CA1182136A - Device for individually separating flat objects, especially postal correspondence and the like, and spacing them at constant distances apart - Google Patents
Device for individually separating flat objects, especially postal correspondence and the like, and spacing them at constant distances apartInfo
- Publication number
- CA1182136A CA1182136A CA000378691A CA378691A CA1182136A CA 1182136 A CA1182136 A CA 1182136A CA 000378691 A CA000378691 A CA 000378691A CA 378691 A CA378691 A CA 378691A CA 1182136 A CA1182136 A CA 1182136A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- band
- objects
- bands
- branch
- conveyor
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H3/00—Separating articles from piles
- B65H3/02—Separating articles from piles using friction forces between articles and separator
- B65H3/04—Endless-belt separators
- B65H3/042—Endless-belt separators separating from the bottom of the pile
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
- B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
- B07C1/00—Measures preceding sorting according to destination
- B07C1/02—Forming articles into a stream; Arranging articles in a stream, e.g. spacing, orientating
- B07C1/04—Forming a stream from a bulk; Controlling the stream, e.g. spacing the articles
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
- B65H3/00—Separating articles from piles
- B65H3/46—Supplementary devices or measures to assist separation or prevent double feed
- B65H3/52—Friction retainers acting on under or rear side of article being separated
- B65H3/5246—Driven retainers, i.e. the motion thereof being provided by a dedicated drive
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Delivering By Means Of Belts And Rollers (AREA)
- Processing And Handling Of Plastics And Other Materials For Molding In General (AREA)
- Sheets, Magazines, And Separation Thereof (AREA)
- Sorting Of Articles (AREA)
- Combined Means For Separation Of Solids (AREA)
- Separation By Low-Temperature Treatments (AREA)
- Structure Of Belt Conveyors (AREA)
- Feeding Of Articles By Means Other Than Belts Or Rollers (AREA)
- Transition And Organic Metals Composition Catalysts For Addition Polymerization (AREA)
- Control And Other Processes For Unpacking Of Materials (AREA)
Abstract
"Device for individually separating flat objects, especially postal correspondence and the like, and spacing them at constant distances apart"
ABSTRACT
A separator-spacer device for flat objects, such as postal correspondence, able to operate equally on a stream of objects or on a loose pack of objects. The flat objects to be handled are fed into the V space formed by the opposing branches of two bands which are urged resiliently against each other in order to define a first pinch point. One of these bands is of a material having a high coefficient of friction and moves in the feed direction of the objects, whereas the other band moves at a lower speed in the opposite direction and has a substantially lower coefficient of friction. The pinch point allows only one object to pass at a time, urged by the band of high friction coefficient.
Downstream of the pair of bands there is provided a conveyor with belts which move at a greater speed than that of the first band, and which form a second pinch point which is spaced apart from the first by a distance less than the minimum length of the objects to be handled.
ABSTRACT
A separator-spacer device for flat objects, such as postal correspondence, able to operate equally on a stream of objects or on a loose pack of objects. The flat objects to be handled are fed into the V space formed by the opposing branches of two bands which are urged resiliently against each other in order to define a first pinch point. One of these bands is of a material having a high coefficient of friction and moves in the feed direction of the objects, whereas the other band moves at a lower speed in the opposite direction and has a substantially lower coefficient of friction. The pinch point allows only one object to pass at a time, urged by the band of high friction coefficient.
Downstream of the pair of bands there is provided a conveyor with belts which move at a greater speed than that of the first band, and which form a second pinch point which is spaced apart from the first by a distance less than the minimum length of the objects to be handled.
Description
tl ~
DESCRIYTION
This invention relates to a device for inaividually separating flat objects, especial~y postal correspondence and the like~ and spacing them at constant distances apa~t.
In man~ cases involving loose p~cks or heaps of flat objects, ~hich are either st rest or arriving in a corltinuous ~r interrupted stream, it is required co form them into regular stream of individual objects which are spaced at constant distances apart.
A particular case of this kind is the handling, distribut;on and automatic sorting of postal correspondcnce.
In this and other cases, the objects to be handled c&n be of very variable dimensions and consistency (thicknas~), and there can be considerable diflerences in the mass of the objects, for instance of the order of 1 to 10. ~n exa~ple is the comparison between a letter or postcard and an envelope containing documents.
The problem is therefore to extract or ~rlthdraw one piece at a time from a loose pack or heap of such ob~ct5~ i.n order to make them avail3ble inclividuolly, and to then feed the indiviaual objects into a conveyinæ line constitu-tea for example by t~o opposing belts, 50 that the objects become spaced at constant distances apart.
The conventlonal methods f()r carrying out these oper-ations are generally based on the use of slotted permeablebel's or perforated drums which with the aid of vacuum created b'r a suita7c~1e pump draw one object at a t me from a stationar~
..~
. .
3~
pac~ to cOuse it to adhere to the moving belt or drum, which then releases the object withdrawn from the pôck and ins~r-ts it into the conveying line.
The known devices are also fitted with 3pproprista auxiliary equipm.ent~ for example for preventinO a numb0r of objects being withdrawn or extracted at a time, this equipment making the operOtion of said devices e~tremely complicated~
In general, these conventional systems always provide for withdrawing the individuOl objects while stationary, to the~ raise them inst~ntaneously to the speed of the conveying line.
As the available times are small, even though the spseds concerncd are not very high, the acceler~tion which the objacts undergo on being withdra~m is very large, and because~ as stated, the mass of the objects can difPer considerably, the extrsction obtained, which is bafied on a constant accelerating force, is strongly influenced by the physical characteristics of the objects handled.
The object of the prescnt i.nvent:ion is ~hcr~fore to provido a constructionally si.mple ~nd operationOlly raliable device for i.ndividually separating fla-t; objects arld spOcing them at constant distances apart, which carries out the individual separation without the need for using sucti.on means, in which the effect of the mass difference between the objects is minimisea, and which is a].so able to operate on a stream of arriving objects in additi.on to stationary packs or heaps~ These objects are attained ~ccor-Iing to the inventio~
3~
by a de~ice characteri6ed by compri~ing two endless motorised bands with their oppo5inO branches for~ing an acute angle between them and resilientJy kept ~n r~lutual contact at a verte~ zone of said angle to form a first pinch point, means for feeding a plurality of fiat objects to be handled into the V space deIined by said opposing branches of the two bands, and, at a predetermined di~tance downstream of the contact zone of the opposing branches of the two bands, a con~eyor constituted by a pair of motorised belts the opposing branches of which move in the same direction snd at the same speed and are kept yieldably adherinO to each other to form a second pinch point, one of said two bands being of a material of high coefficient of friction and being driven in such a manner that that branch thereof which opposes the branch ot` the second band moves in the same direction as, but at a smaller speed than, the opposing branche~ of the conveyor belts, whereas the other of the two bands is of a material having a lo-~ler coefficient of friction than the first and is dri~en in such a mannor 20 that that branch thcreof wh:ich OppO6CS the br3nch of tho first band moves in the opposite direction to, and at a smaller absolute speed than this ]atter.
~ he means for feeding a plurality of objects to be handled into the V space formed by the opposing branches of the two bands can be constitut d by 3 band conveyor which con~eys a stream of objects from any other machine upstream of the device, or which with~ra~ts the obJect~ from 3 pac~.
The dist3nce between the two pinch or gripping polnts formed by the two bands and by the conveyor belts is chosen at a value le.ss than the mini~um length of the flat objects to be handled.
The band of material having the lower coeEficient of friction is suitably mounted on a swivel-mountedsupport onwhich there act resilient means which are adjustable so as to create in the contact zone between the opposing branches of the two bands a pressure ~hich is substantially constant independently of the thickness of the object ~ihich is passing between said two branches at any given time.
: One embodiment of the device according to the invention ; is descri'oea hereinafter in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings~ in which:
Figure l is a diagramMatic plan vie~r of the device on the line I-I of Figure 3, Figure 2 is a hori~ontal section on the 1.ine II-II of Figure 3~
Figure 3 i.9 an elevation Or thc cl~vioe on the li.ne III-III of Figure l~ and Figure 4 is a diagram whicil schematically illustrates the operation of the device.
The device described hereinafter is designea to individ-uall.y separate and space-apart postal correspondence such ~s letters of various formats and consistency, postcards etc.
In the C3Se considered, this postal correspondence is fcd i.n the form of an un~o~nd pack of individual objects ~3l&3~
which are disposed ~erticslly1 iOe~ not resting on a surEace by means of their wide face~ However, nothing prsvents tne objects from bein~ fed while lying on a surface or on a band conYeyor, and the spacial arrange~ent of the components of the- device io not limited to the arran~ement ~hich is illustrated b,'l way of example onl~.
Figures 1 to 3 show a hori~ontal support p;ate 1 with a : horizontal restin~ table 10 for a pack 11 of flat objects disposed ~erticall~ which is thrust by a pusher 12 in the direction of the arrow 13. The table 10 is bounded on one side by a verticaI fixed guide 14.
The end part of the resting table 10 passes a short distance sbove the upper hori~ontal branch of a conveyor bsnd 15 which moves in the direction of the arrow 16 and I5 is guided over two deviation rollers 17, 1~. A second verticsl collveyor band 19 guided over rollers 20, 21 and 22 has a branch in front of the resting table 10 which passes at a distance above ths upper branch of the band 15~ this branch of the band 19 moving in the ~,ame di.r~ction (arrow 16) and st the s~me specd as tho upper br~nch of the band 15.
The pack 11 of flat objects which is pushed forwsrd by the pusher 12 on to the table 10 then p~sses on to the upper branch of the belt 15 ~ultil it encounters ths facing vertical.
branch of the belt 19, so that some of the initi.al objects of the pack 11 are thrust for~rard b~ the two bands 1~, 19 in the di.rection of the arrol~ 16, iOe. i.n practice 3~
per~endicular to the feed direction (~rrot~ 13) of the pack 11 on the table 10. That end of the vertical guide 1~ facing the ~rertical band 19 is suitably bent in the direction of the arrow 16 (see Figure 1) to create in front of the b~nd 19 a passage for a certain number of ohjects~ It should be n~ted that a sensor 23, ~or example of the known capaciti~-e type9 detects the presence of objects on the table I0 and controls the pusher 12. For simplicity, the operating and control means for the pusher 12 are not shown~ this latter being mobile Iinearly along the guide 24 parallel to the table 10.
The passage for said certain number of objects in front of the vertical band 19 terminates in the feed directio~. of said objects (arrow 16) in the forra of a V space created by the opposing branches 25 and 26 of two endless vertical banas 27 sna 28, the opposing branches 25 and 26 forming an acute angle between each other.
The band 27, which is constituted of a rnsterial havin~
a high coefficient of friction, for example a special rubber, is supported and guidea on rollers 29~ 30~ 31~ Or whi.oh the roll~r 30 is ~ tensionln~ ro].l~r. Xt~ branc}l 25 moves in the same direction as the feed direction of the objects (~rrow 16).
The band 28 is supported and guided on rollers 32, 33, 34 ana 35 of which the roller 34 is a ten6ioning roller~ and it is constituted by a norm3l rubberised band having a coefficiei1t of friction substzntially less than that of thP
band 27 ~for example the ratj.o of thc coefficierlts of friction of the two bands is 1:2~. The branch 26 of th~ band ~8 also moves in the opposite direction to the feed direction of the objects (in the opposite direction to the arrow 16).
The support and guide rollers 32_35 for the band 28 are carried by 3 support 36 which is mountea to s~rivel about the axis of the roller 33 on the plate 1~ and is subjected to the action of a tension spring 37 which rotates the support 36 in such a direction as to move the front end (with reference to the feed directioll of the objects as indicated by arrow 16~ of the branch 26 of the band 28 into contact with the brsnch 25 of the band 27 with a detcrmined pressure, as is clearly visible in Figure 1. This contact zone between the branches 25, 26 of the bands 27, 28 forms a first, pinch point, indicated by 38.
It is important to note that the opposin~ branches 25 and 26 of the bands 2'" 28 form a contai.ned open scut.e angle, and are properly kept in mutual contact at the vertex zone of t'nis angle, i.e~ at said first pinch point 38. For this purpose, the position of the tensioning roller 30 for the band 27 relative to thc deviat:i.on .rol:Lcr 35 of the band 2P, is irnportant. ~9 clearly vi~:ible i.n Fi.nure 1, by deviati.ng the branch 25 of thc band 27 from the straight line jolni.ng the deviation rollers 29 and 31~ the tensioning roller 30 pushes it against the branch 26 of the band 28, which is kept, taut between its devi.ation rolle~s 32 and 35. This arrange-ment ensl~es the passage of onl~ one of the objects throucgh the ~inch point 389 independently of the thrust e:~erted b~
the ~,ubsequent objects which 2~20T~e towards s~id piIlch point ~nto the V space between the two branchas 25, 26 of the bands 27 and 28.
The force of the spri.ng 37 can be adjusted by means of an adjustable tie rod 39~ adjustable stop 40 limits the rotation of the support ~6 under the action of the spring 37.
r~he force o~ the spring ~7 and its positionir.Lg relative to the pivot of rotation of thc support 36 are determined in such 3 manner as to obtain a substantially constant p~essure at the pinch point 38, independently of the opening of the bands 27, 28 determined by the passage of an object through the pinch point 38 and by the variable thickness of the ~assing object (the difference irL thickness between the objects can be considerable, even of the order of 1 tG 10).
A vertical belt conveyor constituted by a beit 41 guided over pulleys 42, L~3 and 44 and a belt 45 guided over pull.eys 46, 47, l~8, 49 and 50 is proviaed at a certain distance down~
etrea~n of the zone of contact of the opposing branches 25, 26 of the two bands 27, 28. Ovcr a certai.n port.ion7 the t~o belts l~l and 1~5 rlm p.~r~llcl to eiJCh othor in thc feed direction of the objects (arrow 16) and at th0 same speed, and ove~ this portion the belts are kept yieldably in mutual contact by virtue of the arrangement of th~ pul].eys 46, 47 and 48 relative to the pulle~fs 4~ 4 as shown in Fi.gure 1~
the pulley 47 bein~ a tensioning pulley. The beginnirlg of this portion forL~Is a second pi.nch pOi21t ind~~cated bv 51.
.3~
It shou1d be noked that the distance betweer. the pinch point 38 formed by the two bands 27, 28 and the pinch point 51 formed by the ~wo belts 41, 45 iS less than the minimum len~th of the flat objects (postal correspondence) to be handled.
The bands and various belts of the device are driven from a single motor 52 mounted below the support plate l (see Ficures 2 and 3). ~wo pulleys 53 7 54 3re mounted on the drive shaft. The pulley 53 drives, by way of a belt tr3nsmission 55, the pulley 56 which is mounted on the shaft of tne drive roller 17 of the b~nd 15, said belt 55 being guided over two deviation pu]leys 57 arld 580 ~he pulley 54 drives the band 19, the p~ir of bands 27, 28 and the belts 411 45 of the downstream conveyor by way of a sing~le belt transmission 60. The belt 60 takes the follo~ling path:
from the pulley 54 it passes over a deviation pulley 61, over a drive pulley 62 ~ounted on the shaft 63 carrying the drive roller 33 for the belt 28 (s3id shaft ~lso constitutin~
the axis of rotation for the suppo~t 36), then over a drive pulley 64 mounted on the sh~ft 65 carr~ing tho drivo pulley 49 for the bclt L~5, then over ~ devistion pu]loy 6G, then over a drive pulley 67 mounted on the shaft 68 carrying th~
drive pulley 44 for the belt L~l, then over a deviation pulley 69 and finally over a drive pullcy 70 ~o~ted on the shaft 7]
carrying the drive rollers 22 and 31 for the band l9 ~nd band 27 respectively, to then return to the pulley 54 (see Figure 2 in particular).
3~;
The transmission ratios axe chosen such that when the band 27 moves in the feed direction 16 of t~e objects! it has a linear speed greater than the linear speed of the band 28 which mo~es in the opposite direction, and such that t.he belts 41, 45 of the downstream conveyor ha~e a linear speed greater than that of the belt 27.
The operation of the described device is as fGllows.
The pack 11 of flat objects thrust by the pusher 12 on the table 10 in the direction 13 arrives on the horizontal ban~ 15 and abuts against the facing branch of the vertical band 19. The two bands 15 and 19 urge the initial ob,jects of the pack 11 in the direction 16, and the bent part of the vertical guide 14 allows some of them to pass into the V-constrict~3d space of the opposing branches 25, 26 of the I5 bands 27, 28. These objects thus tend to accv.mulate in said V space.
Because of its high coefficient of friction, the band 27 tends to drag the objects forward in the direction 1.6, while the other band 28 which rotates in the opposite di.rection at a lower s~)ced, and wh.ich h~s ~ coef~icient O:r friction which is sub~st~nt.i~lly less th.JIl the Eirst, tends to halt the objects which slide against it.
~ n individual object which becomes gripped between the two bandfi 27, 28 at the first pinch point.38 is urged forward on one of its faces by the band 27, whereas it is urged backward on its other f~ce by the band 28. The pressure acting on the two faces of the object i.s obviously the same, where~s the coefficient of friction of the band 27 i8 substantially greater (with ~ ratio for ~mple cf ~:1! than that of the band 28, ana thus the .orward thrust action of the band 27 prevails with the result that the object is ~oved forwara at the speed of the band 27 towards the do~stream conveyor.
If two objects simultaneously reach the pinch point 38, th~t facing the band 27 is caused to molfe for~ard in the ~irection 16 thereby, whe~eas the other f~cing the band 28 is halted ana then caused to move backward, because the branch 26 of the band 28 ~oves in the opposite direction to the feed direction. On the other hand, the bands 15 and 19 and the other objects conveyed forward thereby continue to thrust this latter object forwsrd, so that in practice it stops slightly upstream of the pinch point 38, where the b3nd 28 is no longer ab:Le to move it backward because of lacic of ressure.
This ~econd object therefore remains ~Jai-ting until the first object in complete].y passing beyond the r,inch po~ition 3 uncovers the band 27, which by then acting on the second object moves it forw~rd at th.i.s point.
If tho bc~lt convcyor ~ l5 w~ro to InOVe Porward at the same speed as the band 27, the objects wou].d simply file ~ast one at a time without any gaps betweon them. A contlnuous stream of objects wou].d therefore be cr~ated. It should be noted that be~inning with their forward movement on the table 10, the objectls can be acceler3ted in a number of stages~
firstly by the bands 15 and 19 an~ -then b~ the band 27, with the result that the effect of thelr mas6, which can be very different, is minimised.
However, to obtain a g3p between one object and the ne~t, the belts 41, 45 of the downstream conveyor ~re made to move at a speed greater than the band 271 ana in ~ddition the conveyor, which h~s a rel3tively long portion of the two belts pressed ~gsinst esch other, is cIesigned to be able to apply a force to the object which is greater than that exerted by the bsnd 27. ~lhen an object reaches the secona pinch point 51 by being thrust by th~ band 27, it matches its speed to that of the belts 41 and 45 because of the greater power of the belt convey~r, so that when the object ~thich succeeds it at its rear ena is moved forward by the band 27, it advancea at a lower speed (that of the bancl. 27) between ths point 38 and the ~oint 51. In thls t~anner, a g~p is created between the two objects which can be predetermine-l b~
zdjustin~ the difference in speed between the band c7 ard the downctream conveyor, and the distance between the pinch points 38 and 51.
In order to obtain an eq-lal grap bctwecn thC v~riouFI
objects wh:i.ch is lndep~ndont o~ the lellæth o~ the objects, the distance between the pi.nch points 38 ancl 51 has on].y to be l.ess than the minimum length of the objects to be h3ndled, The thickness differences which can e~cl~t between the objects in a same pack and which -as stated - Call reach considerab~e values, such as 1 to 101 are ~bsorbed in that the band 28 is mounted on the st~ivel~mounted 5llpport 35 which can 1!~
move away fro~ the band 27. The spring 37 aeti~g on the support 36 ~reates the forc~ necessary f~r ~resslng the band 28 against the objeets and against the band 27 with -the required pressure. The size of the spring 37 and its position relative to ths s~ivel axis of the support 3~ are sueh as to obtain T~ithin practical limits a pressure whieh is substantially constant at the pinch point 387 independently of the tnickness of the object which is passing through it at any tlme The operation of the device for spacing objeets at eonstant distanees apart is shown schematieally in the diagram of Figure 4, in whieh the abscissaeindicate the spaces and the ordinates the times. ~he two lines 3c~ and 51 irldicate the two pinch points for the objects between the bands 27, 28 and the belts 41, 45.
~ t time a -tl!ere are three objects A, B and C of different length with their front edges (in the direction of movement) at rest at the first pinch point 38. At time b, the object A is ad~-anci~g under the thrust of the band 27 of high coeffieient of friction, while the other two objeets B and C remain at rest.
At t:ime e, tho front eclge of the object A roaehes the second pinGh point 51, while the object is still gripped by the bands 27 and 28. At time c7 it ean be seen that because of the greater 3peed and ~ripping force of the belts 41 and 45, the objeGt ~ is made to advance rapidl~- ~lthough its rear end is stil:L gripped by the kands 27 anrl 28, so tnat the d;~6 obJects B ~nd C still remain at rest. At time e the objec-t A is free from the bands 27 and 28, DO that the first of these now causes the next object ~ to advance. At time f it can be seen that the gap between the objects A and B has increased because of the greater forward speed of -the first, the rear end of which has l.eft the secorld pinch point ~1, whereas the followin~ object has not yet reached this point, so that the gap b~tween the two objects A and B incre~ses further.
Finally9 at time g, the object ~ has reached and passed be~cnd the second pinch point 51, and now moves forward at the same speed as the object .~, while because of the fact that its re~r end has been released from the grip at the irst pinch point 38, the third object C can now move forward under the thrust of the band 27.
The aforegoing description clsrifies the operation of the device according to the invention, which is based on the conee~t of utilising the friction whieh develops between the surface of the flat object and a rubberised band of high coefficieilt of friction.
It should be noted that i.nste~d of using a statiOn3ry table on which a 10060 pack of obj~cts i.s moved forward by a pusher, a mobile table could be used, or even a conveyor belt l~rhich feeds a continuous stream of flat objects. In this ease, the objects could be fed in packs or heaps, or even individually~ for e~ample directly in the feed direction 16 on to that branch of the bana lC3 which carrics the object, into the V space between the two bancls 27 and 28. If the device feeds in this latter manner, it can be advantageous to dispose the band 19, the pair of bands 27, 28 and the downstresm conveyor comprising the belts 41 and 45 horizon-tally instead of vertically. In this case, the devioe again operstes in the ssme manner a,s heretofore described.
DESCRIYTION
This invention relates to a device for inaividually separating flat objects, especial~y postal correspondence and the like~ and spacing them at constant distances apa~t.
In man~ cases involving loose p~cks or heaps of flat objects, ~hich are either st rest or arriving in a corltinuous ~r interrupted stream, it is required co form them into regular stream of individual objects which are spaced at constant distances apart.
A particular case of this kind is the handling, distribut;on and automatic sorting of postal correspondcnce.
In this and other cases, the objects to be handled c&n be of very variable dimensions and consistency (thicknas~), and there can be considerable diflerences in the mass of the objects, for instance of the order of 1 to 10. ~n exa~ple is the comparison between a letter or postcard and an envelope containing documents.
The problem is therefore to extract or ~rlthdraw one piece at a time from a loose pack or heap of such ob~ct5~ i.n order to make them avail3ble inclividuolly, and to then feed the indiviaual objects into a conveyinæ line constitu-tea for example by t~o opposing belts, 50 that the objects become spaced at constant distances apart.
The conventlonal methods f()r carrying out these oper-ations are generally based on the use of slotted permeablebel's or perforated drums which with the aid of vacuum created b'r a suita7c~1e pump draw one object at a t me from a stationar~
..~
. .
3~
pac~ to cOuse it to adhere to the moving belt or drum, which then releases the object withdrawn from the pôck and ins~r-ts it into the conveying line.
The known devices are also fitted with 3pproprista auxiliary equipm.ent~ for example for preventinO a numb0r of objects being withdrawn or extracted at a time, this equipment making the operOtion of said devices e~tremely complicated~
In general, these conventional systems always provide for withdrawing the individuOl objects while stationary, to the~ raise them inst~ntaneously to the speed of the conveying line.
As the available times are small, even though the spseds concerncd are not very high, the acceler~tion which the objacts undergo on being withdra~m is very large, and because~ as stated, the mass of the objects can difPer considerably, the extrsction obtained, which is bafied on a constant accelerating force, is strongly influenced by the physical characteristics of the objects handled.
The object of the prescnt i.nvent:ion is ~hcr~fore to provido a constructionally si.mple ~nd operationOlly raliable device for i.ndividually separating fla-t; objects arld spOcing them at constant distances apart, which carries out the individual separation without the need for using sucti.on means, in which the effect of the mass difference between the objects is minimisea, and which is a].so able to operate on a stream of arriving objects in additi.on to stationary packs or heaps~ These objects are attained ~ccor-Iing to the inventio~
3~
by a de~ice characteri6ed by compri~ing two endless motorised bands with their oppo5inO branches for~ing an acute angle between them and resilientJy kept ~n r~lutual contact at a verte~ zone of said angle to form a first pinch point, means for feeding a plurality of fiat objects to be handled into the V space deIined by said opposing branches of the two bands, and, at a predetermined di~tance downstream of the contact zone of the opposing branches of the two bands, a con~eyor constituted by a pair of motorised belts the opposing branches of which move in the same direction snd at the same speed and are kept yieldably adherinO to each other to form a second pinch point, one of said two bands being of a material of high coefficient of friction and being driven in such a manner that that branch thereof which opposes the branch ot` the second band moves in the same direction as, but at a smaller speed than, the opposing branche~ of the conveyor belts, whereas the other of the two bands is of a material having a lo-~ler coefficient of friction than the first and is dri~en in such a mannor 20 that that branch thcreof wh:ich OppO6CS the br3nch of tho first band moves in the opposite direction to, and at a smaller absolute speed than this ]atter.
~ he means for feeding a plurality of objects to be handled into the V space formed by the opposing branches of the two bands can be constitut d by 3 band conveyor which con~eys a stream of objects from any other machine upstream of the device, or which with~ra~ts the obJect~ from 3 pac~.
The dist3nce between the two pinch or gripping polnts formed by the two bands and by the conveyor belts is chosen at a value le.ss than the mini~um length of the flat objects to be handled.
The band of material having the lower coeEficient of friction is suitably mounted on a swivel-mountedsupport onwhich there act resilient means which are adjustable so as to create in the contact zone between the opposing branches of the two bands a pressure ~hich is substantially constant independently of the thickness of the object ~ihich is passing between said two branches at any given time.
: One embodiment of the device according to the invention ; is descri'oea hereinafter in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings~ in which:
Figure l is a diagramMatic plan vie~r of the device on the line I-I of Figure 3, Figure 2 is a hori~ontal section on the 1.ine II-II of Figure 3~
Figure 3 i.9 an elevation Or thc cl~vioe on the li.ne III-III of Figure l~ and Figure 4 is a diagram whicil schematically illustrates the operation of the device.
The device described hereinafter is designea to individ-uall.y separate and space-apart postal correspondence such ~s letters of various formats and consistency, postcards etc.
In the C3Se considered, this postal correspondence is fcd i.n the form of an un~o~nd pack of individual objects ~3l&3~
which are disposed ~erticslly1 iOe~ not resting on a surEace by means of their wide face~ However, nothing prsvents tne objects from bein~ fed while lying on a surface or on a band conYeyor, and the spacial arrange~ent of the components of the- device io not limited to the arran~ement ~hich is illustrated b,'l way of example onl~.
Figures 1 to 3 show a hori~ontal support p;ate 1 with a : horizontal restin~ table 10 for a pack 11 of flat objects disposed ~erticall~ which is thrust by a pusher 12 in the direction of the arrow 13. The table 10 is bounded on one side by a verticaI fixed guide 14.
The end part of the resting table 10 passes a short distance sbove the upper hori~ontal branch of a conveyor bsnd 15 which moves in the direction of the arrow 16 and I5 is guided over two deviation rollers 17, 1~. A second verticsl collveyor band 19 guided over rollers 20, 21 and 22 has a branch in front of the resting table 10 which passes at a distance above ths upper branch of the band 15~ this branch of the band 19 moving in the ~,ame di.r~ction (arrow 16) and st the s~me specd as tho upper br~nch of the band 15.
The pack 11 of flat objects which is pushed forwsrd by the pusher 12 on to the table 10 then p~sses on to the upper branch of the belt 15 ~ultil it encounters ths facing vertical.
branch of the belt 19, so that some of the initi.al objects of the pack 11 are thrust for~rard b~ the two bands 1~, 19 in the di.rection of the arrol~ 16, iOe. i.n practice 3~
per~endicular to the feed direction (~rrot~ 13) of the pack 11 on the table 10. That end of the vertical guide 1~ facing the ~rertical band 19 is suitably bent in the direction of the arrow 16 (see Figure 1) to create in front of the b~nd 19 a passage for a certain number of ohjects~ It should be n~ted that a sensor 23, ~or example of the known capaciti~-e type9 detects the presence of objects on the table I0 and controls the pusher 12. For simplicity, the operating and control means for the pusher 12 are not shown~ this latter being mobile Iinearly along the guide 24 parallel to the table 10.
The passage for said certain number of objects in front of the vertical band 19 terminates in the feed directio~. of said objects (arrow 16) in the forra of a V space created by the opposing branches 25 and 26 of two endless vertical banas 27 sna 28, the opposing branches 25 and 26 forming an acute angle between each other.
The band 27, which is constituted of a rnsterial havin~
a high coefficient of friction, for example a special rubber, is supported and guidea on rollers 29~ 30~ 31~ Or whi.oh the roll~r 30 is ~ tensionln~ ro].l~r. Xt~ branc}l 25 moves in the same direction as the feed direction of the objects (~rrow 16).
The band 28 is supported and guided on rollers 32, 33, 34 ana 35 of which the roller 34 is a ten6ioning roller~ and it is constituted by a norm3l rubberised band having a coefficiei1t of friction substzntially less than that of thP
band 27 ~for example the ratj.o of thc coefficierlts of friction of the two bands is 1:2~. The branch 26 of th~ band ~8 also moves in the opposite direction to the feed direction of the objects (in the opposite direction to the arrow 16).
The support and guide rollers 32_35 for the band 28 are carried by 3 support 36 which is mountea to s~rivel about the axis of the roller 33 on the plate 1~ and is subjected to the action of a tension spring 37 which rotates the support 36 in such a direction as to move the front end (with reference to the feed directioll of the objects as indicated by arrow 16~ of the branch 26 of the band 28 into contact with the brsnch 25 of the band 27 with a detcrmined pressure, as is clearly visible in Figure 1. This contact zone between the branches 25, 26 of the bands 27, 28 forms a first, pinch point, indicated by 38.
It is important to note that the opposin~ branches 25 and 26 of the bands 2'" 28 form a contai.ned open scut.e angle, and are properly kept in mutual contact at the vertex zone of t'nis angle, i.e~ at said first pinch point 38. For this purpose, the position of the tensioning roller 30 for the band 27 relative to thc deviat:i.on .rol:Lcr 35 of the band 2P, is irnportant. ~9 clearly vi~:ible i.n Fi.nure 1, by deviati.ng the branch 25 of thc band 27 from the straight line jolni.ng the deviation rollers 29 and 31~ the tensioning roller 30 pushes it against the branch 26 of the band 28, which is kept, taut between its devi.ation rolle~s 32 and 35. This arrange-ment ensl~es the passage of onl~ one of the objects throucgh the ~inch point 389 independently of the thrust e:~erted b~
the ~,ubsequent objects which 2~20T~e towards s~id piIlch point ~nto the V space between the two branchas 25, 26 of the bands 27 and 28.
The force of the spri.ng 37 can be adjusted by means of an adjustable tie rod 39~ adjustable stop 40 limits the rotation of the support ~6 under the action of the spring 37.
r~he force o~ the spring ~7 and its positionir.Lg relative to the pivot of rotation of thc support 36 are determined in such 3 manner as to obtain a substantially constant p~essure at the pinch point 38, independently of the opening of the bands 27, 28 determined by the passage of an object through the pinch point 38 and by the variable thickness of the ~assing object (the difference irL thickness between the objects can be considerable, even of the order of 1 tG 10).
A vertical belt conveyor constituted by a beit 41 guided over pulleys 42, L~3 and 44 and a belt 45 guided over pull.eys 46, 47, l~8, 49 and 50 is proviaed at a certain distance down~
etrea~n of the zone of contact of the opposing branches 25, 26 of the two bands 27, 28. Ovcr a certai.n port.ion7 the t~o belts l~l and 1~5 rlm p.~r~llcl to eiJCh othor in thc feed direction of the objects (arrow 16) and at th0 same speed, and ove~ this portion the belts are kept yieldably in mutual contact by virtue of the arrangement of th~ pul].eys 46, 47 and 48 relative to the pulle~fs 4~ 4 as shown in Fi.gure 1~
the pulley 47 bein~ a tensioning pulley. The beginnirlg of this portion forL~Is a second pi.nch pOi21t ind~~cated bv 51.
.3~
It shou1d be noked that the distance betweer. the pinch point 38 formed by the two bands 27, 28 and the pinch point 51 formed by the ~wo belts 41, 45 iS less than the minimum len~th of the flat objects (postal correspondence) to be handled.
The bands and various belts of the device are driven from a single motor 52 mounted below the support plate l (see Ficures 2 and 3). ~wo pulleys 53 7 54 3re mounted on the drive shaft. The pulley 53 drives, by way of a belt tr3nsmission 55, the pulley 56 which is mounted on the shaft of tne drive roller 17 of the b~nd 15, said belt 55 being guided over two deviation pu]leys 57 arld 580 ~he pulley 54 drives the band 19, the p~ir of bands 27, 28 and the belts 411 45 of the downstream conveyor by way of a sing~le belt transmission 60. The belt 60 takes the follo~ling path:
from the pulley 54 it passes over a deviation pulley 61, over a drive pulley 62 ~ounted on the shaft 63 carrying the drive roller 33 for the belt 28 (s3id shaft ~lso constitutin~
the axis of rotation for the suppo~t 36), then over a drive pulley 64 mounted on the sh~ft 65 carr~ing tho drivo pulley 49 for the bclt L~5, then over ~ devistion pu]loy 6G, then over a drive pulley 67 mounted on the shaft 68 carrying th~
drive pulley 44 for the belt L~l, then over a deviation pulley 69 and finally over a drive pullcy 70 ~o~ted on the shaft 7]
carrying the drive rollers 22 and 31 for the band l9 ~nd band 27 respectively, to then return to the pulley 54 (see Figure 2 in particular).
3~;
The transmission ratios axe chosen such that when the band 27 moves in the feed direction 16 of t~e objects! it has a linear speed greater than the linear speed of the band 28 which mo~es in the opposite direction, and such that t.he belts 41, 45 of the downstream conveyor ha~e a linear speed greater than that of the belt 27.
The operation of the described device is as fGllows.
The pack 11 of flat objects thrust by the pusher 12 on the table 10 in the direction 13 arrives on the horizontal ban~ 15 and abuts against the facing branch of the vertical band 19. The two bands 15 and 19 urge the initial ob,jects of the pack 11 in the direction 16, and the bent part of the vertical guide 14 allows some of them to pass into the V-constrict~3d space of the opposing branches 25, 26 of the I5 bands 27, 28. These objects thus tend to accv.mulate in said V space.
Because of its high coefficient of friction, the band 27 tends to drag the objects forward in the direction 1.6, while the other band 28 which rotates in the opposite di.rection at a lower s~)ced, and wh.ich h~s ~ coef~icient O:r friction which is sub~st~nt.i~lly less th.JIl the Eirst, tends to halt the objects which slide against it.
~ n individual object which becomes gripped between the two bandfi 27, 28 at the first pinch point.38 is urged forward on one of its faces by the band 27, whereas it is urged backward on its other f~ce by the band 28. The pressure acting on the two faces of the object i.s obviously the same, where~s the coefficient of friction of the band 27 i8 substantially greater (with ~ ratio for ~mple cf ~:1! than that of the band 28, ana thus the .orward thrust action of the band 27 prevails with the result that the object is ~oved forwara at the speed of the band 27 towards the do~stream conveyor.
If two objects simultaneously reach the pinch point 38, th~t facing the band 27 is caused to molfe for~ard in the ~irection 16 thereby, whe~eas the other f~cing the band 28 is halted ana then caused to move backward, because the branch 26 of the band 28 ~oves in the opposite direction to the feed direction. On the other hand, the bands 15 and 19 and the other objects conveyed forward thereby continue to thrust this latter object forwsrd, so that in practice it stops slightly upstream of the pinch point 38, where the b3nd 28 is no longer ab:Le to move it backward because of lacic of ressure.
This ~econd object therefore remains ~Jai-ting until the first object in complete].y passing beyond the r,inch po~ition 3 uncovers the band 27, which by then acting on the second object moves it forw~rd at th.i.s point.
If tho bc~lt convcyor ~ l5 w~ro to InOVe Porward at the same speed as the band 27, the objects wou].d simply file ~ast one at a time without any gaps betweon them. A contlnuous stream of objects wou].d therefore be cr~ated. It should be noted that be~inning with their forward movement on the table 10, the objectls can be acceler3ted in a number of stages~
firstly by the bands 15 and 19 an~ -then b~ the band 27, with the result that the effect of thelr mas6, which can be very different, is minimised.
However, to obtain a g3p between one object and the ne~t, the belts 41, 45 of the downstream conveyor ~re made to move at a speed greater than the band 271 ana in ~ddition the conveyor, which h~s a rel3tively long portion of the two belts pressed ~gsinst esch other, is cIesigned to be able to apply a force to the object which is greater than that exerted by the bsnd 27. ~lhen an object reaches the secona pinch point 51 by being thrust by th~ band 27, it matches its speed to that of the belts 41 and 45 because of the greater power of the belt convey~r, so that when the object ~thich succeeds it at its rear ena is moved forward by the band 27, it advancea at a lower speed (that of the bancl. 27) between ths point 38 and the ~oint 51. In thls t~anner, a g~p is created between the two objects which can be predetermine-l b~
zdjustin~ the difference in speed between the band c7 ard the downctream conveyor, and the distance between the pinch points 38 and 51.
In order to obtain an eq-lal grap bctwecn thC v~riouFI
objects wh:i.ch is lndep~ndont o~ the lellæth o~ the objects, the distance between the pi.nch points 38 ancl 51 has on].y to be l.ess than the minimum length of the objects to be h3ndled, The thickness differences which can e~cl~t between the objects in a same pack and which -as stated - Call reach considerab~e values, such as 1 to 101 are ~bsorbed in that the band 28 is mounted on the st~ivel~mounted 5llpport 35 which can 1!~
move away fro~ the band 27. The spring 37 aeti~g on the support 36 ~reates the forc~ necessary f~r ~resslng the band 28 against the objeets and against the band 27 with -the required pressure. The size of the spring 37 and its position relative to ths s~ivel axis of the support 3~ are sueh as to obtain T~ithin practical limits a pressure whieh is substantially constant at the pinch point 387 independently of the tnickness of the object which is passing through it at any tlme The operation of the device for spacing objeets at eonstant distanees apart is shown schematieally in the diagram of Figure 4, in whieh the abscissaeindicate the spaces and the ordinates the times. ~he two lines 3c~ and 51 irldicate the two pinch points for the objects between the bands 27, 28 and the belts 41, 45.
~ t time a -tl!ere are three objects A, B and C of different length with their front edges (in the direction of movement) at rest at the first pinch point 38. At time b, the object A is ad~-anci~g under the thrust of the band 27 of high coeffieient of friction, while the other two objeets B and C remain at rest.
At t:ime e, tho front eclge of the object A roaehes the second pinGh point 51, while the object is still gripped by the bands 27 and 28. At time c7 it ean be seen that because of the greater 3peed and ~ripping force of the belts 41 and 45, the objeGt ~ is made to advance rapidl~- ~lthough its rear end is stil:L gripped by the kands 27 anrl 28, so tnat the d;~6 obJects B ~nd C still remain at rest. At time e the objec-t A is free from the bands 27 and 28, DO that the first of these now causes the next object ~ to advance. At time f it can be seen that the gap between the objects A and B has increased because of the greater forward speed of -the first, the rear end of which has l.eft the secorld pinch point ~1, whereas the followin~ object has not yet reached this point, so that the gap b~tween the two objects A and B incre~ses further.
Finally9 at time g, the object ~ has reached and passed be~cnd the second pinch point 51, and now moves forward at the same speed as the object .~, while because of the fact that its re~r end has been released from the grip at the irst pinch point 38, the third object C can now move forward under the thrust of the band 27.
The aforegoing description clsrifies the operation of the device according to the invention, which is based on the conee~t of utilising the friction whieh develops between the surface of the flat object and a rubberised band of high coefficieilt of friction.
It should be noted that i.nste~d of using a statiOn3ry table on which a 10060 pack of obj~cts i.s moved forward by a pusher, a mobile table could be used, or even a conveyor belt l~rhich feeds a continuous stream of flat objects. In this ease, the objects could be fed in packs or heaps, or even individually~ for e~ample directly in the feed direction 16 on to that branch of the bana lC3 which carrics the object, into the V space between the two bancls 27 and 28. If the device feeds in this latter manner, it can be advantageous to dispose the band 19, the pair of bands 27, 28 and the downstresm conveyor comprising the belts 41 and 45 horizon-tally instead of vertically. In this case, the devioe again operstes in the ssme manner a,s heretofore described.
Claims (12)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A device for individually separating flat objects and spacing them at constant distances apart, comprising two endless motorised bands with their opposing branches forming an acute angle and resiliently kept in mutual contact at a vertex zone of said angle to form a first pinch point, means for feeding a plurality of flat objects to be handled into the V space defined by said opposing branches of the two bands, and, at a predetermined distance downstream of the contact zone of the opposing branches of the two bands, a conveyor comprising a pair of motorised belts the opposing branches of which move in the same direction and at the same speed and are kept yieldably adhering to each other to form a second pinch point, one of said two bands being of a material of high coefficient of friction and being driven in such a manner that the branch thereof which opposes the branch of the second band moves in the same direction as, but at a smaller speed than, the opposing branches of the conveyor belts, the other of the two bands is of a material having a lower coefficient of friction than the first and is driven in such a manner that the branch thereof which opposes the branch of the first band moves in the opposite direction to, and at a smaller absolute speed than this latter.
2. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the distance between the two pinch points formed by the two bands and by the belts of the downstream conveyor is less than the minimum length of the flat objects to be handled.
3. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the band of material having the lower coefficient of friction is mounted on a swivel-mounted support subjected to the action of adjustable resilient means.
4. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that a single drive motor is provided for operating said bands and said belts of the conveyor by way of transmission means with a predetermined speed ratio and direction of movement.
5. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that for feeding the objects into the V space defined by the opposing branches of the two bands there is provided a conveyor band with a support branch for the objects to be conveyed as far as the first pinch point.
6. A device as claimed in claim 5, characterised in that a guide cooperates with said conveyor band and is spaced from said branch of the band in order to cause a limited number of flat objects to enter the V space.
7. A device as claimed in claim 5, characterised in that a second conveyor band with a branch parallel to the first but disposed perpendicular thereto is associated with said convey-or band.
8. A device as claimed in claim 7, characterised in that the branch of the first conveyor band is vertical and that of the second conveyor band is horizontal, and an arrival table for the objects is provided which is coplanar with the branch of the second conveyor band and is disposed at a right angle thereto.
9. A device as claimed in claim 8, characterised in that said table is stationary, and a pusher member is provided in order to move the objects towards the two conveyor bands.
10. A device as claimed in claim 9, characterised by a sensor for sensing the presence of objects at the two conveyer bands and for controlling said pusher member.
11. A device as claimed in claim 8, characterised in that said table is mobile or is constituted by a conveyor belt.
12. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the branch of the second band is taut between two deviation rollers, and a tensioning roller acts on the opposing branch of the first band guided over two deviation rollers such that it urges said branch against the opposing branch of the second band in the vicinity of that deviation roller thereof which is disposed downstream in the feed direction of the objects.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| IT20331/81A IT1136812B (en) | 1981-03-13 | 1981-03-13 | DEVICE FOR INDIVIDUALIZATION AND SPACING WITH CONSTANT INTERVALS CONSTANT FLAT OBJECTS, PARTICULARLY POSTAL AND SIMILAR CORRESPONDENCE |
| IT20331A/81 | 1981-03-31 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1182136A true CA1182136A (en) | 1985-02-05 |
Family
ID=11165790
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000378691A Expired CA1182136A (en) | 1981-03-13 | 1981-05-29 | Device for individually separating flat objects, especially postal correspondence and the like, and spacing them at constant distances apart |
Country Status (9)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP0060596B1 (en) |
| JP (1) | JPS57166244A (en) |
| AT (1) | ATE13655T1 (en) |
| AU (1) | AU544687B2 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1182136A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE3263990D1 (en) |
| ES (1) | ES8302486A1 (en) |
| IT (1) | IT1136812B (en) |
| ZA (1) | ZA821443B (en) |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5409204A (en) * | 1993-08-27 | 1995-04-25 | Duchossois Industries, Inc. | Singulator assembly having a buffer with a biased arm |
| US6164438A (en) * | 1996-08-21 | 2000-12-26 | Vermehren; H. Richard | Adjustable control roller apparatus and method |
Families Citing this family (20)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2135284A (en) * | 1983-01-27 | 1984-08-30 | Wofenet Limited | Sheet feeder |
| EP0125359B1 (en) * | 1983-05-12 | 1988-03-02 | Computer Services Corporation | Sorting device |
| FR2578808B1 (en) * | 1985-03-13 | 1987-12-11 | Smh Alcatel | FLAT OBJECT DRIVER. |
| EP0279402B1 (en) * | 1987-02-17 | 1994-11-02 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | A sheet feeding apparatus |
| US5186448A (en) * | 1987-02-17 | 1993-02-16 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Sheet feeding apparatus |
| FR2674777B1 (en) * | 1991-04-03 | 1993-07-30 | Darchis Pierre | DEVICE FOR SEPARATING TWO JOINED FLAT OBJECTS, IN PARTICULAR MAIL ENVELOPES IN A POSTAL SORTING INSTALLATION. |
| US5363971A (en) * | 1992-10-16 | 1994-11-15 | United States Postal Service | Automatic carrier sequence bar code sorter |
| IT1261545B (en) * | 1993-04-09 | 1996-05-23 | Finmeccanica Spa | SINGULARIZER DEVICE |
| US5456457A (en) * | 1994-06-20 | 1995-10-10 | Bell & Howell Company | High speed separator with movable hold back belt for high speed flats feeder |
| EP0718232B1 (en) * | 1994-12-20 | 1998-08-12 | Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba | Paper sheet pickup apparatus |
| JP3433609B2 (en) * | 1996-03-27 | 2003-08-04 | ソニー株式会社 | Digital video recording apparatus and recording method |
| US6354583B1 (en) | 1999-01-25 | 2002-03-12 | Bell & Howell Mail And Messaging Technologies Company | Sheet feeder apparatus and method with throughput control |
| DE102004037420B3 (en) * | 2004-07-30 | 2005-12-15 | Siemens Ag | Device for extracting individual flat items from a separating line |
| DE102008025558A1 (en) * | 2008-05-28 | 2009-12-03 | Schröder-Frerkes, Julius, Dr.-Ing. | Method for separating cardboard blanks from e.g. blank stack, in installation station, involves differently controlling friction between blanks and conveyor rollers and/or belt such that different operating types are selectively executed |
| EP3173364A1 (en) * | 2013-03-12 | 2017-05-31 | United States Postal Service | System and method of automatic feeder stack management |
| US9061849B2 (en) | 2013-03-14 | 2015-06-23 | United States Postal Service | System and method of article feeder operation |
| US9044783B2 (en) | 2013-03-12 | 2015-06-02 | The United States Postal Service | System and method of unloading a container of items |
| US9340377B2 (en) | 2013-03-12 | 2016-05-17 | United States Postal Service | System and method of automatic feeder stack management |
| US9056738B2 (en) | 2013-03-13 | 2015-06-16 | United States Postal Service | Anti-rotation device and method of use |
| CN109482512B (en) * | 2018-10-19 | 2020-07-28 | 中国兵器装备集团自动化研究所 | Propellant powder size online detection and sorting equipment and detection and sorting method |
Family Cites Families (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL245777A (en) * | 1956-12-31 | 1900-01-01 | ||
| DE1088792B (en) * | 1958-10-08 | 1960-09-08 | Jagenberg Werke Ag | Method and device for feeding blanks separated from a stack to a paper processing machine |
| NL293152A (en) * | 1963-05-22 | |||
| DE1229005B (en) * | 1963-08-02 | 1966-11-17 | Telefunken Patent | Device for stacking and re-separating rectangular, flat mail items |
| DE1267012B (en) * | 1964-07-20 | 1968-04-25 | Telefunken Patent | Separator with a device to prevent double draws |
| US3664661A (en) * | 1970-09-04 | 1972-05-23 | Ncr Co | Letter feeder,synchronous friction type |
-
1981
- 1981-03-13 IT IT20331/81A patent/IT1136812B/en active
- 1981-05-29 CA CA000378691A patent/CA1182136A/en not_active Expired
-
1982
- 1982-03-04 ZA ZA821443A patent/ZA821443B/en unknown
- 1982-03-05 EP EP82200288A patent/EP0060596B1/en not_active Expired
- 1982-03-05 AT AT82200288T patent/ATE13655T1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1982-03-05 DE DE8282200288T patent/DE3263990D1/en not_active Expired
- 1982-03-12 ES ES510362A patent/ES8302486A1/en not_active Expired
- 1982-03-12 AU AU81372/82A patent/AU544687B2/en not_active Ceased
- 1982-03-12 JP JP57038214A patent/JPS57166244A/en active Pending
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5409204A (en) * | 1993-08-27 | 1995-04-25 | Duchossois Industries, Inc. | Singulator assembly having a buffer with a biased arm |
| US6164438A (en) * | 1996-08-21 | 2000-12-26 | Vermehren; H. Richard | Adjustable control roller apparatus and method |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| IT1136812B (en) | 1986-09-03 |
| DE3263990D1 (en) | 1985-07-11 |
| ES510362A0 (en) | 1983-02-01 |
| AU544687B2 (en) | 1985-06-13 |
| EP0060596A1 (en) | 1982-09-22 |
| EP0060596B1 (en) | 1985-06-05 |
| IT8120331A0 (en) | 1981-03-13 |
| AU8137282A (en) | 1982-09-16 |
| ES8302486A1 (en) | 1983-02-01 |
| ATE13655T1 (en) | 1985-06-15 |
| ZA821443B (en) | 1983-01-26 |
| JPS57166244A (en) | 1982-10-13 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
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| MKEX | Expiry |