Method for providing stacks of stacked printed products for inspection

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for providing stacks of stacked printed products for inspection, in which a stream of such stacks is conveyed on a conveyor line to a robot and stacks that do not need inspection are lifted by the robot from the conveyor line at a lifting position and are placed at other positions on a tray located at a placement position, wherein the stacks to be inspected are not lifted, but are continued on the conveyor line to an inspection removal position where they are removed and inspected, characterized in that the inspected stacks are conveyed from the inspection removal position on the conveyor line back to the lifting position, there is lifted by the robot and placed on the tray. The invention advantageously allows a stack of stacked printed products to be first removed from the printed product stream and then re-introduced for inspection, preferably by an operator. The invention can be used, for example, in the paper collector region of a folding machine.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a method for providing a stack of superimposed printed products for inspection.

[0002] The invention belongs to the technical field of the platemaking industry, in particular to the field of handling (e.g. gripping, holding, moving, rotating, flipping and / or setting down) stacked, flexible, preferably printed and folded flat products, such as folded sheets, preferably made of paper, cardboard, paperboard, plastic or composite materials, by means of a robot arm, in particular an articulated arm robot with a robot arm and a gripping device for stacking. Background Art

[0003] In the field of post-printing processing (post-press finishing), for example, DE 10 20 20 10 3 39 8 A1 or DE 20 20 19 10 6 9 7 5 U1 discloses that stacks of flat products are conveyed on a (e.g. roller) conveyor line, wherein the stacks are gripped by a gripping device arranged on a robot arm, lifted from the conveyor line, moved to a pallet located near the conveyor line and placed there.

[0004] DE202019106975U1 discloses a conveyor line for stacks of printed products stacked on top of each other and a so-called collaborative robot system, the robot arm of which comprises a gripping device for picking up the stack from the conveyor line and placing the stack on a pallet. Here, the robot is arranged at the end of the conveyor line, so that the stack cannot be removed at the end of the conveyor line for inspection.

[0005] DE 10 20 20 10 3 39 8 A1 also discloses a conveyor line for stacking printed products on top of each other and a robot, the robot arm of which comprises a gripping device for picking up the stack from the conveyor line and placing the stack on a pallet. Here, the robot can be designed as an industrial articulated arm robot. Here, too, the robot is arranged at the end of the conveyor line, so that the stack cannot be removed at the end of the conveyor line for inspection.

[0006] EP2809601B1 discloses a method for removing samples in a flat object packaging machine. Here, the removal is performed by a robot arm or a gripping device of the robot arm at the end of the conveyor line; there is no provision for an operator to manually remove the sample. There is also no return function.

[0007] EP1991484B1 discloses a method for forming a stack of flat products. Here, the flat products can be fed into a product flow or introduced into a product flow. The introduced products were not previously drawn from the product flow. Summary of the invention

[0008] With respect to the above-mentioned prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide an improvement on the prior art, in particular to enable stacks of superimposed printed products to be firstly withdrawn from a flow of such products and then reintroduced for inspection, preferably by an operator.

[0009] According to the present invention, the above object can be solved by the method described in the preferred technical solution.

[0010] Advantages and therefore preferred developments of the invention are apparent from the alternative embodiments as well as from the description and the drawings.

[0011] The present invention provides a method for providing stacks of stacked printed products for inspection, wherein a flow of such stacks is conveyed to a robot on a conveyor line and stacks that do not require inspection are lifted by the robot from the conveyor line at lifting positions and placed on pallets at other positions at placement positions, wherein stacks that require inspection are not lifted but are conveyed further on the conveyor line to an inspection removal position, where they are removed and inspected, characterized in that the inspected stacks are conveyed from the inspection removal position on the conveyor line back to the lifting position, where they are lifted by the robot and placed on the pallet.

[0012] The invention advantageously makes it possible to first remove stacks of printed products stacked one on top of the other from the printed product flow and then to reintroduce them for inspection, preferably by an operator.

[0013] The invention can be used, for example, in the delivery region of a folding machine.

[0014] A particular advantage of the invention is that the object can be achieved by simple means and therefore also at low cost.

[0015] Preferred developments of the present invention (in short: developments) are described below. These developments can also be combined with one another, unless technically excluded.

[0016] The feature of an expansion scheme can be that a part of the conveyor line can be reversed in conveying direction between the lifting position and the inspection removal position.For this reason, at least one electric motor can be provided, which drives the conveyor line (or its part) optionally in one direction or in the opposite direction.

[0017] An extended solution may be characterized in that the conveyor line can be divided into a plurality of parts, preferably five parts that follow one another in the conveying direction. An extended solution may be characterized in that the first part is a part that is protected from the operator's access to the stack, such as a wrapped area, and the subsequent second part is a part that is protected from the operator's access to the stack and is particularly designed as a buffer area. A buffer area refers to an area in which the stack can be buffered during the conveying process, for example, the conveying can be stopped briefly. An extended solution may be characterized in that the subsequent third part includes the lifting position. An extended solution may be characterized in that the subsequent fourth part is a part that is not protected from the operator's access to the stack and is particularly designed as a buffer area, and the subsequent fifth part is another part that is protected from the operator's access to the stack. An extended solution may be characterized in that the fifth part includes the inspection and removal position. These parts may be directly adjacent to each other.

[0018] One development can be characterized in that the conveyor line forms a straight section. One development can be characterized in that the robot is positioned next to a longitudinal side of the conveyor line. One development can be characterized in that at least one placement position is positioned next to a longitudinal side of the conveyor line.

[0019] The features and feature combinations disclosed in the above technical fields, the summary and the developments as well as in the following exemplary embodiments represent further advantageous developments of the invention (in any combination with one another). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 A schematic top view shows a preferred embodiment and development of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Figure 1The device 1 shown in is configured to perform the method of the present invention. The device 1 conveys a preferably continuous stream of stacks 2 of printed products (e.g. printed and folded products) along a conveying direction 4a (exemplarily to the left in the figure) through a preferably straight conveyor line 3, such as a roller table. To this end, the device 1 preferably includes a plurality of drive devices 5, such as electric motors. The area of ​​the conveyor line 3 is divided into a plurality of continuous parts, preferably five parts. The first part 6a is a protected area, and the fifth part 9 is also a protected area; for example, both parts can be equipped with a shell (a kind of tunnel) that prevents the stack 2 from being removed from the long side or above. There are three parts between them: the second part 6b, which is an unprotected area (i.e., there is no shell / tunnel) and can serve as a buffer for the stack 2; the third part 7, which is an unprotected area (lifting area) and the robot 10 can reach the stack 2 and remove / lift it; the fourth area 8, the design of which is similar to the second area. Each area can be driven by its own motor 5.

[0022] A robot 10 with a preferably movable robot base 12 (on the floor of the production facility) and a robot arm 11 that can be freely moved in space, for example an articulated arm with a plurality of joints, grabs a stack 2 in the region of the third section 7 by means of a gripping device (not shown) and lifts the stack 2 from the conveyor line 3 in a lifting position 13. The robot arm 11 then moves the stack 2 to at least one placement position 20 and a pallet 21 arranged there by means of a spatial movement 14 within a danger zone 15 (which is determined by the maximum displacement of the robot arm). The robot arm 11 places the stack 2 on the pallet 21 according to a predetermined placement pattern. A plurality of stacks 22 placed in this way, adjacent and one above the other, gradually form a pallet stack.

[0023] The stack 2 (initially) should not be lifted and lowered, but should be inspected, and the stack 2 is transported from the third part 7 along the fourth part 8 to the fifth part 9 of the conveyor line 3. The fifth part 9 forms the inspection removal part. The stack 2 that arrives here can be removed and inspected by an operator 32 from the end of the conveyor line 3 as a stack 31 to be inspected at the inspection removal position 30. It can also be removed by other robots. The inspection can be carried out directly at the inspection removal position 30 or at other positions (not shown). Alternatively, the fifth part 9 can also be without a drive device 5, for example as a removal table.

[0024] After the operator 32 has checked the stack 31, the stack 31 can be put back on the conveyor line 3 at the inspection removal position 30 or in the fifth part 9. From there, the stack 31 can be transported back to the third part 7. For this purpose, the conveying direction 4b can be reversed at least in the fifth part 9 and the fourth part 8 and preferably also in the third part 7 (exemplarily from left to right in the figure). Here, there can be a relative speed between the parts 6a to 9. Then, the inspected stack 31 can be transported back to the lifting position 13 as other stacks 2, where it is fed into the stack 2 flow from the direction 4a, and there it is lifted and placed on the pallet 21 by the robot 10. The work of reintroducing into the stack 2 can be performed by the control system (not shown) of the device 1. For example, a (not shown) operating button can be set at the inspection removal position 30. If the operator 32 wants to remove the stack 31 for inspection, the operator can operate the button; if the operator 32 wants to put the stack 31 back, the operator can operate the button again. The control system performs the removal and return operations. Here, the control system can also ensure that the flow of stacks 2 is conveyed in the conveying direction 4a as uninterrupted as possible. Instead of an actuation button, one or more sensors can also be provided, which can automatically detect whether the stack 31 is put back after inspection and should therefore be sent back.

[0025] Figure 1 Also shown is a system 40 consisting of an apparatus 1 and a machine 41, such as a folding machine. Here, a robot 10 is arranged on a longitudinal side 4c of a conveyor line 3. An inspection and removal position 30 is arranged at the end of the conveyor line 3; it can be designed as a passive area, i.e. a non-driven area and it can also be designed to be separable from the conveyor line 3. Alternatively, the inspection and removal position 30 can also be designed to remove the stack 31 from the side instead of from the end of the conveyor line 3.

[0026] Instead of the illustrated conveyor line 3 having five sections, a conveyor line 3 having only three sections 6a, 7 and 9 or a conveyor line 3 having only four sections 6a, 6b, 7 and 9 or 6a, 7, 8 and 9 may be provided.

[0027] Reference numerals list

[0028] 1 device

[0029] 2 Stacking

[0030] 3Conveyor Line

[0031] 4a Conveying direction

[0032] 4b Reversible conveying direction

[0033] 4c longitudinal side

[0034] 5One / multiple drive devices

[0035] 6a Part I, Protected Areas

[0036] 6b Part II, Unprotected Area, Buffer Zone

[0037] 7 Part III, Unprotected Areas, Enhanced Areas

[0038] 8 Part IV, Unprotected Areas, Buffer Zones

[0039] 9 Part 5, Protected Area, Check the Removed Parts

[0040] 10. Robot

[0041] 11Robot Arm

[0042] 12 Robot Base

[0043] 13 Lifting position

[0044] 14. Mobile

[0045] 15 Danger Zone

[0046] 20 Placement

[0047] 21One / multiple pallets

[0048] 22 Stacking after placement

[0049] 30 Check removal location

[0050] 31 Stacks to be inspected

[0051] 32 Operator

[0052] 40 Systems

[0053] 41One / more machines.

Claims

1. A method for providing stacks of superimposed printed products for inspection, wherein a stream of such stacks (2) is conveyed on a conveyor line (3) to a robot (10) and stacks not requiring inspection are lifted by the robot (10) at a lifting position (13) from the conveyor line (3) and placed at another position on a pallet (21) located at a placement position (20), wherein stacks (31) requiring inspection are not lifted but are conveyed further on the conveyor line (3) to an inspection removal position (30), where they are removed and inspected, characterized in that The inspected stack (31) is transported from the inspection removal position (30) on the conveyor line (3) back to the lifting position (13), where it is lifted by the robot (10) and placed on the pallet (21).

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that A section (8) of the conveying line (3) can be reversed with respect to its conveying direction (4b) between the lifting position (13) and the inspection removal position (30).

3. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The conveying line (3) is divided into a plurality of sections (6a, 6b, 7, 8, 9).

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The first part (6a) is the part (6) which is protected from the operator (32) in terms of access to the stack (2), and the subsequent second part (6b) is the part (6) which is not protected from the operator (32) in terms of access to the stack (2) and is designed as a buffer area.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The subsequent third section (7) comprises said raised position (13).

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The subsequent fourth section (8) is a section (8) which is not protected from the operator (32) in terms of access to the stack (2) and is designed as a buffer area, and the subsequent fifth section (9) is a further section (9) which is protected from the operator (32) in terms of access to the stack (2).

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The fifth portion (9) comprises the inspection removal position (30).

8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The conveying line (3) forms a straight line.

9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The robot (10) is positioned beside a longitudinal side (4c) of the conveyor line (3).

10. The method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that At least one placement location (20) is positioned beside a longitudinal side (4c) of the conveyor line (3).

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