Process and apparatus for combining sheet-like articles and jointly transporting them further

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6672447
  • Patent Number
    6,672,447
  • Date Filed
    Monday, July 29, 2002
    21 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, January 6, 2004
    20 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Original Assignees
  • Examiners
    • Bidwell; James R.
    Agents
    • Alston & Bird LLP
Abstract
A process and apparatus for conveying flexible sheet-like articles 26, wherein the articles are fed to a first curved section 14 by means of a delivery conveyor 10 which includes spaced apart transporting clamps 22 for retaining the articles in a hanging position. Arranged in a radially inward direction at the curved section 14, is a gripper wheel 36 with circumferentially distributed grippers 40 and respective supporting elements 52. The gripper wheel 36 is driven at the same angular velocity as the transporting clamps 22 in the curved section 14. However, a single gripper 40 is assigned in each case to two transporting clamps 22. The lower free edges 32 of the two articles 26 to be joined are guided by a supporting element 52 into a gripper 40, and as soon as this has taken place, the relevant gripper 40 is closed, and the relevant transporting clamps 22 then release the articles 26. The associated supporting element 52 is then drawn back inward in the radial direction.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to a process and to an apparatus for combining in each case at least two flexible, sheet-like articles and jointly transporting them further.




In printing plants, in particular the dispatch rooms thereof and in factories which process printed products, the printed products often arrive in a state in which they are retained individually by transporting clamps of a conveyor. This method of transportation, in particular in the case of large processing capacities, involves high conveying speeds, which may be disadvantageous for the printed products themselves, but also for the smoothness and service life of the conveying equipment.




It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a process in the case of which, and to provide an apparatus by means of which, individually transported flexible sheet-like articles can easily be combined in order for in each case two or more articles to be jointly transported further.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The above and other objects and advantages of the invention are achieved by the provision of a process and apparatus wherein a delivery conveyor is provided for successively conveying a plurality of the articles in a conveying direction along a conveying path which contains a curve, with the articles being individually retained at a first radially outer edge. Upon reaching the region of the curve, the articles being conveyed are sequentially gripped together in groups of at least two articles by means of a gripper which grips a second radially inner edge of the articles. Then, the gripped articles are released by the transporting clamps of the delivery conveyor, so that the articles maybe jointly transported further.




The grippers may be mounted on a gripper wheel or an endless conveyor wherein a plurality of the grippers are moved along a circulatory path located generally inside the curve of the conveying path. The two articles retained by each gripper may be transferred to transporting grippers of a removal conveyor for being transported further, or where the grippers are mounted on an endless conveyor the articles may be transported away by the endless conveyor. Still further, the joined articles may be transferred back to alternate clamps of the delivery conveyor.




The process according to the invention and the apparatus according to the invention allow in each case at least two flexible sheet-like articles to be combined during transportation without the articles having to be stopped or stacked. While maintaining careful handling of the articles, this allows large processing capacities along with a smooth operation of the corresponding apparatus.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to several embodiments illustrated in the drawings, in which, purely schematically:





FIG. 1

shows a view of a conveyor by means of which the articles arriving are transported to a gripper wheel, by means of which in each case two of the articles are combined and transferred to a removal conveyor;





FIG. 2

shows an axial section of part of the gripper wheel from

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 3

shows, in the same illustration as in

FIG. 1

, the conveyor by means of which the articles arriving are transported and also a gripper conveyor by means of which in each case two of the articles are combined and conveyed away;





FIG. 4

shows, in the same illustration as in

FIG. 2

, part of the gripper conveyor and of a deflecting wheel with the supporting elements for the articles;





FIG. 5

shows, in the same illustration as in

FIGS. 1 and 3

, part of the apparatus shown there, in the case of which the supporting elements are aligned with the transporting clamp which retains the respectively leading article of the two articles which are to be combined;





FIG. 6

shows, in the same illustration as in

FIG. 5

, part of the apparatus according to

FIGS. 1 and 3

, in the case of which the supporting elements are aligned with the transporting clamp which retains the respectively trailing article of the two articles which are to be combined;





FIG. 7

shows, in the same illustration as in

FIGS. 1 and 3

, a further embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention, in the case of which the conveyor by means of which the articles arriving are transported also serves for transporting away the combined articles; and





FIG. 8

shows, in the same illustration as in

FIGS. 2 and 4

, part of the wheel-like gripper conveyor according to FIG.


7


.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




The apparatus shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

has a delivery conveyor


10


with a horizontal conveying section


12


, an adjoining curved section


14


, as seen in the conveying direction F


1


, and a following, further curved section


16


. The conveying section


12


and the two curved sections


14


and


16


are located in one vertical plane. The curved section


14


extends downwardly and follows a circle arc through approximately 90° around an axis


18


, which is located beneath the conveying section


12


. The further curved section


16


is curved in the opposite direction to the curved section


14


.




The conveyor


10


is a clamp-type transporter which is known in general and has transporting clamps'


22


which are arranged at a spacing A one behind the other on a conveying means


20


, for example a pulling means, which is driven continuously in circulation in the conveying direction F


1


. The route taken by the transporting clamps


22


defines a conveying path


24


along which the flexible sheet-like articles


26


retained individually by the transporting clamps


22


are to be transported. In the present case, the articles


26


are printed products, such as newspapers, periodicals and the like.




By means of the transporting clamps


22


, the rectangular articles, retained at a first, top edge


28


, which in the region of the first curved section


14


is located on the outside, as seen in the radial direction, and runs parallel to the axis


18


, are to be transported into the curved section


14


and released at the end of said curved section


14


. For this purpose, there is arranged at this location an opening element


30


, which is indicated by an arrow and by means of which the transporting clamps


22


running past it are changed over from a closed position into an open position. As can easily be gathered from

FIG. 1

, the multi-leaf folded articles


26


are retained at the first, open edge


28


, which is located opposite the fold; the fold forms a second edge


32


.




Seated on a shaft


34


, which is coaxial with the axis


18


, is a gripper wheel


36


, which is driven at the same angular velocity in the direction of rotation D as the transporting clamps


22


in the curved section


14


. As can be gathered from

FIG. 2

in particular, the gripper wheel


36


has two circular carrying disks


38


, between which circumferentially distributed grippers


40


are arranged. The gripper wheel


36


thus forms a gripper conveyor


42


with grippers


40


moved along a circular circulatory path


44


about the axis


18


.




Each gripper


40


has two gripper jaws


48


which form a gripper mouth


46


and can be pivoted, symmetrically to a radial line, from a spaced-apart, open position


50


into a closed position


50


′ and back again. Grippers


40


of this type are known in general and are preferably activated via stationary guides. The grippers


40


are arranged at an angle α in relation to one another around the axis


18


, said angle being twice the size of the angle between two transporting clamps


22


in the curved section


14


. The spacing between the conveyor


10


and the gripper wheel


36


is selected such that, upon transfer from the conveying section


12


into the curved section


14


, the second edges


32


of the articles


26


just come into contact with the circumference of the carrying disks


38


or come into close proximity therewith.




Each gripper


40


is assigned a supporting element


52


, which in the present case is formed by two supporting plates


54


which are each arranged such that they can be displaced in the radial direction on one of the carrying disks


38


. The displacement preferably takes place, in a known manner, by guide control and is in the same direction as the conveying direction F


1


. The supporting element


52


is located at the pivot axis of the respectively leading gripper jaw


48


of the associated gripper


40


, as seen in the direction of rotation D.




A removal conveyor


56


runs in the horizontal direction beneath the gripper wheel


36


and in the same vertical plane as the conveyor


10


and the grippers


40


. Its transporting grippers


58


, which are likewise arranged at a spacing B one behind the other on a pulling means


20


′, are constructed identically or similarly to the grippers


40


of the gripper wheel


36


, the gripper mouths


46


′ being directed upward. The spacing between the carrying disks


38


and the base of the gripper mouths


46


′ corresponds at least more or less to the spacing between the first edge


28


and the fold


32


of the articles


26


, as measured in the vertical direction beneath the axis


18


. The spacing B between the transporting grippers


58


and their conveying speed F


2


are coordinated with one another such that in each case one transporting gripper


58


comes into contact with each gripper


40


vertically beneath the axis


18


, vertically beneath the axis


18


, the removal conveyor


56


is assigned a closing element


60


, by means of which the transporting grippers


58


, which arrive in the open position


50


in the conveying direction F


2


, are to be transferred into the closed position.




The apparatus shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

functions as follows. Every second article


26


fed to the curved section


14


in a hanging position by the conveying section


12


, just before reaching the curved section


14


, runs onto a radially extended supporting element


52


, by means of which it is supported on the leading side


62


, as seen in the conveying direction F


1


, in a region adjacent to the second edge. As can be gathered with reference to the straight chain-dotted radial lines, the supporting elements


52


are each aligned with the center between two transporting clamps


22


, which results in the article


26


which passes into abutment against the supporting element


52


being bent slightly in the form of an S. When it runs through the vertical plane through the axis


18


, or shortly after this, the article


26


following said first mentioned article


26


positions itself by way of its radially inner region, adjacent to the second edge


32


, against that article


26


which is supported by the supporting element


52


. As a result of the gravitational force, it is thus the case in the curved section


14


that the respectively trailing article


26


is bent slightly in the form of an S in the opposite direction to the leading article


26


, with the result that the two articles


26


form a V. By virtue of the gripper


40


assigned to the relevant supporting element


52


being closed, the two articles


26


are gripped together, and secured, at the second edge


32


.




The transporting clamps


22


release the relevant article


26


when they run past the opening element


30


. As a result of their flexibility, the two articles


26


, which are then each only retained by a gripper


40


, bend such that their free end region hangs in the downward direction. In the region beneath the gripper wheel


36


, a transporting gripper


58


comes into contact with each pair of articles


26


retained by a gripper


40


, and said transporting gripper grips around said articles


26


from beneath, at their first edge


28


, and, triggered by the closing element


60


, grips them for being transported further, whereupon the associated gripper


40


is opened in order to release the respective articles


26


.




The transporting grippers


58


are preferably arranged in a pivotable manner on the pulling means


20


′, in order to pivot the articles


26


forward, as seen in the conveying direction F


2


, as

FIG. 1

shows. It is also conceivable, however, for a pivoting movement to be executed in the rearward direction.




For the sake of completeness, it should be mentioned that, once the grippers


40


have been transferred into the closed position


50


′, the supporting elements


52


are displaced radially inward, with the result that the articles


26


, which are retained in pairs by a gripper


40


, are no longer supported by the supporting element


52


. The region in which the articles


26


can bend in a downward direction is thus increased. Once the grippers


40


have been opened to the full extent, the supporting elements


52


are extended in the radial direction again, with the result that they achieve their radially outermost position again, at the latest, when they reach the top point of their circulatory path


44


.




By means of the apparatus shown in

FIG. 1

, articles


26


arriving individually one behind the other, during continuous transportation, are combined in pairs and transferred, for being transported further, to the removal conveyor


56


, which, for example with the transporting grippers


58


being spaced apart by the spacing B corresponding to the spacing A between the transporting clamps


22


, only has to be driven at half the speed of the conveyor


10


. It is not necessary, however, for the spacing B to correspond to that of A; all that will be required would be for the diameter of the gripper wheel


36


to be adapted in accordance with the ratio between the spacing. It is also conceivable for a gripper


40


to grip in each case more than two, for example three, articles


26


, for which purpose the spacing between the grippers


40


would have to be adapted correspondingly.




In the case of that embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention which is shown in

FIGS. 3 and 4

, the conveyor


10


is of the same design as in the case of the apparatus according to FIG.


1


. It will thus not be described in any more detail. The designations correspond to those from

FIGS. 1 and 2

.




The gripper conveyor


42


of the embodiment according to

FIGS. 3 and 4

is designed differently from that of the embodiment according to

FIGS. 1 and 2

. It has, in turn, two parallel carrying disks


38


, on which the supporting plates


54


, each forming the supporting element


52


, are arranged such that they can be displaced in a radial direction. However, the grippers


40


, rather than being arranged on the carrying disks


38


, are now arranged on a further, endless pulling means


64


. This is guided around the axis


18


, between the carrying disks


38


, such that a gripper


40


comes into contact with each supporting element


52


, to be precise before the supporting elements


52


have reached the top point of their circular circulatory path around the axis


18


in each case. The carrying disks


38


are preferably provided with recesses or protrusions for the grippers


40


. The grippers


40


then accompany the associated supporting element


52


—in the region assigned to the curved section


14


of the conveyor


10


—to a location vertically beneath the axis


18


, where the grippers


40


leave the carrying disks


38


in a horizontal direction. In the region of the carrying disks


38


, the grippers


40


, together with the carrying disks


38


, form a section of the gripper wheel


36


with the same function as has been described above in conjunction with

FIGS. 1 and 2

. The articles, which are gripped and retained in pairs by a gripper


40


, are transported away in a hanging position by means of the endless gripper conveyor


42


. In other words, the removal conveyor


56


of the embodiment according to

FIGS. 1 and 2

has been replaced by the endless gripper conveyor


42


.





FIG. 5

shows a detail of the first curved section


14


and two grippers


40


of the gripper conveyor


42


of the apparatus according to the invention according to

FIGS. 1

,


2


and


3


,


4


. The only difference, then, is that the supporting elements


52


and thus the grippers


40


assigned to them are aligned with the respectively leading transporting clamp


22


, as seen in the direction of rotation D, of the two transporting clamps


22


which transport those articles


26


which are to be gripped by a gripper


40


. This then results in the article


26


retained by the respectively leading transporting clamp


42


, as a result of butting against the supporting element


52


, remaining at least more or less in a radial plane rather than being bent counter to the conveying direction in the form of an S. However, the article


26


which is retained by the respectively trailing transporting clamp


22


bends in the form of an S to a more pronounced extent, which results in the second edges


32


—the fold edges—assigned to these two articles


26


being offset in a radial direction, to be precise the second edge


32


of the trailing article


26


is located further outward, as seen in the radial direction, than that of the leading article


26


. It is in this position in each case that the two articles


26


are gripped by the gripper


40


and secured for being transported further, with the result that, once it has been released by the transporting clamp


22


, the trailing article


26


projects, by way of a strip-like end region adjoining the first edge


28


, beyond the first edge


28


of the leading article


26


. This makes it possible for the two articles


26


to be easily separated from one another for further processing.




In contrast to the design according to

FIG. 5

, in the case of that according to

FIG. 6

, the grippers


40


and associated supporting elements


52


are aligned with the transporting clamps


22


such that the trailing gripper jaw


48


, as seen in the direction of rotation D, of the grippers


40


is located on a radial line together with that transporting clamp


22


of the conveyor


10


by means of which the trailing article of the two articles


26


which are to be gripped by the gripper


40


is transported up. This then results in the leading article


26


, which butts against the supporting element


52


, bending in the form of an S, while the trailing article


26


essentially maintains its planar form. The second edge


32


of the respectively leading article


26


is displaced radially outward in relation to that of the trailing article


26


. Since, then, following release by the transporting clamp


22


, the respectively leading article


26


projects, by way of a strip-like region adjoining the first edge


28


, beyond the first edge


28


of the trailing article


26


, straightforward separation of these articles


26


at a later stage is ensured.




By virtue of the phase displacement between the conveyor


10


and the gripper conveyor


42


being changed, it is possible to adjust the desired alignment of the supporting element


52


and gripper jaw


48


.




In the case of the embodiment shown in

FIGS. 7 and 8

, the gripper conveyor


42


is designed as a gripper wheel


36


, as is shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

and has been described above. In this case, however, the curved section


14


of the conveyor


10


extends coaxially around the axis


18


through more than 180°—in this case approximately 210°. The curved section


14


is adjoined by a further curved section


16


, which is curved in the opposite direction and of which the downstream end runs in the horizontal direction. The difference from the embodiments which have been shown and described above is that the conveyor


10


of the embodiment shown in

FIGS. 7 and 8

also serves for transporting away the articles


26


combined in pairs, although in this case it is only every second transporting clamp


22


which is active for transporting the articles away, which results in successive transporting clamps


22


having to be controlled differently.




The two jaws


68


at least of every second transporting clamp


22


are controlled individually. However, it is also possible for the jaws


68


of all the transporting clamps


22


to be controlled individually. Transporting clamps constructed in this way are known in general.




These successive transporting clamps


22


may be controlled differently, for example, in that the control elements for the jaws


68


of every second transporting clamp


22


are arranged on one side of the curved section


14


and those for the jaws


68


of the other transporting clamps


22


are arranged on the other side. When a transporting clamp


22


which secures the leading article of the two articles


26


retained by the associated gripper


40


reaches the 5 o'clock position—for example as seen in the illustration according to FIG.


7


—the opening element


30


pivots the trailing jaw


68


, as seen in the conveying direction F


1


, of the transporting clamp


22


into the open position, while the leading jaw


68


maintains the approximately radially running closed position. The two jaws


68


of the trailing transporting clamp


22


, however, are moved into the open position at the same time. The leading article of the two articles


26


is thus supported at its first edge


28


by a jaw


68


, while the trailing article


26


has been released and positions itself flatly against the supported article


26


. By means of the closing element


60


, the trailing jaw


68


of the transporting clamp


22


assigned to the leading article of the two articles


26


is then pivoted into the closed position, as a result of which the two articles


26


, butting flatly against one another, are now secured at their first edge


28


by the transporting clamp


22


for being transported away. The trailing transporting clamp


22


is not transferred into the closed position.




The arrow


66


indicates a pusher by means of which the trailing article of the two articles


26


retained by a gripper


40


is intended to be pushed, in the conveying direction F


1


, into surface abutment against the leading article


26


.




It is also possible for the supporting elements


52


to be arranged on the grippers


40


themselves rather than on carrying disks


38


.




It also conceivable for the transporting clamps


22


and/or grippers


40


and/or transporting grippers


58


to be arranged on individual rail-guided carriages or slides.



Claims
  • 1. A process for combining at least two flexible sheet-like articles during transportation so as to permit them to be jointly transported, comprising the steps ofsuccessively conveying a plurality of the articles in a conveying direction along a conveying path containing a curve, with the articles being individually retained at a first edge of the articles by transporting clamps on a delivery conveyor, upon reaching the region of the curve, sequentially gripping together groups of at least two successive articles on the delivery conveyor by means of respective grippers which each grip second radially inner edges of the at least two successive articles, and then releasing the gripped articles from the transporting clamps, so that the articles may be jointly transported further.
  • 2. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the articles are conveyed to the curve in a hanging position and are gripped by respective grippers which are moved around an axis at generally the same angular velocity as the transporting clamps, with the respectively leading article of the at least two articles which are to be gripped by a gripper being supported on the front side, as seen in the conveying direction, at or adjacent the second radially inner edge.
  • 3. The process as claimed in claim 2, wherein for being transported away, the in each case at least two articles retained by a gripper are received directly by a transporting clamp of the delivery conveyor or a transporting gripper of a removal conveyor.
  • 4. The process as claimed in claim 3 wherein in each case the at least two articles which are received by a transporting clamp of the delivery conveyor or a transporting gripper of a removal conveyor are engaged at the first edges of the articles.
  • 5. The process as claimed in claim 1 wherein the conveying path is initially substantially horizontal and the curve of the conveying path extends downwardly and defines a central generally horizontal axis, and wherein the first edges of the articles which are engaged by the transporting clamps are at the radially outer side of the articles as they move through the curve.
  • 6. The process as claimed in claim 5 wherein the grippers are mounted on a wheel or an endless conveyor so as to move about an arcuate path which is inside the curve of the conveying path and is centered about the central axis.
  • 7. The process as claimed in claim 6 wherein the transporting clamps on the delivery conveyor move through the curve at the same angular velocity and direction as the angular velocity and direction of the grippers moving along the arcuate path.
  • 8. An apparatus for sequentially combining at least two flexible, sheet-like articles while being transported, and for jointly transporting them further, comprisinga delivery conveyor which includes a plurality of transporting clamps which are arranged one behind the other, and which define a conveying direction along a conveying path containing a curve and by means of which the articles may be retained individually at a first edge, a gripper wheel or conveyor having grippers which are moved along a circulatory path located generally inside the curve of the conveying path, with said grippers being configured for gripping together in each case at least two successive articles on the delivery conveyor at a radially inner second edge of the articles and for securing them so that they may be transported further, and an opening element positioned adjacent the delivery conveyor for at least partially opening the transporting clamps once a gripper has gripped the relevant articles.
  • 9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein, at least in the region of the curve, each gripper is assigned a supporting element by means of which the respectively leading article of the at least two articles which are to be gripped by the gripper is supported on a front side as seen in the conveying direction, at or adjacent the second edge.
  • 10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein at least one section of the curve and the circulatory path run at least substantially concentrically about a horizontal axis, and wherein the transporting clamps and the grippers are driven at substantially the same angular velocity in this one section, and wherein the transporting clamps, upon reaching the curve, are directed downward in order to transport the articles in a hanging position.
  • 11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein arranged beneath the gripper wheel or conveyor is a removal conveyor, by means of which, for being transported away, the in each case at least two articles retained by a gripper are received directly by means of an upwardly directed transporting gripper.
  • 12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the grippers are arranged on an endless conveyor which is driven in circulation and is guided around the horizontal axis.
  • 13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the endless conveyor is guided around a deflecting wheel which is coaxially disposed with respect to said horizontal axis.
  • 14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 wherein the deflecting wheel mounts a plurality of supporting elements which are circumferentially spaced so as to cooperate with respective ones of grippers on the endless conveyor, and whereby the leading article of the associated at least two articles which are to be gripped by each gripper is supported on its front side as seen in the conveying direction at or adjacent the second edge by the associated supporting element.
  • 15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein a section of the conveying path which is downstream of the curve runs beneath the circulatory path of the grippers, so that the transporting clamps are directed upward when they run through said section 50 that selected ones of the transporting clamps receive the at least two articles retained by each gripper at the first edges thereof.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
2001 1417/01 Jul 2001 CH
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