Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06M—COUNTING MECHANISMS; COUNTING OF OBJECTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06M7/00—Counting of objects carried by a conveyor
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06M—COUNTING MECHANISMS; COUNTING OF OBJECTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06M2207/00—Indexing scheme relating to counting of objects carried by a conveyor
  • G06M2207/02—Counting of generally flat and overlapped articles, e.g. cards, newspapers

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a device for counting flexible, flat objects arranged in a scale formation, in particular printed products, according to the preamble of claim 1.
• a device of this type is known from EP-A-0 408 490.
• a conveyor device which is designed as a belt conveyor and is driven in the conveying direction at the conveying speed, is intended to convey objects in a scale formation, in which each object rests on the preceding one, in a system cycle.
• a counting device is arranged below the conveying device, with a guiding means running in the conveying direction, on which a carriage is freely displaceably mounted. The carriage can be moved back and forth in a manner matched to the system cycle by means of a drive, the speed in the conveying direction being greater than the conveying speed in at least one section of the guide means by a contact element arranged on the carriage with the rear edge of the respective to bring the counter past the object.
• the relative movement between the object and the carriage causes the contact element to move out of the conveying area and thereby to control a sensor element in order to emit a signal to a counter.
• a pressing element is provided which presses the objects firmly against the conveyor belt. Counting of those funded at irregular intervals To enable objects, a rough identification of the objects is carried out and accordingly the contact element is activated at irregular time intervals.
• the object interacting with a contact element is moved in the conveying direction by means of a driving element driven together with the contact element.
• a driving element driven together with the contact element.
• each object even if the objects occur in an irregular scale formation, can only interact with the contact element once, which leads to a very precise counting in a simple manner.
• the movement of the contact and entrainment element therefore does not have to be coordinated with a system cycle, the condition being that the frequency with which these elements are moved cyclically in the conveying direction is at least as large as the maximum frequency with which the objects can occur.
• Counting printed products with pre-fold also presents no problems.
• the device is ideally suited for processing scale formations, in which the objects rest on the leading or on the trailing object.
• a counting device 16 is arranged above the conveyor device 10. It has a guide rail 18 'running in the conveying direction F and forming a guide means 18.
• a carriage 20 is mounted on this in a freely movable manner. It is connected via a rod 22 to a drive 24 ′ designed as a cylinder-piston unit 24.
• the drive 24 ' is intended to move the carriage 20 from an upstream starting position 26, indicated by solid lines in FIG. 1 and by dashed lines in FIG. 2, in the conveying direction F to one in FIG. 2 solid lines indicated, downstream end position 28 and to move back cyclically.
• the stroke H of this movement is smaller than the permissible minimum distance A between the rear edges 14 of successive objects 12.
• the speed v at which the carriage 20 is moved in the conveying direction F is greater than the conveying speed v 1 in at least one section of the guide means 18 .
• the cylinder-piston unit 24 is controlled in such a way that it accelerates to the speed v in both directions of movement in a short acceleration section, moves with at least approximately constant speed v in the above-mentioned section and in a subsequent deceleration section, which in turn is compared with that above section mentioned is very short, brakes to a standstill.
• the carriage 20 On the carriage 20 is also attached at one end a likewise self-resilient and bow-shaped driver element 32. In its free end region it has a hook element 34 which is intended to also rest with its free end under spring tension on the flat side 12 'of the objects 12 and to slide along them.
• the contact element 30 in its rest position 36 is leading in relation to the hook element 34 in the conveying direction F.
• the contact element 30 In the contact position, which is indicated by dash-dotted lines in FIG. 2 and in FIG. 3, the contact element 30 is seen in the conveying direction at the driving element 32 and, with a contact piece 38 fastened to it, lies against a mating contact piece 38 ′ fastened to the slide 20.
• the contact piece 38 and the mating contact piece 38 ′, forming a sensor element 39, are connected to a counter 42 via lines 40.
• the contact element 30 does not have to withdraw in the direction away from the conveyor device 10.
• the hook element 34 In the embodiment of the hook element 34 shown in FIG. 3, its driving surface 44 is flat, while in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 the driving surface 44 of the hook element 34 is curved, so that the free end region of the hook element 34, in the conveying direction F seen, pointing towards the front, reach under the object 12 in question from the rear edge 14 and can thus lift into the hook element 34.
• the contact element 30 In the rest position 36, the contact element 30 is located in the conveying direction at the tip of the driving element 32, in the contact position 36 at the hook base.
• a reference roller 46 is mounted so as to be freely rotatable with respect to the guide rail 18 '.
• a belt 48 is guided around it and runs further around a roller 50 which is arranged upstream of the reference roller 46 and at a greater distance than the reference roller 46 from the conveyor device 10.
• the belt 48 forms, together with the conveying device 10, an inlet for the scale formation S and prevents the entrainment of objects 12 by friction when an object 12 is gripped by the hook element 34 and moved in the conveying direction F.
• the reference roller 46 is arranged upstream at a small distance from the driving element 32 in the starting position 26 '.
• the contact element 30 is attached to the slide 20. It is designed as a spring tongue, which, with its free insertion end 52, is directed in the conveying direction F and is intended to lie under spring preload on the flat side 12 'of the objects 12 and to slide along them.
• a sensor element 54 is arranged on the side of the contact element 30 facing away from the conveying device 10 . It is also designed like a spring tongue, is attached to the carriage 20 with the upstream end, and is bent in its downstream end region. In the area of the cranking bend, the sensor element 54 bears against the contact element 30 and, together with the end portion of the contact element 30 on the insertion side, forms an inlet for the rear edge 14 of the objects 12.
• the sensor element 54 is lifted off the contact element 30 when the contact element 30 enters the object 12 or punctures between two objects 12 and thereby engages parts of the object 12 or the leading object 12 in its rear end region 14 ', as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.
• the contact element 30 forms an electrical contact piece 38 which interacts with the counter-contact piece 38 ′ formed by the sensor element 54.
• the contact element 30 and the sensor element 54 are likewise connected to a counter 42 via lines 40.
• a driver element 32 ′ is fastened directly to the contact element 30, which protrudes like a tongue in the direction towards the slide 20 and protrudes beyond the sensor element 54. It is intended to apply with its driving surface 44 to the rear edge 14 of an object 12 located between the contact element 30 and sensor element 54 and to move it in the conveying direction F.
• the device works as follows.
• the carriage 20 is driven by the drive 24 ′ in and against the conveying direction F at a higher frequency f than the objects 12 are produced.
• the hook element 34 of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 slide Driving element 32 and the free end of the contact element 30 which is in the rest position 36 and, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the contact element 30 along the flat side 12 'of an object 12.
• the hook element 34 and the contact element 30 run from the object 12 at the rear edge 14 and come to rest on the flat side 12 'of the following object 12.
• the carriage 20 picks up the object 12 in question again and, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the contact element 30 is moved from the rear edge 14 of the object into the contact position 36 'and at 5 to 7, the sensor element 54 is lifted from the contact element 30.
• the signal generated in this way can be evaluated by the counter 42 for counting.
• the driving element 32, 32 'then takes the relevant object 12 with it as the carriage 20 moves further in the conveying direction F.
• the carriage 20 is braked, the object 12 then being conveyed on by the conveying device 10 at the conveying speed v 1 and the electrical contact is opened again in the embodiment shown in FIGS.
• the embodiment of the hook element 34 shown in FIG. 4 has the advantage with respect to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 that it is prevented that only the hook element 34 but not the contact element 30 can run off an object 12 because viewed in the conveying direction F. the free end of the hook element 34 and the contact element 30 are arranged at the same height.
• contact element 30 it is also conceivable, in one embodiment of the contact element 30 according to FIGS. 5 to 7, to provide the contact element 30 with a reflector at its free end and to design the sensor element as a light source-light sensor element, which is on the carriage 20 or stationary at the downstream end position 28 of the reflector can be arranged.
• the device is also suitable for counting objects that occur in a scale formation, in which each object lies on the preceding one.
• the counting device is arranged as a mirror image of the embodiments shown below the conveying device F such that the contact element and driving element protrude beyond the conveying plane.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Control Of Conveyors (AREA)
• Feeding Of Articles By Means Other Than Belts Or Rollers (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=4246030

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Families Citing this family (1)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 1998
  • 1998-12-29 EP EP98960982A patent/EP1042732B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-12-29 WO PCT/CH1998/000558 patent/WO1999035612A1/de active IP Right Grant
  • 1998-12-29 CA CA002308771A patent/CA2308771A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1998-12-29 DE DE59803237T patent/DE59803237D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-12-29 US US09/554,570 patent/US6363133B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1998-12-29 AU AU16582/99A patent/AU752796B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 1998-12-29 DK DK98960982T patent/DK1042732T3/da active

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