JP7837248B2 - Apparatus and method for leveling the number of sheets in a sheet group, and sheet supply line and its operation method - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a conveying device for transporting a group of sheets consisting of multiple stacked sheets. Furthermore, this disclosure relates to a supply line that supplies sheets from a sheet supply source to a sheet supply destination, including the conveying device for transporting the sheet group.

For example, a beverage product manufacturing line includes a supply line that supplies sheets to be used as packaging material to a packaging machine. Such a supply line includes a conveying device that, as described in Patent Document 1, for example, takes multiple sheets (sheet groups) from a stack of sheets that are piled high and transfers them to a conveyor or the like, and transports the sheet groups to a sheet magazine by the conveyor or the like. The packaging machine transports the sheets supplied one by one from the magazine and packages the beverage product with the sheets (Patent Document 2).
Patent Document 2 improves the sheet supply capacity without changing the sheet supply speed from each magazine to each conveyor by supplying sheets from a first magazine to a first conveyor, and supplying sheets from a second magazine to a second conveyor, while simultaneously transferring sheets from the second conveyor to the first conveyor.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-7543 (Figures 9 and 10) Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-189682

The sheet supply line may include a process to ensure sheet supply capacity by simultaneously removing a predetermined number of sheets from multiple adjacent sheet stacks (hereinafter referred to as the first and second stacks) using the same transfer device and transferring them to a conveyor or the like. In this case, the height of the first and second stacks from their respective pallets is the same, and the sheet groups are separated by a transfer device such as a robot hand at the same height below the top surface of both the first and second stacks. Therefore, the number of sheets in the first sheet group removed from the first stack and the number of sheets in the second sheet group removed from the second stack are approximately the same. At this time, the quantities of sheets in the first and second sheet groups are equalized.

During steady-state operation of the sheet supply line, the transfer device supports multiple groups of sheets with equalized quantities and transfers them to a conveyor or the like.
However, due to the shutdown of the sheet supply line accompanying the shutdown of the downstream line, or abnormalities related to the stacking state of the sheets, the number of sheet groups that should be supported simultaneously by the transfer device may not be equalized, or there may be only one sheet group supported by the transfer device. In such cases, even if the conveyor or other equipment is operated in the opposite direction to normal operation to automatically retrieve the sheet groups from downstream to upstream, the premise of stable transfer of the sheet groups by the transfer device is lacking, making it difficult to support the sheet groups with the transfer device. This also leads to an instability in the arrangement of the sheet groups at the retrieval destination.
Currently, when the line stops, operators transport the remaining sheets on the conveyor back to the pallet where they will be collected. However, when reusing the sheets returned to the pallet, as mentioned above, the sheets are separated from both stacks of sheets simultaneously, so it is inconvenient if only "1" sheet remains. In other words, if the sheets are returned to only one of the two stacks, the heights of the two stacks will differ, which undermines the premise that the separation mechanism can reliably separate the sheets at the same height.
In other words, when the line stops, the heights of the sheets that should be handled simultaneously are not leveled, and the lack of a prerequisite for them to be detached or supported at the same height simultaneously is an obstacle to automating the sheet retrieval process after the line stops.

Therefore, this disclosure focuses on situations where the requirements for stable simultaneous transfer and separation of multiple sheet groups cannot be met. Its purpose is to achieve stable simultaneous transfer and placement of multiple sheet groups, and stable simultaneous separation, thereby enabling the automatic recovery of remaining sheets after the sheet supply line has stopped.

This disclosure relates to a conveying device that transports a group of stacked sheets, and is configured to provide a group of leveled sheets with an equalized quantity of sheets. The device includes a leveling processing unit that indicates the quantity of sheets in a group of sheets on the conveying device and, based on information obtained to obtain the leveled sheet groups, provides the conveying device with a group of leveled sheets by moving sheets between the multiple groups of sheets on the conveying device or by dividing the group of sheets on the conveying device into multiple sheet groups, if leveling of the quantity of sheets in the group of sheets is necessary.

Furthermore, this disclosure relates to a sheet supply line for supplying sheets to a customer, comprising: a supply source of a sheet group consisting of a plurality of stacked sheets; a conveying device configured to supply sheets to a customer by conveying the sheet group downstream; a sheet quantity leveling device having the above configuration and configured to perform a leveling process that provides a plurality of leveled sheet groups to the conveying device; and a transfer device configured to simultaneously take out a plurality of sheet groups arranged adjacent to each other at the supply source and transfer them to the conveying device.
The sheet supply line is configured to allow setting a sheet retrieval mode in which a conveying device reverses the flow of sheets from downstream to upstream, a leveling processing unit provides multiple leveled sheet groups to the conveying device, and a transfer device simultaneously supports multiple leveled sheet groups placed adjacent to each other on the conveying device, and transfers them from the conveying device to the supply source.

This disclosure provides a sheet quantity leveling method configured to provide a conveying device that transports a group of stacked sheets with a number of leveled sheets, comprising: a first step of acquiring information indicating the number of sheets in a group of sheets on the conveying device to obtain leveled sheet groups; and a second step of providing a group of leveled sheet groups to the conveying device by moving sheets between multiple groups of sheets on the conveying device or by dividing a group of sheets on the conveying device into multiple groups of sheets, if leveling of the number of sheet groups is necessary based on the information; and providing the conveying device with multiple leveled sheet groups.

Furthermore, this disclosure relates to a method for operating a sheet supply line, wherein the sheet supply line is configured to supply sheets to a destination by taking out multiple sheet groups arranged adjacently at a supply source of multiple stacked sheets, transferring them to a conveying device, and conveying the sheet groups downstream by the conveying device. The method includes the steps of: when the sheet supply line stops, having the conveying device reverse-directly transfer the remaining sheet groups corresponding to the sheet groups remaining on the conveying device from downstream to upstream; providing multiple leveled sheet groups to the conveying device by performing the above-described first and second steps on the remaining sheet groups; and simultaneously transferring the multiple leveled sheet groups arranged adjacently on the conveying device from the conveying device to the supply source.

According to this disclosure, the requirement for stably handling multiple sheet groups simultaneously is ensured by performing a quantity leveling process on the sheets included in the sheet group. Therefore, when the sheet supply line stops, multiple sheet groups remaining on the conveying device can be simultaneously recovered to the supply source and used in product manufacturing after the line restarts.

The collection of residual sheets is performed automatically by conveying and transfer devices, eliminating the need for operators to transport the residual sheets along the conveying routes to the supply source. Therefore, manual work can be eliminated, promoting automation.

This is a schematic perspective view showing a sheet supply line according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 is a side view showing a hand device attached to a robot arm, which is schematically represented. (a) to (c) are explanatory diagrams illustrating the use of a lifter at the position where the sheet group is loaded and unloaded by a hand device. This figure shows the remaining state of the sheet group on the conveying device after the sheet supply line has been stopped. This figure shows the remaining sheets being transported in reverse by a conveyor to the loading/unloading position using a hand-operated device. (a) is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a leveling process in which a hand device transfers two groups of leveled sheets to a conveying device based on sheet quantity information. (b) is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of a leveling process. (a) is a diagram showing the state in which the downstream group of remaining sheets has been reversed to the loading/unloading position on the conveying device. (b) is a diagram showing the leveling process in which the downstream group of remaining sheets is divided into two groups of sheets. This diagram illustrates how a hand device holds two sheet groups at the loading/unloading position and recovers them onto two sheet stacks that serve as a source for the sheet groups. (a) is a schematic diagram illustrating how information indicating the quantity of sheets in a sheet group can be obtained by acquiring the height of the sheet group from the conveying surface. (b) is a schematic diagram illustrating how the height of the sheet group from the conveying surface can be acquired by a method that is an alternative to (a). This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the sheet retrieval mode operation of a sheet supply line. This is a schematic perspective view showing a modified sheet supply line according to the present disclosure. This sheet supply line includes a leveling processing device, which is configured to enable leveling of the number of sheets, in addition to a transfer device that takes sheets from two sheet stacks and transfers them to a transport device.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of this disclosure will be described with reference to the attached drawings.
[Overall structure]
The sheet supply line 1 shown in Figure 1 is part of the product manufacturing line and supplies corrugated cardboard sheets 2, used as packaging material, to downstream devices 9 such as a packing machine (caser) and a boxing device. The downstream devices 9 pack items (not shown), such as beverage-filled containers, with the sheets 2.
When sheets 2 are supplied to a so-called wrap-around type packaging machine, each sheet 2 is formed into a box shape to enclose the articles supplied on it. However, the sheet 2 may already be formed into a box shape and then folded into a flat state to take on the shape of a sheet.

As shown in Figure 1 as an example of its configuration, the sheet supply line 1 includes a supply source 10 containing a laminate 200 of numerous sheets 2, a transport device 30 that transports the sheet group 20 taken from the laminate 200 from upstream u to downstream d, a hand device 40 (Figure 2) that serves as a transfer device for the sheet group 20 from the supply source 10 to the transport device 30, and a control device 5 configured to control at least the devices 10, 30, and 40.
The control device 5 controls the operation of each device 10, 30, and 40, so that the sheet supply line 1 supplies sheets 2 to the downstream device 9 at a capacity slightly higher than the capacity required by the downstream device 9.

[Configuration and operation of the sheet supply source]
The supply source 10 includes a pallet conveyor 11 that transports pallets 12 on which two stacked bodies 200 are placed to a pick-up position P1, and a pallet discharge conveyor 13 that discharges empty pallets 12E, which are empty after all the sheets 2 have been removed from the stacked bodies 200, from the pick-up position P1.

The stacked units 200 on the pallet 12, being transported toward the removal position P1 by the pallet conveyor 11, have their binding ties removed and are held down by a top plate (not shown) to maintain a stable position. One top plate is placed over the entire upper surface of two adjacent stacked units 200 on the pallet 12.
When the empty pallet 12E is discharged from the removal position P1 by the pallet discharge conveyor 13, the pallet 12 with the stacked body 200 on it arrives at the removal position P1, and the top plate is removed from the top surface of the stacked body 200.

The two stacks 200 on the pallet 12, positioned at the retrieval location P1, are adjacent to each other in the transport direction y of the pallet conveyor 11. The height of each of the two stacks 200 from the pallet 12 is the same. The two stacks 200 maintain the same height while their respective heights decrease as the sheet groups 20 are repeatedly retrieved.

[Configuration and operation of the hand device]
The handling device 40 (Figure 2) is configured to simultaneously pick up the sheet group 20 from two adjacent stacks 200 at the pick-up position P1 on the pallet conveyor 11 of the supply source 10 and transfer them to the loading/unloading position P2 on the transport device 30. In this embodiment, the pallet conveyor 11 and the conveyors 31, 32, and 34 of the transport device 30 are arranged in parallel.

The hand device 40 is mounted on the arm portion 4A of the robot arm 4, whose movement trajectory T is shown in Figure 1. The operation of the movable parts of the arm portion 4A and the hand device 40 is controlled by the control device 5. The arm portion 4A is capable of rotating around the rotation axis 4X shown in Figure 1, and moving up and down in the vertical direction z.

The hand device 40 simultaneously separates the overlapping sheets 2 from the two stacked bodies 200 positioned at the removal position P1, at a predetermined height (separation position) below the upper surface of the stacked bodies 200. The sheet group 20, consisting of multiple sheets 2 located between the upper surfaces of the two stacked bodies 200 and the separation position, is simultaneously lifted upward as indicated by arrow M1 in Figure 1, due to the movement of the movable part of the hand device 40 and the rising of the arm portion 4A. As the arm portion 4A rotates around the rotation axis 4X shown in Figure 1, it moves horizontally.

When the hand device 40 moves to above the loading/unloading position P2 on the transport device 30, the two sheet groups 20 are loaded and unloaded at the loading/unloading position P2 as shown by arrow M2, due to the descent of the arm portion 4A and the operation of the hand device 40.
Since the two sheet groups 20 are separated from the remaining portion 200R of the laminate 200 at the same height from two laminates 200 of the same height, the quantity of sheets 2 contained in each of the two sheet groups 20 is equivalent, and it can be said that the number of sheets in the two sheet groups 20 is equalized.
As will be described later, in this embodiment, after the sheet supply line 1 stops, the hand device 40 is used to perform a sheet quantity leveling process on the sheet group 20 remaining on the conveying device 30.

As shown in Figure 2, the hand device 40 includes a base 41 supported by an arm 4A (Figure 1), a rotating shaft 42 rotatably mounted on the arm 4A about an axis L, and a plurality of movable parts 401 to 404 that are movably mounted relative to the base 41 and are used to separate and remove the sheet group 20 from the remaining portion 200R of the laminate 200 through coordinated operation.
Figure 2 shows only one of the two stacks 200 (the first stack 200-1 and the second stack 200-2 shown in Figure 1) that are adjacent to the pallet conveyor 11 in the transport direction y at the retrieval position P1 (the second stack 200-2). The width direction x of the pallet conveyor 11 is perpendicular to the transport direction y.

The base 41 has the necessary strength for the hand device 40 because horizontally extending members 41A, 41B, 41C, etc., are assembled in a frame-like manner.
The movable parts 401 to 404 correspond to the stopper 401, the needle insertion part 402, the first support part 403, and the second support part 404. The stopper 401, the needle insertion part 402, the first support part 403, and the second support part 404 act on either the first laminate 200-1 or the second laminate 200-2, and, if necessary, are provided with separate members that act on the first laminate 200-1 and members that act on the second laminate 200-2.

When removing the sheet group 20 from the laminate 200, first, the arm section 4A is lowered to lower the entire hand device 40. Then, the stopper 401 is moved from one side (x+ side) in the width direction x to the other side (x- side) to the end face 200A of the laminate 200, thereby pressing down on the end face 200A (step S1-1). Simultaneously, the needle insertion section 402 is moved in the opposite direction to the movement of the stopper 401 to approach the opposite end face 200B of the laminate 200. The needle 402A is then inserted into the second laminate 200-2 at the separation position 200P, and the same needle as the needle 402A is inserted into the first laminate 200-1 at the separation position 200P (step S1-2). Note that the needle 402A is positioned at two locations: the separation position 200P and a position above 200P.

Next, when the needle insertion section 402 is raised, a gap (not shown) is created between the sheet group 20, whose x-side end is supported by the needle insertion section 402, and the remaining portion 200R of the laminate 200 (step S2). Therefore, the claws 403A of the first support section 403 are inserted into the gap below the sheet group 20 by the displacement of the first support section 403 from the x-side to the x+ side in the width direction x, and the displacement of the horizontal axis in the rotation direction r+, thereby supporting the sheet group 20 from below with the claws 403A (step S3).

In this state, the second support part 404 is moved from the x- side to the x+ side to a predetermined position, thereby separating the sheet group 20 from the remaining part 200R, and the sheet group 20 is supported from below by the second support part 404 (step S4). At this time, the hand device 40 supports the first sheet group 20-1, which has been removed from the first laminate 200-1, and the second sheet group 20-2, which has been removed from the second laminate 200-2, in an adjacent state.
Subsequently, the entire hand device 40 is raised by raising the arm portion 4A, and the arm portion 4A is rotated. At this time, in order to align the orientation of the two sheet groups 20-1 and 20-2 supported by the hand device 40 with the transport direction y of the transport device 30, the base portion 41 is rotated relative to the arm portion 4A by the rotating shaft portion 42.

At loading/unloading position P2, the arm section 4A is lowered so that the undersides of the sheet groups 20-1 and 20-2 face the conveying surface 30A of the conveying device 30. In this state, the second support section 404 is moved from the x+ side to the x- side, close to the needle 402A of the needle insertion section 402 and the claw 403A of the first support section 403. As the sheet groups 20-1 and 20-2 are lowered onto the conveying surface 30A from the x+ side, the needle insertion section 402 and the first support section 403 are activated to remove the needles and claws (402A, 403A, etc.) from the sheet groups 20-1 and 20-2. Furthermore, the second support section 404 is moved towards the x- side to a position beyond the sheet groups 20-1 and 20-2, and the stopper 401 is retracted to the x+ side. As a result, the sheet groups 20-1 and 20-2 are loaded and unloaded with their entire undersides positioned on the conveying surface.

[Configuration and operation of the sheet group conveying device]
The conveying device 30 conveys each sheet group 20 downstream d at a predetermined pitch and supplies them to the sheet magazine 8, and supplies the sheets 2 to the downstream device 9 via the sheet magazine 8.
In order to provide a predetermined pitch between two sheet groups 20-1 and 20-2 that are placed adjacent to each other at the loading/unloading position P2, a first conveyor 31 and a second conveyor 32 are arranged in series on the upstream u side of the conveying device 30. In addition to the first conveyor 31 and the second conveyor 32, the conveying device 30 may also include a plurality of conveyors 33, 34 arranged between the loading/unloading position P2 and the position of the sheet magazine 8, and a direction switching unit 35 that rotates the sheet groups 20 by 90°. The third conveyor 33 is perpendicular to the second conveyor 32 and the fourth conveyor 34.

The conveying device 30 is configured to reverse-directly transport the sheet group 20 from downstream d to upstream u by rotating a motor (not shown) that drives conveyors 31-34, etc., in the opposite direction to the rotation direction during steady-state operation. As will be described later, when the sheet group 20 remaining in the conveying device 30 is recovered to the supply source 10 when the sheet supply line 1 is stopped, the conveying device 30 is reverse-directed.

Near the upstream end (u) of the first conveyor 31, a stopper (not shown) may be provided as needed to position the sheet group 20 at the loading/unloading position P2 during reverse transport. Since the hand device 40 can be positioned relative to the sheet group 20 placed at the loading/unloading position P2, the stopper is not necessarily required.

Of the two sheet groups 20 to be unloaded at the loading/unloading position P2, the upstream u-side second sheet group 20-2 is placed on the first conveyor 31, and the downstream d-side first sheet group 20-1 is placed on the second conveyor 32. When the first and second sheet groups 20-1 and 20-2 are unloaded, at least the first conveyor 31 of the first and second conveyors 32 stops its transport operation based on a command issued from the control device 5.
When the first conveyor 31 is stopped, and the first sheet group 20-1 is moved downstream d by the second conveyor 32, and then the first conveyor 31 starts its conveying operation, the first sheet group 20-1 will transfer from the first conveyor 31 to the second conveyor 32, and a predetermined pitch in the conveying direction y can be provided between the first sheet group 20-1 and the second sheet group 20-2 on the second conveyor 32.

Alternatively, a single conveyor can be used instead of the first conveyor 31 and the second conveyor 32, and the sheet groups 20-1 and 20-2 can be loaded and unloaded onto the first lifter 61 and the second lifter 62, which are configured to be able to move up and down independently, as shown in Figures 3(a) to (c).
In this case, as shown in Figure 3(a), the second sheet group 20-2 is loaded onto the support surface 61A of the first lifter 61, which is located above the conveying surface 30A of the conveyor, and the first sheet group 20-1 is loaded onto the support surface 62A of the second lifter 62, which is also located above the conveying surface 30A. Then, as shown in Figure 3(b), when the first sheet group 20-1 is lowered to the conveying surface 30A by the second lifter 62 located downstream d, the first sheet group 20-1 begins to move downstream d before the second sheet group 20-2 on the first lifter 61. After that, as shown in Figure 3(c), it is preferable to lower the second sheet group 20-2 to the conveying surface 30A by the first lifter 61.

The sheet group 20, transported from the loading/unloading position P2 to the sheet magazine 8 by the conveying device 30, is supplied into the sheet magazine 8 by a rocking mechanism (not shown) that supports the sheet group 20. The sheet magazine 8 stores the sheets 2 in a stacked state and supplies the sheets 2 one by one to the downstream device 9 through the supply port.

[Processing required for automatic collection mode of residual sheets]
Now, suppose that the sheet supply line 1 stops due to the shutdown of the downstream device 9, or that the sheet supply line 1 malfunctions and some sheets 20 remain on the conveying device 30. For example, Figure 4 shows an example where the sheet supply line 1 stops due to the shutdown of the downstream device 9. In this example, one sheet group 20 remains on the fourth conveyor 34, the direction switching section 35, and the second conveyor 32 of the conveying device 30. In other words, three sheet groups 20A, 20B, and 20C remain, corresponding to the difference between the processing capacity of the downstream device 9 and the supply capacity of the sheet supply line 1.

The sheet supply line 1 of this embodiment is configured to allow setting a sheet retrieval mode in which, when operation stops, the remaining sheet groups 20A, 20B, and 20C are automatically retrieved from the conveying device 30 to the supply source 10. In this sheet retrieval mode, for example, as shown in Figure 5, the conveying device 30 reverses direction from normal operation to the loading/unloading position P2, using the opposite direction to normal operation. Furthermore, the hand device 40 and arm section 4A simultaneously support the two sheet groups 20 and move them in the opposite direction to normal operation from the loading/unloading position P2 to the retrieval position P1 of the supply source 10, and then load them back onto the stack 200 or pallet 12.

Here, in order for the hand device 40 to simultaneously support two sheet groups 20, it is necessary that two sheet groups 20, each consisting of an equal number of sheets 2, be placed adjacent to each other at the loading/unloading position P2. The two sheet groups 20 are simultaneously supported from below by the first support section 403 and the second support section 404. The first support section 403 and the second support section 404 operate stably on the premise that two sheet groups 20 with equal numbers of sheets 2 are placed adjacent to each other at the loading/unloading position P2. If the number of sheets in the two sheet groups 20 placed at the loading/unloading position P2 are not equal, even if the hand device 40 can support the two sheet groups 20, the posture of the laminated body 200 after the sheet groups 20 are returned from the hand device 40 will be unstable.

Therefore, in the sheet retrieval mode of the sheet supply line 1, a leveling process is performed to equalize the sheet quantities for the remaining sheet groups 20A, 20B, and 20C. In this embodiment, the leveling process is performed at the loading/unloading position P2 using a hand device 40. In other words, the hand device 40 serves as both a transfer device for transferring the sheet groups 20 between the supply source 10 and the conveying device 30, and a leveling processing unit 70.
Here, as shown in Figure 5, if the quantities of sheets 2 in the remaining sheet group 20C and the remaining sheet group 20B, which are located at the loading/unloading position P2, are the same, the leveling process is not performed. The leveling process is performed when it is necessary to level the quantities of the sheet group 20, based on the quantity information 2Q which indicates the quantity of sheets 2 included in the sheet group 20.

The "quantity" of sheet 2 in sheet group 20 corresponds, for example, to the number of sheets 2 included in sheet group 20, the weight of sheet group 20, and the height from the bottom surface to the top surface of sheet group 20.
In order to stably support the two sheet groups 20 with the hand device 40 and to maintain the stability of the orientation of the laminate 200 when the sheet groups 20 are returned, a difference in quantity between the two sheet groups 20, for example, equivalent to a few sheets, is permissible. Therefore, "equal" quantities mean not only that the number of sheets 2 included in multiple sheet groups 20 simultaneously supported by the hand device 40 is the same, but also that the difference in the number of sheets 2 included in multiple sheet groups 20 is within an acceptable range.

Quantitative information 2Q can be acquired, for example, using a sensor capable of detecting the height of the sheet group 20, as described later. Since height is less affected by ambient humidity and other environmental factors, quantitative information 2Q can be acquired stably throughout the year.
Furthermore, the quantity information 2Q may be acquired by a control system separate from the control device 5 and transmitted to the control device 5.

It is not guaranteed that each sheet group 20 remaining in the conveying device 30 after the sheet supply line 1 has stopped will contain a constant quantity of sheets 2. Therefore, even if the conveying device 30 reverses direction and sends two sheet groups 20 to the loading/unloading position P2, the quantities of sheets 2 in each of the two sheet groups 20 placed at the loading/unloading position P2 may not be equal.

[Specific examples of leveling processes]
An example of leveling processing will be explained. Leveling processing is performed, for example, as shown in Figure 6(a), by moving the sheets 2 between sheet groups 20-3 and 20-4 using a hand device 40 acting as a leveling processing unit 70, based on quantity information 2Q-3 indicating the quantity of sheets 2 in sheet group 20-3 arranged at loading/unloading position P2, and quantity information 2Q-4 indicating the quantity of sheets 2 in sheet group 20-4 arranged adjacent to sheet group 20-3.

In performing the leveling process, the control device 5, which controls the hand device 40, determines whether leveling is necessary based on the difference Δ2Q between the quantity indicated by quantity information 2Q-3 and the quantity indicated by quantity information 2Q-4 (step S11). If leveling is necessary as a result of the determination, the hand device 40, based on the control command issued by the control device 5, takes out a quantity of sheets 2 from the sheet group 20-3, which has a relatively large quantity of sheets 2, in the same manner as when taking out the sheet group 20 from the laminate 200 (step S12).
One or more sheets 2 removed from sheet group 20-3 are moved to the position of sheet group 20-4 by the operation of the arm section 4A and the hand device 40, in the same manner as when sheet group 20 removed from the laminate 200 is transported to the loading/unloading position P2, and are stacked on top of sheet group 20-4 (step S13).

The leveling process performed by the hand device 40 can be carried out with the sheet groups 20-3 and 20-4 stopped at the loading/unloading position P2, or it can be carried out on the moving sheet groups 20-3 and 20-4.

Unlike the example shown in Figure 5, we consider a case where the number n1 of remaining sheet groups 20 is even and divisible by the number n2 that the sheet groups 20 can be simultaneously supported by the hand device 40. In this case, even if multiple remaining sheets contain sheet groups 20 with different quantities of sheets 2, performing the leveling process described above one or more times allows all sheet groups 20 remaining on the conveying device 30 to be returned to the supply source 10 by the hand device 40.

Unlike the above, it is also conceivable that the number n1 of remaining sheet groups 20 is odd, as in the example shown in Figure 5, and that the number n2 of sheet groups 20 simultaneously supported by the hand device 40 is not divisible, resulting in a remainder. In this case, as shown in Figure 7(a), only one sheet group 20A will be placed at the loading/unloading position P2 in the final stage of remaining sheet retrieval.

In such cases, the leveling process involves, for example, as shown in Figures 6(b) and 7(b), dividing the sheet group 20A into sheet group 20-A1 and 20-A2 using a hand device 40 acting as a leveling processing unit 70. This is done based on quantity information 2QA indicating the quantity of sheets 2 in a single sheet group 20A located at the loading/unloading position P2, and information indicating that no sheet group 20 exists adjacent to sheet group 20A (quantity information 2QB indicating a quantity of 0).

In this case as well, the control device 5 determines whether leveling processing is necessary based on the difference Δ2Q between the quantity indicated by the quantity information 2QA and the quantity "0" indicated by the information that the sheet group 20 is not present in the position where the sheet group 20 should be placed to support the two sheet groups 20 simultaneously (step S11). Here, if the quantity indicated by the quantity information 2QA is "1", the sheet group 20A cannot be divided, so leveling processing is not necessary.
If the determination indicates that leveling processing is necessary, the hand device 40, based on the control command issued by the control device 5, takes out a number of sheets 2 from the sheet group 20A that corresponds to half of the difference Δ2Q (step S12).

One or more sheets 2 removed from the sheet group 20A are placed on the transport surface 30A or lifter at a position adjacent to the sheet group 20A by the operation of the arm unit 4A and the hand device 40 (step S13). As a result, the original sheet group 20A is divided into two equal parts: sheet group 20A1 and sheet group 20A2.
Here, one or both of sheet group 20A1 and sheet group 20A2 may consist of a single sheet 2. Even if they consist of a single sheet, they will still be referred to as a "sheet group".

The sheet groups 20A1 and 20A2 are simultaneously supported by the hand device 40, and as shown in Figure 8, by the operation of the arm 4A and the hand device 40, they are recovered for reuse onto the stack 200 of the supply source 10 or onto an empty pallet 12E. The sheet group 20 taken out from the supply source 10 after the operation of the sheet supply line 1 has started includes the sheet groups 20A1 and 20A2 returned from the conveying device 30.
During reuse, the heights of the two laminates 200 of the supply source 10 are the same. Therefore, the sheet group 20 can be stably separated from the two laminates 200 simultaneously at the same height below the top surface of the two laminates 200.

In preparation for the retrieval of the sheet group 20, it is preferable that the control device 5 remain in the retrieval position P1 even when the pallet 12 is empty.
The pallet 12 on which the laminated body 200, with the sheet groups 20A1 and 20A2 returned, is placed may be discharged by driving the pallet conveyor 11 in the reverse direction, as shown in Figure 8.

As a leveling process when the number of sheets in the two sheet groups differs, each of the two sheet groups may be divided as shown in Figure 6(b).
In that case, for example, the sheet group 20-3 shown in Figure 6(a) is divided in half by the operation of the hand device 40 based on the quantity information 2Q-3, and placed on the second conveyor 32 adjacent to the conveying direction y. Similarly, the sheet group 20-4 shown in Figure 6(a) is divided in half by the operation of the hand device 40 based on the quantity information 2Q-4, and placed on the second conveyor 32, for example, downstream d from the location where the two sheet groups, which are the divisions of sheet group 20-3, are located.

[Configuration of the Quantity Information Acquisition Unit]
To acquire quantity information 2Q indicating the number of sheets 2 included in the sheet group 20, for example, contact-type displacement sensors 81 and 82 shown in Figure 9(a), or photoelectric sensors 801 to 805 shown in Figure 9(b), can be used. The displacement sensors 81 and 82, and photoelectric sensors 801 to 805, etc., correspond to the quantity information acquisition unit.
The leveling processing device 7 of this embodiment, which includes a leveling processing unit 70, comprises a hand device 40 as the leveling processing unit 70 and a sensor or the like as a quantity information acquisition unit that acquires quantity information 2Q.

Contact-type displacement sensors 81 and 82 are provided, for example, on the hand device 40.
The displacement sensor 81 extends the spindle 81B toward the sheet group 20C using the air cylinder 81A, and brings the contact element 81C into contact with the upper surface of the sheet group 20C. The displacement sensor 81 can read the amount of displacement of the spindle 81B at that time electromagnetically or optically. Therefore, by referring to the current position information indicated by the hand device 40, for example, the height h1 of the upper surface of the sheet group 20C relative to the reference position (for example, the conveying surface 30A of the conveying device 30) can be obtained.

The displacement sensor 82 extends its spindle 82B toward the sheet group 20B adjacent to the sheet group 20C, and brings the contact element 81C into contact with the upper surface of the sheet group 20B, thereby obtaining the height h2 of the upper surface of the sheet group 20B in the same manner as the displacement sensor 81.
The height h1 obtained by the displacement sensor 81 corresponds to quantity information indicating the quantity of sheet group 20C. The height h2 obtained by the displacement sensor 82 corresponds to quantity information indicating the quantity of sheet group 20B.
The displacement sensors 81 and 82 can be used as sensors to detect on/off states. Therefore, when the contact element 81C makes contact with the upper surface of the sheet group 20C (on state), height h1 can be obtained from the current position information indicated by the hand device 40, and when the contact element 82C makes contact with the upper surface of the sheet group 20B (on state), height h2 can be obtained from the current position information indicated by the hand device 40.
If the control device 5 determines that leveling processing is necessary based on the difference Δh between heights h1 and h2 obtained by the displacement sensors 81 and 82, it performs the leveling processing described above.

It is also possible to use laser-type displacement sensors instead of contact-type displacement sensors 81 and 82. A laser-type displacement sensor, for example, emits a laser beam towards the sheet group 20C. The distance to the upper surface of the sheet group 20C is derived from the correlation information between the emitted laser beam and the reflected laser beam. By referring to the current position information indicated by, for example, the hand device 40, the height of the upper surface of the sheet group 20C relative to the reference position can be obtained. By obtaining the heights of the sheet groups 20C and 20B using the laser-type displacement sensors, it is possible to determine whether leveling processing is necessary.

The photoelectric sensors 801-805 shown in Figure 9(b) are, for example, installed around the first conveyor 31 and capable of acquiring the height h1 of the upper surface of the sheet group 20C. Although not shown in the figure, multiple photoelectric sensors similar to those 801-805 are also installed around the second conveyor 32, and these multiple photoelectric sensors can acquire the height of the upper surface of the sheet group 20B.

The photoelectric sensor 801 comprises a pair of light emitters 801A and light receivers 801B. For example, the photoelectric sensor 801 outputs an ON signal when light emitted from the light emitter 801A is received by the light receiver 801B, and outputs an OFF signal when the light emitted from the light emitter 801A is blocked by an obstacle and not received by the light receiver 801B. The other photoelectric sensors 802 to 805 are configured similarly to photoelectric sensor 801. The optical axes of each of the photoelectric sensors 801 to 805, indicated by dashed lines, are all set horizontally.

Photoelectric sensor 801 is installed at the position of the transport surface 30A, which is the height reference plane. Photoelectric sensor 805 is installed at the position h _max , which is the maximum height of the sheet group 20 that is taken out from the stacked body 200 of the supply source 10 and loaded onto the transport device 30, plus a margin. Multiple photoelectric sensors 801 to 805 are installed at different heights from the reference plane to the position of the maximum height h _max .
In the example shown in Figure 8(b), ON signals are output from photoelectric sensors 804 and 805, while OFF signals are output from the other photoelectric sensors 801 to 803. Based on these ON/OFF signals from photoelectric sensors 801 to 805, the height h1 of the upper surface of the sheet group 20C can be acquired in steps.
The control device 5 determines that leveling processing is necessary based on the difference between the height h1 of the sheet group 20C acquired by the photoelectric sensors 801 to 805 and the height h2 of the sheet group 20B acquired in the same manner as height h1, and performs the leveling processing described above.

The photoelectric sensors 801-805, which acquire the height of sheet group 20C, and the photoelectric sensors that acquire the height of sheet group 20B, do not necessarily have to be installed at the loading/unloading position P2. For example, photoelectric sensors 801-805 can be installed around sheet group 20C as shown in Figure 4, and other photoelectric sensors can be installed around sheet group 20B, which is located one pitch away from sheet group 20C.

Instead of multiple photoelectric sensors, a laser-type displacement sensor capable of measuring two-dimensional shapes can also be used. In that case, the heights h1 and h2 of sheet groups 20B and 20C can be acquired with high accuracy.

In addition to the sensors 81, 82, 801-805 exemplified above, for example, the number of sheets 2 included in the sheet group 20 can be counted by imaging the sheet group 20 from the side using a camera and processing the captured data. In this case, the quantity information acquisition unit includes a camera and a computer capable of image processing. The control device 5 can determine whether leveling processing is necessary based on the difference in the number of sheets 2 in each of the two sheet groups 20.

Furthermore, the weight of the sheet group 20 can be measured in order to obtain quantity information 2Q indicating the quantity of sheet 2 in the sheet group 20. In this case, the quantity information acquisition unit corresponds to, for example, an electronic balance, a load cell, etc. The control device 5 can determine whether or not leveling processing is necessary based on the difference in weight of each of the two sheet groups 20.
Alternatively, quantity information 2Q may be obtained by calculations based on multiple physical quantities that represent quantities in Sheet 2, such as height and weight.

[Example of operation in sheet retrieval mode]
An example of operating the sheet supply line 1 in sheet retrieval mode will be described. When a sheet retrieval command is issued by a signal from the control system of a downstream device 9 such as a packaging machine or from a higher-level control system, the sheet supply line 1 is switched to sheet retrieval mode (step 21).
Then, the sheet groups 20A, 20B, and 20C remaining on the conveying device 30 are reverse-directed by the conveying device 30, so that, for example as shown in Figure 5, sheet groups 20B and 20C are placed at the loading/unloading position P2 (step S22).

The control device 5 uses, for example, photoelectric sensors 801-805 to determine the number of sheet groups located at the loading/unloading position P2 (step S23). If, as a result of the determination, two sheet groups are located at the loading/unloading position P2 (Yes in step S23), and the number of sheets in the two sheet groups is equal (Yes in step S24), then the leveling process is not performed, and the two sheet groups are transferred onto the stacked body 200 or the pallet 12 by the hand device 40 (step S27).

If two groups of sheets are placed at the loading/unloading position P2 (Yes in step S23), and the difference in the number of sheets between the two groups of sheets exceeds the allowable range (No in step S24), then quantity information 2Q is acquired for the remaining group of sheets placed at the loading/unloading position P2 using contact-type displacement sensors 81, 82 or photoelectric sensors 801-805, for example, as shown in Figure 9(a) or (b) (step S25).
Then, based on the acquired quantity information 2Q, the leveling processing unit 70 performs leveling processing, for example, as shown in Figure 6(a) (step S26). As a result, multiple groups of leveling sheets (20A1, 20A2, etc.) are provided to the loading/unloading position P2.

Even if a single group of sheets is placed at the loading/unloading position P2 (No in step S23), quantity information 2Q is acquired for the remaining group of sheets placed at the loading/unloading position P2 (step S25). Then, based on the quantity information 2Q, the leveling processing unit 70 performs leveling processing, for example, as shown in Figure 6(b) (step S26).

After going through steps S23 to S26, the two leveled sheet groups are positioned at the loading/unloading position P2. Therefore, as shown in Figure 8, for example, the two leveled sheet groups are simultaneously transferred by the hand device 40 to the stacked structure 200 of the supply source 10 or to the pallet 12 (step S27).

Furthermore, the pallet conveyor 11 can be operated in reverse to recover the remaining sheets from the supply source 10 (step S28).

[Effects of the Embodiment]
According to the embodiment described above, the quantity of sheets 2 included in the sheet group 20 is leveled, thereby ensuring the requirements for stably handling multiple sheet groups 20 simultaneously. Therefore, when the sheet supply line 1 stops operating, the sheet groups 20 remaining on the conveying device 30 can be simultaneously collected by the conveying device 30 and the hand device 40 and returned to the supply source 10, where they can be used for product manufacturing after the operation restarts.

The collection of remaining sheets is performed automatically by the conveyor 30 and the hand device 40 by setting the operating mode of the sheet supply line 1 to sheet collection mode, so there is no need for the operator to walk along the conveyor path of the conveyor 30 to collect the remaining sheets. Manually transporting the remaining sheets to the supply source 10 is labor-intensive, especially if the floor on which the supply source 10 is installed and the floor on which the conveyor 30 is installed are different due to the layout of the manufacturing line, or if the conveyor 30 is installed on multiple floors.
According to this embodiment, at least with respect to the operation of the sheet supply line 1, manual work can be eliminated and automation can be promoted.

[Variation]
In sheet retrieval mode, by reversing the operation of both the conveying device 30 and the magazine 8, the sheets 2 can be returned from inside the sheet magazine 8 to the conveying device 30. For example, by repeatedly separating a predetermined number of sheets 2 stacked and stored inside the sheet magazine 8 using a separation mechanism (not shown) similar to the separation mechanism (401-404) provided in the hand device 40, and then lifting them to the conveying surface 30A of the conveying device 30 using a rocking mechanism (not shown), all the sheets 2 inside the sheet magazine 8 can be recovered to the supply source 10 via the conveying device 30 and the hand device 40.
In this case as well, similar to the above embodiment, there is a possibility that there may be a difference in the number of sheets in the two sheet groups 20 that are simultaneously supported by the hand device 40, or that a single sheet group 20 may be placed at the loading/unloading position P2, similar to the example shown in Figure 7(a). Even in such cases, similar to the above embodiment, the sheet groups 20 can be recovered to the supply source 10 without any problems by providing the conveying device 30 with two level sheet groups having the same number of sheets 2 based on the quantity information 2Q of the sheet groups 20 acquired using a displacement sensor or the like.

Furthermore, the sheet supply line 1-1 shown in Figure 11 includes a transfer device 50 that transfers the sheet group 20 from the supply source 10-1 to the conveying device 30-1, and a leveling processing unit 70, which is equivalent to a hand device, separate from the transfer device 50. The leveling processing unit 70 is configured similarly to the hand device 40 provided on the robot arm 4 in the above embodiment.

The transfer device 50 includes a removal device 51 that separates two sheet groups 20 from the laminate 200 at a predetermined separation position below the upper surface of the laminate 200 of the supply source 10-1 and removes them horizontally, and a lifting device 52 configured to allow the two sheet groups 20 to move up and down. This transfer device 50 simultaneously transfers the sheet groups 20 from the laminate 200 to the conveying device 30-1.

The supply source 10-1 includes a pallet conveyor 11, a pallet discharge conveyor 13, and a lifting device 55. Two stacked units 200 are placed adjacent to each other in the width direction of the pallet conveyor 11 on the pallet 12, and a top plate B is placed on the top surface of each stacked unit 200.
As the pallet 12 is raised toward the removal position P1 by the lifting device 55, the stacked body 200 on the pallet 12 is positioned at the removal position P1. Once all the sheets 2 have been removed from the stacked body 200 at the removal position P1, the empty pallet 12E descends and is discharged by the pallet discharge conveyor 13.

The conveying device 30-1 comprises a first conveyor 31 and a second conveyor 32 arranged perpendicularly to the first conveyor 31.

Suppose the sheet supply line 1-1 stops, and for example, sheet groups 20A, 20B, and 20C remain on the conveying device 30-1. In that case, the operating mode is switched to sheet retrieval mode, and the leveling processing unit 70 performs leveling processing based on the quantity information 2Q acquired using displacement sensors 81, 82, etc. For example, the quantity of each sheet 2 in sheet groups 20C and 20B can be leveled in the same manner as shown in Figure 6(a), or sheet group 20A can be divided into two equal parts in the same manner as shown in Figure 6(b) to provide two leveled sheet groups to the conveying device 30-1.
Therefore, similar to the above embodiment, by reversing the transport device 30-1 and operating the transfer device 50 in the reverse direction, it becomes possible to recover the remaining sheets onto the laminate 200 of the supply source 10-1 or onto the pallet 12.

In addition to the above, it is possible to select or replace the configurations listed in the above embodiments, or to change them to other configurations as appropriate.
The device that transfers the sheet groups from the supply source 10 to the conveying device 30 may support two or more sheet groups 20 simultaneously. In that case, the supply source 10 is provided with the same number of stacks 200. Even in such cases, the number of sheets in each sheet group 20 can be equalized by repeating the operation of taking out a quantity of sheets 2 determined by calculation processing from a sheet group 20 identified based on a command generated from the control device 5 based on the quantity information 2Q for each sheet group, and moving them to another sheet group 20, one or more times.

[Note]
Based on the above disclosure, the following configuration can be understood.
[1] A device configured to provide a group of leveled sheets 20, in which the number of sheets is leveled, to a conveying device 30 that conveys a group of sheets 20 consisting of a plurality of stacked sheets 2,
A sheet quantity leveling device 7 includes a leveling processing unit 70 that indicates the quantity of sheets 2 in a group of sheets 20 on a conveying device 30, and, based on information 2Q obtained to obtain a leveled group of sheets 20, provides a group of leveled group of sheets 20 to the conveying device 30 by moving sheets between a group of sheets 20 on the conveying device 30, or by dividing a group of sheets 20 on the conveying device 30 into a group of sheets 20, if leveling of the quantity of the group of sheets 20 is necessary.

[2] A quantity information acquisition unit 81, 82, 801 to 805 configured to acquire information 2Q,
The sheet quantity leveling device 7 described in item [1].

[3] Information 2Q corresponds to the heights h1 and h2 of the sheet group 20.
The sheet quantity leveling device 7 described in [1] or [2].

[4] The leveling processing unit 70 corresponds to a hand device 40 that is configured to be position controllable.
A sheet quantity leveling device 7 as described in any one of items (1) to (3).

[5] The hand device 40 includes quantity information acquisition units 81 and 82 configured to acquire information 2Q.
Sheet quantity leveling device 7 as described in item [4].

[6] The leveling processing unit 70 is
The conveying device 30 is configured to simultaneously support multiple groups of leveled sheets 20 that are adjacent to each other and to be transferable from the conveying device 30 to the supply source 10 of the sheet groups 20.
A sheet quantity leveling device 7 as described in any one of items (1) to (5).

[7] A sheet supply line 1 that supplies sheet 2 to a recipient 9,
A supply source 10 for a sheet group 20 consisting of multiple stacked sheets 2,
A conveying device 30 is configured to deliver the sheets to the supply destination 9 by transporting the sheet group 20 downstream d,
A sheet quantity leveling device 7, configured to perform a leveling process that provides a plurality of leveling sheet groups 20 to a conveying device 30, as described in any one of items (1) to (6),
The system includes a transfer device 40 configured to simultaneously retrieve multiple sheet groups 20 arranged adjacent to each other in the supply source 10 and transfer them to a transport device 30,
The sheet supply line 1 is configured to set a sheet retrieval mode in which a conveying device 30 reverses the flow of a group of sheets 20 from downstream d to upstream u, a leveling processing unit 70 provides a plurality of leveled sheet groups 20 to the conveying device 30, and a transfer device 40 simultaneously supports a plurality of leveled sheet groups 20 placed adjacent to each other on the conveying device 30, and transfers them from the conveying device 30 to the supply source 10.

[8] A method configured to provide a conveying device 30 that conveys a group of sheets 20 consisting of a plurality of stacked sheets 2 with a plurality of leveled sheet groups 20 in which the number of sheets is leveled,
In order to obtain the leveled sheet group 20, the first step S21 is to obtain information 2Q indicating the number of sheets in the sheet group 20 on the conveying device 30,
A method for leveling the quantity of sheets, comprising: a second step S22 in which, if it is necessary to level the quantity of the sheet groups 20 based on information 2Q, a plurality of leveled sheet groups 20 are provided to the conveying device 30 by moving sheets between a plurality of sheet groups 20 on the conveying device 30, or by dividing the sheet group 20 on the conveying device 30 into a plurality of sheet groups 20.

[9] A method for operating a sheet supply line,
The sheet supply line 1 is configured to supply sheets 2 to a destination 9 by taking multiple sheet groups 20, which are arranged adjacently at a supply source 10, from the supply source 10, transferring them to a conveying device 30, and then conveying the sheet groups 20 downstream d by the conveying device 30.
When sheet supply line 1 stops,
Step S21 involves the conveying device 30 reverse-directing the remaining sheet group 20, which corresponds to the sheet group 20 remaining on the conveying device 30, from downstream d to upstream u.
Steps S22 and S23 provide a group of leveled sheets 20 to the conveying device 30 by performing the first and second steps described in section [8] on the remaining sheet group 20,
A method for operating a sheet supply line, comprising step S24 of simultaneously transferring a plurality of groups of leveled sheets 20, which are arranged adjacently on a conveying device 30, from the conveying device 30 to a supply source.

1. Sheet supply line 2. Sheets 2Q, 2QA, 2QB Quantity information 4. Robot arm 4A Arm section 4X Rotating axis 5. Control device 7. Leveling device 8. Sheet magazine 9. Downstream device (supply destination)
10 Supply source 11 Pallet conveyor 12 Pallet 12E Empty pallet 13 Pallet discharge conveyor 20 Sheet groups 20A, 20B, 20C Remaining sheet groups 20A1, 20A2 Sheet group 30 Conveying device 30A Conveying surface 31 First conveyor 32 Second conveyor 33 Third conveyor 34 Fourth conveyor 35 Direction switching section 40 Hand device (leveling section)
41 Base parts 41A, 41B, 41C Member 42 Rotating shaft part 50 Transfer device 51 Take-out device 52 Lifting device 55 Lifting device 61 First lifter 61A Support surface 62 Second lifter 62A Support surface 70 Leveling processing unit 81, 82 Displacement sensor (quantitative information acquisition unit)
81A Air cylinder 81B Spindle 81C Contact element 82B Spindle 200 Laminate 200A, 200B End face 200P Separation position 200R Remaining part 401 Stopper 402 Needle insertion part 402A Needle 403 First support part 403A Claw 404 Second support parts 801-805 Photoelectric sensor (quantity information acquisition part)
801A Streamer 801B Receiver B Top plate u Upstream d Downstream P1 Take-out position P2 Loading/unloading position T Movement trajectory x Width direction y Conveying direction z Vertical direction

Claims (9)

A conveying device that transports a group of sheets consisting of multiple stacked sheets is configured to be able to provide a group of leveled sheets in which the number of sheets is equalized,
A sheet quantity leveling device, comprising a leveling processing unit that indicates the number of sheets in the sheet group on the conveying device, and, based on information obtained to obtain the leveled sheet group, provides the conveying device with the plurality of leveled sheet groups by moving the sheets between the plurality of sheet groups on the conveying device, or by dividing the sheet group on the conveying device into the plurality of sheet groups, if leveling of the number of sheet groups is necessary.
The system includes a quantity information acquisition unit configured to acquire the aforementioned information.
The sheet quantity leveling device according to claim 1.
The above information corresponds to the height of the sheet group,
The sheet quantity leveling device according to claim 1.
The leveling processing unit corresponds to a hand device configured to be position-controllable,
The sheet quantity leveling device according to claim 1.
The hand device includes a quantity information acquisition unit configured to acquire the information,
The sheet quantity leveling device according to claim 4.
The leveling processing unit is,
The system is configured to simultaneously support the multiple groups of leveling sheets that are arranged adjacent to each other on the conveying device, and to be transferable from the conveying device to the supply source of the sheet groups.
The sheet quantity leveling device according to claim 1.
A sheet supply line that supplies sheets to a customer,
A source for supplying a group of sheets consisting of multiple stacked sheets,
A conveying device configured to supply the sheets to the supply destination by conveying the aforementioned group of sheets downstream,
A sheet quantity leveling device as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, configured to enable leveling processing to provide the plurality of leveling sheet groups to the conveying device,
The system includes a transfer device configured to simultaneously retrieve a plurality of adjacent sheet groups from the supply source and transfer them to the transport device,
The sheet supply line is configured to set a sheet retrieval mode in which the sheet group is sent backward from downstream to upstream by the conveying device, the plurality of leveled sheet groups are supplied to the conveying device by the leveling processing unit, and the plurality of leveled sheet groups arranged adjacent to each other on the conveying device are simultaneously supported by the transfer device and transferred from the conveying device to the supply source.
A method for providing a conveying device that transports a group of sheets consisting of multiple stacked sheets with a plurality of leveled sheet groups in which the quantity of the sheets is leveled,
The first step is to obtain information indicating the quantity of sheets in the sheet group on the conveying device using a sensor in order to obtain the aforementioned leveled sheet group,
A method for leveling the quantity of sheets, comprising: a second step of providing the conveying device with a plurality of leveled sheet groups by moving the sheets between a plurality of sheet groups on the conveying device using a hand device , or by dividing the sheet group on the conveying device into a plurality of sheet groups using the hand device , if it is necessary to level the quantity of the sheet groups based on the information described above.
A method for operating a sheet supply line,
The sheet supply line is configured to supply sheets to a destination by taking out multiple sheet groups, which are arranged adjacently in a supply source for a group of stacked sheets, from the supply source, transferring them to a conveying device, and transporting the sheet groups downstream by the conveying device.
When the aforementioned sheet supply line stops,
The steps include: transporting the group of remaining sheets corresponding to the group of sheets remaining on the transport device backward from downstream to upstream using the transport device;
A step of providing the plurality of leveled sheet groups to the conveying device by performing the first and second steps described in claim 8 on the residual sheet group,
A method for operating a sheet supply line, comprising the step of simultaneously transferring the plurality of level sheet groups, which are arranged adjacent to each other on the conveying device, from the conveying device to the supply source using a hand device .