Patent ID: 6447230
Filing Date: 2002-09-10
Classification: B42C

Abstract:
A book binding system for binding book blocks together with book covers so as to make books or booklets, the book binding system having a carriage passage, a carrier mechanism for clamping the book blocks and carrying the book blocks along the carriage passage, and a series of processing units sequentially provided along the carriage passage for performing the book binding process, wherein the carrier mechanism has a clamp-adjustment mechanism for adjusting a gap for clamping the book blocks and the processing units each having at least one of an acting-portion adjustment mechanism and an alignment mechanism, the clamp-adjustment mechanism, and the acting-portion adjustment mechanism and the alignment mechanism being adjusted to accommodate the book blocks and the book covers of various sizes, wherein said book binding system comprises:a measuring device for measuring the size of the book blocks and the book covers at their respective predetermined portions and then outputting thus obtained measurement values; and a controller device for receiving the measurement values from the measurement device and, based on the measurement values, adjusting the clamp-adjustment mechanism of the carrier mechanism and the acting-portion adjustment mechanism and the alignment mechanism of each of the processing units; a base; a pair of supporting members fixed on the base with a spacing therebetween; a guide rail extending between the pair of the supporting members and supported by the supporting members; a measurement block guided by the guide rail for slide movement; a reference block fixed on the base and abutted by the measurement block when the measurement block reaches one end of the guide rail; and moving-distance measuring means for using as a zero point a position where the measurement block abuts against the reference block, to measure a distance over which the measurement block has moved with respect to the reference block, wherein by sandwiching the predetermined portions of the book block and the book cover between the reference block and the measurement block, the size is measured and thus obtained measurement values are then output from the measuring device; wherein the moving-distance measuring means comprises: a pair of pulleys arranged on the base with a spacing therebetween in a direction in parallel to the guide rail; a belt engaged over the pair of pulleys and having part thereof linked with the measurement block; and means linked to a rotary shaft of one of the paired pulleys for measuring the number of revolutions of the pulley and converts the number of revolutions into a moving distance of the measurement block and then outputting the moving distance.