Mail feeder device

Abstract

To provide a mail feeder device which reduces the burden on an operator and reduces the size of the device.SOLUTION: A mail feeder device 10 of the present invention comprises: a loader belt 20 for conveying a bundle of mail 12 with both main surfaces standing in plurality orthogonally to the conveying direction on a belt 24; a feed belt 30 abutting on one main surface of the mail 12 behind the loader belt 20 and discharging the mail 12 from the belt 24 in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction; and a retard 40 energized to the feed belt 30, abutted on the other main surface of the mail, and separated from the bundle of the mail 12 one by one by conveyance of the feed belt 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a mail feeder device for transporting mail pieces one by one from a bundle of mail pieces. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are feeders that transport mail one by one from a stack of mail, and there is a technology such as that described in Patent Document 1. The feeder in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a conveyor that transports a stack of multiple sheets (mail), i.e., a stack of mail. A stack of mail is in a state where the gravity of the mail above is applied to the entire main surface of the mail below. When transporting such a stack of mail under gravity, two or more mail pieces may be transported overlapping each other (double transport) when transported one by one, and the mail may collapse during transport, so it is only possible to stack the mail up to a specified height (e.g., 20 cm). For this reason, an operator is required to stand on the conveyor and stack the mail to the specified height. In addition, the conveyor for transporting a plurality of bundles stacked to a specified height takes up space, which causes the device to become large. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6202955 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT In view of the above problems of the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a mail feeder device which reduces the burden on the operator and reduces the size of the device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] As a first means for solving the above problems, the present invention provides a loader belt for transporting a bundle of mail pieces, the bundle having both main surfaces standing on the belt in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction; a feed belt that contacts one main surface of the mail piece behind the loader belt and discharges the mail piece from the belt in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction; The object of the present invention is to provide a mail feeder device characterized by having a retarder that biases the feed belt and abuts against the other main surface of the mail piece, and separates the mail piece one by one from the stack of mail pieces as the feed belt transports it. According to the first method, the mail is transported upright on the belt, so it is not affected by gravity as compared to mail placed flat on the belt. Therefore, a large amount of mail can be loaded onto the loader belt, and the effort required by the operator to load the mail onto the belt can be significantly reduced.

[0006] As a second means for solving the above problem, the present invention provides a mail feeder device as described in the first means, which is characterized by being equipped with a twisting belt that sandwiches the mail separated from the stack by the feed belt and the retard and rotates both main surfaces 90 degrees from vertical to horizontal. According to the second means, the mail pieces can be transported in a flat state one by one, facilitating inspection and other processes in the subsequent steps.

[0007] As a third means for solving the above problems, the present invention provides a mail feeder device as described in the first or second means, which is characterized in that it is provided with a touch sensor that contacts one of the main surfaces on a belt behind the transporting part of the loader belt, and the loader belt transports the mail when it detects that the touch sensor has not contacted the mail. According to the third means, the mail pieces are discharged one by one from the stack on the belt, so that the mail pieces that are no longer needed can be supplied to the feed belt. Therefore, it is possible to prevent excessive supply of mail pieces from the loader belt to the feed belt.

[0008] As a fourth means for solving the above problems, the present invention provides a mail feeder device characterized in that, in the first or second means, it is equipped with a collapse prevention member that abuts the other main surface of the mail piece on the belt of the loader belt to prevent the mail piece from collapsing. According to the fourth means, when the amount of mail on the loader belt becomes small, the mail can be prevented from falling over, and can be stably supplied to the feed belt. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, since mail is transported upright on the belt, it is not affected by gravity compared to mail placed flat on the belt, and there is no risk of double feeding. Therefore, a large amount of mail can be loaded onto the loader belt, and the effort required by the operator to load the mail onto the belt can be significantly reduced. In addition, because mail is placed upright on the belt, it takes up less transport space than if it were placed flat, making it possible to make the entire device more compact. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic plan view of a mail feeder device of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view taken along the line AA in FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a schematic front view of the device as viewed from the arrow AA in FIG. 1 without using any anti-fall prevention member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a mail feeder device according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of a mail feeder device of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic front view along the line AA in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a schematic front view along the line AA in Fig. 1 without a collapse prevention member. In this embodiment, the front of the transport means the upstream side where the transport of the mail starts, and the rear of the transport means the downstream side where the mail has been transported. As shown in Figure 1, the mail feeder device 10 of the present invention comprises a loader belt 20 that transports a stack of mail pieces 12, each of which has both main surfaces standing on a belt in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, a feed belt 30 that contacts one main surface of the mail pieces 12 behind the loader belt 20 and discharges the mail pieces 12 from the belt in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, and a retarder 40 that biases the feed belt 30 and contacts the other main surface of the mail pieces 12 to separate them one by one from the stack of mail pieces 12 as they are transported by the feed belt 30.

[0012] The loader belt 20 conveys a bundle of mail pieces 12 on the belt 24 while rotating at a constant conveying speed by rotating a drive motor (not shown) with an endless belt 24 stretched over a pair of flat pulleys 22 spaced apart at a predetermined interval. In this embodiment, the mail pieces 12 are not laid flat on the belt 24, but are placed upright on the belt 24 with their long sides facing up and down, and are placed vertically and vertically in a bundle. A guide roller 26 and a feed belt 30 are arranged behind the loader belt 20 and abut against one main surface of the mail pieces 12 to support the standing mail pieces 12. A collapse prevention member 60 is arranged in front of the loader belt 20 and abuts against the other main surface of the mail pieces 12 to prevent the mail pieces 12 from collapsing. The loader belt 20 is provided with a guide plate 28 for aligning the mail pieces 12 during conveyance. The guide plate 28 is a flat plate that abuts against one short side of the mail pieces 12 and is arranged along the conveyance direction of the loader belt 20. A pair of guide rollers 26 are arranged above and below at positions that contact the other short side of the mail piece 12 and support one main surface of the mail piece 12 standing on the loader belt 20.

[0013] The feed belt 30 has an endless belt 34 stretched over a pair of flat pulleys 32 spaced a predetermined distance apart, and rotates at a constant conveying speed by the rotation of a drive motor (not shown), conveying mail items that come into contact with the belt 34. The feed belt 30 is disposed on the belt behind the conveying belt of the loader belt 20, with the axis of the flat pulley 32 disposed in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the loader belt 20, and conveys the mail items 12 along the longitudinal direction of the mail items 12 on the belt 24 of the loader belt 20, in other words, horizontally while keeping the mail items 12 upright. The feed belt 30 is disposed on the guide plate 28 side of one of the short sides of the mail items.

[0014] The retard 40 of this embodiment employs the same configuration as the separation section of the feeder in the applicant's Japanese Patent No. 6405565. The retard 40 has an inclined surface portion 42 inclined toward the conveying direction side of the feed belt 30, and a cylindrical surface portion 44 provided at the end of the inclined surface portion 42 in the conveying direction side, which has an arc shape forming a continuous surface between the inclined surface portion 42 and the cylindrical surface portion 44, the outer periphery of which can come into contact with the feed belt 30.

[0015] The touch sensor 50 is disposed between the guide roller 26, which is disposed along one main surface of the mail item 12 standing on the belt 24 of the loader belt 20, and the feed belt 30, and is a sensor that abuts against one main surface of the mail item 12. The touch sensor 50 outputs an ON signal to the control unit when it abuts (contacts) the mail item, and outputs an OFF signal to the control unit when it is not in contact. The touch sensor 50 is in the ON state when the mail item 12 is being transported by the feed belt, and is in the OFF state after the mail item 12 has been transported by the feed belt 30.

[0016] The anti-tip member 60 is a weight placed on the belt of the loader belt 20. The anti-tip member 60 comes into contact with the other main surface (the conveying front side) of the mail piece 12, and can prevent the mail piece 12 from tipping over to the other main surface side. This is particularly effective when there are few mail pieces 12 placed on the belt 24 of the loader belt 20. A control unit (not shown) is electrically connected to the touch sensor 50 and the loader belt 20. When an ON or OFF signal from the touch sensor 50 is input, the control unit transmits a control signal to the drive motor of the loader belt 20 to operate or stop.

[0017] The twisted belt 70 has a pair of flat pulleys 72 at one end arranged parallel (vertical) to the axis of the flat pulley 32 of the feed belt 30, and a pair of flat pulleys 74 at the other end, spaced a specified distance apart, arranged in a direction perpendicular to the flat pulleys 72 (horizontal), with an endless belt 76 stretched across it and rotated at a constant conveying speed by the rotation of a drive motor (not shown). The flat pulley 72 at one end of the twisted belt 70 and the flat pulley 74 at the other end are twisted 90 degrees from each other. When the mail item 12 is conveyed while being sandwiched between the pair of flat pulleys 72, 74, it changes from an upright state to a flat state.

[0018] The operation of the mail feeder device 10 of the present invention with the above configuration will be described below. As shown in FIG. 1, a bundle of mail items 12 is placed upright on the guide roller 26 and feed belt 30 on the belt 24 of the loader belt 20, and the short ends of the mail items 12 are aligned along the guide plate 28. At this time, one main surface (the rear side of the transport) of the mail items 12 is supported by contacting the guide roller 26 and feed belt 30, and the other main surface (the front side of the transport) is supported upright by the anti-tip member 60. The loader belt 20 stops when the touch sensor 50 outputs an ON signal, and operates when the touch sensor 50 outputs an OFF signal to transport the mail items 12. When the loader belt 20 is operated in this state, the mail items 12 located at the rearmost position on the belt 24 are sandwiched between the feed belt 30 and the cylindrical surface portion 44, and the cylindrical surface portion 44 retracts to approximately the thickness of the mail items 12. The mail pieces 12 sandwiched between the cylindrical surface portion 44 and the feed belt 30 are separated from the bundle by sliding against the next mail piece 12 to be separated, and the mail pieces 12 separated from the bundle can be transported by sliding against the cylindrical surface portion 44, so that the separation of the mail pieces 12 from the bundle and the transportation of the separated mail pieces 12 can be performed reliably. The mail pieces 12 separated one by one enter between a pair of flat pulleys 72 of the torsion belt 70, and when they pass through the belt 76, they are discharged in a flat state instead of an upright state. When the mail pieces 12 are loaded onto the belt 24 of the loader belt 20, the mail pieces 12 on the belt 24 may be placed at an angle so that they are leaned against the side of the mail pieces 12 that are vertical at the front of the conveyor, as shown in Fig. 3. This allows the mail pieces 12 to be steadily fed to the feed belt 30 until only a small amount of mail pieces 12 remains, even without the collapse prevention member 60.

[0019] According to the present invention, mail items are transported upright on the belt, so they are not affected by gravity as compared to mail items placed flat on the belt. This allows a large amount of mail to be loaded onto the loader belt, and greatly reduces the effort required by the operator to load the mail items onto the belt. In addition, since the mail pieces are placed upright on the belt, they do not take up much transport space, making it possible to miniaturize the entire device. Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the combinations shown in the embodiments, but can be implemented in various combinations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0020] 10 Mail feeder device 12 Mail 20 Loader Belt 22 Flat pulley 24 Belt 26 Guide roller 28 Guide plate 30 Feed Belt 32 Flat pulley 34 Belt 40 Retard 42 Slope section 44 Cylindrical surface part 50 Touch Sensor 60 Anti-falling member 70 Twisted Belt 72 Flat Pulley 74 Flat Pulley 76 Belt

Claims

1. A loader belt for transporting a bundle of mail pieces, the bundle having both main surfaces standing on the belt in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction; a feed belt that contacts one main surface of the mail piece behind the loader belt and discharges the mail piece from the belt in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction; A mail feeder device comprising a retarder that biases the feed belt and abuts against the other main surface of the mail piece, and separates the mail piece one by one from the stack of mail pieces as the feed belt transports the mail piece.

2. 2. A mail feeder apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: A mail feeder device comprising a twist belt which holds the mail separated from the bundle by the feed belt and the retard between them and rotates both main surfaces by 90 degrees from vertical to horizontal.

3. A mail feeder device according to claim 1 or 2, A mail feeder device characterized in that a touch sensor that contacts one of the main surfaces is provided on a belt behind the transport of the loader belt, and the loader belt transports the mail piece when it detects that the touch sensor is not contacting the mail piece.

4. A mail feeder device according to claim 1 or 2, A mail feeder device characterized in that it is provided with a collapse prevention member that abuts against the other main surface of the mail piece on the belt of the loader belt to prevent the mail piece from collapsing.

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