JP6032814B2 - Collating machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a collating machine.

  As a conventional collating machine, for example, there is one described in Patent Document 1. FIG. 3 shows a schematic configuration of this type of collating machine. As shown in FIG. 3, the collating machine includes a vertical conveyance path G for conveying paper, a plurality of paper trays 2 a to 2 e arranged at intervals along the conveyance path G, and a paper tray. A plurality of supply units 4a to 4e that supply sheets one by one from the sheet stacks 3a to 3e placed on 2a to 2e to the conveyance path G are provided. In order to detect double feeding of the sheets supplied from the sheet trays 2a to 2e, the supply units 4a to 4e are provided with transmissive photoelectric sensors 14a to 14e. The transmissive photoelectric sensors 14a to 14e include pairs of light projecting units 15a to 15e that irradiate light and light receiving units 16a to 16e that receive the irradiated light. Here, double feeding means that two or more sheets are supplied from the sheet trays 2a to 2e in a state where they are overlapped.

  When collating, the paper stacks 3a to 3e are placed on the paper trays 2a to 2e so as to be in page order for each paper tray from the upstream paper tray. Then, the sheets are sequentially supplied from the sheet stacks 3a to 3e to the conveyance path G by the supply units 4a to 4e. At this time, in each of the supply units 4a to 4e, light is emitted from the light projecting portions 15a to 15a of the transmissive photoelectric sensors 14a to 14e to the paper sent from the paper trays 2a to 2e, and the light that has passed through the paper is emitted. Light is received by the light receiving units 16a to 16e, and the light transmittance of the paper is detected. This detected value is compared with a preset reference value. If the detected value is smaller than the reference value, it is determined that double feeding has occurred.

  Then, the paper supplied from the next downstream paper tray is sequentially superimposed on the paper supplied from the upstream paper tray on the transport path G, and the paper is collated, and the downstream end of the transport path G is checked. It is conveyed to the conveyance outlet E. When double feed is detected, the booklet including the double fed paper passes through the transport outlet E and is then removed from the subsequent processing line.

  Further, the collating machine is provided with a transmissive ultrasonic sensor for each paper tray instead of the transmissive photoelectric sensor as described in Patent Document 2, and each paper tray is based on the ultrasonic transmittance. Some of them detect double feeding of paper supplied from the printer.

  By the way, in digital printing, it is possible to sequentially print a plurality of types of booklets having different numbers of pages in the order of pages. In such a case, the paper stack obtained by digital printing is composed of a stack of a plurality of paper sheets stacked in order of pages, and it is not necessary to collate. The paper stack for digital printing is fed by a dedicated paper feeder without being applied to the collating machine, and is then sorted into one by one and sent to the bookbinding process.

  In view of this, it is conceivable that the collating machine is provided with a function as a paper feeder, and the sheets are continuously fed one by one without collating from the sheet stack obtained by digital printing.

  If this is to be realized by the collating machine shown in FIG. 3, the paper stacks 3a to 3e obtained by digital printing are placed on the paper trays 2a to 2e, and the paper stack of the uppermost paper tray 2a is placed. The sheets are continuously supplied from 3a one by one, sequentially conveyed to the conveyance outlet E without being superimposed on the conveyance path G, and when the supply from the uppermost sheet tray 2a is completed, the next downstream is The supply from a certain paper tray 2b is started, and this is performed until the supply of the most downstream paper tray 2e is completed. As a result, a large amount of paper can be fed, and a dedicated paper feeder for digital printing is not required, thereby reducing costs.

  Thus, even when the collator is used as a paper feeder, it is necessary to detect double feeding of paper. However, when sheets with different pages are placed on one sheet tray, sheets with different light transmittances are sequentially supplied from the sheet tray, so the transmission photoelectric sensor can accurately detect double feeding. I can't.

  On the other hand, in the transmission type ultrasonic sensor, the ultrasonic wave has a characteristic that it is not affected by the color of the ink printed on the paper, and the transmittance of the ultrasonic wave hardly changes even if the pages are different. Thus, even when sheets of different pages are sequentially supplied, it is possible to accurately detect double feeding. Therefore, if the collating machine described in Patent Document 2 can be used as a paper feeder as described above, even if sheets of the paper stack obtained by digital printing are sequentially supplied from the paper tray, the duplicating machine can be used. The feed can be detected accurately.

  However, since the transmission type ultrasonic sensor is generally more expensive than the transmission type photoelectric sensor, the cost of the collating machine provided with the transmission type ultrasonic sensor for each paper tray is high.

JP 07-149468 A JP 2011-168400 A

  Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an inexpensive collating machine capable of accurately detecting double feeding even when used as a paper feeder.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a collating machine according to the present invention includes a frame having a sheet conveyance path, and a frame attached to the frame and spaced apart along the conveyance path. A plurality of paper trays, a plurality of supply means provided between each of the paper trays and the transport path, for supplying the sheets of the paper stack one by one from the paper tray to the transport path, and the frame A transport unit that transports the paper supplied by the supply unit to the transport outlet at the downstream end thereof along the transport path, and a control unit that controls the operation of the supply unit and the transport unit. Prepared,
The control means includes
Paper is sequentially supplied from each of the paper stacks placed in page order for each paper tray from the upstream paper tray, and is next downstream to the paper supplied from the upstream paper tray on the conveyance path. A collation mode in which the sheets supplied from the sheet tray are sequentially overlapped, and the sheets are transported to the transport outlet in a state of being overlapped in page order;
One sheet from the paper stack in one paper tray out of the paper stack that is stacked in multiple paper trays that are placed in multiple paper trays and stacked in a page order. To the non-collating mode in which the paper is continuously fed, transported to the transport outlet without being overlapped on the transport path, and the feeding from the next paper tray is started when the feeding from the paper tray is completed. It is designed to switch, and
A transmissive photoelectric sensor provided in each of the supply means for detecting passage of paper;
A transmissive ultrasonic sensor disposed at the transport outlet for detecting passage of paper, and
The control means includes
In the collating mode, the double feed of the paper is detected based on the detection signal of the transmissive photoelectric sensor,
In the non-collation mode, double feeding of paper is detected based on a detection signal of the transmission ultrasonic sensor.

  According to the present invention, the collating machine can switch the operation between the collating mode for collating the paper and the non-collating mode in which only the paper is fed without collating the paper. Multiple transmission photoelectric sensors provided for each tray are used to detect double feed. On the other hand, in the non-collation mode, double transmission is performed using one transmission ultrasonic sensor provided at the transport outlet. By detecting, it is possible to accurately detect double feeding when the collating machine is used as a paper feeder without disposing an expensive transmission ultrasonic sensor for each paper tray. Accordingly, a collating machine that can be used as a paper feeder can be provided at low cost.

It is a side view which shows roughly the structure of the collating machine which concerns on this invention. It is a side view which shows roughly the structure of the supply means of the collating machine of FIG. It is a side view which shows roughly the structure of the conventional collation machine with which the transmission type photoelectric sensor was provided in each supply means.

  Hereinafter, a collating machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  Referring to FIG. 1, the collating machine includes a frame 1 having a vertical conveyance path G for conveying paper, and a plurality of frames attached to the frame 1 and arranged at intervals along the conveyance path G. Paper trays 2a to 2e are provided. The collator is further disposed between each of the paper trays 2a to 2e and the transport path G, and the paper stacks 3a to 3e placed on the paper trays 2a to 2e are fed one by one to the transport path G. A plurality of supply means 4a to 4e for supplying is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the supply unit 4 is disposed above the sheet stack 3, and separates the sheet feeding unit 5 that sequentially feeds the uppermost sheet P of the sheet stack 3 and the sheet above the sheet stack 3. Therefore, a nozzle 6 for blowing air is provided. In this embodiment, the sheet feeding means 5 is composed of a horizontal vacuum rotor 7 extending in the width direction of the sheet. The vacuum rotor 7 has a large number of intake holes 8 on the outer peripheral surface, and is connected to an intake pump. A pulley is coupled to the rotation shaft of the vacuum rotor 7, and the pulley is coupled to a belt drive mechanism, whereby the vacuum rotor 7 is rotationally driven. The vacuum rotor 7 sucks the uppermost sheet P of the sheet stack 3 by the intake air from the intake holes 8 and sequentially sends it out in the horizontal direction.

  Further, the supply unit 4 includes a sheet feeding unit 9 that feeds the sheet fed from the sheet tray 2 in the horizontal direction to the conveyance path G while changing the direction vertically downward. The paper feeding means 9 includes a pair of drive rollers 10 and an idle roller 11 that have a horizontal rotating shaft and are disposed in contact with each other. The sheets fed from the sheet tray 2 by the sheet feeding means 5 are sequentially inserted between the driving roller 10 and the idle roller 11, conveyed between these rollers 10, 11, and sent to the conveying path G.

  Between the paper feeding means 5 and the paper feeding means 9, an upper guide plate 12 and a lower guide plate 13 for guiding both edge portions of the paper are arranged.

  The supply unit 4 further includes a transmissive photoelectric sensor 14 that detects the passage of a sheet between the sheet feeding unit 5 and the sheet feeding unit 9. The transmissive photoelectric sensor 14 is composed of a pair of a light projecting unit 15 that irradiates light to the paper sent out from the paper tray 2 and a light receiving unit 16 that receives light that has passed through the paper. The transmissive photoelectric sensor 14 is used to detect double feeding of paper fed from the paper tray 2 as will be described later.

  Referring again to FIG. 1, the collator is further attached to the frame 1, and conveys the sheet supplied by the supply units 4 a to 4 e along the conveyance path G to the conveyance outlet E at the downstream end thereof. 17 and 18 are provided. The conveying means 17 and 18 are arranged so that the conveying surface extends in the vertical direction, the vertical conveyor belt 17 facing each of the paper trays 2a to 2e, the conveying surface extends in the horizontal direction, and is arranged below the vertical conveyor belt 17. And a horizontal conveyor belt 18 formed. The vertical conveyor belt 17 conveys the paper supplied from each of the paper trays 2a to 2e along the conveyance path G in the vertical downward direction. The horizontal conveyor belt 18 conveys the paper conveyed by the vertical conveyor belt 17 to the conveyance outlet E in the horizontal direction along the conveyance path G. Thus, the sheets supplied from each of the sheet trays 2a to 2e are conveyed along the conveyance path G to the conveyance outlet E.

  The collator further includes a transmissive ultrasonic sensor 19 that is disposed at the transport outlet E and detects the passage of paper. The transmission type ultrasonic sensor 19 includes a pair of a transmission unit 20 that irradiates the paper conveyed to the conveyance outlet E with ultrasonic waves and a reception unit 21 that receives the ultrasonic waves that have passed through the paper. The transmission ultrasonic sensor 19 is used for detecting double feeding of paper as will be described later.

  The collating machine is further configured by a microcomputer or the like, and includes a control unit 22 that controls operations of the supply units 4a to 4e and the transport units 17 and 18. The collating machine has a collating mode for collating paper and a non-collating mode for feeding paper without collating paper. The control means 22 is configured to switch between the collation mode and the non-collation mode when receiving a mode switching input from an operation panel (not shown).

Next, the operation of the collating machine in each of the collating mode and the non-collating mode will be described.
In the collation mode, the paper stack is formed by superimposing sheets of the same page. Then, the paper stacks 3a to 3e are placed on the paper trays 2a to 2e so as to be in page order for each paper tray in order from the upstream paper tray. The control unit 22 causes the supply units 4a to 4e to sequentially supply the sheets from the sheet trays 2a to 2e to the conveyance path G. Then, the control unit 22 causes the conveyance units 17 and 18 to convey the sheets supplied from the sheet trays 2a to 2e along the conveyance path G, and converts the sheets supplied from the upstream sheet tray on the conveyance path G to the sheets supplied from the upstream side. The sheets supplied from the next sheet tray are sequentially overlapped so that the sheets are transported to the transport outlet E in a state where they are stacked in the page order.

  On the other hand, in the non-collation mode, the sheet stack is formed by stacking a plurality of sets of sheets, each of which is formed by stacking one sheet of sheets in page order. Then, the paper stack is placed on a plurality of paper trays, and the paper is continuously supplied from the paper stack of one of the paper trays one by one to the transport outlet E without being superimposed on the transport path G. When the supply from the paper tray is completed, the supply from the next paper tray is started.

  In the collating machine of the present embodiment, the paper stacks 3a to 3e obtained by digital printing and in which the papers are already superimposed in the page order are placed on the paper trays 2a to 2e. The control unit 22 causes the supply unit 4a to continuously supply the sheets one by one from the uppermost sheet stack 2a to the conveyance path G, and causes the conveyance units 17 and 18 to convey the sheet along the conveyance path G to the conveyance outlet E. Sequentially. At this time, paper is not supplied from the other paper trays 2b to 2e. Then, when the supply from the most upstream paper tray 2a is completed, the control means 22 starts the supply from the next downstream paper tray 2b, and in the same manner, from the most downstream paper tray 2e. The paper is fed until the supply is completed. The paper that has passed through the transport outlet E is sorted for each book in the subsequent processing line.

  In this way, in addition to the normal collating mode, the collating machine is a non-collating mode that only feeds paper to sort paper stacks that do not require collation obtained by digital printing etc. It can be used as a paper feeder. In the non-collation mode, paper is fed from the most upstream paper tray 2a to the most downstream paper tray 2e in order, so that large capacity paper feeding is possible.

Next, detection of double feed of the collating machine according to the present invention will be described.
In the collation mode, the control unit 22 detects double feeding using the transmission type photoelectric sensors 14a to 14e provided for the paper trays 2a to 2e. When the paper is sent out from each of the paper trays 2a to 2e and each of the transmissive photoelectric sensors 14a to 14e detects the passage of the paper, the control unit 22 determines the light transmittance of the paper based on the detection signal. To detect. Then, the control means 22 compares this detected value with a preset reference value, determines that no double feed has occurred when the detected value is greater than or equal to the reference value, and when the detected value is smaller than the reference value. It is determined that double feeding has occurred. When detecting the double feed, the control unit 22 causes the booklet including the double-fed paper to be removed from the subsequent processing line after passing through the transport outlet E.

  On the other hand, in the non-collation mode, the control means 22 is not a plurality of transmission type photoelectric sensors 14a to 14e provided in the respective paper trays 2a to 2e, but one transmission type ultrasonic sensor 19 provided at the transport outlet E. To detect double feeds. In the non-collation mode, as described above, the sheets are sequentially conveyed from the selected one of the plurality of sheet trays 2a to 2e to the conveyance outlet E without being collated. Therefore, when the transmission ultrasonic sensor 19 provided at the transport outlet E detects the passage of the paper, the control means 22 detects the ultrasonic transmittance of the paper based on this detection signal. Then, the control means 22 compares this detected value with a preset reference value, determines that no double feed has occurred when the detected value is greater than or equal to the reference value, and when the detected value is smaller than the reference value. It is determined that double feeding has occurred. When the control unit 22 detects double feeding, the control unit 22 temporarily stops feeding from the paper tray.

  As described above, the control means 22 uses the plurality of transmissive photoelectric sensors 14a to 14e arranged for each of the paper trays 2a to 2e when in the collating mode, and at the conveyance outlet E when in the non-collating mode. One transmission ultrasonic sensor 19 arranged is used to detect double feed. In the collation mode, sheets of the same page (sheets having the same light transmittance) are sequentially supplied from the sheet tray. Therefore, if the transmissive photoelectric sensors 14a to 14e are used, the sheets are supplied from the sheet trays 2a to 2e. It is possible to accurately detect the double feed of the paper to be printed.

  On the other hand, when sheets with different pages (sheets with different light transmittances) are sequentially supplied from one sheet tray as in the non-collation mode, the transmissive photoelectric sensors 14a to 14e accurately perform double feeding. Although it cannot be detected, since the ultrasonic wave is not affected by the color of the ink printed on the paper, the double feed can be accurately detected by using the transmission ultrasonic sensor 19. Since one transmissive ultrasonic sensor 19 is arranged at the conveyance outlet E through which the sheets supplied from the sheet trays 2a to 2e pass in common, no matter which sheet tray is fed. Double feed can be detected.

  As described above, the collating machine according to the present invention switches the operation between the normal collating mode and the non-collating mode in which only paper is fed, and switches the sensor to be used to detect double feeding of paper. This eliminates the need for disposing an expensive transmissive ultrasonic sensor 19 for each of the paper trays 2a to 2e, so that a collating machine that can be used as a paper feeder can be provided at low cost.

1 Frame 2a to 2e Paper tray 3a to 3e Paper stack 4a to 4e Supply means 5 Delivery means 6 Nozzle 7 Vacuum rotor 8 Intake hole 9 Feed means 10 Driving roller 11 Idle roller 12 Upper guide plate 13 Lower guide plates 14a to 14e Transmission Type photoelectric sensors 15a to 15e Light emitting parts 16a to 16e Light receiving part 17 Vertical conveyor belt (conveying means)
18 Horizontal conveyor belt (conveying means)
19 Transmission type ultrasonic sensor 20 Transmitter 21 Receiver 22 Control means G Transport path E Transport exit

Claims (1)

A frame having a sheet conveyance path, a plurality of sheet trays attached to the frame and arranged at intervals along the conveyance path, on which a sheet stack is placed, and each of the sheet trays and the conveyance path And a plurality of supply means for supplying the sheets of the paper stack one by one from the paper tray to the transport path, and the sheets attached to the frame and supplied by the supply means to the transport path. A transport unit that transports the transport unit to a transport outlet at a downstream end thereof, and a control unit that controls operations of the supply unit and the transport unit,
The control means includes
Paper is sequentially supplied from each of the paper stacks placed in page order for each paper tray from the upstream paper tray, and is next downstream to the paper supplied from the upstream paper tray on the conveyance path. A collation mode in which the sheets supplied from the sheet tray are sequentially overlapped, and the sheets are transported to the transport outlet in a state of being overlapped in page order;
One sheet from the paper stack in one paper tray out of a paper stack that is stacked on multiple paper trays and stacked in multiple pages. To the non-collating mode in which the paper is continuously fed, transported to the transport outlet without being overlapped on the transport path, and the feeding from the next paper tray is started when the feeding from the paper tray is completed. It is designed to switch, and
A transmissive photoelectric sensor provided in each of the supply means for detecting passage of paper;
A transmissive ultrasonic sensor disposed at the transport outlet for detecting passage of paper, and
The control means includes
In the collating mode, the double feed of the paper is detected based on the detection signal of the transmissive photoelectric sensor,
In the non-collating mode, the collating machine detects double feeding of paper based on a detection signal of the transmission ultrasonic sensor.

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