardboard sheet to be separated in the front support area is greater than if the cardboard sheets lie flat on one another. With printed cards (eg chip cards or magnetic stripe cards) this can lead to undesirable streaks or scratches.

In DE 198 00 991 AI a device for separating present in a stack is the chip cards described. The device in this case comprises a magazine shaft and a slide which can be moved transversely to the longitudinal axis of the stack for acting on a chip card to be separated. At the front side of the stack, a chip card contacting unit is provided, so that in the stacking position data can be written in the chip card to be singled.

DE 20 2004 003 867 U1 describes a device for separating stacked chip cards. A continuously moving conveyor belt has through holes for applying a negative pressure to each one of the stacked chip cards and a slot-like opening for the isolated passage of the pressurized chip card with negative pressure. In addition, a pre-separating device comprising two rolls is provided. The rollers have a rubber or chewing schukartige surface and are spring-loaded in the direction of the card stack. The rollers allow a self-preliminary pre-separation of the card stack. Another arrangement is described in DE 1 95 40 013 C2; Finally, DE 69 63 57 42 T2 also shows a card processing device.

Underlying problems

In view of this state of the art, a cost-effective device, which operates reliably even at high separation speeds of the cards, for separating cards provided in a stack, is to be provided, which permits card separation at least almost free of scratches and abrasion marks.

solution

The device defined in the independent claims for separating cards provided in a stack of cards solves these problems. The subsequent dependent claims contain advantageous embodiments and further developments of this device. The separating device has a card magazine for receiving a card stack. This card magazine with the stack of cards serves as a card buffer for subsequent stations to which the isolated cards are fed for processing. The card cache may be configured to hold more than about 50, for example, about 100 to about 1500 cards or more.

Design and advantages

This device is equipped with a pre-separator for conveying one or a few cards from the card magazine, and a receptacle for receiving the cards conveyed from the card magazine, wherein the receptacle is adapted to deliver a single card to a downstream processing station. The Vorvereinzeler has a drive for conveying the one or a few cards from the card magazine and at least two rotatable or pivotable driver with convex cam surfaces. The at least two rotatably or pivotally drivable drivers are so far apart from each other depending on the dimension of the card located between them and portions of the convex

Driving surfaces are formed of such elastically yielding material that the card located between them convex convexly conveys away from the stack of cards along the central longitudinal axis of the Kartenma ^¬ gazine while it is transported to the receiving side. This device may be equipped with a sensor for detecting a sensor signal, which is representative of a level information of the card magazine. The drive of the Vorvereinzeler may be an electric motor or electromagnetic, hydraulic or pneumatic drive. The receptacle may have an electromotive or electromagnetic, hydraulic or pneumatic drive for controlled delivery of the single card from the receptacle to a downstream processing station.

Furthermore, a controller can be provided for evaluating the sensor signals or status information from the recording or the pre-separator of upstream or downstream processing stations and for providing control signals. These control signals can be provided in particular for the drive of the pre-separator for the controlled conveying of the one card or some cards from the card magazine as a function of the evaluation. These control signals may also be provided for driving the receptacle to selectively deliver the single card from the receptacle to a downstream processing station in response to the evaluation.

In this device, the receptacle can be set up and actuated in order to move at least one card, which is separate from the card stack and picked up by the receptacle, away from the region of the card stack at an angle to the central longitudinal axis of the card stack. The drivers can each have a convex cam surface. The two drivers can be arranged so that at least in each case a portion of the convex cam surface of the first driver is aligned with at least a respective portion of the convex cam surface of the second driver. These two sections of the convex cam surfaces of the first and the second driver can be adapted to collect at least one card located at the end of the card stack between them for a respective counter-rotating or pivoting movement of the two drivers in the direction of the recording transport. In this case, one or more cards to be separated are separated from the stack of cards.

Usually, in order to reduce manual intervention on the machine, the aim is to feed the card magazine with the largest possible number of cards. This has the consequence that in gravity-based separation devices, ie such separation devices, each of the bottom card of the card stack isolate, the entire pile of cards on the bottom, to be separated card loads. This can lead to undesirable rubbing / grinding marks on the card surfaces. To avoid this, the weight / height of the stack of cards should be as low as possible. There are therefore contradictory demands with regard to the height / weight of the card stack.

With the presently proposed, two-stage approach to the separation of the cards scratches or marks on the surfaces of the cards are effectively avoided when they are separated. In contrast to previous solutions, this device no longer loads the entire stack of cards on the card currently to be singled. This can go so far that there is always only one card to be singled or only a few cards to be singled in the recording. Due to the minimal contact / friction of the card to be separated with the other cards in the receptacle, the device can also be operated at very high speed, which means a high card throughput. The drivers can act together as Vorvereinzeler the cards from the stack of cards for dosed pre-separation. The recording then promotes the cards in a second step individually, for example, to a downstream processing station or card issuing.

The at least two rotatably or pivotally driven drivers can be designed as wheels, rollers, or rollers, or sections thereof, which are coupled by a drive gear. These drivers may perform at least approximately simultaneously an oppositely oriented rotational or pivotal movement in the range of not more than about one-quarter of a turn, preferably in the angular range of about plus sixty degrees to about minus thirty degrees (relative to the horizontal).

The at least two rotatably or pivotally driven drivers can be formed at least in the region of the sections of the convex cam surfaces made of elastically yielding material. The clear width between the convex cam surfaces is slightly smaller than the dimension of the cards in the card stack in this direction. Between the convex entrainment surfaces, the bottommost cards of the card stack are received approximately tangentially. This prevents the bottom cards of the card stack falling through between the driver surfaces down. The receptacle can be set up to receive one or more cards from the stack of cards and to move them away from the area of the card stack at an angle to the central longitudinal axis of the card stack. By "multiple cards" is meant, for example, up to about five or more cards, for example ten to twenty or twenty-five cards. A stationary retainer relative to the movable receptacle may be provided to retain the cards currently being picked up by the receptacle except for one card as the receptacle moves away from the region of the card stack in a singulation direction. As a result, this one card is separated from the recording of all other cards.

The receptacle may have a stop against which a card edge of the card to be singled first (or last) card of the stack abuts in the separation direction, and a retainer which is located in a region of a card edge in the separation direction of the first (or last) to be singled Map of the stack is arranged. In this case, the retainer may have a scraping edge, which has a distance from the receptacle which corresponds approximately to the thickness of a card. It can be provided between the receptacle and the wiper edge of the retainer, a clear width of slightly more than the thickness of a card, but less than the entire thickness of two superimposed cards.

The at least two rotatably or pivotally driven drivers can accommodate at least one card located at the end of the card stack between them and in an alternately oriented clockwise and counterclockwise direction

Pivoting movement to be driven. By oppositely driving the at least two rotatable or pivotable driver each in one direction, the bottom of them located cards of the card stack are promoted so far in the direction of recording that the bottom card is released from the two drivers and falls into the recording. By a subsequent opposing driving the at least two rotatable or pivotable driver each in an opposite direction, the remaining, located between the carriers located bottom, cards of the card stack are aligned again. This sequence of processing steps avoids that the cards of the card stack are inclined (so far) that they fall freely between the two (unactuated) carriers into the receptacle. In this case, the "reset" of the card stack away from the recording can also be carried out only occasionally (for example every second, third or fourth time) after a feed movement of the carriers of the card stack was carried out in the direction of recording. Since the card located between the driver surfaces convexly conveys away from the stack of cards along the central longitudinal axis of the card magazine as it is being conveyed toward the receiver, the last card is safely separated from the penultimate card, even if the cards in the card stack are static, for example Charge supported or the weight of the deck of cards compressed, sticking to each other. The receptacle may be coupled in a gearing manner with its drive in order to move away from the area of the card stack in a reciprocating longitudinal or pivoting movement of the receptacle.

Furthermore, the at least two rotatably or pivotally driven drivers can be driven either by synchronously actuated individual drives or by a drive acting on both drivers together via a transmission.

Brief description of the drawings

Other objects, features, advantages and applications will be apparent from the following description of non-limiting embodiments to be understood with reference to the accompanying drawings. All described and / or illustrated features alone or in any combination form the subject matter disclosed herein, also independent of their grouping in the claims or their relationships. The dimensions and proportions of the components shown in the figures are not necessarily to scale; they may differ from illustrated in embodiments to be implemented. In value ranges disclosed or claimed here, all values (ranges) located between the explicitly specified limits should also be disclosed / claimed.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic flow diagram of the singling process carried out by a ^device described here.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic side sectional view through a device for separating cards, which is able to operate according to the method of Fig. 1, in a first operating state. FIG. 3 shows the device for separating cards according to FIG. 2 in a second operating state.

Detailed description of Ausführunqsvarianten

A method for separating cards of a card stack provided in a card magazine is shown in FIG. 1 in a schematic representation. Specifically, the steps are denoted by SlO ... S70 and explained below. At step S10, the process begins by providing a card buffer memory. It may be a shaft-shaped tube whose clear cross-section is slightly larger than the areal dimensions of the cards to be separated.

In the subsequent step S20, the card buffer memory is filled continuously or once with the cards to be separated. This can take place either manually or by machine from a feed station located upstream in the course of the process, so that a large number of cards to be separated are held in the card buffer memory.

In the following step S30, a recording downstream of the card buffer memory is loaded from the card buffer memory with one or more cards from the card buffer memory in a pre-separating step. Thus, in the recording in the steady state of operation of the device depending on the card feed rate to the recording and the Kartenabf uhr rate from the recording between about one and for example about a maximum of 25 cards in the recording.

In the subsequent step S40, the cards are aligned in the card buffer memory, e.g. by moving the cards in the card buffer in the direction away from the receiver. This step may be performed after each step S30 or only after several steps S30.

The singulation of a card from the recording then takes place in step S50. In the following step S60, the thus-isolated card is now conveyed to the next processing station.

As the last step S70, it is checked whether the card buffer memory is empty or has reached a critical low level. If so, the procedure advances to step S20; if there are still a sufficient number of cards in the card buffer memory, the procedure advances to step S30. An apparatus implementing this process for separating cards provided in a stack of cards is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, each in different operating states.

The separating device 10 has a card magazine 12 for receiving a card stack 14. The card stack 14 consists of a plurality of individual cards 16. This card magazine 12 with the card stack 14 forms a card buffer memory for subsequent processing stations. The card magazine 12 accommodating the stack of cards 14 is formed by a removable magazine which can be detachably coupled to the housing (not illustrated) of the separating apparatus 10. The cards 16 are not part of the device. Therefore, they are illustrated by dashed lines in the figures.

The singulator 10 illustrated herein has a pre-separator 18 for successively conveying one or more cards 14 from the card magazine 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the cards 16 at the bottom of the card magazine 12 are conveyed out of the card magazine 12. If the card magazine 12 is charged during the operation of upstream stations, this is done via an upper opening 12a of the card magazine 12th

The Vorvereinzeler 18 has in this embodiment, two rotatably driven driver 18a, 18b, each having a convex cam surface 18a ', 18b'. The two drivers 18a, 18b are arranged so that in each case a portion of the convex cam surface 18a 'of the first driver 18a is aligned with a respective portion of the convex cam surface 18b' of the second driver 18b. These two portions of the convex cam surfaces 18a ', 18b' of the first and second drivers 18a, 18b together receive one or more cards (s) 16 located at the lower end of the card stack 14 in FIGS oriented rotational or pivotal movement of the two drivers in the direction of a receptacle 20 to promote. In FIG. 2, the right-hand driver 18a performs a counter-clockwise rotational movement, while at the same time and to the same extent (speed), the left driver 18b performs a clockwise rotary movement. Here too simplistic ^¬ zelnde card 14 is separated from the stack of cards 14th To perform the rotary or pivoting movement, the pre-singler 18 has an electromotive or electromagnetic, hydraulic or pneumatic drive 18 c for conveying the one card or some cards from the card magazine.

The two rotatably drivable drivers 18a, 18b are designed in this embodiment as rollers, which are coupled to the drive gear 18c. The drivers (rollers) 18a, 18b are formed in this embodiment of elastically yielding material. The inside width LW between the convex cam surfaces is slightly smaller than the dimension LK of the cards of the card stack in this direction. Between the convex cam surfaces 18a ', 18b', the bottommost cards of the card stack are received approximately tangentially when the cards are at the height of the axes of rotation of the drivers 18a, 18b.

These dogs (rollers) 18a, 18b are each rotatable about their stationary axes. By means of the drive 18c, the drivers (rollers) 18a, 18b each guide at least approximately simultaneously an oppositely oriented rotary or pivoting movement via articulated rods 20a ', 20a "and 20b', 20b". For this purpose, the articulated rods 20a ', 20a "and 20b', 20b" in the region of the axes of the drivers (rollers) 18a, 18b rotatably coupled to these a thrust movement of the drive 18c on the rods 20a ', 20a "and 20b ', 20b "in a rotational or pivotal movement of not more than about a quarter turn. Further, occurring during this rotary or pivotal movement operating states are illustrated in the other figures and described below.

Instead of the embodiment variant illustrated here with the articulated rods 20a ', 20a "and 20b', 20b", the drivers can also be set into corresponding rotational movements by synchronously actuated individual drives.

In this embodiment, the receptacle 20 has a receiving surface 20a for receiving the cards 14 conveyed from the card magazine 12. The receptacle 20 in each case delivers a single card 14 to a downstream processing station VS, which is not further detailed here. The receptacle 20 moves in this embodiment, each one separated from the card stack and recorded by the receptacle 20 card 14 at an angle to the central longitudinal axis M of the card stack 14 from the area of the card stack away. The receptacle 20 further has an electromotive or electromagnetic, hydraulic or pneumatic drive 20b for controlled delivery of the single card from the receptacle to a downstream processing station. The receptacle 20 may be configured to receive one or more, up to about five or more cards, for example ten to twenty or twenty-five cards, from the deck of cards. The purpose of this is a shaft-shaped tube section 20c which is stationary relative to the receiving surface 20a and which is arranged downstream of the preliminary separator 18 on the outlet side and is optionally formed in one piece with the card magazine 12. In this embodiment variant, the card magazine has 12 lateral openings, extend through the two rotatably driven driver 18a, 18b in the interior of the card magazine 12. Even within the shaft-shaped tube section 20c located cards that have already passed the pre-singler 18 and thus are absorbed by the receptacle 20 are not yet moved away from the area of the card stack when the receptacle 20 moves transversely to the central longitudinal axis M. A stationary retainer 20d relative to the movable receptacle 20 retains the cards currently picked up by the receptacle except for one card when the receptacle moves away from the region of the card stack in a singulation direction. As a result, this one-lowermost card from the receptacle 20 is separated from all other cards. The receptacle 20 furthermore has a stop 20e, against which a card edge of the card to be singled first (or last) card of the stack abuts in the direction of separation. The retainer 20d is arranged in a region of a card edge in the separating direction of the first (or last) card of the stack to be singled. In this case, the retainer 20d has a wiping edge, which has a distance from the receiving surface 20a of the receptacle 20, which corresponds approximately to the thickness of a card 14. Between the receiving surface 20a of the receptacle 20 and the wiping edge of the retainer 20d may be provided a clearance of slightly more than the thickness of a card, but less than the entire thickness of two superimposed cards.

This separating device 10 is also equipped with a sensor 22 for detecting a sensor signal that is representative of a card filling level of the card magazine 12. This sensor 22 may be formed by a light barrier or a mechanical micro-switch, which detects and signals the cards 14 conveyed from the card magazine 12.

The separating device 10 also has an electronic (microprocessor) controller 30 for evaluating the sensor signals or status information from the receiver or pre-separator of upstream or downstream processing stations and for providing control signals. These control signals feed the drive 18c of the Vorvereinzelers 18, so that the respective lowest card of Card stack 14 is promoted at a time in the direction of the receptacle 20, to which the receptacle 20 is also in a receptive position relative to the pre-separator 18. Likewise, this electronic controller 30 also provides the control signals to the drive 20b of the receptacle 20 for the controlled delivery of the individual card from the recording to a downstream processing station in response to the evaluation of the sensor signals.

As illustrated in Fig. 3, at least two rotatably or pivotally driven drivers 18a, 18b so far apart depending on the dimension of the card located between them and the portions of the convex cam surfaces are formed of such elastically yielding material, that between them card convexly conveys away from the stack of cards along the central longitudinal axis of the card magazine, while it is transported to the receiving.

The stack of cards in the magazine slot does not necessarily have to be processed from below. In this separating device, it is also possible to convey with a card stack each nachschiebenden after a separation step (for example, spring) force instead of gravity to the pre-separation between the drivers. Likewise, a separation in a rotated to the side magazine shaft, so an at least approximately horizontally arranged stack of cards is possible. In this case, the recording can also be oriented horizontally, in which case the currently vorvereinzelte card tilts or pivots between the two carriers out into the receptacle. The device can also serve as a card dispenser.

Claims

claims

1. Device for separating cards of a card stack provided in a card magazine, with

a. a Vorereinzeler for conveying one or a few cards from the card magazine, the Vorvereinzeler having a drive for conveying the one or a few cards from the card magazine and at least two rotatably or pivotable driver with convex cam surfaces, and wherein the at least two drivers depending on the Dimension of the card located between them are so far apart and portions of the convex cam surfaces are formed of such elastically resilient material that the card located between them convexly conveys away from the stack of cards along the central longitudinal axis of the card magazine, while being transported to the receiving, and

b. a receptacle for receiving the one or a few cards conveyed from the card magazine, wherein the receptacle in each case emits a single card to a downstream processing station.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a sensor for detecting a sensor signal, which is representative of a level information of the card magazine.

Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, including driving the receptacle to controllably deliver the single card from the receptacle to a downstream processing station.

4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, with a controller

for the evaluation of the sensor signals and / or status information of upstream and / or downstream processing stations and / or

- To provide control signals for the drive of Vorvereinzelers for controlled conveyance of the one or a few cards from the card magazine as a function of the evaluation, and / or - to provide control signals for driving the recording for controlled delivery of the individual card from the recording a downstream processing station depending on the evaluation.

5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the receptacle is set up and operated to move each at least one separate from the card stack and recorded by the recording card at an angle to the central longitudinal axis of the card stack from the area of the card stack away.

6. Device according to one of the preceding claims,

- Wherein the two drivers are arranged so that at least in each case a portion of the convex cam surface of the first driver is aligned with at least a respective portion of the convex cam surface of the second driver, and

- These two sections of the convex cam surfaces of the first and second driver are adapted to collect at least one card located at the end of the card stack between them to this in each case oriented counter-rotating or pivoting movement of the two drivers in the direction of the recording carry, and

to separate this card to be singled from the deck of cards.

7. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least two rotatable or pivotable driver are designed as wheels, rollers, or rollers, which are coupled by a drive gear at least approximately simultaneously an oppositely oriented rotary or pivotal movement in the range of not more than about a quarter turn, preferably in the angular range of about plus sixty degrees to about minus thirty degrees.

8. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least two rotatably or pivotable driver are formed at least in the region of the portions of the convex cam surfaces made of elastically yielding material.

9. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the receptacle is adapted to receive one or more cards from the stack of cards and to move at an angle to the central longitudinal axis of the card stack from the region of the card stack away, and provided relative to the movable receptacle stationary retainer is to restrain the cards recorded by the recording except for one when recording moves away from the area of the card deck in a singulation direction, thereby separating one card from all other cards.

10. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the receptacle has a stop on which a rear in the separating direction card edge of each to be separated first (or last) card of the stack is applied, and a retainer, in a region of a front in the direction of separation card edge the first (or last) card of the stack to be separated is arranged, wherein the retainer has a scraping edge, which has a distance from the receptacle, which corresponds approximately to the thickness of a card.

11. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least two rotatably or pivotable driver, which receive at least one card located at the end of the card stack between them and are driven in an alternately oriented in the clockwise and counterclockwise rotation or pivoting movement.

12. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least two rotatably or pivotally driven driver are actuated either by synchronously operated individual drives or by a gear acting on both drivers together acting drive.

13. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the receptacle is coupled by a drive getrieblich to move in a reciprocating longitudinal or pivotal movement of the recording recorded cards from the area of the card stack away.

H.Vorrichtung according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the stack of cards in the magazine shaft after a separation step by a spring arrangement or a linear actuator to the pre-separation between the

Carrier is transported.

15. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the magazine shaft is arranged in a direction deviating from the vertical orientation, wherein the receptacle is also oriented horizontally, so that the currently vorvereinzelte card tilts out or pivots between the two drivers in the recording.