Electrical pulse counters – pulse dividers – or shift registers: c – Applications – Counting animate or inanimate entities
Patent
1995-12-18
1997-03-18
Wambach, Margaret Rose
Electrical pulse counters, pulse dividers, or shift registers: c
Applications
Counting animate or inanimate entities
G06M 700
Patent
active
056129840
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention concerns the counting of sheets, for example of paper, assembled into a stack. In particular, this invention relates to a rotor for counting the number of sheets in a stack by engaging an edge region of the stack and rotating the rotor to separate an edge portion of each sheet in turn from the stack and to transfer the separated edge portion through a transfer groove to the other side of the rotor, there being at least one suction port in the rotor and through which air is drawn in a timed relationship to rotor rotation to assist the separation from the stack of the next sheet edge portion to be counted. Such a rotor will hereinafter be referred to as a "rotor of the kind described".
Sheet counting apparatus including a rotor of the kind described is prone occasionally to give a miscount, especially when the rotor first engages the stack and commences a counting operation. One reason for this is that the sheets in a stack may tend to adhere to each other, especially along an edge of the stack which has been guillotined to cut the sheets to a required size. In such a case, it is possible for two sheets to stick together and for both sheets simultaneously to be lifted into engagement with the rotor by air drawn through the suction port, both sheets then passing through the transfer groove to the other side of the rotor, and giving only a single count.
Another problem associated with sheet counting apparatus including a rotor of the kind described is that it is possible for the counting process not to proceed as quickly and efficiently as possible since a sheet may not properly be lifted to engage the rotor, for guiding into the transfer groove. Again, this may be exacerbated by adjacent sheets in the stack tending to stick together. This problem, and that discussed above, may be minimised by "fanning" the sheets in the stack before attempting to commence a counting operation, but this may not be particularly easy to perform, especially if relatively large sheets are to be counted, or if the stack contains a relatively large number (perhaps several thousand) sheets. On the other hand, if the sheets are relatively small, or only a small number of sheets is to be counted, then their alignment may be spoilt by a fanning operation and in turn this may give rise to mis-counts.
The present invention aims at addressing the above described problems associated with known forms of sheet counting apparatus including a rotor of the kind described, so as to minimise the likelihood of a mis-count, or of no sheet being transferred and counted on a count cycle.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rotor of the kind described, wherein the rotor is provided with at least one further port through which air is drawn during rotation of the rotor which further port is arranged on the opposite side of the transfer groove to said suction port, whereby should two adjacent sheet edge portions be simultaneously separated together from the stack and be lifted by said suction port, suction through the further port will lift the edge portion of the second sheet away from the sheet to be counted, to guide said second sheet edge portion away from the transfer groove for counting on a subsequent count cycle.
It will be appreciated that in a rotor of this invention, means are provided to separate two sheets and reject one of those sheets out of the transfer groove of the rotor, in the unlikely event that two sheets had stuck together and been lifted simultaneously from the stack and into the transfer groove by suction at the suction port of the rotor. In this way, the probability of a mis-count may be much reduced.
Inasmuch as suction is applied to the suction port in a timed relationship to the rotor rotation, suction may equally be applied to the further port in a timed relationship to the rotor rotation. Preferably, suction is applied to said ports by means of a foot which is urged to bear on a surface of the rotor and which foot is connected to a low-pressure source, the foot having a port w
Fuller Graham D.
Snook Martin G.
Pelcombe Limited
Wambach Margaret Rose
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