Device for conveying sheet-like material

Abstract

The device enables the inspection ( 10, 11, 12 ), marking ( 9 ) or other processing or monitoring of a printed sheet ( 1 ), conveyed in register on a radial path by means of a rigid, rotating sheet conveying device ( 2, 3, 4, 5 ), from the inside, that is to say the concave side of the movement path.

1 . A device for conveying sheet-like material on a conveying path produced by means of an intrinsically rigid system moving about a stationary axis of rotation in order to act on the side of the conveyed material that faces the axis of rotation by means of devices installed in the interior of the space enclosed by the conveying path.  
     
     
         2 . The device as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that the conveying system is formed by a number of gripper systems connected by means of an intrinsically rigid mechanical frame to hold, convey and forward sheet-like material, and which enables accessibility to the entire or partial surface of the material from the interior of the conveying path.  
     
     
         3 . The device as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that the guidance of the sheet-like material conveyed by the device on the conveying path produced by the device is carried out by means of sheet guide elements arranged outside the space enclosed by the conveying path.  
     
     
         4 . The device as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that the devices installed in the interior of the space enclosed by the conveying path can be material processing, monitoring, marking, registering, illuminating, inspecting or other systems.  
     
     
         5 . The device as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that the devices described in  claim 4  act on a sub-area or the entire area of the conveyed sheet-like material from the interior of the space enclosed by the conveying path.  
     
     
         6 . The device as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that two sheet conveying devices as claimed in  claim 1  are coupled in such a way that the conveyed material is fed first to a sheet conveying device to act on one sheet side and then to a second sheet conveying device to act on the opposite sheet side.  
     
     
         7 . The device as claimed in  claim 1 , or coupled devices as claimed in  claim 6 , characterized in that the drive to the sheet conveying devices is provided by mechanical means such as a gear drive, chain drive or toothed belt drive from the drive source of the printing or conveying machine in which the devices are installed.  
     
     
         8 . The device as claimed in  claim 1  or coupled devices as claimed in  claim 6 , characterized in that the drives to the individual sheet conveying devices are designed as separate individual drives synchronized with the printing or conveying machine in which the devices are installed.  
     
     
         9 . The device as claimed in  claim 7 , characterized in that the transmission elements used, such as chains or belts, are arranged in such a way that when the conveying device is ready to operate, with all the working systems installed in the interior of the device and mechanically rigidly connected on both sides to the machine frame, the transmission elements can be assembled or disassembled mechanically and freely accessibly without disassembly or loosening of these connections.  
     
     
         10 . The devices as claimed in  claim 7  or  8 , characterized in that the synchronism between coupled sheet conveying devices and between the conveying devices and transfer cylinders connected upstream or downstream is additionally synchronized by toothed segments which are arranged at the nominal diameter of the conveying path in the area of the gripper systems, are radially adjustable and interengaged during the sheet transfer.  
     
     
         11 . A method for synchronization of the drive as claimed in  claim 10 , characterized in that the pitch circle diameter of the toothed segments used is smaller than the nominal diameter of the sheet conveying path, and in that the two diameters touch at the transfer point of the conveyed sheet from one gripper system to the corresponding gripper system in such a way that, before the sheet transfer is reached, the result is a tooth play which decreases continuously, is the lowest possible during the sheet transfer and widens continuously after the sheet transfer.  
     
     
         12 . The device as claimed in  claim 1 , characterized in that the conveying system is alternatively formed by a hollow body of cylindrical design and provided on the circumference with sheet gripper systems, and the accessibility from the interior of the device to all or part of the sheet area facing the interior of the device is enabled by suitable cutouts in the cylinder cover.  
     
     
         13 . The device as claimed in  claim 1  or coupled device as claimed in  claim 6 , characterized in that all the drive, bearing and control elements are combined on a drive side, as it is known, of the conveying device in such a way that the interior of the device is freely accessible from the opposite operating side of the conveying device through a cross section which is open at the side.  
     
     
         14 . The device as claimed in  claim 13 , characterized in that the installation, adjustment, operation, maintenance, supply and removal of all the devices located in the interior of the conveying device are preferably carried out from the open operating side.  
     
     
         15 . The device as claimed in  claim 13 , characterized in that the mounting of the conveying device in the machine frame is carried out on only one side on the drive side, or on the operating side, comprises a running ring with an operating opening of suitable diameter, which is guided by cam rollers or bearings arranged in the machine frame, and the machine frames have operating openings of appropriate size.  
     
     
         16 . The device as claimed in  claim 1 , or coupled device as claimed in  claim 6 , characterized in that the sheet transport device is a functional component, with the systems installed therein, of a sheet printing, numbering, conveying, application, embossing, packaging, sorting or processing machine.  
     
     
         17 . Integration of the sheet conveying device into a machine as claimed in  claim 16 , characterized in that, on the basis of the information produced by the systems installed in the device, classifications, processes carried out, inspections, or applied identifications or marking, the progress of subsequent operating processes in the machine is controlled with the effect that these are carried out, not carried out or changed for a corresponding sheet.  
     
     
         18 . The device as claimed in  claim 1  or coupled device as claimed in  claim 6 , characterized in that the sheet conveying device is operated as a self-contained machine with material feed and delivery and a self-contained drive source for processing, monitoring, marking, registering, classifying, inspecting or sorting sheet-like material with the aid of the devices arranged in the interior of the device.