Sheet stacking device, sheet stacking method, sheet stacking program, counter ejector, and box making machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11535476-B2
Application number	US-202117158701-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 26, 2021
Priority date	Mar 30, 2020
Publication date	Dec 27, 2022
Grant date	Dec 27, 2022

Abstract

A sheet stacking device is provided with a hopper unit configured to stack a sheet, a feeding unit configured to feed out the sheet to the hopper unit, a distance detection unit configured to detect an inter-sheet distance, in the vertical direction, between a rear end portion of the sheet that is preceding and a tip end portion of the sheet that is subsequent, and an output unit configured to output a behavior stabilization command for the sheet based on the inter-sheet distance.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sheet stacking device comprising:
a hopper unit configured to stack a sheet;
a feeding unit configured to feed out the sheet to the hopper unit;
a distance detection unit configured to detect an inter-sheet distance, in a vertical direction, between a rear end portion of a preceding sheet that is fed out by the feeding unit, and a tip end portion of the sheet as the sheet is subsequently fed out by the feeding unit after the preceding sheet; and
an output unit that controls a sheet feeding speed by outputting, based on the inter-sheet distance, a first behavior stabilization command for the sheet.

2. The sheet stacking device according to claim 1 , wherein
the feeding unit includes a pair of upper and lower feeding rolls, and a transport drive device configured to drive the feeding rolls, and
the output unit outputs, based on the inter-sheet distance, a sheet feeding speed command value as the first behavior stabilization command to the transport drive device to control the sheet feeding speed.

3. The sheet stacking device according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a determination unit configured to make a determination by comparing the inter-sheet distance with an inter-sheet distance control value that is preset, wherein
when the determination unit determines that the inter-sheet distance is greater than the inter-sheet distance control value, the output unit increases the sheet feeding speed command value.

4. The sheet stacking device according to claim 3 , wherein
when the determination unit determines that the inter-sheet distance is smaller than the inter-sheet distance control value, the output unit decreases the sheet feeding speed command value.

5. The sheet stacking device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an alarm device, wherein
the output unit outputs, based on the inter-sheet distance, an alarm command value to the alarm device as a second behavior stabilization command.

6. The sheet stacking device according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a determination unit configured to make a determination by comparing the inter-sheet distance with an inter-sheet distance control value that is preset, wherein
the output unit outputs the alarm command value to the alarm device, based on a determination result of the determination unit.

7. The sheet stacking device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an air blower device configured to blow air, from above, toward the sheet fed out by the feeding unit to a space above the hopper unit; and
a determination unit configured to make a determination by comparing the inter-sheet distance with an inter-sheet distance control value that is preset, wherein
the output unit outputs, based on a determination result of the determination unit, an air flow rate command value as a second behavior stabilization command to the air blower device.

8. The sheet stacking device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first height detection sensor which detects a height, in the vertical direction, of the sheet fed out by the feeding unit to a space above the hopper unit, wherein
the first height detection sensor is disposed in a range shifted from an end of the hopper unit on an upstream side in a transport direction of the sheet, toward a downstream side by a preset predetermined distance.

9. The sheet stacking device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a sheet contact height detection unit configured to detect a sheet contact height at which a tip end portion of the sheet fed out by the feeding unit to a space above the hopper unit comes into contact with a stopper disposed on a downstream side of the hopper unit in a transport direction of the sheet, wherein
the output unit outputs a second behavior stabilization command for the sheet based on the sheet contact height.

10. The sheet stacking device according to claim 9 , further comprising:
a second height detection sensor and a third height detection sensor disposed at positions separated from each other in the transport direction of the sheet; and
a sheet inclination calculation unit configured to calculate an inclination of the sheet based on detection results of the second height detection sensor and the third height detection sensor, wherein
the sheet contact height detection unit estimates the sheet contact height based on the inclination of the sheet.

11. The sheet stacking device according to claim 9 , wherein
the feeding unit includes a pair of upper and lower feeding rolls, a transport drive device configured to drive the feeding rolls, and a determination unit configured to make a determination by comparing the sheet contact height and a sheet contact height control value that is preset, and
the output unit outputs, based on a determination result of the determination unit, at least one of an air supply amount command value to an air blower device, and a sheet feeding speed command value as the first behavior stabilization command to the transport drive device.

12. The sheet stacking device according to claim 9 , further comprising:
an alarm device; and
a determination unit configured to make a determination by comparing the sheet contact height with a sheet contact height control value that is preset, wherein
the output unit outputs, based on a determination result of the determination unit, an alarm command value to the alarm device.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Nagai Hideaki
• Kanazawa Hiroyuki
• Tanimoto Koshi
• Nakao Kenta

Classifications

• B65H2511/22

  Distance · CPC title

• B31B50/98

  in stacks or bundles · CPC title

• B65H2513/10

  Speed · CPC title

• B31B50/006

  Controlling; Regulating; Measuring; Improving safety · CPC title

• B65H2701/1766

  Cut-out, multi-layer, e.g. folded blanks or boxes · CPC title