Sheet stacker and method for forming stacks of sheets
AssigneeGuangdong Fosber Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd.
InventorMauro Adami
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sheet stacker including a sheet conveyor arrangement and a stacking bay, wherein sheets delivered by the sheet conveyor arrangement are formed into stacks; the stacking bay including a stacker platform. The stacker platform is provided with a vertical lifting and lowering movement with respect to a stationary supporting structure and is controlled to move downwards while a stack of sheets is formed thereon. The stacker platform supports a stack conveyor configured and controlled to perform at least an evacuation motion, to remove a completed stack from the stacking bay. The evacuation motion of the stack conveyor is oriented such that a completed stack is moved from the stacking bay onto an evacuation conveyor arranged under the sheet conveyor arrangement.
Claims17
A sheet stacker comprising:
- a sheet conveyor arrangement including a plurality of sequentially arranged conveyors, configured for feeding a plurality of sheets in succession in a sheet feeding direction, said sheet conveyor arrangement having a sheet inlet end and a sheet discharge end wherein said sheet discharge end is maintained at a higher height than said sheet inlet end;
- a stacking bay, wherein sheets delivered by the sheet conveyor arrangement at the sheet discharge end thereof are formed into stacks;
- the stacking bay comprising a stacker platform, and wherein the stacker platform is provided with a vertical lifting and lowering movement with respect to a stationary supporting structure and is controlled to move downwards while a stack of sheets is formed thereon;
- wherein the stacker platform supports a stack conveyor movable in a direction parallel to a feed direction of the sheets in the stacking bay, configured and controlled to perform at least an evacuation motion, to remove a completed stack from the stacking bay;
- and the evacuation motion of said stack conveyor is oriented such that a completed stack is moved from the stacking bay onto an evacuation conveyor arranged under the sheet conveyor arrangement, and wherein said evacuation conveyor is arranged to move said completed stack, upon exiting said stack conveyor, in a direction initially opposite said sheet feeding direction and, thereafter, in a direction orthogonal to said feeding direction.
A method of forming sheet stacks on a stacking surface, comprising steps as follows:
- feeding a plurality of sheets in a feed direction along a sheet conveyor arrangement, including a plurality of sequentially arranged conveyors, towards a stacking bay, the sheet conveyor arrangement having a sheet inlet end and a sheet discharge end wherein said sheet discharge end is maintained at a higher height than said sheet inlet end, wherefrom the sheets are discharged in the stacking bay and formed into stacks on a stack conveyor supported by a stacker platform arranged in the stacking bay;
- while a sheet stack gradually grows on the stacking surface, moving the stacker platform gradually downwards to increase distance between the stacker platform and the sheet discharge end of the sheet conveyor arrangement;
- once a stack has been completed, moving the stack by the stack conveyor from the stacker platform onto an evacuation conveyor located under the sheet conveyor arrangement, wherein said moving of the stack onto said evacuation conveyor, upon exiting the stack conveyor, is initially in a direction opposite said feed direction and, thereafter, is in a direction orthogonal to said feeding direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.