JP2000095385A - Paper transport device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] Even if paper sheets have a wide range of length, the paper speed is adjusted before and after an acceleration / deceleration conveyance path that adjusts the interval between the paper sheets by changing the conveyance speed. Provided is a paper sheet transport device provided with means for securely holding and transporting leaves. A transport path (4) for transporting a sheet (1) at a predetermined speed.
A variable speed acceleration / deceleration conveyance path 101 provided in the middle of the conveyance path 4, and at least one passage detecting means 10 provided near the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path 101 to detect the passage of the sheet 1.
2 and 103 and the paper sheet 1 connected to the passage detecting means 102.
A measuring means 104 for measuring the interval between them, and a measuring means 10
And a control means 105 for controlling the speed of the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path 101 based on the measurement value of 4.
Nipping at least one of the upstream / downstream sides of the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path 101 to move the extreme end clamping points A and A 'of the conveyance path 4 close to the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path 101 in accordance with the length of the paper sheet. Point moving means 106 is provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet sorting apparatus for sorting sheets to which sorting information has been assigned in accordance with the sorting information, and more particularly to a postal matter such as a postcard or an envelope having an address or the like described thereon. Device for handling

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional device for adjusting the interval between sheets, there is a sheet chain correction mechanism described in, for example, JP-A-63-306138. In this conventional example, in a system for transporting a paper sheet, a sensor for detecting the paper sheet interval, and a control unit for adjusting the paper sheet interval to a predetermined interval by changing the transport speed according to the detected interval are provided. The illustrated transport device is shown.

[0003]

However, the chain correction mechanism uses a banknote of a substantially constant length as a paper sheet to be conveyed, and paper sheets having a wide range of length, for example, a length of 14 banknotes.
No consideration is given to the handling of fixed postal letters such as postcards and envelopes ranging from 0 mm to 235 mm.

Accordingly, long paper sheets are pinched by conveyance paths having different speeds, so that the paper sheets are bent or pulled. On the other hand, short paper sheets have the drawback that the conveying posture is disturbed or jumps out because they are not pinched at all.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for controlling the speed of a paper sheet by adjusting the conveying speed to adjust the distance between the paper sheets to a predetermined distance, even if the paper sheet has a wide range of length. An object of the present invention is to provide a paper sheet transport device provided with means for securely holding and transporting leaves.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a conveying path for holding paper sheets and conveying the sheets at a predetermined speed, and a variable-speed accelerating / decelerating conveying path provided in the middle of the conveying path. And at least one passage detecting means provided near the acceleration / deceleration transport path for detecting passage of paper sheets, measuring means connected to the passage detecting means for measuring an interval between the paper sheets, and measurement of the measuring means And a control unit for controlling the speed of the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path based on the value. In the paper sheet conveyance apparatus, the end point of the conveyance path is moved to at least one of the upstream side and the downstream side of the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path. A paper sheet transport device provided with a pinching point moving means is proposed. In the present invention, at least one of the upstream side and the downstream side of the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path is provided with a pinching point moving means for moving the endmost pinching point of the conveyance path, so that paper sheets having a wide length can be used. Even if there is, the paper sheet can be reliably pinched and transported before and after the acceleration / deceleration transport path that changes the transport speed to adjust the interval between the paper sheets to a predetermined interval.

The present invention is also directed to a conveying path for nipping a sheet and conveying the sheet at a predetermined speed, a variable-speed accelerating / decelerating conveying path provided in the middle of the conveying path, and a paper sheet provided near the accelerating / decelerating conveying path. At least one passage detecting means for detecting passage of leaves;
In a paper sheet transport device including a measurement unit connected to the passage detection unit and configured to measure an interval between the sheets and a control unit that controls a speed of the acceleration / deceleration transport path based on a measurement value of the measurement unit, At least one of the upstream side and the downstream side of the transport path, a clamping point movement for moving the extreme end clamping point of the transport path within a range from the acceleration / deceleration transport path to the maximum length of a sheet handled by the sheet transport device. A paper sheet transport device provided with means is proposed. By doing so, the longest sheet can also be sandwiched only by the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path and the predetermined interval adjustment operation can be performed. Leaves can be reliably delivered.

[0008] The present invention further provides a conveyance path for nipping and transporting a sheet at a predetermined speed, an acceleration / deceleration conveyance path provided in the middle of the conveyance path and having a variable speed, and a paper provided near the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path. At least one passage detecting unit for detecting the passage of the leaves, a measuring unit connected to the passage detecting unit for measuring the interval between the sheets, and controlling the speed of the acceleration / deceleration transport path based on the measurement value of the measuring unit. A sheet transport device provided with a control unit, the transport device being configured to convey a sheet upstream or downstream of the acceleration / deceleration transport path to a range from the acceleration / deceleration transport path to the maximum length of the sheet handled by the sheet transport apparatus. A pinch point moving means for moving a pinch point at the end of the path is provided, and the end point of the downstream or upstream side of the accelerating / decelerating conveyance path where the pinching point moving means is not installed is moved from the accelerating / decelerating conveying path to the paper sheet. In the range up to the minimum length of paper sheets handled by the transport device Suggest that the sheet conveying device. As a result, even the shortest paper sheet can be transferred to the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path while holding both ends. On the other hand, when the transport path is opened, the longest paper sheet is also sandwiched only by the acceleration / deceleration transport path, and a predetermined interval adjusting operation can be executed. Therefore, even for paper sheets having different lengths from the shortest to the longest, the interval adjustment can be accurately performed, and the paper sheets can be reliably delivered.

According to the present invention, there is provided a conveyance path for sandwiching a sheet and conveying the sheet at a predetermined speed, an acceleration / deceleration conveyance path provided at an intermediate position of the conveyance path, and a paper sheet provided near the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path. At least one passage detecting means for detecting the passage of paper, measuring means connected to the passage detecting means for measuring the interval between the sheets, and control means for controlling the speed of the acceleration / deceleration transport path based on the measured value of the measuring means. In the paper sheet transport device provided with, on the upstream side of the acceleration / deceleration transport path, a paper sheet deforming unit that protrudes into a path through which the paper sheet passes on the transport path and deforms the paper sheet in the thickness direction is provided. The present invention proposes a paper sheet transport device provided with a clamping point moving means for moving the endmost clamping point of the transport path downstream of the acceleration / deceleration transport path. In this way, the sheets can be overlapped. When paper sheets are continuously fed into the same stacking section, the paper sheets can be normally classified even if they are stacked. By stacking the paper sheets, the overlap of the stacked paper sheets with the paper sheets before and after the stacked paper sheets can be expanded, so that the switching operation of the mechanical parts before and after the stacked paper sheets has a margin, and the sheets can be classified more safely. In addition, since the sheets are overlapped in advance, it is possible to reduce stacking failures such as jams generated when paper sheets collide with each other in the stacking unit.

[0010] In any one of the above-mentioned paper sheet transport devices,
The measuring unit is a measuring unit that also measures the length of the sheet in the conveying direction, and the control unit is operated by the pinching point moving unit according to the length of the sheet in the conveying direction measured by the measuring unit. It may be a control means for sending a command. In such a configuration of the control system, the length of the paper sheet is measured by the measuring means, and if the length is such that the paper sheet is held by both the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path and the conveyance path, the holding point moving means is operated. Therefore, the number of operations of the holding point moving means can be reduced, which is advantageous in terms of the life of components and power consumption.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, referring to FIGS.
An embodiment of a paper sheet transport device according to the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of a letter sorter to which the paper sheet conveying apparatus of the present invention is applied. An example of paper sheets handled by the letter sorter 50 is:
It is a regular postal letter such as a postcard or a postal letter having a length of 140 mm to 235 mm. The letter sorter 50 reads sorting information, such as an address and a barcode, written on the letter 1, and sorts letters based on the sorting information.

First, the configuration of the letter sorter 50 will be described.
The hopper 2 transports the letters 1 stacked in the thickness direction.
For example, including a perforated belt, air is sucked through the holes to attract the letter 1 to the belt, the belt is moved, and the letters 1 from the hopper 2 are separated and supplied one by one. In addition,
In FIG. 1, the supply unit 3 is configured to supply the letter 1 to the lower side, but the supply direction may be any of the upper side, the lower side, and the like. The transport path 4 is composed of, for example, opposed belts, and transports the letter 1 while sandwiching it. The transport speed of the transport path 4 is kept almost constant.

The foreign matter detecting section 5 detects that the letter 1 is not suitable for processing by the letter sorter 50. Foreign object detector 5
Detects that the size and hardness of the letter 1 are inappropriate or that two or more letters are supplied in an overlapped manner due to, for example, the passage time of the letter or deformation of the transport path. First transfer gate 6
For example, a gate member for switching the transport direction of the letter 1 is driven by a solenoid or the like. First reject accumulation unit 7
Accumulates the letters 1 that the foreign matter detection unit 5 determines to be inappropriate for the processing by the letter sorter 50.

The first alignment unit 8 for correcting the posture of the letter 1 includes:
One side of the letter 1 is pressed against the transport reference plane by a belt skewed with respect to the transport direction, for example, on the upstream side of the reading unit 9 to adjust the posture of the letter 1, and then transported to the reading unit 9, Increase reading accuracy. The reading unit 9
The division information of letter 1 is read. An example of the sorting information in the letter sorter 50 is an address written in characters or bar codes.

The double feed detecting section 10 includes, for example, opposed belts having different transport speeds, shifts the overlapped letters 1 to each other, detects a change in length, and if the length is changed, the supply section 3 converts the letters 1 to each other. It detects that two or more sheets have been supplied in an overlapping manner. Second
The transport gate 11 drives, for example, a gate member that switches the transport direction of the letter 1 with a solenoid or the like. The second reject accumulating means 12 accumulates the letters 1 determined to be a double feed by the double feed detecting unit 10.

The second alignment unit 13 is located upstream of the printing unit 14 and adjusts the posture of the letter 1, and then conveys it to the printing unit 8 to print it at a predetermined position. The printing unit 14 prints a machine code such as a barcode according to the division information of the letter 1. The print confirmation unit 15 reads the print result of the print unit 14 and confirms that the printing has been performed normally.

The interval adjusting means 16 is composed of, for example, a pair of rubber rollers and a pair of belts facing each other, and changes the rotation speed to advance / delay the letter 1 and adjust the interval between the letters 1 to a predetermined interval. The configuration and operation of the interval adjusting means 16 will be described later in detail.

The step gate 17 distributes the letter 1 to each step. The stacking unit 18 stacks the letters 1 in the thickness direction. The display means 19 displays the operation status of the letter sorter 50. For example, using a three-color signal light, a liquid crystal display, or the like, the operator is notified that normal processing is being performed or that an abnormality has occurred. The section setting unit 20 includes, for example, a touch panel and a plurality of switches, and sets a pattern of section information to be assigned to the accumulation unit 18.

Next, the operation of the letter sorter 50 will be described along the flow of the letter 1. The operator places the letter 1 on the hopper 2 in a state of being stacked in the thickness direction. The hopper 2 moves the letter 1 toward the supply section 3, and the supply section 3 separates the letter 1 from the approaching letter 1 one by one and sequentially supplies the letter 1 to the transport path 4.

On the transport path 4, first, the foreign substance detection unit 5
It is determined whether the letter 1 is of a type that can be processed. Here, if it is determined that the type cannot be processed, the first transport gate 6 is switched, and the letter 1 is input to the first reject accumulation unit 7. On the other hand, if it is determined that it can be processed,
The reading unit 9 reads section information such as the address of the letter 1. Next, the double feed detecting unit 10 detects whether or not the letter 1 overlaps. Here, when it is determined that a plurality of letters 1 are overlapped, the second transport gate 11 is switched, and the overlapped letters 1 are fed into the second reject stacking unit 12.

The second alignment unit 13 adjusts the posture of the letter 1 determined to be normal, and sends it to the printing unit 14. Printing unit 14
Prints a barcode or the like according to the section information. When the print confirmation unit 15 confirms that the barcode or the like has been normally printed, the stage gate 17 is switched according to the sorting information, and the letter 1 is put into a predetermined stacking unit 18.

The letter sorter 50 executes these processes for a plurality of letters 1 in parallel, and sorts each letter 1 into a predetermined stacking unit 18.

In the letter sorter 50 configured and operated as described above, when a plurality of letters 1 are transported on the transport path 4, the interval between the letters 1 may change. In particular, when the interval becomes short, the operation of the letter gate (not shown) which leads the letter to the step gate 17 and the respective collecting parts 18 (not shown) may not be performed in time, and the transport direction of the letter 1 may not be switched. Further, when the letters 1 are put into the stacking unit 18 in close proximity to each other, the letters 1 may collide with each other and cause a stacking failure such as a jam. Therefore, an interval adjusting means 16 for adjusting the interval between the letters 1 to a predetermined interval is required.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration around the interval adjusting means 16 in the paper sheet transporting apparatus. The acceleration / deceleration conveyance path 101 is a pair of rollers here, and conveys the letter 1 by sandwiching it. The acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 includes a roller 101a driven by a motor (not shown), an elastic body 101c such as a spring, and a roller 1 supported by the elastic body 101c.
01b. When the elastic body 101c is deformed according to the thickness of the letter 1, the roller 101b moves, so that the letter 1 can be conveyed regardless of the thickness of the letter 1. In this case, at least the roller 101a has, for example, rubber adhered to the surface thereof to increase the friction coefficient, and the letter
Is desirably accelerated or decelerated. Note that the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 of the first embodiment is a pair of rollers.
Similarly to the above, the configuration may be such that the letter 1 is nipped and conveyed by the facing belt.

The first passage detection means 102 and the second passage detection means 103 are composed of, for example, a photodiode and a phototransistor, detect light transmission and light shielding, and detect the passage of the letter 1 conveyed in the direction of arrow A. Detect. The first passage detection means 102 is on the upstream side of the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path 101,
The second passage detecting means 103 is provided in a range where the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path 101 sandwiches the letter 1 or in the vicinity thereof.

The measuring means 104 measures the interval between the letters 1. The measuring unit 104 is connected to the first passage detecting unit 102, and measures the interval between the letters 1 based on the time during which the first passage detecting unit 102 is in the light transmitting state and the transport speed of the transport path 4. Similarly, the length of the letter 1 is measured from the time when the first passage detecting means 102 is in the light-shielded state.

In this embodiment, the first passage detecting means 1
02 is connected to the measuring means 104, but a configuration without the first passage detecting means 102 is also conceivable. In that case the second
The passage detecting means 103 is also connected to the measuring means 104.

The control means 105 controls the speed of the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 according to the interval between the letters 1 measured by the measurement means 104.

In the following description, the most downstream point where the transport path 4 clamps the letter 1 on the upstream side of the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 will be referred to as an extreme end holding point A, and the transport path 4 will be referred to as the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 in common. A point at the most upstream position where the letter 1 is held on the downstream side is referred to as an extreme end holding point B, and a point where the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path 101 holds the letter 1 is referred to as a holding point C.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a state in which a letter is conveyed by the paper sheet conveying device in order to explain an interval adjusting operation by the interval adjusting means 16. Two letters 1a, 1b
Are transported in the direction of arrow A. The time from when the letter 1b passes and the first passage detecting means 102 is in the light-transmitting state to when the next letter 1a enters and the first passage detecting means 102 is again in the light-shielding state is measured as shown in FIG. Measured by means 104. From the time and the transport speed of the transport path 4, the letter 1
An interval Gm between them is obtained. In order to set the interval between the letters 1 to the set interval Gi, it is necessary to delay or advance the letter 1a by the adjustment distance Ld (= Gi−Gm).

FIG. 4 is a time chart showing the operation of the passing point detecting means 102 and 103 and the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 in the paper sheet transport apparatus of FIG. The control means 105 calculates the adjustment distance Ld, and after the delay time Td1 has elapsed after the leading end of the letter 1a has shielded the first passage detection means 102 or after the delay time Td2 has elapsed after the second passage detection means 103 has been shaded.
, The speed of the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 is changed.
The speed change in FIG. 4 shows a linear change for simplicity of description, but the speed change is not limited to this example. The adjustment distance Ld is equal to the transport speed Vcons of the transport path 4.
From t, the adjustment time Tadj and the adjustment speed Vadj, Ld = (Vco
nst−Vadj) × Tadj.

The acceleration / deceleration time Ta is large in order to reduce the load on a motor (not shown) that drives the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 when the speed is changed and to suppress slippage between the drive roller 101a and the letter 1. Better. Therefore, the letter 1 advances by the traveling distance Lc while adjusting the interval. The traveling distance Lc is calculated from the adjustment distance Ld, the adjustment time Tadj, and the acceleration / deceleration time Ta by Lc = Vconst × (Tadj + Ta).
-Ld. Here, an example of the traveling distance Lc will be obtained. First, in order to temporarily eliminate the influence of the adjustment distance Ld that can take various values, assuming that Vadj = 0 m / s,
Lc = Vconst × Ta. Therefore, Vconst = 3.0
Assuming that m / s and Ta = 30 ms, Lc = 90 mm.

After the adjustment time Tadj and the acceleration / deceleration time Ta have elapsed and the speed of the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 has returned to the steady speed, the letter 1a is separated from the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101.
The adjustment time Tadj and the adjustment speed Vadj are set. By changing the transport speed of the letter 1 in this manner, the interval between the letters 1 can be adjusted to the set interval.

Incidentally, the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 sometimes handles paper sheets having different lengths. In the letter sorter 50 of this embodiment, in order to handle a fixed letter,
A letter having a length of 40 mm to 235 mm is conveyed. When handling letters having different lengths as described above, the end holding point A, the end holding point B, and the holding point C in the paper sheet transporting apparatus of FIG.
Is described below.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the clamping point position of the interval adjusting means 101 when the shortest letter 1c is conveyed. L
a is the distance from the end clamping point A to the clamping point C, Lb is the distance from the clamping point C to the end clamping point B, for example, La and Lb are 120 mm. If the letter 1 is transported without being pinched at all, problems such as the disorder of the attitude of the letter 1 and the jumping of the letter 1 from the transport path 4 may occur. Therefore, when transferring the shortest letter 1c from the holding point to the next holding point,
It is desirable that both ends of the shortest letter 1c be sandwiched and then delivered, and when the shortest letter 1c cannot be sandwiched, the distance should be minimized. In FIG. 5, Hd indicates that the letter 1 is at the end clamping point A.
And a margin distance when the object is pinched by both the pinching point C and the pinching point C. The margin distance Hd may be, for example, 10 mm or more. In this case, the margin distance Hd is set to 20 mm, and the margin Hd is reliably transferred.

In FIG. 5, the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path 101 starts acceleration / deceleration after the shortest letter 1c has left the end clamping point A. Next, as shown by a letter 1c 'shown by a dotted line, before reaching the endmost clamping point B, the vehicle travels the traveling distance Lc and returns to the steady speed. Therefore, it is sufficient that (Lc + Hd) <Lb. Here, (Lc + Hd) = (90 + 20) = 110 mm and Lb
= 120 mm, the above inequality relationship holds, and the interval adjustment ends before being passed to the end clamping point B.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state where the longest letter 1d has entered in the positional relationship between the holding points in FIG.
At this time, the longest letter 1d is still held at the end holding point A. When the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 is decelerated in this state, the leading end of the longest letter 1d is held at the holding point C and decelerated, but the rear end is held at the end holding point A.
It is transported at a steady speed. Therefore, the longest letter 1d is bent between the extreme end clamping point A and the clamping point C, and breakage or the like is likely to occur.

On the other hand, when the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path 101 is accelerated,
The transport path 4 and the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 pull the longest letter 1d, and the longest letter 1d often does not reach the predetermined adjustment speed Vadj. As a solution to this, the end clamping point A
A method is also conceivable in which the clamping force at the clamping point C is made stronger than the clamping force at the end clamping point B, and the longest letter 1d is forcibly adjusted to the speed of the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101. However, the pinching force changes due to a difference in the thickness and the friction coefficient of the letter 1, and the predetermined adjustment speed Vadj may not be achieved. In addition, the longest letter 1
d cannot be prevented from bending.

If the speed of the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path 101 is changed after the longest letter 1d has passed the endmost clamping point A, the adjustment distance Lc is insufficient as in the letter 1d 'shown by the dotted line. After all the interval cannot be adjusted. This adjustment distance Lc
Is insufficient, for example, (La + Lb) = 120 + 12
0 = 240 mm, (Lmax + Lc) = 235 + 90 = 3
It is clear from the fact that it is smaller than 25 mm. Therefore, in the positional relationship of the holding point in the state of FIG.
The distance of d cannot be adjusted.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the shortest letter 1c has entered, with the positional relationship of the clamping points adjusted to the interval for transporting the longest letter 1d. So, the longest letter 1
In order to adjust the distance d, as shown in FIG. 7, the end holding point A is moved to the position of the end holding point A ', that is, La' = Lmax-Hd (= 235-20 = 215 m).
m).

However, the shortest letter 1c is no longer pinched between the end pinch point A 'and the pinch point C, causing problems such as disorder of the letter position and jumping out of the conveyance path 4.

<Embodiment 1> FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration around the interval adjusting means 16 in Embodiment 1 of the paper sheet conveying apparatus of the present invention. In the first embodiment, the holding point moving means 106 is provided so that the end holding point can be moved between the end holding point A and the end holding point A '. Nipping point moving means 1
06, for example, a roller 106a is provided in the vicinity of the conveyance path 4, and the roller 10a is driven by a solenoid (not shown).
6a is brought into and out of contact with the belt.

The transport path 4 is composed of a pair of belts facing each other. When the holding point moving means 106 is OFF (solid line in FIG. 8), the roller 106a presses one belt against the other belt. As a result, the holding point is the position of the end holding point A, that is, the position where the shortest letter 1c is held when it is delivered. At this time, La is, for example, 120 mm.

On the other hand, the holding point moving means 106 is turned on (FIG. 8).
(Dotted line), the roller 106a is released without pressing the belts. As a result, the clamping point is set to the extreme clamping point A '.
, That is, a position where both ends are sandwiched when the longest letter 1d is delivered. At this time, La 'is, for example, 215 m
m.

The roller 106a is brought into contact with / separated from the belt to switch the extreme end clamping point between the extreme end clamping point A and the extreme end clamping point A '. It is also possible to adopt a method in which the robot is moved to some position between the extreme end clamping point A and the extreme end clamping point A 'while keeping the position.

FIG. 9 shows the passing point detecting means 102, the nipping point moving means 106, and the acceleration / deceleration transport path 1 in the first embodiment of FIG.
6 is a time chart showing the operation of the example No. 01. Basically,
The nipping point moving means 106 is turned on when the speed of the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path 101 is different from that of the conveyance path 4, and is turned off when the speed is the same.

First, the passage detecting means 102
Is detected, the holding point moving means 106 keeps OFF until the delay time Td1. As a result, even the shortest letter 1c can be passed to the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 while holding both ends. After the delay time Td1 has elapsed and the letter 1 has reached the clamping point C, the speed of the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 is changed. At this time, when the holding point moving means 106 is turned on and the belts on the conveyance path 4 are opened, the longest letter is also held only by the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path 101, and a predetermined interval adjusting operation can be executed. After that, the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 is moved to the normal speed Vco.
Until the delay time Td3 for returning to nst, the holding point moving means 106 is turned on, and then turned off.

The trailing end of the letter 1 is passed through the passage detecting means 1 so that the letter 1 passes through the end clamping point A regardless of the length.
02, the pinch point moving means 106 may be turned off after the delay time Td3 'has elapsed.

By the above-described series of interval adjusting operations, the intervals can be accurately adjusted even for letters having different lengths, and the letter 1 can be reliably transferred.

<Embodiment 2> FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration around the interval adjusting means 16 in Embodiment 2 of the paper sheet conveying apparatus of the present invention. In the second embodiment, the holding point moving means 106 is provided so that the end holding point can be moved between the end holding point B and the end holding point B '.

FIG. 11 is a time chart showing the operation of the passing point detecting means 102, the nipping point moving means 106, and the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 in the second embodiment of FIG. In the case of such a configuration, after the letter 1 has passed the extreme end clamping point A,
The speed of the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 is changed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, the operation timing of the pinching point moving means 106 and the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 is slightly different from the case of FIG.

That is, since the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path 101 and the like are operated after the letter 1 has passed through the end clamping point A, the delay time T has elapsed since the letter 1 passed through the passage detecting means 102.
Until elapse of d4, the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 transports at a steady speed. This is because both ends of the letter 1 may be held until the delay time Td4.

After the delay time Td4 has elapsed, the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 is changed to a predetermined speed Vadj. At this time,
When the holding point moving means 106 is turned on and the end holding point is at the position of B ', that is, during the interval adjusting operation, the end holding point is moved to the position where the longest letter 1d is held only by the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path 101.

After a lapse of a predetermined adjustment time Tadj and a lapse of a delay time Td5 until the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path 101 returns to the normal speed, the holding point moving means 106 is turned off.
As a result, the end clamping point is located at the position B, ie, the shortest letter 1
c also moves to a position where both ends can be clamped.

By the above-described series of interval adjusting operations, even if the pinching point moving means 106 is arranged on the downstream side of the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101, the interval adjustment can be executed accurately, and the letter 1 can be reliably transferred.

In the first and second embodiments, the holding point moving means is provided to adjust the interval between the letters 1 to a predetermined interval. On the other hand, as a result of reading the sorting information of the letter 1 by the reading unit 9, when the letters 1 are successively input to the same stacking unit 18, it is considered that the letters 1 can be normally sorted even if they overlap.

Third Embodiment FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a configuration around the interval adjusting means 16 in a third embodiment of the paper sheet transporting apparatus according to the present invention. Third Embodiment A third embodiment is a paper sheet transporting device provided with a unit capable of stacking letters 1 continuously input to the same stacking unit 18. The clamping point moving means 106 is provided on the downstream side of the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path 101, and the letter deforming means 107 is provided on the upstream side. The letter deforming means 107 includes a deforming lever 107a and an actuator such as a solenoid (not shown). The deforming lever 107a protrudes on the path along which the letter 1 passes on the transport path 4, as indicated by the dotted line only when the letter deforming means 107 is ON.

FIG. 13 is a time chart showing the operation of the passing point detecting means 102, the nipping point moving means 106, the letter deforming means 107, and the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 in the third embodiment of FIG. First, the trailing end of the letter 1e is
2, the letter 1e is transported at a steady speed for a delay time Td6 until the letter 1e is clamped by the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101. After the delay time Td6 has elapsed, the acceleration / deceleration transport path 1
01 is stopped or decelerated (the speed is changed to Vlow). Further, the holding point moving means 106 is set to O so that both the conveyance path 4 and the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path 101 do not pinch one letter 1e.
Set to N. Note that the start timings of both do not have to be the same, but the holding point moving means 106 is turned on at least while the transport speeds of the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 and the transport path 4 are different.
And

On the other hand, the letter deforming means 107 is turned on after a delay time Td7 elapses until the trailing end of the letter 1e passes through the uppermost clamping point A on the upstream side of the transport path 4. As a result, the deformation lever 107a protrudes into the transport path 4, and the rear end of the letter 1e is removed from the path through which the letter passes. By these operations, the letter 1e is made to stand by while being sandwiched by the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101.

Next, the tip of the letter 1f is
2, the letter deforming means 107 is kept in an ON state for a delay time Td8 until the trailing end of the letter 1e is reached, and the trailing end of the letter 1e is deformed in the thickness direction. When the delay time Td8 elapses and the letter 1f overlaps the letter 1e, the letter deforming means 107 is turned off. As a result, letter 1e and letter 1
and f overlap each other. In the case of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 12, the letters 1f are overlapped so as to be below the letters 1e.

The acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 changes the transport speed after a delay time of Td9 so as to return to the steady speed before the leading end of the letter 1f arrives. Further, after the delay time Td10 has elapsed and the transport speed of the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 has reached a steady speed, the nipping point moving means 106 is turned off.

By the above series of interval adjusting operations, letter 1
You can overlap each other. As a result of reading the sorting information of the letter 1 by the reading unit 9, when the letters 1 are successively input to the same stacking unit 18, the letters 1 can be normally sorted even if they overlap.
By overlapping the letters, the overlap between the letters overlapped with the letters before and after the overlapped letters can be extended, so that the switching operation of the step gate 17 and the integration gate of the accumulation unit 18 has a margin, and the letters can be classified more safely. In addition, since they overlap in advance, it is possible to reduce stacking defects such as jams that occur when the letters 1 collide with each other in the stacking unit 18.

As shown by the dotted line in FIG. 13, the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 may accelerate to a speed Vfast higher than the steady speed for a predetermined time Tf after deceleration or stop of Vlow. In this case, the holding point moving means 106 is turned off after the time Tf has elapsed. With this method, you can also increase the interval between the letter overlapped and the subsequent letter,
It is suitable for the operation of the stage gate 17 and the like and the integration in the integration unit 18.

In the above three embodiments, the measuring means 10
4, the length of the letter 1 is measured, and the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path 101 is measured.
When the length is such that the sheet is held by both the sheet and the conveyance path 4, it is desirable that the holding point moving means 106 be turned ON. In this way, the number of operations of the holding point moving means 106 can be reduced, which is advantageous in terms of component life and power consumption.

If the friction coefficient between the roller 101a and the outer periphery of the roller 101b in the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 is equal, the letter 1 is not driven by the motor.
It may be transported at a transport speed of b. For example, when decelerating in the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path 101, the roller 101a can be controlled to a predetermined speed because it is driven by a motor. On the other hand, since the roller 101b is not driven by the motor, if a slip occurs between the roller 101a and the letter 1, the driving force of the motor is not transmitted, and the roller 101b rotates without much deceleration due to the inertia of the roller 101b. As a result, the letter 1 is
Since the speed does not reach the predetermined speed depending on the transport speed of b, the interval adjustment or the overlapping may fail.

Therefore, the roller 101 driven by the motor
A member having a high friction coefficient is mounted on the outer periphery of “a”. When the mandrel of the roller 101a is a metal material such as aluminum, a high friction material such as rubber is attached to the outer periphery. On the other hand, the roller 101b that is not driven by the motor has a lower outer peripheral friction coefficient than the roller 101a. Roller 101b
For example, when is a metal material such as aluminum, the outer periphery may be left as a metal material, or a low friction material such as a fluororesin may be attached to the outer periphery.

In this way, the letter 1 receives acceleration / deceleration force mainly from the roller 101a having a high coefficient of friction and is conveyed in accordance with the speed of the motor, so that accurate spacing adjustment or overlapping can be performed.

In each of the above embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the case where the gap adjusting means 16 is installed immediately before the step gate 17 and the accumulation section 18 is shown. 16 is provided immediately before the step gate 17 and the stacking unit 18, and the distance adjusting means 1 of the first or second embodiment is used.
Of course, it is also possible to adopt various combinations of configurations in which 6 is provided at another position in the system.

[0070]

According to the present invention, at least one point on the upstream or downstream side of the acceleration / deceleration transport path, the end of the transport path adjacent to the acceleration / deceleration transport path is set in accordance with the length of the paper sheet. Since the pinching point moving means for moving the paper sheets is provided, the distance between the paper sheets is adjusted to the set distance, and the conveyance failure such as the disturbance of the posture of the paper sheets and the jumping out of the conveyance path can be reduced. Also, letters to be continuously input to the same stacking unit can be overlapped.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of a letter sorter to which a paper sheet conveying device of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration around an interval adjusting unit 16 in the paper sheet transporting apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a letter is conveyed by a paper sheet conveying device in order to explain an interval adjusting operation by the interval adjusting means 16;

4 is a time chart showing the operation of the passing point detecting means 102 and 103 and the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101 in the paper sheet transport apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an interval adjusting unit 1 for conveying the shortest letter 1c.
It is a schematic diagram which shows the clamping point position of No. 01.

FIG. 6 shows the longest letter 1 in the positional relationship between the holding points in FIG. 5;
It is a figure showing a situation when d has entered.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a state when the shortest letter 1c enters in a positional relationship of a holding point adjusted to an interval for conveying the longest letter 1d.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration around a space adjusting unit 16 in the first embodiment of the paper sheet transport device of the present invention.

FIG. 9 shows a passing point detecting means 10 in the first embodiment of FIG.
2 is a time chart showing the operation of the nipping point moving means 106 and the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration around a space adjusting unit 16 in a second embodiment of the paper sheet transport device of the present invention.

FIG. 11 shows passing point detecting means 1 in the second embodiment of FIG.
02 is a time chart showing the operation of the clamping point moving means 106 and the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a configuration around a space adjusting unit 16 in a third embodiment of the paper sheet transport device of the present invention.

FIG. 13 shows passing point detecting means 1 in the third embodiment of FIG.
02 is a time chart showing operations of the pinching point moving means 106, the letter deforming means 107, and the acceleration / deceleration transport path 101.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 letter 2 hopper 3 supply unit 4 transfer path 5 foreign object detection unit 6 first transfer gate 7 first reject accumulation unit 8 first alignment unit 9 reading unit 10 double feed detection unit 11 second transfer gate 12 second reject accumulation unit DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 2nd alignment part 14 Printing part 15 Printing confirmation part 16 Interval adjustment means 17 Step gate 18 Stacking part 19 Display means 20 Sorting selection means 50 Letter sorter 101 Acceleration / deceleration conveyance path 102 First passage detection means 103 Second passage detection Means 104 Measuring means 105 Control means 106 Nipping point moving means 107 Letter deforming means

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor ▲ Takahashi Tohru 1 Ikegami, Haruoka-cho, Owariasahi-shi, Aichi F-term in the Information Equipment Division, Hitachi, Ltd. 3F048 AA09 AB04 BA05 BB02 CA03 CA04 CC01 CC12 DA06 DB03 DB07 DC09 3F049 AA08 DA12 LA12 LB05 3F102 AA17 AB02 BA07 BB02 CA03 CB01 CB02 DA10 EA03

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A conveyance path for nipping a sheet and conveying the sheet at a predetermined speed, an acceleration / deceleration conveyance path provided at a middle of the conveyance path and having a variable speed, and the paper sheet provided near the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path. At least one passage detecting means for detecting the passage of paper, a measuring means connected to the passage detecting means for measuring an interval between the paper sheets, and a speed of the acceleration / deceleration transport path based on a measured value of the measuring means. And a control means for controlling the sheet feeding means, wherein at least one of the upstream side and the downstream side of the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path, a clamping point moving means for moving an endmost clamping point of the conveyance path is provided. A paper sheet transport device characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. A conveyance path for nipping a sheet and conveying the sheet at a predetermined speed, an acceleration / deceleration conveyance path provided at an intermediate position of the conveyance path and having a variable speed, and the paper sheet provided near the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path. At least one passage detecting means for detecting the passage of paper, a measuring means connected to the passage detecting means for measuring an interval between the paper sheets, and a speed of the acceleration / deceleration transport path based on a measured value of the measuring means. And a control unit for controlling the maximum number of sheets handled by the sheet transport device from the acceleration / deceleration transfer path on at least one of an upstream side and a downstream side of the acceleration / deceleration transfer path. A paper sheet transport device, comprising a holding point moving means for moving an endmost holding point of the transport path within a range up to a length of the paper sheet. 3. A transport path for nipping and transporting a sheet at a predetermined speed, an acceleration / deceleration transport path provided at a midpoint of the transport path, and a variable speed transport path, and the paper sheet provided near the acceleration / deceleration transport path. At least one passage detecting means for detecting the passage of paper, a measuring means connected to the passage detecting means for measuring an interval between the paper sheets, and a speed of the acceleration / deceleration transport path based on a measured value of the measuring means. Control means for controlling the length of the largest sheet handled by the sheet transport device from the acceleration / deceleration transfer path on the upstream or downstream side of the acceleration / deceleration transfer path. In the range up to this point, a clamping point moving means for moving the extreme clamping point of the transport path is provided, and the extreme clamping point of the downstream or upstream acceleration / deceleration transport path on which the clamping point moving means is not installed, The sheet transport device from the acceleration / deceleration transport path Minimum paper sheet conveying apparatus characterized by a range of up to the length of the paper sheet handling. 4. A conveyance path for nipping a sheet and conveying the sheet at a predetermined speed, an acceleration / deceleration conveyance path provided at an intermediate position of the conveyance path and having a variable speed, and a sheet provided near the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path. At least one passage detecting means for detecting the passage of paper, a measuring means connected to the passage detecting means for measuring an interval between the paper sheets, and a speed of the acceleration / deceleration transport path based on a measured value of the measuring means. And a control means for controlling the speed of the sheet, wherein the sheet protrudes in a path through which the sheet passes on the conveyance path, upstream of the acceleration / deceleration conveyance path, and deforms the sheet in the thickness direction. A sheet conveying apparatus, further comprising sheet deforming means, and holding point moving means for moving an endmost holding point of the conveying path downstream of the acceleration / deceleration conveying path. 5. The paper sheet transport device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement unit is a measurement unit that also measures a length of the paper sheet in a transport direction. A sheet transport device, wherein the control unit is a control unit that sends an operation command to the nipping point moving unit according to a length of the sheet in the transport direction measured by the measuring unit.