JPS6115754B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention reads sorting information given to paper sheets, such as mail, and sorts and stacks them in a group of stacking sections arranged in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction. The present invention relates to a sorting machine with an automatic take-out device that automatically takes out leaves from each stacking section and transports them to the next process.

In recent years, various automatic mail processing machines have been put into practical use as postal services become labor-saving. Also, part 1
There is an automatic postal code reading and sorting machine that automatically reads postal codes and automatically sorts them according to destination. Each mail is manually taken out by an attendant, and an address card is placed on the taken out accumulated mail and the mail is bundled together. Therefore, there was a problem in that a dedicated staff member had to be stationed at all times, and the staff member had to move over a wide area, which placed an extremely heavy burden on them.

Therefore, there is a need for a sorting machine with an automatic take-out device that can automatically take out the mail items sorted and stacked in the stacking section group and sequentially transfer them to the next process, the destination card adding device section and the bundling device section.

As for the method of taking out mail from the group of stacking sections, since a large number of stacking sections are arranged horizontally,
A suitable method is to push the mail to the rear, that is, to the back side of the sorting machine body, transfer it to a horizontal conveyance path, and convey it to the next process. In addition, since the stacking section group is provided with multiple stages in the vertical direction, multiple horizontal conveyance paths are also required to convey the mail pushed out from the stacking section, and the next process is the destination card adding device and the bundling device. In order to efficiently process mail by minimizing the number of units (one set), it is desirable that the mail sent out from the plurality of horizontal conveyance paths are finally merged into one conveyance line.

As a method for this, the method shown in FIG. 1 has recently been considered. That is, an automatic extrusion mechanism (not shown) is provided in each stacking section b..., c...d... of the sorting machine main body a, and when an appropriate amount of mail A... is accumulated, this mail group A... is automatically removed. Endless conveyors e, f, g are pushed out backwards and are provided corresponding to stacking section groups b..., c..., d..., which are provided in multiple stages vertically on the back side of the sorting machine main body a. Transfer it to the top and transport it horizontally.

Thereafter, the cards are transferred to an elevator and a transport line (not shown) and transported, so that destination cards are placed thereon and the cards are bundled.

However, in such a method, the extrusion of the stacking section is performed after the stacking section has accumulated the number of mail pieces that can be pushed out until the stacking section becomes full, or when an empty tray becomes available after the stacking section is full. It's summery. Therefore, for example, when the binding time for a predetermined piece of mail arrives, if the extrusion is performed before the stacking section for the mail to be bundled is full, the mail that will be supplied or on the conveyance path will be If there is mail that corresponds to that stacking section, it will be rejected even though there is room to stack it in that stacking section, and the rejected mail will have to be bundled separately, or it will need to be bundled once. The method had drawbacks such as a very small amount of mail collected after extrusion, making it unsuitable for automatic processing.

This invention was made in view of the above circumstances,
The purpose of this is to prevent paper sheets to be bundled from being rejected or only a small amount being stacked even though there is room in the stacking section for the paper sheets to be bundled when the binding time comes. An object of the present invention is to provide a sorting machine with an automatic take-out device that can prevent the above problems.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. FIG. 2 shows a sorting machine with an automatic take-out device according to the present invention, which has the following construction.
That is, a group of postcards, envelopes, etc., which are set in the supply section 1 in a standing position, are taken out one by one by the take-out section 2 and conveyed one by one, starting with the foremost mail item A, and then transferred to the take-in conveyance path 3. The postal code given to the postal item A is read by the reading unit 4 placed in the middle of the postal item A.

Next, the mail A is transported by the gate mechanism 5 into divided transport paths 6a, 6 which are provided in multiple stages in the vertical direction.
b, 6c, and 6d are selectively sorted based on the reading results of the reading section 4, and sent to the horizontal division conveyance paths 8a, 8b, and 8c of the automatic extraction function-equipped sorting section 7 or to the exclusion pocket 9. There is.

The sorting section 7 with an automatic take-out function is provided with a plurality of stacking sections 10 along the lower surface of the horizontal sorting conveyance paths 8a, 8b, 8c, respectively. The sent mail A is sorted and stacked in a predetermined stacking section 10 based on the reading result of the reading section 4.

Then, an appropriate amount of mail A... is accumulated in the accumulation section 10, and a forced extrusion switch (not shown) is activated.
When is pressed, a take-out mechanism, such as a push-out mechanism (described later), of the stacking section 10 moves, and the mail group A in the stacking section 10 is pushed out to the back side of the sorting section 7 with an automatic pick-up function.

On the back side of the automatic eject function-equipped sorting section 7, there is a tray circulation system in which three horizontal tray conveyance paths 13a, 13b, 13c are vertically arranged corresponding to the stacking section groups 10..., 10..., 10... A section 14 (transfer section) is provided, and the mail groups A..., A... pushed out from each stacking section 10... are transferred to the tray horizontal conveyance path 1.
The trays 15 are sequentially and intermittently transferred through the trays 3a, 13b, 13c.

The tray horizontal conveyance path 13a, 13b, 13c
On the terminal side of
An elevator mechanism section 17 is provided at the terminal end of the mailbox 17 to face each other sequentially from top to bottom, and accommodates the mail group A sent out from the tray horizontal transport paths 13a, 13b, 13c (even in the case of empty trays). ) Tray 15... is received and the next process of mail is carried out.
It will be carried to the separation section of the tray separation mechanism section 18. Then, in the mail/tray separation mechanism section 18, a mail push-out plate 19 and a tray pull-out plate 20 are installed.
reciprocates, and during the forward movement, pushes out mail groups A..., A..., A... in the tray 15 towards the front side, forming the starting end of the common conveyance line 21. 22, the empty trays 15 are transferred to the arrangement end converting section 23 .

Further, the mail group A..., A..., A... sent into the conveyance line 21 is conveyed by the assortment conveyance device 25 forming the conveyance line 21, and during this conveyance, the mail items A..., A..., A... The ends and one end perpendicular to the transport direction are aligned. Next, the mail group A that has been sorted..., A...,
A... is transferred to another conveyance line 27 by a transfer mechanism section 26 orthogonal to the conveyance line 21, and is transferred to another conveyance line 27 by a destination card issuing/applying device 28 provided opposite to this conveyance line 27. A destination card 29 is placed on the top surface.

In addition, mail group A to which destination card 29 is attached
. . , A . . . , A .

On the other hand, the trays 15 sent into the tray return path 24 by the mail/tray separation mechanism 18 are conveyed to the elevator mechanism 31 provided at the starting ends of the horizontal tray conveyance paths 8a, 8b, and 8c. The tray is transferred to the tray mounting table 32 of the elevator mechanism section 31 by a tray transfer mechanism section (not shown) provided opposite the terminal end of the tray return path 24 . The elevator mechanism section 31 has a tray mounting table 32
. . . intermittently circulates through the tray horizontal conveyance path 13.
It is made to face the starting end portions of a, 13b, and 13c sequentially from bottom to top. Then, the trays 15 facing the starting ends of the tray horizontal conveyance paths 13a, 13b, 13c are pushed one by one by a pushing mechanism (not shown) into the tray horizontal conveyance paths 13a, 13b, 13c.
As a result, the trays 15..., 1 in the tray horizontal transport paths 13a, 13b, 13c are pushed into the
5..., 15... will be transferred in one pitch, and the last tray 15... will be transferred to the elevator mechanism section 1.
It will be transferred to the tray mounting table 16 of No. 7. The elevator mechanism section 31 and the tray return section 2
4. Regarding the tray transfer mechanism, patent application 1983-
No. 25095 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 121673, 1982), Utility Application No. 121673
Since it is explained in No. 47088 (Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 147877/1983), it will be omitted here.

Note that 33 is a control unit that controls the entire system device, the details of which will be explained later.

The accumulation section 10 will be explained using FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. That is, the extrusion part 40 includes an extrusion plate 40a that also serves as a front cover, a side plate 40b, and a bottom plate 40.
The bottom plate 40c is supported by guide rails 41, 41, so that it can move reciprocally. There is a gap between the bottom plate 40c and the inclination maintaining member 40d that is large enough to allow passage of guide grooves 50a, 50a, which will be described later. The extrusion section 40
A belt 43 that runs using a pulse motor 42 for driving the extrusion section as a drive source is connected to the bottom plate 40c, and when the pulse motor 42 for driving the extrusion section is driven in the forward or reverse direction, the extrusion section 40 is moved. It is configured to move forward or backward along the longitudinal direction of the mounting table 44. Also, one plate body 4 supporting the guide rails 41, 41
A stop position detector 46 for detecting whether the extrusion section 40 is at the stop position (mail A accumulation position) is provided near the plate 47, and a stop position detector 46 is provided near the other plate 47 to detect whether the extrusion section 40 is at the return position. Return position detector 48 that detects whether the position is the extrusion completion position
is provided. The detectors 46 and 48 are configured to detect the moving position of the extrusion section 40 by being turned on and off by a protrusion (not shown) provided on the bottom 40c of the extrusion section 40. Guide rails 41 and 4 of the plate body 47
On the opposite side from 1, there is a tray 15 corresponding to the stacking section 10.
An empty detector 49 is provided for detecting whether or not mail A is contained in the mailbox, and this empty detector 49 is composed of, for example, a light emitting element and a light receiving element.

The mounting table 44 has the tilt maintaining member 4 approximately in the center.
A plate body 50 provided with guide grooves 50a, 50a for guiding 0d, and a guide groove 50 of this plate body 50.
a, 50a and the extrusion plate 40a
It is constituted by an inclined member 51 provided on the side. On the mounting table 44, the mail items A conveyed from the horizontal divided conveyance paths 8a, 8b, and 8c are placed. The above-mentioned mounting table 44 has horizontal plates 54, 5 fixed to a carriage 53 which is supported by guide rails 52, 52 so as to be movable up and down.
It is installed in 4. The above-mentioned carriage 53 includes
A belt 56 that runs using a carriage drive pulse motor 55 as a drive source is connected, and when the drive pulse motor 55 is driven in the forward or reverse direction, the mounting table 44 is lowered or raised. ing. Furthermore, a control circuit 57 for controlling the entire stacking section 10 is provided below the extrusion section 40 .

A side plate 58 is provided on the control circuit 57 and faces the side portion 40b of the extrusion section 40.
A mail detector 59 for detecting the mail A placed on the mounting table 44 is provided at the center of the upper part of the side plate 58, and the detector 59 is composed of, for example, a light emitting element and a light receiving element. This is a marginal reflection type sensing element. The side plate 58 has the carriage 53
An upper limit detector 60, an extrusion possible detector 61, a full detector 62, and a lower limit detector 63 are provided to detect the position of the mounting table 44 according to the movement of the table. The upper limit detector 60 detects whether the mounting table 44 is at the upper limit (initial state), and the extrusion possibility detector 61 detects whether it is possible to extrude (take out) the accumulated mail group A... The full detector 62 detects whether the mounting table 44 is at the full mail position, and the lower limit detector 63 detects whether the mounting table 44 is at the lower limit 4 push-out position. It is something to do. The above extrudable detector 6
The state in which extrusion is possible according to No. 1 is a state in which extrusion is possible from a predetermined number of sheets before the full state. If you try to extrude after the stacking section is full, there is no problem if an empty tray immediately responds to the extrusion, but it takes a certain amount of time for the empty tray to respond. In this case, there was a problem in that the mail that was to be accumulated in the full accumulation section was rejected. Therefore,
As mentioned above, by making it possible to extrude a predetermined number of sheets from a full tray, and then extruding when an empty tray is available, the above-mentioned rejects can be avoided. It's for a reason. Note that the detectors 46, 48, 6
0, 61, 62, and 63 are composed of micro switches, for example.

Further, the electric circuit of each integrated unit 10 is as shown in FIG. That is, the control circuit 57
motor 5 in response to a detection signal from mail detector 59.
5 in the forward direction, the mounting table 44 is lowered a distance corresponding to a predetermined number of mail items. The control circuit 57 also receives a push-out signal output in response to a detection signal from the push-out enable detector 61, a full signal output in response to a detection signal from the full detector 62, and a detection signal from the empty detector 49. A sky detection signal output accordingly is output to the control section 33. Further, the control circuit 57 lowers the mounting table 44 by driving the motor 55 in the forward direction in response to the push-out signal supplied from the control section 33, and drives the motor 42 in the forward direction in response to the detection signal from the lower limit detector 63. By driving in the direction, the extrusion section 40 is moved forward. Further, the control circuit 57 drives the motor 55 in the reverse direction after the detection signal from the return position detector 48 is supplied until the detection signal from the upper limit detector 60 is supplied, thereby raising the mounting table 44 to the initial position. It is something. Furthermore, the control circuit 57 drives the motor 42 in the reverse direction after the detection signal from the return position detector 48 is supplied until the detection signal from the stop position detector 46 is supplied, thereby moving the extrusion section 40 to the home position. It will force them to move back.

FIG. 6 schematically shows the electrical circuit of the entire system. That is, the conversion section 70 converts the reading result of the reading section 4, that is, the postal code, into the classification code of the accumulating section 10 corresponding to the postal code. Further, a changeover switch 71 is provided on an operation panel (not shown), and specifies a normal mode in which extrusion is possible between a state in which extrusion is possible before fullness and a state in which extrusion is possible after fullness, or a binding mode in which extrusion is possible only after fullness. For example, when the normal mode is specified, a logic "1" signal is output. The above-mentioned normal mode means that when a predetermined stacking section becomes full and it takes a predetermined time for an empty tray to be filled, mail that should be stacked in the full stacking section, that is, reject mail, will be removed. This mode is set when there is a large amount of mail. This is a mode in which the tray can be extruded a predetermined number of sheets before it is full, and extrusion is performed when an empty tray is available. In addition, bundling mode means that when a predetermined stacking section becomes full and it takes a predetermined amount of time for an empty tray to be handled, mail that should be stacked in the full stacking section, that is, reject mail, will be collected. This mode is set when the number of mail items to be sent is small. This is a mode in which extrusion is performed when an empty tray is available when the tray is full. The output of the changeover switch is supplied to a logic circuit 72, and the logic circuit 72 is supplied with an extrusion enable signal for the integrated unit 10. The logic circuit 72 controls each integrated unit 1 by a logic "1" signal supplied from the changeover switch 71 when specifying the normal mode.
Outputs the extrusion enable signal from 0... as it is,
When the bundling mode is designated, the extrusion enable signal from each stacking section 10 is inhibited. The output of the logic circuit 72 is supplied to a control section 33, and the control section 33 is supplied with the classification code from the conversion section 70 and the full signal, empty detection signal, etc. from the integration section 10. The control unit 33 determines that the extrusion is possible based on the supplied extrusion enable signal, or determines that it is full based on the full signal, and when an empty detection signal is supplied from the corresponding accumulation unit 10, the accumulation unit 10, and also controls the sorting of the corresponding mail A according to the supplied sorting code.

Next, the operation in such a configuration will be explained. First, the changeover switch 71 is set to the normal mode side. As a result, the changeover switch 71 outputs logic "1". Now, the mail items A set in the supply section 1 are sequentially taken out by the take-out section 2 and conveyed through the take-in conveyance path 3. The number is read. Then, the read postal code is converted into a classification code by the conversion unit 70, and
is supplied to Thereby, the control section 33 performs transport control and sorting control so that the mail A is accumulated in the corresponding accumulation section 10 according to the sorting code. Thereafter, the mail pieces A sequentially taken out from the supply section 1 are accumulated in the stacking section 10 corresponding to the postal code assigned to the mail piece A.

In this way, the mail A is stored in the predetermined stacking section 10.
When a predetermined amount of mail A is placed on the mounting table 44, the detector 59 detects the mail A, and in response to this detection signal, the control circuit 57 moves the motor 55 in the forward direction. By driving the mounting table 44
is lowered by a distance corresponding to a predetermined quantity of mail pieces A. Then, each time mail A is supplied, the same operation as described above is performed. In this way, when the mounting table 44 is lowered to the extrusion possible position before it is full due to the supply of a plurality of mail items A, the extrusion possible detector 61 detects this, and upon this detection, the control circuit 5
7 outputs an extrusion enable signal. At this time, since the logic circuit 72 is supplied with a logic "1" signal from the changeover switch 71, its gate is open. Therefore, the extrusion enable signal is supplied to the control section 33 via the logic circuit 72.

As a result, when the control section 33 is supplied with the empty detection signal from the control circuit 57 of the corresponding integration section 10,
An extrusion signal is output to the accumulation section. Then, the control circuit 57 lowers the mounting table 44 by driving the motor 55 in the forward direction, stops the motor 55 in response to the detection signal from the lower limit detector 63, and drives the motor 42 in the forward direction to perform extrusion. The section 40 is moved forward along the longitudinal direction of the mounting table 44. As a result, the mail group A... is pushed out to the rear side of the sorting section 7 with an automatic take-out function by the push-out plate 40a, and thereby transferred into the tray 15. When this transfer is completed, a detection signal is output from the detector 48 by the protrusion provided on the bottom 40c of the extrusion section 40. Then, the control circuit 57 raises the mounting table 44 by driving the motor 55 in the opposite direction, and also raises the extruder 4 by driving the motor 42 in the opposite direction.
0 is moved backward along the longitudinal direction of the mounting table 44. Thereafter, when the upper limit detector 60 detects when the mounting table 44 reaches the initial position, the control circuit 57 stops the motor 55. Moreover, when the extrusion part 40 is in the home position, the extrusion part 40
A detection signal is output from the detector 46 by the protrusion on the bottom 40c, and the control circuit 57 stops the extrusion section 40 by stopping the motor 42. Further, after the transfer is completed, the band is bundled by the bundler 30 at the subsequent stage.

It is also assumed that no push-out signal is supplied from the control unit 33 between when the push-out detector 61 outputs the detection signal and when the full detector 62 outputs the detection signal. Then, the control circuit 57 outputs a full signal in response to the detection signal from the full detector 62. Next, the control section 33 controls the corresponding accumulation section 10.
When the empty detection signal is supplied from the control circuit 57 of the stacking section 10, a pushing signal is outputted to the stacking section 10. As a result, in the stacking unit 10, the control circuit 57 drives the motor 55 in the forward direction, thereby lowering the mounting table 44. Thereafter, by operating in the same manner as in the case of transferring the mail items A before they were full, the mail items A that have become full in the stacking section 10 are transferred.
... are transferred to the corresponding tray 15. After this,
The band is bundled by a bundler 30 in the latter stage.

However, in such a partitioned processing state,
When the operator switches the selector switch 73 to the bundling mode when the bundling time for a certain piece of mail has arrived, the switch 73 outputs a logic "0" signal. Then, in the same manner as in the normal mode operation, the mail A set in the supply section 1 is sorted into the corresponding stacking section 10. In this way, when the mounting table 44 is lowered to the extrusion possible position before it is full due to the supply of a plurality of mail items A, the extrusion possible detector 61 detects this, and upon this detection, the control circuit 57 outputs an extrusion enable signal. At this time, since the logic circuit 72 is supplied with a logic "0" signal from the changeover switch 71, its gate is closed. Therefore, the extrusion enable signal is inhibited by the logic circuit 72, and the extrusion enable signal is not supplied to the control section 33. After that, mail A
When the mounting table 44 is lowered to the full position by being supplied with..., the full detector 62 detects this, and upon this detection, the control circuit 57 outputs a full signal. Then, when the control section 33 is supplied with the empty detection signal from the control circuit 57 of the corresponding accumulation section 10, it outputs a push signal to the corresponding accumulation section 10. As a result, in the stacking unit 10, the control circuit 57 drives the motor 55 in the forward direction, thereby lowering the mounting table 44. Thereafter, by operating in the same manner as when the mail items A before being filled are transferred, the mail items A, which have become the conveyance path of the stacking section 10, are transferred to the corresponding trays 15. Thereafter, the band is bundled by a bundler 30 at a subsequent stage.

In this way, under normal conditions, the accumulation section 10 is
By extruding when the empty tray 15 corresponds to the empty tray 15, the waiting time during extrusion can be shortened, and by extruding after the empty tray 15 is filled at the time of bundling, even if there is room in a certain stacking section 10. First, the bundled mail A... is rejected.
Alternatively, it is possible to prevent a small amount from being accumulated.

In the above embodiment, the extrusion position detector detects whether or not the extrusion is possible before it is full according to the movement of the loading table. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, the count may be increased depending on the number of mail items, and the detection may be performed based on whether or not the counted number corresponds to a state in which extrusion is possible before the mail is full. Furthermore, although the case has been described in which the transfer section is provided on the back side of the stacking section, the present invention is not limited to this, and the transfer section may be similarly implemented in a case where the transfer section is provided on the front side or the bottom side of the stacking section.

Further, the changeover switch may be one that can set only a specific accumulation section or one that can be set for all accumulation sections, and the setting may be performed by a predetermined program. (For example, when the removal of mail from a specific slot is restricted at a certain time.)Furthermore, instead of a changeover switch, previous machines such as sorting, sorting, stamping and linking machines can be used to check the processing status of mail. It may also be configured to receive a signal. For example, by receiving a signal that the supply section of a sorting, sorting, and stamping machine has run out of mail, it is possible to determine the number of mail items to be supplied to the sorting machine, so it is possible to limit automatic pick-up based on that signal. . Furthermore, in the present invention, the switch is configured to take out the tank only when it is full, but it may also be a switch that does not take out the tank even when it is full.

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, in normal times, the ejecting mechanism of the stacking section is driven and the paper sheets collected in the stacking section are driven from the state where they can be taken out before the stacking section is full until the paper sheets are full, or after the stacking section is full. At the time, the take-out mechanism of the stacking section was driven only after the stacked paper sheets in the stacking section were full, so when the binding time came,
To provide a sorting machine with an automatic take-out device that can prevent paper sheets to be bundled from being rejected or stacked in small quantities, causing inconvenience even though there is ample room in a stacking part for the paper sheets to be bundled.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of a conventional sorting machine with an automatic take-out device, and FIGS. 2 to 6 show an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a sorting machine with an automatic take-out device of the present invention, FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views showing a stacking section,
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the electrical circuit of the integrated section, and FIG. 6 is a block diagram schematically showing the entire electrical circuit. A... Mail (paper sheets), 10... Accumulation section, 1
4...Tray circulation unit (transfer unit), 33...Control unit, 40...Extrusion unit, 44...Placement table, 49...
... Empty detector, 57 ... Control circuit, 59 ... Mail detector, 60 ... Upper limit detector, 61 ... Extrusion possible detector, 62 ... Full detector, 70 ... Conversion section, 71 ... Changeover switch, 72...logic circuit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. By reading the sorting information given to paper sheets and conveying them on a conveyance path, the paper sheets are sorted and stacked in a stacking section group arranged in multiple stages in the vertical direction, and the stacked sheets in the stacking section are In an apparatus that automatically takes out leaves from each stacking section and conveys them to the next process, a fullness detection means detects when the stacking section is full, and an extruder detects a state where extrusion is possible a predetermined number of sheets before the stacking section is full. a normal mode in which a take-out mechanism of the accumulating section is driven between the detection of the ejectable state by this means and the fullness detection by the fullness detection means, or when the fullness detection means detects the fullness; A sorting machine with an automatic take-out device, characterized in that the sorting machine is equipped with a switching means for switching between driving the take-out mechanism of the stacking section and a bundling mode only when the fullness detection means detects the full state. 2 By reading the sorting information given to the paper sheets and conveying them along the conveyance path, the paper sheets are sorted and stacked in a group of stacking sections arranged in multiple stages in the vertical direction, and the stacked paper sheets in the stacking sections are sorted into each stacking section. In the apparatus that automatically takes out the sheets and conveys them to the next process, the apparatus further comprises: a fullness detection means for detecting whether the accumulation section is full; an extrusion possible detection means for detecting an extrusion possible state a predetermined number of sheets before the accumulation section is full; During the period from the detection of the ejectable state by the means to the fullness detection by the fullness detection means, or when the fullness detection means detects the fullness, the take-out mechanism of the stacking section is driven, or the extrusion enabled state is detected by the extrusion enablement detection means. The automatic take-out device is characterized by comprising a switching means for switching whether or not to drive the take-out mechanism of the accumulation section during the period from the detection of the full state to the full state detection by the full state detection means, or when the full state is detected by the full state detection means. Attached sorting machine.