EP0339265B1 - Method for separating cards from a pile - Google Patents

Abstract

In this method or device for separating cards, such as cheque cards or identity cards, the card to be separated is in each case first moved into a separating groove, as a result of which it passes out of the region of a stop holding the stack. The card which is pre-separated in this way is subsequently completely lifted off the stack by means of a suitable removal device. In this way, cards can be separated in a very reliable and gentle manner. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a method for separating cards in a stack, such as check cards, identity cards and the like.

Known separating devices usually consist of a shaft in which the stack of cards is accommodated. In the event that the stack is processed from above, stops are provided on the side and across the top card, which hold the top card and the cards to be subsequently separated on the card stack. A removal device removes the top card from the area of the stops and transfers it to a transport system.

Such separation devices are known from a number of publications; In this context, reference is made to DE-PS 15 61 165, DE-OS 24 13 072 and DE-OS 26 54 108.

In the known separating devices, a removal device with a suction head first pushes the card lying on top of the stack against the pull-off direction with its rear edge against the wall of the magazine or separating shaft, as a result of which the card bulges overall. The movement continues until the front edge comes out of the area of a front stop holding down the stack. In the further course of the separation, the front area of the card is then lifted off the stack and transferred to a further transport system in the separation direction. The stack of cards, which is spring-loaded from below, now pushes the second card to the stops and the separation process is repeated.

It is essential in this separation process that the record carrier bulges in the desired direction, which is monitored with appropriate sensors. Apart from that through the sensors required additional effort this method requires a certain flexibility of the individual cards. If the stack as a whole is deformed against the direction of the desired bulge, the separation cannot be carried out from the outset. In the event that the cards stick together due to electrostatic charges or dirt, double deductions cannot be avoided. Since there is a risk of double deductions, additional sensors must be installed.

Another class of separators, the so-called friction roller separators, use rollers or rollers coated with friction linings, with each of which the top card of a stack is removed from the stack and transferred to a further transport system. A general disadvantage of this system lies in the high wear of the friction rollers due to contamination, which means that the system has to be replaced frequently and therefore comes to a standstill. It is also difficult to maintain exact timing and avoid double deductions. During the separation, the cards rub against each other over their entire length, which, for example, easily leads to scratches on identity cards, which can considerably impair the appearance of the card. Maps with raised areas, e.g. B. embossed areas can not be isolated at all by this method.

A friction roll separator which solves the problem of scratching film rolls is known from EP-A1 0 110 291. In this separator, a pre-separation takes place before the actual separation, in which it is ensured by a form-fitting element acting on the film to be separated that only one film at a time relative to the stack Compared to the dimensions of the film small amount is displaceable. Due to the displacement, an edge of the film comes out of the area of the stop holding this edge, so that the film can then be lifted off the stack by means of a suitable removal device.

According to one embodiment, the element which acts positively on the film to be separated can be a separating groove which is provided on the opposite side of the stop holding down the front edge of the film and into which the rear edge of a film displaced in the opposite direction to the separating direction can be immersed.

The width of the groove is only slightly thicker than the film thickness, so that only a single film can penetrate into the separating groove.

The depth of the separating groove is dimensioned such that when the film is completely immersed in the groove, its front edge, seen in the separating direction, has come out of the area of the stop holding this edge, so that the film can then be lifted off by means of a suitable removal device.

The object of the invention is to provide a method for separating cards, such as identity cards, check cards and the like, in which the separation security is increased with regard to compliance with the timing and the avoidance of double deductions.

According to the invention the object is achieved by the features specified in independent claims 1, 2 and 5. Advantageous further developments are the subject of the subclaims.

An essential feature of the invention consists in a combination of pre-singling and singling, the pre-singling being used to insert the card to be singled into a singling groove with the aid of suitable means and then lifting the card completely off the stack by means of a precisely guided suction head.

With the solution according to the invention, the process can be clocked exactly and the cards are securely separated. Double deductions can be avoided in any case.

If two cards stick together so tightly that they cannot separate from each other and the top card cannot be pushed into the separating groove, there is a separating gap; the cards that are not to be separated are removed and the separation process is then continued. The resulting separation gap is much less critical than double deductions not recognized by the system, which impair counting reliability and make processing at the further stations more difficult. Since no double deductions can occur as a result of the measures according to the invention, corresponding devices for determining double deductions are also dispensed with.

The cards are carefully separated because the friction between the cards is limited to a minimal distance in relation to the length of the cards.

It has proven to be advantageous if the separating groove is provided on the rear edge of the stack approximately in the middle of the card and the groove wall on top is simultaneously designed as a stop for the card stack. For this purpose, this wall must be brought forward towards the center of the card by a small amount. Due to this construction, jamming of the cards during the pushing back is practically impossible.

The relative movement between the card to be separated and the stack can be carried out in different ways.

According to a first embodiment, the card is pushed back and removed with a removal device which has a suction head which is placed on the top card, pushes the card back into the separating groove, lifts it off the stack and then transfers it to a further transport system. The suction power is adjusted so that there is a safe decrease even with a stack pressure that varies within wide limits. The movement of the suction head can be carried out at high speed due to the small masses to be moved. The vacuum of the suction air can be increased briefly depending on the corresponding sensor signals. For example, a microswitch can be provided in the separating groove, which reports that a card has been inserted or not inserted into the separating groove.

According to a further embodiment, the pre-separation can be carried out by means of a separate slide which acts on the front edge of the card to be separated and first pushes the card against the separation direction into the separation groove. Such a construction has the advantage that the guidance of the suction head is easier and the vacuum of the suction air does not have to be as high.

Finally, it is also possible to compare the pre-separation by a corresponding movement of the stack the card to be separated. This embodiment is suitable for lower singulation frequencies, since the masses to be moved are correspondingly larger.

Fig. 1 - 5

den Vereinzelungsablauf in einer schematisch dargestellten ersten Ausführungsform,

Fig. 6

eine ebenfalls schematische Draufsicht auf den Kartenstapel der ersten Ausführungsform mit Saugkopf

Fig. 7

die schematische Darstellung einer zweiten Ausführungsform,

Fig. 8

ein Hebelgestänge zur Führung des Saugkopfs,

Fig. 9

den schematischen Bahnverlauf des durch das in Fig. 8 dargestellte Hebelgestänge geführten Saugkopfes und

Fig. 10

einen Schnitt durch die Vereinzelungsnut.

Embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, for example. In it show:

1 - 5

the separation process in a schematically illustrated first embodiment,

Fig. 6

a schematic top view of the card stack of the first embodiment with suction head

Fig. 7

the schematic representation of a second embodiment,

Fig. 8

a lever linkage for guiding the suction head,

Fig. 9

the schematic trajectory of the suction head guided by the lever linkage shown in Fig. 8 and

Fig. 10

a section through the separation groove.

A first embodiment of the device for separating cards is shown schematically in FIGS. 1-6. In a separating shaft, which is indicated in FIG. 6 by the frame parts 20, there is a stack of cards 22. The stack rests on a base plate 6, which is pushed upwards with a certain force P to the extent that the stack height is due to the separated and removed cards decreases. The base plate only loads the stack of cards in the case shown in the area of the leading and trailing edges of the cards, thereby eliminating adverse influences due to card curvatures around the transverse axis. The base plate 6 can also be connected in an articulated manner to a push rod (not shown in the figures), via which the force p is transmitted to the base plate 6. With this procedure, even stacks that are not uniformly thick can be easily updated. It is also possible, without the base plate shown in the figures, to load the stack centrally with the aid of a suitable push rod in the middle of the card.

A stop 3 is provided on the front edge as seen in the separating direction and a stop 4 is provided on the rear edge, which supports the formation of the stack and has an edge 15 projecting into the separating shaft on the upper edge (FIG. 10), each of which has a stop for the stack of cards 22 pushed up from below by the base plate 6. At the level of the uppermost card, a separating groove 5 is formed below the projecting edge 15 of the stop 4, which is shown again in cross section in FIG. 10. The slot width of the groove is approximately 1.2-1.3 times the card thickness (dimension a), the depth of the groove is approximately 2 mm (dimension c) and the projecting part of the stop 4 protrudes approximately 1.7 mm in the direction Center of card inwards (dimension b). As can be seen from FIG. 6, which shows a plan view of the separating device, the groove 5 or the stop 4 is only arranged centrally in the region of the rear edge in order to facilitate penetration of the card into the groove in the case of a card which is curved around the longitudinal axis . The width of the groove in the direction of the card edge (dimension e) is, for example, approximately 2 to 5 mm. The dimensions given are, of course, only useful in one embodiment of the device, with the standard cards isolated become. In the event that the cards have different dimensions, the dimensions of the stops and the separating groove must also be adapted.

The top card is acted upon by a suction head 1 in the front third, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6. The suction head 1 is for example guided by means of a lever linkage. An example of such a lever guide is described in connection with FIG. 8.

The separation process is as follows. The suction head 1 is placed on the card 2 lying above and pushes it against the separating direction (arrow 23 in FIG. 2) into the separating groove 5. Since the thickness of the groove is dimensioned so that only a single card fits into it, it is ensured that even a single card to the right, i. H. is moved against the separation direction. When the top card 2 strikes the bottom of the separating groove 5, it is free of the stop 3 holding down the front edge of the card. The depth of the groove (dimension c) must therefore be somewhat greater than the length of the projecting part 15 of the stop 3. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the length of the projecting part is, for example, 1.7 mm, whereas the groove depth can be approximately 2 mm.

A microswitch 27 can be mounted in the separating groove, which reports that it has been inserted or not inserted into the separating groove. The signal can be used to temporarily increase the vacuum on the suction head if a card with the normally applied vacuum cannot be pushed back.

As soon as the front edge of card 2 is free, the card lifts Saukopf 1 on the card and guides it in the separation direction according to the arrow 24 in Fig. 4, where it passes it to a pair of conveyor rollers 7, 8, which belong to a further transport system. The suction air is then reduced or switched off so that the card can be taken over by the rollers. The suction head is then moved back and placed from above on the next card now on the top, whereupon the process described is repeated. The vacuum or suction force can be briefly increased to push the card back into the separating groove.

In Fig. 8, a lever mechanism for guiding the suction head 1 is shown in principle. The suction head 1 is fixed to the point A of the lever linkage. This lever linkage consists of a one-armed lever 12, at the end of which a lever 11 is articulated approximately at right angles, the end of which describes the trajectory which the suction head is also intended to pass through. The lever 11 is supported on a further lever 13, which is articulated on the one hand on the lever 12 and on the other hand performs a harmonious circular movement, which is accomplished by means of a crank mechanism 14. The end of the lever 11 is cam-shaped and is withdrawn via a stepped cam track 10. The contact of the end nonken-shaped end A of the lever 11 with the cam track 10 is ensured by the fields 19.

Vacuum is applied to the suction head 1 via the suction line 17 and the valve 16. Valve 16 is monitored by a switch 26, which is activated by lever 12 when point A or the suction head has reached the position in which it must transfer the card removed from the stack to the further transport system (see FIG. 4). .

The operation of the lever linkage will now be described with reference to FIG. 9. A rotation of the crank mechanism 14 causes the lever 13 to be raised, which in turn presses the lever 11 and thus the point A upwards. The end A of the lever 11 and thus the suction cup 1 moves on an obliquely upward curved path from point I to II. Depending on the section of the path curve where point A is deposited on the cam path 10, the curved region of the curve ends before that point II. In point II, lever 12 actuates switch 26, which in turn ventilates suction head 1 via valve 16, card 2 can be transferred to transport rollers 7 and 8 at this point. The crank mechanism 14 now pulls point A back to the right via lever 13, but point A cannot describe a curved path, since it is seated on cam path 10. The suction head 1 therefore moves back at a certain constant height until it has arrived at the point 111 exactly above the card stack 22. In this desired position, it falls from point III to point IV in accordance with the shape of cam track 10, as a result of which it comes into contact with the top card of the card stack and sucks it up. The crank mechanism 14 pushes the lever further to the right, point A now being pulled to the right on the lower region of the cam track, which corresponds to a movement from point IV to point I. In position I, the card is fully inserted into the separating groove 5, the front edge of the card 2 is free from the stop 3 and the suction head 1 can lift the card that is now following upwards from the stack (see FIG. 3).

Instead of the lever mechanism described, the suction head can also be guided differently; Stepper motors, pneumatic or magnetic drive means are available.

In Fig. 7 it is indicated schematically that the pre-separation, i.e. H. lateral displacement of the uppermost card can also take place by means of a separate slide 9 which acts on the uppermost card in the region of its front edge and pushes it into the separating groove 5 in the manner described.

The movement of the suction head can be made simpler in this embodiment. Referring to FIG. 9, it has to move back and forth along a path which is characterized by points II, III, IV and IV, III, II.

Finally, the pre-separation (not shown in the figures) can also be carried out by a corresponding movement of the stack. After placing the suction head on the card to be separated, the entire stack is tilted or rotated such that the card fixed by the suction head relative to the stack is pushed into the separating groove. The card is then lifted off the stack and, if necessary, handed over to a further transport system.

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the stack to be separated is pressed upwards by a base plate. It is also possible to use gravity for the force P and to separate the bottom card of a stack, the device only having to be reversed in principle. In order to make the force P independent of the height or the weight of the stack to be separated in this case, two intercepting rollers can be provided at the side of the stack at a certain height, which limit the weight of the stack to the stack height that lies below these rollers . The weight of the cards above these reels is transferred from the reels to the card edges applied frictional forces intercepted. These rollers are controlled so that the lower part of the card slot always has about the same number of cards.

To relieve the respective lower card, it is also possible to use inclined stacking containers, in which only a partial component of the stack weight acts on the lower card.

Two stops can also be provided to hold down the cards in the area of their front edge, so that the stack is supported at three points. All stops can be fastened in an articulated manner to the frame parts 20 of the separating shaft in such a way that they can be pivoted away for filling the shaft with cards.

Claims (5)

1. A method for singling cards such as check cards, identity cards and the like wherein the first card of a stack is pushed with its trailing edge, regarded in the singling direction, into a groove having substantially the thickness of the card until its leading edge comes free of the range of action of a stop in a first step, and the card thus presingled is raised from the stack in a second step, characterized in that the first card is the uppermost card of the stack and both steps are performed by a sucker controlled in clocked fashion.
2. A method for singling cards such as check cards, identity cards and the like wherein the first card of a stack is pushed with its trailing edge, regarded in the singling direction, into a groove having substantially the thickness of the card until its leading edge comes free of the range of action of a stop in a first step, and the card thus presingled is raised from the stack in a second step, characterized in that the first card is the uppermost card of the stack and the first step is performed by a movement of the stack, the first card being held by a sucker controlled in clocked fashion, and the second step is performed by the controlled sucker.
3. The method of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the vacuum of the suction air is briefly increased during displacement of the card into the singling groove.
4. The method of claim 3, characterized in that the vacuum of the suction air is controlled in accordance with the signal of a sensor monitoring the singling groove.
5. A method for singling cards such as check cards, identity cards and the like wherein the first card of a stack is pushed with its trailing edge, regarded in the singling direction, into a groove having substantially the thickness of the card until its leading edge comes free of the range of action of a stop in a first step, and the card thus presingled is raised from the stack in a second step, characterized in that the first card is the uppermost card of the stack and the first step is performed by a separate slide and the second step by a sucker controlled in clocked fashion.

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