Machine for joining sheet material, preferably corrugated board

Abstract

A machine (1) for splicing sheet material (20), comprising a sheet material splicing station (2) arranged between two sheet material storage areas (3, 4) and a control unit (5), the splicing station (2) forming a guide path (6) for the sheet material (20) extending in the longitudinal direction from one of the storage areas (3, 4) to the other storage area, the guide path (6) comprising two edges (7) and, arranged between the edges (7), at least one drive (8) and a unit (9) for splicing the sheet material (20), each splicing unit (9) comprising at least one gluing and / or stapling device (10). Each drive (8) comprises at least one drive member (81), each splicing unit (9) being an actuable / inactuable unit, each joining unit (9) being in an inactuated state when the at least one drive member (81) is in a driven state in one of its rotational directions.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a machine for splicing sheet material, preferably corrugated board.

[0002] The invention relates in particular to a machine for splicing sheet material, preferably corrugated board, comprising a sheet material splicing station arranged between two sheet material storage zones, and a control unit, said splicing station extending between the sheet material storage zones and forming a guide path for the sheet material extending in the longitudinal direction from one storage zone, referred to as the first storage zone, to the other storage zone, referred to as the second storage zone, said guide path comprising two lateral boundary means and at least one drive for said sheet material arranged between said lateral boundary means and at least one unit for splicing said sheet material, each splicing unit comprising at least one adhesive splicing and / or stapling device and each drive device comprising at least one motor member. [Background technology]

[0003] A machine for joining sheet materials is known, as shown in document US 2003 / 022776.

[0004] Such machines make it possible to join the ends of one and the same sheet material or to join two sheets of sheet material together, for example to produce the four sides of a parallelepiped box body. In these prior art machines, a first storage zone stores the sheet materials to be joined or assembled, while a second storage zone stores the sheet materials that have been joined or assembled. An operator visually inspects the splice in the second storage zone to see if it has been performed correctly. If the splice is not correct, the operator starts a new splicing operation from the first storage zone after adjusting the machine if necessary. In fact, the step of inspecting the splice is time-consuming and cumbersome for the operator. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a machine of the above mentioned type, the design of which makes it possible to save time in pre-adjusting the machine before starting mass production.

[0006] To this end, the invention relates to a machine for splicing sheet material, preferably corrugated board, comprising a sheet material splicing station arranged between two sheet material storage zones, a control unit, said splicing station forming a guide path for the sheet material extending between the sheet material storage zones and extending in the longitudinal direction from one storage zone, called the first storage zone, to the other storage zone, called the second storage zone, said guide path comprising two lateral boundary means and at least one drive for the sheet material arranged between said lateral boundary means and at least one unit for splicing the sheet material, each splicing unit comprising at least one adhesive splicing and / or stapling device and each drive comprises at least one motor member, the drive or the motor member of the at least one drive or the at least one motor member being a bidirectional motor member for moving one or more sheet materials from one storage zone to the other storage zone and vice versa, each splicing unit being an actuable / inactuable unit, characterized in that when each bidirectional motor member is driven in one of its directions of rotation, each splicing unit is in an inactuated state. The possibility of rotation of one or more motor members of at least one drive device in two directions of rotation makes it possible, under certain conditions, to transfer one or more sheet materials from a second storage zone, in which one or more sheet materials that have been spliced ​​at least once are stored, to the first storage zone. As a result, the operator no longer has to move between the first and the second storage zone at all, as was the case in the prior art, because visual inspection can be performed from the first storage zone without the operator having to move from the first storage zone, in which the control devices for the various adjustments of the machine are generally located. As a result, the operator can visually inspect the quality of one or more splices from the first storage zone without having to move. This saves the operator's time and reduces his burden.The ability to deactivate one or more splicing units allows one or more sheets of material that have already undergone at least one splicing operation to be moved from the second storage zone to the first storage zone in good condition (i.e. without the already assembled sheets of material being subjected to a new splicing operation).

[0007] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the machine comprises a first operating mode, called test mode, and a second operating mode, called production mode, said operating modes being selectively operable. In the production mode, each bidirectional motor member of each drive is moved in a single direction of rotation, which results in an increased production speed.

[0008] In one embodiment of the invention, the control unit is configured, when the test mode is activated, to rotate the drive or each bidirectional motor member of the at least one drive in a first rotation direction corresponding to the movement of one or more sheet materials from the first storage zone to the second storage zone and in a second rotation direction corresponding to the movement of one or more sheet materials from the second storage zone to the first storage zone, and each splicing unit is in an inoperative state when each bidirectional motor member is driving in the second rotation direction. A second storage zone arranged downstream of the splicing station is a zone for storing one or more sheet materials coming from the splicing station. In this second storage zone, each sheet material has been subjected to at least one splicing operation. The first storage zone contains at least sheet materials that have not yet been spliced. Typically, one or more sheet materials that have been subjected to at least one splicing operation can be transferred from the second storage zone to this first storage zone for visual quality control of the splicing.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the invention, the control unit is configured, when the production mode is activated, to rotate the drive device, or each bidirectional motor member of the at least one drive device, in a single rotational direction corresponding to the movement of one or more sheet materials from the first storage zone to the second storage zone, such that each splicing unit is in an activated state.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the machine comprises a manually operated test enable / disable system, and the control unit is configured to control the drive device or each bidirectional motor member of the at least one drive device and each joint unit according to an operating cycle based on the activation of the test enable / disable system.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, when the test mode is activated, the control unit is configured to control the bidirectional motor member of the drive device or at least one drive device and each splicing unit according to an operating cycle, which comprises a first phase during which the bidirectional motor member of the drive device or at least one drive device drives in a first rotational direction corresponding to the movement of one or more sheet materials from the first storage zone to the second storage zone and each splicing unit is in an activated state, a second phase during which the bidirectional motor member of the drive device or at least one drive device drives in a second rotational direction corresponding to the movement of one or more sheet materials from the second storage zone to the first storage zone and each splicing unit is in an inactivated state, and a third phase during which the bidirectional motor member of the drive device or at least one drive device drives in a first rotational direction corresponding to the movement of one or more sheet materials from the first storage zone to the second storage zone and each splicing unit is in an inactivated state, if the test activation / deactivation system is activated in a test activation sense. As a result, at the end of the second stage, the operator visually inspects the one or more splices. If the one or more splices are in conformity, the operator activates the test activation / invalidation system in the sense of activating the test. Activation of this test activation / invalidation system in the sense of activating the test makes it possible to trigger a third stage in which the drive or at least one bidirectional motor member of the drive drives in a first direction of rotation corresponding to the movement of one or more sheet materials from the first storage zone to the second storage zone and in which each splicing unit is in an inactive state. This third stage makes it possible to move the assembled one or more sheet materials, i.e. the sheet materials that have undergone at least one splicing operation and have been visually inspected, to the second storage zone. Then, mass production can start. Conversely, if at least one splice is not in conformity, the operator activates the test activation / invalidation system in the sense of invalidating the test. Activation of this test activation / invalidation system in the sense of invalidating the test makes it possible to trigger the first stage of a new operating cycle after a possible adjustment of the machine.These operating cycles, including the first and second phases, can be repeated as many times as necessary until one or more bonds are determined to be correct by the operator. These operating cycles can be repeated without the operator having to move between the first and second storage zones, thereby saving time.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the invention, the control unit is configured to command the operation of the production mode at the end of the third phase if the test mode is activated and the test enable / disable system is activated in a test-enabling sense. In this way, the machine can automatically switch to the production mode at the end of the third phase. In the case where the test mode is activated and the test enable / disable system is activated in a test-disabling sense, the control unit is configured to command a new operating cycle at the end of the second phase. In this way, the operator can immediately carry out a new test after removing the non-conforming sheet material or sheets coming from the second storage zone and placed in the first storage zone.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the invention the machine comprises at least one sheet material detector preferably arranged in at least one storage zone, the control unit being configured to command the transition from one stage of the operating cycle to the next based at least on data provided by said at least one sheet material detector.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the invention, the guide path comprises at least one surface for conveying the sheet material, at least a portion of the conveying surface being defined by at least a portion of the drive arrangement, the conveying surface being a generally movable planar surface.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the invention, at least one of the drives comprises at least two endless transmission members, each associated with a bidirectional motor member, said endless transmission members being mounted for movement between a spaced apart position and a close together position, in the close together position defining a zone for clamping the sheet material therebetween. In a variant, at least one of the drives comprises at least one endless transmission member, associated with a bidirectional motor member, and at least one rotating member, such as a roller, said endless transmission member and said at least one rotating member being mounted for movement between a spaced apart position and a close together position, in the close together position defining a zone for clamping the sheet material therebetween.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present invention, for the drive or at least one drive, when the test mode is activated and at least one rotary motor member of said drive rotates through a predefined angular movement in a second rotational direction corresponding to the movement of sheet material from the second storage zone to the first storage zone, said angular movement is divided into a first part and a second part, and the endless transmission members of said drive are in a position close to each other through the first part of the angular movement of said at least one rotary motor member and in a position distant from each other through the second part of the angular movement. This arrangement makes it possible to avoid a risk of injury to an operator in the first storage zone caused by one or more sheets of material coming from the second storage zone and moved by the one or more drive. In a variant, for the drive device or at least one drive device, when the test mode is activated and the at least one rotatable motor member of said drive device rotates through a predetermined angular movement in a second rotational direction corresponding to the movement of sheet material from the second storage zone to the first storage zone, said angular movement is divided into a first part and a second part, and the endless transmission member and the at least one rotatable member of said drive device are in a position close to each other through the first part of the angular movement of the at least one rotatable motor member and are in a position away from each other through the second part of the angular movement.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the actuatable / inactuatable interface units is a interface unit mounted movably between at least two positions in a direction referred to as the vertical direction, which is transverse to the longitudinal direction of the guide path, one of the positions corresponding to an inactuated state of the interface unit and the other of the positions corresponding to an actuated state of the interface unit.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the actuatable / non-actuatable joining units comprises a transverse U-shaped guide portion having at least one flange, by which the adhesive joining and / or stapling device is supported.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the invention, each lateral boundary means of the guide path is formed by at least one guide element, said lateral boundary means are mounted so that they can be moved towards or away from each other to vary the width of the guide path, and each drive and each splice unit is arranged between said lateral boundary means along at least one line transverse to the longitudinal direction of the guide path.

[0020] The invention also relates to a method for splicing sheet material, preferably corrugated board, using a machine comprising a sheet material splicing station arranged between two sheet material storage zones and a control unit, said splicing station forming a guide path for the sheet material extending between the sheet material storage zones and running in the longitudinal direction from one storage zone, called the first storage zone, to the other storage zone, called the second storage zone, said guide path comprising two lateral boundary means and at least one drive for the sheet material and at least one unit for splicing said sheet material, arranged between said lateral boundary means, each splicing unit comprising at least one adhesive splicing and / or stapling device, each drive comprising at least one motor member, wherein the drive or the motor member of the at least one drive or the at least one motor member is adapted to drive the sheet material from one storage zone to the other storage zone and vice versa. a bidirectional motor member for moving the sheet material in one direction, each splicing unit being an operable / inoperable unit, each splicing unit being in an inoperative state when each bidirectional motor member is driven in one of its directions of rotation, the machine having a first operating mode called a test mode and a second operating mode called a production mode, said operating modes being selectively operable, the method comprising, when the test mode is activated, at least once rotating the bidirectional motor member of the drive device or the at least one drive device in a first rotational direction corresponding to the movement of the sheet material from the first storage zone to the second storage zone, each splicing unit being in an operative state, and rotating the bidirectional motor member of the drive device or the at least one drive device in a second rotational direction corresponding to the movement of the sheet material from the second storage zone to the first storage zone, each splicing unit being in an inoperative state.

[0021] The method may also include, for a machine having a manually operated test enable / disable system, a step of activating the test enable / disable system in a test enable sense after a step of rotating the drive or each bidirectional motor member of the at least one drive in a second rotational direction corresponding to the movement of sheet material from the second storage zone to the first storage zone and each splice unit being in an inoperative state, and then a step of rotating the drive or each bidirectional motor member of the at least one drive in a first rotational direction corresponding to the movement of sheet material from the first storage zone to the second storage zone and each splice unit being in an inoperative state. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] The invention will be clearly understood from reading the following description of exemplary embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0023] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a machine according to the invention.

[0024] [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 shows a partial view of the machine with the sheet material coming from the first storage zone inserted into the splicing station and the sheet material being driven towards the second storage zone and the splicing unit in the operational state.

[0025] [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 shows a partial view of the machine in which the sheet material that has undergone at least one joining operation is located in a second storage zone.

[0026] [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows a partial view of the machine in which the assembled sheet material, i.e. sheet material that has undergone at least one joining operation, is located in the second storage zone and the joining unit has been moved into a deactivated state.

[0027] [Diagram 5]FIG. 5 shows a partial view of the machine with the assembled sheet material located in the second storage zone, the splicing unit in an inoperative state and said assembled sheet material being driven towards the splicing station for return to the first storage zone.

[0028] [Figure 6] FIG. 6 shows a partial view of the machine with the assembled sheet material located in a first storage zone, said assembled sheet material being driven towards the splicing station for return to a second storage zone, and said splicing unit in an inoperative state.

[0029] [Figure 7] FIG. 7 shows a partial view of the machine with the splicing unit transitioning from an inactive state to an active state, with the assembled sheet material being driven towards a second storage zone for return thereto.

[0030] [Figure 8] FIG. 8 shows a partial schematic diagram of the drive unit.

[0031] [Figure 9] FIG. 9 shows a partial schematic view of two joint units.

[0032] [Figure 10] FIG. 10 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of sheet material being joined, including a schematic representation of the joining unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0033] As mentioned above, the invention relates to a machine 1 for joining one or more sheets of material 20, for example corrugated cardboard sheets. In the example shown, the sheets are pre-folded and scored if necessary. The shown machine 1 serves, for example, to join corrugated cardboard sheets at their edges or to join several corrugated cardboard sheets, in this case two corrugated cardboard sheets (folded to form belts that can constitute at least the side walls of a parallelepiped box after assembly).

[0034] As shown in Fig. 1, the machine 1 comprises a sheet material splicing station 2 arranged between two sheet material storage zones 3 and 4, and a control unit 5. The splicing station 2 extends between the storage zones 3 and 4 and forms a communication zone between said storage zones 3 and 4. This splicing zone 2 extends between the storage zones 3 and 4 and forms a guide path 6 connecting said storage zones 3 and 4 to one another. This guide path 6 extends in the longitudinal direction, i.e. along its longitudinal axis, from one storage zone, called the first storage zone 3, to the other storage zone, called the second storage zone 4. The first storage zone 3 is at least one storage zone for sheet materials that have not yet been subjected to at least one splicing operation, whereas the second storage zone 4 is a storage zone for sheet materials that have been subjected to at least one splicing operation.

[0035] In the example shown, the first storage zone 3 is simply defined by a substantially horizontal, planar surface on which the sheet material 20 to be subjected to at least one joining operation can be stored flat. The second storage zone 4 is in this case realised in the form of a belt conveyor on which one or more sheets of material coming from the joining station are placed. This belt conveyor defines a transport surface with two directions of movement, one towards the joining station and the other away from it. The directions of movement of the transport surface of the belt conveyor are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the guide path 6 defined by the joining station 2.

[0036] The guide path 6 of the joining station 2 comprises two lateral boundary means 7 and, arranged between said lateral boundary means 7, at least one drive 8 for the sheet material 20 and at least one joining unit 9 for joining the sheet material 20 by adhesive bonding and / or stapling.

[0037] In the example shown, each lateral boundary means 7 of the guide path 6 is formed by a guide element in the form of an elongated part along a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the guide path so as to form a shelf. These lateral boundary means 7 are mounted so that they can be moved towards or away from each other to change the width of the guide path 6. Each drive 8 and each splicing unit 9 is arranged between said lateral boundary means 7 along at least one line transverse to the longitudinal direction of the guide path 6. To enable such movement of the lateral boundary means 7 towards or away from each other, the lateral boundary means 7 are mounted on rails transverse to the longitudinal axis of the guide path 6 and are equipped with motors controllable by the control unit 5 to automatically move the lateral boundary means 7 along the rails. Each splicing unit 9 on the other hand comprises at least one adhesive bonding and / or stapling device 10. In the example shown, two splicing units 9 are provided. At least one, and preferably each splicing unit 9 is an actuatable / inactuatable splicing unit 9. Said splicing unit 9 is mounted movably in a direction called vertical transverse to the longitudinal direction of the guide path 6 between at least two positions, one of which corresponds to a non-activated state of the splicing unit 9 and the other position corresponds to an activated state of the splicing unit. In practice, each of the at least one, preferably activatable / inactivatable splicing units 9 comprises a transverse U-shaped guide part 11 having at least one flange, by which the adhesive bonding and / or stapling device 10 is supported. As shown in FIG. 10, the transverse U-shaped guide part 11 of one of the splicing units faces towards one of the lateral boundary means 7 and the transverse U-shaped guide part 11 of the other splicing unit faces towards the other lateral boundary means 7. As a result, the back faces of the U-shapes of the transverse U-shaped guide parts 11 face each other. Each transverse U has a flange, called vertical flange, perpendicular to one of the legs of the U and arranged at the end of said leg. The joint units are placed at different heights, one of the joint units is called the lower joint unit and the other joint unit is called the upper joint unit. The flange of the horizontal U of the lower joint unit is supported by the bottom leg of the U.The flanges of the transverse U of the upper joint unit are supported by the upper legs of the transverse U. Each sheet material has one end inserted into the space between the legs of one of the transverse U's and its other end abuts one of the legs of the U of the other transverse U on the outside of the U. This arrangement is the conventional arrangement for such joint units 9 and its basic structure is known per se.

[0038] An adhesive bonding / stapling device 10 with which each joining unit is equipped makes it possible in this position to assemble, by stapling and / or adhesive bonding, one or more sheets of material 20 at each guide section 11. Again, each adhesive bonding and / or stapling device 10 is well known to those skilled in the art in this field and may be formed by a conventional stapling or adhesive bonding head.

[0039] In the non-operating state of the splicing units, which corresponds to positions spaced apart from one another along a direction referred to as the vertical direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the guide path 6, the guide parts 11 of the splicing unit 9 are positioned outside the trajectory followed by one or more pieces of sheet material 20 at the splicing station for passing from the first storage zone 3 to the second storage zone 4 or vice versa.

[0040] In the operating state of the splicing units, which corresponds to a position approaching each other along a direction referred to as the vertical direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the guide path 6, the guide parts 11 of the splicing unit 9 are arranged on a trajectory followed by one or more sheets of material 20 at the splicing station for passing from the first storage zone 3 to the second storage zone 4. This trajectory of the one or more sheets of material 20 at the splicing station is defined by one or more drives 8. In particular, the guide path 6 comprises at least one surface 14 for conveying the one or more sheets of material 20, at least a part of the conveying surface 14 being defined by at least a part of the drive 8. This conveying surface 14 defines a plane referred to as the horizontal plane parallel to the longitudinal direction of the guide path 6. The splicing units 9 are arranged above and below this conveying surface 14 in the non-operating state.

[0041] Each drive 8 in turn comprises one or more motor members 81. The or at least one of the drive units, preferably the or at least one of the motor members 81 of each drive unit, is a bidirectional motor member for moving one or more sheet materials 20 from a first storage zone to a second storage zone and vice versa (i.e. from the second storage zone to the first storage zone).

[0042] In the illustrated example at least one, in this case each drive device 8, comprises two endless transmission members 82, each formed by a belt. Each transmission member 82 is associated with a bidirectional motor member 81. The transmission members 82 are mounted so as to be movable between a spaced apart position and a close together position, in which position they define a zone for clamping the sheet material 20 therebetween.

[0043] The aforementioned conveying surface 14 is defined by at least a part of the drive 8. In the example shown, the endless transmission members 82 are thus endless belts, so that at least the upper strand of the lower belt forms the surface 14 for conveying one or more sheet materials of a guide path allowing the conveying of one or more sheet materials in the splicing station from one storage zone to the other. The endless transmission members 82 of the drive 8 are mounted so that they can be moved towards or away from one another. For this, in the example shown in Fig. 8, each endless transmission member 82 is mounted on a rail, called a horizontal rail, which runs transversely to the longitudinal direction of the guide path 6 and which can be moved towards or away from one another parallel to one another.

[0044] Each transmission member 82 is also movable axially along the rail, preferably by a motorized drive system, allowing the position of the transmission member 82 along the rail to be adjusted.

[0045] Each splicing unit 9 is in an inoperative state when the motor member 81 of the drive device is driven in one of its directions of rotation. In particular, each splicing unit 9 is in an inoperative state when the motor member 81 of the drive device is driven in a direction of rotation for moving one or more sheet materials 20 from the second storage zone 4 corresponding to the zone 4 for storing one or more sheet materials in an assembled state (i.e. one or more sheet materials that have been subjected to at least one splicing operation) to the first storage zone 3. As a result, when one or more sheet materials 20 are moving from the second storage zone 4 to the first storage zone 3, this sheet material or these sheet materials 20 are not subject to at least one splicing operation by the one or more splicing units 9.

[0046] In the example shown, the machine 1 comprises a first operating mode, called test mode, and a second operating mode, called production mode, which operating modes are selectively operable, and generally the test mode is the default mode on start-up of the machine.

[0047] As mentioned above, the machine 1 comprises a control unit 5. Said control unit may for example take the form of an electronic computer system comprising a microprocessor and a working memory. According to a particular embodiment, the control unit may take the form of a programmable logic controller.

[0048] In other words, the functions and steps described can be implemented in the form of a computer program or via hardware components (e.g. programmable gate arrays). In particular, the functions and steps performed by the control unit or its modules can be performed by an instruction set or computer modules implemented in a processor or controller, or by dedicated electronic components or components of the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) type. A combination of computer and electronic components is also possible.

[0049] When a unit or a means or module of said unit is defined as being configured to perform a certain operation, this means that the unit comprises computer instructions and corresponding execution means enabling said unit to perform said operation and / or that the unit comprises corresponding electronic components.

[0050] The control unit 5 is configured, when the test mode is activated, to rotate each bidirectional motor member 81 of the or at least one drive device 8, preferably each drive device 8, in a first rotational direction corresponding to the movement of one or more sheet materials 20 from the first storage zone 3 to the second storage zone 4, and in a second rotational direction corresponding to the movement of one or more sheet materials 20 from the second storage zone 4 to the first storage zone 3. When the one or more bidirectional motor members 81 are driven in the second rotational direction, each splicing unit 9 is in a deactivated state.

[0051] The control unit 5 is also configured to rotate one or more bidirectional motor members 81 of the drive or at least one drive 8 in a single rotational direction corresponding to the movement of one or more sheet materials 20 from the first storage zone 3 to the second storage zone 4 when the production mode is active and in this operating mode each splicing unit is in an active state.

[0052] The machine 1 also comprises a manually operated test enable / disable system 13, which is arranged in the first storage zone 3 as shown in Fig. 1. This test enable / disable system 13 can be formed by two buttons arranged on a casing forming a man-machine interface, one of the buttons corresponding to enabling the test and the other button corresponding to disabling the test. The control unit 5 is arranged, based on the activation of the test enable / disable system 13, to command the drive or at least one of the drives, preferably one or more motor members 81 of each drive 8 and each joint unit 9, according to an operating cycle. Thus, when the test mode is activated, the control unit 5 is configured to command the drive or at least one drive, preferably one or more bidirectional motor members 81 of each drive 8 and each splicing unit 9 according to an operating cycle, which includes a first stage in which the at least one drive, preferably one or more bidirectional motor members of each drive, drive in a first rotational direction corresponding to the movement of one or more sheet materials 20 from a first storage zone to a second storage zone, and each splicing unit 9 is in an operating state.

[0053] During this first phase, one or more sheets of material can thus be subjected to at least one splicing operation for splicing together, as shown in figures 2 and 3. The operating cycle comprises a second phase in which the drive or at least one drive, preferably each bidirectional motor member 81 of each drive 8, is driven in a second rotational direction corresponding to the movement of one or more sheets of material 20 from the second storage zone 4 to the first storage zone 3, and each splicing unit 9 is in an inoperative state. This second phase is shown in figures 4 and 5. The splicing units 9 move away from each other for the transition to an inoperative state, and the belt conveyor of the second storage zone 4 and the endless transmission member 82 of the at least one drive move the sheet material 20 from the second storage zone 4 to the first storage zone 3. As a result, the one or more sheets of material 20 that have been subjected to at least one splicing operation return to the first storage zone 3 where the operator is present. During this second phase, the or at least one of the drive units, preferably one or more bidirectional motor members 81 of each drive unit, rotates through a predetermined angular movement in a second rotational direction corresponding to the movement of one or more sheets of material 20 from the second storage zone 4 to the first storage zone 3.

[0054] The angular movement is divided into a first part and a second part, the endless transmission members 82 of said drive 8 being in a position close to each other through the first part of the angular movement of said rotary motor member 81 and in a position far from each other through the second part of the angular movement and no longer moving the one or more sheet materials 20 through the second part of the angular movement. This arrangement allows that at the end of the movement of the one or more sheet materials (i.e. when approaching the first storage zone) the one or more sheet materials are presented with less force towards the operator who is in the first storage zone as shown in FIG. 1, which would otherwise present a risk of injury. The operator then visually inspects the one or more splices. If the operator is satisfied after the completion of the visual inspection, he can activate the test enable / disable system 13 in the sense of activating the test. The operator only has to press the test enable button. In this case, the operating cycle comprises a third stage in which the or at least one drive, preferably one or more bidirectional motor members 81 of each drive 8, drives in a first rotational direction corresponding to the movement of one or more sheet materials 20 from the first storage zone 3 to the second storage zone 4, and each splicing unit 9 is in an inactive state. The one or more sheet materials 20 which have undergone at least one splicing operation are thus transferred to the second storage zone, as shown in Figure 7, and are subsequently discharged or not discharged from this second storage zone.

[0055] If the test mode is activated and the test activation / invalidation system 13 is activated in the sense of activating the test, the control unit 5 is configured to command the activation of the production mode at the end of the third phase. If the operator is not satisfied with the quality of one or more bonds after completion of the visual inspection, he can activate the test activation / invalidation system 13 in the sense of invalidating the test. The operator simply presses the test invalidation button. In parallel, the operator removes from the first storage zone one or more sheets of material which have just undergone at least one bonding operation and are not conforming. If necessary, the operator can make adjustments at the bonding station. The operating cycle resumes from phase 1 and a new test is started until the operator activates and finishes the test.

[0056] The machine comprises at least one sheet material detector 12, preferably arranged in at least one storage zone, so that the direction of the motor member 81 of the drive is reversed at a desired instant, for example based on the movement of one or more sheet materials. The control unit 5 is arranged to command the transition from one stage of the operating cycle to the next based on at least the data supplied by said at least one sheet material detector 12. This sheet material detector 12 can take many different forms and can for example be formed by a sensor, an encoder, a time counter etc.

[0057] In practice, a single sensor is placed in the second storage zone 4 .

[0058] It will be appreciated that the above-described operating cycle eliminates the need for an operator to move to inspect the bonding operation, thereby saving time and reducing the burden on the operator.

[0059] In summary, it is assumed that the operator is in the first storage zone as shown in Figure 1 and that he has entered the dimensions of the sheet material into the man-machine interface, the machine has adjusted the positions of the drives, the lateral boundary means and the splicing unit with respect to the entered data. The test mode is activated automatically.

[0060] Next, the bonding method includes the following steps: - manually or automatically placing one or more sheets of sheet material, in this case for example two sheets, stored in a first storage zone, into the guide path 6 of the joining station; - splicing the one or more sheet materials 20 using one or more splicing units of the splicing station in parallel with moving the one or more sheet materials 20 to the second storage zone using one or more drives 8; - reversing the direction of the bidirectional motor members of the drive and deactivating the splicing unit after returning the one or more sheets of material to the first storage zone, during which the lateral boundary means can be moved away from each other. In this first storage zone, the method comprises either activating the test after returning the one or more sheets of material to the second storage zone, or deactivating the test after making possible adjustments to the machine and initiating a new test which resumes the above procedure.

Claims

1. A machine (1) for joining sheet material (20), preferably corrugated board, comprising: The machine (1) comprises a sheet material joining station (2) arranged between two sheet material storage zones (3, 4) and a control unit (5), said joining station (2) extending between said zones (3, 4) for storing sheet material (20) and forming a guide path (6) for the sheet material (20) extending longitudinally from one of said storage zones (3, 4), called the first storage zone (3), to the other storage zone, called the second storage zone (4); The guide path (6) comprises two lateral boundary means (7) and, arranged between the lateral boundary means (7), at least one drive (8) for the sheet material (20) and at least one unit (9) for joining the sheet material (20); Each joining unit (9) comprises at least one adhesive joining and / or stapling device (10), In a machine (1), each drive (8) comprises at least one motor member (81), the or at least one of the motor members (81) of the or at least one of the drive devices (8) is a bidirectional motor member (81) for moving the one or more sheet materials (20) from one of the storage zones (3, 4) to the other storage zone and vice versa, the or each joining unit (9) is an actuatable / inactuatable unit; A machine in which the or each splicing unit (9) is in said inoperative state when each bidirectional motor member (81) is driven in one of its directions of rotation.

2. 2. A machine (1) for splicing sheet material (20), preferably corrugated board, according to claim 1, characterized in that the machine (1) comprises a first operating mode, called a test mode, and a second operating mode, called a production mode, said operating modes being selectively operable.

3. wherein the control unit (5) is configured, when the test mode is activated, to rotate the or each bidirectional motor member (81) of the or at least one of the drive devices (8) in a first direction of rotation corresponding to the movement of the one or more sheet materials (20) from the first storage zone (3) to the second storage zone (4) and in a second direction of rotation corresponding to the movement of the one or more sheet materials (20) from the second storage zone (4) to the first storage zone (3); 3. A machine (1) for splicing sheet material (20), preferably corrugated board, according to claim 2, wherein each splicing unit (9) is in said inoperative state when the or each bidirectional motor member (81) is driving in said second direction of rotation.

4. 3. The machine (1) for splicing sheet material (20), preferably corrugated board, according to claim 2, wherein the control unit (5) is configured such that when the production mode is active, the bidirectional motor member (81) of the or at least one of the drive devices (8) rotates in a single rotational direction corresponding to the movement of the one or more sheets of material (20) from the first storage zone (3) to the second storage zone (4), and each splicing unit (9) is in the active state.

5. the machine (1) is equipped with a manually operated test validation / validation system (13); 3. The machine (1) for splicing sheet material (20), preferably corrugated board, according to claim 2, wherein the control unit (5) is configured to control the or each bidirectional motor member (81) of the drive device (8) and the or each splicing unit (9) according to an operating cycle based on the activation of the test validation / deactivation system (13).

6. when the test mode is activated, the control unit (5) is configured to control the or each bidirectional motor member (81) of the or at least one of the drive devices (8) and the or each joining unit (9) according to an operating cycle; The operating cycle comprises: a first stage in which the or each bidirectional motor member (81) of the or at least one of the drive devices (8) is driving in a first rotational direction corresponding to the movement of the one or more sheets of material (20) from the first storage zone (3) to the second storage zone (4), and the or each splicing unit (9) is in said operating state; a second stage in which the or each bidirectional motor member (81) of the or at least one of the drive devices (8) drives in a second rotational direction corresponding to the movement of the one or more sheet materials (20) from the second storage zone (4) to the first storage zone (3), and the or each splicing unit (9) is in the inoperative state; 6. The machine (1) for splicing sheet material (20), preferably corrugated board, according to claim 5, wherein the operating cycle comprises a third stage in which, when the test validation / deactivation system (13) is activated in the sense of validating the test, the or each bidirectional motor member (81) of the or at least one of the drive devices (8) drives in a first rotational direction corresponding to the movement of the one or more sheets of material (20) from the first storage zone (3) to the second storage zone (4), and the or each splicing unit is in the inactive state.

7. 7. The machine (1) for splicing sheet material (20), preferably corrugated board, according to claim 6, wherein the control unit (5) is configured to command the operation of the production mode at the end of the third stage if the test mode is activated and the test activation / deactivation system (13) is activated in a manner that activates the test.

8. the machine comprises at least one sheet material detector (12), preferably arranged in at least one of the storage zones, 7. The machine (1) for splicing sheet material (20), preferably corrugated board, according to claim 6, wherein the control unit (5) is configured to command the transition from one stage of the operating cycle to the next stage based on the data supplied by at least the at least one sheet material detector (12).

9. the guide path (6) comprises at least one surface (14) for conveying the sheet material (20); 2. A machine (1) for splicing sheet material (20), preferably corrugated board, according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of said conveying surface (14) is defined by at least a portion of said drive (8).

10. At least one of said drive devices (8) comprises at least two endless transmission members (82) each associated with a bidirectional motor member (81); 2. A machine (1) for splicing sheet material (20), preferably corrugated cardboard, according to claim 1, wherein the endless transmission members (82) are mounted to be movable between a spaced apart position and a close together position, and in the close together position define a zone for clamping the sheet material (20) therebetween.

11. The machine (1) has a first operating mode called a test mode and a second operating mode called a production mode, said operating modes being selectively operable; for the or at least one of the drives (8), when the test mode is activated and the at least one rotary motor member (81) of the drive (8) rotates through a predetermined angular movement in a second rotational direction corresponding to the movement of the sheet material (20) from the second storage zone (4) to the first storage zone (3), the angular movement is divided into a first portion and a second portion; 11. The machine (1) for splicing sheet material (20), preferably corrugated board, according to claim 10, wherein the endless transmission members (82) of the drive device (8) are in the position close to each other throughout the first portion of the angular movement of the at least one rotary motor member (81) and in the position far from each other throughout the second portion of the angular movement.

12. 2. A machine (1) for splicing sheet material (20), preferably corrugated board, according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the actuatable / inactuatable splicing units (9) is a splicing unit (9) mounted so as to be movable between at least two positions in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the guide path (6), referred to as the vertical direction, one of said positions corresponding to the inactuated state of the splicing unit (9) and another of said positions corresponding to the actuated state of the splicing unit (9).

13. At least one of the actuatable / inactuatable splice units (9) comprises a transverse U-shaped guide portion (11) having at least one flange; 2. A machine (1) for splicing sheet material (20), preferably corrugated cardboard, according to claim 1, wherein said adhesive splicing and / or stapling device (10) is supported by said guide part (11).

14. each lateral boundary means (7) of said guide path (6) is formed by at least one guide element, said lateral boundary means (7) being mounted so as to be movable towards or away from one another to vary said width of said guide path (6); 2. A machine (1) for splicing sheet material (20), preferably corrugated board, according to claim 1, wherein the or each drive device (8) and the or each splicing unit (9) are arranged between the lateral boundary means (7) along at least one line transverse to the longitudinal direction of the guide path (6).

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