Patent Application
20140035224
The present invention relates to a guiding device for a sheet which is transported while being held by a sheet holding device provided to a transporting chain and to a sheet processing apparatus including the sheet guiding device.
Patent Literature 1, for example, discloses one of such guiding devices. In this guiding device, a sheet guide is provided to guide a sheet which is transported while being held by a gripper bar provided in a transporting chain.
However, the guiding device has the following defect. Since the sheet guide is provided outside a transporting route of the sheet, an outer surface of the sheet comes in contact with the sheet guide. Hence, it is impossible to perform processing on the sheet transported by the gripping bar, such as checking the outer surface of the sheet with a checking device and printing the outer surface of the sheet.
Meanwhile, Patent Literature 2 describes an apparatus in which a guiding device guides an inner surface of a sheet transported by a transporting chain along an arc shaped trajectory and a checking device checks an outer surface of the sheet.
{Patent Literature 1} Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 2576838
{Patent Literature 2} Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-221410
In a normal configuration, there is a certain distance (gap) between a travelling route of the transporting chain and the sheet transporting route by the gripper bar, as in Patent Literature 1. In a linear travelling route portion of the travelling route of the transporting chain, the travelling speed of the transporting chain and the transporting speed of the sheet are the same. However, in an arc-shaped travelling route portion of the travelling route of the transporting chain, the travelling speed of the transporting chain and the transporting speed of the sheet are different from each other due to a difference between the curvature radius of the arc-shaped travelling route portion of the transporting chain and the curvature radius of an arc-shaped transporting route portion of the sheet.
Particularly, when the arc-shaped transporting route portion of the sheet is located outside the arc-shaped travelling route portion of the transporting chain as in Patent Literature 1, the transporting speed of the sheet in the arc-shaped transporting route portion of the sheet is faster than the travelling speed of the transporting chain. Moreover, in a case where the linear transporting route portion follows the arc-shaped transporting route portion of the sheet, the leading end of the sheet is transported at the same speed as the transporting chain while the trailing end of the sheet is transported at a faster speed than the transporting chain.
The faster speed of the trailing end of the sheet as described above makes the sheet loose. In a case where the guiding device (sheet guide) is provided inside the transporting route of the sheet as in Patent Literature 2, the looseness of the sheet causes the sheet to flutter, and thereby the sheet may be damaged or rubbed. Moreover, the fluttering of the sheet also makes the sheet on the sheet guide unstable and accurate check with the checking device (camera) may be hindered.
In view of this, an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet guiding device capable of stably transporting a sheet at a shift position from an arc-shaped travelling route portion to a linear travelling route portion of the transporting chain, and to provide a sheet processing apparatus including the sheet guiding device.
To achieve the object described above, the present invention provides a sheet guiding device including:
Moreover, the sheet guiding device is characterized in that
Furthermore, the sheet guiding device is characterized in that the guide surface of the guide is formed in an arc shape and is a rotating body configured to rotate at a circumferential speed substantially equal to a transporting speed of the sheet transported by the holding portion in the sheet holding device travelling along the arc-shaped transporting route portion.
Moreover, the sheet guiding device is characterized in that the sheet contact means includes sucking means for sucking the sheet in a region of the arc-shaped guide surface downstream of the shift position in the sheet transporting direction.
Furthermore, the sheet guiding device is characterized in that the sucking means sucks the sheet also in a region upstream of the shift position in the paper-sheet transporting direction.
Moreover, the sheet guiding device is characterized in that the sheet contact means includes air blowing means for blowing air to the sheet.
To achieve the object described above, the present invention provides a sheet processing apparatus including the sheet guiding device, characterized in that
In the sheet guiding device of the present invention, a loose portion of the sheet is smoothly guided by the guiding means without fluttering, the loose portion formed due to the speed difference in sheet transporting at the shift position from the arc-shaped travelling route portion to the linear travelling route portion of the travelling route of the transport chain. Accordingly, the sheet can be stably transported.
In the sheet processing apparatus of the present invention, the sheet can be highly accurately processed while being stably transported.
A sheet guiding device of the present invention and a sheet processing apparatus including the sheet guiding device are described below in detail by using an example and the drawings.
As shown in
Furthermore, four plate cylinders 4 are disposed on the circumferential surface of the blanket impression cylinder 2 while four plate cylinders 5 are disposed on the circumferential surface of the blanket cylinder 3. Inking units 6 and 7 are provided to be movable toward and away from the plate cylinders 4 and 5, and can supply inks and water in a state in contact with the plate cylinders 4 and 5.
Moreover, four transfer cylinders 9 to 12 including paper-sheet gripping devices (not illustrated) and configured to receive the paper sheet (sheet) W (see
The paper sheet W is supplied from the feeding unit to the register 8 via a feeder board 14. Moreover, the paper sheet W is transported from the transfer cylinder 13 onto a delivery pile (not illustrated) of the delivery unit via the delivery chains 20 including gripper bars (sheet holding device) 22 (see
The delivery chains 20 are arranged in the following way. The delivery cylinder 21 on the upstream side thereof is arranged below the blanket impression cylinder 2 and the delivery chains 20 extend along a floor to the delivery unit side of the delivery cylinder 21, on the right side of the drawing, without traversing a space below the contact position between the blanket impression cylinder 2 and the blanket cylinder 3.
In the illustrated example, the blanket impression cylinder 2 and the blanket cylinder 3 are triple-size cylinders while the four transfer cylinders 9 to 12, the four plate cylinders 4, the four plate cylinders 5, the transfer cylinder 13, and the delivery cylinder 21 are single-size cylinders.
Moreover, a checking camera (processing device) 23 configured to detect a printing condition on one surface of the paper sheet W on the delivery cylinder 21 is located on the feeding unit side of the delivery cylinder 21 together with paired illuminators 24 and is arranged in an oblique downward direction in such a way that its axis is directed toward the delivery cylinder 21, the paper sheet W transported by being transferred from the paper-sheet gripping device of the transfer cylinder 13 to the gripper bar 22 of the delivery chains 20. Note that an optical-electronic imaging device such as a CCD line camera and a CCD line sensor is used as the checking camera 23.
Furthermore, a first air blowing nozzle (air blowing means: sheet contact means: guiding means) 25 is disposed upstream of, and close to, the paired illuminators 24 in the paper-sheet transporting direction while a second air blowing nozzle (air blowing means: sheet contact means: guiding means) 26 is disposed downstream of and close to, the paired illuminators 24 in the paper-sheet transporting direction. Reference numeral 27 in
The first air blowing nozzle 25 blows compressed air sent from a not-illustrated compressed air supply source such as a compressor, to a circumferential surface (guide surface) of the delivery cylinder 21. Meanwhile, the second air blowing nozzle 26 blows the compressed air sent from the not-illustrated compressed air supply source such as a compressor, along a linear travelling route portion C1a (see
The checking camera 23, the paired illuminators 24, the first air blowing nozzle 25, the second air blowing nozzle 26, and the paper-sheet guide 27 are supported by paired left and right main unit frames 28 via a not-illustrated supporting bar.
As shown in
Moreover, sprockets 34 are fixedly provided in both end portions of the shaft 30 via keys 35 to be located in the main body frames 28 and the delivery chains 20 described above are wound around the sprockets 34 and paired left and right sprockets provided on a terminal end side of the not-illustrated delivery unit. Multiple gripper bars 22 described above are laid between the paired left and right delivery chains 20 at predetermined intervals in a chain longitudinal direction. Reference numeral 36 in
Furthermore, in the example, a suction guide (sucking means: sheet contact means: guiding means) 40 is provided on a portion of the shaft 30 located between the paired left and right sprockets 34.
Specifically, as shown also in
A base end portion 44b of a suction duct 44 is joined to an inner surface of each of the supporting plates 42 by two reamer bolts 45 with a half-circular arc portion 44a surrounding substantially the half of the circumference of the shaft 30 with a minor gap therebetween, Thereby the suction duct 44 is attached to be movable relative to the supporting plate 42 in a cylinder axial direction. In other words, a gap II (see
A suction open groove 47a is formed in the inner surface of the half-circular arc portion 44a of each suction duct 44 to extend along the shape of the half-circular arc portion 44a substantially over the entire length thereof. The suction open groove 47a communicates with a communication hole 47b formed inside the base end portion 44b. The communication hole 47b is connected to a suction hose 49 via a joint 48 to communicate with a not-illustrated negative pressure source such as a vacuum pump.
The left and right end plates 51 forming the suction cylinder 50 are fixedly provided on the shaft 30 via keys 52 at positions adjacent to the suction ducts 44. An arc-shaped guide plate (guide) 53 having a length of substantially ¾ of the circumference of an imaginary circle in a side view, i.e. having a length long enough to place a maximum-length sheet to be transported, stretches between the left and right end plates 51. The guide plate 53 has an arc-shaped guide surface 53a extending along an arc-shaped transporting route portion C2b in a transporting route (transporting route of the sheet) C2 of the paper sheet W (to be exact, a trajectory of a holding portion of the paper sheet W which includes a gripper 22a and a gripper pad 22b of each gripper bar 22), the arc-shaped transporting route portion C2b formed outside an arc-shaped travelling route portion C1b in the travelling route C1 by the travelling of the aforementioned delivery chains 20 along the arc-shaped travelling route portion C1b (see
Multiple (seven in the illustrated example) elongated negative pressure boxes 54a to 54g each having a length equal to the length of the guide plate 53 in the cylinder axial direction are arranged on a back surface of the guide plate 53 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. In each of the negative pressure boxes 54a to 54g, suction holes 56 are formed in the guide plate 53 in two rows in the circumferential direction and many in the cylinder axial direction to communicate with the corresponding negative pressure box.
Multiple (seven in the illustrated example to correspond to the number of the negative pressure boxes 54) communication holes 57a to 57g are formed in each of the left and right end plates 51 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Two, i.e., left-side and right-side portions of each of the negative pressure boxes 54a to 54g arc connected to corresponding two of suction hoses 59a to 59g. Thus, the negative pressure boxes 54a to 54g always communicate with inner-surface-side opening portions of the communication holes 57a to 57g through joints 58a to 58g and the suction hoses 59a to 59g.
Meanwhile, outer-surface-side opening portions of the communication holes 57a to 57g in each of the left and right end plates 51 are sequentially made to communicate with the aforementioned suction open groove 47a of the corresponding suction duct 44 and are then sequentially isolated from the suction open groove 47a at predetermined timings by the rotation of the left and right end plates 51 (i.e. the suction cylinder 50).
Due to this configuration, each of the paper sheets W supplied from the feeding unit and positioned by the register 8 is transported along a route shown by the arrows in the drawings, specifically along the circumferential surfaces of the transfer cylinders 9 to 12, the blanket impression cylinder 2, the transfer cylinder 13, and the delivery cylinder 21 in this order, and is subjected to printing simultaneously on both surfaces upon passing through the printing position P1 between the blanket impression cylinder 2 and the blanket cylinder 3 from above to below.
The paper sheets W having been subjected to printing are transported one by one to the delivery unit by the delivery chains 20 and are piled on a predetermined delivery pile in the delivery unit.
Moreover, in the example, the printing condition on one surface of the paper sheet W transferred from the paper-sheet gripping device of the transfer cylinder 13 to the gripper bar 22 of the delivery cylinder 21 at a sheet transferring position P2 of the paper sheet W is detected by a checking camera 23 while the paper sheet W is transported on the delivery cylinder 21, i.e. in the arc-shaped transporting route portion C2b in the transporting route C2 of the paper sheet W.
In this case, the paper sheet W is brought in contact with a guide surface 53a of the guide plate 53 which extends along the arc-shaped transporting route portion C2b, by the air blow operation of the first air blowing nozzle 25 and the second air blowing nozzle 26 and by the suction operation of the suction cylinder 50 in the suction guide 40 to be described later. Accordingly, in a checking unit of the delivery cylinder 21, the paper sheet W can be highly accurately checked while being stably transported.
Moreover, when the paper sheet W is transferred from the transfer cylinder 13 and is transported by the delivery chains 20 through the arc-shaped travelling route portion C1b of the travelling route C1, the travelling speed of the delivery chains 20 and the transporting speed of the paper sheet W are different from each other due to a difference between the curvature radius of the arc-shaped travelling route portion C1b of the delivery chains 20 and the curvature radius of the arc-shaped transporting route portion C2b in the transporting route C2 of the paper sheet W.
Specifically, when the arc-shaped transporting route portion C2b of the paper sheet W is located outside the arc-shaped travelling route portion C1b of the delivery chains 20, the transporting speed of the paper sheet W in the arc-shaped transporting route portion C2b of the paper sheet W is faster than the travelling speed of the delivery chains 20. Moreover, since the speed of a leading end of the paper sheet W having passed a shift position S (see
The faster speed of the trailing end of the paper sheet P as described above makes the paper sheet W loose and fluttering of the paper sheet W occurs. The paper sheet W may be thereby damaged or rubbed. Moreover, the fluttering of the paper sheet W also makes the paper sheet W on the guide plate 53 unstable and accurate check with the checking camera 23 may be hindered.
In the example, a loose portion of the paper sheet W which is formed by the speed difference in paper-sheet transport as described above is smoothly guided without fluttering due to the suction operation of the suction cylinder 50 in the aforementioned suction guide 40 and the sheet can be stably transported.
Specifically, as shown in
Due to this, a negative pressure acts on the paper sheet W transported along the arc-shaped transporting route portion C2b in the transporting route C2 of the paper sheet W through the many suction holes 56. As a result, the paper sheet W is brought in contact with the guide surface 53a of the guide plate 53.
Thereafter, the second communication hole 57b to the seventh communication hole 57g sequentially reach (communicate with) the front end portion of the fixed suction open groove 47a due to the further rotation of the suction cylinder 50, and suction is performed sequentially in the second negative box 54b to the seventh negative box 54g. Accordingly, portions of the paper sheet W are sequentially brought in contact with the guide surface 53a of the guide plate 53 from the leading end to the trailing end.
Then, when the first communication hole 57a passes a base end portion of the suction open groove 47a (see suction end position (III) of the first communication hole 57a in
In this state, the suction guide 40 is configured to continuously perform sucking even after passing the shift position S where the transporting route C2 of the paper sheet W shifts from the arc-shaped transporting route portion C2b to the linear transporting route portion C2a, according to the preset length of the suction open groove 47a from the front end portion to the base end portion thereof and the preset circumferential length of the suction guide 40 including the number of the communication holes 57a to 57g and the number of negative pressure boxes 54a to 54g. Accordingly, even when a loose portion is formed in the paper sheet W at the shift position S due to the speed difference in paper-sheet transport described above, a rear half of the loose portion is sucked to the guide plate 53 by the suction operation of the suction cylinder 50 and does not flutter. In this state, the loose portion is held not only when the sheet trailing end passes a check position K (see check end position (IV) of the checking camera 23 in
As described above, in the example, since the loose portion of the paper sheet W formed by the speed difference in paper-sheet transport is smoothly guided with the fluttering prevented by the suction cylinder 50, the paper sheet W can be stably transported. Accordingly, there are no risk of the paper sheet W being damaged and rubbed and no risk of accurate checking by the checking camera 23 being hindered.
Moreover, in the suction guide 40, the side surface of each suction duct 44 is biased to be pushed against the side surface of the corresponding ring-shaped end plate 51 in the suction cylinder 50. This configuration effectively absorbs an assembly error of the suction cylinder 50, mechanical vibrations, and the like. Accordingly, the stable suction operation is achieved and the reliability is high.
Moreover, the present invention has such an advantage that a portion of the paper sheet W having passed the shift position S is guided to an inner side than the linear travelling route portion C1a by the air blown from the second air blowing nozzle 26 and the contact of the paper sheet W to the guide plate 53 is thereby assisted.
Note that the present invention is not limited to the example described above, and various changes can be made within the scope not departing from the sprit of the present invention as a matter of course. For example, the structure of the suction guide including the suction cylinder can be changed and the processing device such as the checking camera can be changed. Moreover, although the description is given of the example using both of the suction guide 40 and the second air blowing nozzle 26 as the guiding means, only one of the suction guide 40 and the second air blowing nozzle 26 can be used. In a case where only the second air blowing nozzle 26 is used, the suction guide 40 may be simply an arc-shaped guide with no suction force acting thereon. In this case also, the portion of the paper sheet W having passed the shift position S is guided to the inner side than the linear travelling route portion C1a by the air from the second air blowing nozzle 26 and is brought in contact with the guide surface 53a of the guide plate 53. Moreover, although the guide plate 53 is described as a single plate, multiple plates can be arranged in the circumferential direction. In this case, the suction holes 56 and the negative pressure box 54 are configured to be provided in each of the plates.
The sheet guiding device of the present invention and the sheet processing apparatus including the sheet guiding device can be effectively used in a printing press for printing bank notes, securities, and the like in which quality control is important.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-172764 | Aug 2012 | JP | national |
