A book page turning method and system

Abstract

This invention provides a book page-turning method and system, comprising: S1, conveying the book to a page-turning mechanism; S2, rapidly lowering the page-turning mechanism to a distance of 3mm to 50mm from the book, then decelerating and moving downwards; S3, the page-turning mechanism causing the picked-up page to bend 5 to 60 degrees around the spine; S4, the page-turning mechanism causing the picked-up page to be pressed vertically downwards 3mm to 50mm, down to the height of the book page plane; S5, opening the book page and releasing the page-turning mechanism, repeating steps S2 to S4. By causing the picked-up page to bend around the spine through the page-turning mechanism, adhered pages fall off; by pressing the picked-up page vertically downwards, further adhering pages fall off, thereby ensuring that the page-turning mechanism picks up only one page at a time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of book processing technology, and in particular to a book page-turning method and system. Background Technology

[0002] Libraries have a large collection of books, and the processing of new books and circulating books is a labor-intensive and error-prone task. To manage books more conveniently and efficiently, it is necessary to print access codes, RFID tags, or stamps on the pages of each book. This process requires turning the pages of the book, including the cover, back cover, title page, and other pages. Manual page turning would be labor-intensive and inefficient.

[0003] To address the technical problems of high workload and low efficiency in manual page turning, patent CN114590051A proposes a continuous book page turning system. This system includes: a book carrying platform, a book edge-aligning mechanism, a spine limiting mechanism, a page carrying platform set at an obtuse angle or horizontally, a page turning mechanism, a page pushing mechanism, and a page pressing mechanism. Under the control of a controller and program, this system can automate and streamline the entire process of conveying, page turning, folding identification, marking, and hinge assembly. Furthermore, by identifying the target page during the page turning process, it can accurately locate the page requiring the addition of a library access code, RFID tag, or stamp, reducing the workload of library staff and improving the efficiency of book identification and management. An anti-sticking mechanism prevents adjacent pages from sticking together, further improving the accuracy and efficiency of page turning. In this patent, the page turning mechanism is equipped with a page turning suction cup, which is connected to an air pump via an air pipe. The air pump draws in air to generate negative pressure, allowing the page turning suction cup to adhere to the pages. The suction cups in the aforementioned page-turning mechanism simultaneously hold the pages during operation, and the suction method involves holding one corner of the page and then turning that corner open to a certain angle. However, this method still has the following drawbacks: when all the suction cups hold the inner pages of the book, the suction force is stronger at the part in contact with the suction cups and weaker at the part not in contact with the suction cups. Because the inner pages are relatively thin, the part held by the suction cups is prone to bulging, resulting in suction wrinkles on the inner pages and compromising the flatness of the book's inner pages. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention aims to at least solve the technical problems existing in the prior art and provide a book page turning method and system.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives of the present invention, according to a first aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a book page-turning method, comprising:

[0006] S1, delivers the book to the page-turning mechanism;

[0007] S2, after rapidly lowering the page-turning mechanism to a distance of 3mm to 50mm from the book, decelerate and move downwards;

[0008] S3, the page-turning mechanism causes the picked-up page to bend around the spine at a 5-60 degree angle;

[0009] S4, the page-turning mechanism causes the picked-up page to be pressed vertically downward by 3mm to 50mm;

[0010] S5, after turning the page, release the page-turning mechanism, and repeat steps S2 to S4.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the page-turning mechanism descends rapidly at a speed of 0.01 m / s to 2 m / s, and decelerates at a speed of less than 0.01 m / s.

[0012] The above technical solution: The rapid descent of the page-turning mechanism can save the descent time of the page-turning mechanism and improve work efficiency. The deceleration when approaching the book is to prevent the pages from sticking together when picking them up due to excessive descent.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, air is blown toward the book's fore-end side as the page-turning mechanism turns the picked-up pages.

[0014] The above technical solution aims to break up the book pages and prevent them from sticking together by blowing air towards the book's edge.

[0015] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives of the present invention, according to a second aspect of the present invention, a book page-turning system is provided, comprising: a book support platform for supporting a book to be turned; a page support platform for placing open pages; a page-turning mechanism for picking up book pages and performing page-turning operations; a blower mechanism for blowing air toward the book's fore-end to disperse the book pages; and a page-pressing mechanism for pressing down the open pages.

[0016] The above technical solution involves the page-turning mechanism rapidly descending to a position 3mm to 50mm away from the book, saving time and improving work efficiency. After reaching the set height, it begins to decelerate and move downwards to pick up the pages, preventing multiple pages from being picked up too quickly. The page-turning mechanism causes the picked-up pages to bend around the spine at a certain angle, causing stuck pages to fall off. The picked-up pages are then pressed vertically downwards a certain distance to further dislodge stuck pages, thus ensuring that the page-turning mechanism picks up only one page at a time. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating a book page-turning method according to the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the page-turning mechanism in this invention.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the page-turning mechanism from another perspective in this invention.

[0020] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 An enlarged schematic diagram of a structure in which the connecting component and the buffer component work together. Detailed Implementation

[0021] This embodiment discloses a book page-turning method, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the method includes:

[0022] S1, delivers the book to the page-turning mechanism;

[0023] S2, after rapidly lowering the page-turning mechanism to a distance of 3mm to 50mm from the book, decelerate and move downwards;

[0024] S3, the page-turning mechanism causes the picked-up page to bend around the spine at a 5-60 degree angle;

[0025] S4, the page-turning mechanism causes the picked-up page to be pressed vertically downward by 3mm to 50mm;

[0026] S5, after turning the page, release the page-turning mechanism, and repeat steps S2 to S4.

[0027] The book is conveyed to a position below the page-turning mechanism, which then rapidly descends to a height of 8mm to 12mm above the book. This rapid descent saves time as the mechanism approaches the book. The preferred descent speed is 0.01m / s to 2m / s, but can be 0.01m / s, 0.1m / s, 0.4m / s, 0.6m / s, 0.8m / s, or 2m / s, to minimize descent time and improve efficiency. The mechanism then slowly decelerates and moves towards the pages, with a descent speed less than 0.01m / s to prevent picking up multiple pages at excessive speed. Once a sensor detects that the page-turning mechanism has picked up a page, the descent stops to prevent pressing the book down and picking up multiple pages. The page-turning mechanism causes the picked-up page to bend around the spine at an angle of 5 to 60 degrees, causing the stuck pages to fall back. Specifically, the angle can be 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, or 60 degrees. Then, the picked-up page is pressed vertically down by 3 mm to 50 mm. The pressing distance can be 3 mm, 10 mm, 20 mm, 45 mm, or 50 mm, etc., and it stops at the height of the book, further causing the stuck pages to fall back, ensuring that the page-turning mechanism picks up only one page.

[0028] In this embodiment, preferably, the page-turning mechanism causes the picked-up page to bend at least once. During the page-turning process, the page-turning mechanism causes the picked-up page to bend once towards the spine, causing the stuck page to fall back. More preferably, during the page-turning process, the page-turning mechanism causes the picked-up portion of the page to be bent twice, with the two bends in opposite directions. The first bend is a counterclockwise rotation around the spine, and the second bend is a clockwise rotation around the spine. The opposite directions of the two bends reduce torsional damage to the page and allow the page-turning mechanism to reset its picking posture, facilitating the next page pickup.

[0029] In this embodiment, the height of the book is collected during the book transport process or below the page-turning mechanism. Height measuring devices such as laser measuring instruments and measuring light curtains can be used. When the book passes the measuring device, the book thickness is identified and detected. Before the page-turning mechanism turns the pages, the descent height of the page-turning mechanism is adjusted according to the book thickness.

[0030] In this embodiment, during the page-turning mechanism's process of turning the picked-up pages, air is blown towards the book's fore-edge side. This blowing helps to break up the book's pages, preventing them from sticking together due to lack of air and reducing the risk of subsequent pages sticking together when the page-turning mechanism picks up a particular page. The blowing can be achieved using a directional air blower mechanism, such as a turbine fan. To enhance the degree of page breaking up, the air outlet of the air blower mechanism is aligned with the book's fore-edge side, ensuring that the airflow is level with the pages. Preferably, the air outlet of the air blower mechanism is located at a corner of the book, making it easier to break up the pages.

[0031] Another embodiment of this application also relates to a book page-turning system, including: a book-carrying platform for carrying a book to be turned; a page-carrying platform for placing open pages; a page-turning mechanism for picking up book pages and performing page-turning operations; a blower mechanism for blowing air toward the book's opening side to scatter the book pages; and a page-pressing mechanism for pressing down the open pages.

[0032] The specific mechanism of the book page-turning system of this invention is the continuous page-turning processing system of patent CN114590051A. It mainly improves the page-turning mechanism, and the page-turning mechanism in that patent can be directly replaced with the page-turning mechanism of this invention. For example... Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the page-turning mechanism of the present invention includes a first adsorption mechanism 300 and a second adsorption mechanism 301. One end of the first adsorption mechanism 300 is fixedly connected to one end of the second adsorption mechanism 301, and the other end of the first adsorption mechanism 300 is also fixedly connected to a mounting plate 302. One or more suction cups 303 are provided on the side of the second adsorption mechanism 301 away from the mounting plate 302. An array of adsorption holes 304 are provided on the outer surface of the first adsorption mechanism 300. A connecting component 305 is also fixed on the mounting plate 302.

[0033] In this invention, the first adsorption mechanism 300 and the second adsorption mechanism 301 serve as mounting carriers for different adsorption mechanisms. The first adsorption mechanism 300 is provided with adsorption holes 304, and the second adsorption mechanism 301 is equipped with a suction cup 303. The adsorption holes 304 in this invention are mainly used to adsorb the inner pages of a book. The adsorption holes 304 are arranged in an array on one surface of the first adsorption mechanism 300 to facilitate uniform adsorption of the inner pages, preventing unevenness due to localized adsorption and ensuring the book's inner pages remain flat during adsorption. The adsorption holes 304 can be divided into several parts, evenly distributed and covering the surface of the first adsorption mechanism 300. Each part contains multiple adsorption holes 304, and the shape of each part can be customized. In one embodiment of this invention, the adsorption holes 304 are divided into two parts, evenly distributed on the surface of the first adsorption mechanism 300, and both parts consist of adsorption holes 304 arranged in a matrix, as shown below. Figure 2 As shown.

[0034] Mounting plate 302 is mainly used to connect the first adsorption mechanism 300 and is also connected to the connecting component 305. The connecting component 305 is connected to the external drive mechanism. The connecting component 305 connects the mounting plate 302 to the external drive mechanism. The external drive mechanism can be a robotic arm, specifically a four-axis robotic arm or a six-axis robotic arm, etc. The specific model is, but is not limited to, the JAKAZu series collaborative robot arm.

[0035] In actual operation, the external robotic arm rotates the side with suction cup 303 to directly above the book. The suction cup 303 then adheres to the book cover and lifts it upwards. Other page-turning levers then completely open the cover, pressing it onto the corresponding page-supporting platform. The page-turning levers and supporting platform in this invention are those disclosed in patent publication number CN114590051A. Because the book cover is thicker than the inner pages, the suction cup 303 will not cause wrinkles, and the book cover remains flat during adhesion. After the book cover is opened, the external robotic arm rotates the side with suction holes 304 to directly above the book. The second adhesion mechanism 301 with suction holes 304 slowly descends until the suction holes 304 completely adhere to the inner pages. Because the suction holes 304 in this invention are arranged in a row or more and arrayed on one surface of the first adhesion mechanism 300, the suction holes 304 ensure even force distribution across all parts of the inner pages. Furthermore, the surface where the adsorption hole 304 is located is also a flat surface. During adsorption, the paper adheres to the surface where the adsorption hole 304 is located, which can further prevent the paper of the inner pages of the book from forming adsorption wrinkles and ensure that the inner pages of the book remain flat during adsorption.

[0036] like Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, both the first adsorption mechanism 300 and the second adsorption mechanism 301 are quadrangular prisms with internal airflow channels; the first adsorption mechanism 300 is also provided with a first air pipe mounting hole 306, and the second adsorption mechanism 301 is also provided with a second air pipe mounting hole 307.

[0037] Both the first adsorption mechanism 300 and the second adsorption mechanism 301 are quadrangular prisms with internal airflow channels, facilitating processing and allowing for the creation of adsorption holes 304 on flat surfaces. When the book is turned, the surface with the adsorption hole 304 can adhere to the paper surface, further preventing wrinkles from forming on the inner pages and ensuring the pages remain flat during adsorption. The airflow channels are directly connected to each suction cup 303 and the adsorption hole 304, reducing the number of air tubes and simplifying the device. The first air tube mounting hole 306 and the second air tube mounting hole 307 are used to install air tubes. The air tubes in this invention are flexible hoses to accommodate moderate twisting during device rotation. The other end of the air tube is connected to a negative pressure device, including but not limited to a ZR520-026V type air pump. The air pump draws in air to generate negative pressure; the suction cup 303 is used to adsorb the book cover, and the adsorption hole 304 is used to adsorb the inner pages. Driven by an external robotic arm, the entire book-turning aid can move at multiple angles. For example, after holding onto a corner of the page, it can turn that corner of the page open at a certain angle.

[0038] like Figure 2 As shown, the first air tube mounting hole 306 is located on the adjacent or opposite surface of the surface where the suction hole 304 is located, and there is more than one first air tube mounting hole 306; the second air tube mounting hole 307 is located on the adjacent or opposite surface of the surface where the suction cup 303 is located, and there is more than one second air tube mounting hole 307.

[0039] The above structure ensures that the various air tube holes do not interfere with the suction cup 303 or the suction hole 304 during the operation of the device. At the same time, it prevents the air tubes connected to the air tube holes from touching the book, thus ensuring the normal operation of the device.

[0040] like Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the connecting assembly 305 includes a connecting rod 3051 and a connecting plate 3052. One end of the connecting rod 3051 is fixedly connected to the mounting plate 302, and the other end is fixedly connected to the connecting plate 3052. The connecting rod 3051 is perpendicular to the surface of the connecting plate 3052. The connecting plate 3052 in this invention is mainly used to connect an external robotic arm. The connecting rod 3051 can extend the distance between the robotic arm and the book turning assist device in this invention, making the device more flexible when rotating or moving and not interfered with by other parts of the robotic arm.

[0041] A buffer assembly 308 is also provided between the connecting component 305 and the mounting plate 302 of the present invention. The buffer assembly 308 can reduce the impact force of the first adsorption mechanism 300 or the second adsorption mechanism 301 during the raising or lowering of the device, and avoid damage to the book caused by sudden contact or sudden removal from the book. Specifically, when the device is lowered as a whole, if it suddenly comes into contact with the book, the book is slowly subjected to pressure under the action of the buffer assembly 308, which can prevent the device from suddenly hitting the book; when the device is raised as a whole, the book cover or pages are adsorbed by the suction cup 303 or the adsorption hole 304. Due to the action of the buffer assembly 308, the device can slowly move the book cover or pages upward, so as not to suddenly move upward and cause the book cover or pages to detach from the adsorption device.

[0042] like Figures 2 to 4 As shown, in one embodiment of the present invention, the buffer assembly 308 includes a guide rail 3081, a mounting base 3082, a guide rod 3083, a helical spring 3084, a sleeve 3085, and a guide shoe 3086. The guide rail 3081 is fixed to the mounting plate 302 and is perpendicular to the first adsorption mechanism 300. The mounting base 3082 is fixed to the end of the guide rail 3081 near the first adsorption column. The guide rod 3083 is fixed to the mounting base 3082, and the direction of the guide rod 3083 is... Parallel to the direction of guide rail 3081; sleeve 3085 includes sleeve part 3001 and fixed part 3002, wherein sleeve part 3001 is clearance-fitted with guide rod 3083, fixed part 3002 is fixedly connected to guide shoe 3086, and guide shoe 3086 is slidably connected to guide rail 3081; helical spring 3084 is sleeved on guide rod 3083 between sleeve 3085 and mounting base 3082, and one end of helical spring 3084 is fixedly connected to sleeve part 3001, and the other end is fixedly connected to mounting base 3082.

[0043] The fixed connection method described in this embodiment can be a bolt connection, and the working process of the buffer component 308 in this embodiment is as follows: When the entire device descends, the robotic arm drives the connecting plate 3052 to descend, and the connecting plate 3052 drives the connected rod 3051 to descend. Since the connecting rod 3051 is connected to the sleeve 3085, the sleeve 3085 also moves downward along the guide rail 3081 and the guide rod 3083. However, since there is a helical spring 3084 between the sleeve 3085 and the mounting base 3082, the sleeve 3085 compresses the helical spring 3084 to its limit, and then the elastic force acts on the mounting base 3082. The mounting base 3082 drives the connected mounting plate 302 to move downward, thereby driving the entire device to descend. When the entire device rises, the robotic arm drives the connecting plate 3052 to rise, and the connecting plate 3052 drives the connected rod 3051 to rise. Since the connecting rod 3051 is connected to the sleeve 3085, the sleeve 3085 also moves upward along the guide rail 3081 and the guide rod 3083. However, since a helical spring 3084 is provided between the sleeve 3085 and the mounting base 3082, the sleeve 3085 stretches the helical spring 3084 to its limit, and then the tension is applied to the mounting base 3082. The mounting base 3082 drives the connected mounting plate 302 to move upward, thereby driving the entire device to rise. In this embodiment, the guide rail 3081 is a common guide rail in the prior art, such as an I-shaped guide rail or a dovetail groove guide rail.

[0044] like Figures 2 to 4 As shown, a limiting member 309 is also provided at the end of the guide rod 3083 away from the mounting base 3082. The purpose of providing the limiting member 309 is to prevent the sleeve 3085 from sliding out of the guide rod 3083. In this invention, the limiting member 309 is a pin, fixing block, or end disc provided on the guide rod 3083, which can serve a limiting function. For ease of processing, this invention preferably uses a limiting disc fixed to the end of the guide rod 3083 as the limiting member 309.

[0045] In this embodiment, preferably, it further includes a page-turning mechanism that, after pressing the picked-up page vertically downwards, blows air downwards towards the book's edge. This ensures that even if pages are stuck together when the page-turning mechanism picks up the page to be turned, the airflow will cause the stuck pages to fall back, guaranteeing that the page-turning mechanism picks up only one page. In one application scenario, the airflow mechanism includes a first airflow mechanism and a second airflow mechanism. The nozzle of the first airflow mechanism blows air parallel to the book's edge to disperse the pages, making it easier for the page-turning mechanism to pick them up. The nozzle of the second airflow mechanism blows air downwards towards the book's edge to blow off any stuck pages. The first and second airflow mechanisms work alternately. When the page-turning mechanism picks up a page, the first airflow mechanism is activated, blowing air level with the page to disperse it. Once the page-turning mechanism has picked up the page and lifted it to a certain angle, the first airflow mechanism is turned off, and the second airflow mechanism is activated to blow air downwards, causing any stuck pages to be blown off by the airflow. Specifically, the blower mechanism can adopt the following structure: the blower mechanism includes an air source, an air blowing pipe connected to the air source for blowing air onto the non-spine side of the book, and a valve located on the air blowing pipe to control the opening and closing of the air blowing pipe. The valve is preferably, but not limited to, an electromagnetic valve, and the blowing section at the end of the air blowing pipe preferably, but not limited to, includes multiple dispersed air outlets to achieve dispersed blowing and increase the blowing area.

[0046] In this embodiment, air can be intermittently blown towards the book's foreleg and non-spine sides at a set frequency. This improves the page-blowing effect and also saves energy. The set frequency is greater than or equal to 5Hz. To further improve the page-blowing effect, preferably, the set frequency ranges from 10Hz to 50Hz, with intermittent airflow towards the foreleg.

Claims

1. A method for turning pages in a book, characterized in that, include: S1, delivers the book to the page-turning mechanism; S2, after quickly lowering the page-turning mechanism to 3mm~50mm away from the book, decelerate and move downwards; S3, the page-turning mechanism causes the picked-up page to bend around the spine at a 5-60 degree angle; S4, the page-turning mechanism causes the picked-up page to be pressed vertically downward by 3mm to 50mm; S5, after turning the page, release the page-turning mechanism, and repeat steps S2 to S4.

2. The book page-turning method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The page-turning mechanism descends rapidly at a speed of 0.01 m / s to 2 m / s, and decelerates at a speed of less than 0.01 m / s.

3. The book page-turning method as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, As the page-turning mechanism turns the picked-up pages, air blows towards the book's forefoot.

4. A book page-turning system, characterized in that, include: A book hosting platform, used to hold books whose pages are about to be turned; A page-supporting platform for holding open book pages; A page-turning mechanism is used to pick up book pages and turn them. The blower mechanism blows air towards the book's forefoot to break up the book's pages; A page-pressing mechanism is used to hold down the opened pages of a book.

5. The book page-turning system as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The page-turning mechanism includes a first adsorption mechanism (300) and a second adsorption mechanism (301). One end of the first adsorption mechanism (300) is fixedly connected to one end of the second adsorption mechanism (301), and the other end of the first adsorption mechanism (300) is also fixedly connected to a mounting plate (302). One or more suction cups (303) are provided on the side of the second adsorption mechanism (301) away from the mounting plate (302), and an array of adsorption holes (304) are provided on the outer surface of the first adsorption mechanism (300). A connecting component (305) is also fixed on the mounting plate (302).

6. The book page-turning system as described in claim 5, characterized in that, Both the first adsorption mechanism (300) and the second adsorption mechanism (301) are quadrangular prisms with internal airflow channels; the first adsorption mechanism (300) is also provided with a first air pipe mounting hole (306), and the second adsorption mechanism (301) is also provided with a second air pipe mounting hole (307).

7. The book page-turning system as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The first air tube mounting hole (306) is located on the adjacent or opposite surface of the surface where the suction hole (304) is located, and the number of the first air tube mounting holes (306) is more than one; the second air tube mounting hole (307) is located on the adjacent or opposite surface of the surface where the suction cup (303) is located, and the number of the second air tube mounting hole (307) is more than one.

8. The book page-turning system as described in claim 5, 6, or 7, characterized in that, The connecting assembly (305) includes a connecting rod (3051) and a connecting plate (3052). One end of the connecting rod (3051) is fixedly connected to the mounting plate (302), and the other end is fixedly connected to the connecting plate (3052). The connecting rod (3051) is perpendicular to the surface of the connecting plate (3052).

9. The book page-turning system as described in claim 5, 6, or 7, characterized in that, A buffer assembly (308) is also provided between the connecting assembly (305) and the mounting plate (302).

10. The book page-turning system as described in claim 5, 6, or 7, characterized in that, The blower mechanism includes a first blower mechanism and a second blower mechanism. The first blower mechanism blows air horizontally toward the book opening side, and the second blower mechanism blows air downward toward the book opening side.

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