EP1748013B1 - Apparatus for collating printed sheets - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a device for collating printed sheets, in particular folded sheets and / or single sheets, according to the preamble of claim 1.

When gathering a single folded sheet is taken from several collections of the same folded sheet, the various individual folded sheets are fed to a collection conveyor for stack formation.

From the DE 196 16 047 A1 a gathering machine with landing stations according to the longitudinal withdrawal principle is known, with a Falzbogenstapel in a magazine, leaving a Falzkantenbereichs and the lowest folding sheet clockwise advancing conveyor belt and with the advanced folded sheet and further transporting deduction conveyor system, formed by acceleration rollers. Before pushing out, the lowermost folded sheet in the released folded edge area is grasped by a vacuum cleaner and tipped off from the folded sheet pile. Blown air nozzles create an air cushion between the dumped fold sheet and the following fold sheet. The deduction conveyor system is still arranged downstream of a trained from a lower and upper conveyor belt clamping conveyor, which is inclined towards the collecting conveyor and deposits the occasional folded sheet in synchronous conveying movement in front of a driver of the accumulation conveyor on the stack formed up to that point. The separated from the landing stations folded sheets are fed without direction change the accumulation conveyor.

Another separating device for feeding in the longitudinal direction is from the EP 1 520 817 A1 known. The separating device for lifting the freestanding edge region of the lowermost folding sheet from the folded sheet stack and the conveying member for removing the signatures are combined arranged on a removal unit. This has a support surface extending along the free-standing edge region and provided with suction openings, which lifts the freestanding edge region from the folded sheet stack in a rolling rotary motion. Before the removal unit feeds the folded sheet in a transport movement that is perpendicular to the separating movement to a forwarding conveyor that feeds the folding sheet to the collecting conveyor, the edge area is still fixed on the supporting surface with pressing elements. The removal unit with the magazine arranged above it and the further conveyor are rectilinear, in the conveying direction to the collecting conveyor arranged inclined so that the delivered over the magazine bottom folded sheet is fed straight to the collecting conveyor.

A disadvantage of this known separating devices is that no head-folded folded sheets can be singled, which are stacked in the magazine with the head side behind. The at least two sheet parts of the folded sheet in the front region of the magazine are not lifted together by the separating elements from the folding sheet stack, so that an upper sheet part is retained on the retaining element of the magazine and the folded sheet can not be ejected. The known separating devices have a multiplicity of successive conveying devices, some of which are designed with constructively complex, intermittent or oscillating movements. Due to the fact that, in the case of the known separating devices, a subsequent separating operation can only be initiated when the preceding folding sheet has been completely removed from the magazine, the gathering power is limited.

The present invention has for its object to provide a device for collating sheets, especially folded sheets and / or single sheets, according to the preamble of claim 1, which allows a high processing speed with a simple design. Another object is the reliable separation of Kopfgefalzten folded sheets.

This object is achieved by the features of the characterizing part of claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the device according to the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

Fig. 1

eine schematische Draufsicht einer Zusammentragmaschine
mit einer erfindungsgemäßen Anlegestation;

Fig. 2

eine Schnittansicht der Zusammentragmaschine
gemäß der Ansichtsdefinition II-II in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3

eine Schnittansicht durch das Magazin gemäß Definition III-III in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4

eine Schnittansicht gemäß Definition IV-IV in Fig. 1; und

Fig. 5

eine Detailansicht eines Greifers gemäß Ansichtsdefinition V in Fig. 3.

The features of the present invention will be explained in more detail in the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings listed below. Show it:

Fig. 1

a schematic plan view of a gathering machine
with a landing station according to the invention;

Fig. 2

a sectional view of the gathering machine
in accordance with view definition II-II in Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 3

a sectional view through the magazine according to definition III-III in Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 4

a sectional view according to definition IV-IV in Fig. 1 ; and

Fig. 5

a detailed view of a gripper according to view definition V in Fig. 3 ,

The FIGS. 1 and 2 show a gathering machine designated overall by 1, which is essentially formed of a collecting conveyor 10 and a plurality of laying stations 15 arranged in series above it. In each of these docking stations 15 a single folded sheet 3 is removed from a stack 4 same folded sheet and fed to the accumulation conveyor 10 for stack formation in each case. The collecting conveyor 10 is formed of a conveying channel 11, with a vertical channel wall 11 a and an inclined channel bottom 11 b, and arranged in a (collecting) conveying direction F with a continuous conveying speed v _s transport chain 12 arranged at a same mutual distance, the book block 2 formed in the conveyor channel 11 in front of her pushing drivers 13, wherein the back 3 a of the book block or the signatures 3 abuts the vertical channel wall 11 a.

A docking station 15 essentially consists of a magazine 20 for receiving the folded sheet stack 4, a separating device 50 for tilting at least one corner of the lowermost in the magazine 20 folding sheet 3 and a gripper chain 30 as a conveyor for withdrawing the signatures 3 from the magazine 20 and feeding to Collective conveyor 10.

The magazine bottom 24 of the magazine 20 is sloping sloping in the conveying direction F of the collecting conveyor 10 to the collecting conveyor and also inclined transversely to the conveying direction F to the vertical channel wall 11 a sloping. Because of this inclined arrangement, the folded sheet stack 4 applies to a lateral and a front magazine wall 21 and 22, wherein an additional guide is provided by a relative to the folding sheet format adjustable angle stop 23. In the figures, the adjusting means for the angle stop 23 are not shown, but symbolized only by dashed arrows s _FH and s _FB . The back 3 a of the signatures 3 is applied to the lateral magazine wall 21 at.

Along the lateral magazine wall 21 a release 24 a is provided in the magazine bottom 24, so that from the bottom folding sheet 3 a free-standing edge region 3 b is present, which can be detected by a sucker 51 of the separator 50 and tilted from the remaining stack. The nipple 51 is received on a lever 52 which carries out a clockwise, reciprocating pivoting movement by drive means, not shown. In order to tilt the rear, upstream corner from the free-standing edge area 3 b for each folded-sheet format, the sucker 51 is adjustable with respect to the format height on the lever 52 ( s _FH ).

The gripper chain 30 for removing and transferring the lowermost signature sheet 3 has a (deflection) sprockets 35 a, b rotating, from a drive sprocket 35 a continuously driven chain 31 as traction means, anchored to the plurality of spaced-apart gripper 32 arranged at defined intervals are, are formed by the particular arrangement of the gripper a plurality of gripper sets 33, each having a first, second and third gripper 32 a, b and c. Before the first gripper 32 a is still a separating wedge 34 anchored to the chain 31, the clock moves into the space between the tilted corner of the folded sheet 3 and the overlying folded sheet stack 4 and with progressive movement of the freestanding edge portion 3 b completely from the folded sheet stack 4th takes off.

The edge portion 3 b is pulled down by a small paragraph 21 a on the side of the magazine magazine 21, which is arranged offset in height relative to the magazine bottom 24. The folded sheet stack 4 is therefore angled in the magazine 20, while with the tilting of the freestanding edge portion 3 b, a flat bottom fold sheet 3 for removal from the magazine 20 is present. This support shoulder 21 a could also be formed by individual Trag needles. After lifting off the free-standing edge portion 3 a provides a clockwise einschwenkender stack lifter 53 for secure support of the folded sheet stack 4, wherein a formed at the end of the stack lifter 53 blowing nozzle 54 generates an air cushion between the deducted bottom fold sheet 3 and the overlying signatures.

The separating wedge 34 subsequent gripper 32 move in the open position on the raised edge portion 3 along b, with an upper fixed gripper jaw 40 is located in the space formed. A lower gripper jaw 41 is movably received on the fixed gripper jaw 40 and biased by a torsion spring 43. By means of a spring-loaded locking lever 44, the movable gripper jaw 41 is held against the spring force in the open position. By actuating a release bolt 45, a clamping operation of the gripper 32 a, b, c is triggered. Provided are arranged parallel to each other, stationary closing curves 37 a, b and c, each acting on a correspondingly offset parallel to the release bolt 45 cam roller 46 of the gripper 32 a, b and c.

Due to the offset in the conveying direction F by the distance of the gripper arrangement of the closing curves 37 a, b and c all grippers 32 a, b, c of a gripper set 33 are closed at the same time. The distances of the grippers 32 a, b, c are designed so that a small format of at least two grippers 32 a and b is detected, while a large format with all three grippers 32 a, b, c is detected, wherein the distance between the first gripper 32 a and the third gripper 32 c is greater than half the height of the form Falzbogens 3. There is a tear-free removal of the lowermost signature sheet third , which is conveyed through a passage 22 a in the front magazine wall 22 from the magazine 20.

The gripper chain 30 transports the signatures 3 with a conveying speed v _G , which is only slightly slower than the conveying speed v _{S of} the collecting conveyor 10. Due to the inclined arrangement of the gripper chain 30, parallel to the magazine 20, the signatures 3 is pulled straight over the magazine bottom 24 and transported immediately before the respective driver 13 of the accumulation conveyor 10. With the opening of the gripper 32 is a nearly synchronous transfer of the signatures 3 to the driver 13, without causing the signatures 3 must be dropped from a greater distance.

To open the gripper 32, a stationary Öffnerkurve 38 is provided which acts on a cam roller 42 of the movable gripper jaw 41 and this pushes against its bias of the fixed gripper jaw 40 until the locking lever 44 detects the movable gripper jaw 41. The individual grippers 32 a, b, c are opened in succession, so that the folded sheet 3 to be transferred is transported as long as possible from the gripper chain 30.

Out Fig. 5 the structure of a gripper 32 can be seen. The fixed gripper jaw 40 is fixed to a U-shaped tab 39 of the chain 31, wherein the tab 39 has an extension 39 a, which is guided against rotation in a groove 36 a of a chain guide 36. The gripper 32 is shown in its open position. The prestressed gripper jaw 41 is held by the locking lever 44. The fixed gripper jaw 40 has at its top a support surface 40 a, which supports the folded sheet stack 4 during the passage of the gripper 32 through the magazine 20.

The landing station 15 according to the invention is characterized in that it has only a few moving devices. In particular, the gripper chain 30 as a conveyor for removing and transferring the signatures 3 is a simply driven circulation conveyor and the opening and closing of the gripper 32 is effected by fixed cams 37 a, b, c and 38. Once the subtraction of the signature 3, the rear corner of the Next folding sheet 3 is free, the next separation process can already be started with the pivoting of the nipple 51. The folded sheets 3 can be so in fast sequence with minimum distances or even in a shingled arrangement are subtracted from the folding sheet stack 4.

In particular, the landing station 15 according to the invention allows the processing of folded head folded sheets 3, which are stacked in the magazine 20 with its head side behind and thus have no closed folded edge on the lateral magazine wall 21. The docking station 15 can be used as an exchange module in a flexibly equipped gathering machine 1.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

Collator

2

book block

3

signatures

3 a

move

3 b

freestanding border area

4

Falzbogenstapel

10

collecting conveyor

11

channel

11 a

vertical channel wall

11 b

inclined channel bottom

12

transport chain

13

takeaway

15

landing station

20

magazine

21

lateral magazine wall

21 a

supporting sales

22

front magazine wall

22 a

passage

23

angle stop

24

magazine bottom

24 a

release

30

gripper chain

31

Chain

32

grab

32 a, b, c

first, second, third gripper

33

gripper set

34

separating wedge

35 a

drive sprocket

35 b

nose wheel

36

chain guide

36 a

groove

37 a, b, c

closing cams

38

Öffnerkurve

39

flap

39 a

renewal

40

Fixed gripper jaw

40 a

support surface

41

movable gripper jaw

42

follower

43

torsion spring

44

locking lever

45

release bolt

46

follower

50

separator

51

sucker

52

lever

53

pile hoist

54

blow nozzle

F

(Collecting) conveying direction
Conveying speed ....

v _s

... collecting conveyor

V _G

... gripper chain

s _FH

Adjustment format height

s _FB

Adjustment format width

II - II

view definition Fig. 2

III - III

view definition Fig. 3

IV - IV

view definition Fig. 4

V

detailed definition Fig. 5

Claims (14)

1. An apparatus for collating printed sheets, particularly signatures (3) and/or individual sheets,

   • with feeder stations (15) that are arranged in a row and consist of

   - a magazine (20) for respectively accommodating a stack (4) of identical printed sheets,

   - a separating device (50) that tilts an exposed edge region (3 b) of the respective bottom printed sheet away from the stack (4), and

   - a transport device (30) that withdraws the printed sheet from the stack parallel to the longitudinal direction of the edge region,

   • and with a collecting conveyor (10) for the collated stacks (2) that consists of a collecting channel (11) and a transport chain (12) with pushers (13), to which the separated printed sheets are delivered in order to form stacks,
   characterized in

   • that the separating device (50) features at least one suction element (51) for tilting away at least one corner of the printed sheet (3), and in

   • that the transport device for withdrawing the printed sheet (3) is formed by a traction means conveyor (30)

   - with individually actuated grippers (32) that are anchored on revolving traction means (31) within certain distances from one another and take hold of the exposed edge region (3 b), wherein a withdrawn sheet (3) is taken hold of by at least two grippers (32 a, b),

   - and wherein the traction means conveyor (30) is inclined toward the collecting conveyor (10) in order to deposit the withdrawn printed sheet (3) on the stack (2) being formed directly in front of the pusher (13) of the collecting conveyor (10).
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the suction element (51) is arranged on the upstream corner of the stack (4).
3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the magazine (20) is inclined such that it descends in the transport direction (F) of the collecting conveyor (10) and its magazine bottom (24) extends parallel to the traction means conveyor (30).
4. The apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that at least two grippers (32 a, b) can be actuated simultaneously in order to take hold of the tilted edge region (3 b).
5. The apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the traction means conveyor (30) features several gripper sets (33) that are respectively composed of equidistantly spaced apart grippers (32 a, b, c), wherein one gripper set (33) is respectively provided for taking hold of a printed sheet (3).
6. The apparatus according to claims 2 and 5, characterized in that the front gripper (32 a) of a gripper set (33) is realized in the form of a separating wedge or a separating wedge (34) is arranged upstream of each gripper set (33) and anchored on the traction means (30) in order to completely lift off the edge region (3 b) of the bottom printed sheet (3) starting from the tilted corner.
7. The apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the traction means conveyor (30) with the grippers (32) is continuously driven.
8. The apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the traction means conveyor (30) with the grippers (32) can be driven with a nearly synchronous transport speed (v_G) referred to the collecting conveyor (10).
9. The apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the grippers (32) feature a movable gripper jaw (41) that is prestressed in the closing direction and actuated by means of control cams (37 a, b, c, 38) in order to be opened and closed.
10. The apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in an opening cam (38) that is stationarily arranged on the delivery end of the traction means conveyor (30) and acts upon a cam roller (42) of the movable gripper jaw (41).
11. The apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the gripper (32) features a locking mechanism (44, 45, 46) for the opened position that comprises a trigger element (45), the actuating surface (46) of which is arranged offset referred to the moving path of the grippers (32 a, b, c) of a gripper set (33) such that the simultaneous closing of several grippers (32 a, b, c) of a gripper set (33) can be triggered by respectively assigned closing cams (37 a, b, c).
12. The apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the magazine (20) is inclined transverse to the withdrawing or collecting transport direction (F) such that it descends toward the exposed edge region (3 b) of the printed sheets (3).
13. The apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in a supporting shoulder (21 a) that is arranged on the lower end of the magazine wall (21) such that it is offset in height relative to the inclined magazine bottom (24) and supports the exposed edge region (3 b) of the sheet stack (4) at an angle relative to the magazine bottom (24).
14. The apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in a stack lifter (53) that can be moved underneath the exposed edge region (3 b) of the residual sheet stack (4) and the end of which is realized in the form of a blast nozzle (54).

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