Abstract:
In a device for isolating and feeding the lowest sheet ( 1 ) in each case from a stack ( 2 ), with pushing-out elements ( 9 ) which grip the rear edge ( 3   a,    3   b ) of the sheet ( 1 ) and transport it through, under a front-edge stop ( 5 ), into a pair of drawing-off rollers ( 6 ), can be moved forwards and backwards, are mounted on a cross-member ( 7 ) and have faces ( 9   a ), which are optionally front-mounted, for supporting the rear region of the stack ( 2 ) and also have bearing elements ( 11, 12 ) supporting the stack ( 2 ), and lateral abutment strips ( 13 ), the front edge ( 4 ) of the said stack being constant with respect to the sheet length (H), provision is made, in order to achieve high isolating outputs and faultless feeding of the sheets ( 1 ) with a device of simple design, for the cross-member ( 7 ) which receives the pushing-out elements ( 9 ) to be guided so as to be capable of travel in a linear guide ( 14 ), and for there to be directly associated with the said cross-member ( 7 ), for the driving movement of the latter, a linear motor ( 15 ) whose path of travel (A) comprises both the isolating stroke (B) and also an adjusting path (C) which is intended for setting the sheet length (H).

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to a device for isolating and feeding the lowest sheet in each case from a stack of flat substantially planar items such as paper sheets or the like.  
           [0002]    A device of the type is known, for example, from EP 0 464 578 A1 and serves for isolating boards which are fed to a subsequent unit for further processing. Possible further-processing operations are printing, cutting-to-size or division into a number of individual sheets, fluting or grooving and milling, the manufacture of book covers, file covers, etc. This device has a transporter which can be moved forwards and backwards and which is driven by a crank-slide mechanism with coupler-mechanism expansion with a sinusoidal movement pattern. Fastened to the transporter are pushing-out elements which are dimensioned in such a way, in terms of their height, that they grip only the lowest sheet at the rear edge during the forward movement and push it through an admission aperture formed by a base plate and a front-edge stop. In the process, the sheet is pushed into a pair of drawing-off rollers which takes over the transportation of the sheet from then on and feeds it to the subsequent processing unit, while the transporter with the pushing-out elements returns to its starting position for the purpose of pushing out the next sheet. From DE 75 15 810 U1, a device is known in which a suction device which acts upon the front region of the lowest sheet is additionally provided for the purpose of isolating and feeding curved materials.  
           [0003]    The sheets rest against a stationary edge with their front edge. Accordingly, as the sheet length becomes greater, the rear edge is displaced rearwards relative to the front edge stop and to the pair of drawing-off rollers. For the purpose of setting different sheet lengths, the transporter with its appertaining drive is received in a carriage which can be brought, via adjusting spindles, into the pushing-out position which corresponds to the sheet length. For the purpose of driving the crank-slide mechanism, a rotating movement is tapped off, via a sliding sleeve, from a spline shaft aligned along the direction of displacement, and is reoriented via a bevel-gear mechanism. The prior art mentioned also indicates an alternative form of embodiment for adjusting the pushing-out position. In that embodiment, the mechanism for generating the forward and backward movement is disposed in a stationary manner. It actuates a sliding carriage which has a transporter which can be adjusted via adjusting spindles. The rotational movement for adjustment purposes is transmitted in known manner via a sliding sleeve from a profiled shaft to the moving system of the sliding carriage.  
           [0004]    Because of the disposition of the adjusting system on the moving system, the latter is burdened by additional masses for which allowance has to be made in the guides of the carriage and also in the drive and which, moreover, restrict the maximum isolating output. The driving connection of the adjusting system via sliding sleeves is exposed to constant wear. Although the moving mass is reduced to a minimum in the aforesaid form of embodiment, use is nevertheless made of a very complicated driving system which has, in the sliding sleeve, a driving member which is subject to play and wear.  
           [0005]    The sinusoidal driving movement of the transporter which is generated via the crank-slide mechanism or, in other embodiments, via a crank mechanism has ranges of maximum, near-constant speed during both the forward and the backward movements. The taking-over of the sheet during the forward movement through the pair of drawing-off rollers ideally takes place within this speed range, and that at a speed which is synchronous with the said pair of rollers. In order to achieve high isolating outputs and/or in the case of large sheet lengths, however, the drawing-off speed is set so as to be substantially higher. This leads to the sheets being pulled in a skewed manner, which jeopardizes further processing of a good quality. Because of the fixed period of the sinusoidal driving movement, the sheets are fed to the pair of drawing-off rollers at a fixed clock-pulse interval. This is also necessary for some further-processing apparatuses. During cutting-to-size or division into a number of blanks, on the other hand, pushing-out of the sheets which is adapted to the sheet length is appropriate in order to achieve maximum isolating outputs, something which can be achieved only by means of major structural expense in the designs of drive indicated.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The underlying object of the present invention is to provide a device for isolating and feeding the lowest sheet in each case from a stack, which device permits high isolating outputs and faultless feeding of the sheets, while being of simple design.  
           [0007]    The inventive concept resides in using a linear motor for the driving movement of the cross-member with the pushing-out elements, which cross-member is guided so as to be capable of travel in a linear guide, the path of travel comprising both the isolating stroke and also an adjusting path which is intended for setting the sheet length. Driving and adjusting members which are subject to play and wear are thereby eliminated, and the moving mass is markedly reduced. The driving movement is changed over in a low-friction manner. The device is distinguished by a particularly simple design—particularly when changing the setting over to different sheet lengths.  
           [0008]    The mechanical decoupling of the drives of the drawing-off rollers and pushing-out system result in advantageous possibilities for configuring the movement profile of the forward and backward movements. A higher pushing-out speed with respect to the drawing-off speed is chosen instead of the synchronous transfer speed. Suitably stiff sheets are pushed, aligned more or less at the rear edge, into the drawing-off rollers without the latter pulling the sheet away from the pushing-out elements in a one-sided manner when gripping it for the first time. Two movement profiles can be configured in principle. Clock-pulse-synchronous feeding operations are thus possible with one and the same device, and so too are feeding operations with gaps of equal size between the sheets that are being fed.  
           [0009]    The driving of the linear motor in a force-controlled manner, combined with the predetermining of an admissible pushing-out force, is advantageous if the speed of the pair of drawing-off rollers, and thereby of the isolating output, is controlled subject to adherence to the pushing-out force. This provides isolating and feeding operations which treat the product particularly gently. Allowance is made for different stack heights, to the effect that the pushing-out speed is reduced in the case of large stack heights because a higher proportion of the pushing-out force is needed for overcoming the surface friction and is no longer available for actually accelerating the sheet. It is expedient to cause the processing speed when the device is moved up along an approach ramp to be determined automatically through the fact that the pushing-out force exerted is compared with the admissible pushing-out force. In this context, “approach ramp” means that the device is running faster and faster (by beginning with a low processing speed) while the admissible pushing-out force is monitored. When the admissible pushing-out force is reached, the device is operated at the processing speed which has been reached up to that point.  
           [0010]    The cross-member with the pushing-out elements is advantageously constructed with a suction device which acts upon the front region of the lowest sheet. By this means, thin or curved sheets can be reliably transported through under the front-edge stop. Under these circumstances, it is possible, in some cases, to dispense with the pushing-out elements.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    The invention will be explained in greater detail with the aid of an exemplified embodiment which is represented in the drawings, wherein:  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 shows the device according to the invention, in a side view;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 shows the device in a sectional view along the sectional line II-II shown in FIG. 1; and  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 shows a movement diagram of the device, wherein the movement profiles for a small format and a large format are represented. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0015]    A stack  2  which is to be isolated and which contains sheets  1  is located in a magazine or holder comprising rear limiting elements  20 , front lateral abutment strips  13  and front-edge stops  5 , and also bearing strips  11  and metal bearing plates  12  which form the lower limit and are fastened to front and rear bearers  18   a,b.  In the exemplified embodiment, the magazine is filled with sheets  1  which are arriving continuously via a conveyer belt  19 . Filling with partial stacks by hand is equally possible.  
         [0016]    For isolating the lowest sheet  1  in each case, a cross-member  7  (extending transversely to the conveying direction F) is provided which can be moved forwards and backwards and on which two pushing-out elements  9  with front-mounted bearing faces  9   a  are disposed in an adjustable and exchangeable manner via gripping-type fastening systems  10 . During the forward movement, the lowest sheet  1  in each case is gripped at the rear edge  3   a,    3   b  with the aid of that edge of the pushing-out elements  9  which is adapted to the sheet thickness and protrudes in relation to the bearing face  9   a,  and the said sheet is transported through, with its front edge  4  under the front-edge stops  5 , into a pair of drawing-off rollers  6 . From then on, the pair of drawing-off rollers  6  takes over the transporting operation in the direction of conveyance F and feeds the sheet to a subsequent further-processing unit. The shape of the face of the pushing out element  9  preferably includes a shoulder or notch whereby bearing surface  9   a  supports the bottom sheet from below while the shoulder pushes the bottom sheet. On the return stroke, the flat top surface to the right of the notch slides along the underside of the bottom of the next sheet. FIG. 1 shows, by way of example, a cutting device which is formed by knife shafts  32  and a pair of feeding-out rollers  33 .  
         [0017]    The cross-member  7  is guided so as to be capable of travel in a linear guide  14  which is formed from guide rails  14   b  disposed so as to be integral with the frame that supports the holder, and from guide carriages  14   a  fastened to the cross-member. Its driving movement is generated by a linear motor  15  which is directly associated with it. The primary part  15   a  of the motor is fastened to the cross-member  7  via a bracket  8 , while the secondary part  15   b  is associated with a carrying plate  16  disposed, in a manner integral with the frame, between a front wall and a rear wall  17   a, b  of the frame. The length of the secondary part  15   b,  minus the length of the primary part  15   a,  produces approximately the maximum possible path of travel A of the linear motor  15 . The entire linear motor  15  does not travel along the carrying plate  16 . The primary part  15   a  moves actuated by electromagnetic forces relatively to the secondary part  15   b,  which includes permanent magnets and which is mounted fixed to the carrying plate. The guiding is realized by the linear guide  14  and defines the moving direction and the exact arrangement/relating of the primary and the secondary part to one another.  
         [0018]    The forward and backward movement for isolating and pushing-out purposes is marked as the isolating stroke B in the drawings. The available adjusting path C, with the aid of which the location of the isolating stroke B can be set in dependence upon the sheet length H, is defined by the difference between the path of travel A and the isolating stroke B.  
         [0019]    The cross-member with the pushing-out elements is advantageously constructed with a suction device which acts upon the front region of the lowest sheet. The suction device is located in the bearing face  9   a  of the pushing-out elements  9  and is acting upon the underside of the lowest sheet  1  for drawing the sheet against the bearing face to secure the taking with by the pushing-out element  9 .  
         [0020]    For providing protection against falling dust and the like, the secondary part  15   b  of the linear motor  15  is mounted on the carrying plate  16  from below. The two guide rails  14   b  of the linear guide  14  are likewise fastened to the carrying plate in a torsion and deflection-resistant manner below, that is to say, to the left and right of, the secondary part  15   b.  The above mentioned bracket  8  on the cross-member  7 , which cross-member is moved forwards and backwards, encloses the arrangement, which is integral with the frame, constituted by the carrying plate  16 , the guide rails  14   b  and the secondary part  15   b.  The bracket also carries a scanning head  29  with the aid of which a material measure  30  attached laterally to the carrying plate  16  is scanned for the purpose of detecting the position of the cross-member  7  in an absolute manner.  
         [0021]    The power cable  24 , which is connected to the moving primary part  15   a,  and other signal lines  23  are laid in a trailing chain  21  which serves as a cable duct and is fastened by one end to the bracket  8  on the cross-member  7 , and by the other end to a holder  22  on the front wall  17   a  of the frame. The other driving and controlling elements of the device are represented symbolically in FIG. 1. Associated with the linear motor  15  is a control system  26  which, in turn, receives its parameters which are necessary for operating purposes from a superordinated position-controlling system  25 , or exchanges them. Also connected to the position-controlling system  25  are an operating unit  31  for indicating and inputting the parameters, as well as a motor-controlling system  28  which controls the motor  27  which drives the drawing-off roller system  6 , the knife shafts  32  and the pair of feeding-out rollers  33 . Via the operating unit  31  there is inputted, inter alia, the sheet length H according to which the linear motor  15  conveys the cross-member  7  into a suitable location or position on the path of travel A, from where the isolating stroke B is carried out as a cyclical forward and backward movement. Alternatively the location of the isolating stroke B on the path of travel A is determined automatically by driving the cross-member  7  with the pushing-out elements  9  against the rear edge  3   a,    3   b  of the stack  2  from an outer position, which is controlled by a sensor  34 .  
         [0022]    The movement profiles with the aid of which the lowest sheet  1  in each case is advanced and transported onwards, are represented in the movement diagram in FIG. 3 for a small format and a large format in each case. The time T is plotted on the X-axis of the diagram, and the path S on the Y-axis. The gradient of the curves recorded in the diagram reproduces the level of the speed at which the elements represented move or are moved. For orientation purposes, the position of the pair of drawing-off rollers  6  is reproduced on the left, near the Y-axis. Located at a distance E behind the said position is the front-edge stop  5 —to be identified by the fact that the front edges  4  of the sheets  1   a,    1   b,  which are represented in hatched form, are disposed at that point. The sheet  1   a  represents the large format and has a sheet length Ha. Correspondingly, the sheet  1   b  is the small format, with a sheet length Hb.  
         [0023]    The movement profile Ba of the cross-member  7  with the pushing-out elements  9  for the sheet  1   a  is represented in the lower region of the diagram. During the forward movement, the sheet  1   a  is pushed forwards at the rear edge  3   a  until the front edge  4  passes, after the length of path E, into the pair of drawing-off rollers  6 , and the said sheet  1   a  is, from then on, transported onwards at the constant conveying speed of the said pair of rollers. At the point in time of take-over by the pair of drawing-off rollers  6 , the movement profile Ba exhibits a pronounced zone of constant speed of advance, which speed of advance is synchronous with the drawing-off conveying speed. For a given setting of the unit  31 , the stroke of the pushing out element  9  will be forward and back along a length B, which is sufficient for the rollers to grab and advance the sheet the remaining distance of greater than H-B to fully advance the sheet past the front end stop  5 . During this advance by the rollers, the sheets are supported from below only by bearing strips  11  and bearing plates  12 , but not at the back edge. On the return stroke of the pushing out element  9 , the underside of the next bottom sheet lies on the advanced sheet until it falls down onto the bearing elements  11 , 12 . The back edge of the next sheet lies on the flat surface to the right of the notch on pushing out element  9  until the pushing out element  9  moves with its shoulder or notch behind the rear edge of the next sheet ( 3   a  or  3   b ). On the return stroke of the pushing out element  9  the rear edge of the advanced sheet is no longer supported. After the taking-over operation, the cross-member  7  returns to its starting position. The next movement cycle for pushing out the sheet  1   a.   2  starts when the preceding sheet  1   a.   1  has passed the front-edge stops  5 . This interrelation gives rise, for the movement profile Ba, to a clock-pulse time Ta and, derived therefrom, an isolating output of 1/Ta. The two sheets  1   a.   1  and  1   a.   2  are conveyed through the further-processing unit with a gap D.  
         [0024]    The pushing-out of a small sheet  1   b  is conducted in a manner analogous with the above observations. Because of the shorter sheet length Hb, the movement profile Bb here exhibits a substantially lower clock-pulse time Tb, from which a high isolating output 1/Tb is derived. The gap D between the successive sheets  1   b.   1 ,  1   b.   2 ,  1   b.   3 , etc. is identical to that when isolating and feeding the large sheet  1   a.  The logic for movement profiles Ba, Bb are derived, for the particular sheet length H, from a variably configured movement profile which has been stored in the position-controlling system  25 . It will be perceived that the forward movement is almost identical, while the backward movement is carried out in a manner corresponding to the remaining time available.  
         [0025]    In a given machine (e.g., device of EP 0464578, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference) there is a substantially constant relationship between distance E and distance B. B is slightly greater than E to guarantee receiving the isolated sheet by the drawing-off rollers  6 . In a given machine the distance C symbolizes the adjusting path.  
         [0026]    Ha is the sheet length of a large sheet, and Hb the length of a short sheet. H shows also the distance between the front-edge stop  5  and the limiting element  20 . The path of travel A arises approximately from the difference of Ha (length of large sheet) and Hb (length of short sheet) plus the isolating stroke B. The distance H-A is equal to Hb-B. In the illustrated embodiment the isolating stroke B is a constant unaffected by the sheet length H. According to the invention the isolating stroke B need not be constant for all length H of sheets. B could be programmed by one of ordinary skill in the art, to different stroke lengths.  
         [0027]    The device is preferably part of a board-cutting installation, in which long sheets are cut from large-format sheets in a first step, and are then transferred into the device represented here and divided up into the desired final formats. The output of the entire plant is determined, in particular, by this second station. The device according to the invention results in new output potentials, since the sheets  1  are now isolated in dependence upon their sheet length H, and medium and smaller formats in particular, which make up by far the largest spectrum of board-cutting installations of this kind, are produced in a substantially higher production output. At the same time, the quality of the sheet blanks produced goes up, since the take-over takes place with an almost synchronous speed of the pair of drawing-off rollers  6  and the pushing-out elements  9 .  
         [0028]    The device according to the invention for isolating purposes is also suitable for feeding sheets to clock-pulse-controlled further-processing apparatuses. Use is then made of a fixedly configured movement profile with a fixed clock-pulse time or period. Because of the direct association of the linear motor  15  on the cross-member  7  which is moved forwards and backwards, and also because of the very low-friction linear guide  14 , the pushing-out force applied can be employed for force-controlling the device. In addition to a general overload function, it is possible to push out the sheets  1  in a manner which treats the products gently, while observing an admissible pushing-out force which can be predetermined in the operating unit  31 . To that end, the drawing-off speed of the pair of drawing-off rollers  6  is varied accordingly.