Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor for changing attitude of item relative to conveyed... – For changing both the elevation and the posture of...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-22
2004-04-27
Crawford, Gene O (Department: 3651)
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor for changing attitude of item relative to conveyed...
For changing both the elevation and the posture of...
C198S411000, C198S379000, C271S187000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06726000
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a method of, and an apparatus for, raising sheet-like products, in particular printed products, which are taking part in a conveying process and follow sequentially one after the other, the products resting, at least in certain regions, on a conveying means during the conveying process.
In certain application cases, it is necessary for products transported, for example, on a conveying belt to be turned through 180° in relation to an axis parallel to the conveying direction. This is achieved according to the prior art, for example, by so-called “rotary belts” in which the products are retained between two belts which are twisted parallel to one another through 180° along the conveying direction. In order to avoid damage to the products and to ensure reliable turning, these rotary belts have to extend over a relatively large region of the conveying belt, which is disadvantageous in respect of the amount of space taken up by the turning apparatus.
In other application cases, it is necessary for the conveying direction of products transported, for example, on a conveying belt to be changed abruptly by a predetermined angle, in particular by an angle of 90°. According to the prior art, this is achieved, for example, in that running at the end of the first conveying belt is a second conveying belt, which extends at right angles to the first conveying belt and of which the conveying plane is arranged beneath the conveying plane of the first conveying belt, with the result that the products can drop onto the second conveying belt and thus change their conveying direction by 90°. It is disadvantageous here, for example, that the products drop between the two conveying planes in an uncontrolled manner, which may result in disruption. It is further disadvantageous that for example, if when the conveying direction is changed, upstream or downstream, the products are also to be turned, this can only be achieved by means of separate turning apparatuses or rotary belts, which in turn is disadvantageous in respect of the amount of space taken up. The same applies if when the conveying direction is changed, upstream or downstream, the products are to be rotated about an axis running perpendicularly to the conveying plane or a combination of the abovementioned operations of changing the conveying direction, turning and/or rotating are to take place in any desired time sequence.
It is an object of the invention to develop a method of the type mentioned in the introduction such that products supplied sequentially by a conveying means can be processed further individually with reduced mechanical outlay, the intention also being, in particular, to achieve the situation where the conveying means is only overlapped to a slight extent, if at all, by the apparatus for raising the products.
This object is achieved according to the invention in that, during at least a period of time of the raising operation, gravitational force being overcome in the process, the products are pivoted actively about an axis which extends essentially parallel to the direction in which the conveying process is oriented immediately prior to the raising operation.
At the beginning of the raising operation, a redirection of the movement of the products thus takes place to the effect that the forward movement brought about by the conveying process is slowed down, and a laterally oriented pivoting movement commences during this slowing-down operation. For this pivoting movement, which is oriented laterally in relation to the direction of the conveying process, the product has to be fed potential energy at least for a period of time, with the result that it is possible for the products to be pivoted upward during the above-mentioned period of time. Once the abovementioned period of time has elapsed, the products thus have higher potential energy than prior to this period of time.
Since the pivoting of the products commences in each case when a product arrives at a defined position or at the end of the conveying means, all the products are pivoted individually one after the other, with the result that, with products following one after the other quickly or in imbricated formation, a fan-like structure is produced during the pivoting operation, each fan element of said structure being formed by precisely one product in each case, with the result that it is easily possible for the individually fanned-out products to be further processed individually. This is because, once the products have executed the pivoting movement according to the invention, they can easily be, for example, gripped and removed individually from their individually fanned-out structure or deposited individually on a further conveying means.
Instead of individual products being conveyed and pivoted, it is also possible for groups of products to be conveyed and/or pivoted in each case. The product groups here may be formed during the conveying operation preceding the pivoting operation, with the result that even the conveying operation takes place in groups. It is also possible, however, for the product groups only to be formed immediately prior to commencement of the pivoting operation or even during the pivoting operation, which means that, shortly prior to or during the pivoting operation, individual products following one after the other, for example, in imbricated formation are pushed essentially congruently one above the other to form groups.
The pivoting movement provided according to the invention further achieves the situation where the transfer between two conveying means which follow sequentially one after the other can take place with an extremely small amount of space being required since the two conveying means only need to overlap one another slightly, this overlapping being, for example, in the order of magnitude of the longitudinal extent of a product in the conveying direction.
It is advantageous if the pivot axis which is decisive for the pivoting movement according to the invention coincides at least essentially with a product edge which extends parallel to the direction in which the conveying process is oriented immediately prior to the raising operation. In this case, the products are pivoted about one of their edges, which, on the one hand, means that the pivoting movement can be executed with a minimal amount of space being required and, on the other hand, advantageously results in the products only having to be accelerated to an unproblematic extent. In this case, the edge about which the pivoting movement takes place is advantageously not accelerated at all in practice.
Immediately prior to the beginning of the raising operation, the products may be oriented horizontally or in a manner inclined in relation to the horizontal. It is advantageous here if the products rest with their surface area on a correspondingly oriented conveying means, in particular a conveying belt.
It is likewise possible, however, to convey the products by means of grippers, which then transfer the products, for the purpose of the pivoting operation according to the invention, to a corresponding pivoting apparatus. These grippers can retain the products, for example, at one or two edges.
Throughout the pivoting movement, the products are preferably pivoted through an angle of between 10° and 270°, the raising-operation period of time, over which the gravitational force is overcome, usually always accounting for an angle range of between 10° and 90°. It is thus possible according to the invention for the products first to be raised through an angle range of between 10° and 90° and then to be pivoted downward, for example assisted by gravitational force, through an angle range of between 90° and 180°.
In order for it to be possible for the pivoting movement according to the invention to be executed in a defined manner, it is possible, during this pivoting movement, for the products to be retained at least temporarily, in particular at their leading edge, as seen in the conveying direction, by suitable means, e.g. by supporting means or gripper
Leu Willi
Reist Walter
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Crawford Gene O
Ferag AG
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