DE102015105586B4 - Method and collecting device for collecting sheet-shaped goods - Google Patents

Abstract

Method for collecting flat, in particular sheet-shaped goods (G) in the form of a stack in a collecting device (1) which has a plurality of collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e) arranged one above the other, with the following steps:- feeding a single item (G) or a prefabricated subgroup (G') from a plurality of goods to a first collecting compartment (a) and depositing the single item or the prefabricated subgroup in the first collecting compartment (a),- feeding a single item (G) or a prefabricated subgroup (G') from a plurality of goods to at least one second collecting compartment (b) and depositing the single item or the prefabricated subgroup in the second collecting compartment (b),- simultaneously transporting the individual items (G) or the prefabricated subgroups (G') from all filled collecting compartments (a, b) to form a stack (S) from the transported goods or subgroups of goods, characterized in that the feed device (5) has a transport element (6) for transporting the goods (G) or the prefabricated sub-groups (G'), wherein the transport element (6) and the collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e) are movable or pivotable relative to one another, and at least one stop element (2) is moved into the collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e) in order to form a stop (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e) in each of the collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e), against which the front edge (V) of the goods (G) or the prefabricated sub-groups (G') comes to rest when they are deposited in the respective collecting compartment (a, b, c, d, e).

Description

The invention relates to a method for collecting flat and in particular sheet-shaped goods in the form of a stack in a collecting device as well as to a collecting device and its use for collecting flat goods in the form of a stack.

Collection devices for collecting flat goods, such as sheets or envelopes made of paper or flat cards made of cardboard or plastic, and for forming stacks of goods from individual goods or subgroups of such goods are widely known from the prior art. For this purpose, for example, collection tracks can be used which have a conveyor device with a plurality of collection areas arranged one behind the other, in which the goods can be stacked and transported away by the conveyor device. The goods are stored in loading stations which are arranged above and along the conveyor device so that the goods can be deposited in the defined collection areas. Such a collection track is known, for example, from the US$4,177,979 B. However, the collection of flat goods in the form of stacks using such a gathering line proves to be time-consuming and not very flexible. In order to deposit the goods in a predetermined collection area of the gathering line, the function of the feeders must be controlled, for example, via a complex mechanical coupling, as in the US$4,177,979 described, must be synchronized with the movement of the conveyor so that the feeders can place the goods stored therein in the correct position at the predetermined collection points on the gathering line. The known gathering lines only allow the goods to be stacked in a stacking direction from bottom to top, ie with a gathering line the goods can only be collected in an ascending direction in the form of a stack of goods and placed in the collection points on the gathering line.

Furthermore, stationary collection stations are known from technology, which can receive goods that are fed in serially, which are collected in the form of a stack and then transported away. With such stationary collection stations, the goods fed in can also only be collected in the stack in ascending order in which they were fed to the collection station. The formation of subgroups is possible.

In order to be able to stack flat goods, such as sheets, in descending order, i.e. from top to bottom, collecting devices with movable switching elements are known from the prior art, which can divert the goods transported serially along a transport path in different directions, so that the goods diverted from the original transport direction can either be placed on the top of a partial stack already placed in a collecting compartment or pushed under the partial stack. This enables the goods in the stack to be collected in ascending as well as descending order. Such collecting devices are known, for example, from the DE 93 01 072 U1 and the EP0 655 983 B 1. However, these collecting devices with a switchable deflection device are complex in structure and prone to errors in operation. A group or subgroup of several individual sheets can only be pushed under a pre-collected partial stack with difficulty, for example if the sheets have holes or recesses. Due to the weight of the partial stack and high friction between the top of the goods or subgroup to be pushed under the partial stack and the bottom of the partial stack already deposited, it is often difficult to push the goods or subgroups of goods under the partial stack without bending them. Difficulties arise with descending collection in such collecting devices, especially with folded sheets, especially if they have different fold lengths. When pushing a subgroup of folded sheets or a single folded sheet under a pre-stacked partial stack, the folded sheets can get caught on one another, which can ultimately lead to a sheet jam in the collecting device or to damage to the sheets.

From the US$5,435,534 A device and a method for folding and collecting sheets of paper is known, whereby the sheets of paper are first fed individually to a dual collecting device by means of a conveyor device. The dual collecting device comprises two collecting compartments arranged one above the other, each of which defines a collecting level. In order to insert a sheet of paper fed by the conveyor device into one or the other collecting compartment, a switchable guide element is arranged between the conveyor device and the collecting compartments, which guides the incoming sheets of paper either into the upper or the lower collecting compartment. A folding device is arranged downstream of the dual collecting device, with which the sheets collected in the form of sheet stacks in the dual collecting device can be folded. Since the folding device can only fold sheet stacks with a limited height, a total group of sheets, which are to be put into an envelope in folded form, for example, is first folded by placing them in the two collecting compartments of the Dual collecting device is divided into two subgroups, with a first subgroup being deposited in the upper collecting compartment and a second subgroup in the lower collecting compartment of the dual collecting device, each in the form of a stack. After the group of sheets has been divided into the first and second subgroups, the second subgroup is first transported away from the lower collecting compartment and fed to the folding device arranged downstream, in which the first subgroup is folded and then passed on to another collecting device with a single collecting compartment. The first subgroup is then transported away from the upper collecting compartment of the dual collecting device and fed to the folding device, in which the first subgroup is then also folded and finally deposited on the folded stack of the second subgroup in the further collecting device. The stacks of sheets deposited in the collecting compartments of the dual collecting device are transported away one after the other from the respective collecting compartment and fed to the folding device arranged downstream. This is time-consuming and slows down the stacking process. This reduces the throughput of the collection device.

From the WO 2014/076943 A1 A collecting device for a printer is known, which has several collecting compartments arranged one above the other and a feed device for feeding individual goods to the collecting compartments. The feed device comprises a transport unit with diverter switches, via which the goods fed by the transport unit can be introduced into individual collecting levels. From the DE 197 18 998 A1 A device for gathering papers is known which has a chute with a bottom, whereby papers are gathered into a paper stack on the bottom of the chute. The US 2014/0027979 A1 shows a collecting device for cards with a vertically movable card rack, which contains collecting levels for the cards arranged one above the other.

Based on this, the invention is based on the object of demonstrating an improved method for collecting flat and in particular sheet-shaped goods in the form of stacks and a collecting device with which a reliable collection of flat goods in stack form is made possible in the most efficient way possible and with the highest possible throughput and with a low susceptibility to errors. The collecting device should have a structure that is as simple, low-maintenance and less prone to errors as possible and should enable the stacking of serially fed goods in both ascending and descending order. The method and the collecting device should also be able to collect subgroups of flat goods and in particular also folded sheets or subgroups of folded sheets in stack form.

These objects are achieved with a method for collecting flat goods in the form of a stack with the features of claim 1, a collecting device with the features of claim 12 and the use of a collecting device with the features of claim 11. Preferred embodiments of the method according to the invention and the collecting device according to the invention can be found in the dependent claims.

The collecting device according to the invention comprises at least two collecting compartments arranged one above the other in a vertical direction, each of which forms a collecting level, the collecting levels being spaced apart and preferably parallel to one another. Each collecting compartment expediently has at least one at least substantially horizontally positioned flat shelf, the surface of which defines the collecting level for supporting the goods or subgroups of goods.

The collecting device according to the invention further comprises a feed device for feeding individual goods or prefabricated subgroups from a plurality of goods to the collecting compartments. The goods are flat and in particular sheet-shaped goods, for example sheets of paper, in particular in printed form. The goods can also be folded sheets or other flat goods such as cards made of cardboard or plastic. The goods can be, for example, printed and possibly folded sheets of paper that form the contents of a mail item and include a cover letter with a recipient's address and associated attachments. The contents of such a mail item can be collected into a stack of sheets using the collecting device according to the invention and then put into an envelope using an inserting device. The cover letter of such a mail item with the printed recipient's address represents a leading document in the stack, which is expediently placed on the top or bottom of the stack so that the printed recipient's address is visible on the top or bottom of the stack. This is useful, for example, when the stack of sheets forming a mail item is inserted into an envelope with a viewing window.

In the collecting device according to the invention, the feed device and the collecting compartments can be moved or pivoted relative to each other. This makes it possible to collect individual goods or prefabricated Subgroups of goods, which are fed to the collection compartments by means of the feed device, are introduced into a specific and predetermined collection compartment and deposited there. For this purpose, the feed device can, for example, be moved vertically relative to the fixed collection compartments or its angular orientation can be pivoted in relation to the horizontal. Moving or pivoting the feed device and the collection compartments relative to one another enables the goods or subgroups fed by the feed device to be deposited in a (random) predetermined collection compartment. In this way, it is possible, for example, to deposit the goods or subgroups of goods fed serially by the feed device in ascending or descending order in the collection compartments arranged one above the other. This enables both ascending and descending collection of the goods in the stack to be formed, in relation to the transport sequence in which the individual goods or subgroups are fed one after the other from the feed device to the collection compartments. The order in which the collecting compartments are filled can be changed as desired using the collecting device according to the invention. In particular, the order in which the collecting compartments are filled is independent of the arrangement and sequence of the collecting compartments arranged one above the other in a vertical direction.

To transport the goods or subgroups of goods deposited in the collection compartments, the collection device according to the invention comprises a conveyor device. This expediently has one or more conveyor elements for transporting the goods or subgroups from the filled collection compartments. According to the invention, the conveyor device is designed in such a way that it pushes the goods or subgroups of goods deposited in the filled collection compartments out of the collection compartments all at the same time. For this purpose, at least one movable conveyor element is expediently provided, which engages in all collection compartments at the same time at predetermined times and pushes the goods or subgroups deposited therein out of the collection compartments all at the same time. The movable conveyor element can be, for example, a slider that is attached to a movable belt or band. When the belt or band moves, the slider attached to it moves into all collection compartments simultaneously and pushes the goods or subgroups located therein out of the collection compartments all at the same time.

Alternatively, it can also be provided that each collection compartment or a plurality of collection compartments is assigned a single conveyor element, wherein the individual conveyor elements are coupled to one another in such a way that their movement is synchronized with one another in such a way that all conveyor elements move into the collection compartment assigned to them at the same time and push out the goods or subgroups located therein all at the same time.

The simultaneous removal of the goods or subgroups located in the individual collection compartments enables very efficient collection of the goods in the form of a stack and a very high throughput of the collection device. When the goods or subgroups are removed from the filled collection compartments, the individual stacks from the individual collection compartments are stacked in the form of a stack and conveniently transferred to a stack transfer device arranged downstream of the collection compartments. The stack transfer device conveniently comprises a transport device for removing the stack that has been formed. Furthermore, a passage is conveniently provided in the stack transfer device, which has a flexible element and a stationary element through which the stack formed when the goods or subgroups are removed from the filled collection compartments is passed. The flexible element is preferably pre-tensioned relative to the stationary element, for example by a spring element or an elastic element such as a rubber or foam roller, and the stationary element is designed to be deformation-resistant and suspended immovably, at least in comparison to the flexible element. When the goods or partial groups of goods stacked to form the stack are passed through the passage, the stack presses the flexible element against the pre-tension and thereby opens or enlarges a gap between the movable element and the stationary element, through which the stack can then be passed. It is also possible to arrange a flexible element on both sides of the passage, which are pressed away from each other when the stack is passed through in order to open or enlarge the gap between the two flexible elements.

In order to ensure uniform alignment of the individual goods or subgroups of goods in stack form in the individual collection compartments, the collection device expediently has one or more stop elements which engage in the collection compartments when the goods or subgroups are deposited and form a stop there against which the front edge of the goods or subgroups of goods introduced into the collection compartment comes to rest when deposited. For this purpose, a single stop element can be provided which engages in all collection compartments at the same time or there can be Several stop elements can also be provided, with one such stop element being assigned to each collection compartment. When goods or partial groups of goods are placed in a collection compartment, the front edge of the goods or partial group first comes into contact with the stop of the respective collection compartment and usually bounces off from there to fall onto the shelf of the respective collection compartment or onto the partial stack already on it.

Like the or each conveyor element, the or each stop element can also be designed to be retractable into the collecting compartments and retractable out of the collecting compartments. The or each stop element is expediently formed by a stopper which is attached to a rotating belt or band and engages in one or each collecting compartment when the rotating belt or band is moved into a corresponding engagement position.

• 1: Seitenansicht einer schematisch dargestellten Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemäßen Sammelvorrichtung mit einer Zufuhreinrichtung und einer Mehrzahl von Sammelfächern;
• 2: Detaildarstellung der Zufuhreinrichtung der Sammelvorrichtung von 1;
• 3: Detaildarstellung der Sammelfächer der Sammelvorrichtung von 1 in einer ersten Position der zugeordneten Zufuhreinrichtung (3a) und einer zweiten Position der zugeordneten Zufuhreinrichtung (3b);
• 4: Detaildarstellung der Sammelfächer der Vorrichtung von 1 in befülltem Zustand;
• 5: Detaildarstellung der Sammelfächer der Vorrichtung von 1 beim Abtransport der darin abgelegten Güter bzw. Güterteilgruppen in einer ersten Phase (5a) und einer zweiten Phase (5b);
• 6: Perspektivische Draufsicht auf eine bevorzugte Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemäßen Sammelvorrichtung ;
• 7: Ansicht auf die Sammelfächer der Sammelvorrichtung von 6 in Förderrichtung.

These and other features and advantages of the collecting device according to the invention and the method according to the invention emerge from the embodiment described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

• 1 : Side view of a schematically illustrated embodiment of a collecting device according to the invention with a feed device and a plurality of collecting compartments;
• 2 : Detailed view of the feed device of the collecting device of 1 ;
• 3 : Detailed view of the collecting compartments of the collecting device of 1 in a first position of the associated feed device ( 3a) and a second position of the associated feed device ( 3b) ;
• 4 : Detailed view of the collecting compartments of the device of 1 when filled;
• 5 : Detailed view of the collecting compartments of the device of 1 when transporting the goods or partial groups of goods stored therein in a first phase ( 5a) and a second phase ( 5b) ;
• 6 : Perspective top view of a preferred embodiment of a collecting device according to the invention;
• 7 : View of the collecting compartments of the collecting device of 6 in conveying direction.

In 1 a collecting device according to the invention for collecting flat, in particular sheet-shaped goods in the form of a stack is shown schematically. The collecting device 1 has a feed device 5 for feeding individual goods G or prefabricated subgroups G' from a plurality of such goods. A subgroup G' can be made up of 1 to 20 individual goods, for example, and is fed by the feed device 5 as a prefabricated subgroup G' in the form of a stack of goods. The individual goods G or subgroups of goods G', which can also be present as folded sheets or as a folded subgroup, are transported serially in the feed device 5 along a transport direction. The feed device 5 expediently comprises a first transport path, not shown in the drawing here, which lies at least substantially in a horizontal plane, along which the goods G or the subgroups of goods G' are transported by means of a transport device, for example a conveyor belt or transport rollers. The feed device 5 further comprises a transport element 6 which adjoins the first transport path downstream and which, in the embodiment shown in the drawing here, has two conveyor belts 6a, 6b which each run over rollers 6c and are set in motion by the driven rollers 6c. The upper run of the lower belt 6a and the lower run of the upper belt 6b are arranged at a distance from and parallel to one another, so that a transport gap is formed between them, through which the goods G or the partial groups of goods G' can be transported along a transport direction T.

The transport element 6 is designed to be pivotable in the embodiment shown in the drawing and for this purpose has a frame part 6d pivotable about a pivot axis A, which in 2 For reasons of clarity, the pivotable frame part 6d is shown in 1 not shown and hidden in 2 the conveyor belts 6a, 6b arranged behind them. The rollers 6c of the circulating conveyor belts 6a, 6b are arranged rotatably on the pivotable frame part 6d. The pivotable frame element 6d is pivotably articulated on a stationary frame element 6e. The pivot axis A is arranged at the upstream end of the conveyor element 6. A pivoting mechanism is provided at the downstream end of the conveyor element 6, which in the embodiment shown here is formed by an eccentric with an eccentric wheel 6f and an eccentric rod 6g attached to it. The eccentric wheel 6f, which is driven by an eccentric drive (not shown here), is rotatably attached to the stationary frame part 6e. The lower end of the eccentric rod 6g is pivotally articulated on the eccentric wheel 6f in the area of its outer circumference and the upper end of the eccentric rod 6g is rotatably attached to the pivotable frame part 6d. By turning the eccentric wheel 6f, the pivoting frame The frame part 6d can be pivoted relative to the fixed frame part 6e within a predetermined angular range (with respect to the horizontal plane). By pivoting the pivotable frame part 6d, the position and in particular the tilting of the conveyor belts 6a, 6b relative to the horizontal plane and thus the transport direction T of the transport element 6 can be adjusted.

As can be seen from the 1 and 2 As can be seen, an arrangement with a plurality of collection compartments a, b, c, d, e adjoins the transport element 6 downstream. The collection compartments a, b, c, d, e are arranged one above the other in the vertical direction and each have a flat shelf 9, the surface of which forms a collection level. The collection levels of the collection compartments a, b, c, d, e are thus arranged at a distance from one another in the vertical direction and running parallel to one another, with the collection levels expediently lying at least substantially horizontally. The collection levels of the individual collection compartments a, b, c, d, e serve to support the goods G or the partial groups of goods G', which are fed by the feed device 5 and in particular by the transport element 6. The pivotability of the transport element 6 (in particular of the pivotable frame part 6d) enables the goods G or partial groups of goods G' fed by the transport element 6 to be introduced into a freely selectable collection compartment a, b, c, d, e.

In 3a For clarification, the pivotable transport element 6 is shown in a first position in which a good G transported by the transport element 6 in the transport direction T is introduced into the lowest collecting compartment a. For this purpose, the pivotable frame part 6d ( 2 ) is pivoted into its lowest position, in which the downstream end of the transport gap formed between the belts 6a and 6b is at least approximately at the same height (in relation to the vertical direction) as the collection level of the lowest collection compartment a. A good G guided by means of the transport element 6 in the transport direction T is thus introduced into the lowest collection compartment a in this position of the transport element 6 and deposited there.

In order to enable a uniform alignment of the goods or goods subgroups deposited on top of one another when goods G or goods subgroups G' are deposited in a collecting compartment a, b, c, d, e, a stop element 2 is provided in each collecting compartment a, b, c, d, e, which engages in the respective collecting compartment and forms a stop 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e there, against which the front edge V of the goods G or the goods subgroups G' comes to rest when they are deposited. In 3b a phase of the method according to the invention is shown in which the lowest collecting compartments a, b, c and d are already filled with goods G, the front edge V of which rests on the respective stop 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d of the associated collecting compartment a, b, c, d. When the goods G or partial groups of goods G' are introduced into one of the collecting compartments a, b, c, d, e, the front edge V of the goods G or partial group of goods G' first comes into contact with the stop 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e and then bounces off of it. The goods G introduced into a collecting compartment a, b, c, d, e or the partial group of goods G' introduced therein then falls onto the shelf 9 of the respective collecting compartment a, b, c, d, e or onto a partial stack of goods G already placed thereon.

The stop element 2 can be, for example, a stopper 2' that is attached to a circumferential stopper band 2". The circumferential stopper band 2" is guided - as shown in the figures - around rollers 2"' that are driven by a stopper drive. This allows the stop element 2 to be moved into the collecting compartments a, b, c, d, e and out of the collecting compartments a, b, c, d, e again. It is possible to provide a single stop element 2 (in particular a single stopper 2') that can simultaneously engage in all or at least several adjacent collecting compartments. However, it is also possible to assign a stop element, for example a stopper 2', to each collecting compartment, which only engages in the respective associated collecting compartment and forms a stop 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e there. In the embodiment shown in the drawing, a lower stop element 2a and a An upper stop element 2b is provided, whereby the lower stop element 2a can engage in the lower collecting compartments a, b and c and the upper stop element 2b can engage in the upper collecting compartments c, d and e. Several stoppers 2' can also be attached to each stopper belt 2" at a distance from one another in the longitudinal direction of the stopper belt. In the embodiment shown in the drawing, two stoppers 2' are arranged on each stopper belt 2". This makes it possible to move the stopper belt 2" in one direction only, without having to change direction in order to be able to bring a stopper 2' into or out of engagement with an associated collecting compartment. The stopper or stoppers 2' can be conveniently fixed at any position in the longitudinal direction (conveying direction) of the collecting compartments. This makes it possible to adapt the position of the stop 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e in the collecting compartments to the format of the goods, in particular their extension in the conveying direction.

In order to be able to deposit individual goods G or partial groups of goods G' in the collection compartments b to e arranged above the lowest collection compartment a, the pivotable transport element 6 is pivoted so that its downstream end comes to lie in the vertical direction at the level of the collecting compartment into which the goods G or the goods subgroups G' are to be placed. In 3b For example, a position of the pivotable transport element 6 is shown in which the goods G can be introduced into the uppermost collection compartment e. The collection compartments a, b, c, d located below are already filled with goods G or partial groups of goods G' and their front edge V rests against the stop 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d of the respective collection compartment a, b, c, d.

When all goods G that are part of a group of goods to be collected have been placed in the collection compartments a, b, c, d, e in a predetermined order, all collection compartments a, b, c, d, e are emptied simultaneously by using a conveyor device to push the goods G or partial groups of goods G' placed in the filled collection compartments a, b, c, d, e out of the collection compartments all at the same time. To transport the goods out of the collection compartments a, b, c, d, e, the conveyor device expediently comprises a movable conveyor element 3 that engages in the collection compartments in order to push out the goods placed therein (all at the same time). It is possible to provide a single movable conveyor element 3 that engages in all collection compartments at the same time and pushes the goods placed in the collection compartments all at the same time out of the collection compartments by moving along a downstream conveying direction. However, it is also possible to provide two or more conveyor elements 3a, 3b, the movement of which is coupled and synchronized with one another in such a way that all conveyor elements 3a, 3b engage in the collecting compartments a, b, c, d, e at the same time and are moved through the collecting compartment in the conveying direction to ensure that the goods deposited in the collecting compartments are all pushed out of the collecting compartments at the same time. In the embodiment shown in the drawing here, a lower conveyor element 3a and an upper conveyor element 3b are provided, with the lower conveyor element 3a engaging in the lower collecting compartments (a, b, c) and the upper conveyor element 3b engaging in the upper collecting compartments (c, d, e). Both the lower conveyor element 3a and the upper conveyor element 3b comprise a slide element 3', which is attached to a rotating slide belt 3''. The rotating slide belt 3'' is guided over drivable rollers 3''' and set in motion when the rollers 3''' are driven.

In order to transport the individual goods G or partial groups of goods G' from the filled collection compartments, the movable conveyor elements 3 or 3a, 3b are set and controlled at predetermined times so that they engage in the collection compartments at the same time and are driven through the collection compartments in order to push the goods or partial groups of goods stored therein out of the filled collection compartments at the same time. If several movable conveyor elements 3a, 3b are provided, their movement is synchronized so that all conveyor elements 3a, 3b engage in the collection compartments assigned to them at the same time. In the above-mentioned embodiment, in which a single movable conveyor element 3 is provided, the simultaneous engagement of this conveyor element 3 in all collection compartments a, b, c, d, e takes place automatically.

Several sliders 3' can be attached to each slider belt 3'' at a distance from one another in the longitudinal direction of the belt. In the embodiment shown in the drawing, two sliders 3' are arranged on each slider belt 3''. This makes it possible to move the slider belt 3'' in one direction only, without having to change direction in order to be able to bring a slider 3' into or out of engagement with an associated collecting compartment. This contributes to an increase in throughput because the additional slider 3' can already be used to transport the next stack out of the collecting compartments after the first slider 3' has been brought out of engagement with the collecting compartments.

To ensure that the stop elements 2 or 2a, 2b do not represent an obstacle when transporting the goods out of the collection compartments, they are moved out of the collection compartments before the goods are transported away. 4 the collecting device 1 is shown in a position in which the collecting compartments a, b, c, d, e are filled with goods G and the goods are ready for transport. In the 4 In the position shown, the stop elements 2 and in particular the stoppers 2' are still engaged with the collecting compartments a, b, c, d, e. To transport the goods G out of the collecting compartments a, b, c, d, e, the stop elements 2, in particular the stoppers 2', are first moved out of the collecting compartments. Subsequently or simultaneously, the conveyor elements 3, in particular the sliders 3', move into the upstream end of the collecting compartments a, b, c, d, e and through the collecting compartments in a downstream direction. The goods deposited in the collecting compartments a, b, c, d, e are all pushed through simultaneously in the conveying direction to the downstream end of the collecting compartments.

A stack transfer device 4 is arranged at the downstream end of the collecting compartments a, b, c, d, e. In the embodiment shown in the drawing, this comprises a lower conveyor device 4a and an upper conveyor device device 4b, each of which has a conveyor belt 4' running around driven rollers 4'', the lower conveyor belt 4' being inclined upwards and the upper conveyor belt 4' being inclined downwards, each viewed in the downstream direction and in relation to the horizontal. The upper conveyor device 4b comprises a flexible element 7b, which is formed by the downstream roller 4''. This flexible element 7b is prestressed against a stationary element 7a by a spring element 8. The stationary element 7a is formed by the downstream roller 4'' of the lower conveyor device 4a. The stationary element 7a and the flexible element 7b are arranged at a distance from one another in a basic position, so that a gap is formed between the stationary element 7a and the movable element 7b. This gap forms a passage 7 through which the stack formed by the collecting device 1, which forms a finished group of goods, can be passed for removal of the stack.

In 5 Two consecutive phases of the removal of goods from the collection compartments a, b, c, d, e and the formation of the stack S as well as the removal of the formed stack S are shown. In the illustration of the 5a it is shown how the goods G located in the collecting compartments a, b, c, d, e are all simultaneously pushed out of the collecting compartments in a downstream direction by the conveyor element 3 or the two conveyor elements 3a, 3b. By means of the 5 The goods G led out of the collecting compartments are fed vertically towards one another to form a stack S by the resulting inclination of the conveyor belts 4a, 4b obliquely upwards or obliquely downwards and are guided by the conveyor belts 4' moving in a transport direction T through the passage 7, which is formed by the gap between the stationary element 7a and the movable element 7b. In the process, the flexible element 7b is pressed upwards against the restoring force of the spring element 8. The restoring force of the spring element 8 or the elastic property of the flexible element 7b ensures that the goods G forming the stack S are pressed firmly against one another and are thus compressed into the stack S. A removal device 19 for removing the stack S formed is connected downstream to the passage 7 ( 1 ).

From the 6 and 7 shows a preferred embodiment of a collecting device according to the invention. In this, each collecting compartment a, b, c, d, e has two separate shelves 9, 9'. The shelves 9, 9' of a collecting compartment a, b, c, d, e are arranged at a distance from one another transversely to the transport direction, so that a gap is created between the shelves 9, 9' of a collecting compartment. The conveyor device with the conveyor elements 3 or 3a and 3b for transporting the goods out of the collecting compartments is arranged in this gap. In particular, the lower conveyor element 3a and the upper conveyor element 3b with the sliders 3' enclosed by them are arranged in this gap, which reach through the collection levels of the collecting compartments a, b, c, d, e. In each of the shelves 9, 9' of a collecting compartment a, b, c, d, e, a slot 9a, 9a' is provided through which a movable stop element 2, in particular the stoppers 2', can reach through and thereby engage in the respective collecting compartment a, b, c, d, e. The two shelves 9, 9' of a collecting compartment a, b, c, d, e can be moved against each other transversely to the transport direction. This enables, for example, the stop elements 2 and/or the conveyor elements 3; 3a, 3b to be replaced if they are damaged due to wear. Furthermore, the ability of the shelves 9, 9' to be moved transversely to the transport direction allows the width of the collecting compartments a, b, c, d, e to be adapted to the format of the goods G to be collected. Upstream of the divided collecting compartments, in this embodiment of the collecting device, as can be seen from 5 As can be seen, two separate transport elements 6, 6' are expediently provided, which are arranged at a distance from one another transversely to the conveying direction. Accordingly, two separate stack transfer devices 4, 4' are provided downstream of the divided collecting compartments, which are arranged at a distance from one another transversely to the conveying direction.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments shown in the drawings here. Instead of the pivotability of the feed device 5 and in particular the pivotability of the transport element 6 relative to the fixed collecting compartments a, b, c, d, e shown here, it is also possible to design the feed device 5 and in particular its transport element 6 to be movable in the vertical direction relative to the collecting compartments a, b, c, d, e. In this embodiment of the device according to the invention, the feed device 5 and in particular its transport element 6 can be moved in the vertical direction between the lowest collecting compartment a and the uppermost collecting compartment e in the manner of a lift in order to enable goods to be deposited in any collecting compartment and in any order. Alternatively, it is also possible to design the feed device 5 and in particular its transport element 6 to be stationary and to design the collecting compartments to be movable in the vertical direction, again in the manner of a lift.

Instead of the conveyor device 3 described in detail here with the synchronously movable conveyor elements 3a, 3b, other conveyor devices can also be provided for transporting the goods out of the collection compartments, such as driven rollers or belts. These are driven synchronously to transport all goods out of the filled collection compartments at the same time, so that all goods can be moved out of the collection compartments at the same time.

Unlike in the 6 and 7 As shown, the collecting compartments can also have continuous shelves 9. Slots running in the longitudinal direction (conveying direction) of the shelves 9 can be provided for the engagement of the conveying elements 3a, 3b (in particular their sliders 3') and the stop elements 2 (in particular their stoppers 2').

It is also possible to arrange several collecting devices of the type described above one after the other in the conveying direction. On the one hand, this enables the collection of large stacks with a large number of goods, in that partial stacks can be created in a first collecting device, which can then be placed in a collecting compartment of the second collecting device downstream and combined with other goods or partial stacks of goods to form a larger stack. On the other hand, this means that the total number of collecting compartments can be increased without the device becoming too tall. It is expedient for the stack transfer device of the first collecting device to be immediately followed downstream by the feed device of the second collecting device, etc. However, it is also possible to arrange further processing stations between successive collecting devices.

Claims (19)

Method for collecting flat, in particular sheet-shaped goods (G) in the form of a stack in a collecting device (1) which has a plurality of collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e) arranged one above the other, with the following steps: - feeding a single item (G) or a prefabricated subgroup (G') from a plurality of goods to a first collecting compartment (a) and depositing the single item or the prefabricated subgroup in the first collecting compartment (a), - feeding a single item (G) or a prefabricated subgroup (G') from a plurality of goods to at least one second collecting compartment (b) and depositing the single item or the prefabricated subgroup in the second collecting compartment (b), - simultaneously transporting the individual items (G) or the prefabricated subgroups (G') from all filled collecting compartments (a, b) to form a stack (S) from the transported goods or subgroups of goods, characterized in that the feed device (5) has a transport element (6) for transporting the goods (G) or the prefabricated sub-groups (G'), wherein the transport element (6) and the collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e) are movable or pivotable relative to one another, and at least one stop element (2) is moved into the collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e) in order to form a stop (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e) in each of the collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e), against which the front edge (V) of the goods (G) or the prefabricated sub-groups (G') comes to rest when they are deposited in the respective collecting compartment (a, b, c, d, e). Procedure according to Claim 1 , wherein the order of the goods (G) or the prefabricated subgroups (G') in the stack (S) formed corresponds to the order of the collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e) arranged one above the other. Procedure according to Claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that in each of the collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e) a stop (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e) is provided, against which the front edge (V) of the goods (G) or the prefabricated sub-groups (G') comes to rest when they are deposited in the respective collecting compartment (a, b). Procedure according to Claim 3 , characterized in that a stop element (2) engages in all collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e) in order to form a stop (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e) there, against which the front edge (V) of the goods (G) or the prefabricated sub-groups (G') come to rest when they are deposited in the respective collecting compartment (a, b, c, d, e). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that for the simultaneous removal of the goods (G) or the prefabricated sub-groups (G') from the collecting compartments (a, b), a movable conveyor element (3) is provided, which comes to rest on the rear edge (H) of the goods (G) or the prefabricated sub-groups (G') during removal. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that during the simultaneous removal of the goods (G) or the prefabricated subgroups (G') from the collecting compartments (a, b), a conveyor element (3) comes to rest on their rear edge (H) and pushes all goods (G) or subgroups (G') simultaneously out of the collecting compartments (a, b) onto or into a stack transfer device (4) to form a stack (S). Procedure according to Claim 5 or 6 , characterized in that the conveyor element (3) engages in all collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e) in order to engage the rear edge (H) of the collecting compartments (a, b) during simultaneous removal of the goods (G) or the prefabricated subgroups (G') therefrom and to push all the goods (G) or subgroups (G') out of the filled collecting compartments (a, b) at the same time. Procedure according to the Claims 3 until 7 , characterized in that the stop element (2) and/or the conveying element (3) can be moved into the collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e) and out of the collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e). Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the collection compartments (a, b, c, d, e) each have an at least substantially horizontal collection plane on which the goods (G) or subgroups (G') are deposited and the collection compartments (a, b, c, d, e) are arranged one above the other in a vertical direction such that the collection planes of the collection compartments (a, b, c, d, e) run at least approximately parallel to one another. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the order of filling the collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e) is arbitrary and changeable and in particular is independent of the arrangement and order of the collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e) arranged one above the other. Use of a collecting device (1) with - a plurality of collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e) arranged one above the other, - a feed device (5) for feeding individual goods (G) or prefabricated subgroups (G') from a plurality of goods to the collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e), wherein the feed device (5) has a transport element (6) for transporting the goods (G) or the subgroups (G'), - and at least one conveyor element (3) for transporting the individual goods (G) or the prefabricated subgroups (G') from the collecting compartments (a, b) filled with goods (G) or subgroups (G'), for collecting flat and in particular sheet-shaped goods (G) in the form of a stack, wherein the feed device (5) for filling the collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e) first feeds a single good (G) or a prefabricated subgroup (G') from a plurality of goods to a first collection compartment (a) and deposits them therein, then a single good (G) or a prefabricated subgroup (G') from a plurality of goods to at least one second collection compartment (b) and deposits them therein and after the collection compartments (a, b, c, d, e) have been filled, the or each conveyor element (3) engages at the same time in the or one of the collection compartments (a, b, c, d, e) in order to transport the goods (G) or subgroups (G') deposited therein all at the same time out of the filled collection compartments (a, b, c, d, e), characterized in that the transport element (6) and the collection compartments (a, b, c, d, e) can be moved or pivoted relative to one another, and in that at least one stop element (2) is present which can be moved into the collection compartments (a, b, c, d, e) in order to stop the goods (G) or subgroups (G') deposited therein in each of the collection compartments (a, b, c, d, e). e) to form a stop (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e) against which the front edge (V) of the goods (G) or the prefabricated sub-groups (G') rests when they are deposited in the respective collection compartment (a, b, c, d, e). Collecting device (1) for collecting flat, in particular sheet-shaped goods (G) in the form of a stack, with - a plurality of collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e) arranged one above the other, - a feed device (5) for feeding and depositing individual goods (G) or prefabricated subgroups (G') from a plurality of goods in the collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e), wherein the feed device (5) has a transport element (6) for transporting the goods (G) or the subgroups (G'), - and a conveyor device for transporting the individual goods (G) or the prefabricated subgroups (G') away from the collecting compartments (a, b) filled with goods (G) or subgroups (G'), wherein the conveyor device removes the goods (G) or subgroups (G') deposited in the filled collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e) all at the same time from the collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e), characterized in that the transport element (6) and the collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e) can be moved or pivoted relative to one another, and in that at least one stop element (2) is present which can be moved into the collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e) in order to form a stop (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e) in each of the collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e), against which the front edge (V) of the goods (G) or the prefabricated sub-groups (G') comes to rest when they are deposited in the respective collecting compartment (a, b, c, d, e). Collection device according to Claim 12 , characterized in that the conveying device contains at least one conveying element (3) which engages in the collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e), wherein the or each conveying element (3) engages in the collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e) at the same time in order to push the goods (G) or subgroups (G') deposited therein all simultaneously out of the filled collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e). Collection device according to Claim 12 or 13 , characterized in that the collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e) are arranged one above the other in the vertical direction and each collecting compartment (a, b, c, d, e) has at least one at least substantially horizontal shelf (9, 9'), the surface of which defines a collecting plane for supporting the goods (G) or subgroups (G') of goods. Collecting device according to one of the Claims 12 until 14 , characterized by a movable stop element (2) which engages in all collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e) in order to form a stop (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e) there, against which the front edge (V) of the goods (G) or the prefabricated sub-groups (G') come to rest when they are deposited in the respective collecting compartment (a, b, c, d, e). Collecting device according to one of the Claims 12 until 15 , characterized by a stack transfer device (4) arranged downstream of the collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e) for receiving the formed stack (S), which forms a stack receiving plane, wherein the stack transfer device (4) in particular comprises a transport device (19) for removing the formed stack (S). Collection device according to Claim 16 , characterized in that the stack transfer device (4) has a passage (7) with a flexible element (7a) and a stationary element (7a), through which the stack (S) formed during the removal of the individual goods (G) or the prefabricated subgroups (G') from the filled collection compartments (a, b) is passed. Collection device according to Claim 17 , characterized in that the flexible element (7a) is prestressed relative to the stationary element (7a), in particular by a spring element (8). Collecting device according to one of the Claims 12 until 18 , characterized in that each of the collecting compartments (a, b, c, d, e) has at least two separate shelves (9, 9') which can be displaced relative to one another transversely to the transport direction of the goods (G).

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