JP4190644B2 - Collating device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a collating apparatus in which a plurality of collating machines are arranged.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Some collating machines have a plurality of sheet feeding stages arranged in the vertical direction, and sequentially take out and collate sheets placed on each sheet feeding stage. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing an example of such a collating machine. In FIG. 3, the collating machine 30 has ten paper feed stages 2a to 2j arranged in the vertical direction, and a predetermined number of paper sheets 3a to 3j are placed on each paper feed stage. Paper feed rollers 4a to 4j are provided at the front end of each paper feed stage. Reference numerals 5a to 5j denote sheet feeding units, 6a to 6j and 7a to 7j denote longitudinal conveyance rollers, and 8a to 8i denote transmission rollers.
[0003]
Reference numeral 9 denotes a drive motor which rotates a pulley 10 around which a chain or the like is wound, and rotates the vertical conveying rollers 6a to 6j via power transmission means (not shown). -The vertical transport rollers 7a to 7j are rotated via the rollers 8a to 8i. The paper 3a placed on the paper feed stage 2a is pulled out by the paper feed roller 4a and transported in the vertical direction by the vertical transport rollers 6a and 7a through the paper feed unit 5a. In the same manner, the paper fed from each paper feed stage is transported to the vertical transport roller, sequentially stacked on the paper 3a, and transported in the vertical direction while being collated. The sheet bundle collated in this way is discharged from the first discharge unit 13 to the outside.
[0004]
11 is a switching gate for switching the discharge direction of the sheet bundle, 12 is a solenoid for operating the switching gate, 14 is a second discharge unit, 15a and 15b are discharge rollers, and 16 is a sheet stacking unit. By switching the switching gate 11, it becomes possible to switch the discharge direction of the collated sheet bundle and stack it in the sheet stacking unit. Hereinafter, the direction of discharging from the first discharge unit 13 to the outside is referred to as front discharge, and the direction of discharge from the second discharge unit 14 to the sheet stacking unit 16 is referred to as rear discharge. Thus, by switching the discharge direction of the sheet bundle, the collating machine can be used effectively according to the work contents at the site.
[0005]
By the way, in the collating machine having the configuration shown in FIG. 3, the height is limited, so the number of paper feed stages is limited, and in order to collate paper with a page number exceeding this number, a plurality of collation machines are used. The machine may be used in conjunction. FIG. 4 is a side view showing an example of a collating apparatus 50 that uses the collating machine 30 and the collating machine 40 connected by the transport unit 20. In the example of FIG. 4, the transport unit 20 can transport the sheet bundle in both the X and Y directions.
[0006]
In FIG. 4, 21 is a lateral transport belt, and 22 is a lateral transport roller, and a plurality of them are arranged with respect to the lateral transport belt 21. Reference numeral 23 is a pulley, 24 is a drive roller, and 25 is a support roller. A pulley is connected to the output shaft of the drive motor 26, and a chain is wound around the pulley and the pulley 23 to transmit power to the drive roller 24.
[0007]
By rotating the drive motor 26 forward and backward, the conveyor belt 21 can be moved in either direction X or Y. In this way, the two collating machines 30 and 40 can discharge a bundle of sheets in either the front side or the rear side, and thus can be used for a wide range of applications.
[0008]
Since each collator may be used as shown in FIG. 4 in addition to the case where it is used alone as shown in FIG. 3, a connection operation unit is provided on the operation panel. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the connection operation unit 51 provided in the collating machine 30. The connecting operation unit 51 includes a collating machine disposed on the front side (collating machine 40 in the example of FIG. 4) and a collating machine disposed on the rear side (collating machine 30 in the example of FIG. 4). Are simulated and displayed as P and Q.
[0009]
The collating machine P that is displayed in a simulated manner is provided with a display lamp 40a that displays that paper is ejected rearward and a display lamp 40b that displays that paper is ejected forward. Similarly, the collation machine Q that is displayed in a simulated manner is provided with a display lamp 30a that displays that the paper is discharged backward and a display lamp 30b that indicates that the paper is discharged forward.
[0010]
51a is a single / connection switching button for setting whether the collator is used alone or connected, and 51b is a paper discharge direction for setting whether the paper discharge direction is front discharge or rear discharge. A button 51c is a display lamp for displaying a single operation, and 51d is a display lamp for displaying a connection operation.
[0011]
When the collating machine 30 is used alone, the single / connection switching button 51a is operated to set the single use, and the display lamp 51c is turned on. In addition, either the display lamp 30a for the paper discharge direction set by the paper discharge direction button 51b or the display lamp 30b is lit.
[0012]
When the collating machine 30 is connected to the collating machine 40 and used, the unit / connection switching button 51a is operated to set the connection use, and the display lamp 51d is turned on. In addition, either the display lamp 30a for the paper discharge direction set by the paper discharge direction button 51b or the display lamp 30b is lit. Similarly, on the collating machine 40 side, the single / connection switching button of the connection operation unit is set to use connection, and the paper discharge direction button is operated so that the paper is discharged in the same direction as the collating machine 30.
[0013]
Since the collator is often used alone, the operation panel of each collator 30 and 40 is provided with various buttons and display lamps for setting the operation when used alone. Yes. Furthermore, although the frequency of use is not so high, the operation panel is separately provided with a connection operation section as described above so that it can cope with the case where the collating machines are connected and used as shown in FIG. Yes.
[0014]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, in the conventional collating apparatus that couples a plurality of collating machines, there is a problem that the cost increases because it is necessary to provide a dedicated coupling operation unit on the operation panel. Further, in each collating machine, since the single / connection switching button has to be operated as described in the example of FIG. 5, there is a problem in that the operation becomes complicated and the work load of the operator increases.
[0015]
The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a collation apparatus that reduces cost and simplifies operation.
[0016]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a collating apparatus in which a plurality of paper feed stages arranged in a vertical direction, a vertical transport means, and a paper feeding unit that feeds paper placed in each paper feed stage to the vertical transport means. A paper roller, a motor for driving the vertical conveying means, a switching means for switching the paper discharge direction to forward paper discharge or rear paper discharge, and a paper feed lever operation for setting the paper feed stage to the paper feed position And a control unit having a paper discharge direction setting unit. The paper fed from each paper feed stage is sequentially stacked and collated while being conveyed by the vertical conveyance means, and the paper is fed in the set paper discharge direction. In a collating apparatus that includes a plurality of collating machines that discharge the merged sheet bundle and that connects the lateral conveying means between the collating machines, the control unit of each collating machine is connected by a signal line, Based on the signals of the paper feed lever operation unit and the paper discharge direction setting unit set by the control unit of the collating machine, the connection with the other collating machine is used. Or it is accomplished by a circuit which sets a single use.
[0017]
According to the above feature of the present invention, the operation of the paper feed lever for setting the paper feed stage performed prior to the operation of the collating machine to the paper feed position and the paper discharge direction are set to the front discharge or the rear discharge. The operation is performed to automatically determine whether the unit is used alone or connected to another collating machine, and the collating machine is operated. For this reason, when operating a collation machine by connection use, since it is not necessary to provide the operation part for setting connection use, the cost of a collation apparatus can be reduced. In addition, since a special operation for setting the operation for connection use is not required, the work load can be reduced.
[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the collating apparatus according to the present invention will be described. At the start of the operation of the collating machine, a paper feed lever is operated to bring the paper placed in each paper feed stage into contact with the paper feed roller. This paper feed lever is connected to each paper feed stage, and raises or lowers the paper feed stage at once using a drive source such as an electromagnetic solenoid.
[0019]
FIG. 2 is a side view showing the positional relationship between the paper feed stage and the paper feed roller. An example of the paper feed stage 2a and the paper feed roller 4a of the collating machine 30 shown in FIG. 3 will be described. In FIG. 2A, the paper feed stage 2a is lowered by the paper feed lever, and there is a gap T between the paper 3a placed on the paper feed stage 2a and the surface of the paper feed roller 4a. It is formed.
[0020]
In FIG. 2B, the paper feed stage 2a is raised in the arrow S direction by the operation of the paper feed lever, and the sheet 3a placed on the paper feed stage 2a and the surface of the paper feed roller 4a are shown. Are in contact. Accordingly, by driving the paper feed roller 4a, the paper 3a is collated while being transported by the above-described vertical transport path.
[0021]
At the start of the operation of the collating machine, the front paper discharge, the rear paper discharge, or the discharge direction is set. In the present invention, each collating machine can be used alone or with other collating machines by using the operation of the paper feeding lever and setting the paper discharge direction prior to the operation of the collating machine. The basic configuration is to provide a control unit that automatically determines whether the connection is used.
[0022]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a control device of a collation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, as illustrated in FIG. 4, a case where the collator 30 and the collator 40 are used individually and a case where they are used in combination will be described.
[0023]
In FIG. 1, 31 is a control unit of the collating machine 30, 41 is a control unit of the collating machine 40, and 60 is a signal line connecting the control unit 31 and the control unit 41. The control unit 31 includes an input unit 32, a central processing unit (CPU) 33, a memory 34 including a ROM and a RAM, a display unit 35 using a cathode ray tube (CRT) and a liquid crystal (LCD), an interface I / F 36, 37 is provided.
[0024]
The control unit 41 includes an input unit 42, a central processing unit (CPU) 43, a memory 44 composed of ROM and RAM, a display unit 45 using a cathode ray tube (CRT) and a liquid crystal (LCD), an interface I / F 46, 47 is provided. The signal line 60 is connected to the interface I / F 36 of the control unit 31 and the interface I / F 46 of the control unit 41.
[0025]
Further, the interface I / F 37 and the interface I / F 47 are spare interfaces, and the drive roller 24 of the lateral conveyance belt 21 is driven in one interface I / F 37. A control line 38 for applying a control signal is connected to the driving motor 26 to be operated. When another collating machine is further connected to the collating machine 40, the interface I / F provided in the control unit of the other collating machine is connected to the interface I / F 47 through a signal line. To do.
[0026]
The input unit 32 of the control unit 31 is provided with a paper feed lever operation button 32a, a front discharge setting button 32b, and a rear discharge setting button 32c. Similarly, the input unit 42 of the control unit 41 is provided with a paper feed lever operation button 42a, a front discharge setting button 42b, and a rear discharge setting button 42c. When the front discharge setting button and the rear discharge setting button of each control unit are operated, the switching direction is changed to the discharge direction set by the switching gate 11 described in FIG.
[0027]
If it is assumed that the operation button 32 a for the paper feed lever and the setting button 32 b for front paper discharge are operated in the input unit 32 of the control unit 31, this operation state is stored in the memory 34. When no operation is performed in the control unit 41, no signal is transmitted from the signal line 60 to the control unit 31, and therefore the collating machine 30 operates alone.
[0028]
As described above, after the paper feed lever operation button 32 a and the front paper discharge setting button 32 b are operated in the input unit 32 of the control unit 31, the input of the paper feed lever is performed in the input unit 42 of the control unit 41. It is assumed that the operation button 42a and the front discharge setting button 42b are operated. In this case, the operation state of the control unit 41 is input to the control unit 31 through the signal line 60.
[0029]
The control unit 31 determines that both the collating machines are connected and used because the paper discharge directions of the collating machine 30 and the collating machine 40 are the same for the front paper discharge. If it is determined that the collating machine is connected and used, a signal is sent from the control unit 31 to the drive motor 26 through the signal line 38, and the lateral conveyance belt 21 is transferred in the X direction in FIG.
[0030]
Similarly, after the paper feed lever operation button 32 a and the rear paper discharge setting button 32 c are operated in the input unit 32 of the control unit 31, the paper feed lever is operated in the input unit 42 of the control unit 41. Even when the button 42 a and the rear discharge setting button 42 c are operated, the operation state of the control unit 41 is input to the control unit 31 through the signal line 60.
[0031]
In this case, since the discharge direction of the collating machine 30 and the collating machine 40 is the same for the backward discharge, the control unit 31 determines that both the collating machines are connected and used. A signal is sent from the control unit 31 to the drive motor 26 through the control line 38, and the lateral conveyance belt 21 is transferred in the Y direction in FIG.
[0032]
In the above example, the connection setting of the other collator 40 is determined on the control unit 31 side of the one collator 30 to be coupled. However, it is also possible to determine the connection setting of the collator 30 on the other collator 40 side. In this case, the signal line 38 is connected in advance to the interface I / F 47 of the control unit 41, and the drive motor 26 is controlled by a signal output from the control unit 41. The control unit 41 determines whether or not to connect the collation machine 30 to the collation machine 40 according to the setting content of the control unit 31 transmitted from the signal line 60.
[0033]
The collating machine 30 can be used alone with the transport unit 20 connected between the collating machine 30 and the collating machine 40. That is, in the case of the front discharge, a signal is sent to the drive motor 26 through the control line 38, and the lateral conveyance belt 21 is transferred in the X direction in FIG. At this time, since the operation button 42a of the sheet feeding lever is not operated in the collating machine 40, the collating machine 40 does not perform the collating operation, and the sheet bundle collated by the collating machine 30 is on the collating machine 40 side. Discharged from. In the case of rearward discharge by only the collating machine 30, it is only necessary to switch the switching gate 11.
[0034]
The collating machine 40 can also be used alone with the transport unit 20 connected between the collating machine 30 and the collating machine 40. In this case, the control line 38 is connected to the interface I / F 47 of the control unit 41 in advance. In the case of rearward discharge, a signal is sent to the drive motor 26 through the control line 38, and the lateral conveyance belt 21 is transferred in the Y direction in FIG. At this time, since the operation button 32a of the sheet feeding lever is not operated in the collating machine 30, the collating machine 30 does not perform the collating operation, and the sheet bundle collated by the collating machine 40 is the collating machine 30 side. Discharged from. In the case of front discharge by only the collating machine 40, it is only necessary to switch the switching gate 11.
[0035]
As described above, according to the present invention, by using the operation of the paper feed lever and the setting of the paper discharge direction, which are indispensable requirements for the operation of the collating machine, it is used alone or connected to another collating machine. The collating machine is operated by automatically determining whether it is in use, and a connection operation unit for performing setting for operation by connection is not necessary. In addition, no special operation is required for driving in connection.
[0036]
In addition, the collating apparatus of the present invention uses the conveying unit 20 as the collating machine 40 and the collating machine both when a plurality of collating machines are used as a single machine and when each collating machine is used in conjunction with each other. This can be performed while being connected to the machine 30. For this reason, the operation | work of attachment or removal of the conveyance part 20 is unnecessary, and a work burden is reduced.
[0037]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the operation of the paper feed lever for setting the paper feed stage as the paper feed position performed prior to the operation of the collating machine, and the paper discharge direction as the front paper discharge or the rear Using the operation for setting the paper discharge, the collating machine is operated by automatically determining whether it is used alone or connected to another collating machine. For this reason, when operating a collation machine by connection use, since it is not necessary to provide the operation part for setting connection use, the cost of a collation apparatus can be reduced. In addition, since a special operation for setting the operation for connection use is not required, the work load can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a control device of a collation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a positional relationship between a sheet feeding stage and a sheet feeding roller of the collating machine.
FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing an example of a collating machine.
FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing an example of a collating apparatus.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional connection operation unit.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Collating device 9 Driving motor 11 Switching gate 20 Conveying part 21 Conveying belt 24 Driving roller 30, 40 Collating machine 31, 41 Control part 32, 42 Input part 32a, 42a Feeding lever operation button 32b, 42b Front paper discharge setting button 32c, 42c Rear paper discharge setting button 60 Signal line

Claims (1)

Paper feed stages arranged in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction, vertical transport means, paper feed rollers for feeding paper placed in each paper feed stage to the vertical transport means, and vertical transport means Control unit having a motor to be driven, switching means for switching the paper discharge direction to front paper discharge or rear paper discharge, a paper feed lever operation unit for setting the paper feed stage to a paper feed position, and a paper discharge direction setting unit And collating the paper fed from each paper feed stage one after the other while collating them while being conveyed by the vertical conveying means, and discharging the paper bundle collated in the set paper discharge direction In the collating apparatus comprising a plurality of machines and connecting the lateral conveying means between the collating machines, the control unit of each collating machine is connected by a signal line, and is set by the control unit of the counterpart collating machine Based on the signals from the paper feed lever operation section and the paper discharge direction setting section, it is possible to set the connection to the collating machine on the other side or single use. Collating apparatus according to claim.

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