Device for discharging stacks of printed products stacked one on top of other

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for discharging stacks of printed products stacked one on top of the other, the discharging device (1) comprising a transfer section (3) for the stacks (2) and a robot arm (11) for receiving the stacks (2) from the transfer section (3) and discharging the stacks (2) on a carriage (21), the transfer section (3) comprising a protected area (30) against access, according to the invention, the conveying section (3) is divided in the conveying direction (4a) into at least three consecutive regions with respect to reach: a protected region (30), an unprotected region (31) and a further protected region (32), the robot arm (11) being arranged next to a longitudinal side (4c) of the conveying section (3), the stack (2) being received in the unprotected region (31). The invention advantageously makes it possible to configure the discharge device to be accessible to the operator and also to be flexibly used and positioned. The invention can be used, for example, in printing plants or post-press processing enterprises.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a device for discharging a stack of printed products stacked one on top of the other, having the features of the preamble of claim 1, and to a system having such a device according to claim 9.

[0002] The present invention belongs to the technical field of the graphics industry and in particular to the field of handling (e.g. gripping, holding, moving, rotating, flipping and / or unloading) stacks of flexible (and preferably printed and folded) flat products (e.g. preferably leaflets made of paper, cardboard, cardboard, plastic or a composite material) stacked on top of each other by means of a manipulator (e.g. an articulated arm robot or a collaborative robot system with a robot arm and a gripping device for stacking). Background Art

[0003] In the field of postpress processing, it is known to transport a stack of flat products on a conveyor (e.g. a roller conveyor), to pick up the stack by means of a gripper arranged on a robot arm, to lift the stack from the conveyor, to move it to a tray or a palette and to unload it there.

[0004] DE202019106975U1 discloses a conveying section for a stack of printed products stacked one above the other and a so-called collaborative robot, which comprises a robot arm with a gripper for receiving the stack from the conveying section and unloading the stack onto a carrier. The robot is arranged at the end of the conveying section.

[0005] DE 102020103398 A1 also discloses a conveying section for a stack of printed products stacked one above the other and a robot, which includes a robot arm with a gripper for receiving the stack from the conveying section and unloading the stack on a carrier. Here, the robot is also arranged at the end of the conveying section. The conveying section is arranged at the end of the folding machine and can include a protected area (facing the end of the conveying section) to prevent contact.

[0006] Except graphic industry, US8468781 discloses a kind of conveying section and two robots for product, and each robot has mechanical arm respectively together with the gripper that is used to receive product from conveying section and product is unloaded on the bracket.At this, these two robots are all arranged beside conveying section.

[0007] In printing shops, as in other production companies, safety requirements for production machines must be observed. Therefore, these machines are provided with protected areas with respect to operator access, for example with enclosures or guardrails, if necessary. However, these measures can make the work process more difficult for the operator.

[0008] Furthermore, in printing shops, as in other production companies, spatial conditions are often very limited, so the positioning of new machines or the repositioning of existing machines can cause problems and flexibility can be limited when production changes are accompanied by changes in the machine configuration. Summary of the invention

[0009] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to propose a technical solution that is improved compared to the prior art, which in particular enables the discharge device to be configured to be accessible to the operator. And it can also be used and positioned flexibly.

[0010] Solution to the problem according to the invention

[0011] The above object is achieved according to the invention by a device as claimed in claim 1 or a system as claimed in claim 9 having such a device.

[0012] Advantageous and therefore preferred developments of the invention emerge from the dependent claims as well as from the description and the drawings.

[0013] A device for unloading a stack consisting of printed products stacked one above the other (abbreviated as: unloading device) according to the present invention, wherein the unloading device includes a conveying section for the stack and a robot arm for receiving the stack from the conveying section and unloading the stack onto a bracket, and wherein the conveying section includes a protected area to prevent contact, characterized in that the conveying section is divided into at least three successive areas in the conveying direction with respect to contact, namely: a protected area, an unprotected area and another protected area, and the robot arm is arranged next to the longitudinal side of the conveying section so that the stack is received in the unprotected area.

[0014] A system according to the invention comprising a graphics industry machine and at least one unloading device according to the invention, characterized in that the machine comprises an output conveyor for stacks of printed products stacked one on top of the other, the above-mentioned protected area or the above-mentioned other protected area of ​​the conveying section of the unloading device being connected to the output conveyor in terms of conveying technology, and the reversible conveying direction is selected so that the robot arm is positioned either on one side of one longitudinal side of the output conveyor (auf der Seite) or on one side of the other longitudinal side of the output conveyor.

[0015] Advantageous configuration and effects of the present invention:

[0016] Embodiments of the invention advantageously enable the discharge device to be configured so as to be accessible to an operator and furthermore to be flexibly usable and positionable.

[0017] The three-way division of the discharge device according to the invention (protected area, unprotected area for receiving the stack by the robot arm, further protected area) combined with the positioning of the robot arm according to the invention on one of the two longitudinal sides of the output conveyor advantageously allows the operator to use and position the discharge device flexibly and at the same time the operator can reach the protected area or the further protected area from the respective end thereof without entering the danger zone of the laterally positioned robot arm. In addition, the discharge device can be coupled flexibly to a graphic industry machine (e.g. a folding machine or a bookbinding machine) in terms of conveying technology: by means of the protected area of ​​the discharge device or by means of the further protected area of ​​the discharge device. In short: for example, the discharge device can be coupled to one machine by means of the protected area, decoupled from the machine, rotated about a vertical axis and coupled to another machine by means of the further protected area. This allows the operator in particular to make optimal use of the given spatial conditions. The conveying section and the robot arm can be connected to one another and move together in this way, or alternatively, the two units can move separately.

[0018] The robot arm is preferably part of a robot system, which usually also includes a robot base and can be designed as a conventional industrial robot together with a fence for operator protection, in particular as an articulated arm robot with three to seven axes of rotation, or as a so-called collaborative robot system, in particular as a so-called cobot collaborative robot. The latter does not require a fence because the system has its own sensors and uses them to detect contact with an operator and prevent possible injuries (for example due to automatic stopping of the robot arm movement). Instead of a cobot collaborative robot, a collaborative robot system can also be realized by an industrial robot with an additional area scanner (detection of operators in the danger zone) and an automatic stopping device.

[0019] Improvement scheme of the present invention:

[0020] Preferred developments of the invention (for short: developments) are described below. These developments can also be combined with one another, as long as there are no technical exclusions.

[0021] Improvement plan of unloading device:

[0022] One refinement can be characterized in that the further protected area serves as a buffer area, wherein those stacks which are not received by the robot arm are conveyed into the buffer area. The buffer area is preferably designed in this case so that an operator can remove the stacks from the buffer area. One refinement can be characterized in that the stacks located in the buffer area can be removed from the end of the buffer area located in the conveying direction. One refinement can be characterized in that the stacks can be removed manually.

[0023] The feature of an improved scheme can be that the discharge position is arranged beside a longitudinal side of the conveying section. At this discharge position, preferably at least one carriage (preferably two carriages) is arranged, stacking is discharged on this carriage according to a predetermined discharge mode and stacking is formed in succession at this.

[0024] One development can be characterized in that the unloading device comprises at least one drive for the transport section, preferably a switchable electric motor, and the transport direction in the protected area and the other transport direction in the other protected area are both reversible. Preferably, the stack on the transport section can be moved in one direction of the transport section or in the other direction opposite to the transport section. This is particularly advantageous when the unloading device can be coupled in a selectable manner with its protected area to the first graphic industry machine or with its other protected area to the second graphic industry machine.

[0025] One refinement may be characterized in that the unloading device comprises two drives for the conveying section, and the conveying direction in the protected area and the further conveying direction in the further protected area are respectively reversible and / or can be selected to be opposite to each other. The two transport directions being selected opposite to one another are particularly advantageous when the unloading device is used between two graphics industry machines or is coupled to two machines simultaneously (with its protected area and with its other protected area).

[0026] One refinement can be characterized in that the unloading device comprises at least three drives for the conveying sections, and the conveying direction in the protected area, the further conveying direction in the further protected area and the further conveying direction in the unprotected area are respectively reversible and / or can be selected to be mutually opposite. Depending on the use of the device, the advantages can correspond to at least one of the advantages mentioned in the first two paragraphs.

[0027] A feature of an improved solution can be that the unloading device includes five drives for conveying sections, and the conveying direction in the protected area, the other conveying direction in the other protected area, the other conveying direction in the unprotected area, the other conveying direction of the (unprotected) first intermediate area and the other conveying direction of the (unprotected) second intermediate area are respectively reversible and / or can be selected to be opposite to each other. Here, the first intermediate area is arranged between the protected area and the unprotected area, and the second intermediate area is arranged between the unprotected area and the other protected area. The two intermediate areas are preferably unprotected, that is, there is no shell, in particular no tunnel. Here, the advantages are also as described in the previous paragraph. These intermediate areas can be used as buffer areas, in which the stack is buffered (temporarily not transported), for example because the stack is transported from the corresponding other end of the device and the stack is sent into the unprotected area.

[0028] A feature of a further development may be that the protected area and the further protected area are substantially identical in structure. For example, the two areas may have at least a lateral or tunnel-shaped enclosure of a corresponding section of the conveying section.

[0029] System improvement plan:

[0030] One improvement can be characterized in that the system comprises at least two discharge devices according to the invention, which have a reversible conveying direction and are arranged one after the other with respect to the conveying of the stack. By means of such a cascade of discharge devices, the productivity of the system comprising the machine and the discharge devices can also be increased. For example, two robot arms can be provided which alternately grab the stack from the stack flow and discharge it onto a carrier.

[0031] One refinement can be characterized in that the system comprises two discharge devices according to the invention, which have a reversible conveying direction and whose mechanical arms are arranged on the same side with reference to one of the longitudinal sides of the output conveyor, or whose mechanical arms are arranged on opposite sides with reference to one of the longitudinal sides of the output conveyor. By means of such a flexible arrangement of the two discharge devices with the graphic industry machine, it is possible to optimally utilize the given spatial conditions in a production operation.

[0032] One improvement can be characterized in that the system comprises another graphic industry machine and a discharge device that can be selected to be reversed, and the discharge device is arranged between the two graphic industry machines with respect to the transport of the stack. Such another flexible configuration of a discharge device with two graphic industry machines allows saving production resources and thus costs.

[0033] Alternative systems:

[0034] It can also be imagined that, instead of the device (transfer section and robot arm) according to an embodiment of the present invention, only the robot arm of the device moves from one position at a graphic industrial machine having an existing transfer section to another position at another graphic industrial machine also having an existing transfer section, and is positioned on one side or the other side of the already existing transfer section.

[0035] The features and feature combinations disclosed in the above “Technical Field”, “Summary of the Invention” and “Improvements” sections as well as the following embodiment section can form other advantageous improvements of the present invention in any combination. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] Figures 1 to 4 The preferred embodiments of the present invention and its improved solutions are shown. In the accompanying drawings, corresponding features are marked with the same reference numerals. For the sake of clarity, repeated reference numerals are partially omitted in the accompanying drawings.

[0037] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing a top view of a preferred embodiment of a discharge device according to the invention is shown.

[0038] Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 The schematic diagrams show a top view of one or two preferred embodiments of the discharge device according to the invention in an advantageous configuration. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] exist Figure 1 , a device or discharge device 1 is shown, which transports and discharges a stack 2 consisting of printed products stacked one above the other (preferably on a carrier). For this purpose, the device 1 comprises a transport section 3 (e.g. a roller conveyor) which moves the stack 2 in a transport direction 4a. The transport section 3 has longitudinal sides 4c. To drive the transport section 3, the device 1 comprises at least one drive 5 (e.g. an electric motor). The device 1 is coupled at one end to an upstream production machine 41a in terms of transport technology, which produces and provides the stack 2.

[0040] The device 1 comprises a robot 10 having a robot arm 11 and a robot base 12. The robot 10 is preferably a collaborative robot system and in particular a collaborative robot. The robot base 12 is positioned next to the longitudinal side 4c of the conveying section 3 (preferably on the ground). The grippers (not shown) on the robot arm 11 respectively grip the stacks 2 in the receiving area 13 of the conveying section 3, lift the stacks 2 from the conveying section 3, perform the movement 14, and discharge the stacks 2 at the discharge position 20 (and preferably on a carrier 21). On the carrier 21, a plurality of discharged stacks 22 can be present.

[0041] The robot arm 11 can with its movement 14 theoretically reach any position in the danger zone 15. In the case of a collaborative robot system 10, the danger zone 15 does not need to be fenced off, as in the case of an industrial articulated arm robot 10, where a fence is required if no monitoring device (e.g. an area scanner) is present.

[0042] The conveying section 3 is divided into three parts with respect to the possible accessibility of the operator 36: a (first) protected area 30, then a (middle) unprotected area 31, and then again a (second) further protected area 32. The corresponding protection can preferably be realized by a partial enclosure of the conveying section 3, for example a tunnel: the tunnel is used for the stack 2 to be transported. The further protected area 32 is preferably designed as a buffer area 33. The buffer area 33 is accessible to the operator 36 from the end 34 of the buffer area 33, so that the operator 36 can manually remove the buffered stack 35. In this case, the buffered stack 35 is a stack 2: the stack 2 is not gripped and unloaded by the robot arm 11, but is transported further on the conveying section 3. Since the area that the operator 36 can access is located outside the danger zone 15, the operator 36 is not in danger when accessing the buffered stack 35. Since the part where the conveying section 3 is coupled to the upstream machine 41a is also located outside the danger zone 15, the operator 36 can safely inspect this part or work there. The unprotected area 31 is located in the center of the reference conveying section 3 and within the danger zone 15, and the robot arm 11 can grab the stack 2 in this unprotected area 31. Since the operator 36 either does not enter the danger zone 15 or enters the danger zone 15 very carefully in the case of the collaborative robot system 10, the danger to the operator 36 can be minimized or eliminated.

[0043] exist Figure 22 shows two different configurations A and B. In configuration A, the device 1 according to the invention is coupled to an upstream machine 41a (or an output conveyor 42 of the upstream machine 41a) such that the robot 11 is arranged (or positioned) on one side of a longitudinal side 43 of the output conveyor 42. In contrast, in configuration B, the device 1 according to the invention is coupled to the same upstream machine 41a or a different upstream machine 41a (or a corresponding output conveyor 42) such that the robot 11 is arranged (or positioned) on the other longitudinal side 44 of the output conveyor 42. Comparing the two configurations A and B, it can be seen that by selecting the corresponding configuration, spatial conditions can be flexibly responded to, in particular, the positioning of, for example, another machine 50 can be taken into account.

[0044] exist Figure 3 Four further different configurations C, D, E and F are shown in the drawings. According to the configurations shown, two discharge devices 1 and 1a according to the invention are respectively present and are coupled as a cascade to an upstream machine 41a (or to the output conveyor 42 of the upstream machine 41a). In configurations C and D, the two robotic arms 11 are arranged on the same side with reference to the longitudinal side 43 or the longitudinal side 44 of the output conveyor 42, respectively. In contrast, in configurations E and F, the two robotic arms 11 are arranged on opposite sides with reference to the longitudinal side 43 or the longitudinal side 44 of the output conveyor 42. These four configurations also allow for flexible response to spatial conditions and the positioning of other machines when setting up the devices 1 and 1a according to the invention.

[0045] exist Figure 4 Another configuration G is shown in FIG. According to this configuration, there are two graphic industrial machines 41a and 41b, and the device 1 according to the invention is positioned between the two machines. Here, the conveying directions 4a and 4b are chosen to be opposite directions, so that the robot arm 11 can centrally grasp and discharge the feed stacks 2 of the two machines. In this configuration, a single device according to the invention is sufficient to process the output of the two machines.

[0046] List of Figures

[0047] 1 device (unloading device)

[0048] 1a Another device (unloading device)

[0049] 2 Stack

[0050] 3 Transmission segments

[0051] 4a Transmission direction

[0052] 4b Another transmission direction

[0053] 4c Longitudinal side

[0054] 5 One or more drives

[0055] 10. Robot

[0056] 11 Robotic Arm

[0057] 12 Robot Base

[0058] 13 Receiving Area

[0059] 14 Sports

[0060] 15 Danger Zone

[0061] 20 One or more discharge locations

[0062] 21 One or more brackets

[0063] 22 Unloaded stack

[0064] 30 Protected Areas

[0065] 30a First intermediate area

[0066] 31 Unprotected Areas

[0067] 31a Second intermediate area

[0068] 32 Another protected area

[0069] 33 Buffer Zone

[0070] 34 End of buffer area

[0071] 35 Buffered stack

[0072] 36 Operators

[0073] 40 Systems

[0074] 41a, 41b One or more machines

[0075] 42 Output Transmitter

[0076] 43 longitudinal side

[0077] 44 other longitudinal side

[0078] 50 Another Machine

[0079] A to G Configuration

Claims

1. A device for unloading a stack of printed products stacked one above the other, in, The unloading device (1) comprises a conveying section (3) for the stack (2) and a robot arm (11) for receiving the stack (2) from the conveying section (3) and for unloading the stack (2) onto a bracket (21), and The transmission section (3) comprises a protected area (30) to prevent contact. It is characterized in that The conveying section (3) is divided into at least three consecutive areas in terms of access in the conveying direction (4a), namely: a protected area (30), an unprotected area (31) and a further protected area (32), and The robot arm (11) is arranged next to a longitudinal side (4c) of the conveying section (3) so that the reception of the stack (2) takes place in the unprotected area (31).

2. The device according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The further protected area (32) serves as a buffer area (33), The stack (2) not received by the robot arm (11) is transferred to the buffer area (33).

3. The device according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The stack (2) located in the buffer area (33) can be removed from an end (34) of the buffer area (33) located in the conveying direction (4a).

4. The device according to claim 3, It is characterized in that The stack (2) can be removed manually.

5. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that The discharge point (20) is arranged next to the longitudinal side (4c) of the conveying section (3).

6. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that The discharge device (1) comprises at least one drive (5) for the conveying section (3), and The conveying direction (4a) in the protected area (30) and the further conveying direction (4b) in the further protected area (32) are respectively reversible.

7. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that The unloading device (1) comprises at least three drives (5) for the conveying section (3), and The conveying direction (4a) in the protected area (30), the further conveying direction (4b) in the further protected area (32) and the further conveying direction (4c) in the unprotected area (31) are respectively reversible and / or can be selected to be opposite to one another.

8. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that The protected area (30) and the further protected area (32) are substantially identical in structure.

9. A system comprising a graphics industrial machine and at least one discharge device according to claim 6 or 7, It is characterized in that The machine (41a) comprises an output conveyor (42) for a stack (2) consisting of printed products stacked one above the other, The protected area (30) or the further protected area (32) of the conveying section (3) of the discharge device (1) is connected to the output conveyor (42) in terms of conveying technology, and The reversible conveying direction (4a) is selected such that the robot arm (11) is positioned on one side of one longitudinal side (43) or on one side of the other longitudinal side (44) of the output conveyor (42).

10. The system according to claim 9, It is characterized in that The system (40) comprises at least two discharge devices (1, 1a) according to claim 6, and The discharge devices (1, 1a) are arranged one behind the other with respect to the transport of the stack (2).

11. The system according to claim 10, It is characterized in that The system (40) comprises two discharge devices (1, 1a) according to claim 6, and The robotic arms (11) of the two unloading devices (1, 1a) are arranged on the same side with reference to one of the longitudinal sides (43, 44) of the output conveyor (42), or the robotic arms (11) of the two unloading devices (1, 1a) are arranged on opposite sides with reference to one of the longitudinal sides (43, 44) of the output conveyor (42).

12. The system according to claim 9, It is characterized in that The system (40) includes another graphic industrial machine (41b), and The unloading device (1) is arranged between the two graphic arts machines (41a, 41b) with regard to the transport of the stacks (2).

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