Device for feeding book blocks into the input channel of a processing unit

Abstract

Device for feeding book blocks (2) into the feed channel (11) of a processing unit, wherein the inlet channel (11) has a channel floor (12), lateral channel guides (13) and at least one driver (14) which pushes the book block (2) standing on its back (2 a) or front edge ahead of it, with a book block feeder (30) which feeds the book blocks (2) into the feed channel (11) essentially vertically from above, transversely to the conveying direction of the feed channel (11), characterized by that in the area of ​​the book block feeder (30) at least one ejector (51) driven separately by at least one carrier (14) of the feed channel (11) is provided in the feed channel (11).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for feeding book blocks into the feed channel of a further processing device according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] A book block feeder feeds flat, fed book blocks into the feed channel of finishing equipment. Book block feeders are commonly located in perfect binding lines at the transition point between the gathering machine and the perfect binder. This allows the perfect binder to be used not only for producing perfect-bound brochures, but also for degluing and folding already thread-sewn book blocks. The bound book blocks are transferred from a conveyor belt aligned transversely to the feed channel to a downwardly curved chute and are essentially dropped vertically from above into the feed channel. The feeding is carried out in synchronization with the carriers that advance the book blocks along the channel.

[0003] Another type of book block feeder is known from DE 71 25 313 ​​U. Flat-fed book blocks are raised by a feeder star that rotates intermittently around a rotation axis oriented parallel to the channel direction. This star feeder, as a disc-shaped roller, has several cutouts arranged in a star shape, each with a perpendicular first and second feed surfaces, serving as block holders. The book blocks raised by the feeder star are conveyed away by a carrier of the feed channel of the further processing device.

[0004] DE3840816A1 describes a device for transferring unbound book blocks from a collating machine to a perfect binding machine. A conveyor receives the book blocks from the upstream machine and transports them at low speed to the infeed device of the perfect binding machine. The device uses a roller conveyor running at a lower speed to receive the book blocks and transport them onward at a precise time.

[0005] DE102004019756A1 discloses a device for feeding printed products to a feeder star with a division of eight in a work-cycle-synchronized manner. By means of a conveyor device, horizontal printed products are positioned spine-first on the feeder star, which rotates them by 90° in two steps. The printed products, standing on their spines, are then fed to another processing machine via a transport system, with the feeder star and an additional holding element serving as guides.

[0006] A device for transferring horizontal book blocks from a feeder to a book channel of an adhesive binding machine is shown in EP2292444A2. The digitally printed and still unbound book blocks, which may have different formats and thicknesses, are transported spine-first along the feeder. By means of a rotary or quasi-rotary translation, the book blocks are transferred, lying on support elements or held in clamping elements, into the book channel, in which the spine is aligned parallel to the conveying direction. The book channel has carriers with which the book blocks are fed to the clamps of the adhesive binding machine. The two-dimensional translation for transferring the book blocks has a uniform or variable movement speed.

[0007] DE102010015128 A1 discloses a print finishing machine designed as an adhesive binder, which has a plurality of continuously rotating clamps of a transport device. The adhesive binder is designed so that changeover to a different print product can take place during ongoing production while the book blocks are continuously conveyed. For this purpose, the spacing between the clamps is selected so that a work cycle can be divided into a processing time and a changeover time. During the processing time, the book block or a cover is processed. Changeover to book blocks and covers with different formats and thicknesses takes place during the changeover time without idle cycles and without stopping the adhesive binder.

[0008] Known book block feeders have the disadvantage that the book blocks delivered transversely into the feed channel are abruptly picked up and conveyed away by the continuously running carriers. At high processing speeds, this can lead to permanent deformation of the book blocks. In the case of unbound, loose book blocks, for example, book blocks produced on a digital printing press, the abrupt conveying can cause the individual sheets and / or quarter sheets to shift relative to one another to such an extent that they cannot be returned to an aligned formation even with vibration. Another characteristic is the rigid drive coupling of the book block feeder to the feed channel or the finishing device, whereby a book block processed by the book block feeder is inevitably fed to a specific carrier in the feed channel and thus to a specific conveyor segment of the finishing device.Flexible processing of the supplied book blocks is not possible.

[0009] It is an object of the present invention to further develop the generic feeding device in such a way that, at high processing speeds, a gentle treatment of, in particular, loosely gathered book blocks is ensured and a flexible processing of the fed book blocks is made possible.

[0010] This object is achieved by a device according to claim 1. The dependent claims define preferred embodiments of the device according to the invention.

[0011] According to the invention, at least one pusher, driven separately by the at least one driver of the feed channel, is provided in the feed channel in the area of ​​the book block feeder. The separate drive can define a pusher movement that enables a gentle approach of the pusher against the book block to be pushed off, on the one hand, and a synchronous transfer to the continuously running driver of the feed channel, on the other. Even at high processing speeds, gentle handling of loose book blocks in particular is guaranteed, with the book blocks being accelerated to the comparatively high conveying speed of the drivers in the feed channel. The pusher movement can be varied depending on the feed position and / or the format height of the book blocks. The book block feeder with the at least one separately driven pusher assigned to the feed channel can, if necessary, e.g.in the event of a malfunction of the finishing device, it can be decoupled from the infeed channel of the finishing device, whereby a book block that is already positioned in the infeed channel is no longer transferred to the respective carrier of the infeed channel. On the other hand, the positioned book block can be transferred specifically to a certain carrier of the infeed channel, for example to combine the book block in question with a certain brochure cover in the finishing device. With the separately driven pusher, it is also possible to only supply every second, third, etc. carrier of the infeed channel with a book block, so that the finishing device can be operated at a minimum cycle speed required for a desired quality, which is higher than the book block feeder feeded to the book block feeder or the maximum book block feed rate that can be processed by the book block feeder.

[0012] Preferably, the at least one pusher is designed to selectively push out the book blocks in opposite conveying directions, so that, for example, the stacked book blocks can be transferred to different finishing devices. If the book block feeder is assigned a cross-pile delivery opposite the infeed channel to the finishing device, book blocks pushed out in opposite directions can be laid out as an ordered stack for manual removal, for example, to exclude incorrectly identified book blocks from further processing and later, once correct merging with a book cover and jacket has been ensured, to feed them back to the finishing device via the book block feeder.

[0013] The book block feeder with the separately driven pusher can be arranged along the feed channel of the finishing device if the at least one pusher is designed to receive and forward book blocks fed in the conveying direction of the feed channel into the feed channel. A partition wall arranged in the area of ​​the book block feeder in the feed channel allows partial book blocks fed in the conveying direction of the feed channel and via the book block feeder to be combined and fed to the finishing device as a complete book block.

[0014] In a further embodiment, at least two book block feeders are arranged on the infeed channel. Partial book blocks from different sources can be combined, or book blocks can be selectively fed by one of the at least two book block feeders.

[0015] If at least one pusher can be retracted from the feed channel, the next book block can be positioned while the at least one pusher is still in its return movement. A further increase in performance can be achieved by providing several pushers arranged on a circulating conveyor.

[0016] Preferably, the book block feeder is an intermittently rotating feeder star whose rotation axis is oriented parallel to the feed channel.

[0017] In the following, exemplary embodiments of the device according to the invention are described with reference to the drawings. They show purely schematically Fig. 1 a side view of a feeder star as a book block feeder; Fig. 2 a top view of the mooring star; Fig. 3 a simplified plan view of the feeder star with a cross stack delivery; Fig. 4 a plan view of an arrangement with two mooring stars.

[0018] The Fig. 1 and Fig. The feed device 1 shown in Figure 2 serves to feed book blocks 2 to an adhesive binder as a further processing device, whereby only a section of an infeed channel 11 of the adhesive binder is shown in the figures. The book blocks 2 are conveyed in the infeed channel 11 formed by the channel base 12 and lateral channel guides 13 to the transport clamps of the adhesive binder by carriers 14 arranged at equal mutual distances from one another on a continuously rotating conveyor chain 15. The conveyor chain 15 is drive-coupled to the adhesive binder. The feed device 1 can also be arranged on a book production line or another further processing device for book blocks.

[0019] The feed device 1 has a feed star 31 as a book block feeder 30. Book blocks 2 fed flat by a feed conveyor 21 are taken over by the feed star 31 and placed on their spines 2a in a two-stage rotational movement and finally pushed into the feed channel 11. The feed conveyor 21 shown in the exemplary embodiment has intermittently advancing drivers 25, which push the book blocks 2 on a sliding plate 22, resting against a lateral guide 24, to the feed star 31. The book blocks 2 can be placed on the feed conveyor 21 by hand or can reach the feed conveyor 21 via a conveyor belt. The feed conveyor 21 can also be designed as a belt conveyor.

[0020] The feed star 31, which is driven intermittently by a servo motor 35, is a roller divided into discs 33 with a rotation axis 32 oriented parallel to the channel direction and with several star-shaped cutouts as block receptacles 34, each having first and second feed surfaces 34.1 and 34.2, which are at right angles to one another. The individual discs 33 engage through openings 23 in the sliding plate 22 and, as the feed star 31 begins to rotate, lift the book blocks 2 from the feed conveyor 21.

[0021] The positioning star 31 has a plurality of clamping jaws 36, each assigned to the block receptacles 34, arranged parallel to the second positioning surfaces 34.2 and movable relative to them. The book blocks 2 are pressed by the clamping jaws 36 against the second positioning surface 34.2 and are thereby fixed in the block receptacles 34, preventing them from shifting or tipping during erection.

[0022] The clamping jaws 36 are located at the end of a rod 37 guided in linear guides 38 and acted upon in the clamping direction by a tension spring 39. The opening and closing of the clamping jaws 36 is effected via a control cam 41, on which cam rollers 40 located on the rods 37 run during the rotation of the feed star 31. The clamping jaws 36 are pressed into a maximum open position by the control cam 41 and are simply released to clamp the book block 2.

[0023] In order to fix the respective book block 2 in the respective block holder 34 before the start of rotation of the feed star 31, the control cam 41 is moved from the position shown in FIG. 1 by a pneumatic cylinder 42 controlled in synchronism while the feed star 31 is at a standstill. Fig. 1 dashed position by a certain angular range into the solid position to release the cam roller 40 and thus the clamping jaw 36 and is rotated back to the starting position during the rotation of the contact star 31.

[0024] A block thickness measuring device 45 is integrated into the feeder star 31. Using a stationary magnetic tape reader 46 and magnets 47 mounted on the rods 37, the respective clamping position of the clamping jaws 36, which are controlled in the closed position, is recorded during the rotation of the feeder star 31 and fed into an evaluation. The measured block thickness can be used for block thickness-dependent adjustments of the further processing device and / or a thickness check is performed to check completeness with the option of selectively diverting the block from further processing.

[0025] The control cam 41 is designed such that the clamping jaws 36 are opened immediately before reaching the erecting position. In the erecting position, the book blocks 2 are placed on a channel base 44, with lateral support provided by the second support surface 34.2 on the one hand and by guide plates 43 adjustable to the block thickness on the other.

[0026] According to the invention, a pusher 51 driven separately from the carriers 14 of the feed channel 11 is provided in the area of ​​the book block feeder 30. By means of this pusher 51, the respectively erected book block 2 is pushed toward the feed channel 11 and transferred to the carriers 14 in a quasi-synchronous manner.

[0027] In the exemplary embodiment, two pushers 51 are provided, arranged on a revolving conveyor chain 52, which alternately push off the book blocks 2. The pushers 51 are each guided via a coupling 54 additionally linked to the conveyor chain 52 in such a way that, after the book blocks 2 have been transferred to the carrier 14 of the feed channel 11, they are always retracted from the feed channel 11 oriented transversely to the conveying direction.

[0028] The conveyor chain 52 is driven by a separate servo motor 53, which enables a smooth approach of the pushers 51 toward the book block 2 to be pushed off, on the one hand, and a synchronous transfer to the continuously running carriers 14 of the feed channel 11, on the other. The pusher movement can be varied depending on the feed position and / or the format height of the book block 2. The separate drive of the pushers 51 can also be used to suspend the transfer to the feed channel 11 or to feed the book blocks 2 to specific carriers 14 and thus to specific transport clamps of the perfect binder.

[0029] In the top view of Fig. 2, the feeder star 31 is integrated into the infeed channel 11. Book blocks 2 fed at a further rear location of the infeed channel 11 can be guided past the feeder star 31 by the pushers 51 picking up the book blocks 2 from the infeed channel section and transferring them to the continuing channel section. The infeed channel 11 is essentially interrupted in the area of ​​the book block feeder 30 and bridged by the separately driven pusher 51.

[0030] Fig. 3 shows a cross-pile delivery 71 opposite the infeed channel 11 to the further processing device. The book blocks 2 erected by the feeder star 31 and placed in the infeed channel 11 are optionally pushed off in the direction opposite to the infeed channel 11 and fed to the cross-pile delivery 71 for offset stack formation, for example, to exclude incorrectly identified book blocks 2 from further processing and to feed them back to the further processing device via the feeder star 31 at a later time. The pushers 51 are designed for conveying in both directions. Instead of the cross-pile delivery 71, a second, alternative further processing direction can be connected to the book block feeder 30.

[0031] Fig.Figure 4 shows the arrangement of a second book block feeder 72. Second partial blocks 3.2 fed via this feeder are combined with first partial blocks 3.1 fed via the first book block feeder 30 to form complete book blocks 2 and transferred to the infeed channel 11. For this purpose, a partition wall 73 is provided in the area of ​​the first book block feeder 30 to push the second partial block 3.2 next to the first partial block 3.1. The two book block feeders 30, 72 can also be used for the selective feeding of book blocks 2.

Claims

[1] Device for feeding book blocks (2) into the feed channel (11) of a further processing device, wherein the feed channel (11) has a channel base (12), lateral channel guides (13) and at least one driver (14) pushing the book blocks (2) standing on their spine (2a) or front edge in front of it, with a book block feeder (30) feeding the book blocks (2) transversely to the conveying direction of the feed channel (11) essentially vertically from above into the feed channel (11), characterized by , that in the area of ​​the book block feeder (30) at least one pusher (51) driven separately by the at least one driver (14) of the feed channel (11) is provided in the feed channel (11). [2] Device according to claim 1, characterized by that the at least one pusher (51) is designed to selectively push out the book blocks (2) in opposite conveying directions. [3] Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the book block feeder (30) is assigned a cross stack delivery (71) opposite the feed channel (11) to the further processing device. [4] Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by that the at least one pusher (51) is designed to receive and forward into the feed channel (11) book blocks (2) fed in the conveying direction of the feed channel (11). [5] Device according to claim 4, characterized by a partition wall (73) arranged in the area of ​​the book block feeder (30) in the feed channel (11) for bringing together book blocks (2) fed in the conveying direction of the feed channel (11) and via the book block feeder (30). [6] Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by that at least two book block feeders (30, 72) are arranged on the inlet channel (11). [7] Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized bythat the at least one ejector (51) can be retracted from the inlet channel (11). [8] Device according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by a plurality of pushers (51) arranged on a rotating conveyor (52). [9] Device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized by that the book block feeder (30) is an intermittently rotating feeder star (31) whose rotation axis (32) is oriented parallel to the feed channel (11).

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