JP4881206B2 - Paper sheet separating and taking out device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper sheet separating and taking out apparatus for separating and taking out stacked paper sheets one by one.

  Conventionally, as a take-out device for taking out a plurality of stacked sheets one by one, a take-off roller is brought into contact with a sheet at one end of the stacking direction and rotated to rotate the paper sheets substantially perpendicular to the stacking direction. An apparatus for taking out in a direction to perform is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). This apparatus is incorporated in, for example, a mail processing apparatus that inspects and sorts a plurality of mails.

  In addition, the take-out device includes a separation mechanism that separates the second and subsequent paper sheets that are taken out by the paper sheets taken out by the take-out roller. This separation mechanism is disposed opposite to the paper roller to be taken out on the same side as the take-out roller on the downstream side of the take-out roller, and the position sandwiching the paper sheet taken out with respect to this feed roller Having a separated roller. In some cases, a plurality of sets of separation mechanisms are arranged along the direction of taking out paper sheets.

  The feed roller rotates to feed the taken paper sheet in the forward direction. On the other hand, the separation roller is rotated around the feeding roller when one sheet is interposed between the feeding roller and when there is no sheet, and a plurality of sheets are overlapped. When passing between the feeding rollers, a separation torque in the direction opposite to the take-out direction is applied to the second and subsequent sheets on the separation roller side. As a result, the second and subsequent sheets are braked and separated from the first sheet.

  However, in this type of separation mechanism, the feed roller and the separation roller frequently contact and rotate. In this separation mechanism, a rubber roller having a high friction coefficient is used in order to enhance the separation performance, and therefore, when the roller comes into contact, it is worn over time and the separation performance is lowered. In particular, when the take-out speed of paper sheets is increased, the wear of the rubber roller advances and the service life is significantly reduced. For this reason, in the conventional apparatus described above, it is difficult to maintain the initial performance and it is difficult to improve the throughput.

  On the other hand, as a device for taking out paper sheets onto the conveyance path, a belt that travels in the take-out direction by contacting the paper sheets, and a belt that travels by applying negative pressure to the paper sheets through a plurality of holes in the belt. An apparatus including a negative pressure generating device to be adsorbed is known (for example, see Patent Documents 2 to 4).

  In particular, the apparatus described in Patent Document 4 has a plurality of separation rollers arranged in a nested manner with respect to the feeding belt. The separation roller has rubber on its outer periphery, and these multi-feed paper sheets are separated so as to separate the second and subsequent paper sheets that are attracted to the feeding belt and taken out by the fed paper sheets. A resistance force in the direction opposite to the feeding direction is applied to the class. This separation roller has a support structure that can be swung by a collision of paper sheets.

  However, if the separation roller that imparts resistance to the multi-feed paper sheets swings and retreats from the paper sheet conveyance path in this way, while the separation rollers are jumping up due to the collision of the paper sheets, The resistance force cannot be applied to the paper sheets, and the separation ability of the multi-feed paper sheets is reduced accordingly.

  In addition, since the separation roller used in this apparatus is also a rubber roller, there is a problem that it is worn out with time like the separation roller of Patent Document 1 described above. For this reason, even with the apparatus described in the cited document 4, it is difficult to maintain the initial performance in the long term, and it is also difficult to improve the throughput.

  Further, as this kind of paper sheet take-out device, there is an apparatus provided with a separation roller that constantly rotates in a direction opposite to the paper take-out direction in a state in which a negative pressure is generated on the peripheral surface and the paper sheet is adsorbed. It is known (for example, refer to Patent Document 5). This separation roller has a plurality of holes for generating a negative pressure on its peripheral surface, and the second and subsequent sheets that are taken out by the sheet taken out by the sheet feeding roller are reversed. Function to return.

However, since this separation roller is fixedly disposed through a certain space opposite to the paper feed roller that forwards the taken-out paper sheets in the forward direction, relatively thick paper sheets are placed between them. If it is sent in between, it is easy to produce a jam. In particular, when a relatively thin paper sheet is taken out together with a relatively thick paper sheet, the thin paper sheet may be broken and broken when returned in the reverse direction by the separation roller.
JP 2003-341860 A EP0589789B1 EP0645330B1 JP-A-10-231040 JP-A-8-188279

  An object of the present invention is to provide a paper sheet separating and taking out apparatus that can maintain the initial performance well over a long period of time and can increase the throughput.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a paper sheet separating and taking out apparatus that can reliably separate and take out paper sheets in an overlapped state one by one without causing jamming.

To achieve the above Symbol purpose, the paper sheet separating extraction device of the present invention may move the feeding section to introduce overlapping a plurality of sheets, the inserted plurality of sheets in the overlapped direction A feeding mechanism that feeds the paper sheet at the leading end in the moving direction to the take-out position at one end of the input unit, and rotates the paper sheet in contact with the paper sheet fed to the take-out position to rotate the paper sheet A take-out mechanism that takes out in a direction substantially orthogonal to the stacking direction, and a transport path that transports paper sheets downstream of the take-out direction of the paper sheets by the take-out mechanism is disposed on the opposite side of the take-out mechanism, and the transport mechanism Applying a separation torque in the direction opposite to the take-out direction while applying a negative pressure to the paper taken out on the road, the second and subsequent papers taken out from the take-out position and a separation mechanism for separating, The sheet placed upstream of the take-out mechanism along the take-out direction and adjacent to the take-out position and supplied to the take-out position by the supply mechanism, and 2 after the sheet is taken out And an auxiliary mechanism that moves and stops both the forward and reverse directions with respect to the take-out direction while applying a negative pressure to the sheets after the first sheet .

  Further, the paper sheet separating and taking out apparatus of the present invention is provided at the leading end in the moving direction by moving a plurality of loaded paper sheets in the stacking direction, and a loading unit that stacks and loads a plurality of paper sheets. A supply mechanism for supplying paper sheets to the take-out position at one end of the input section, and rotating in contact with the paper sheets supplied to the take-out position, the paper sheets are substantially orthogonal to the stacking direction. A take-out mechanism to be taken out in the direction, a paper sheet which is disposed adjacent to the take-out position upstream of the take-out direction from the take-out mechanism and is supplied to the take-out position by the supply mechanism and the paper sheets And an auxiliary mechanism that moves and stops both the forward and reverse directions with respect to the take-out direction while applying a negative pressure to the second and subsequent sheets after the take-out is taken out.

  According to the above invention, the second and subsequent sheets after the paper sheets taken out from the take-out position and the paper sheets are taken out by the auxiliary mechanism disposed adjacent to the take-out position upstream of the take-out mechanism in the take-out direction. Because it is possible to move and stop in both forward and reverse directions while applying negative pressure to paper sheets, the performance of the auxiliary mechanism does not deteriorate over time due to wear, and the initial performance is maintained well over a long period of time. This enables high-speed processing of paper sheets and increases the throughput.

  Further, by providing such an auxiliary mechanism on the upstream side of the sheet take-out position, it is possible to assist the take-out operation of the paper sheet by the take-out mechanism, and the second and subsequent sheets taken out by the taken-out paper sheet It is also possible to assist the separation operation by applying a brake to the paper sheet, and to control the take-out gap and take-out pitch by applying a brake to the paper sheet to be taken out.

  Further, the paper sheet separating and taking out apparatus of the present invention is provided at the leading end in the moving direction by moving a plurality of loaded paper sheets in the stacking direction, and a loading unit that stacks and loads a plurality of paper sheets. A supply mechanism for supplying paper sheets to the take-out position at one end of the input section, and rotating in contact with the paper sheets supplied to the take-out position, the paper sheets are substantially orthogonal to the stacking direction. A take-out mechanism for taking out the paper in the direction, and a fixed arrangement on the opposite side of the take-out mechanism across the conveyance path for conveying the paper sheet on the downstream side in the paper take-out direction by the take-out mechanism. Separation for separating the second and subsequent sheets taken out from the take-out position by applying a separation torque in the direction opposite to the take-out direction while applying a negative pressure to the paper sheets to be taken out Mechanism and this separator The separation is performed by retreating in a direction away from the conveyance path due to a collision of a paper sheet taken out on the conveyance path by the take-out mechanism. And a space variable mechanism that varies a space between the mechanisms.

  Furthermore, the paper sheet separating and taking out apparatus of the present invention is provided at the leading end in the moving direction by moving a plurality of inserted paper sheets in the stacking direction, and a loading unit for stacking and loading a plurality of paper sheets. A supply mechanism for supplying paper sheets to the take-out position at one end of the input section, and rotating in contact with the paper sheets supplied to the take-out position, the paper sheets are substantially orthogonal to the stacking direction. A take-out mechanism that takes out in the direction, and a paper sheet that is disposed on the opposite side of the take-out mechanism across the conveyance path for conveying the paper sheet on the downstream side in the take-out direction of the paper sheet by the take-out mechanism, and is taken out on the conveyance path Paper having a large number of suction holes for applying negative pressure to the paper, giving separation torque in the direction opposite to the take-out direction to the paper sheets adsorbed by the suction holes, and taking out from the take-out position Taken out by leaves Separation mechanism that separates the second and subsequent sheets, a suction state in which the suction hole faces the paper sheet transported through the transport path, and a paper sheet transported through the transport path A detection device that detects a non-adsorption state in which the adsorption holes do not face each other, and a control unit that controls the separation mechanism based on a detection result by the detection device.

  Since the paper sheet separating and taking out apparatus according to the present invention has the above-described configuration and operation, the initial performance can be well maintained over a long period of time, and the throughput can be increased.

  In addition, according to the paper sheet separating and taking out apparatus of the present invention, the stacked paper sheets can be reliably separated and taken out one by one without causing jamming.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a postal matter processing apparatus 100 (hereinafter simply referred to as processing apparatus 100) including a paper sheet separating and extracting apparatus 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as extraction apparatus 1) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The schematic structure is shown as a block diagram. In addition to the take-out device 1, the processing device 100 includes a determination unit 102, a rejection unit 104, a switchback unit 106, and a stacking unit 108. In addition, although the paper sheets processed with the processing apparatus 100 of this Embodiment are mails, the to-be-processed medium (namely, papers) is not restricted to mails.

  The postal items are set on the take-out device 1 in an accumulated state, and are taken out one by one on the transport path 101 by operating the take-out device 1 as described later. A plurality of sets of endless conveyance belts (not shown) are extended on the conveyance path 101 so as to sandwich the conveyance path 101, and postal matter is nipped and conveyed by the conveyance belt.

  The postal matter taken out on the transport path 101 passes through the determination unit 102, where various information is read from the postal matter. The discriminating unit 102 discriminates the postal matter transport posture, the sorting destination, and the like based on the read various information. In particular, the discriminating unit 102 discriminates the sorting destination by reading destination information such as a postal code and an address written on a mail piece.

  The postal matter that has passed through the determination unit 102 is sorted in its transport direction via the gate G1. That is, the postal matter that is determined to be rejected by the determining unit 102 is conveyed to the rejecting unit 104 through the gate G1, and the other postal items are transferred to the stacking unit 108 through the gate G1. Be transported.

  At this time, when the determination unit 102 determines that it is necessary to reverse the conveyance direction of the mail, the mail is sent to the switchback unit 106 through the gate G2, and the conveyance direction is reversed here. . Mails that do not need to reverse the transport direction are bypassed the switchback unit 106 via the gate G2 and transported to the stacking unit 108.

  Mails sent to the stacking unit 108 via the transport path 101 are sorted and collected in a sorting / stacking pocket (not shown) according to the determination result in the determination unit 102. Mail pieces that are classified and accumulated in the respective division accumulation pockets are collected with the top and bottom aligned.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the take-out device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above.
The take-out device 1 has an input unit 2 that inputs a plurality of postal items P in a stacked state, and moves the postal items P that have been input in the stacking direction to move the postal items P at the leading end in the moving direction to be described later. A feed mechanism (not shown) for feeding to the take-out position 20, a take-out mechanism 3 for taking out the postal matter P supplied to the take-out position 20 onto a conveyance path 10, which will be described later, and the tip of the postal matter P thrown in via the input unit 2 Is supplied to the suction mechanism 4 for sucking the postal matter P toward the take-out position 20, the separation mechanism 5 for separating the second and subsequent postal items P taken out by the postal matter P taken out from the take-out position 20, and the take-out position 20. The postal matter P that has passed through the separation mechanism 5 and the auxiliary mechanism 6 that assists the picking-up operation by applying a negative pressure to the postal matter P on the upstream side of the picking-up mechanism 3 and moving it in both forward and reverse directions. Having a transport mechanism 7 for transporting to the downstream side by pulling out a little faster than the withdrawal rate.

  In addition, the take-out device 1 includes a sensor 11 that detects passage of the postal matter P taken out from the take-out position 20 at one end of the input unit 2 onto the carry path 10 and a plurality of carry guides 12 to 18. The sensor 11 has a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit so as to sandwich the conveyance path 10 through which the postal matter P passes, and detects the passage of the postal matter P when the postal matter P blocks the optical axis. In this embodiment, a plurality of rows of sensors 11 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 2, or a line sensor in which elements are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface is arranged. Further, the plurality of transport guides 12 to 18 guide the movement and transport by bringing the edges and the surface of the postal matter P into contact with each other.

  A plurality of pieces of mail P are stacked and put together in a standing position into the loading unit 2. A plurality of floor belts (not shown) are disposed on the bottom of the insertion portion 2 so that the lower end sides of the mail items P are brought into contact with each other and moved in the overlapping direction (in the direction of arrow F in the figure). In addition, the postal matter P at the leading end in the moving direction is moved to the position in the direction of arrow F in cooperation with the plural floor belts at a position where the postal matter P at the rear end in the moving direction is in contact with the postal matter P. A back-up plate (not shown) is provided for supplying the ink to the take-out position 20. That is, the plurality of floor belts and the backup plate function as the supply mechanism of the present invention.

  In addition, the conveyance guide 18 is extended in the position which prescribes | regulates the one side of the insertion part 2 along the arrow F direction, and guides the edge side of each postal matter P. The conveyance guides 12, 13, and 14 are arranged side by side along the take-out position 20 on one end side of the loading unit 2, and the postal matter P at the leading end in the moving direction supplied in the direction of arrow F stops at the take-out position 20. And functions to contact and guide one side of the postal matter P taken out from the take-out position 20.

  The take-out mechanism 3 includes a chamber 21, a guide 14, and a vacuum pump 22 (or equivalent) (second negative pressure generating mechanism). Further, the take-out mechanism 3 drives an endless take-out belt 23 in which at least a portion of a certain region travels in the direction of the arrow T1 (the take-out direction of the postal matter P) in the drawing along the take-out position 20 and the take-out belt 23. A motor 24 is included. The take-out belt 23 is wound around a plurality of rollers 25 and stretched so that at least a part of the take-out belt 23 travels in the direction of the arrow T1 in the figure along the take-out position 20 and the conveyance path 10 continuous from the take-out position 20. Is positioned.

  The guide 14 is disposed at a position facing the take-out position 20 with the belt sandwiched inside the take-out belt 23. The chamber 21 is disposed on the back side of the guide 14, that is, at a position facing the take-out position 20 with the take-out belt 23 and the guide 14 interposed therebetween. The take-out belt 23 has a large number of suction holes (second suction holes) 23a as partially enlarged in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the guide 14 has a plurality of elongated slits 14a along the running direction of the take-out belt 23 (that is, the take-out direction of the postal matter P) T1.

  When the vacuum pump 22 is operated to evacuate the chamber 21, the opening (not shown) of the chamber 21 facing the guide 14, the plurality of slits 14a of the guide 14, and the take-out that travels in the direction of the arrow T1. A negative pressure (arrow S1 in the figure) acts on the postal matter P supplied to the take-out position 20 through the numerous suction holes 23a of the belt 23, and the postal matter P is adsorbed on the surface of the take-out belt 23. As the take-out belt 23 travels, it is taken out from the take-out position 20 onto the conveyance path 10.

  At this time, the suction force in the arrow S1 direction by the vacuum pump 22 is such that the transport force for feeding the first postal matter P adsorbed by the take-out belt 23 in the take-out direction T1 is at least two sheets and the first sheet. It is set to be larger than the frictional force acting between the paper sheets of the eyes. This take-out mechanism 3 basically separates the postal matter P at the take-out position 20 one by one and feeds it onto the transport path 10, but with respect to what is fed out onto the transport path 10 in a state where a plurality of sheets overlap each other. Are separated one by one by a separation mechanism 5 described later.

  The suction mechanism 4 includes a chamber 26 disposed on the back side of the conveyance guide 13 with respect to the take-out position 20 and a blower 27 (or an equivalent) for sucking air in the chamber 26. The chamber 26 is disposed adjacent to the take-out position 20 between the take-out mechanism 3 described above and the auxiliary mechanism 6 described later in such a posture that an opening (not shown) faces the back surface of the guide 13. Further, the guide 13 has a plurality of holes 13a in accordance with the width of the opening of the chamber 26, as partially enlarged in FIG.

  When the blower 27 is operated to suck the air in the chamber 26, an air flow is generated in the direction of the arrow B1 in the figure through the plurality of holes 13a of the guide 13, and a plurality of mails inserted into the input unit 2 are sent. The postal matter P that is closest to the takeout position 20 among the items P is sucked toward the takeout position 20. After the postal matter P sucked to the take-out position 20 is taken out, the next postal matter P is sucked toward the take-out position 20. That is, by providing this suction mechanism 4, the postal matter P to be taken out next can be quickly supplied to the takeout position 20, and even if the supply force in the direction of arrow F by a supply mechanism (not shown) is weakened, the first mail is sent. Only the object P can always be stably supplied to the take-out position 20 quickly. Thereby, the taking-out operation of the postal matter P by the take-out mechanism 3 described above can be speeded up.

  The separation mechanism 5 is provided on the opposite side of the above-described take-out mechanism 3 with respect to the conveyance path 10 that extends downstream (downward in FIG. 2) from the take-out position 20. The separation mechanism 5 applies a separation torque in a direction opposite to the direction in which the postal matter P is taken out, while applying a negative pressure to the postal matter P conveyed through the conveying path 10 from the side opposite to the taking-out mechanism 3. That is, when the separation mechanism 5 is operated, the second or later mail piece P (which may be picked up by three or more overlaps) is taken out of the mail piece P taken out from the pick-up position 20. However, the second and subsequent mail pieces P are stopped by the negative pressure and the separation torque described above, or returned in the reverse direction and separated from the first mail piece P.

  More specifically, the separation mechanism 5 includes a separation roller 31 provided so as to be rotatable in both forward and reverse directions along the take-out direction T1 of the postal matter P as shown partially enlarged in FIG. As shown also in FIG. 7, the separation roller 31 is rotatably attached via a bearing 34 to a rotating shaft fixedly attached to the conveyance path 10, that is, a cylindrical body 32 having a chamber 33 described later. And a plurality of suction holes 31a (first suction holes) penetrating so as to connect the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface. The separation roller 31 is formed of a rigid body such as a substantially cylindrical metal material, and is positioned and disposed at a position where the outer peripheral surface is exposed to the transport path 10. Note that the cylindrical body 32 as a rotation shaft has a chamber 33 for generating a negative pressure, and the opening 33a of the chamber 33 is positioned and fixed so as to face the transport path 10. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the broken line VII-VII in FIG.

  Further, the separation mechanism 5 transmits an AC servo motor 35 (first drive unit) for rotating the separation roller 31 in both forward and reverse directions with a desired torque, and a driving force by the motor 35 to the separation roller 31. The endless timing belt 36 is provided. The timing belt 36 is wound around a pulley 35a fixed to the rotation shaft of the motor 35 and a pulley (not shown) fixed to the rotation shaft 31b of the separation roller 31 (see FIG. 7). Further, the separation mechanism 5 has a vacuum pump 37 (or equivalent) (first negative pressure generation mechanism) connected via a pipe 38 to a chamber 33 of a cylindrical body 32 to which a separation roller 31 is rotatably attached. .

  Thus, when the vacuum pump 37 is operated and the inside of the chamber 33 is evacuated, the opening 33a of the chamber 33 and the specific suction hole 310 facing the opening 33a among the many suction holes 31a of the separation roller 31 are used. Negative pressure (arrow S2 in the figure) is applied to the surface of the postal matter P passing through the conveyance path 10, and the postal matter P is adsorbed to the outer peripheral surface of the separation roller 31. At this time, when the separation roller 31 is rotating, the postal matter P adsorbed on the outer peripheral surface of the separation roller 31 is also given a conveying force along the rotation direction of the separation roller 31. In the following description, a region in which a negative pressure is applied to the postal matter P through the suction hole 310 of the separation roller 31 is referred to as a separation area As.

  On the other hand, the AC servo motor 35 basically drives and controls the separation roller 31 such that a constant separation torque in the direction opposite to the take-out direction (in the direction of arrow T2 in the figure) is always applied to the separation roller 31. This separation torque is obtained when the mail P transported through the transport path 10 is one piece, and the separation roller 31 adsorbing the single mail P is brought along the postal direction P along the transport direction. When it is set to such an extent that it can be rotated and is taken out onto the transport path 10 in a state where a plurality of pieces of mail P are overlapped, the second and subsequent mails P on the separation roller 31 side are stopped or reversed. It is set to such an extent that it can be separated from the first mail piece P.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 8, in a state where one mail piece P is normally taken out from the take-out position 20 and is transported through the transport path 10, it is given to the postal matter P by the take-out mechanism 3. The forward conveyance force F1 in the forward direction (arrow T1 direction) is larger than the reverse conveyance force F2 applied to the postal matter P by the separation roller 31 to which the separation torque in the reverse direction (arrow T2 direction) is applied. The postal matter P is conveyed in the forward direction T1, and the separation roller 31 is rotated along with the postal matter P or stopped, or idles in the direction opposite to the take-out direction.

  When the separation roller 31 idles in the reverse direction, if the constant separation torque is continuously applied, the rotation speed is gradually increased, which may adversely affect the taking-out of the postal matter P. In this embodiment, the separation roller 31 An upper limit is set for the reverse rotation speed of 31. Specifically, it is set to an upper limit speed whose absolute value is smaller than the speed of taking out the postal matter P.

  In the present embodiment, the separation area As in which the separation roller 31 is opposed to the position where the postal matter P is attracted to the take-out belt 23, that is, the position where the chamber 21 is separated from the position facing the take-out position 20 on the downstream side in the take-off direction T1. Therefore, even if the negative pressure S1 by the chamber 21 is sufficiently higher than the negative pressure S2 by the separation roller 31, there is a high possibility that the postal matter P conveyed by only one is attracted to the separation roller 31 side and comes into contact. .

  In this case, for example, if the postal matter P is a thin postal matter P having a relatively low waist, the return force in the reverse direction by the separation roller 31 acts excessively on the postal matter P as shown in FIG. As a result, the postal matter P may be folded as shown in the figure. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 10, a chamber 41 is added to a position facing the separation roller 31 (separation area As) inside the take-out belt 23, and a vacuum pump 42 (for vacuuming the chamber 41) ( It is desirable to add a third negative pressure generating mechanism). In this way, by causing the negative pressure S3 in the direction toward the take-out belt 23 to act on the postal matter P at a position facing the separation area As, the problem of folding as shown in FIG. 9 can be solved.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, when the two mail items P are overlapped and taken out from the take-out position 20 onto the conveyance path 10, the first mail piece P 1 on the side close to the take-out belt 23 is taken out. The transport force F1 described above is applied from the mechanism 3 and transported in the forward direction T1, and the second mail P2 near the separation roller 31 is applied the transport force F2 in the reverse direction T2 described above from the separation roller 31. The At this time, frictional forces F3 and F4 are applied between the two mail pieces P1 and P2 in opposite directions. The frictional forces F3 and F4 are generated when the two mail items P1 and P2 are in contact with each other, but become zero when they are separated.

  In any case, the conveying forces F1 and F2 acting on the two toilet articles P1 and P2 are set to a value sufficiently larger than the maximum value of the frictional forces F3 and F4 generated between them. The second mail piece P2 to which the conveying force F2 in the reverse direction is applied is returned to the direction T2 opposite to the take-out direction T1 and separated from the first mail piece P1.

  As described above, the separation roller 31 is formed of a metal roller so that a separation torque is applied to the postal matter P taken out on the conveyance path 10 and a negative pressure is applied to the postal matter P. Compared with a separation roller using a rubber roller, the service life of the roller can be greatly extended, the separation performance can be maintained well over a long period of time, the processing speed of postal matter P can be increased, and the throughput is increased. be able to. In the state where only one mail piece P is taken out, there is a high possibility that the separation roller 31 is idle, and therefore, when a plurality of mail pieces P are picked up in an overlapping state (multiple feeding). Otherwise, the separation torque applied to the separation roller 31 may be zero.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the auxiliary mechanism 6 disposed on the upper side in the drawing of the suction mechanism 4, that is, on the upstream side along the take-out direction T <b> 1 of the postal matter P has substantially the same structure as the separation mechanism 5 described above. In other words, the auxiliary mechanism 6 has an auxiliary roller 51 provided so as to be rotatable in both forward and reverse directions along the direction T1 of taking out the postal matter P.

  The auxiliary roller 51 is rotatably attached to a rotating shaft fixedly opposed to the take-out position 20, that is, a cylindrical body 53 having a chamber therein, and connects the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface thereof. A large number of suction holes 52 (third suction holes) penetrating through the head. The auxiliary roller 51 is formed of a rigid body such as a substantially cylindrical metal material, and is positioned and disposed at a position where the outer peripheral surface is exposed to the take-out position 20. The cylindrical body 53 as a rotating shaft has a chamber for generating a negative pressure, and the opening of the chamber is positioned and fixed in a posture toward the take-out position 20.

  The auxiliary mechanism 6 also transmits an AC servomotor 55 (second drive unit) for rotating the auxiliary roller 51 in both forward and reverse directions with a desired torque, and the driving force generated by the motor 55 to the auxiliary roller 51. The endless timing belt 56 is provided. The timing belt 56 is wound around a pulley 55 a fixed to the rotation shaft of the motor 55 and a pulley (not shown) fixed to the rotation shaft of the auxiliary roller 51. Further, the auxiliary mechanism 6 has a vacuum pump 57 (or equivalent) (fourth negative pressure generating mechanism) connected via a pipe 58 to a chamber of a cylindrical body 53 to which the auxiliary roller 51 is rotatably attached. In the middle of the pipe 58, an electromagnetic valve 59 for turning on / off the negative pressure is attached.

  Thus, the auxiliary mechanism 6 rotates and stops the auxiliary roller 51 in both the forward and reverse directions and turns on / off the negative pressure by the vacuum pump 57, whereby the postal matter P is taken out and separated. Support. For example, when the postal matter P supplied to the takeout position 20 is taken out by the takeout mechanism 3, the postal matter P is sucked by applying a negative pressure to the rear end side in the takeout direction of the postal matter P and rotated in the forward direction T1. Supports retrieval of P. As a result, for example, when taking out a large mail P having a relatively heavy weight, it is possible to give a larger and more stable conveying force than when taking out a normal mail P, and to stabilize the operation of taking out the mail P. it can.

  Further, in a state where the first mail piece P is picked up by the pick-up mechanism 3, the post piece P in the pick-up direction is pulled out to a position where it does not interfere with the auxiliary roller 51, and then supplied to the pick-up position. The rear end side of the second mail piece P can be attracted to the auxiliary roller 51 to apply the desired torque in the reverse direction to apply the brake, and in cooperation with the separation mechanism 5 described above, Double feeding can be prevented. In this case, by controlling the reverse torque applied to the auxiliary roller 51 and controlling the braking time, the gap and pitch of the postal matter P taken out from the take-out position 20 onto the transport path 10 can also be controlled. .

  Specifically, the auxiliary mechanism 6 takes four control states shown in FIGS. 12 to 15 and operates according to the flowchart shown in FIG. The auxiliary mechanism 6 takes the above-described four control states by controlling the “rotational speed” (including direction) of the auxiliary roller 51 and “presence / absence of negative pressure”. The “rotation speed” is controlled by the AC servo motor 55, and “presence / absence of negative pressure” is controlled by opening / closing the electromagnetic valve 59.

  First, in the first control state shown in FIG. 12, the auxiliary roller 51 rotates at an angular velocity ω along the take-out direction T1 of the postal matter P, opens the electromagnetic valve 59, and is supplied to the take-out position 20. A negative pressure is generated on the mail piece P1. In this state, the postal matter P1 in contact with the auxiliary roller 51 is attracted to the peripheral surface of the auxiliary roller 51 and is urged in the direction of the arrow T1 at a constant speed in synchronization with the rotation of the auxiliary roller 51.

  Further, in the second control state shown in FIG. 13, that is, in the state where the tip of the first mail piece P1 reaches the sensor 11, the auxiliary roller 51 rotates at a constant angular velocity ω in the mail pick-up direction T1. Then, the electromagnetic valve 59 is closed to turn off the negative pressure. In this state, the first mail piece P 1 does not necessarily move at a speed synchronized with the rotation of the auxiliary roller 51. That is, in this state, the postal matter P1 can move fast or slowly due to the influence of other factors.

  Further, in the third control state shown in FIG. 14, that is, in a state where the rear end in the take-out direction of the first mail piece P1 is out of the position where it interferes with the auxiliary roller 51, the auxiliary roller 51 stops or is taken out in the take-off direction T1. Rotate at a constant angular velocity in the opposite direction, and open the electromagnetic valve 59 to generate a negative pressure. In this state, the second mail piece P2 is stopped or sent in the reverse direction and is braked to assist separation from the first mail piece P1.

  Further, in the fourth control state shown in FIG. 15, the auxiliary roller 51 stops or rotates at a constant angular velocity in the take-out direction T1, closes the electromagnetic valve 59, turns off the negative pressure, and performs the preceding first pass. This contributes to the formation of a gap between the postal matter P1 and the second postal matter P2 in contact with the auxiliary roller 51, and the second postal matter P2 is fed out with a weak force.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 16, the auxiliary mechanism 6 performs the above-described first to fourth control states based on the information from the sensor 11 and the range information of the length of the postal matter P to be processed. By making the transition, it is possible to efficiently take out and separate a plurality of pieces of mail P that have been put together.

  The auxiliary roller 51 takes the first control state at the start of the operation of taking out the postal matter P. That is, a negative pressure is generated on the peripheral surface of the auxiliary roller 51 and it rotates in the positive direction (steps 1 and 2). Then, the output of the sensor 11 is monitored, and when the output signal from the sensor 11 becomes “dark (a state where the postal matter P blocks the optical axis of the sensor)” (step 3; YES), the second Transition to the control state. That is, at this time, the electromagnetic valve 59 is closed to eliminate the negative pressure (step 4).

  Next, based on the information from the sensor 11 (elapsed time since becoming “dark”), the geometric information of the auxiliary roller 51 and the range information of the postal matter P, the auxiliary from the front end of the first postal matter P1. When the distance L0 to the opposite position of the roller 51 becomes larger than the length Dmax of the longest mail piece P, that is, when the rear end in the take-out direction of the first mail piece P1 is separated from the auxiliary roller 51 (step 5; YES), transition to the third control state. That is, at this time, the auxiliary roller 51 is stopped or reversely rotated (step 6) to generate a negative pressure (step 7).

  Next, when the distance L1 from the front end of the first mail piece P1 to the above-mentioned separation area As is larger than the length Dmin of the shortest mail piece (step 8; YES), transition to the fourth control state is made. To do. That is, at this time, the auxiliary roller 51 is stopped or rotated forward (step 9), and the electromagnetic valve 59 is closed to eliminate the negative pressure (step 10).

  Then, the sensor 11 is monitored, the output of the sensor 11 becomes “bright” (step 11; YES), and after a predetermined time T1 has passed (step 12; YES), the process returns to the first control state of step 1. Thereafter, the processing from Step 1 to Step 12 is continued until a stop command is issued from the upper control system.

  As described above, by providing the auxiliary mechanism 6 adjacent to the postal matter extraction position 20, the postal matter P taking-out operation and the separation operation can be assisted, high-speed processing of the postal matter P can be handled, and the throughput is increased. be able to. Further, since the postal matter P can be attracted to the auxiliary roller 51 by controlling the negative pressure by the auxiliary mechanism 6, the auxiliary roller 51 can be a metal roller, and stable operation can be performed for a long time.

Hereinafter, the processing operation in the case where no double feeding occurs in the take-out apparatus 1 described above will be described with reference to FIG.
The postal items P set in the input unit 2 are sent in the direction of arrow F in the figure by a supply mechanism (not shown), and are drawn one by one to the take-out position 20 by the suction mechanism 4. By providing the suction mechanism 4, the first mail piece P can be quickly placed at the take-out position 20 even if the supply force of the mail piece P by the supply mechanism is reduced.

  The postal matter P attracted to the take-out position 20 is attracted to the surface of the take-out belt 23 of the take-out mechanism 3 and is fed out in the take-out direction T1 in response to the conveying force from the take-out belt 23. The postal matter P that has been fed out is conveyed downstream through the conveyance path 10 in such a manner that it is pulled out by the conveyance mechanism 7.

  At this time, if the transport speed of the postal matter P of the entire apparatus (that is, the transport mechanism 7) is Va, a relationship of Va ≧ V is established with respect to the speed V at which the postal matter P is fed out at the time of taking out. That is, by separating the postal matter P by the transport mechanism 7 and accelerating it, the separation of the postal matter P can be promoted. Further, the larger the difference between Va and V, the faster the opening of the gap between the mail items P can be accelerated.

  However, on the other hand, if the speed difference is excessively increased, the transport state is disturbed at the connecting portion of the speed, and the transport position of the postal matter P varies. Further, the smaller V is, the smaller the number of postal items P per unit time that are fed out from the input unit 2 is, so that the throughput is lowered.

  As a method of solving the above problem and promoting separation more effectively, there is a method of controlling acceleration / deceleration of the take-out belt 23 (AC servo motor 24). That is, the initial speed of the take-out belt 23 is set to a value close to Va, and for example, the sensor 11 is used to acquire the timing at which the preceding postal matter P is pulled out by the transport mechanism 7 to become the speed Va, and at this timing, the take-out belt 23 Is reduced to the original initial speed Va at the timing when a necessary gap is formed. This avoids the above problems (conveyance variation and throughput reduction) as much as possible, and makes it easy to form a gap by temporarily decelerating the take-out belt 23 to make a difference from Va.

  The sensor 11 is provided for monitoring the passage of the front or rear end of the postal matter P, monitoring the gap between the postal items P, and the like. In the take-out control, these pieces of information can be used or triggered. As an example of the control target, a control signal for the AC servo motor 24 when the acceleration belt is applied to the take-out belt 23 to create a more appropriate gap, and the pipes 22a and 58 to which the vacuum pumps 22 and 57 are connected. An electromagnetic valve control signal or the like when an electromagnetic valve is provided to control the presence or absence of air suction can be considered.

  Incidentally, the take-out belt 23 includes a type shown in FIG. 17 and a type shown in FIG. The take-out belt 23 of the type shown in FIG. 17 is formed by alternately arranging regions having a large number of suction holes 23a and regions having no suction holes 23a along the longitudinal direction. And 23 have a large number of suction holes 23a formed continuously along the longitudinal direction thereof.

  When the take-out belt 23 shown in FIG. 17 is used, one postal matter P is adsorbed to the belt for every group of holes that appear periodically, so that the take-out is performed at a constant pitch. On the other hand, when the take-out belt 23 of FIG. 18 of the continuous hole type is used, the postal matter P is continuously attracted to the belt surface and fed out, so that the throughput (processing speed) can be increased.

  However, on the other hand, since it is difficult to form a gap between the postal items P with the belt of FIG. 18, it is necessary to turn on and off the suction operation by the take-out mechanism 3 to form a gap between the postal items P. For this purpose, it is necessary to provide an electromagnetic valve in the pipe 22a and control the opening and closing of the electromagnetic valve using information from the sensor 11.

  As an example of the control method of the electromagnetic valve, for example, when the sensor 11 is used and one piece of mail P is taken out and blocks the optical axis of the sensor 11 and becomes “dark”, the electromagnetic valve is turned on (the electromagnetic valve is turned on). (Closed) and pauses the feeding operation to wait for the next mail P to be taken out, and when the output of the sensor 11 becomes “bright” (no mail) or when there is an appropriate gap between the mails. At the formed timing, it is possible to turn off the electromagnetic valve (open the electromagnetic valve) and take out the next mail.

  In order to increase the throughput, information on a plurality of rows (or line sensors) of the sensor 11 is used as a control signal, and the acceleration / deceleration control of the take-out belt 23 is performed based on the position information of the postal matter P more finely and the electromagnetic valve is turned on. -OFF control is repeated.

  By the way, the take-out device 1 described above employs a configuration in which a negative pressure is generated on the peripheral surface of the separation roller 31 and a reverse separation torque is applied to separate the multi-fed mails. A certain space is required between the separation roller 31 and the separation roller 31. This space is narrow and relatively thick so that, for example, when two relatively thin pieces of mail are double-fed, the negative pressure from the separation roller 31 sufficiently acts on the second piece of mail. Ideally, it is widened to such an extent that no jam occurs when a mail piece is sent in or when a large number of three or more mail pieces are sent in a double feed.

  However, the upper limit of the space is inevitably determined in order to reliably separate the multi-feeds of relatively thin mail items, and if the space is expanded too much, such multi-feed mail items cannot be separated. Since the upper limit of the space is determined in this way, there is a high possibility that a jam will occur when a relatively thick mail is sent. Even in the configuration of the above-described embodiment, the space can be expanded to some extent by bending the take-out belt 23 facing the separation roller 31. However, when a mail piece having a thickness exceeding the allowable range is fed, the take-out belt There is a limit to the deflection of 23 and jamming occurs.

  For this reason, in the present embodiment, the separation roller 31 is fixedly arranged with respect to the conveyance path 10, and the take-out belt 23 can be moved in accordance with the thickness of the mail at a portion facing the separation roller 31. It was. On the contrary, it is conceivable that the separation roller 31 can be moved in a direction away from the conveyance path 10, but if the separation roller 31 that performs the separation function of the multi-fed mail is separated from the conveyance path 10, it is conveyed. There will be moments that do not interfere with the mail, and during that time the separation function cannot be performed. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the take-out belt 23 can be retracted in a direction away from the transport path 10.

  Hereinafter, the space variable mechanism 60 in the separation area As will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 and 20. FIG. 19 is a plan view of the take-out device 1 ′ having the space variable mechanism 60, and FIG. 20 is a partially enlarged plan view for explaining the operation of the space variable mechanism 60. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the component which functions similarly to the taking-out apparatus 1 mentioned above here, and the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the space variable mechanism 60 includes a driving roller 62 and a swinging roller 63 in which an endless movable belt 61 is wound and stretched. The driving roller 62 is rotated by the driving force transmitted from the transport mechanism 7. That is, the endless round belt 64 is wound around and connected to the pulley 62a provided on the rotation shaft of the drive roller 62 and the pulley 7b provided on the rotation shaft of the roller 7a of the transport mechanism 7. Travels in the direction of the arrow T1 at the same speed as the transport mechanism 7. On the other hand, the roller 63 on the swinging side is rotatably attached to the tip of a swinging arm 65 that swings in the direction of arrow Y in the figure around the rotation shaft 65a, and is attached to the separation roller 31 via the transport path 10. It is movably disposed at generally opposing positions.

  A tension spring 66 is stretched on the base end portion of the swing arm 65, and the swing arm 65 is always urged clockwise in the drawing around the rotation shaft 65a. Further, a stopper 67 that stops the rotation of the swing arm 65 at a fixed position against the urging force of the tension spring 66 is disposed near the base end of the swing arm 65. The stopper 67 restricts the rotation of the swing arm 65 in the clockwise direction so that the swing roller 63 attached to the tip of the swing arm 65 does not approach the separation roller 31 beyond a certain distance. It works as follows. That is, the position of the stopper 67 determines the distance between the separation roller 31 and the swinging roller 63, that is, the space between the separation roller 31 and the movable belt 61 in the separation area As.

  As shown in FIG. 20, a relatively thick and heavy postal matter P is taken out from the take-out position 20, and the leading end in the take-out direction is sent between the separation roller 31 and the movable belt 61 (the swinging roller 63). Then, the space variable mechanism 60 is operated to swing the swing arm 65 in the counterclockwise direction in the figure, and the tip of the movable belt 61 is swung in the direction away from the transport path 10 and retracted. Specifically, when the front end of the postal matter P applied with the conveying force by the take-out belt 32 collides with the movable belt 61, if the postal matter P is thick and heavy, the movable belt 61 is pushed by the postal matter P. And is swung in a direction away from the conveyance path 10. As a result, even when a relatively thick and heavy mail piece P is taken out, the space between the separation roller 31 and the movable belt 61 expands, and the mail piece P is jammed and jammed. This can prevent the problem that the operating rate of the apparatus decreases due to the jam processing.

  In this case, since the relatively thick and heavy postal matter P itself has a sufficient carrying force, the movable belt 61 that should give the carrying force to the postal matter P after taking out from the take-out position 20 is provided. Even if it is separated from the transport path 10, it is transported to the downstream side without any problem due to its inertial force. Further, in this case, even if there is a second or subsequent double-fed postal item that has been taken out by a relatively thick and heavy postal item P, the separation roller that is fixedly arranged with respect to the conveyance path 10 Since 31 functions normally, the separation ability does not decrease.

  On the other hand, although not shown here, when the relatively thin and light postal matter P is taken out from the takeout position 20, even if the postal matter P collides with the movable belt 61, the movable belt 61 swings. No, the space between the separation roller 31 and the movable belt 61 maintains the initial space. In other words, the spring constant of the tension spring 66 is set so that the swing arm 65 does not move even if a thin and light mail P having almost no possibility of jamming collides with the movable belt 61. For this reason, when a relatively thin and light postal matter P is sent to the separation area As, it can be processed without any problem regardless of whether it is a double feed.

  As described above, by using the movable belt 61 as the conveyor belt facing the separation area As as in the present embodiment, the space between the separation roller 31 and the separation roller 31 can be appropriately adjusted by adjusting the mounting position of the stopper 67. The separation capability for thin and light multi-feed mail P can be increased. In addition, even when a relatively thick and heavy mail piece P is taken out, it can be processed normally without causing a jam.

  However, even if the above-described space variable mechanism 60 is provided or the space variable mechanism 60 is not provided, the separation basically operates so as to apply a separation torque in the direction opposite to the take-out direction of the postal matter P. In the separation area As between the roller 31 and the take-out belt 23 (or the movable belt 61), the possibility of jamming is not completely eliminated. For example, when the inserted mail piece P is folded or stapled, a jam may occur regardless of the presence or absence of the space variable mechanism 60.

  In the present embodiment, in consideration of such a case, the postal matter P having jammed is forcibly discharged. Specifically, the postal matter P taken out from the takeout position 20 is pulled out and transported by being delivered to the transport mechanism 7, so that the postal matter P is received by the transport mechanism 7 after a certain time has passed since the takeout. It can be judged that there is no jam by being passed. In other words, the postal matter P that is not delivered to the transport mechanism 7 even after a predetermined time has passed since the take-out can be determined as the postal matter P that is jammed. That is, when the optical axis of the sensor 71 disposed at the entrance of the transport mechanism 7 is not blocked by the postal matter P after a certain time has elapsed, a jam of the postal matter P is determined.

  In this case, in order to discharge the jammed postal matter P, it is necessary to give a stronger forward conveying force to the postal matter P in the separation area As where the postal matter P will be jammed. There is. However, since the movable belt 61 facing the separation area As travels with the driving force transmitted from the transport mechanism 7, it is difficult to change the travel speed or the torque. Therefore, in this embodiment, in such a case, the separation roller 31 facing the separation area As is driven by an exceptional operation different from the normal operation.

  That is, when forcibly discharging the postal matter P jammed in the separation area As, the separation roller 31 is rotated in the forward direction (in the direction of the arrow T1) and a stronger rotational torque than usual is applied. Further, in this case, by increasing the negative pressure generated on the peripheral surface of the separation roller 31, the adsorption force of the separation roller 31 to the postal matter P is increased, and the postal matter P is firmly attached to the peripheral surface of the separation roller 31. I tried to keep it.

  Thus, by forcibly discharging the postal matter P that has jammed in normal processing, the time and the number of times to stop the device for jam processing can be reduced, and the operating rate of the device can be increased accordingly. . Since the forcibly discharged postal matter P cannot be processed as it is, it is discharged to the downstream rejection unit 104 via the gate G1.

  In FIG. 21, the schematic perspective view of the principal part of the separation mechanism 5 mentioned above is shown. As described above, the separation mechanism 5 includes the separation roller 31 having a large number of suction holes 31a opened on the peripheral surface thereof. As shown in FIG. 21, the suction holes 31a of the separation roller 31 of the present embodiment are formed in a pattern in which a plurality of rows are arranged along the rotation direction. That is, when the separation roller 31 is rotated at a constant speed and a negative pressure is generated on the peripheral surface thereof through the numerous suction holes 31a, the negative pressure is applied to the conveyance path 10 facing the peripheral surface of the separation roller 31. It will work intermittently.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 22, the separation roller 31 is fixedly disposed with the opening 33 a of the chamber 33 facing the conveyance path 10, and rotates in the direction of the arrow, thereby attracting the suction hole. The state where 31a faces the conveyance path 10 and communicates with the opening 33a of the chamber 33 and the state where the suction hole 31a does not face the conveyance path 10 and does not communicate with the opening 33a of the chamber 33 are alternately repeated. Therefore, the negative pressure acting on the conveyance path 10 (that is, the postal matter P conveyed on the conveyance path 10) from the peripheral surface of the rotating separation roller 31, that is, the suction force of the separation roller 31 is shown in the graph of FIG. Thus, it changes so as to vibrate as the separation roller 31 rotates.

  Strictly speaking, an adsorption force for adsorbing the postal matter P is intermittently generated on the peripheral surface of the separation roller 31 as described above. There is a moment when no negative pressure can be applied. For this reason, for example, if the negative pressure disappears at the timing of switching the rotation direction of the separation roller 31 or the timing of starting the operation of the separation roller 31, the timing of the separation control is deviated or the separation capability is reduced. Problems arise.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 21, a detection device 80 for detecting the rotational position of the separation roller 31 is attached to the separation mechanism 5, and the suction hole 31a (that is, a specific hole) of the separation roller 31 is specified. A state in which the suction hole 310) faces the transport path 10 (for example, state 1 and state 3 in FIG. 22; hereinafter, such a state is referred to as a suction state), and the suction hole 31 a of the separation roller 31 is in the transport path 10. The states that do not face each other (for example, state 2 in FIG. 22; hereinafter, such a state is referred to as a non-adsorption state) can be detected. Based on the detection result, the separation roller 31 (AC) is consciously created so that the specific suction hole 310 faces the conveyance path 10 and the specific suction hole 310 does not face the conveyance path 10. The servomotor 35) was controlled to rotate.

  For example, the detection device 80 detects the claw 82 of the rotating disk 81 attached to the rotating shaft 31b (see FIG. 7) of the separation roller 31 with the photo interrupter 83 and acquires operation information of the AC servo motor 35. Thus, the rotational position of the separation roller 31 can be detected with high accuracy. Further, the detection device 80 can detect the rotational position of the separation roller 31 with high accuracy by making the AC servo motor 35 an absolute type.

  Since the separation mechanism 5 including the separation roller 31 having the above-described structure normally and stably processes mail pieces passing through the separation area As, several effective control methods are conceivable. Hereinafter, an effective control method of the separation mechanism 5 will be described with some examples.

  In the first control method, first, in the non-separation operation (the state shown in FIG. 24) before the postal matter P taken out from the take-out position 20 is sent to the separation area As, the separation roller 31 is moved to the specific suction hole. 310 is rotated and stopped in a non-adsorption state where it does not face the conveyance path 10. In this state, the postal matter P receives resistance from the separation roller 31 because there is almost no negative pressure in the separation area As where the circumferential surface of the separation roller 31 faces the conveyance path 10 and there is almost no attracting force by the separation roller 31. It is conveyed without.

  Then, the tip of the postal matter P is delivered to the transport mechanism 7 and triggered by the fact that the optical axis of the sensor 71 is blocked by the postal matter P (the state shown in FIG. 25), A separation operation is started by applying a direction separation torque (state shown in FIG. 26). At this time, since the operation is started from the state where the separation roller 31 is stopped in the non-adsorption state, the separation roller 31 can be operated at the same timing every time, and the variation in the separation timing can be eliminated.

  Further, after the sensor 11 changes from dark to bright and the separation operation is completed, as shown in FIG. 27, the separation roller 31 is rotated to the non-adsorption state and stopped, and the standby state of FIG. 24 is restored.

  As described above, by the series of rotation control of the separation roller 31, the start timing of the separation operation can always be the same, the timing of the separation control can be made constant, and the separation ability can be prevented from being lowered.

  In the second control method, first, in the non-separation operation (the state shown in FIG. 28) before the postal matter P taken out from the take-out position 20 is sent to the separation area As, the separation roller 31 is the same as the take-out belt 23. By rotating forward at a speed for a short time, the postal matter P is conveyed for a short time.

  Thereafter, the separation roller 31 is rotated to the non-adsorption state and stopped by using the trigger (the state shown in FIG. 29) that the tip of the postal matter P blocks the optical axis of the sensor 11. In this state, almost no negative pressure acts on the postal matter P transported on the transport path 10, and the postal matter P is transported depending on the transporting force of the take-out belt 23. As a matter of course, the postal matter P does not receive resistance from the separation roller 31 as in FIG.

  Further, the separation operation is performed by applying a reverse separation torque to the separation roller 31 with the trigger (the state shown in FIG. 30) that the tip of the postal matter P conveyed on the conveyance path 10 has passed the optical axis of the sensor 71. Is started (state shown in FIG. 31). At this time, since the operation is started from the state where the separation roller 31 is stopped in the non-adsorption state (the state of FIGS. 29 and 30), the separation roller 31 can be operated at the same timing every time, and the separation timing varies. Can be eliminated.

  Further, after this, the sensor 11 changes from dark to bright and the separation operation is completed. Then, as shown in FIG. 32, the separation roller 31 is rotated forward again and returned to the standby state of FIG.

  As described above, by the series of rotation control of the separation roller 31, the start timing of the separation operation can always be the same, the timing of the separation control can be made constant, and the separation ability can be prevented from being lowered. Further, when the second control method is adopted, the separation roller 31 can be rotated forward for a short time in the standby state described with reference to FIG.

  In the third control method, as in the first control method described above, first, during the non-separation operation before the postal matter P taken out from the take-out position 20 is sent to the separation area As (state shown in FIG. 33). , The separation roller 31 is rotated and stopped in a non-adsorption state where the specific adsorption hole 310 does not face the conveyance path 10. In this state, there is almost no negative pressure in the separation area As where the peripheral surface of the separation roller 31 faces the transport path 10, and there is almost no suction force by the separation roller 31 (FIG. 38; minimum suction force).

  Thereafter, the tip of the postal matter P is delivered to the transport mechanism 7 and the optical axis of the sensor 71 is blocked by the postal matter P (the state shown in FIG. 34). A separation operation is started by applying a direction separation torque.

  Immediately after the start of the separation operation, as shown in FIG. 35, the separation roller 31 is rotated and stopped in a suction state in which the suction hole 31a of the separation roller 31 faces the transport path 10, and the mail transported through the transport path 10 The postal matter P is firmly adsorbed to the peripheral surface of the separation roller 31 by sufficiently applying a negative pressure to the postal matter P (FIG. 38; maximum value continuation). In this way, immediately after the separation operation is started, a separation torque in the reverse direction is not applied to the separation roller 31, but is temporarily stopped in an attracting state and negative pressure is firmly applied to the postal matter P. As shown in FIG. 2, the second postal matter P to be separated can be captured on the peripheral surface of the separation roller 31, and the separation operation can be ensured.

  Further, after the sensor 11 changes from dark to bright and the separation operation is completed, as shown in FIG. 37, the separation roller 31 is rotated to the non-adsorption state and stopped, and the standby state of FIG. 33 is restored.

  As described above, the series of rotation control of the separation roller 31 makes it possible to rotate the separation roller 31 into the suction state and temporarily stop it immediately after starting the separation operation as described with reference to FIG. The postal matter P to be separated in the area Ac that continues the maximum value of the negative pressure can be firmly adsorbed to the separation roller 31, and the separation operation can be performed more reliably.

  As described above, in the present embodiment employing the first to third control methods, the case where the pattern of the suction holes 31a is designed so as to intermittently generate the negative pressure of the separation roller 31 has been described. It is also conceivable to form the suction holes 31a in such a pattern that a negative pressure can be continuously generated on the peripheral surface during rotation.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above-described embodiments. For example, you may delete some components from all the components shown by embodiment mentioned above. Furthermore, you may combine the component covering different embodiment suitably.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the individual vacuum pumps 22, 37, and 57 are provided in the take-out mechanism 3, the separation mechanism 5, and the auxiliary mechanism 6 has been described. A plurality of pipes may be connected to the pump, and each electromagnetic valve may be individually controlled to open and close.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the negative pressure is generated on the peripheral surface of the separation roller 31 to apply the separation torque, or the negative pressure is generated on the peripheral surface of the auxiliary roller 51 to control the rotation. Not limited to this, an endless belt may be used instead of the roller.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a mail processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a configuration of a take-out apparatus incorporated in the processing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a partially enlarged configuration of a main part of the take-out mechanism of the take-out apparatus in FIG. 2. 4 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a state in which the take-out belt is removed from the configuration of FIG. FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged perspective view in which a main part of the suction mechanism incorporated in the take-out device of FIG. 2 is partially enlarged. 6 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view in which a configuration of a main part of a separation mechanism incorporated in the take-out device of FIG. 2 is partially enlarged. 7 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the configuration of FIG. 6 taken along the broken line VII-VII. FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view for explaining the behavior of the separation roller and the mail piece in a state where one mail piece is being conveyed through the conveyance path. FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which one mail piece taken out on the conveyance path is bent. FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing a take-out apparatus to which a suction chamber facing the separation roller is added. FIG. 11 is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view for explaining the behavior of the separation roller and the mail piece in a state where the two mail pieces are conveyed in a state of being overlapped via the conveyance path. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram for explaining a first control state of the auxiliary mechanism. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining a second control state of the auxiliary mechanism. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram for explaining a third control state of the auxiliary mechanism. FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram for explaining a fourth control state of the auxiliary mechanism. FIG. 16 is a flowchart for explaining first to fourth control operations by the auxiliary mechanism. FIG. 17 is a partially enlarged view showing a take-out belt having suction holes intermittently along the longitudinal direction. FIG. 18 is a partially enlarged view showing a take-out belt having suction holes continuous along the longitudinal direction. FIG. 19 is a plan view showing a take-out device that can retract the belt facing the separation area in a direction away from the conveyance path. FIG. 20 is a partially enlarged plan view showing an enlarged main part of the takeout device 19. FIG. 21 is a schematic perspective view showing a separation mechanism of the take-out device of FIG. FIG. 22 is an operation explanatory diagram for explaining a rotation state of the separation roller. 23 is a graph showing the negative pressure in each state of FIG. FIG. 24 is an operation explanatory diagram for describing a first control operation of the separation roller. FIG. 25 is an operation explanatory diagram for describing a first control operation of the separation roller. FIG. 26 is an operation explanatory diagram for describing a first control operation of the separation roller. FIG. 27 is an operation explanatory diagram for describing a first control operation of the separation roller. FIG. 28 is an operation explanatory diagram for describing a second control operation of the separation roller. FIG. 29 is an operation explanatory diagram for describing a second control operation of the separation roller. FIG. 30 is an operation explanatory diagram for describing a second control operation of the separation roller. FIG. 31 is an operation explanatory diagram for describing a second control operation of the separation roller. FIG. 32 is an operation explanatory diagram for describing a second control operation of the separation roller. FIG. 33 is an operation explanatory diagram for describing a third control operation of the separation roller. FIG. 34 is an operation explanatory diagram for describing a third control operation of the separation roller. FIG. 35 is an operation explanatory diagram for describing a third control operation of the separation roller. FIG. 36 is an operation explanatory diagram for describing a third control operation of the separation roller. FIG. 37 is an operation explanatory diagram for describing a third control operation of the separation roller. FIG. 38 is a graph showing a change in speed (a) of the separation roller over time and a change in negative pressure (b) over time.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Extraction device, 2 ... Input part, 3 ... Extraction mechanism, 4 ... Suction mechanism, 5 ... Separation mechanism, 6 ... Auxiliary mechanism, 7 ... Conveyance mechanism, 10 ... Conveyance path, 11 ... Sensor, 20 ... Extraction position, 23 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Extraction belt, 31 ... Separation roller, 31a ... Suction hole, 35 ... AC servo motor, 37 ... Vacuum pump, 51 ... Auxiliary roller, 52 ... Suction hole, 55 ... AC servo motor, 57 ... Vacuum pump.

Claims (13)

A loading section for stacking a plurality of paper sheets;
A supply mechanism for moving a plurality of input paper sheets in the stacking direction and supplying the paper sheets at the leading end in the moving direction to the take-out position at one end of the input unit;
A take-out mechanism that takes out the paper sheets in a direction substantially perpendicular to the stacking direction by rotating in contact with the paper sheets supplied to the take-out position;
Located on the opposite side of the take-out mechanism across the conveyance path for conveying paper sheets downstream of the take-out direction of the paper sheets by the take-out mechanism, a negative pressure is applied to the paper sheets taken out on the conveyance path. A separation mechanism that applies separation torque in the direction opposite to the take-out direction while acting and separates the second and subsequent sheets taken out from the take-out sheet from the take-out position;
The paper sheet that is disposed adjacent to the take-out position on the upstream side of the take-out mechanism along the take-out direction and is supplied to the take-out position by the supply mechanism, and 2 after the paper sheets are taken out. An auxiliary mechanism that applies a negative pressure to and adsorbs the sheets after the first sheet and moves and stops in both forward and reverse directions with respect to the take-out direction ;
Sheet separation extraction device further comprising a. The auxiliary mechanism includes an auxiliary roller having a large number of third suction holes on a peripheral surface exposed at the take-out position, a second driving unit that rotates and stops the auxiliary roller in both forward and reverse directions, and the large number of third The paper sheet separating and taking out apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a fourth negative pressure generating mechanism for applying a negative pressure to the paper sheet at the take-out position through the suction hole. A loading section for stacking a plurality of paper sheets;
A supply mechanism for moving a plurality of input paper sheets in the stacking direction and supplying the paper sheets at the leading end in the moving direction to the take-out position at one end of the input unit;
A take-out mechanism that takes out the paper sheets in a direction substantially perpendicular to the stacking direction by rotating in contact with the paper sheets supplied to the take-out position;
The sheet is disposed adjacent to the take-out position on the upstream side of the take-out direction of the paper sheet from the take-out mechanism, and is supplied to the take-out position by the supply mechanism and 2 after the paper sheet is taken out. An auxiliary mechanism that applies a negative pressure to and adsorbs the sheets after the first sheet and moves and stops in both forward and reverse directions with respect to the take-out direction;
A paper sheet separating and taking out apparatus comprising: The auxiliary mechanism includes an auxiliary roller having a plurality of suction holes on a peripheral surface exposed to the take-out position, a drive unit that rotates and stops the auxiliary roller in both forward and reverse directions, and the take-out position through the plurality of suction holes. 4. The paper sheet separating and taking out apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising a negative pressure generating mechanism for applying a negative pressure to the paper sheets in the paper. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising a separation mechanism that separates the second and subsequent sheets taken out from the take-out position by the take-out mechanism from the first sheet. Paper sheet separating and taking out device. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising a suction mechanism for sucking a paper sheet at a leading end in the movement direction among the plurality of paper sheets fed through the feeding unit toward the take-out position. Paper sheet separating and taking out device. A loading section for stacking a plurality of paper sheets;
A supply mechanism for moving a plurality of input paper sheets in the stacking direction and supplying the paper sheets at the leading end in the moving direction to the take-out position at one end of the input unit;
A take-out mechanism that takes out the paper sheets in a direction substantially perpendicular to the stacking direction by rotating in contact with the paper sheets supplied to the take-out position;
With respect to the paper sheets that are fixedly disposed on the opposite side of the take-out mechanism across the conveyance path for conveying the paper sheets on the downstream side in the take-out direction of the paper sheets by the take-out mechanism, and taken out on the conveyance path A separation mechanism that applies a separation torque in a direction opposite to the take-out direction while applying a negative pressure, and separates the second and subsequent sheets taken out from the take-out sheet from the take-out position;
It is disposed at a position that defines one side of the conveyance path at a position facing the separation mechanism, and is retracted in a direction away from the conveyance path due to a collision of paper sheets taken out on the conveyance path by the take-out mechanism. And a space variable mechanism that varies the space between the separation mechanism and
A paper sheet separating and taking out apparatus comprising: Claim the space variable mechanism is configured to swing by the collision of a sheet conveyed on the said conveying path, characterized in that it comprises a movable belt which gives conveying force to the paper sheets taken out on the conveying path sheet separation extraction apparatus according to 7. The paper sheet according to claim 8 , wherein when the paper sheets are jammed between the separation mechanism and the movable belt, the separation mechanism is rotated forward in the take-out direction to discharge the jammed paper sheets. Paper sheet separating and taking out device. The apparatus for separating and taking out paper sheets according to claim 9 , wherein when discharging the jammed paper sheets, a negative pressure acting on the paper sheets is increased from the separation mechanism. A loading section for stacking a plurality of paper sheets;
A supply mechanism for moving a plurality of input paper sheets in the stacking direction and supplying the paper sheets at the leading end in the moving direction to the take-out position at one end of the input unit;
A take-out mechanism that takes out the paper sheets in a direction substantially perpendicular to the stacking direction by rotating in contact with the paper sheets supplied to the take-out position;
Located on the opposite side of the take-out mechanism across the conveyance path for conveying paper sheets downstream of the take-out direction of the paper sheets by the take-out mechanism, a negative pressure is applied to the paper sheets taken out on the conveyance path. Two sheets to be taken out by the paper sheets taken out from the take-out position by giving a separation torque in the direction opposite to the take-out direction to the paper sheets sucked by the suction holes. A separation mechanism for separating paper sheets after the eye;
A detection device that detects an adsorption state in which the suction hole faces the paper sheet conveyed through the conveyance path and a non-adsorption state in which the adsorption hole does not face the paper sheet conveyed through the conveyance path. When,
A control unit for controlling the separation mechanism based on a detection result by the detection device;
A paper sheet separating and taking out apparatus comprising: The control unit, when not grant the separation torque to the paper sheet being conveyed through the conveying path, the separating mechanism according to claim 11, characterized in that arranged in the non-adsorbed state Paper sheet separating and taking out device. When applying the separation torque to the paper sheet conveyed through the conveyance path, the controller places the separation mechanism in the adsorption state and adsorbs the paper sheet to the adsorption hole. The paper sheet separating and taking out apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein thereafter, the separation torque in the reverse direction is applied to the paper sheet.

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