Apparatus and method for stacking card-like data carriers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11414290-B2
Application number	US-201816617166-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 28, 2018
Priority date	May 31, 2017
Publication date	Aug 16, 2022
Grant date	Aug 16, 2022

Abstract

According to several embodiments, the invention relates to a device and a method for stacking card-like data carriers. The device includes a conveying device for transporting individual card-like data carriers downstream along a conveying path and a stacking unit for selectively transferring and stacking card-like data carriers conveyed along the conveying path. The conveying device is arranged to convey the card-like data carriers in such a way that they are fixed to it in a hanging mode of transport. The stacking unit is arranged to selectively release certain ones of the card-like data carriers conveyed along the conveying device from the latter in order to transfer them directly into a card magazine and to stack them therein.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device for stacking card-like data carriers, comprising:
a conveying device for transporting individual card-like data carriers downstream along a conveying path; and
a stacking unit for selectively transferring and stacking card-like data carriers conveyed along the conveying path;
wherein the conveying device is arranged to convey the card-like data carriers in such a way that the card-like data carriers are fixed to the conveying device in a hanging mode of transport;
the stacking unit is arranged to selectively release certain ones of the card-like data carriers conveyed along the conveying device from the conveying device in order to transfer them directly into a card magazine and to stack them therein when the card magazine is arranged in a stacking area at a stacking position which, in relation to a direction of gravity, is situated below the conveying path,
the stacking unit is further arranged to transmit a mechanical impulse to a particular data carrier which is conveyed along the conveying device in order to selectively release it, wherein the mechanical impulse is directed in a direction of the card magazine into which this particular data carrier is to be transferred, and
the stacking unit is arranged to transmit the mechanical impulse to the data carrier by blowing away from the conveying device, and specifically by generating an air current that is directed towards the data carrier initially hanging on the conveying device so as to exert an effect on the data carrier which repels the data carrier from the conveying device.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the conveying device and the stacking unit has one or more additional components which are constructed in such a way that the additional components transmit the mechanical impulse by an impact onto a main face of the data carrier ( 5 ) facing towards the conveying device.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the stacking area comprises a first stacking position and at least one further stacking position, each of which is located—in relation to the direction of gravity—below the conveying path, wherein the first stacking position is configured to receive the card magazine and each of the at least one further stacking position is configured to receive another card magazine; and
wherein the stacking unit is arranged to selectively release certain card-like data carriers conveyed along the conveying device from the conveying device in order to transfer the card-like data carriers directly to, and stack the card-like data carriers in, the card magazine located at the first or at one of the further stacking positions.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein the stacking unit is arranged to selectively release certain ones of the card-like data carriers conveyed along the conveying device from the conveying device in order to transfer the card-like data carriers in an alternating manner, in accordance with a predetermined distribution scheme, either into the card magazine arranged at the first stacking position or into the at least one further card magazine respectively arranged at one of the further stacking positions and to stack the card-like data carriers therein.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the distribution scheme provides—at least in sections—that initially a first one of the card magazines is filled to a defined filling level before a further one of the card magazines is alternately filled.

6. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a feeding device for feeding the data carriers to the conveying device; and
a transfer section which is arranged to remove the data carriers transported by the feeding device from the feeding device and to transfer the data carriers to the conveying device in such a way that the data carriers are transferred from the feeding device to the hanging mode of transport on the conveying device in an area of the conveying path which is located upstream of the stacking unit.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the conveying device is arranged to convey the data carriers in such a way that the data carriers are fixed to the conveying device in the hanging mode of transport by suction.

8. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one discharge element which is configured to at least partially discharge the data carriers electrically before release from the conveying device.

9. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a centering device which is arranged to align, with respect to a receiving opening of the card magazine, the data carriers selectively released from the conveying device by the stacking unit during transfer to a card magazine located at an associated stacking position of the stacking area.

10. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a card magazine feeding device for automatically feeding card magazines to a stacking position of the stacking area, wherein the card magazine feeding device comprises a transfer area for automatically transferring a card magazine fed to the feeding device to an associated stacking position of the stacking area, wherein the transfer area comprises at least one of the following elements:
a first sensor arrangement which is configured to detect presence and absence of a card magazine at at least one location of the card magazine feeding device;
a first stop member for blocking a feeding of one or more further card magazines when the transfer area is still occupied by a preceding card magazine;
a first driver member which is configured to temporarily stop a card magazine transferred into the transfer area prior to transfer to the stacking position and to release the card magazine for onward transfer only when an automated check reveals that one or more predetermined checking criteria for checking whether the stacking position is ready to receive a card magazine are satisfied; and
a first transfer member which is configured to automatically transport a card magazine which is located in the transfer area further to the stacking position in the stacking area under an application of force thereto.

11. The device of claim 10 , wherein the predetermined checking criteria are based on one or more of the following criteria, which must be satisfied so that it can be determined that the stacking position is ready to receive a card magazine:
there is no card magazine at the stacking position;
if a stop member is provided, the stop member is activated so that a feeding of one or more further card magazines into the transfer area is blocked;
if a transfer member is provided, the transfer member is in a position from which the transfer member can transport the card magazine located in the transfer area to the stacking position; and
if a driver member is provided, a transport path of the card magazine from the transfer area to the stacking position is blocked only by the driver member and, if applicable, one or more further members movable in dependence thereon, so that the transport path becomes free after a subsequent movement of the driver member into a position where the driver member is no longer blocking.

12. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a lifting device which is set up and arranged to position and support, at a stacking position of the stacking area associated with the lifting device, a card magazine for receiving data carriers released by the stacking unit for transfer into the card magazine; and to move the card magazine itself or a movable stack carrier element of the card magazine along a displacement direction in dependence on a degree of filling of the card magazine, in such a way that a positioning level, at which a respective new one of the data carriers comes

Assignees

• Muehlbauer Gmbh & Co
• Muehlbauer Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Krapf Benjamin
• Strehle Markus

Classifications

• B65H29/245

  Air blast devices · CPC title

• B65H31/34

  Apparatus for squaring-up piled articles · CPC title

• B65H29/62

  diverting faulty articles from the main streams (control devices detecting faulty articles B65H43/04) · CPC title

• B65H2301/44734

  overhead, i.e. hanging material ba attraction forces, e.g. suction, magnetic forces · CPC title

• B65H39/115

  in juxtaposed carriers · CPC title