JP2633133B2 - Sorter - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention comprises a bin unit in which a plurality of bins are slidably engaged in a spiral groove of a erected helical cam, and the helical cam is rotated by driving the helical cam. The present invention relates to a sorter for raising and lowering a bin unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, two cylinders (hereinafter referred to as "helical cams") each having a spiral groove formed on an outer peripheral surface thereof are vertically arranged side by side, and are fixed to both ends of both sides of a bottle. A sorter that slidably fits a pin into the spiral groove, attaches a plurality of bins (hereinafter referred to as a bin unit) to the spiral cam, and drives the spiral cam to rotate so as to raise and lower the bin unit. It has been known.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration for detecting a vertical position of a bin unit of a conventional sorter.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 30 denotes a sorter main body, 31 denotes a bin unit, and 32 denotes a spiral cam. 35 is
A sensor composed of a photo interrupter for detecting that the bin unit 31 has moved down to a predetermined area including the home position HP (hereinafter, referred to as a home position area). Reference numeral 36 denotes a sensor in which the bin unit 31 exceeds the home position area. This is an abnormality detection switch that detects that the device has dropped.

[0005] A detection member 34 is provided at an appropriate position at the lower end of the bin unit 31. When the detection member 34 shields the sensor 35, it is detected that the bin unit 31 is in the home position area. Further, the bin unit 31 descends beyond the home position area, and the detected member 3
When 4 pushes down the operation lever of the abnormality detection switch 36 to turn it on, an abnormality of the downward movement of the bin unit 31 is detected.

Reference numeral 37 denotes a rotary plate having a notch formed at an appropriate position in the peripheral portion. Reference numeral 38 denotes a reference direction for rotating the spiral cam 32 by detecting the notch in the rotary plate 37 so that the reference direction becomes a predetermined direction. This is a sensor that detects the coincidence. When the reference direction of the rotational drive of the helical cam 32 is made to coincide with a predetermined direction based on the detection signal of the sensor 38 in a state where the bin unit 31 is lowered to the home position area, the reference position D of the bin unit 31 is changed to the home position HP. Will be stopped exactly.

When the power is turned on, the sorter accurately sets the initial position of the bin unit 31 to the home home position HP according to the flowchart of FIG. 6 so as to enable the sorting operation immediately.

That is, the spiral cam 32 is detected by the sensor 38.
It is determined whether or not the reference direction of the bin unit 31 matches a predetermined direction (step S20), and whether or not the reference position D of the bin unit 31 is within the home position area is determined by the switch 35 (step S20). S21) If the reference position D of the bin unit 31 is within the home position area and the reference direction of the spiral cam 32 matches the predetermined direction (YES in steps S20 and S21),
Since the reference position D of the bin unit 31 is exactly at the home position HP, the process returns to the main flow for controlling a copy operation (not shown).

On the other hand, whether the reference direction of the spiral cam 32 does not coincide with the predetermined direction (NO in step S20), or if the reference position D of the bin unit 31 is not within the home position area (NO in step S21) ), The bin unit 31 is driven downward so that the reference position D of the bin unit 31 is within the home position area within the home position HP.
(YE in steps S20 and S21)
S), returning to the main flow.

[0010]

By the way, when the sorter is transported for delivery or moved to change the installation place, the bin unit 31 moves due to vibration at the time of transfer, and the reference of the bin unit 31 is moved. The position D may be shifted below the home position HP. The same may occur when a person erroneously pushes down the bin unit 31 in a state where the power is not turned on.

When the power is turned on in such a state, in the above-described conventional sorter, since the reference direction of the spiral cam 32 is shifted from a predetermined direction, the bin unit is further moved downward (step S22). The abnormality detection switch 36 operates. Normally, when the abnormality detection switch 36 is operated, a warning for inspection by a service person is displayed, and a problem occurs that the user cannot drive the sorter unless the abnormality is cleared by the service person.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has a bin unit securely initialized at a home position and can be driven even when the reference direction of a spiral cam is slightly displaced. The purpose is to provide.

[0013]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a spiral cam having a spiral groove on its outer peripheral surface, which is rotatably erected, and a driving means for rotationally driving the spiral cam. And a bin unit comprising a plurality of bins slidably engaged in the groove of the spiral cam, wherein the bin unit is moved downward by a sorter that raises and lowers the bin unit by rotating the spiral cam. A first detecting means for detecting that the helical cam has been lowered to a home position area provided at a position, and a second detecting means for detecting that a reference direction in the rotation operation of the helical cam coincides with a preset direction. If the bin unit is not lowered to the home position area when the power is turned on, the bin unit is not operated until the first and second detection units detect the bin unit. Moving the unit in a downward direction, the bin unit is lowered to the home position region,
When the reference direction of the helical cam does not match the preset direction, the helical cam for moving the bin unit upward until the detection by the first and second detection means is performed. Drive control means.

[0014]

According to the present invention, when the power is turned on, the bin unit is lowered to the home position area, and it is determined whether or not the reference direction in the rotation operation of the helical cam matches a preset direction. Is determined. When the bin unit is not lowered to the home position area, the bin unit is lowered to the home position area, and the bin unit is moved downward until the reference direction in the rotation operation of the spiral cam matches a preset direction. Moved to

When the bin unit moves down to the home position area and the reference direction of the spiral cam does not coincide with a preset direction, the bin unit moves down to the home position area, and Then, the bin unit is moved upward until the reference direction in the rotation operation of the spiral cam matches the preset direction.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A sorter according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the configuration of one embodiment of the sorter according to the present invention. The sorter shown in the figure has a function of performing sheet processing such as punching and stapling, in addition to sorting of transfer paper.

At the top of the sorter body 1, a transfer paper discharge unit 2 is provided.
A bin unit 3 for sorting transfer paper and a paper processing unit 5 for performing predetermined paper processing on the transfer paper are provided therein. The transfer paper on which the image is formed is sequentially discharged to each bin 4 of the bin unit 3 during sorting, and discharged to the transfer paper discharge unit 2 during non-sorting.

At an appropriate position on one side of the sorter main body 1, there is provided a carry-in port 1b for guiding transfer paper discharged from an image forming apparatus (not shown) into the main body 1, and a transfer port is provided downstream of the carry-in port 1b. A transport path 8 for transporting the paper to the transfer paper discharge unit 2 and a transport path 9 for transporting the paper to the bin unit 3 are provided.

The bin unit 3 is provided at the downstream end of the transport path 9, and the paper processing unit 5 is
9 below.

In the sorter body 1, a pair of cylinders (hereinafter referred to as "helical cams") 6 having helical grooves 7 formed at a predetermined pitch on the outer periphery thereof are raised and lowered as a lifting member of the bin unit 3. Is provided. The base end of the spiral cam 6 is
The timing cam 10, bevel gears 11 and 12, and a timing belt 13 are connected to a driving motor 14 provided below the sheet processing unit 5 so that the spiral cam 6 is rotated by the motor 14. Has become.

On the other hand, each bin 4 in the bin unit 3 is composed of a flat plate portion 41 on which the transfer paper is placed and an L-shaped stopper 42 which regulates the fall of the transfer paper and aligns one end side.
The stopper 42 is releasably connected to the flat plate portion 41 via a connection portion 43 so that a predetermined sheet processing can be performed on one end of the placed transfer paper.

A first pin 44 is provided on both sides of the front end of the flat plate portion 41, and a second pin 45 and a third pin 47 are provided at predetermined positions on both sides of the rear end. The projections are provided at intervals.

The first pins 44 are engaged with guide grooves (not shown) provided on both side plates of the bin unit 3 so as to be inclined, and incline the bin 4 at a predetermined angle.
This assists the sliding movement of the bin 4 when performing the paper processing. The transfer paper discharged by the inclination of the bin 4 slides down to the rear end side and contacts the stopper 42 so that one end of the transfer paper is aligned. The third pin 47 is an engagement pin for releasing the roller 46 from the spiral cam 6 when the bin 4 is slid to the paper processing unit 5 side.

At the tip of the second pin 45, a roller 46 is provided rotatably, and each bin 4
Is fitted in the groove 7 of the spiral cam 6 and is provided in the bin unit 3 in a stepped manner. The bin unit 3 is moved up and down in conjunction with the elevating operation of the bin 4.
When performing the paper processing of the transfer paper, it is separated from the groove 7 of the spiral cam 6 and slides (retreats) to the paper processing unit 5 side
It is possible to do.

For sorting the transfer paper, the bins 4 in the bin unit 3 are sequentially placed at a position SP (hereinafter, referred to as a sorting position) above a home position HP provided at a lower position of the sorter main body 1 by a predetermined distance L. The transfer paper is discharged to each bin 4 while being raised or lowered.

The distance L is set to a distance that is an integral multiple of the pitch of the groove 7 of the spiral cam 6, more precisely, a multiple of the number of bins.
Therefore, when the sorting of the transfer paper is instructed, the spiral cam 6 is lowered to the home position HP, and the uppermost bin 4 in the bin unit 3 is moved to the sorting position SP.
Is set to Then, the bin 4 is synchronized with the discharge of the transfer paper.
Are raised one by one, and the transfer paper is discharged to each bin 4 that has moved to the sorting position SP.

At an appropriate position at the lower end of the bin unit 3, a detection member 17 for detecting the raised position of the bin unit 3 is provided.
Is provided. On the other hand, the bin unit 3 is placed at the appropriate position below the sorter body 1 at the home position HP.
(Hereinafter, referred to as a bin unit home sensor) 18 which detects that the bin unit 3 has been lowered to a predetermined narrow area (hereinafter, referred to as a home position area), and a lower portion which detects an abnormality in the downward movement amount of the bin unit 3. Abnormality detection switch 1
9 is provided, and a bin unit 3 is provided at an appropriate position at the intermediate position.
An upper abnormality detection switch 20 for detecting an abnormality in the upward moving amount of the camera is provided.

The bin unit home sensor 18 is composed of, for example, a photo interrupter. When the detected member 17 shields the detecting section of the bin unit home sensor 18, the bin unit 3 detects that the bin unit 3 has moved down to the home position area. I do.

Each of the lower abnormality detection switch 19 and the upper abnormality detection switch 20 is a well-known on / off switch having a detection lever. And bin unit 3
When the lowering of the lower-abnormality detecting switch 19 or the upper-abnormality detecting switch 20 occurs when the detected member 17 comes into contact with the detecting lever when the lowering of the bin unit 3 exceeds a predetermined amount or more than the home position area. By doing so, abnormalities of the downward movement and the upward movement are respectively detected.

When the abnormality detection switches 19 and 20 are turned on, the operation of the sorter is stopped, and a warning is displayed on the display unit, for example, for an inspection by a serviceman (hereinafter referred to as a serviceman call).

At the base of the helical cam 6, a helical cam 6 comprising a pulse plate 15 having a plurality of notches formed at a predetermined angle in a peripheral portion thereof and a rotation angle sensor 16 for detecting the notch of the pulse plate 15 is provided. A rotation angle detection device is provided.

Further, a reference direction detecting device for detecting a reference direction B (see FIG. 4) in the rotation operation of the spiral cam 6 is provided at the base. As shown in FIG. 4, the reference direction detecting device includes a rotary plate 21 having a notch 21a formed at an appropriate position on a peripheral portion thereof, and a sensor (hereinafter referred to as a spiral cam sensor) 22 for detecting the notch 21a of the rotary plate 21. The rotating plate 21 is provided so as to rotate integrally with the spiral cam 6. The spiral cam sensor 22 is provided in a predetermined direction C in which the notch 21a of the rotary plate 21 is detected when a reference position A (see FIG. 3) provided at a proper position at the lower end of the bin unit 3 matches the home position HP. Have been.

With the above configuration, the bin unit 3 is driven up and down based on the pulse signal detected by the rotation angle sensor 16 and the detection signal detected by the spiral cam sensor 22.

For example, when the bin unit 3 is moved up and down by one step, that is, when the spiral cam 6 is rotated once, the number of pulses is counted after the start of the rotation and the spiral cam 6 rotates to a predetermined rotation angle. The rotation speed of the motor 14 is reduced, and the driving of the motor 14 is stopped at the position where the reference direction B is detected by the spiral cam 22. This causes the spiral cam 6 to make exactly one rotation and stop.

The bin unit 3 is accurately lowered to the home position HP by detecting that the bin unit home sensor 18 and the helical cam sensor 22 are turned on and stopping the lowering drive.

The sheet processing unit 5 is provided with a punch 51 for perforating the transfer sheet discharged to the bin 4 and a stapler (not shown) for stapling on one base 52. The base 52 is mounted via a roller 53a on a guide rail 53 provided in the width direction of the transfer paper (the depth direction in the drawing), and is driven by a driving mechanism including a motor 54 and an endless wire 55. It has become. Thus, the punch 51 and the like are moved in the width direction of the transfer sheet, and a predetermined process is performed on an arbitrary position on one side of the transfer sheet. In addition,
Reference numeral 56 denotes a storage box for storing waste generated by punching.

Since the paper processing is not directly related to the present invention, a detailed description of the paper processing unit 5 will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a sorter control system according to the present invention. 3, the same members as those shown in FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The control unit 23 centrally controls the driving of the sorter. The drive control circuit 24 controls the drive of the motor 14. The drive control circuit 24 drives the motor 14 based on a control signal from the control unit 23 and
Is driven to rotate.

Next, the control operation of the sorter according to the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

FIG. 2 shows an initial reset routine of the bin unit 3 when the power of the sorter is turned on. In this routine, the reference position A of the bin unit 3 is accurately initialized to the home position HP so that the sorting process can be performed immediately upon power-on.

When the power of the sorter is turned on, the flow shown in FIG. 2 is executed. First, it is determined whether the lower abnormality detection switch 19 or the upper abnormality detection switch 20 has detected an abnormality in the set position of the bin unit 3 or not. Is determined (step S
1) If the position of the bin unit 3 is abnormal, a warning message of a serviceman call is displayed on the display unit (step S).
2).

If there is no abnormality in the set position of the bin unit 3 in step S1 (NO in step S1), then, in steps S3 and S4, it is determined whether the spiral cam sensor 22 detects the notch 21a of the rotary plate 21. That is, it is determined whether or not the reference direction B of the spiral cam 6 matches the predetermined direction C, and whether or not the bin unit 3 is lowered to the home position area is determined by the bin unit home sensor 18. Is done.

If the reference direction B of the spiral cam 6 matches the predetermined direction C and the bin unit 3 has been lowered to the home position area (YES in steps S3 and S4),
Since the reference position A of the bin unit 3 matches the home position HP, the process returns to the main routine (not shown).

On the other hand, although the reference direction B of the spiral cam 6 matches the predetermined direction C, if the bin unit 3 has not moved down to the home position area (YE in step S3).
S, NO in step S2), since the bin unit 3 is above the home position HP, the motor 14 is driven to move the bin unit 3 downward (step S2).
5). The bin unit home sensor 18 detects that the bin unit 3 has moved down to the home position area (YES in step S6), and the spiral cam sensor 22 detects the notch 21a of the rotary plate 21 (step S7). And YES), the driving of the motor 14 is stopped (step S8), and the process returns to the main routine.

If the reference direction B of the spiral cam 6 does not coincide with the predetermined direction C in step S3, step S4
Similarly, the bin unit home sensor 18 determines whether the bin unit 3 has been lowered to the home position area (step S9). If the bin unit 3 has not been lowered to the home position area (NO in step S9), the process proceeds to steps S5 to S8, and the bin unit 3 has been lowered to the home position area by the bin unit home sensor 18. Is detected, and the rotating plate 21 is detected by the spiral cam sensor 22.
Until the notch 21a is detected, the bin unit 3 is moved downward and the process returns to the main routine.

On the other hand, if the bin unit 3 moves down to the home position area in step S9, since the reference position A of the bin unit 3 is displaced in the home position area, the motor 14 is driven to The unit 3 is moved upward (step S5). Then, when the notch 21a of the rotary plate 21 is detected by the spiral cam sensor 22 in the home position area by the upward movement of the bin unit 3 (YES in Steps S11 and S11), the drive of the motor 14 is stopped (Step S8). ), And return to the main routine.

In the above upward movement, when the unit 3 moves upward from the home position area, and the spiral cam sensor 22 detects the notch 21a of the rotary plate 21 outside the home position area (YES in step S10, step S11). NO), the process proceeds to steps S5 to S8 described above, the bin unit home sensor 18 detects that the bin unit 3 has moved down to the home position area, and the spiral cam sensor 22 detects
Until the notch 21a is detected, the bin unit 3 is moved downward and the process returns to the main routine.

As described above, in the initial setting of the bin unit 3 when the power of the sorter is turned on, the bin unit 3
Is moved downward when it is above the home position area, and when it is within the home position area but is displaced from the home position HP,
Since the bin unit 3 is moved upward to exactly match the reference position A of the bin unit 3 with the home position HP, the bin unit 3 can be reliably initialized to the home position HP.

[0049]

As described above, according to the present invention,
When the bin unit is not lowered to the home position area in the initial setting of the bin unit when the power is turned on, the bin unit is moved downward, and the bin unit is lowered to the home position area. If the reference direction does not match the preset direction,
Since the bin unit was moved upward and the reference direction of the spiral cam was made to coincide with the preset direction while the bin unit was lowered to the home position area,
The bin unit can be reliably set to the home position without lowering the bin unit below the home position area due to a malfunction.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a sorter control system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of initial setting of the bin unit when the power of the sorter according to the present invention is turned on.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a configuration of an embodiment of a sorter according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a structure of a reference direction detecting device for a helical cam.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration for detecting a vertical position of a bin unit of a conventional sorter.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of initializing a bin unit when a conventional sorter is powered on.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 sorter main body 3 bin unit 4 bin 6 spiral cam 7 groove 10, 13 timing belt 11, 12 bevel gear 14 motor 15 pulse plate 16 rotation angle sensor 17 detected member 18 sensor (first detecting means) 19, 20 switch 21 Rotating plate 21a Notch 22 Sensor (second detection unit) 23 Control unit (drive control unit) 24 Drive control circuit

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Yoshio Sugishima 1-2-2, Tamazo, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi Inside Mita Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Nagai 1-2-28, Tamazo, Chuo-ku, Osaka Mita Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Takatoshi Nishimura 1-2-2, Tamazo, Chuo-ku, Osaka City Mita Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Kawaguchi 2-18-7 Suga, Tama-ku, Kawasaki City (72) Inventor Kaoru Tamura 6-26-13 Nakanoshima, Tama-ku, Kawasaki B301 (72) Inventor Motohisa Washiya 215 Nogicho, Nogami-cho, Seagrass-gun, Wakayama Prefecture (56) References JP-A-3-73754 (JP, A) JP-A-3-3- 31164 (JP, A) JP-A-1-236168 (JP, A) JP-A-63-310454 (JP, A)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A spiral cam having a spiral groove formed on an outer peripheral surface thereof, a driving means for rotating the spiral cam, and a slidably engaged groove of the spiral cam. A bin unit composed of a plurality of bins, wherein the sorter that raises and lowers the bin unit by rotating the helical cam detects that the bin unit is lowered to a home position area provided at a lower position. A first detecting means for detecting that the reference direction in the rotation operation of the helical cam coincides with a preset direction; and If the bin unit is not lowered to the area, the bin unit is moved downward until the first and second detection units perform detection, and the bin unit is Down to the home position area, and
When the reference direction of the spiral cam does not coincide with the preset direction, the spiral cam for moving the bin unit upward until the first and second detection units perform the detection. A sorter comprising: a drive control unit.