Enclosure removal device

Abstract

To provide a device capable of automatically removing a thin enclosed material from an opened envelope with one side opened.SOLUTION: Provided is an enclosure removal device 1, 101 that removes an enclosure from an opened envelope EV, which has a double flat plate shape and in which a part of an edge EP is an opening side EO opened linearly to form an opening port EOO, and a thin enclosure PC is contained therein. The device includes: an envelope transport conveyor 10 having an annular envelope transport belt 11 which contacts a first main surface of the opened envelope with the opening side facing downward VDH and transports the envelope in an envelope transport direction EH; and a support member 21, 121 located below the envelope transport conveyor 10, which supports an enclosure partly exposed from within the opened envelope through the opening port from below, and has a shape in which a distance G between the support member 21, 121 and the envelope transport belt increases as the support member 21, 121 advances in the envelope transport direction, and the exposed portion PCE of the enclosure exposed from within the opened envelope becomes larger as the opened envelope advances in the envelope transport direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an enclosure extraction device for extracting an enclosure from an opened envelope.

Background Art

[0002] As a device for automatically extracting an enclosure from an envelope containing the enclosure, for example, Patent Document 1 can be cited. In this Patent Document 1, a part of the sealed letter supplied from a stacker is cut off by a rotary cutter to form an opening, and then this opening is expanded, and a device for extracting the enclosure from the expanded opening is described. However, there is no specific disclosure about the mechanism for extracting the enclosure from the opening.

[0003] Further, Patent Document 2 describes a method and device for exposing the contents of an envelope. For an envelope in which three sides of a rectangular envelope have been separated leaving one side, a method and device for exposing the enclosure, which is the contents, on the expanded envelope are described.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, there is no known device that can automatically extract enclosures such as pieces of paper and cards from an opened envelope with one side opened. The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and provides a device that can automatically extract a thin plate-shaped enclosure from an opened envelope with one side opened.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] (1) One aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems is a double-plate shape having a first main surface portion, a second main surface portion facing the first main surface portion, and an edge portion located at the periphery of the first main surface portion and the second main surface portion. A part of the edge portion is an unsealed side portion that is linearly opened to form an opening, and the remaining portion of the edge portion is a sealed edge portion that is closed and connects the first main surface portion and the second main surface portion. An enclosure extraction device for extracting an enclosure accommodated in an opened envelope in which one or a plurality of thin plate-like enclosures are accommodated, contacting the first main surface portion of the opened envelope with the unsealed side portion facing downward, and having an annular envelope conveyance belt that conveys along the envelope conveyance direction along the first main surface portion; A support member that is located below the envelope conveyance belt and supports a part of the enclosure that is exposed from the inside of the opened envelope through the opening of the unsealed side portion from below, and has a form in which the distance from the envelope conveyance belt increases as it advances in the envelope conveyance direction. And a support member configured such that as the opened envelope advances in the envelope conveyance direction, an exposed portion of the enclosure that is exposed from the inside of the opened envelope becomes larger.

[0007] In this enclosure extraction device, the envelope conveyance belt is brought into contact with the first main surface portion of an opened envelope (hereinafter, also simply referred to as an envelope) with the unsealed side portion facing downward, and the opened envelope is conveyed in the envelope conveyance direction. As a result, the enclosure accommodated in the opened envelope tends to fall downward through the opening of the unsealed side portion. However, the enclosure extraction device also has a support member, which prevents the enclosure from falling downward from the inside of the opened envelope and supports it in a state where a part of it is exposed. Moreover, the support member has a configuration in which the distance from the envelope conveying belt increases as it advances in the envelope conveying direction, that is, as it moves downstream in the envelope conveying direction, and the exposed portion of the contents that is exposed from the opened envelope among the contents becomes larger. That is, when the opened envelope is advanced in the envelope conveying direction, the contents gradually come out of the opened envelope while being supported by the support member. Thus, according to this content extraction device, the contents can be easily taken out from the opened envelope having the contents inside. Moreover, since the envelope conveying belt is brought into contact with the first main surface portion of the opened envelope to convey the opened envelope in the envelope conveying direction, there are few restrictions on the timing of supplying the opened envelope to the envelope conveying belt, and it can be appropriately conveyed even if there are fluctuations in the supply timing. Also, it is easy to adjust the speed of envelope conveyance from low speed to high speed.

[0008] Typical examples of the opened envelope include a rectangular opened envelope. However, it is not limited to this. The opened envelope may be any envelope that is linearly opened at a part of the edge of the envelope and has an opening side portion large enough to take out the contents through the opening of the opening side portion. In a plan view, in addition to a rectangular envelope, envelopes having polygons such as triangles and hexagons, and envelopes including curves such as arcs in part are also included. Note that the rectangular opened envelope has a rectangular double-plate shape having a rectangular first main surface portion, a rectangular second main surface portion facing the first main surface portion, and four side portions forming an edge portion located at the periphery of the first main surface portion and the second main surface portion. One side portion is a linearly opened opening side portion forming an opening, and the remaining three side portions are closed side portions connecting the first main surface portion and the second main surface portion, and it can be considered as an envelope in which the contents are accommodated inside.

[0009] Examples of the thin sheet-like enclosures contained in the opened envelope include pieces of lottery tickets, banknotes, tickets, scratch cards for lottery tickets, trading cards, character cards, documents, and documents folded into two or three folds, etc., which are made of paper, plastic film, or plastic sheets. In addition to the rectangular shape in plan view, there are also shapes such as those obtained by notching the four corner portions of the rectangle in a linear shape (C chamfered shape) or rounding them in an outward convex arc shape (R chamfered shape), polygons such as triangles and hexagons, and pieces of paper having shapes including curves such as circles, ellipses, and arcs in part.

[0010] Examples of the envelope conveyance belt include a suction belt that can convey the opened envelope by adsorbing the first main surface portion. Also, there are a pair of belts that can convey the opened envelope in the envelope conveyance direction by sandwiching the opened envelope between a belt that contacts the first main surface portion of the opened envelope and a belt that contacts the second main surface portion.

[0011] The support member is a member that supports from below the enclosure partially exposed from within the opened envelope. For example, there is a support belt that forms the belt of a belt conveyor, supports from below the enclosure in a state where a part thereof is exposed from within the envelope, and moves the enclosure in the enclosure conveyance direction as the opened envelope being conveyed in the envelope conveyance direction progresses. Also, there are a support base made of a metal plate or a plastic plate such as a stainless steel plate with a smooth upper surface, which extends in the enclosure conveyance direction and supports the enclosure from below to prevent it from falling, a large number of metal pins arranged in the enclosure conveyance direction, and a large number of rollers forming a roller conveyor that rotates in the enclosure conveyance direction.

[0012] It should be noted that, for the enclosure taking-out device described in the above (1), it is preferable that the angle formed between the enclosure progress direction in which the enclosure supported by the support member progresses and the envelope conveyance direction is set to 1 to 5 degrees.

[0013] If the angle formed between the direction of the inserted object's movement and the direction of the envelope conveyance is too small, a conveyance distance is required to move the inserted object from the opening of the envelope until the inserted object is sufficiently exposed and can be conveyed separately from the envelope, and the apparatus becomes longer in the envelope conveyance direction. On the other hand, if the angle is too large, the corner of the inserted object may get caught on the closed side of the envelope inside the envelope, and it is likely that the inserted object will not come out of the opening hole. In this inserted object extraction apparatus, since the angle formed between the direction of the inserted object's movement and the direction of the envelope conveyance is set to 1 to 5 degrees, the inserted object can be easily taken out of the envelope, and the length of the apparatus in the envelope conveyance direction can also be suppressed.

[0014] (2) The inserted object extraction apparatus according to (1) above, wherein the envelope conveyance conveyor is the envelope conveyance belt, and is a suction belt in which a large number of suction holes are formed in a belt-like shape over the entire circumference in the belt circumferential direction, and in the suction region of the suction belt, a suction portion that sucks air through the suction holes to suck the first main surface portion to the suction belt and convey the opened envelope, and the suction belt sucks the first main surface portion of the opened envelope in the suction region and conveys the opened envelope in a posture with the first main surface portion facing obliquely upward, which is a preferable inserted object extraction apparatus.

[0015] In this inserted object extraction apparatus, the envelope conveyance belt is used as the suction belt, and the opened envelope can be conveyed only by sucking the first main surface portion to this suction belt, so the mechanism for conveying the envelope can be configured simply. Moreover, the envelope is held only by sucking the first main surface portion to the suction belt and conveyed in a posture with the first main surface portion facing obliquely upward. Then, the weight of the inserted object acts on the second main surface portion side, and the opening side portion deforms in the direction of expanding the opening, so it becomes easier for the inserted object to come out of the envelope through the opening, and the problem that the inserted object does not come out of the envelope can be suppressed.

[0016] (3) The encapsulation removing device according to (2) above, wherein the opened envelope is made of paper, and the first main surface portion of the opened envelope has a window portion that is transparent or translucent at a predetermined window position and has a window material with lower air permeability than the paper forming the opened envelope, and the suction belt is preferably an encapsulation removing device having the suction holes at a position for adsorbing at least a part of the window portion.

[0017] In this encapsulation removing device, at least a part of the window portion is adsorbed by the suction holes of the suction belt. Since the window material forming the window portion has lower air permeability than the paper forming the envelope, the window material can be strongly adsorbed by the suction holes of the suction belt, and the window portion can be surely held by the suction belt. Therefore, the opened envelope having the window portion can be surely held and conveyed by the suction belt.

[0018] Examples of the window portion having a window material with low air permeability include window portions made of transparent or translucent window materials such as cellophane windows (also called transparent windows or high-look windows), plastic windows (also called wax windows), and glassine windows, through which the internal encapsulation can be visually recognized from the outside.

[0019] (4) The encapsulation removing device according to any one of (1) to (3) above, preferably having a vibration mechanism for applying vibration to the opened envelope and the encapsulation conveyed in the envelope conveying direction.

[0020] In this encapsulation removing device, since vibration is applied to the opened envelope and the encapsulation by the vibration mechanism, the encapsulation can be surely exposed from inside the envelope through the opening, and further surely taken out of the envelope.

[0021] As the vibration mechanism, there are a vibration mechanism configured to vibrate the envelope conveyance belt to vibrate the envelope and the contents, and a vibration mechanism configured to provide a second main surface support member that abuts against the second main surface of the envelope and vibrate the second main surface support member to vibrate the envelope. Further, there is a vibration mechanism configured to vibrate the support member that supports the contents partially exposed from the envelope, such as the support belt or support base of the support conveyor, to vibrate the contents and the envelope, and a vibration mechanism configured to vibrate the envelope and the contents using, for example, sound waves emitted from a speaker, pulsed air or wind formed by air ejected from an air nozzle, etc., placed at a position away from the envelope.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0022]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0023] (Embodiment) Hereinafter, the contents removal device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. The opened envelope EV handled by the contents removal device 1 of the present embodiment has, as shown on the left side in FIG. 1, a rectangular envelope paper piece PC, which is a thin plate-shaped content smaller in size than the envelope EV, contained in a rectangular envelope EEV in a plan view, for example, a plurality of 10 sheets or a single sheet, as indicated by the broken line.

[0024] The envelope EEV has a double-plate shape having a rectangular first main surface portion ES1, a second main surface portion ES2 facing the first main surface portion ES1, and a rectangular edge portion EP located at the periphery of the first main surface portion ES1 and the second main surface portion ES2. A part of the edge portion EP of the envelope EEV is an unsealed side portion EO that is linearly unsealed to form an unsealing opening EOO. In the envelope EEV illustrated in the present embodiment, one of the pair of long sides (the lower side in the figure) of the four sides surrounding the rectangular first main surface portion ES1 and the second main surface portion ES2 is the unsealed side portion EO unsealed by an unsealing machine (not shown). On the other hand, the remaining portion of the edge portion EP is a sealed edge portion EC that closes by connecting the first main surface portion ES1 and the second main surface portion ES2. More specifically, the sealed edge portion EC includes a first sealed side portion EC1 (the upper side in the figure) forming a long side facing the unsealed side portion EO, and second sealed side portions EC2 (the left side in the figure) and a third sealed side portion EC3 (the right side in the figure) forming the remaining pair of short sides.

[0025] Furthermore, the first main surface portion ES1 of the envelope EEV of the present embodiment has a window portion EW at a predetermined position, specifically, at a portion closer to the second sealed side portion EC2 in the longitudinal direction LH of the first main surface portion ES1. Among the envelope EEV, portions other than the window portion EW are made of an opaque and air-permeable paper material through which the inside cannot be seen. On the other hand, the window portion EW is provided with a window material EWM made of a transparent plastic film and having low air permeability. That is, the envelope EEV used in the present embodiment is a windowed envelope having a so-called cell window.

[0026] In the present embodiment, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 1, the enclosed piece PC is taken out from the opened envelope EV containing the enclosed piece PC by the enclosed item removing device 1 shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 and separated into the envelope EEV and the enclosed piece PC.

[0027] The opened envelope EV is set in a posture with the unsealed side portion EO facing downward VDH in the vertical direction VH and is inserted into the enclosed item removing device 1 from the left side in FIG. 2. The enclosed item removing device 1 mainly includes a suction conveyor 10 having a suction belt 11 for conveying the opened envelope EV, and a support conveyor 20 having a support belt 21 for supporting and conveying the enclosed piece PC from below VDH.

[0028] The suction conveyor 10 has an annular suction belt 11, pulleys 13, 14, and a suction portion 15 that adsorb in contact with the first main surface portion ES1 of the opened envelope EV and convey the opened envelope EV in the envelope conveyance direction EH (horizontally to the right in FIG. 2, and toward the back side of the paper surface in FIGS. 3 and 4) along the first main surface portion ES1. As shown by hatching in FIG. 2, the suction belt 11 has a strip-shaped hole forming region 11A extending over the entire circumference in the belt circumferential direction BPH at the central portion in the belt width direction BWH. A number of suction holes 11s (see FIGS. 3 and 4) are formed in this hole forming region 11A. And in the suction region 12 of the suction belt 11, a suction portion 15 is provided inside the suction belt 11 (on the side opposite to the opened envelope EV). Specifically, a negative pressure box 16 that opens toward the suction belt 11 and an exhaust pipe 17 connected to this negative pressure box 16 are provided. Therefore, the exhaust pipe 17 is connected to an exhaust pump (not shown), and the air AR in the negative pressure space NS formed by the negative pressure box 16 and the suction belt 11 is exhausted through the exhaust pipe 17 to make the negative pressure space NS negative pressure. As a result, in the suction region 12, the air AR is sucked through the number of suction holes 11s formed in the hole forming region 11A. Then, the portion of the first main surface portion ES1 of the opened envelope EV that contacts the hole forming region 11A of the suction belt 11 is adsorbed and held by this hole forming region 11A. Thus, the opened envelope EV can be conveyed in the envelope conveyance direction EH as the suction belt 11 moves.

[0029] In this embodiment, as described above, among the opened envelopes EV, the envelope EEV is made of breathable paper, but at a predetermined position on the first main surface portion ES1, there is a window portion EW having a window material EWM with lower air permeability than the paper forming the transparent and opened envelope EV. And as can be easily understood from FIG. 2, in the suction area 12, the position in the belt width direction BWH of the inserted opened envelope EV (envelope EV) is adjusted so that the hole forming area 11A of the suction belt 11 overlaps at least a part of the window portion EW. That is, the suction belt 11 has suction holes 11s at a position where it suctions at least a part of the window portion EW. For this reason, in this embodiment, the window material EWM of the window portion EW can be strongly suctioned by the suction holes 11s, and the window portion EW can be surely held by the suction belt 11. Therefore, the suction belt 11 can more surely hold the envelope EEV having the window portion EW and convey it in the envelope conveyance direction EH.

[0030] Among the enclosure removing devices 1 of this embodiment, the support belt 21 of the support conveyor 20 is supported and driven by three pulleys 22, 23, and 24. As shown in FIG. 2, among the support belt 21, at the portion spanned between the pulley 22 and the pulley 24, the pulley 24 is arranged so that the support belt 21 advances in the same envelope conveyance direction EH as the suction belt 11. For this reason, the opened envelope EV inserted into the enclosure removing device 1 from the left side in FIG. 2 advances in the envelope conveyance direction EH (rightward in FIG. 2) with the opening side portion EO in contact with the upward surface 21S of the support belt 21, and the envelope EV is suction-held in the suction area 12 of the suction belt 11. Therefore, hereafter, the envelope EV is conveyed in the envelope conveyance direction EH while maintaining its original posture.

[0031] On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 2, in the part of the support belt 21 that is spanned between the pulley 24 and the pulley 23, the pulley 23 is arranged such that the support belt 21 advances in a direction with a slightly downward angle with respect to the envelope conveyance direction EH, that is, in the paper piece advancing direction PH that forms an angle θ with respect to the envelope conveyance direction EH. For this reason, as shown in Fig. 2, as the suction belt 11 advances in the envelope conveyance direction EH and the support belt 21 advances in the paper piece advancing direction PH, the distance G between the suction belt 11 and the upward-facing surface 21S of the support belt 21 increases.

[0032] Therefore, when the opened envelope EV is advanced in the envelope conveyance direction EH together with the suction belt 11, a plurality of enclosed paper pieces PC contained therein tend to fall downward VDH through the opening EOO of the opening edge EO. Then, with a part of the exposed portion PCE being exposed from the opened envelope EV, the enclosed paper piece PC abuts against the upward-facing surface 21S of the support belt 21 and is supported from below VDH. Moreover, as shown in Fig. 2, as the envelope EV (envelope EEV) advances in the envelope conveyance direction EH, that is, the downstream side in the envelope conveyance direction, the exposed portion PCE becomes larger, and finally, almost the entire enclosed paper piece PC becomes the exposed portion PCE. According to this enclosed item extraction device 1, the enclosed paper piece PC can be easily taken out from the opened envelope EV having the enclosed paper piece PC inside.

[0033] Moreover, since the suction belt 11 is brought into contact with and sucks the first main surface ES1 of the opened envelope EV to convey the opened envelope EV in the envelope conveyance direction EH, there are few restrictions on the timing of supplying the opened envelope EV to the suction belt 11, and it can be appropriately conveyed even if fluctuations occur in the supply timing. Also, it is easy to adjust the speed of envelope conveyance from low speed to high speed.

[0034] Note that the size of the angle θ is preferably set to an angle at which it is easy to expose and extract the enclosed piece of paper PC from the opening EOO of the envelope EV according to the dimensions, shape, material, etc. of the envelope EV and the enclosed piece of paper PC. On the other hand, it is preferable to set it to a large angle so that the length of the enclosure extraction device 1 can be shortened. In the present embodiment, the angle θ is set to 1 to 5 degrees, and more specifically, 2 to 3 degrees.

[0035] Further, in order to synchronize the progress of the envelope EEV in the envelope conveyance direction EH and the progress of the enclosed piece of paper PC in the paper piece progress direction PH, the progress speed of the support belt 21 in the paper piece progress direction PH with respect to the progress speed of the suction belt 11 in the envelope conveyance direction EH is preferably set to 1 / cosθ times (= secθ times).

[0036] Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the enclosure extraction device 1 of the present embodiment is installed with the entire device tilted counterclockwise by an angle φ in FIGS. 3 and 4. That is, the entire suction conveyor 10 including the suction belt 11 and the support conveyor 20 including the support belt 21 are installed tilted counterclockwise by the tilt angle φ. For this reason, the suction belt 11 can adsorb the first main surface portion ES1 of the opened envelope EV in the adsorption region 12 and convey the opened envelope EV (envelope EEV) in the envelope conveyance direction EH (the depth direction of the paper surface in FIGS. 3 and 4) while keeping the first main surface portion ES1 in an attitude directed obliquely upward SUH.

[0037] In this enclosure extraction device 1, the suction belt 11 is used, and the opened envelope EV can be conveyed only by adsorbing the first main surface portion ES1 of the envelope EEV to the suction belt 11. For this reason, the mechanism for conveying the envelope EEV can be configured in a simple structure. Moreover, the envelope EV is held only by adsorbing the first main surface portion ES1 to the suction belt 11 and conveyed while keeping the first main surface portion ES1 in an attitude directed obliquely upward SUH. Then, the weight of the enclosed piece of paper PC acts on the second main surface portion ES2 side, and the opening edge EO deforms in the direction of expanding the opening EOO, so that it becomes easier for the enclosed piece of paper PC to come out of the envelope EV through the opening EOO, and the problem that the enclosed piece of paper PC does not come out of the envelope EV can be suppressed.

[0038] Note that the magnitude of the tilt angle φ is preferably set to an angle at which the inserted paper piece PC easily slips out of the envelope EV according to the dimensions, shape, material of the envelope EV and the inserted paper piece PC, the number and weight of the inserted paper pieces PC, etc. Specifically, the tilt angle φ is preferably set to 10 to 60 degrees, and more preferably 15 to 45 degrees. In this embodiment, an example in which the tilt angle φ is set to 30 degrees is shown. However, in order to adjust the tilt angle φ in response to variations in the dimensions, shape, material of the envelope EV and the inserted paper piece PC, the number and weight of the inserted paper pieces PC, etc., the tilt angle φ may have a variable structure.

[0039] The inserted paper piece PC that has generally come out of the envelope EEV by conveyance is sandwiched in the thickness direction by the paper piece conveyance belts 41A and 41B of the pair of paper piece conveyors 40A and 40B as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, further conveyed in the paper piece traveling direction PH, and sequentially stacked and stored in a paper piece storage portion (not shown).

[0040] On the other hand, the envelope EV that has become empty after the inserted paper piece PC has been taken out is also sandwiched in the thickness direction by the rear envelope conveyance belt 31 of the rear envelope conveyor 30 composed of a pair of belt conveyors, further conveyed in the envelope conveyance direction EH, and sequentially stacked and stored in an envelope storage portion (not shown).

[0041] Note that in the insert removing device 1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the suction belt 11 and the rear envelope conveyance belt 31 are installed at a distance from each other in the envelope conveyance direction EH, and while the envelope EEV is being transferred from the suction belt 11 to the rear envelope conveyance belt 31, the inspection camera 50 images the window portion EW of the passing envelope EEV. Thereby, it is possible to confirm whether or not the inserted paper piece PC remains in the envelope EEV that should be empty through the window portion EW. Although not shown, when the inserted paper piece PC remains in the envelope EEV, a discharging means for discharging the defective envelope EEV in which the inserted paper piece PC remains is separately provided after the rear envelope conveyor 30.

[0042] In this embodiment, as described above, the window portion EW of the envelope EEV was imaged by the inspection camera 50 to detect the defect that the enclosed piece of paper PC remained inside the envelope EEV. However, instead of or in addition to the inspection by the inspection camera 50, the thickness of the envelope EEV that should be empty may be inspected separately, or the thickness, weight, and number of the enclosed pieces of paper PC (exposed portion PCE) that have come out of the envelope EEV may be inspected separately to detect the defect that the enclosed piece of paper PC remains inside the envelope EEV.

[0043] Further, in the enclosed article extracting device 1 of this embodiment, the suction belt 11 is used to suck the first main surface portion ES1 of the envelope EEV into the suction region 12 of the suction belt 11, enabling the conveyance of the opened envelope EV. However, as shown by the dashed lines in FIGS. 3 and 4, in addition to the suction belt 11, a second main surface support member 60 for supporting the second main surface portion ES2 of the envelope EEV may be provided.

[0044] Furthermore, in order to further suppress the defect that the enclosed piece of paper PC remains inside the envelope EEV, it is advisable to provide a vibration mechanism that imparts vibration to the opened envelope EV containing the enclosed piece of paper PC. For example, as shown by the dash-dotted line in FIG. 3, a vibration mechanism 70 that vibrates the second main surface support member 60 shown by the dashed line is provided. Then, by driving this vibration mechanism 70 to vibrate the second main surface support member 60, vibration is thereby imparted to the opened envelope EV containing the enclosed piece of paper PC, and the enclosed piece of paper PC inside the opened envelope EV is surely dropped through the opening EOO and brought into a state of being supported by the support belt 21. Thus, the enclosed piece of paper PC can be surely exposed from inside the envelope EEV and further surely taken out of the envelope EEV.

[0045] (Modification) Next, the enclosed article extracting device 101 according to the modification will be described with reference to FIG. 5. In the enclosed article extracting device 1 according to the embodiment, the enclosed piece of paper PC that has come out of the opened envelope EV is supported from below VDH by the support belt 21 of the support conveyor 20 and conveyed in the paper piece advancing direction PH (see FIGS. 2 to 4).

[0046] On the other hand, the encapsulated object extraction device 101 according to the modified form is different in that a support table 120 is provided instead of the support conveyor 20 and the support belt 21, and the movement of the encapsulated piece of paper PC is caused as the suction belt 11 conveys the opened envelope EV, but the other parts are the same. Therefore, the description will focus on the different parts, and the description of the same parts will be omitted or simplified.

[0047] The support table 120 has a translation part 121 whose upward-facing surface 121S extends parallel to the envelope conveyance direction EH by the suction belt 11, and a separation part 122 whose upward-facing surface 122S extends in the piece-of-paper progress direction PH that forms an angle θ with the envelope conveyance direction EH. The support table 120 is made of a stainless steel plate, and the upward-facing surfaces 121S and 122S are finished smoothly.

[0048] Similar to the encapsulated object extraction device 1 of the embodiment, in the encapsulated object extraction device 101 of this modified form as well, the opened envelope EV input from the left in FIG. 5 is adsorbed and held by the suction belt 11 and conveyed in the envelope conveyance direction EH. At the same time, the encapsulated piece of paper PC in the opened envelope EV falls through the opening EOO and is supported from below VDH on the upward-facing surface 121S of the translation part 121 of the support table 120. As the opened envelope EV advances in the envelope conveyance direction EH by the suction belt 11, the encapsulated piece of paper PC in the opened envelope EV advances in the envelope conveyance direction EH together with the opened envelope EV while being pushed by the second sealed side part EC2 of the opened envelope EV.

[0049] Furthermore, when the opened envelope EV advances in the envelope conveyance direction EH, the encapsulated piece of paper PC in the opened envelope EV is supported from below VDH on the upward-facing surface 122S of the separation part 122 of the support table 120. At the same time, it is pushed by the second sealed side part EC2 of the opened envelope EV and advances in the piece-of-paper progress direction PH as the opened envelope EV advances. At the same time, the encapsulated piece of paper PC gradually exits from the opened envelope EV, and the exposed part PCE of the encapsulated piece of paper PC gradually becomes larger. Thus, also in the encapsulated object extraction device 101 of this modified form, the encapsulated piece of paper PC can be easily taken out from the opened envelope EV having the encapsulated piece of paper PC inside.

[0050] Also, in the enclosure extraction device 101 of this modified form, since the suction belt 11 is brought into contact with and sucks the first main surface portion ES1 of the opened envelope EV and conveys the opened envelope EV in the envelope conveyance direction EH, there are few restrictions on the timing of supplying the opened envelope EV to the suction belt 11, and even if fluctuations occur in the supply timing, it can be appropriately conveyed. Also, it is easy to adjust the speed of envelope conveyance from low speed to high speed.

[0051] Note that also in this modified form, in order to further suppress the problem that the enclosed paper piece PC remains in the envelope EEV, it is preferable to provide a vibration mechanism that applies vibration to the opened envelope EV containing the enclosed paper piece PC. For example, as shown by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 5, a vibration mechanism 170 that vibrates the translation portion 121 of the support table 120 is provided. Then, by driving this vibration mechanism 170 to vibrate the translation portion 121 and the separation portion 122, thereby applying vibration to the opened envelope EV containing the enclosed paper piece PC, the enclosed paper piece PC in the opened envelope EV is surely dropped through the opening EOO, and it is preferable to be in a state of being supported by the translation portion 121 or the separation portion 122. Even in this way, the enclosed paper piece PC can be surely exposed from the envelope EEV and further surely taken out of the envelope EEV.

[0052] As described above, the present invention has been described in accordance with the embodiments and modified forms. However, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and the like, and can be appropriately modified and applied without departing from the gist thereof. For example, in the embodiments and modified forms, the first main surface portion ES1 of the opened envelope EV is adsorbed and conveyed by the suction belt 11. However, in addition to the suction belt 11 that adsorbs the first main surface portion ES1 of the opened envelope EV, a suction belt that adsorbs the second main surface portion ES2 of the opened envelope EV is provided slightly spaced apart from the suction belt 11, and with a pair of suction belts, the first main surface portion ES1 and the second main surface portion ES2 of the opened envelope EV are respectively pulled in opposite directions, and while deforming the opened envelope EV so that the opening EOO opens, it may be conveyed in the envelope conveyance direction EH.

[0053] In the embodiment and the modified embodiment, the envelope conveyance direction EH in which the suction belt 11 travels is horizontal, while the paper piece travel direction PH in which the enclosed paper piece PC travels due to the separation portion 122 of the support belt 21 or the support table 120 is set to be in the direction of the depression angle by the angle θ. Conversely, the paper piece travel direction PH may be set to be horizontal, and the suction belt 11 and the separation portion 122 of the support belt 21 or the support table 120 may be installed such that the envelope conveyance direction EH is in the direction of the elevation angle by the angle θ. Alternatively, the separation portion 122 of the suction belt 11 and the support belt 21 or the support table 120 may be installed such that the envelope conveyance direction EH is in the direction of the elevation angle of about θ / 2, while the paper piece travel direction PH is in the direction of the depression angle of about θ / 2 with respect to this.

[0054] In the embodiment, an example of providing a vibration mechanism 70 for vibrating the second main surface support member 60 is shown, and in the modified embodiment, an example of providing a vibration mechanism 170 for vibrating the support table 120 is shown. However, the opened envelope EV containing the enclosed paper piece PC may be vibrated so that the enclosed paper piece PC in the opened envelope EV surely falls through the opening EOO and is in a state of being supported by a support member such as the support belt 21 or the support table 120. A part of the outer peripheral surface of the pulley 13 or the pulley 14 that drives the suction belt 11 may be notched, or motor control for varying the rotational speed of the motor that drives the pulley may be performed to accelerate or decelerate the travel of the suction belt 11, and a vibration mechanism for vibrating the suction belt 11 may be provided.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0055] EV Opened envelope EEV Envelope ES1 First main surface portion EW Window portion EWM Window material ES2 Second main surface portion EP Edge portion EC Sealed side portion EO Opening side portion EOO Opening PC Enclosed paper piece (enclosed object) Exposed portion (of the inserted paper piece) VH Vertical direction VDH Downward SUH Diagonally upward EH Envelope conveying direction PH Paper piece advancing direction (enclosed object advancing direction) θ Angle (formed between the envelope conveying direction and the paper piece advancing direction) φ Tilt angle 1,101 Enclosed object extraction device 10 Suction conveyor (envelope conveying conveyor) 11 Suction belt (envelope conveying belt) 11A Hole formation area 11s Suction holes 12 Adsorption area 15 Suction part 21 Support belt (support member) 120 Support table 121 Translation part 122 Spacing part 21S, 121S, 122S Upward surface 22, 23, 24 Pulleys G Spacing (between the envelope conveying belt and the support member)

Claims

1. A double-plate structure having a first main surface, a second main surface facing the first main surface, and an edge portion located at the periphery of the first main surface and the second main surface, A part of the edge portion is an unsealed side portion that is linearly unsealed to form an unsealed opening, The remaining part of the edge portion is a sealed edge portion that is closed and connects the first main surface and the second main surface, One or more thin plate-like enclosures are accommodated inside, An enclosure extraction device for extracting the enclosure from the opened envelope, A cylindrical conveyor having an annular cylindrical conveyor belt that contacts the first main surface of the opened envelope with the unsealed side portion facing downward and conveys it in the cylindrical conveyance direction along the first main surface, A support member located below the cylindrical conveyor belt that supports a part of the enclosure that is partially exposed from the opened envelope through the unsealed opening of the unsealed side portion from below, It has a form in which the distance from the cylindrical conveyor belt increases as it advances in the cylindrical conveyance direction, It is configured such that as the opened envelope advances in the cylindrical conveyance direction, the exposed portion of the enclosure that is exposed from the opened envelope becomes larger, A support member, Enclosure extraction device.

2. The enclosure extraction device according to claim 1, The cylindrical conveyor is, The cylindrical conveyor belt is a suction belt in which a large number of suction holes are formed in a belt shape over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction of the belt, In the suction area of the suction belt, it has a suction part that sucks air through the suction holes to suck the first main surface to the suction belt and enable conveyance of the opened envelope, A suction conveyor, The suction belt is, In the suction area, it sucks the first main surface of the opened envelope and conveys the opened envelope with the first main surface facing obliquely upward, Enclosure extraction device.

3. The enclosure extraction device according to claim 2, The opened envelope is made of paper, The first main surface of the opened envelope, Has a window portion with a transparent or translucent window material at a predetermined window position and having lower air permeability than the paper forming the opened envelope, The suction belt is, It has the suction holes at a position that sucks at least a part of the window portion, Enclosure extraction device.

4. The enclosure extraction device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, An enclosure removing device having a vibration mechanism that applies vibration to the opened enclosures and the contents being conveyed in the envelope conveying direction. An enclosure removing device.

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