METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING A SUB-GROUP OF A GROUP OF SHEETS IN A STREAM OF SHEETS

• US 20120169004A1
• Filed: 12/29/2011
• Published: 07/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boewe Systec GmbH
• Original Assignee: Boewe Systec GmbH
• Inventors: HOEPNER, Bernd, KEIL, Christian, HAUSER, Clemens, WAGENKNECHT, Volker
• Granted Patent: US 8,366,093 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 270/58.01
• CPC Class Codes: B43M 3/04 automatic
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/02 indicating an entity which is controlled, adjusted or changed by a control process, i.e. output
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/23 of multiple materials in parallel to each other
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/4454 Merging two or more streams
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/30 Numbers, e.g. of windings or rotations
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2801/66 Envelope filling machines
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 33/00 Forming counted batches in delivery pile or stream of articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 39/06 from delivery streams
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 39/075 by collecting in juxtaposed carriers

Abstract

A method for determining a subgroup of a group of sheets in a sheet stream starting from a group start of the group comprises determining the subgroup end of the subgroup based on a sheet state parameter. The subgroup is determined by the group start and the subgroup end and comprises a variable number of sheets. The sheet state parameter determines which sheet in the sheet stream is a group end of the group of sheets.

Claims

1. Method for determining a subgroup of a group of sheets in a sheet stream starting from a group start of the group, wherein the subgroup is determined by the group start and a subgroup end, and wherein the subgroup comprises a variable number of sheets, wherein the sheet stream comprises a plurality of successive rows of sheets, wherein one row is arranged perpendicular to a main processing direction of the sheet stream, and wherein each row comprises at least two adjacent or superimposed sheets, comprising:

determining the subgroup end of the subgroup based on a sheet state parameter, wherein the sheet state parameter determines which sheet in the sheet stream is a group end of the group of sheets.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the sheets of the sheet stream are, at the time of determining the subgroup end, connected to each other, singularized or only separated from each other longitudinal to the main processing direction, and are arranged, for further processing, adjacent, superimposed or laterally offset to one another.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein a previous group end or the sheet state parameter determines the group start of the group.

4. Method according to claim 1, comprising:

determining the sheet state parameter of a sheet based on state information on at least one of the sheets or from a data base.

5. Method according to claim 4, wherein the sheet state parameter of a sheet is determined based on the state information, wherein the sheet state parameter of a sheet is determined based on the state information, wherein state information is on a last sheet of each group of sheets in a sheet stream or wherein state information is on a first sheet of each group of sheets in a sheet stream.

6. Method according to claim 1, wherein a number of sheets of the determined subgroup and a number of sheets of a previous determined subgroup differ.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein determining the subgroup end is based on a sheet state parameter determination depth of the sheet state parameter, wherein the sheet state parameter determination depth states a number of successive sheets in the sheet stream, wherein for the number of successive sheets, the associated sheet state parameters are known at a time of determining the subgroup end, wherein determining the subgroup end is based on at least part of the associated sheet state parameters.

8. Method according to claim 1, wherein the subgroup end is determined, such that all adjacent or superimposed sheets of a row belong to the subgroup when the group end is not within a maximum subgroup sheet number in the sheet stream, wherein, when determining the subgroup, it is determined whether the group end is within the maximum subgroup sheet number.

9. Method according to claim 1, wherein the sheet state parameter determination depth in the sheet stream always ranges from a start sheet of the determination depth start row up to an end sheet of a successive determination depth end row, and hence states a number of successive sheets corresponding to one or a plurality of a number of sheets in one row.

10. Method according to claim 9, wherein a last sheet of a row is determined as subgroup end when the group end is not within the sheet state parameter determination depth, wherein the row in which the subgroup end is directly before the determination depth end row in the main processing direction, wherein, when determining the subgroup, it is determined whether the group end is within the sheet state parameter determination depth.

11. Method according to claim 9, wherein a last sheet of a row is determined as subgroup end when the group end is within the sheet state parameter determination depth, and when the group end is outside the maximum subgroup sheet number, wherein the row in which the subgroup end is at least two rows before that row in which the group end is in the main processing direction.

12. Method according to claim 1, wherein the subgroup end is determined during an operating cycle, and wherein the subgroup end is determined again in a successive operating cycle, wherein the newly determined subgroup end corresponds to the previously determined subgroup end or wherein the newly determined subgroup end is further downstream in the sheet stream than the previously determined subgroup end in a main processing direction.

13. Method according to claim 1, wherein sheets in the sheet stream are already separated from each other or still connected to each other.

14. Method according to claim 1, comprising:

determining a following subgroup end of a following subgroup of sheets based on a sheet state parameter, wherein the following subgroup is determined by a following subgroup start and a following subgroup end, wherein the following subgroup start is determined by the determined subgroup end of the determined subgroup.

15. Method according to claim 14, wherein the following subgroup end is determined such that the following subgroup end corresponds to the group end of the group, when the following subgroup determined thereby does not comprise more sheets than a maximum subgroup sheet number.

16. Method according to claim 14, wherein the following subgroup end is determined such that the following subgroup end corresponds to the group end of the group, when the following subgroup determined thereby does not comprise more sheets than a maximum subgroup sheet number, and when the group end is within the sheet state parameter determination depth, wherein when determining the following subgroup, it is determined whether the group end is within the sheet state parameter determination depth, and whether the following subgroup comprises more sheets than the maximum subgroup sheet number.

17. Apparatus for determining a subgroup of a group of sheets in a sheet stream starting from a group start of the group, wherein the subgroup is determined by the group start and a subgroup end, and wherein the subgroup comprises a variable number of sheets, wherein the sheet stream comprises a plurality of successive rows of sheets, wherein one row is arranged perpendicular to a main processing direction of the sheet stream, and wherein each row comprises at least two adjacent or superimposed sheets, comprising:

a subgroup determiner, which is implemented to determine a subgroup end of the subgroup based on a sheet state parameter, wherein the sheet state parameter determines which sheet in the sheet stream is a group end of the group of sheets.

18. Apparatus according to claim 17, comprising a detector, which is implemented to detect state information on a sheet, wherein the sheet state parameter of the sheet is based on the detected state information.

19. Sheet handling plant for processing a sheet stream, wherein the sheet stream comprises a plurality of successive rows of sheets, wherein each row comprises at least two adjacent or superimposed sheets, comprising:

an apparatus for determining a subgroup of a group of sheets in a sheet stream starting from a group start of the group, wherein the subgroup is determined by the group start and a subgroup end, and wherein the subgroup comprises a variable number of sheets, wherein the sheet stream comprises a plurality of successive rows of sheets, wherein a row is arranged perpendicular to a main processing direction of the sheet stream, and wherein each row comprises at least two adjacent or superimposed sheets, with a subgroup determiner, which is implemented to determine a subgroup end of the subgroup based on a sheet state parameter, wherein the sheet state parameter determines which sheet in the sheet stream is a group end of the group of sheets; and

a collecting location which is implemented to collect sheets of a subgroup and to output the subgroup after collecting all sheets of the subgroup, wherein the subgroup is determined by the apparatus for determining a subgroup.

20. Sheet handling plant according to claim 19, comprising a folding unit, a separating device, a compilation web, a supplement feeder, an inserter, an output belt and/or a franking device.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium including a computer program comprising a program code for performing, when the computer program runs on a computer or microcontroller, a method for determining a subgroup of a group of sheets in a sheet stream starting from a group start of the group, wherein the subgroup is determined by the group start and a subgroup end, and wherein the subgroup comprises a variable number of sheets, wherein the sheet stream comprises a plurality of successive rows of sheets, wherein a row is arranged perpendicular to a main processing direction of a sheet stream, and wherein every row comprises at least two adjacent or superimposed sheets, comprising:

determining the subgroup end of the subgroup based on a sheet state parameter, wherein the sheet state parameter determines which sheet in the sheet stream is a group end of the group of sheets.