Stacking/wrapping apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9663258-B2
Application number	US-201313742908-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 16, 2013
Priority date	Jan 16, 2012
Publication date	May 30, 2017
Grant date	May 30, 2017

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a stacking/wrapping apparatus includes a stacking device configured to stack paper sheets in a predetermined number on a stacking unit, a wrapping device configured to wrap a bundle of the stacked paper sheets by winding a band thereon, and a transport carrier configured to receive the paper sheet bundle and transport the paper sheet bundle to the wrapping device. The wrapping device includes a hand assembly, a hand drive mechanism configured to open and close the hand assembly and reciprocate the hand assembly at right angles to the stacking direction, and a band winding device configured to wind a wrapper band around the paper sheet bundle drawn into the binding position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A stacking/wrapping apparatus comprising:
a stacking device configured to stack paper sheets in a predetermined number on a stacking unit;
a wrapping device configured to wrap a bundle of the stacked paper sheets by winding a band thereon; and
a transport carrier configured to receive the paper sheet bundle stacked by the stacking device and transport the paper sheet bundle to the wrapping device,
the wrapping device comprising a hand assembly capable of pinching end portions of the paper sheet bundle transported by the transport carrier and drawing the paper sheet bundle into a predetermined binding position, a hand drive mechanism configured to open and close the hand assembly in a stacking direction of the paper sheet bundle and reciprocate the hand assembly in a direction cross to the stacking direction, and a band winding device configured to wind a wrapper band around the paper sheet bundle drawn into the binding position,
the transport carrier being configured to move to a receiving position facing the stacking device and receive another paper sheet bundle from the stacking device while the band is being wound around the paper sheet bundle by the wrapping device after the paper sheet bundle is grasped by the hand assembly;
the hand assembly comprising an upper hand and a lower hand opposed to each other with a gap therebetween and individually supported for up-and-down motion, and the hand drive mechanism comprises a motor, a large gear and a small gear disposed coaxially with each other and rotatable about the same axis by the motor, the small gear being smaller in diameter than the large gear, a first rack connected to the upper hand and engaging with the large gear, and a second rack connected to the lower hand and engaging with the small gear, the first and second racks being located parallel to each other with respective rotating shafts of the large and small gears therebetween, the amount of up-and-down motion of the upper hand by the hand drive mechanism being greater than that of the lower hand.

2. The stacking/wrapping apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the transport carrier is configured to be capable of up-and-down motion and horizontal movement between the receiving position to receive the paper sheet bundle stacked in the stacking device and a delivery position facing the wrapping device.

3. The stacking/wrapping apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the wrapping device comprises a ring gear rotatable about an axis parallel to a direction of reciprocation of the hand assembly, a band feeder configured to deliver the wrapper band to the vicinity of the ring gear and pull back the wrapper band, a band catcher mounted on the ring gear so as to be rotatable together with the ring gear and configured to clamp a leading end of the wrapper band delivered from the band feeder, and a band drive mechanism configured to rotate the ring gear and deliver the wrapper band from the band feeder with the leading end of the wrapper band clamped by the band catcher, thereby forming a looped wrapper band along the ring gear in the binding position, and the hand assembly is configured to draw the paper sheet bundle into the looped wrapper band.

4. The stacking/wrapping apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the band drive mechanism previously forms the looped wrapper band in the binding position while the paper sheet bundle is being transported from the stacking device to the wrapping device by the transport carrier.

5. The stacking/wrapping apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the band catcher is configured to be moved to a standby position off a draw-in path for the paper sheet bundle after moving from a clamping position to clamp the leading end of the band to a position to form the looped wrapper band as the ring gear rotates in one direction and be pivoted to and held in a horizontal position where the band catcher abuts a guide plate and lies below the paper sheet bundle as the ring gear further rotates in the one direction.

6. The stacking/wrapping apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the wrapping device comprises a support plate extending from the lower hand and located between the paper sheet bundle and the wrapper band and a first band retainer rotatable between a standby position off the draw-in path for the paper sheet bundle and a retaining position to press the wrapper band against the support plate, and the band feeder pulls back the wrapper band a certain distance and winds the wrapper band around the paper sheet bundle in such a manner that the band catcher clamping the leading end of the band is held in the horizontal position and the wrapper band is pressed against the support plate by the first band retainer.

7. The stacking/wrapping apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the first band retainer includes a surface hardness higher than that of the support plate.

8. The stacking/wrapping apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the wrapping device comprises an upper clamper configured to press the wrapper band and the paper sheet bundle from above in the binding position and depresses opposite longitudinal side portions of the paper sheet bundle toward the support plate, thereby curving the entire paper sheet bundle, and a first clamper drive mechanism configured to cause the upper clamper to ascend and descend synchronously with the first band retainer.

9. The stacking/wrapping apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the band feeder pulls back the wrapper band a certain distance to tighten the paper sheet bundle pressed by the upper clamper, and the wrapping device comprises a second band retainer configured to press and hold the tightened wrapper band against the paper sheet bundle, a heater configured to heat and seal a seam of the pressed wrapper band, and a second clamper drive mechanism configured to move the second band retainer and the heater in association with each other to a position where the second band retainer and the heater abut the wrapper band.

10. The stacking/wrapping apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the wrapping device comprises a cutter configured to cut the wrapper band between the second band retainer and the band feeder.

11. The stacking/wrapping apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the upper clamper comprises a press member located opposite the second band retainer with the paper sheet bundle therebetween and configured to press and hold the wrapper band against the paper sheet bundle from above.

12. The stacking/wrapping apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the wrapping device comprises a release block onto which the wrapped paper sheet bundle is to be thrown out and an ejector lever disposed on the release block and configured to discharge the paper sheet bundle to the outside of the device, and the hand drive mechanism is configured to push out the hand assembly and the paper sheet bundle grasped thereby toward the release block and releases the hand assembly after the paper sheet bundle is bound with the wrapper band and throws out the wrapped paper sheet bundle onto the release block.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Sakoguchi Yoshitaka
• Itoya Masakazu
• Suzuki Hidetake
• Hirose Kenichi

Classifications

• G07D11/0081

  Physics · mapped topic

• B65H2301/43824

  involving wrapping, banding or strapping · CPC title

• B65H31/3045

  on the outermost articles of the pile for clamping the pile · CPC title

• B65B13/12

  attached to rotating rings · CPC title

• B65B27/08 Primary

  Bundling paper sheets, envelopes, bags, newspapers, or other thin flat articles · CPC title