Sheet counter head control
AssigneePelcombe Limited
InventorSiavosh Hafezan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A counter for counting the number of sheets in a stack has a rotor (12) which engages in an edge region of the stack and transfers sheets one at a time from one side of the rotor to the other upon rotor rotation. The rotor (12) is mounted on a shaft (13) carried by a carriage (36) arranged for sliding movement on guides (41). A motor (44) drives a lead screw (43), whereby the carriage is driven along the guides. The rotor (12) may float on its shaft (13) and its position is sensed by detector (39, 40); the output of the detector is used to control motor (44) whereby the carriage is driven substantially continuously and smoothly at a rate appropriate for a counting operation being performed.
Claims12
Control means for a linearly-movable carriage supporting a counting head arranged to count each sheet in a stack of sheets, which counting head engages an edge region of the stack at one end thereof and then is advanced through the stack to transfer sheets, one at a time, to the other side of the head and generating a count on each said transfer, the counting head being movable with respect to the carriage generally in the direction of movement of the carriage, which control means comprises a motor to effect carriage movement, a linear sensor for sensing the relative position of the counting head with respect to the carriage, and a control circuit for the motor and arranged to cause the motor to run at an appropriate speed in response to an output of the sensor, whereby the carriage is advanced substantially constantly and at substantially the same rate as the counting head advances along the stack.
Control means for a sheet counter comprising
- a carriage;
- at least one linear guide on which the carriage is mounted for linear sliding movement;
- a counting rotor mounted on the carriage for movement with respect thereto generally in the direction of sliding movement of the carriage, the rotor having first and second sides and arranged to engage an edge region of a stack of sheets to be counted, the rotor being configured to transfer sheets one at a time from the first side of the rotor to the second side thereof upon rotation of the rotor and a count signal being generated on each such transfer;
- a motor to effect linear sliding movement of the carriage;
- a linear sensor to sense the position of the rotor relative to the carriage;
- and
- a control circuit for the motor and arranged to cause the motor to run at an appropriate speed in response to an output of the sensor, whereby the carriage is advanced substantially constantly and at substantially the same rate as the rotor advances along the stack during the rotation of the rotor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.