Conveying device using suction adherence for printing plates
AssigneeFuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
InventorsTsukasa Ono, Takashi Koizumi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pressure switch 302 is set in communication with suction cups 124 of a suction adherence conveying device 109 applied to an automatic exposure device. Further, a suction fan 126, which can approach and move away from a photopolymer plate 102 or an interleaf sheet 118 accommodated within a magazine 208, is set integrally with the suction cups 124. By utilizing the fact that degrees of vacuum of the suction cups 124 differ in accordance with materials to be suction-adhered, determination of a material to be suction-adhered is performed based on output signals of the pressure switch 302.
Claims25
A suction adherence conveying device for printing plates comprising:
- suction cups which are provided so as to be able to approach and move away from a surface of a printing plate or an interleaf sheet accommodated in a magazine;
- a suction section which communicates with the suction cups through communicating paths and sucks in air from the suction cups, and due to the suction section sucking in air from the suction cups, the printing plate or the interleaf sheet is vacuum-suction-adhered and removed from the magazine in this state one at a time;
- and
- a pressure sensor which is set in communication with the communication paths, and detects that a degree of vacuum at the time of suction-adhesion by the suction cups is greater than or equal to a first degree of vacuum set to correspond to a case in which the interleaf sheet is suction-adhered, and detects that the degree of vacuum at the time of suction-adhesion by the suction cups is greater than or equal to a second degree of vacuum which is set to correspond to a case in which the printing plate is suction-adhered and which is higher than the first degree of vacuum.
A conveying device using suction adherence for separating different types of sheets of materials from one another, the conveying device comprising:
- (a) a magazine adapted for receiving different types of sheets of materials interleaved with another in a stack in the magazine;
- (b) a support structure to which the magazine removably mounts;
- (c) a plurality of suction cups movably mounted to the support structure, the suction cups being movable in a direction towards and away from a stack of sheet materials in the magazine;
- (d) a vacuum system connected through fluid communication paths to the suction cups, and a reduced pressure communicated to the suction cups through the communication paths when the vacuum system is operated and generating a suction at the suction cups, which suction adheres a sheet of material from the stack when the suction cups are moved proximate the stack;
- and
- (e) a pressure sensor in communication with the fluid communication paths, the sensor when operated, producing a signal corresponding to a degree of vacuum in the fluid communication paths for indicating whether a sheet material has adhered to the suction cups, and type of sheet material.
A conveying device using suction adherence for separating different types of sheets of materials from one another, the conveying device comprising:
- (a) a magazine adapted for receiving different types of sheets of materials interleaved with another in a stack in the magazine;
- (b) a support structure to which the magazine removably mounts;
- (c) a suction system having a plurality of suction cups with tubes connecting the suction cups in fluid communication with one another, the suction cups being movably mounted to the support structure in a direction towards and away from a stack of sheet materials in the magazine;
- (d) a suction assisting section provided adjacent the suction cups, which is connected in fluid communication with the suction cups through the tubes;
- and
- (e) a pressure switch activated in response to a degree of vacuum at least equal to first and second levels, the first level indicating one type of sheet material has been suction adhered to the suction cups, and the second level indicating another type of sheet material has been suction adhered to the suction cups, the pressure switch outputting a signal when activated in accordance with the level of the degree of vacuum.
A conveying device using suction adherence for separating different types of sheets of materials from one another, the device comprising:
- (a) a magazine adapted for receiving different types of sheets of materials interleaved with another in a stack in the magazine;
- (b) a support structure to which the magazine removably mounts;
- (c) a plurality of suction cups movably mounted to the support structure, the suction cups being movable in a direction towards and away from a stack of sheet materials in the magazine;
- (d) a vacuum pump connected through fluid communication paths to the suction cups, and a reduced pressure communicated to the suction cups through the communication paths when the vacuum pump is operated and generating a suction at the suction cups, which suction adheres a sheet of material from the stack when the suction cups are moved proximate the stack;
- and
- (e) a pressure switch activated in response to a degree of vacuum at least equal to first and second levels, the first level indicating one type of sheet material has been suction adhered to the suction cups, and the second level indicating another type of sheet material has been suction adhered to the suction cups, the pressure switch outputting a signal when activated in accordance with the level of the degree of vacuum.
A method for distinguishing different types of sheet material from one another, the method comprising:
- (a) suction adhering a sheet material to suction cups, using a vacuum system to communicate a reduced pressure to the suction cups through fluid communication paths;
- (b) detecting the pressure in at least one of the fluid communication paths using a pressure sensor and outputting a signal from the sensor corresponding to detected pressure;
- and
- (c) determining the type of sheet material based on the signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.