DE1235816B - Device for the successive forwarding of flat mail items that are randomly delivered in an upright conveyor line - Google Patents

Description

FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY

GERMAN

PATENT OFFICE

EDITORIAL

Int. Cl .:

Number:
File number:
Registration date:
Display day:

B65g

B 65 h

German KL: 8Ie- 147

1235 816
T22041XI / 81e
April 28, 1962
March 2, 1967

In the automatic processing of flat mail items, such as mail items in particular, occurs at different points of the machining process on the task, which in an upright conveyor line randomly - i.e. also to several consignments that are delivered at the same time or overlapped in any way occasionally, but at least in a defined sequence. The well-known for single prints or separating devices designed for overlapped extraction only work reliably if if the mail items are stacked beforehand with their front edges positioned as precisely as possible. Because this is precisely because of the simultaneous delivery of shipments or because of unfavorable overlaps in the present cases, especially when processing raw mail with its various types Condition, is not possible, these separators are unsuitable for the stated purpose.

Attempts have therefore been made to solve the present problem with so-called pass-through, at which are not exactly stacked from the start. A well-known flow separator is for example constructed in such a way that a chamber-like conveyor section is attached to a feed conveyor section adjoins, the inlet width of which is substantially greater than its outlet width, being in one of the side walls this conveying section has a suction point connected to a vacuum chamber is located, in front of which a continuously driven suction belt provided with groups of suction openings runs. However, the mode of operation of this device cannot meet the requirements to be set, because there is a risk that several mail items will jam at the outlet of said conveyor section.

In another known arrangement in which an overlap separator and a separator are connected in series this disadvantage is avoided. However, she is unable to, too to securely separate shipments that arrive at the same time or that are "incorrectly" overlapped. Underneath will understood an overlap in which the front edge of the directly adjacent to the haul-off belt Consignment, seen in the conveying direction, is behind the leading edge of a not directly on the discharge belt attached shipment is located.

The aim of the invention is to create a device which, as a pass-through separator, enables reliable separation even with simultaneous or unfavorably overlapped delivery and regardless of the nature of the mail items. The forwarding of the mail items can take place in such a way, device for the successive forwarding of randomly in an upright conveyor line
delivered flat items

Applicant:

Telefunken

Patentverwertungsgesellschaft mb H.,
Ulm / Danube, Elisabethenstr. 3

Named as inventor:
Karl Rehm, Constance

that automatically between the rear edge of the previous shipment and the front edge of the following a certain distance is maintained. To achieve these advantageous properties, the device according to the invention differs from the above-described basic structure of the known pass-through singler by the common application of the following measures or features: At a distance α from the suction point, which is smaller than the length of the smallest consignment to be conveyed A conveying means is arranged which grips the mail items advanced by the suction conveying element at their leading edge and pulls them off at a uniform speed into the outgoing conveying channel; then one or more scrapers serving to hold back multiple draws are arranged in the area between the suction point and this conveying means; and finally the suction openings of the suction conveyor element running over the suction point extend in a manner known per se evenly over its entire circumference, while the length b of the suction point measured in the conveying direction is so short that it meets the condition

b <15'd- (n + l)

is sufficient, where d is the thickness of the thinnest mail items to be processed (about 0.2 mm for mail items) and η is the number of multiple prints that can be held back by the stripping elements at the same time.

The use of the device according to the invention brings because of its trouble-free operation

709 517/33 &

even in such cases there are advantages for the forwarding of the randomly delivered shipments no exact separation with mutual spacing of the shipments is necessary. But if this is necessary exists, then the device is preferably designed so that the on the suction point following conveying means the items recorded by them on a conveying speed accelerate, which is much greater than the speed of the suction conveyor. It is then further away expedient, the suction point no longer than

b = 10 d (n + 1)

close.

The mode of operation of the device according to the invention and the possibilities for its further configuration should be explained below with reference to the drawing.

Figs. 1 to 3 relate to a first embodiment, where F i g. 1 schematically shows a plan view with partial section, FIG. 2 is a side view and Fig. 3 shows a section according to line III-III;

F i g. 4 and 5 show in section and on an enlarged scale the suction point and a first scraper in two different work phases;

F i g. 6 to 8 relate to an expanded exemplary embodiment, wherein FIG. 6 schematically shows a plan view of the entire device, FIG. 7 in enlarged scale a section along the line VII-VII and F i g. 8 a section shows the suction conveyor belt used.

In the case of the FIG. 1 to 3 illustrated pass separator the mail items 1 are fed by means of a device driven in the direction of arrow 2 Horizontal conveyor belt 3, whose deflection roller visible in the drawing is denoted by 4. Of the The conveyor section into which the randomly delivered mail items arrive before they are separated is in The conveying direction is limited to the right and the front by a wall 5 and 6, respectively. On the left of this Conveying section is arranged in connection with a guide surface 7, a wall 8, in which one with a vacuum chamber 9 connected suction point 10 is located. The vacuum chamber is connected in a known manner (not shown) via a line to a suction air source. Before this Suction point and the wall 8 runs a conveyor belt formed by three parallel individual belts 11, the drive and deflection pulley is denoted by 12 and 13, respectively. The surfaces of the individual bands have a relatively high coefficient of friction, at least on the sides facing the mail items.

The spaces between the three individual belts form suction openings 11 'which extend uniformly over the entire circumference of the suction conveyor belt 11. Such a design has so far only been found in such separators - which, in contrast to the present device - are only intended for an overlapped trigger. At a distance a, which is smaller than the length of the shortest mail items to be conveyed, are the pulleys 14 and 14 rotating at a uniform speed. 15 of a pair of conveyor belts 16 and 17 are arranged. In the area between the suction point 10 and the rollers 14, 15, two suction air wipers 18 and 19 are arranged one behind the other in the conveying direction, which are pivotably mounted about axes 20, 21 and are flexibly applied to the conveyor belt 11 under the influence of a relatively small actuating force. They are shoe-like and each have a small cavity which, as shown in FIG. 4 and 5 for the scraper 18 can be seen schematically, via a line 22 with a suction air source in connection. The surface facing the conveyor belt 11 is provided with an opening 18 'and is inclined on the inlet side

ίο inlet surface 18 "over. The one occurring at opening 18 ' Suction force is measured in such a way that the frictional force between the scraper and one resting against it Consignment is greater than the frictional force between this consignment and another, including consignment located, but smaller than the entrainment force between the conveyor belt 11 and a directly on this lying shipment at the suction point 10. Such scrapers, that is to hold back of multiple prints have already been suggested elsewhere; therefore they belong as such is not the subject of the present invention. Your special mode of action in this one given context will be explained further below. You could go for further improvement Their function can be supplemented by so-called blown air wipers, which are also already used elsewhere have been proposed.

The length b of the suction point 10 is finally dimensioned in the sense of the invention so that it is smaller than

15 · d ■ (n + 1).

If the thickness d of the thinnest mailing to be processed is assumed to be about d = 0.2 mm, corresponding to the thickness of postcards, and as here at least two multiple prints can be retained by the provided scrapers 18 and 19, then the length b is a Value less than

15 -0.2 - (2 + 1) = 9mm.

This length b is shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5 are not shown for the sake of clarity; However, their relationship to the thickness d of the items shown corresponds approximately to the aforementioned requirement.

The mail items 1 delivered by the feed conveyor line arrive on the conveyor belt 3 in the by the wall 5, 6 and 7 limited conveyor section and thus, with the assistance of the conveyor belt 11, in the area of the suction point 10. There they are sucked onto the conveyor belt 11 and thereby against the retaining force of the scrapers 18 and 19 with their front edge up to the rollers 14, 15 advanced. They are then detected by these and between the conveyor belts 16, 17 of the others Processing fed.

As already mentioned, the difficulty in separating the mail items without first stacking them is that the randomly delivered mail items can also arrive at the same time or with an overlap in such a way that two or more mail items are sucked in at the suction point at the same time, so that multiple prints are made . In Fig. 4, the length b of the suction point is approximately dimensioned such that basically two or three mail items overlapped in this way can be sucked onto the conveyor belt 11 at the same time. Two such programs are shown, of which the

Claims (1)

Dung 1 'rests directly on the conveyor belt 11, while the front edge of the mail item 1' 'protrudes so far that it is also sucked in with its front part participate in the conveying movement of the conveyor belt 11. But as soon as the mail item 1 ″ comes into the area of action of the suction air stripper 18, it is held by the latter so that only the mail item V is pushed forward from the suction point 10 against the rollers 14 and 15 the required friction between the mail item and the conveyor belt prevails, always further in the direction of the rear edge of the mail item V covered mailing 1 ″ is sucked in and pushed against the retaining force of the scrapers 18, 19 likewise against the rollers 14 and 15. If, in addition to a second mail item 1 ″ at the suction point 10, a third mail item is sucked in, it is held back by the first stripper 18 as it is advanced, while the mail item 1 ″ is then held by the second scraper 19. The dimensioning specification for the length b of the suction point 10 is intended to ensure that at most only one more shipment can be sucked in at the suction point than can be retained by the respective wiping elements. The embodiment according to FIG. 6 agrees with that of FIG. 6 with regard to its basic mode of operation. 1 to 5 described match. The corresponding components 3 to 10 and 12 to 19 are therefore provided with the same reference numerals in the drawing. It differs from the one described initially in that the conveyor section containing the suction conveyor with the walls 5, 6 and 8 adjoins the feed conveyor section containing the horizontal conveyor belt 3 at an obtuse angle. Certain advantages can be achieved in this way, but these are not directly related to the subject matter of the present invention. For this reason, several organs with which a favorable deflection or a good transition of the mail items from the feed conveyor into the conveyor section containing the suction conveyor are no longer shown or identified in the drawing. In the embodiment according to FIG. 6, a suction conveyor belt 24, known per se, is used, the suction openings of which extend over its entire circumference and are formed by a perforation 24 '(FIG. 8). In FIGS. 6 and 7, this perforation is not shown. In order to achieve with even greater certainty that the mail items 1 also lie against the suction point 10 in the separating section when they are initially delivered at a lateral distance from it, the device according to FIGS. 6 to 9 pneumatic aids are provided. In the area of the suction point 10, preferably above this in terms of height, suction openings 26 are provided in the wall 8, which are connected to a suction chamber 27 located behind it (FIG. 7). To complement this measure 5 blow openings 28 are provided opposite in the wall, behind which there is an air chamber 29 which is connected to a fan, not shown. The desired mode of action of these suction and blowing openings means that they are operated with a relatively large air throughput. Their arrangement at a greater height than the suction point 10 or the conveyor belt 24 has the further advantage that it also facilitates, in particular, the separation of large-format mail items. A further improvement with regard to the application of the mail items to the suction point 10 can be achieved by providing further openings 28 'under the mentioned blow openings 28 in the wall 5, which are also connected to the air chamber 29, but with a lower pressure or pressure. be operated with a lower air throughput than the openings 28. In the separator according to FIG. 6, the rollers 14 and 15 form an independent conveying means, while the conveyor belts 16 and 17 of the outgoing conveyor line run over their own deflection rollers 14 'and 15'. Functionally, however, this difference has no particular effect. If an isolated transfer of the mail items is sought, in such a way that predetermined distances occur between the individual mail items, then the rollers 14 and 15 are preferably allowed to run at a circumferential speed which is significantly greater than the speed of the suction conveyor belt 24 or 11 used it is then also expedient to reduce the length of the suction point 10 even further, so that it is, for example, less than 10 · d · (n + 1). In practice, it has also proven to be beneficial to operate the suction conveyor 24 or 11 at a higher conveying speed than the feed conveyor line, such as. B. the conveyor belt 3. Claims: 1. Device for the successive forwarding of flat items of mail that are randomly delivered in an upright conveyor line, such as in particular mail or documents, in which a feed conveyor line is followed by a conveyor section whose inlet width is significantly greater than its outlet width and one side wall of which has a vacuum chamber Related suction point is located in front of which an endless conveyor member provided with suction openings, such as. B. a suction conveyor belt rotates, characterized in that at a distance α from the suction point (10) which is smaller than the length of the smallest items to be conveyed (1), a conveyor (14,15) is arranged, which each by the suction conveyor element (11, 24) grasps mail items advanced at their front edge and withdraws them at a uniform speed into the outgoing conveyor channel; that, furthermore, in the area between the suction point (10) and this conveying means (14, 15) one or more deductions serving to hold back multiple draws strips (18, 19) are arranged; and that the suction openings (U ', 24') of the suction conveyor (11, 24) running over the suction point (10) extend in a manner known per se evenly over its entire circumference, while the length b of the suction point (10) is measured in the conveying direction is so brief that it meets the condition