Abstract:
A conveying arrangement for printed products includes a feed conveyor to successively transport the printed products in a transporting direction to a takeover region, a transporting device having a transfer region to receive the printed products, and a circulating intermediate conveyor to transport the printed products from the takeover region to the transfer region of the transporting device. The circulating intermediate conveyor includes an endless track having a plurality of conveying elements to respectively grip the printed products and transport the gripped printed products from the takeover region to the transfer region where the printed products are transferred to the transporting device. The conveying elements have a swiveling axis that extends transverse to the transporting direction, wherein at least in an area between the takeover region and the transfer region, the conveying elements execute a controlled swiveling movement around the swiveling axis.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the priority of European Patent Document EP 08405077.2, filed on Mar. 14, 2008, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a conveying arrangement for the takeover and transfer of printed products, the arrangement comprising a feed conveyor for successively transporting separate printed products to a takeover region and an intermediate conveyor for transporting the printed products from the takeover region to a transfer region, provided with a plurality of conveying elements along a continuously circulating track, which are designed to grip the individual printed products and transport these products from the takeover region to the transfer region where they can be transferred to a different transporting device. In the low performance range, the printed products can be transferred without the intermediate conveyor directly to the containers, for example to pouches or conduits. At higher speeds, however, the printed products can roll up or bounce back during the insertion, thus interrupting further processing. Thick products or stacks of products will impact with the containers owing to their high weight and the high speed. 
     Conveying arrangements of this type have long been known in the print processing industry. One such conveying arrangement is known, for example, from European Patent Document EP-A-1 234 791, in which the intermediate conveyor is provided with a plurality of circulating compartments that can open up when approaching a feed conveyor and can close for the further transport of the printed products. The feed conveyor is a transporter provided with suspended clamps that will open up in the aforementioned approach region. In the transfer region, the compartments of the intermediate conveyor are opened so that the printed products drop freely into the pouch-type receiving elements of an inserting machine. 
     European Patent Document EP-A-1 270 476 discloses a conveying arrangement where the printed products are removed from a stack with the aid of a traction mechanism and are supplied to an inserting machine that is provided with a plurality of pouches. The traction mechanism includes jointly operating pairs of rollers, between which the printed products are gripped and then released to the pouches in a transfer region. 
     European Patent Document EP-A-0 380 921 discloses an arrangement for taking over and transferring printed sheets or signatures, using an intermediate conveyor that is also provided with a plurality of clamps that are opened in a transfer region. The intermediate conveyor is embodied as a wheel and is provided along the periphery with a plurality of compartments, which are opened up in the transfer region, so that the products can drop freely into the pouches of an inserting machine. 
     The problem with the aforementioned conveying arrangements is that at extremely high speeds the printed products are not released carefully to the containers, which can cause the printed products to roll up and result in a delayed and unsatisfactory positioning of these printed products in the containers. 
     SUMMARY 
     It is an object of the present invention to create a conveying arrangement that permits a more careful release of the printed products or the previously collected stacks of products for further processing, even at a higher speed or output rate. 
     The above and other objects are accomplished according to one aspect of the invention wherein there is provided a conveying arrangement for printed products that includes a feed conveyor to successively transport the printed products in a transporting direction to a takeover region, a transporting device having a transfer region to receive the printed products, and a circulating intermediate conveyor to transport the printed products from the takeover region to the transfer region of the transporting device. The circulating intermediate conveyor includes an endless track having a plurality of conveying elements to respectively grip the printed products and transport the gripped printed products from the takeover region to the transfer region where the printed products are transferred to the transporting device. The conveying elements have a swiveling axis that extends transverse to the transporting direction, wherein at least in an area between the takeover region and the transfer region, the conveying elements execute a controlled swiveling movement around the swiveling axis. 
     In one embodiment, a generic conveying arrangement of this type may be controlled by the swiveling motion of the conveying elements for orienting the printed products in the transfer area, wherein these elements may be respectively swiveled around an axis extending transverse to the transporting direction. With the aid of the conveying arrangement and as a result of the swiveling motion of the individual elements, it is possible to track the movement of the containers in the transfer region with an optimum orientation of the printed products and to release the printed products with an optimum orientation and speed to the containers. The arrangement according to this embodiment makes it possible for the printed products follow the containers precisely during insertion. In principle, it can be said that the smaller the angle between the speed vectors for the containers and the supplied printed products and the smaller the difference in speed, the more gentle and careful the insertion of the printed products. 
     In another embodiment, the feed conveyor may be a belt conveyor to convey printed products that are uniformly spaced apart or which are arranged in an overlapping flow. In the transfer region, the printed products are respectively transferred to a conveying element that handles the further transport. In principle, a different conveying arrangement may also be used in place of the belt conveyor, for example one that is provided with clamps. 
     In an embodiment, the feed conveyor may extend substantially tangential to the intermediate conveyor, at least in the transfer region, wherein the transport in this region may occur vertically, from the top to the bottom. However, the products can in principle also be transported from the bottom to the top, in a horizontal direction, or at an angle. 
     In another embodiment, the individual conveying elements may each be provided with a transport member for transporting the printed products positioned on the respective conveying element. As a result, it is possible to compensate for a speed difference between the feed conveyor and the intermediate conveyor. The printed products can be slowed down or accelerated while positioned on the individual conveying elements. For example, if these printed products are supplied in an overlapping flow, for example only a slight overlap, to the intermediate conveyor, then the products in the overlapping flow can be pulled apart while positioned on the intermediate conveyor because they are individually transported on the separate conveying elements. Alternatively, it may also be possible to reduce the spacing between the individual printed products while these are positioned on the intermediate conveyor. 
     In an alternative embodiment, an especially secure and comparatively simple drive for the transport members may be obtained if the intermediate conveyor is provided with at least one drive cam, which respectively engages in the transport members in the transfer region, thereby moving the respective printed products on the conveying element. 
     In an embodiment, the intermediate conveyor may be provided with at least one second drive cam, which engages in the transport members in the transfer region, to remove and thus transfer the printed products from the respective conveying element. As a result, the printed products can be inserted into pouches even at high speeds. The transport members may be provided with at least one transport roller, on which the printed products are supported by resting against the respective conveying element. By correspondingly turning the transport rollers in one direction or the other, the printed products can be accelerated or slowed down. 
     A first drive cam is advantageously provided in the takeover region while a second drive cam is provided in the transfer region. As a result, it is possible to accelerate as well as slow down the printed products in both regions, thereby resulting in an especially high flexibility and an optimum transfer of the printed products. 
     In another embodiment, the conveying elements may be respectively provided with at least one clamp for clamping the individual printed products against a support surface of the respective conveying element. With these clamps, the printed products can be held in the respective takeover region against the respective conveying element and can thus be transported safely. According to another modified embodiment, the clamps may be arranged to swivel on the conveying element. By swiveling them in and out, the printed products can be clamped in or released. A spring may be arranged such that if the clamp is swiveled in, the printed product is clamped in. With the aid of a control cam for counteracting the spring force, the clamp can again be opened up and the printed products released. 
     According to a different embodiment, at least one clamp may be embodied such that the clamped-in printed products can be moved in a transporting direction or counter to the transporting direction, respectively on an outside surface of the conveying element. For this, the clamps are provided with rollers to permit the aforementioned movements. The individual printed products are thus clamped against the conveying element with at least one clamp, but may be moved in a conveying direction or counter to the conveying direction while positioned on the conveying element. As a result, it is possible to accelerate or slow down the printed products in the takeover region as well as in the transfer region, as mentioned above, while simultaneously providing a secure guidance. 
     According to one embodiment, the intermediate conveyor may be provided with a cam for swiveling the conveying elements and the conveying elements may be provided with a cam roller, which engages at least in some sections in the cam and thus permits a particularly secure swiveling of the conveying elements in the transfer region. The swiveling movement can be adjusted precisely and can also be changed by correspondingly adjusting the cam. 
     Another embodiment provides that the intermediate conveyor may be embodied as a wheel and that the conveying elements may be arranged along the periphery of the wheel. It is therefore advantageous if the endless track of the conveying elements is a circular track. However, a different track, for example an oval track, may also be used in principle. 
     In another embodiment, the conveying elements may include one outer support surface for the printed products, wherein these support surfaces respectively function as an outer shell surface of the wheel when the individual conveying element is in the basic position. It is advantageous if the support surfaces jointly form a circular surface in the takeover region, to which the printed products can be supplied, for example tangentially, and can thus be taken over. Following the takeover region, the conveying elements can be swiveled with a front edge toward the outside or toward the inside. 
     In an embodiment, the printed products may be transferred to a conveying arrangement provided with pouches, into which the printed products may be inserted and in particular may be tossed from the top. These pouches, for example, can be the pouches of an inserting machine and may be arranged in the form of a ring as shown in European Patent Document EP-A-1 234 791. However, other holding devices, for example clamps and the like, can also be provided in place of the pouches. 
     Additional advantageous features follow from the dependent claims, the description below, as well as the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic three-dimensional top perspective view of a conveying arrangement according to the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a different side view of the conveying arrangement according to  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic three-dimensional top perspective view of a conveying element according to the invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom perspective view of the conveying element according to  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a section through the conveying element along the line V-V in  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 6  is an alternative section view through the conveying element according to the invention; and 
         FIGS. 7   a  and  7   b  are enlarged views of the takeover region shown in  FIG. 2  of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     An embodiment of the conveying arrangement  1 , shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , includes a feed conveyor  2  for transferring printed products  6  in a takeover region A to an intermediate conveyor  3 , which rotates around an axis  8 . The intermediate conveyor  3  is driven with the aid of a drive (not shown) and rotates in clockwise direction, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The printed products  6 , which are transferred to the intermediate conveyor  3 , are subsequently transferred from the intermediate conveyor  3  to a transporting device  34 , which conveys the printed products from the left to the right, as shown in  FIG. 2 . In the transporting device  34 , each printed product  6  is then deposited into a pouch  14  or a similar container, or it is held by a clamp.  FIG. 2  describes an embodiment where the printed products  6  are taken over at approximately the three o&#39;clock position and are released again to the transporting device  34  at approximately the six o&#39;clock position. Other positions are also possible for the takeover as well as for the transfer of products. The printed products  6  are transported successively and uniformly spaced apart in the feed conveyor  2 . However, the printed products  6  can in principle also be transported while arranged in an overlapping flow in the feed conveyor  2 . The printed products  6  may be individual sheets, stacks of sheets, magazines, newspapers and the like. For the embodiment shown herein, the feed conveyor  2  is a belt conveyor, but could also be a different, suitable transporting device, such as a device with clamps or grippers. In the takeover region A, the printed products  6  may be transported in a direction that runs tangential to the periphery of the intermediate conveyor  3 . 
     The feed conveyor  2  takes over the printed products  6  from a device (not shown) and conveys these products between two conveying belts  4  and  5 , shown only in some sections of  FIG. 1 . The conveying belts  4  and  5  are endless belts that are fitted and driven around corresponding deflection rollers.  FIGS. 1 and 2  show that the printed products  6  are transported in a substantially vertical direction, from top to bottom. In the takeover region A, the printed products  6  are transferred to the intermediate conveyor  3 .  FIG. 1  shows a printed product  6 ′ in the process of entering the region of the intermediate conveyor  3  while a printed product  6 ″ has already been transferred to the intermediate conveyor  3 . A further printed product  6 ′″ is released by the intermediate conveyor  3  and is inserted into a pouch  14 . 
     The intermediate conveyor  3  comprises a wheel  7  with two star-shaped plates  35  and  36  ( FIG. 6 ), arranged at a distance to each other, wherein this wheel is positioned with the ends of the axis  8  inside a machine frame (not shown). The plates  35  and  36  are respectively provided with a plurality of bearing parts  39  ( FIG. 1 ), extending essentially in radial outward direction, between which respectively one recess  40  is arranged. A separate conveying element  9  is positioned swiveling at each of the outer ends  13  of these bearing parts  39 . The conveying elements  9  each have a front edge  41  and a back edge  42 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , which extend parallel to each other and parallel to a swiveling axis  27 . This swiveling axis  27  is essentially positioned between the two edges  41  and  42 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . The conveying elements  9  are distributed along the periphery of the wheel  7 , uniformly spaced apart, and can be swiveled similar to the slats of a shutter. Extending between the edges  41  and  42  is a surface area  32 , which is either straight or is curved toward the outside, corresponding to the peripheral surface of the wheel  7 , and which forms a support surface or a contact surface for respectively one printed product  6 . 
     To ensure that each of the printed products  6  can be gripped and transported by the conveying elements  9 , these conveying elements are respectively provided with two clamps  10  that may be swiveled around a swiveling axis  43 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , and are connected to a base body  25  of a conveying element  9 . A spring element (not shown) could be a torsion spring mounted on the axis  43  that acts upon the clamp  10  to move it into the closed position. The individual clamps  10  are provided with a lever  21 , on which two spaced-apart rollers  19  are positioned at a distance to the axis  43 . The clamps  10  furthermore are provided with respectively one cam roller  20 , arranged on a lever  33 , which cooperates with a clamp cam  11  that is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The clamp cam  11  counteracts the spring force exerted to close the clamp  10 . With the aid of this control, the clamps  10  can respectively be swiveled between the clamping position shown in  FIGS. 3 and 6  and an open position shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . Upstream of the takeover region A, the clamps  10  are in the opened position and transition to the closed position when they reach the transfer region B. In  FIG. 2 , the clamps  10  are in the opened position, at approximately the two o&#39;clock position, while they are in the clamping or closed position at approximately the four o&#39;clock position. In  FIG. 2 , the clamps  10 ′ are in an in-between position. The clamps  10 ″ are already in the clamped or closed position, in which the respective printed product  6 ″ is held against the conveying element  9 . The lever  21  may be produced from an elastic material to compensate for differences in the thickness of the printed products  6  or the product stack  45 . 
     Downstream of the takeover region A, the printed products  6  are respectively held in place on the conveying elements  9  so that they may be transported on these elements.  FIGS. 3 and 5  an embodiment where the conveying elements  9  have a plurality of recesses  44 , into which project a transport roller  23  or additional and parallel positioned rollers  24 . When the clamps  10  are closed, the clamp rollers  19  respectively rest against an outer surface  37  of the transport roller  23  or a roller  24 . In a peripheral direction of the wheel  7 , the printed products  6  can thus be moved between the clamp rollers  19  and the transport roller  23  or the rollers  24 . According to the embodiment described in  FIG. 6 , the transport roller  23  is positioned rotating on the two plates  35  and  36  and is equipped at one end with a drive component  26 , which functions as a drive together with a cam  30 ,  31 . The cam  30 ,  31  can have a one-piece embodiment or, as shown in  FIG. 1 , can be composed of multiple parts. These cams  30 ,  31  are installed locally fixed and are advantageously designed to be adjustable. If the wheel  7  rotates, the transport roller  23  is rotated around its longitudinal axis in the intended region by engaging in the cam  30  or  31 . Together with the cams  30  and  31  and the clamps  10 , the transport rollers  23  thus form a transport member  22  for transporting the printed products  6  on the conveying element  9  in the desired region, wherein the products may be transported first in the takeover region A and then in the transfer region B. The transport member  22  can also be realized with other suitable elements, such as a belt or the like, instead of the transport roller  23  and the clamp rollers  19 . For example a belt may be fitted around the two rollers  19  of a gripping member  10 . 
       FIG. 1  describes an embodiment where for the initial transport, the drive component  26  (shown in  FIG. 3 ) engages in the cam  31 . According to  FIG. 1 , the component first engages in the cam at approximately the two o&#39;clock position, in which the front end of the printed product  6 ′ impacts with a conveying element  9 . The transport of the printed product  6 ′ and  6 ″ is above all designed to compensate for a speed difference between the feed conveyor  2  and the intermediate conveyor  3 . In the process, the spacing between the printed products  6  can be reduced or also increased. In addition, the printed products  6  that are conveyed in an overlapping flow can be separated during this transport. The speed for conveying the printed products  6  on the conveying element can be influenced by changing the diameter of the drive component  26 , which is operatively engaged in the cams  30 ,  31 . A smaller diameter for the drive component  26  will result in a higher conveying speed on the conveying element  9 . The drive component  26  can also have a plurality of different diameters, as shown in  FIG. 6 , to which respectively one of the cams  30 ,  31  is assigned. The transporting speed of the conveying element  9  may therefore be different in the takeover region A than in the transfer region B. 
     It is furthermore conceivable that the cams  30 ,  31  are embodied in the form of a ring, which could be driven to rotate around the axis  8 , thus also making it possible to change the transporting speed of the conveying elements  9 . 
     Once the drive component  26  engages in the cam  30 , a printed product  6 ′″ can be driven in the transfer region B and, if desired, can be accelerated, so that it is released by the respective conveying element  9  and inserted into a pouch  14 . The engagement and the operating range of the cam  30  follows that of the cam  31  and is located in the lower portion of the wheel  7 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     A different and essential function of the conveying elements  9  is that they can be swiveled around the axis  27 . According to  FIG. 4 , the base body  25  is provided on the inside with a bearing journal  38  for positioning it such that it can swivel. At a distance thereto, rollers  28  are arranged on the base body  25 , as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , which operate jointly with a cam  29  as shown in  FIG. 6 . As a result of the engagement of the rollers  28  in the cam  29 , the conveying elements  9  are swiveled in the transfer region B, such that the back edge  42  is moved into a recess  40  and the front edge  41  is essentially moved radially toward the outside. The individual printed products  6  are swiveled with the aid of this swiveling movement and are thus oriented correctly for the deposit in one of the pouches  14 . In  FIG. 1 , the printed product  6 ″ is in a basic position where it extends substantially parallel to the outer shell surface of the wheel  7 . The printed product  6 ′″ has already been swiveled and positioned to point downward at an angle. The speed components for printed product  6 ′″ have furthermore been adapted to the speed of the transporting device  34 , thereby permitting a careful and flowing transition of the printed product  6 ′″ from the intermediate conveyor  3  to the transporting device  34 . As a result of this precise positioning, comparably heavy printed products  6  or product stacks  45 , as well as comparably light printed products  6 , can be deposited carefully and at comparably high processing speeds into the pouches  14 . 
     It is furthermore essential that the pouches  14  are also treated with care. Each of the pouches comprises an inside area  15  and a different inside area  16 , as well as a bottom  18 . The printed products  6  are dropped into the pouches through an upper opening  17 . During the downward drop, the printed products  6  are for the most part directed toward the inside area  15  and the bottom  18 . The inserted printed products  6  finally come to rest against the inside area  16 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . The printed products  6  leave the conveying element  9  once the major portion of this conveying element has been submerged into the respective pouch  14 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     Once the printed product  6  has finally been released to the transporting device  34 , the conveying elements  9  along with the cam  29  are swiveled back to the starting position, which is approximately the 11 o&#39;clock position as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     It is also critical that the printed products  6  are held in place by the two clamps  10  during the transfer to the transporting device  34 . The printed products  6  are thus held in place and guided while they are transported on the respective conveying element  9 , until they are released completely. With the embodiment as shown, the printed products  6  are inserted into empty pouches  14 , wherein these pouches  14  or other containers can already contain a printed product that is also opened, thus making it possible to insert the printed products  6  as inserts into different printed products. It is also important in that case to have a careful, flowing and clocked transfer, which ensures that the printed products  6  in the form of inserts are placed precisely. Such a careful and precise transfer is critical even if other types of containers are used or if clamps, for example, are used in place of the pouches  14 . 
     According to the embodiment described  FIG. 7   a , individual printed products  6  may be processed further with the conveying arrangement. Also possible is the processing of product stacks  45 , which may be composed of a plurality of printed products or inserts such as CDs, cards, etc., as shown in  FIG. 7   b . In the process, the product stacks  45  are gathered inside a device (not shown) and is installed upstream of the conveying arrangement while clamped between the conveying belts  4 ,  5  of the feed conveyor  2  of the conveying arrangement. 
     It will be understood that the above description of the present invention is susceptible to various modifications, changes and adaptations, and the same are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the appended claims.