U.S. patent application number 13/872749 was filed with the patent office on 2013-09-12 for device and method for buffering a plurality of goods or groups of goods and paper handling system comprising same.
This patent application is currently assigned to BOEWE SYSTEC GmbH. The applicant listed for this patent is BOEWE SYSTEC GMBH. Invention is credited to Reinhard SEILER.
Application Number | 20130237397 13/872749 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44897729 |
Filed Date | 2013-09-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130237397 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
SEILER; Reinhard |
September 12, 2013 |
DEVICE AND METHOD FOR BUFFERING A PLURALITY OF GOODS OR GROUPS OF
GOODS AND PAPER HANDLING SYSTEM COMPRISING SAME
Abstract
A device for buffering a plurality of goods or groups of goods
includes a buffer section configured to receive a plurality of
goods or groups of goods. In addition, a buffer transport is
provided, configured to move a good or group of goods at a buffer
transport speed. A runout is configured to move out a good or group
of goods from the device at a runout speed which is higher than the
buffer transport speed. The runout is additionally configured to
take over transport of a good or group of goods before the good or
group of goods has reached an end of the buffer section.
Inventors: |
SEILER; Reinhard; (Aindling,
DE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
BOEWE SYSTEC GMBH |
Augsburg |
|
DE |
|
|
Assignee: |
BOEWE SYSTEC GmbH
Augsburg
DE
|
Family ID: |
44897729 |
Appl. No.: |
13/872749 |
Filed: |
April 29, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
PCT/EP2011/068354 |
Oct 20, 2011 |
|
|
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13872749 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
493/405 ;
271/264 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65H 5/028 20130101;
B65H 2404/2682 20130101; B65H 2404/2613 20130101; B65H 2404/1112
20130101; B65H 29/242 20130101; B65H 2404/152 20130101; B65H
2404/6591 20130101; B65H 2404/152 20130101; B65H 2301/44514
20130101; B65H 29/20 20130101; B65H 2301/44331 20130101; B65H
2404/2693 20130101; B65H 5/025 20130101; B65H 2301/4451 20130101;
B65H 2404/2311 20130101; B65H 2406/3222 20130101; B65H 29/40
20130101; B65H 29/6609 20130101; B65H 2404/1532 20130101; B65H
2404/264 20130101; B65H 2404/231 20130101; B65H 2220/09 20130101;
B65H 2301/44734 20130101; B65H 2220/02 20130101; B65H 2220/09
20130101; B65H 2701/1313 20130101; B65H 2220/01 20130101; B65H
2220/09 20130101; B65H 2220/02 20130101; B65H 2220/01 20130101;
B65H 2701/1311 20130101; B65H 2404/1112 20130101; B65H 5/00
20130101; B65H 29/003 20130101; B65H 2220/09 20130101; B65H
2404/2693 20130101; B65H 29/669 20130101; B65H 2301/44735 20130101;
B65H 2301/44331 20130101; B65H 2404/153 20130101; B65H 2404/268
20130101; B65H 2404/313 20130101; B65H 2406/323 20130101; B65H
2301/44331 20130101; B65H 2301/44732 20130101; B65H 5/021 20130101;
B65H 2301/44735 20130101; B65H 2301/44734 20130101; B65H 2404/254
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
493/405 ;
271/264 |
International
Class: |
B65H 5/00 20060101
B65H005/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 28, 2010 |
DE |
10 2010 043 063.3 |
Claims
1. A device for buffering a plurality of individual sheets or
groups of sheets, comprising: a buffer section configured to
receive a plurality of individual sheets or groups of sheets; a
buffer transport configured to move an individual sheet or group of
sheets at a buffer transport speed; and a runout configured to move
out an individual sheet or group of sheets from the device at a
runout speed which is higher than the buffer transport speed;
wherein the runout is configured to act on an individual sheet or
group of sheets at a last occupied position along the buffer
section so as to take over transport of the individual sheet or the
group of sheets before the individual sheet or group of sheets has
reached an end of the buffer section.
2. The device in accordance with claim 1, comprising a sensor
circuit configured to detect a position of an individual sheet or
group of sheets along the buffer section.
3. The device in accordance with claim 2, wherein the buffer
section comprises a plurality of successive buffer positions, each
buffer position being configured to receive an individual sheet or
group of sheets, and wherein the sensor circuit comprises a
plurality of sensors, at least one sensor each being associated to
a buffer position so as to determine whether the buffer position is
occupied or unoccupied, wherein the runout is configured to
determine, based on the sensor signals, the buffer position along
the buffer section where the runout takes over transport of an
individual sheet or group of sheets.
4. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the buffer
transport comprises pliers transport or stud transport, wherein the
pliers or studs of the buffer transport comprise fixed distances to
one another in correspondence with the distance of buffer positions
along the buffer section.
5. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the buffer
transport and the runout each comprise different transport
elements.
6. The device in accordance with claim 5, wherein the buffer
transport comprises a pliers transport or stud transport, and
wherein the runout comprises a roll or belt transport.
7. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the buffer
section comprises a plurality of successive buffer positions, each
buffer position being configured to receive an individual sheet or
group of sheets, and wherein the runout comprises a plurality of
runout modules, a runout module each being associated to a
plurality of buffer positions starting from a last buffer position
along the buffer section, each module being actuatable selectively
for engaging a buffered individual sheet/buffered group of sheets
at a buffer position, and the runout modules between an output of
the device and the last occupied buffer position along the buffer
section being actuated so as to move out an individual sheet or
group of sheets from this device.
8. The device in accordance with claim 7, wherein each of the
plurality of runout modules comprises a conveyer element, the
conveyer element being arranged to be displaced between a first
position and a second position, the conveyer element in the first
position not engaging an individual sheet or group of sheets, and
the conveyer element in the second position engaging an individual
sheet or group of sheets.
9. The device in accordance with claim 7, wherein each of the
plurality of runout modules comprises a conveyer element arranged
at a fixed position, the conveyer element being implemented to be
rotated between a first position and a second position when being
actuated, the conveyer element in the first position not engaging
an individual sheet or group of sheets, and the conveyer element in
the second position engaging an individual sheet or group of
sheets.
10. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the buffer
section comprises a plurality of successive buffer positions, each
buffer position being configured to receive an individual sheet or
group of sheets, and wherein the runout comprises a moveable runout
module configured to be moved to the last occupied buffer position
along the buffer section for taking over transport of the sheet or
group of sheets comprised therein.
11. The device in accordance with claim 10, comprising: a belt
transport comprising a belt extending from an inlet of the buffer
section to an outlet of the buffer section, wherein the moveable
runout module comprises: a conveyer element moveable between a
first position and a second position, the conveyer element in the
first position not engaging an individual sheet or group of sheets,
and the conveyer element in the second position engaging an
individual sheet or group of sheets; and a pair of rolls receiving
the belt of the belt transport such that the belt does not engage
the individual sheet or group of sheets in front of the moveable
runout module in the direction of transport of the individual sheet
or group of sheets and engages an individual sheet or group of
sheets after the moveable runout module in the direction of
transport, wherein the conveyer element is operative to engage an
individual sheet or group of sheets using the belt of the belt
transport.
12. The device in accordance with claim 11, wherein the conveyer
element is arranged for being shifted or rotated between the first
position and the second position.
13. The device in accordance with claim 8, wherein the conveyer
element comprises a roll, two or more rolls arranged one behind the
other in the direction of transport of the individual sheet or
group of sheets, a belt or a roll comprising a D-shaped
cross-section.
14. The device in accordance with claim 1, comprising: an in-feed
configured to feed an individual sheet or group of sheets to the
buffer section, wherein the in-feed comprises a drive for
transporting an individual sheet or group of sheets, and a pair of
lateral guidings, wherein each of the lateral guidings comprises at
least two chambers which define pairs of chambers for receiving
each at least one sheet, a first pair of chambers being arranged at
a bottom position neighboring to the buffer section, and a second
pair of chambers being arranged at a top position spaced apart from
the buffer section, wherein the guidings are arranged rotatably and
are controllable so as to cause rotation by a first angle or by a
second angle, wherein the rotation by the first angle causes both
goods from both pairs of chambers to be fed to the buffer section,
and wherein a rotation by the second angle causes the sheet
comprised in the first pair of chambers to be fed to the buffer
section and the first pair of chambers to be moved from the bottom
position, and the second pair of chambers, with the sheet comprised
therein, to be moved to the bottom position.
15. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein: the buffer
transport comprises a first vacuum transport comprising a plurality
of selectively activatable vacuum chambers, and the runout
comprises a second vacuum transport comprising a plurality of
selectively activatable vacuum chambers.
16. The device in accordance with claim 15, wherein receiving of
the individual sheet or group of sheets is caused by one or several
of the activated vacuum chambers of the first vacuum transport.
17. The device in accordance with claim 15, wherein the first and
second vacuum transports are arranged next to each other or above
each other.
18. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the buffer
section is configured to receive the sheets or group of sheets in a
shingled or non-shingled manner.
19. A paper handling system comprising: one or several handling
stages; and at least one device for buffering a plurality of
individual sheets or groups of sheets, comprising: a buffer section
configured to receive a plurality of individual sheets or groups of
sheets; a buffer transport configured to move an individual sheet
or group of sheets at a buffer transport speed; and a runout
configured to move out an individual sheet or group of sheets from
the device at a runout speed which is higher than the buffer
transport speed; wherein the runout is configured to act on an
individual sheet or group of sheets at a last occupied position
along the buffer section so as to take over transport of the
individual sheet or the group of sheets before the individual sheet
or group of sheets has reached an end of the buffer section for
collecting individual sheets or groups of sheets.
20. The paper handling system in accordance with claim 19, wherein
the handling stages comprise a cutter, a merger and a folding
mechanism, wherein the device for collecting the individual sheets
or groups of sheets is arranged between the merger and the folding
mechanism.
21. A method for buffering a plurality of individual sheet or
groups of sheets in a buffer section for receiving a plurality of
individual sheet or groups of sheets, a buffer transport moving an
individual sheet or group of sheets at a buffer transport speed,
and a runout moving out an individual sheet or group of sheets at a
runout speed which is higher than the buffer transport speed;
comprising: acting, by the runout for moving out, on an individual
sheet or group of sheets at a last occupied position along the
buffer section so as to take over transport of the individual sheet
or the group of sheets before the individual sheet or group of
sheets has reached an end of the buffer section.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of copending
International Application No. PCT/EP2011/068354, filed Oct. 20,
2011, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety,
and additionally claims priority from German Application No. 10
2010 043 063.3, filed Oct. 28, 2010, which is also incorporated
herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Embodiments of the invention relate to processing goods or
groups of goods, in particular to processing sheets which are
processed within a paper handling system as individual sheets or
groups of sheets.
[0003] Paper handling systems exemplarily serve for producing
letters being sent to a plurality of recipients, using which
telephone bills, bank statements or similar things are, for
example, sent. Cover notes of this kind either include an
individual sheet or a plurality of sheets which are then processed
within the system as a group. The sheets processed by the system
are then exemplarily introduced into an envelope by means of an
inserter and sent to a recipient. In such paper handling systems,
the sheets forming the plurality of cover letters are fed via one
or several input channels, collecting the sheets of a group of
sheets being necessitated before processing same together. The
sheets may exemplarily be provided by a paper roll onto which the
plurality of sheets have been printed before, exemplarily in a
multi-up manner. The roll is then fed via the input channel and at
first cut in a longitudinal and a transverse direction so as to
generate individual sheets which are subsequently collected in a
collection stage as individual sheets or groups of sheets. The
speed at which the sheets of a collecting stage can be provided may
differ depending on the speed at which same are moved out of the
collection stage for being provided to subsequent processing, such
as, for example, a folding mechanism.
[0004] FIG. 1 shows a paper handling system including a plurality
of handling stages, i.e. a cutter 100, a so-called merger 102, a
collecting stage 104 and a folding mechanism 106, schematically. At
an input, the cutter 100 receives a paper web 108 which is
imprinted with the text of the individual sheets 110 and 112 to be
generated later on in a several-up manner. In the upper section,
FIG. 1 shows a schematic top view illustration of the processed
sheets and, in the lower part, a schematic side view illustration
of the sheets. The cutter 100 causes a longitudinal cut and a
transverse cut of the paper web 108 so as to separate the
individual sheets 110 and 112, such that, as is shown in FIG. 1,
after cutting, there are single sheets. From the cutter 100, the
individual sheets 110 and 112 are transferred in parallel to the
merger 102, or merging web, which moves both sheets 110 and 112
such that they are arranged one above the other, as is shown in
FIG. 1. The sheets arranged in this way are transferred from the
merger 102 to the collecting stage 104. As has been mentioned, the
folding mechanism 106 follows the collecting stage 104. In order to
decouple the speed at which the sheets are received from the
collecting stage 104 from the speed at which the folding mechanism
106 can process sheets, a buffer 114 (illustrated by a buffer
section 114) is arranged between the output of the collecting stage
104 and the input of the folding mechanism 106, a plurality of
individual sheets or groups of sheets 116a to 116I being arranged
in the buffer, for example in a shingled arrangement, as is shown
in FIG. 1. The collecting stage 104 is configured to deposit the
received sheets 110, 112 at a first buffer stage along the buffer
section 114 of the buffer. At the end of the buffer section 114,
the group of sheets, or individual sheet 1161, present at the last
buffer position is withdrawn at a speed corresponding to a
processing speed of the following component, in this case the
folding mechanism. The group of sheets 118 withdrawn is fed to the
folding mechanism, exemplarily a double folding mechanism, and the
folded groups 118' are fed to further processing. Further
processing may either be sealing, for example, the short sides of
the folded group of sheets 118' such that the mail piece to be sent
is finished here already. In this case, at least one of the
individual sheets 110, 112 is printed such that an addressee is
visible on the outside after the folding process. Alternatively,
the folded group of sheets 118' may be fed to an inserter which
subsequently inserts the group of sheets 118' into envelopes.
[0005] Providing the buffer section 114 allows decoupling the
processing speeds of the components arranged in front of the
collection stage 104 from the processing speed of the components
arranged after the collecting stage 104. This means that the input
channel formed by the cutter and the merger 102 may operate at a
basically constant speed, since the speed excess relative to the
processing speed of the folding mechanism 106 is compensated by the
buffer section 114. Conventional buffer sections 114 operate such
that an individual sheet or group of sheets is deposited at the
first buffer stage 116a and passes each individual buffer stage
116a-116I in correspondence with the speed of a buffer transport
provided, irrespective of the filling state of the buffer section
114. When the group reaches the output of the buffer section 114,
it is withdrawn.
[0006] The arrangement of a buffer is not limited to the
configuration of a paper handling system as shown in FIG. 1.
Basically, such a buffer is employed wherever decoupling of speeds
is necessitated, such as, for example, where a preceding component
provides a good or a group of goods at a speed which may be higher
than a speed at which a subsequent component is able to accept the
good or group of goods. FIG. 1a shows further examples of the
arrangement of one or several buffers in a paper handling system,
wherein a buffer may be arranged at all positions or only at
selected positions shown in FIG. 1a. A buffer 114 may generally be
arranged between the input channel and an inserter 120. In the
input channel of the paper handling system, a buffer 114 may be
arranged between the merger 102 and the collecting stage 104 (not
shown in FIG. 1a) and/or between the collecting stage 104 and the
folding mechanism 106 and/or between the folding mechanism 106 and
a merging web 122 and/or between the merging web 122 and the
inserter 120. In addition, a buffer 114 may be arranged between the
inserter 120 and a post-processing component, such as, for example,
a postage module 124.
[0007] Different approaches for realizing a buffer within a paper
handling system are known from conventional technology. EP 1 206
402 A and EP 1 206 407 A describe buffers which receive a plurality
of sheets or groups of sheets in a shingled manner, and, in
particular, approaches for accepting sheets or groups of sheets
into such a buffer stage in a shingled manner, or withdrawing
sheets of a group from such a buffer stage. EP 1 433 733 A
describes a buffer transport system for an inserting system in
which each buffer stage is formed by several pairs of rolls
including associated sensorics so as to optionally provide a
four-stage or six-stage buffer, depending on the format to be
processed. EP 1 108 668 A describes a temporary storage for
documents wherein continuous transport is provided for by belts by
means of which documents taken over from a preceding component are
moved through the buffer. A movable slide is provided for
establishing a buffer section within the system. WO 2004/063071 A
describes a buffer for receiving a stack of sheets wherein the
sheets are deposited in a shingled manner and the entire stack is
moved to the output for withdrawing a sheet so as to be able to
withdraw a lower sheet from the stack.
[0008] EP 1 433 733 A relates to a flexible buffer transport system
for buffering collected documents, the buffer being formed by a
plurality of rolls and sensors which may each be controlled
individually by special motors. Depending on the format to be
processed, buffer positions are established using the controller
and corresponding rolls are associated to the individual buffer
positions and driven together. In a case in which there are no
downstream documents within the buffer transport for a collected
group, transfer of the collected documents to the transport of the
following inserter takes place synchronously and depending on the
availability of the transport of the following envelope. When there
are one or several empty buffer positions in the direction towards
the output, the buffer section in accordance with EP 1 433 733 A
avoids passing all the buffer stages in correspondence with the
buffer transport speed by moving on at the speed of the following
component, however, the setup and control in accordance with EP 1
433 733 A are complicated with regard to both mechanics and
controlling. In addition, this known buffer section does not allow
a shingled arrangement of goods or groups of goods.
SUMMARY
[0009] Departing from this known technology, it is the object of
the present invention to develop a buffer such that moving the
group of goods or good out quickly is made possible such that
unnecessary queue times, as may be found in the known technology in
accordance with FIG. 1, are avoided without complicating the setup
in terms of mechanics and controlling.
[0010] According to an embodiment, a device for buffering a
plurality of individual sheets or groups of sheets may have: a
buffer section configured to receive a plurality of individual
sheets or groups of sheets; a buffer transport configured to move
an individual sheet or group of sheets at a buffer transport speed;
and a runout configured to move out an individual sheet or group of
sheets from the device at a runout speed which is higher than the
buffer transport speed; characterized in that the runout is
configured to act on an individual sheet or group of sheets at a
last occupied position along the buffer section so as to take over
transport of the individual sheet or the group of sheets before the
individual sheet or group of sheets has reached an end of the
buffer section.
[0011] According to another embodiment, a paper handling system may
have: one or several handling stages; and at least one device as
mentioned above for collecting individual sheets or groups of
sheets.
[0012] According to still another embodiment, a method for
buffering a plurality of individual sheet or groups of sheets in a
buffer section for receiving a plurality of individual sheet or
groups of sheets, a buffer transport moving an individual sheet or
group of sheets at a buffer transport speed, and a runout moving
out an individual sheet or group of sheets at a runout speed which
is higher than the buffer transport speed, may be characterized by
the following step: acting, by the runout for moving out, on an
individual sheet or group of sheets at a last occupied position
along the buffer section so as to take over transport of the
individual sheet or the group of sheets before the individual sheet
or group of sheets has reached an end of the buffer section.
[0013] In accordance with embodiments of the invention, the buffer
section includes a plurality of successive buffer positions, each
buffer position being configured to receive a good or group of
goods. The buffer positions along the buffer section are set
fixedly or are settable variably in dependence on a dimension (such
as, for example, length) of the good to be buffered or group of
goods to be buffered.
[0014] In accordance with embodiments of the invention, a novel
buffer device is suggested, in which, unlike in conventional
buffers, a good or group of goods does no longer have to pass all
the buffer positions in a buffer in correspondence with a buffer
transport speed until finally withdrawal for further transport to a
following component is achieved. In accordance with embodiments of
the invention, this is achieved by the fact that each buffer
position within the buffer device may still be occupied by a good
or group of goods, however, in case that buffer positions remain
unoccupied before the runout, a kind of "moveable" runout is
provided which allows withdrawal of a good or group of goods from
the last occupied buffer position without the good or group of
goods having to pass each individual following empty buffer stage
in correspondence with the clocked driving of the buffer transport.
Exemplarily, when forming groups, the runout is moved to the last
occupied buffer position to cause direct withdrawal for subsequent
processing there, wherein this last buffer position is closer to
the output of the buffer device with several successive small
groups and closer to the input of the buffer device with several
successive larger groups. However, a situation in which every
subsequent buffer position is passed using the buffer transport is
avoided, rather a finished collected group is withdrawn directly
from the last occupied buffer position for subsequent processing.
In accordance with embodiments of the invention, this is realized
by a movable runout which is moved to the last occupied buffer
position so as to accept a good or group of goods there.
Alternatively, providing selectively connectable runout elements of
the runout at predetermined discrete points may be provided,
exemplarily a runout element may be provided at each buffer
position such that, in case a central buffer position is the last
occupied buffer position, the runout element associated to this
buffer position and also all other runout elements associated to
the subsequent empty buffer positions are lowered so as to allow
contact to the good to be moved out so as to allow accelerated move
out, irrespective of the buffer transport of the buffer device.
[0015] The known technology mentioned above in accordance with EP 1
433 733 A is based on an approach in which the concept of
separating buffer transport and runout transport is abandoned and
instead a plurality of individually driven pairs of rolls are used
which allow the functionality of the buffer transport on the one
hand and the functionality of the runout transport on the other
hand by corresponding controlling. In accordance with embodiments
of the invention, in contrast, the basic concept of a buffer as has
been described referring to FIG. 1 is maintained, i.e. a concept
which provides for providing buffer transport and runout transport,
wherein the buffer transport moves the good from one buffer stage
to the next within the buffer and the runout transport passes the
good on to a subsequent component. The approach in accordance with
embodiments of the invention provides modification of this
conventional buffer approach in that the runout which so far has
been arranged statically at the end of the buffer section is
configured to be "moveable" and thus goods are moved out from a
last occupied buffer position.
[0016] In contrast to conventional approaches, the device in
accordance with embodiments of the invention is of advantage
finished collected goods/groups of goods may now be moved out
rapidly since it is no longer necessary to pass the entire buffer
section from one buffer position to the next in accordance with the
buffer transport speed. In contrast to known technology, as is
known from EP 1 433 733 A, the approach in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention is of advantage since the functionality
of the buffer device and corresponding elements, i.e. in-feed,
buffer section and runout, is maintained in principle, whereas in
accordance with the document cited a complete modification of the
conventional buffer device is necessitated. In accordance with
embodiments of the invention, the control complexity is smaller
since the basic controlling of the buffer section essentially
remains unchanged and only corresponding control of the moveable
runout is necessitated in order to cause early withdrawal of a
group or individual good from a last occupied buffer position along
the buffer section. In contrast to known technology, as is known
from EP 1 433 733 A, the approach in accordance with embodiments of
the invention is of further advantage since the goods or groups of
goods may be accepted in the buffer section in a shingled or
non-shingled manner.
[0017] In accordance with embodiments of the invention, the buffer
may be part of a collection stage which will then be able to
collect and buffer at the same time a plurality of goods or groups
of goods.
[0018] In accordance with further embodiments of the invention, the
buffer transport includes a first vacuum transport comprising a
plurality of vacuum chambers which may be activated selectively,
and the runout includes a second vacuum transport comprising a
plurality of vacuum chambers which may be activated selectively,
wherein one or several of the activated vacuum chambers of the
first vacuum transport may be provided so as to define a position
for receiving the good or group of goods. The first and second
vacuum transports may be arranged next to each other or above each
other.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] Embodiments of the invention will be detailed subsequently
referring to the appended drawings, in which:
[0020] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a paper handling
system including a plurality of handling stages, including a
conventional buffer section;
[0021] FIG. 1a shows further examples of the arrangement of one or
several buffers in a paper handling system;
[0022] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a buffer stage in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention comprising a
plurality of actuatable runout modules along the buffer
section;
[0023] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the buffer stage of
FIG. 2 in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;
[0024] FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of the buffer stage of
FIG. 2 in accordance with still another embodiment of the
invention;
[0025] FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a buffer stage in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention comprising a runout
module moveable along the buffer section;
[0026] FIG. 6 is a side sectional illustration of the moveable
runout in accordance with FIG. 5 in accordance with an embodiment
of the invention;
[0027] FIG. 7 is a top view sectional illustration of the runout of
FIG. 6 along the line b-b in FIG. 6;
[0028] FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of an in-feed mechanism in
accordance with embodiments of the invention;
[0029] FIG. 9 shows a guiding rail pair of the in-feed mechanism of
FIG. 8 in accordance with an embodiment; and
[0030] FIG. 10 is a schematic illustration of a buffer stage in
accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0031] Same elements or elements having the same effect are
provided with the same reference numerals in the following
description of embodiments of the invention.
[0032] An embodiment of the invention will be discussed below
referring to FIG. 2, wherein the runout is formed by a plurality of
runout modules. FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of the buffer
stage 200 comprising an in-feed 202 for feeding the sheets to a
buffer section 204 including a plurality of transport units
206a-206f, the transport units 206a-206f being arranged at
corresponding buffer positions 207a-207f of the buffer 200 and
being moveable between same. Each of the transport units 206a-206f
includes a clamping element 208, such as, for example, one or
several pairs of pliers 208 of which only the pair of pliers 208
arranged at the transport unit 206a is shown in FIG. 2. The pliers
208 serve for clamping a good arranged at a transport unit 206,
such as, for example, an individual sheet or a group of sheets,
such that same may be moved through the buffer. The transport units
206a-206f are, for example, arranged along a buffer transport 209,
such as, for example, along a conveyer belt or along a conveyer
chain, spaced apart from one another, wherein the conveyer chain is
driven by a drive not shown in FIG. 2 in a clocked manner (in
start/stop operation) so as to move the transport units through the
buffer section 204 in correspondence with a predetermined buffer
transport speed, such that exemplarily the first transport unit
206a shown in FIG. 2 has passed buffer positions 206a-e after five
clocks and reached buffer position 206f where the buffer position
206f is arranged in FIG. 2. In the example shown in FIG. 2, for
reasons of simplicity, only an individual sheet 210 which is
received by the first transport unit 206a arranged at the first
buffer position 207a is arranged in the buffer section 204. More
precisely, the, in the direction of transport, back end of the
sheet 210 is held at the first transport unit 206a by the clamp
208. The remaining buffer positions along the buffer section 204
are unoccupied. If sheets were arranged here, too, a plurality of
groups of sheets or individual sheets would be arranged within the
buffer section 204 in a shingled manner, similarly to what is shown
in FIG. 1.
[0033] Additionally, the buffer stage 200 includes a runout 212
which in the embodiment shown is formed by a plurality of runout
modules 212a-e. Each of the runout modules 212a-212e includes a
carrier 214a-214e provided so as to carry a conveyer element
216a-216e. The conveyer element 216a-216e may be formed by a roll,
two or several rolls arranged one after the other in the direction
of transport of the good or group of goods, a belt or a roll of a
D-shaped cross-section. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the
runout modules 212a-212e are arranged so as to be moveable
vertically, as is shown by corresponding arrows 213 in FIG. 2. Each
of the runout modules 212a-212e is associated to one of the buffer
positions 207b-207f downstream of the in-feed 202. The first buffer
position 207a which is opposite the in-feed 202 has no runout
module associated therewith. The clocked mode of driving the buffer
section 204 is such that, during a movement clock, a transport unit
(such as, for example, 206b) is advanced by a section from a buffer
position (such as, for example, 207b) to the next buffer position
(such as, for example, 207c) such that a runout module will be
"opposite" a transport unit.
[0034] The runout modules 212a-212e may be controlled individually
so as to be moved vertically between a first position and a second
position. In the first position, the runout module 212 is arranged
such that the associated conveyer element 216a does not engage the
individual sheet or group of sheets arranged within the buffer, as
is exemplarily shown in FIG. 2 using the runout modules 212a-212c
which are arranged in their first positions. In the second
position, the runout modules, see, for example, runout modules 212d
and 212e, are arranged such that their conveyer elements 216 engage
a good to be transported so as to allow transport of the good
irrespective of the transport speed of the buffer transport
209.
[0035] As has been mentioned, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG.
2 only a single sheet 210 is exemplarily arranged along the buffer
section 204. Groups of sheets, folded goods or goods inserted in
envelopes may also be buffered instead of an individual sheet. Same
has been deposited at the first buffer position 207a by the in-feed
202 and received by the transport unit 206a present there at that
time and held for transport along the buffer section. Thus, the
following buffer positions 206b-206e are free or unoccupied. In
accordance with conventional approaches, the transport unit 206a
would have to be moved along the buffer section 204 in a clocked
manner by means of the buffer transport until an, in the direction
of transport, front end of the sheet 210 has reached a stationary
runout arranged at the end of the buffer section where it is
accepted by same and removed. When exemplarily assuming that the
position of the stationary runout corresponded to the position of
the runout module 212e, in the embodiment of FIG. 2, at least one
clock would be necessitated for moving the sheet 210 on, only then
could removal take place. In accordance with embodiments of the
invention, however, early removal is allowed by finding out that
the buffer positions 207b-207f are unoccupied such that a runout
module 214d associated to the front end of the sheet 210 and a
following runout module 212e are lowered to the second position so
as to allow engagement of the sheet 250. This causes removal of the
individual sheet 210 in the direction of the output of the buffer
section by the runout module 212d in cooperation with the runout
module 214e at a speed independent of buffer transport such that
the sheet 210 is able to leave the buffer section 204 early without
at first having to wait until it has reached the runout by means of
the buffer transport.
[0036] In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the buffer
additionally includes a sensor circuit configured to detect a
position of a good or group of goods along the buffer section 204.
The sensor circuit includes a plurality of sensors S which are
illustrated schematically in FIG. 2, at least one sensor S each
being associated to one of the buffer positions 207a-f so as to
determine whether a buffer position is occupied or unoccupied. The
runout 212 is configured to determine, based on the sensor signals,
the buffer position along the buffer section 204 where the
transport of a good or group of goods is to be taken over by the
runout 212 in the manner described before. Alternatively, a
position of a good or group of goods in the buffer may be
calculated without requiring sensors which detect a position of the
good along the buffer section. Calculation may then take place
based on a speed at which the drives of the buffer operate or at
which the good or group of goods is moved and based on a known
format size of a good or the largest good in a group which may, for
example, be provided by the job description. The speed of the
drives or speed of the good or group of goods may exemplarily be
detected by suitable sensors.
[0037] It is to be pointed out here that, using FIG. 2, an
embodiment has been described in which the sheets or groups of
sheets are arranged within the buffer section 204 in a shingled
manner and are held by the transport unit at a, in the direction of
transport, back end. In this case, the sheets or groups of sheets
are "pushed" along the buffer section. Alternatively, the sheets or
groups of sheets may also be held by the transport unit in a, in
the direction of transport, front end. In this case, the sheets or
groups of sheets are "pulled" along the buffer section. However,
the invention is not limited to buffers which receive the goods or
groups of goods to be buffered in a shingled manner. Also, a
non-shingled arrangement may be provided for such that, for
example, one compartment each for receiving a sheet or group of
sheets is formed by two transport elements arranged on the buffer
transport in a spaced-apart manner. The spacing of the transport
elements exemplarily corresponds to a format length of the sheets
to be processed. Depending on the circumstances, a corresponding
arrangement of the sheets in a shingled manner or non-shingled
manner may be desirable.
[0038] The buffer transport 209 may be the pliers transport shown
in FIG. 2. Other transport mechanisms may also be used, such as,
for example, a stud transport which includes individual
compartments for receiving the good or group of goods. The pliers
or studs of the buffer transport 209 are in fixed distances to one
another, corresponding to the distance of the buffer positions
207.
[0039] As can be seen from FIG. 2, the original approach of
separating runout and buffer transports is maintained by the buffer
transport 209 and the runout 212 each including separate transport
elements. The buffer transport 209 may include pliers transport or
stud transport and the runout 212 may include roll or belt
transport.
[0040] Another embodiment of the invention wherein the runout 212
includes a plurality of runout modules, similarly to FIG. 2, is
shown referring to FIG. 3. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the
runout modules 212a-212e which are opposite the corresponding
buffer positions 207a-207f or associated thereto, are provided
again. Additionally, for bridging the distance between two
successive buffer positions, further runout modules 218a-218e which
are equal in setup to the modules 212a-212e and are also moveable
in correspondence therewith between the first and second positions
are provided. Each of the runout modules shown in FIG. 3 includes a
carrier which in the module 212a is exemplarily referenced by the
reference numeral 214a. The carrier 214a carries the conveyer
element 216a which is mounted to be rotatable around an axis 224a
so as to allow rotation in the direction of the transport
direction. The additional runout modules 218a-218e also include
carriers 220e and conveyer elements 222e which are mounted to be
rotatable around an axis 226e. In the runout modules in accordance
with FIG. 3, the axes 224 and 226 are moveable vertically, as is
illustrated by the arrow 227 so as to cause lowering of the
conveyer elements 216 and 222, respectively, from the first
position in which there is no engagement of the goods, to the
second position, where engagement of the goods is possible.
[0041] In the example shown in FIG. 3, the buffer section 204
contains three sheets or groups of sheets 210, 210' and 210'',
wherein the group 210 is, for example, held by the transport unit
206c and the group 210' by the transport unit 206b. Group 210'' is
about to be introduced into the buffer section and is to be
received and held by the transport unit 206a. Similarly to FIG. 2,
in FIG. 3, too, it is to be recognized that there are no further
groups arranged in the direction of transport after group 210 such
that group 210 is moved out already before reaching the end of the
buffer section 214 in correspondence with the teachings in
accordance with embodiments of the invention by moving the runout
modules 212d and 212e and the runout modules 218c-218e from the
first position to the second position so as to ensure engagement of
the good between the last occupied buffer position and the runout
or output of the buffer section. The conveyer elements of the
runout modules mentioned are driven at the necessitated removal
speed which is higher than the transport speed of the buffer
section such that the group of sheets 210 or individual sheet 210
is moved out rapidly.
[0042] FIG. 4 shows another embodiment which is similar to the
embodiment in accordance with FIG. 3. In the embodiment shown in
FIG. 4, the runout modules are implemented such that no vertical
movement thereof is necessary between the first position and the
second position. Rather, the conveyer elements 216 and 222 of the
corresponding runout modules are implemented by rolls having a
D-shaped cross-section, so-called D-rolls which are arranged in the
module 212a to be rotatable around the corresponding rotational
axis 224 and 226, respectively, in the direction of the arrow 229
shown in FIG. 4. The conveyer elements 216, 222 at the beginning
are in a rest position, as is exemplarily shown in the module 212a
where there is no engagement of the goods. For causing transport of
the goods, the conveyer element is rotated, as is shown in the
runout module 212d so as to move same to a second position or
through a second position so as to cause engagement of the sheet
210 to cause same to be conveyed. The runout modules following the
module 212d are driven in a staggered manner so as to cause
temporally adjusted actuation of the corresponding conveyer
elements 222 and 216 to cause the sheet 210 conveyed by the module
212d to be conveyed further in the direction of the output.
[0043] Another embodiment of the invention will be described below
referred to FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, buffer 200 is shown again, wherein,
unlike in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2-4, the runout 212 is
realized by a single runout module 230 which is movable along the
direction of transport, as is illustrated in FIG. 5 by the arrow
231. The setup of the inlet and the buffer section corresponds to
the setup in accordance with FIG. 2 and, similarly to FIG. 2, only
an individual sheet 210 or group which is arranged along the buffer
section 204 is illustrated for reasons of simplicity. Similarly to
FIG. 2, in FIG. 5, too, the buffer is empty after sheet 210 such
that it would be necessitated for reaching a fixed runout at the
end of the buffer section to move the sheet 210 through the buffer
positions 206b to 207f in a clocked manner in correspondence with
the transport speed of the buffer transport until the, in the
direction of transport, front end of the sheet 210 has reached the
stationary runout. Similarly to FIGS. 2 to 4, this is avoided in
the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 by allowing early withdrawal of the
sheet 210 when there are no further sheets, in the direction of
transport in front of the sheet, in the buffer section. In the
embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the runout 212 includes the moveable
module 230 which includes a carrier 232 and a conveyer element 234
mounted to the carrier 232 which may be implemented in the same
manner as in the modules described before using FIGS. 2 and 3. The
moveable module 230 is arranged such that its conveyer element 234
will be able, in every position, to engage a sheet or group of
sheets 210, if there are any along the buffer section. When
recognizing that sheet 210 is the last sheet, the movable module
230 is moved, departing from a rest position, which is exemplarily
arranged at the end of the buffer section, in the direction of the
buffer input until the front end of the sheet 210 which in the
example shown in FIG. 5 is at the buffer position 207e has been
reached, wherein subsequently the sheet 210 is removed at a removal
speed which is higher than a transport speed of the buffer
transport. For removal, it may be provided for that the module 230
moves in the direction of the output during conveyance of the sheet
by the conveyer element 234 so as to ensure continuous conveying of
the sheet.
[0044] An embodiment of the invention for realizing the moveable
runout 212 in accordance with
[0045] FIG. 5 will be discussed in greater detail below referring
to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6 shows a side sectional illustration of the
runout and FIG. 7 shows a top view sectional illustration. In FIG.
6, the buffer section 204 is shown comprising the buffer positions
207a to 207k where the transport units 206a-206k which are moved
between the buffer positions in a clocked manner in the
conventional manner using a buffer transport are arranged.
Exemplarily, the buffer transport 209 includes a chain circulating
around two rolls such that the transport units are moved back to
the beginning of the buffer section when reaching the end of the
buffer section. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, sheets or groups
of sheets 210, 210' and 210'' are shown in the buffer section, the
group of sheets 210 being held by the transport unit 206b at the
buffer position 207b and the group of sheets 210' being held by the
transport unit 206a at the buffer position 207a, as can be
recognized by the clamping mechanism 208 folded back. The group of
sheets 210 is held either by another buffer position not shown in
FIG. 6 or has already been introduced so as to be received by a
transport unit engaging the group of sheets 210' in the next
clock.
[0046] The runout 212 includes a top belt transport 236 and a
bottom belt transport 238. The top belt transport 236 includes a
first return roll 240 and a second return roll 242 for guiding a
top transport belt 244. The top belt transport additionally
includes the moveable runout module 230 which is arranged to be
moveable along the direction of transport of the goods 210, as is
illustrated by the arrow 231. The sled 230 includes a carrier
structure 232 where the conveyer element 234 is arranged so as to
allow rotational movement. In addition, the carrier structure 232
carries two return rolls 246 and 248 which are arranged one behind
the other in a spaced-apart manner in the direction of transport.
The transport belt of the top belt transport 236 is received by the
return rolls such that the first return roll 246 receives the belt
244 at a position spaced apart from the buffer transport 204. The
belt 244 extends between the two return rolls 246 and 248 such that
the second return roll 248 guides the belt at a lower portion
neighboring to the buffer section 204. The first roll 240 of the
top belt transport 236 has greater a diameter than the second roll
242 such that the belt is guided between the second return roll 248
and the first roll 240 of the belt transport 236 neighboring to the
buffer transport 240 such that the belt engages a good or group of
goods as is shown in FIG. 6 at the reference numeral 250 so as to
cause removal thereof at a removal speed which is higher than the
buffer transport speed. The transport belt 244 is, in a portion
between the second roll 242 of the belt transport 236 and the front
return roll 246 of the sled 230, guided in a manner spaced apart
from the buffer section 204 such that same does not engage one or
several goods arranged on the buffer section.
[0047] The conveyer element 234 is a roll element having a D-shaped
cross-section (D roll) which is actuated when reaching a desired
withdrawal position of the sled so as to catch a sheet at the
position, exemplarily sheet 210 at the position 206j, or the, in
the direction of transport, front edge thereof and introduce same
by a rotation between the belt 240 of the top belt transport and a
belt 252 of the bottom belt transport 238 so as to allow removal at
the withdrawal speed. The bottom belt transport also includes two
rolls 254 and 256 over which the bottom belt 252 is guided. By the
cooperation of the two belts 252 and 244 in the portion behind the
sled 230 in the direction of transport, withdrawal of the sheets or
groups of sheets introduced in this region is allowed at the
desired removal speed.
[0048] Depending on which of the positions 207 shown in FIG. 6 is
the last occupied position, i.e. the last position where there is a
good, the sled 230 is moved to a suitable withdrawal position,
exemplarily to a position corresponding to the front end of the
sheet held by a transport unit. When reaching the withdrawal
position, the conveyer element 234 is actuated so as to move
between the belts 244 and 252 and remove the object at the removal
position, exemplarily the sheet or group of sheets.
[0049] FIG. 7 shows a top view illustration of the arrangement of
FIG. 6 cut in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the sheet
along the line b-b. In FIG. 7, the belt 244 redirected by the
second return roll 248 can be made out, as are the return rolls 240
and 242 of the top belt transport 236. Additionally, it can be
recognized that the sled 230 comprises a carry bar 258 arranged
transverse to the direction of movement where two conveyer elements
234a and 234b are arranged movably so as to cause transfer of a
good to be removed in the region between the belts 244 and 252 in
the manner described above. Additionally, guide elements 260a and
260b which engage corresponding guiding rails 262a and 262b are
provided at the carry bar 258 so as to allow moving the sled back
and forth along the direction of transport between the desired
withdrawal positions. The guiding rails 262a and 262b are
exemplarily mounted to the casing 264 of the arrangement, which is
shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Elements 266a and 266b are stops which are
arranged at the guiding rails 262a and 262b so as to limit movement
of the sled 230. In addition, in FIG. 7, the sheets or groups of
sheets 210, 210', 210'' are illustrated deposited in a shingled
manner. Additionally, group 250 to be moved out at the moment is
shown.
[0050] An embodiment in which the runout transport includes the
withdrawal roll and the belt transport has been described in FIGS.
5 and 6. Different embodiments may include alternative transport
elements. In accordance with an embodiment, the runout may include
a gripping element, such as, for example, a pair of pliers, which
is arranged at the moveable module and takes up and holds the good
to be removed such that the good is moved in the direction of the
buffer output by the movement of the module.
[0051] The buffers described using FIGS. 2 to 7 allow a filling
speed and an emptying speed of the buffer which are principally
independent from each other.
[0052] In the embodiments described before, it has been explained
that the goods or groups of goods are arranged in a shingled
manner, however, the invention is not limited to such a kind of
buffering. Rather, compartments for taking up goods or groups of
goods in a non-shingled manner may also be provided in the
buffer.
[0053] An embodiment of an in-feed mechanism in accordance with
embodiments of the invention will be described below making
reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.
[0054] FIG. 8 shows a lateral illustration of the in-feed 280. The
in-feed 280 includes the guiding element 290 which comprises two
compartments 300 and 302 (see FIG. 9) which extend along the buffer
section 204 in the direction of transport. The compartments 300 and
302 serve for taking up one or several sheets received from a
preceding component. The compartments 300 and 302 may be
controllable such that, when actuating same, either both sheets
within the arrangement 290 are deposited on the buffer section 204
and exemplarily, taken up and then clamped by the guiding element
206a at the, in the direction of transport, back end of the sheets.
Alternatively, the compartments 300 and 302 may be actuated such
that only the group in the bottom compartment 302 is released and
the group 300 in the top compartment is transferred to the bottom
compartment. In FIG. 8, a drive roll for the buffer transport 209
by means of which the individual buffer elements 206 are moved in a
clocked manner along the different buffer positions is
schematically shown with the reference numeral 310.
[0055] FIG. 9 shows an illustration of an embodiment of the device
290 of FIG. 8. The guiding element 290 includes two guiding rails
312a, 312b which are arranged by a distance d transverse to the
direction of transport. The guiding rails 312a and 312b are
implemented each to define the chambers 300a, 300b and 302a, 302b
for receiving the sheets 296 and 298, respectively. The guiding
rails 312a and 312b are rotatable in the direction of the arrows
shown in FIG. 9. In addition, a common transport element 314 which
causes transport of both the bottom sheet 296 and the top sheet 298
is provided. As is shown in FIG. 9, a first pair of chambers 302a,
302b is arranged at a bottom position neighboring to the first
buffer position and a second pair of chambers 300a, 300b is
arranged at a top position neighboring to the first buffer
position.
[0056] The mode of functioning of the in-feed described using FIG.
9 will be discussed in greater detail below. We assume that the
sheets are provided by an arrangement, as is shown using FIG. 1.
The merged goods are taken over together from the merger by the
center drive 314 and the top and bottom sheets are taken over
laterally from the merger in the separate guiding rails such that
the sheets are further introduced into the collection stage. The
sheets arrived in the collection stage are deposited downwards onto
the buffer by a rotation by 180.degree. of the lateral guidings
312a and 312b. The rotation by an angle of, for example,
180.degree. has the effect that both goods 296, 298 from both pairs
of chambers 300a,b, 302a,b are deposited at the first buffer
position. When the group has been composed, the buffer is advanced
by a corresponding distance predetermined by the clock such that
exemplarily the transport unit 206a arranged at the position 207a
shown in FIG. 8 is advanced by a position, namely to the position
207b. Here, the groups may be clamped by the pliers 208 at back
left and right sides. The runout releases clamping so as to let the
group continue, exemplarily to the folding mechanism. Forming
groups takes place at the clocking performance of the cutting
machine, the runout following in correspondance with the
buffer.
[0057] With small groups, the buffer is filled quicker than
emptied. In accordance with embodiments of the invention, the
runout travels in the direction of the folding mechanism, together
with the buffer. With larger groups, the runout proceeds in the
direction of the collecting stage and empties the buffer
continuously. An intelligent controller provides for the buffer to
be filled in correspondence with the collecting amount. When the
buffer reaches its filling limit, the speed of the previous
component has, of course, to be reduced.
[0058] The runout may pass on groups with a small distance between
goods, thereby allowing a folding mechanism, for example, to be
used optimally, wherein at the same time the transport speed of the
folding mechanism may be reduced.
[0059] With unpaired goods, i.e. when receiving two sheets 296 and
298 which belong to different groups to be collected, the lateral
guidings are rotated only by 90.degree.. The bottom sheet is placed
with its group on the buffer, the top sheet is given from the top
to the bottom guiding rail. A maximum of two sheets are collected
in the bottom guiding rail. When being transported to the buffer,
the sheets are deposited by the lateral guidings such that no
additional vibration is necessary. Thus, rotation of the guidings
by an angle of, for example, 90.degree. causes the good 296
contained in the first pair of chambers 302a, 302b to be deposited
at the first buffer position and the first pair of chambers 302a,
302b to be moved from the bottom position (exemplarily to the top
position). At the same time, the second pair of chambers 300a, 300b
with the good (298) contained therein is moved to the bottom
position.
[0060] It is pointed out here that more than two pairs of chambers
which may be moved through different positions by a suitable
mechanism may also be provided such that one or several of the
chambers are discharged at the first buffer position, depending on
the movement.
[0061] Instead of the in-feed described using FIGS. 8 and 9, other
implementations of the in-feed may also be used, exemplarily an
in-feed may comprise a transport mechanism for transferring a good
or a group of goods from a preceding component to the first buffer
position by means of a roll or belt transport, wherein the feeding
transport, for example, essentially is in the plane of the buffer
section.
[0062] FIG. 10 shows a buffer section in accordance with another
embodiment of the invention. In contrast to the embodiments
described so far in which belts or roll transports have been used,
a vacuum transport is used in the buffer section in accordance with
FIG. 10.
[0063] The buffer section 400 shown in FIG. 10 includes an in-feed
402 and a runout 404. The buffer section includes a top transport
406 and a bottom transport 408 between which a group or group of
goods is moved. At the in-feed 402, both the top transport 406 and
the bottom transport 408 include an in-feed roll 410a, 410b between
which a good or group of goods introduced into the buffer section
400 is conveyed. In addition, the top transport 406 includes a top
vacuum transport 412 including a belt 412a guided over two rolls
412b and 412c. Furthermore, the top vacuum transport 412 includes a
plurality of vacuum chambers 412d. The bottom transport 408
includes a bottom vacuum transport 414 which, similarly to the top
vacuum transport 412, comprises a belt 414a guided around two rolls
414b and 414c. Additionally, the bottom transport includes a
plurality of vacuum chambers 414d. The vacuum transports 412 and
414 each include selectively controllable vacuum chambers 412d and
414d, respectively, wherein transport of a good or group of goods
may take place by transporting only at those positions along the
belt where the associated vacuum chambers are provided with a
vacuum. In FIG. 10, the vacuum chambers of the top transport 412
and the bottom transport 414 characterized by an "x" are inactive,
i.e. despite a movement of the corresponding belts 412a and 414a,
no good or group of goods is conveyed at these positions.
[0064] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the buffer section 400
includes the bottom and top drives or transports 412 and 414 just
described which may each be controlled separately from each other.
More precisely, the respective drives each include separately
controllable vacuum chambers, wherein the number of vacuum chambers
is not limited to that shown in FIG. 10, rather more or less vacuum
chambers may be provided as long as there is more than one vacuum
chamber in each transport. In accordance with embodiments,
controlling the vacuum chambers is done via a multi-channel
valve.
[0065] The functionality of the buffer section 400 described using
FIG. 10 is such that the top transport 406 is responsible for
accepting a good or group of goods from the in-feed 402 and for
transporting the good or group of goods along the buffer section.
The individual goods or group of goods are introduced into the
buffer section 400 at the in-feed speed. The vacuum chambers 412d
of the top transport are activated up to the good running out,
which means that all the goods or groups of goods, except for the
good running out, are held by the top transport/drive and
transported in the direction of the runout 404 in a particular
transport speed. Thus, a plurality of positions where a good or a
group of goods may be received is defined by the top activated
vacuum chambers 412d, wherein in the example shown in FIG. 10 the
respective positions are defined fixedly or variably. In accordance
with the embodiment of FIG. 10, it may be provided for each of the
vacuum chambers 412d to define a position or buffer position and
for this definition to be predetermined fixedly. Alternatively,
however, it may also be provided for to control two or several
vacuum chambers 412d together and thus to set a number of positions
along the buffer section 400 variably, wherein the same number of
vacuum chambers 412d does not necessarily have to be united to form
one position, but also different numbers of vacuum chambers may
define a position. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the activated
vacuum chambers 412d of the top transport 412 are referred to by 1
to 11. These vacuum chambers are passed when a good or group of
goods is introduced. The last activated vacuum chamber in the
example shown in FIG. 10 is the vacuum chamber referred to by 11.
The following vacuum chambers referred to by the "x" are not
required, i.e. the buffer is not filled completely. When
introducing another good into the buffer, the vacuum chamber
following vacuum chamber 11 is activated such that the movement of
the belt causes transport of the goods such that a new good to be
taken up is conveyed by the vacuum chamber 1.
[0066] The bottom transport 408 is responsible for the good or
group of goods to be output. In order to cause moving out of a
group of goods or a good, the vacuum chambers 414d of the bottom
transport necessitated for this, in this case the five vacuum
chambers to the right, are activated. FIG. 10 shows a good running
out at 416 which is moved in the direction of the runout 414 by the
bottom transport 414. The bottom vacuum transport 414 runs at
higher a speed than the buffer transport, wherein this speed may
equal that of the runout transport.
[0067] The top and bottom vacuum chambers 412d and 414d are
controlled synchronously in correspondence with the position and
length of the good running out. The arrow 418 in FIG. 10 shows the
borderline of the active and inactive vacuum chambers 412d, which
follows the position of the good to be output. As has already been
mentioned above, the buffer is filled quicker with smaller groups
than with larger groups such that, when taking up smaller groups,
the last occupied buffer position travels in the direction of the
runout 404, whereas with larger groups the last occupied position
travels in the direction of the in-feed 402, as is indicated by the
arrow 418. The vacuum chambers 412d are activated/deactivated
correspondingly.
[0068] An embodiment in which the transports 412 and 414 are
arranged one above the other is shown in FIG. 10, however, the
present invention is not limited to this. In accordance with other
embodiments of the invention, the transports 412 and 414 are
arranged in the same level, the functionality described above
remaining the same.
[0069] Although some aspects have been described in connection with
a device, it is to be understood that these aspects also represent
a description of a corresponding method such that a block or
element of a device is also to be interpreted to be a corresponding
method step or characteristic of a method step. In analogy, aspects
having been described in connection with a method step or as a
method step, also represent a description of a corresponding block
or detail or characteristic of a corresponding device.
[0070] While this invention has been described in terms of several
embodiments, there are alterations, permutations, and equivalents
which will be apparent to others skilled in the art and which fall
within the scope of this invention. It should also be noted that
there are many alternative ways of implementing the methods and
compositions of the present invention. It is therefore intended
that the following appended claims be interpreted as including all
such alterations, permutations, and equivalents as fall within the
true spirit and scope of the present invention.
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