Sheet Handling Apparatus Selective Adhesion for Booklet Formation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing sheet handling apparatuses face productivity decreases due to the need for subsequent sheets to wait until the binding process of preceding booklets is complete, leading to inefficiencies in forming multiple booklets simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
A sheet handling apparatus with a bundling mechanism forming sheet bundles of up to N sheets, a conveyor for conveying these bundles, a stacker for aligning and bonding sheets, and a discharger for efficiently managing the formation and discharge of booklets, where the bundling mechanism ensures that the M-th sheet is in the k-th booklet and the first sheet in the k+1-th booklet, with the adhesion mechanism bonding only certain sheets to prevent mixing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If subsequent sheets are made to wait at buffering portion until binding process is complete, then sheets for subsequent booklet are prevented from being bound incorrectly, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the sheet handling process into separate functional segments: a bundling mechanism that forms sheet bundles, a conveyer that transports bundles, a stacker that stacks bundles, and a discharger that discharges completed booklets. This segmentation allows different operations to occur independently and in parallel, eliminating the need for subsequent sheets to wait for binding completion while maintaining correct booklet formation through the selective adhesion mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-forming sheet bundles at the bundling mechanism before they reach the stacker. The adhesion mechanism is configured to bond sheets in advance according to the booklet structure, creating properly organized bundles that can be stacked and discharged without requiring waiting periods. This preliminary organization enables continuous processing and maintains productivity.
2Ease of manufacture
If adhesion mechanism bonds all sheets in sheet bundle, then booklet formation is simplified, but sheets from different booklets are incorrectly bound together
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesion mechanism applies adhesion selectively to specific local regions rather than uniformly across all sheets. It bonds the M-th sheet (last sheet of k-th booklet) with the first sheet (first sheet of k+1-th booklet) only at designated adhesion portions, while leaving other sheets unbonded. This localized adhesion ensures correct booklet separation while maintaining the overall booklet formation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary control mechanism that manages the adhesion process. The adhesion mechanism is configured with specific bonding rules that act as intermediaries between the sheet bundle input and the booklet output, determining which sheets should be bonded and which should remain separate. This intermediary control prevents incorrect binding while maintaining efficient booklet formation.
Data Source
AI summary
A bundling mechanism creates a sheet bundle including N sheets including an M-th sheet to be included in a k-th booklet and a first sheet to be included in a k+1-th booklet. The k is an integer from 1 to L−1. The M is not a multiple of N. A adhesion mechanism bonds together a preceding sheet and a subsequent sheet stacked at a stacker, except for the M-th sheet to be included in the k-th booklet and the first sheet to be included in the k+1-th booklet.