Method and apparatus for reversing ring-bound books

Abstract

This invention provides a reversing device for ring-bound books that can easily and reliably reverse the stacking direction of multiple sheets of paper on the backing board of a ring-bound book. [Solution] The system comprises a loading section, an articulated robot, an unloading section, and an engaging member. The articulated robot, by moving a chuck 34 that grips the ring-bound booklet 1, engages the paper 4 on the chuck 34 side with the engaging member 50 while the multiple sheets of paper 4 are hanging down from the ring-shaped binder 6 by their own weight. Then, by moving the chuck 34 in a direction away from the engaging member 50 and downward, the multiple sheets of paper 4 are rotated, reversing the stacking direction of the paper 4 on the base sheet 2, and the ring-bound booklet 1 is placed on the unloading section with the paper 4 stacked on the other side 2b of the base sheet 2.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for inverting a ring-bound bookbinding product.

Background Art

[0002] In the manufacture of a desktop calendar, as shown in FIG. 1(a), after a ring-shaped binding tool 6 is attached in a state where a plurality of calendar sheets 4 are laminated on the back surface 2a side of a base sheet 2 formed by folding thick paper in half, the base sheet 2 and the calendar sheets 4 are rotated in the direction indicated by the arrows so that the adhesive portion 6a of the ring-shaped binding tool 6 is covered with the calendar sheets 4, and as shown in FIG. 1(b), the calendar sheets 4 are laminated on the front surface 2b side of the base sheet 2. As an apparatus for inverting the lamination direction of the calendar sheets 4 with respect to the base sheet 2, an inverting apparatus for a ring-bound bookbinding product disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known.

[0003] This inverting apparatus includes an articulated robot that grips an edge portion of the base sheet of the carried-in ring-bound bookbinding product opposite to the ring-shaped binding tool with a chuck provided at the tip of an arm. The articulated robot is configured to invert the lamination direction of the sheets with respect to the base sheet by accelerating the chuck horizontally in a direction opposite to the lamination direction of the sheets with respect to the base sheet in a state where the ring-bound bookbinding product is upright and then decelerating to rotate the sheets by inertial force.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] While the above reversing device can quickly reverse the stacking direction of multiple sheets of paper on a backing sheet, if the size and weight of the ring-bound book changes, the process of adjusting the chuck speed and acceleration accordingly may become complicated, and there was room for further improvement in this respect.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a method and apparatus for reversing a ring-bound book that can easily and reliably reverse the stacking direction of multiple sheets of paper on the backing board of a ring-bound book. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The object of the present invention is achieved by a method for reversing the stacking direction of a ring-bound book, in which a plurality of sheets of paper are stacked on a backing and bound together by a ring-shaped binder, the method comprising: a loading step of loading the ring-bound book into a loading section with the sheets of paper stacked on one side of the backing; a gripping step of gripping the edge of the backing of the loaded ring-bound book opposite to the ring-shaped binder with a chuck provided at the tip of an arm of a multi-joint robot; an engagement step of engaging the sheets on the chuck side with an engaging member while the plurality of sheets of paper are hanging down from the ring-shaped binder by their own weight by moving the chuck; a reversal step of rotating the plurality of sheets of paper and reversing the stacking direction of the sheets of paper on the backing by moving the chuck away from the engaging member and downward; and a discharge step of placing the ring-bound book into a discharge section with the sheets of paper stacked on the other side of the backing.

[0008] In this method for reversing a ring-bound book, the reversal step preferably includes the step of reversing the stacking direction of the paper on the backing sheet, and then pushing the chuck downward toward the engaging member.

[0009] The aforementioned loading process preferably includes a step of spraying air onto the paper laminated on the base sheet.

[0010] The engaging member is preferably a roller that is rotatably supported around a horizontal axis of rotation.

[0011] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a device for reversing the stacking direction of the paper on a base sheet of a ring-bound product, in which a plurality of sheets of paper are stacked on a base sheet and bound together with a ring-shaped binder, comprising: a loading section into which the ring-bound product is loaded with the paper stacked on one side of the base sheet; a multi-joint robot that grips the edge of the base sheet of the loaded ring-bound product opposite to the ring-shaped binder with a chuck provided at the tip of an arm; an unloading section from which the ring-bound product is unloaded with the paper stacked on the other side of the base sheet; and the ring-bound product gripped by the chuck The ring-bound binding is reversed by a ring-bound binding reversal device, which includes an engaging member that can engage the aforementioned paper of the bound product, and the articulated robot, by moving the chuck that grips the ring-bound binding product, engages the paper on the chuck side with the engaging member while the multiple sheets of paper are hanging down from the ring-shaped binding device by their own weight, and then moves the chuck in a direction away from the engaging member and downward, thereby rotating the multiple sheets of paper and reversing the stacking direction of the paper on the base sheet, so that the ring-bound binding product is placed on the discharge section with the paper stacked on the other side of the base sheet. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention's method and apparatus for reversing ring-bound books, the stacking direction of multiple sheets of paper on the backing sheet of a ring-bound book can be easily and reliably reversed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a side view of a ring-bound book. [Figure 2] This is a plan view of a reversing device for ring-bound books according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the main part of the reversing device for ring-bound books. [Figure 4] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the reversing device for ring-bound books. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] Figure 2 is a plan view of a ring-bound book reversing device according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, the ring-bound book reversing device 10 comprises a loading section 20 into which the ring-bound book 1 is loaded, an articulated robot 30 that performs the reversing operation of the ring-bound book 1, a loading section 40 from which the ring-bound book 1 is unloaded, and an engaging member 50 used for reversing the ring-bound book 1.

[0015] The loading section 20 includes a holding surface 22 made of an inclined surface and a locking member 24 provided so as to protrude upward from the holding surface 22. The locking member 24 is formed in an L-shape consisting of a first plate-like member 24a extending along the inclined direction which is the loading direction (direction A) of the holding surface 22 and a second plate-like member 24b perpendicular to it. When the ring-bound book 1 is loaded onto the holding surface 22 from the conveyor 26, the edges bound by the ring-shaped binder 6 slide and are guided by the first plate-like member 24a, and the edge on the leading end side in the transport direction is locked to the second plate-like member 24b. Multiple air nozzles 28 are arranged above the conveyor 26.

[0016] The holding surface 22 is formed to be inclined along the second plate-shaped member 24b, and the ring-bound book 1 is locked to both the first plate-shaped member 24a and the second plate-shaped member 24b, and positioned and held on the holding surface 22. In this way, the holding surface 22 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane along two directions of the first plate-shaped member 24a and the second plate-shaped member 24b, so that the corner of the ring-bound book 1 can be reliably set at the reference position which is the joint between the first plate-shaped member 24a and the second plate-shaped member 24b, regardless of factors such as the size, weight, material of the ring-bound book 1 and friction with the holding surface 22.

[0017] The multi-joint robot 30 has a multi-axis (e.g., 4-axis to 7-axis) structure in which a plurality of arms 32 are rotatably connected via joints, and a chuck 34 consisting of a pair of claws is rotatably attached to the tip of the arm 32. The operations of the arm 32 and the chuck 34 are controlled by a controller (not shown).

[0018] The unloading unit 40 is composed of, for example, a belt conveyor. The ring-bound book product 1 subjected to the inversion operation by the multi-joint robot 30 is sequentially placed on the conveying surface 42 so as to partially overlap, and is conveyed in the direction of arrow B. The engaging member 50 is supported directly above the unloading unit 40.

[0019] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the unloading unit 40 and the engaging member 50 shown in FIG. 2 as viewed in the direction of arrow C. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the engaging member 50 consists of a cylindrical roller and is arranged with a gap through which the ring-bound book product 1 can pass between it and the conveying surface 42 of the unloading unit 40. The rotation axis 50a of the engaging member 50 extends in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the unloading unit 40 and is rotatably supported by brackets 52 and 54 that stand up from both sides in the width direction of the unloading unit 40. The engaging member 50 is formed such that the axial length is longer than the width of the sheet 4 of the ring-bound book product 1 to be engaged.

[0020] Next, a method for inverting the ring-bound book product 1 using the ring-bound book product inverting device 10 having the above-described configuration will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 1(a), a loading process is performed in which the ring-bound book product 1 in a state where the sheets 4 are stacked above the back surface 2a side of the mount 2 is sequentially loaded into the loading unit 20 shown in FIG. 2 at a constant cycle. In this loading process, it is preferable to include a step of temporarily stopping the ring-bound book product 1 before loading it into the loading unit 20 and ejecting air from a plurality of air nozzles 28 onto the sheets 4 stacked on the mount 2. The plurality of air nozzles 28 are arranged to eject air from different directions onto the plurality of sheets 4, and by loosening the entire sheets 4 by air injection, the engaging process and the inverting process described later can be performed smoothly.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 1(a), for the cover 2 of the ring-bound book 1, the edge opposite to the edge bound by the ring binder 6 protrudes from the paper 4, forming an exposed portion 2c. The articulated robot 30 performs a gripping process of gripping the exposed portion 2c of the ring-bound book 1 carried into the carrying portion 20 with the chuck 34.

[0022] The ring binder 6 of the ring-bound book 1 is not limited to being made of paper, and may be made of metal, resin, etc. Also, the ring-bound book 1 only needs to be one in which a plurality of papers 4 are laminated on the cover 2 and ring-bound. In addition to the desktop calendar, ring notebooks, flip calendars, etc. can be exemplified. When the cover 2 of the ring-bound book 1 has the exposed portion 2c as in this embodiment, it is possible to easily grip the cover 2 with the chuck 34, but the cover 2 does not necessarily have to have the exposed portion 2c. For example, it is also possible to grip the edge on the surface 2b side of the cover 2 by suction or the like.

[0023] After gripping the cover 2 of the ring-bound book 1, the articulated robot 30 performs an engagement process and a reversal process. Fig. 4 is a schematic process diagram for explaining the operations in the engagement process and the reversal process of the reversal device of the ring-bound book shown in Fig. 2, and is a view of the main part seen in the horizontal direction. The articulated robot 30 moves the chuck 34 gripping the cover 2 toward the engagement member 50 while rotating it 180 degrees around the axis. As shown in Fig. 4(a), the cover 2 is horizontally held with the back surface 2a facing downward, and in a state where the plurality of papers 4 hang down from the ring binder 6 by their own weight, an engagement process of engaging the paper 4 on the chuck 34 side with the engagement member 50 is performed.

[0024] Next, the articulated robot 30 moves the chuck 34 away from the engaging member 50 and downward, thereby rotating the multiple sheets of paper 4 around the ring binder 6 and performing a reversal process to reverse the stacking direction of the paper 4 on the backing sheet 2. That is, by moving the chuck 34 shown in Figure 4(a) in the direction of arrow D, the multiple sheets of paper 4 rotate as shown in Figure 4(b) due to the force in the direction of arrow from the engaging member 50. If the chuck 34 is moved further in the direction of arrow E from the state shown in Figure 4(b), the multiple sheets of paper 4 continue to rotate in the direction of arrow due to inertia even after separating from the engaging member 50, as shown in Figure 4(c), and the paper 4 moves to the surface 2b side of the backing sheet 2. In this way, a reversal process is performed in which the multiple sheets of paper 4 are stacked on the upper surface 2b side of the backing sheet 2.

[0025] The engaging member 50, when used in the reversal process described above, can easily and reliably reverse the stacking direction of the paper 4 on the backing 2 of the ring-bound product 1. The engaging member 50 in this embodiment is a roller rotatably supported around a horizontal axis of rotation, and rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow while in contact with the paper 4, as shown in Figure 4(b). As a result, the paper 4 receives not only pressing force but also rotational force from the engaging member 50 and rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow, thus enabling more reliable reversal of the paper 4. However, the engaging member 50 is not necessarily limited to a roller, and may be, for example, a horizontally fixed rod-shaped body. Alternatively, the engaging member 50 can be an upright plate-shaped member, and the upper end of this plate-shaped member can be engaged with the paper 4.

[0026] In the inversion process described above, it is preferable to include a step in which, after inverting the stacking direction of the paper 4 on the base sheet 2 as shown in Figure 4(c), the chuck 34 is moved in the direction of arrow F and pushed toward directly below the engaging member 50. This ensures that the state in which the stacking direction of the paper 4 on the base sheet 2 is inverted is reliably maintained, as shown in Figure 4(d).

[0027] After the inversion process is complete, the chuck 34 releases its grip, causing the ring-bound book 1 to drop onto the transport surface 42 shown in Figures 2 and 3 and be placed on the unloading section 40. This completes the inversion method for the ring-bound book 1. [Explanation of symbols]

[0028] 1. Ring-bound book 2 mounting boards 2a back side 2b surface 4 sheets 6. Ring binder 10 Ring-bound book reversal device 20 Loading area 22 Holding surface 30 Articulated Robots 32 Arms 34 Chuck 40 Loading section 50 Engaging member

Claims

1. A method for reversing the stacking direction of the sheets on a backing board in a ring-bound book in which multiple sheets of paper are stacked on a backing board and bound together with a ring binder, A loading process in which the ring-bound booklet is loaded into the loading section with the paper stacked on one side of the aforementioned backing board, A gripping step in which the edge of the backing sheet of the ring-bound book that has been delivered is gripped by a chuck provided at the tip of the arm of a multi-joint robot, The engagement step involves moving the chuck to engage the paper on the chuck side with the engaging member while the multiple sheets of paper are hanging down from the ring-shaped binder by their own weight, The reversal step involves moving the chuck in a direction away from the engaging member and downward, thereby rotating the plurality of sheets and reversing the stacking direction of the sheets on the base sheet, A method for inverting a ring-bound book, comprising a discharge step of placing the ring-bound book, with the paper stacked on the other side of the base sheet, onto a discharge section.

2. The method for reversing a ring-bound book according to claim 1, further comprising the step of reversing the stacking direction of the paper on the backing sheet, and then pushing the chuck downward toward the engaging member.

3. The method for inverting a ring-bound book according to claim 1, further comprising the step of spraying air onto the paper stacked on the backing board as the loading step.

4. The method for reversing a ring-bound book according to claim 1, wherein the engaging member is a roller that is rotatably supported around a horizontal axis of rotation.

5. A device for reversing the stacking direction of the paper on a backing board in a ring-bound book in which multiple sheets of paper are stacked on a backing board and bound together with a ring binder, With the aforementioned paper stacked on one side of the aforementioned backing board, there is a loading section into which the ring-bound finished product is loaded, A multi-joint robot that grasps the edge of the backing sheet of the ring-bound book, which has been delivered, on the side opposite to the ring-shaped binder, with a chuck provided at the tip of its arm, With the paper stacked on the other side of the base sheet, the dispensing section from which the ring-bound finished product is discharged, The system includes an engaging member that can engage the paper of the ring-bound genuine book held in the chuck, The articulated robot is a ring-bound book reversal device that, by moving the chuck that grips the ring-bound book, engages the paper on the chuck side with the engaging member while the multiple sheets of paper are hanging down from the ring-shaped binder by their own weight, and then moves the chuck in a direction away from the engaging member and downward, thereby rotating the multiple sheets of paper and reversing the stacking direction of the paper on the base sheet, so that the ring-bound book is placed on the discharge section with the paper stacked on the other side of the base sheet.

Images