Title: Plate supplying apparatus
Abstract: In the plate supplying apparatus of the present invention, various vibrations are provided to a plate secured via suction during a separating operation by causing pad rods 403 to repeat a slight ascent and a pause, and thereafter causing the pad rods 403 to make an abrupt descent, thereby reliably peeling off a slip sheet adhering to the back face of the plate. Further, vibration in the rod-up/down direction is provided to the plate during the separating operation, and the plate is not pushed hard. Thus, it is possible to prevent the plate from being damaged. A raising and lowering motor 52 is driven to lower the cassette 9. A separating operation for peeling off a slip sheet S adhering to the back face of the plate P is performed, and thereafter the plate P secured via suction is turned over and transferred.
Patent Number: 6,978,716 Issued on 12/27/2005 to Takeda
| Inventors:
|
Takeda; Morihiro (Kyoto, JP)
|
| Assignee:
|
Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, JP)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
909320 |
| Filed:
|
August 3, 2004 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
| Oct 02, 2002[JP] | 2002-290166 |
| Oct 02, 2002[JP] | 2002-290167 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
101/477; 101/480; 271/9.08; 271/11 |
| Intern'l Class: |
B65H 003/08 |
| Field of Search: |
101/477,480,389.1
271/908,11,105,106
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 6341932 | Jan., 2002 | Otsuji.
| |
| 6422801 | Jul., 2002 | Solomon.
| |
| 6675712 | Jan., 2004 | Marincic et al.
| |
| 6718875 | Apr., 2004 | Ono.
| |
| 6904844 | Jun., 2005 | Koizumi et al.
| |
| 2002/0157554 | Oct., 2002 | Koizumi et al.
| |
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 2000/-247489 | Sep., 2000 | JP.
| |
Primary Examiner: Colilia; Daniel J.
Assistant Examiner: Williams; Kevin D.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: McDermott Will & Emery LLP
Parent Case Text
The present application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/674,511
filed on Oct. 1, 2003, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,776,097.
Claims
1. A plate supplying apparatus for supplying a plate which is transferred such
that its faces are reversed, the apparatus comprising:
a plurality of storage sections each provided for storing a pile of plates;
a plate suction section for sucking a proximal end portion of a plate present
at the top of the pile of plates stored in a storage section, the proximal end
portion being nearer to the plate suction section;
a base member for supporting the plate suction section;
a moving and pivoting mechanism for moving the plate suction section and the
base member in a direction toward a portion of the plate opposite to the proximal
end portion by driving a first motor, while causing at least the plate suction
section to pivot, thereby transferring the plate sucked by the plate suction section
such that its faces are reversed;
a distance adjusting mechanism for adjusting a distance between the base member
and the plate suction section by driving a second motor different than the first motor;
a supplying section for supplying the plate transferred by the moving and pivoting
mechanism toward another equipment device, and
a control section for controlling the plate suction section, the second motor
of the distance adjusting mechanism, and the first motor of the moving and pivoting
mechanism, wherein after the second motor of the distance adjusting mechanism is
controlled so as to move the plate suction section with respect to the base member
to cause a portion of the plate suction section which sucks the plate to be in
contact with the plate present at the top of the pile of plates stored in the storage
section, the plate suction section is controlled so as to suck the proximal end
portion of the plate present at the top of the pile of plates, and thereafter the
moving and pivoting mechanism is controlled so as to transfer the plate to the
supplying section while turning over the plate.
2. The plate supplying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a multicassette section for accommodating the plurality of storage sections stacked
together in a vertical direction; and
a sliding mechanism for horizontally moving a storage section selected from among
the plurality of storage sections to a plate supply position below the moving and
pivoting mechanism,
wherein by the control section driving the second motor, the distance adjusting
mechanism moves the plate suction section with respect to the base member so as
to cause the plate suction section to be in contact with the plate present at the
top of the pile of plates stored in the storage section.
3. The plate supplying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the distance adjusting
mechanism includes:
a rod having the plate suction section provided at an end thereof; and
a rod expansion and contraction mechanism for moving the rod along a longitudinal
direction of the rod with respect to the base member responsive to driving of the
second motor.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plate supplying apparatus, and more particularly
to a plate supplying apparatus for supplying a plate, which is transferred such
that its faces are reversed, from a storage section in which a plurality of plates
are piled such that each plate alternates with a slip sheet.
2. Related Art Statement
A conventional plate supplying apparatus automatically supplies a plate, such
as
a presensitized (PS) plate, to an image recording apparatus for irradiating that
plate with a laser beam to directly record an image thereon. The plate used with
such an image recording apparatus includes a support layer and an image recording
layer. Since the image recording layer is easily damaged, the utmost caution is
required when supplying the plate. In recent years, a variety of types of plates
having a thickness between 0.15 millimeters (mm) and 0.50 mm have come into wide use.
The conventional plate supplying apparatus receives a cassette containing a plurality
of plates each alternating with a slip sheet for preventing friction between plates.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-247489 discloses a
plate supplying apparatus which includes a movable arm or the like having plate
suction cups. In the state where the plate suction cups secure a support layer
side of a plate via suction, the movable arm moves the plate suction cups to a
prescribed position, so that the plate is taken out from a cassette, and then supplied
to an image recording apparatus as described above. Each time the movable arm or
the like takes a plate out from the cassette, movable slip sheet suction cups secure
a slip sheet via suction. In this state, the slip sheet suction cups move to a
prescribed position, thereby ejecting the slip sheet from the conventional plate
supplying apparatus.
Referring to FIGS. 23 to 26, an operation of the above-described conventional
plate supplying apparatus will be described. FIGS. 23 to 26 are views used for
explaining a series of operation of a plate transfer mechanism which is included
in a plate supplying apparatus
200 and used for transferring plates P from
a cassette
206 toward an image recording apparatus.
In FIGS. 23 to 26, the plates P to be supplied from the plate supplying apparatus
200 are stored in the cassette
206 such that an image recording layer
of each plate P faces downwards. The plates P are piled in the cassette
206
in a manner as described above, i.e., each plate P alternates with a slip sheet
S. The plate transfer mechanism included in the plate supplying apparatus
200
transfers the plates P from the cassette
206 placed in a plate supply position
to the image recording apparatus. The plate transfer mechanism includes a traveling
member
204 which travels along a guide rail
210 by receiving drive
from an endless synchronous belt
207 which is caused to move rotationally
by drive of a motor
208 transmitted via a belt
209. The traveling
member
204 has a coupling member
205 secured thereon. The coupling
member
205 holds the synchronous belt
207 by sandwiching the synchronous
belt
207 between two separate portions so as to receive the drive therefrom.
The traveling member
204 also includes a speed reducer
203 having
a pinion to be engaged with a rack rail
211 provided in parallel with the
guide rail
210. The speed reducer
203 has an arm
202 secured
on an output shaft thereof. The arm
202 has an end portion including a support
board on which a plurality of suction pads
201 are provided for holding
a plate P via suction. The plurality of suction pads
201 are provided so
as to conform to the plates P stored in the cassette
206.
In the case where the plate transfer mechanism having the above-described structure
is in the state illustrated in FIG. 23, when the traveling member
204 is
driven by the motor
208 so as to move toward a direction to the right (hereinafter,
referred to as the "transfer movement direction"), as illustrated in FIGS. 24-26,
the arm
202 pivots on the center of the output shaft of the speed reducer
203 in a clockwise direction (hereinafter, referred to as the "transfer
turn direction"). Therefore, in the case where the suction pads
201 hold
a support layer side of a plate P via suction in the state illustrated in FIG.
23, and then, as illustrated in FIGS. 24-26, the traveling member
204 is
driven by the motor
208 so as to move toward the transfer movement direction,
when the arm
202 pivots 180° in the transfer turn direction, the plate
P held via suction by the suction pads
201 is turned, such that the plate's
faces are reversed (i.e., the support layer of the plate P faces downwards), while
experiencing bending stress. Thereafter, as illustrated in FIG. 26, a leading end
of the plate P will be sandwiched between a pair of transfer rollers
212
and
213 for transferring the plate P to the image recording apparatus.
In some cases, when the arm
202 transfers the plate P, a slip sheet S
adhering
to a back face of the plate P can also be transferred together depending on the
type of the slip sheet S and an environmental condition such as static electricity.
In order to solve such a problem, the plate supplying apparatus
200 disclosed
in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-247489 performs, for example,
a so-called separating operation during transfer of the plate P held via suction
by the suction pads
201 by causing the plate P to stand still, or vibrate,
for a prescribed period, thereby peeling off the slip sheet S adhering to the back
face of the plate P.
Referring to FIG. 27, described next is an exemplary operation of peeling
off the slip sheet S by swinging the arm
202 for a prescribed time period.
FIG. 27 is a graph illustrating movements of the arm
202 swinging for a
prescribed time period with respect to the speed of the traveling member
204
moving toward the transfer movement direction and the angle of the arm
202
in the transfer turn direction. In FIG. 27, the speed of the traveling member
204
moving from the position in FIG. 23 toward the transfer movement direction is indicated
by a positive value, and the angle of the arm
202 in the transfer turn direction
is indicated on the assumption that the arm
202 in the state of FIG. 23
is set at an angle of 0°.
In FIG. 27, when the arm
202 is placed at 0° in the transfer turn
direction, a plate P is held via suction by the suction pads
201 (the state
of FIG. 23). Then, the traveling member
204 moves toward the transfer movement
direction until the arm
202 reaches an angle a. Thereafter, in a section
from the angle a to an angle b, the traveling member
204 repeatedly makes
a slight movement toward the transfer movement direction and a pause. When the
arm
202 reaches the angle b, the traveling member
204 moves backwards
in an anti-transfer movement direction until the arm
202 returns to the
angle a. Then again, in the section from the angle a to the angle b, the traveling
member
204 repeatedly makes a slight movement toward the transfer movement
direction and a pause. The plate supplying apparatus
200 repeats the above-described
operation a prescribed number of times, and thereafter transfers the plate P held
via suction by the suction pads
201 toward the image recording apparatus
in a manner as described above.
However, in such a conventional plate supplying apparatus
200 which
is configured to peel off the slip sheet S adhering to the back face of the plate
P by causing the plate P to stand still for a prescribed time period during transfer,
the reliability of peeling off the slip sheet S is low. In some cases, the slip
sheet S adhering to the back face of the plate P can be transferred together with
the plate P.
In the above-described case of peeling off the slip sheet S adhering to the back
face of the plate P by swinging the arm
202 for a prescribed time period,
it is necessary to increase the angle b in order to reliably peel off the slip
sheet S. For example, the separating operation is performed with settings of the
angle a=10° and the angle b=40°. When the separating operation is performed
with such angle settings, bending stress is generated by the stiffness of the plate
P in accordance with the angle of the arm
202. The bending stress pushes
the plate P toward the direction of the cassette
206. As described above,
in the section from the angle a to the angle b, vibration is applied to the plate
P. Accordingly, the pushing force due to the bending stress and the vibration are
simultaneously applied to the plate P, and therefore, in some cases, friction is
caused between pushed portions of the plate P, resulting in damage to an image
recording layer of the plate P.
In recent years, there have been needs of plates having a large area and/or a
large thickness, and simultaneous supply of a plurality of such plates, for example.
In the case of using the conventional plate supplying apparatus
200 to transfer
such plates having a large area and/or a large thickness, a large moment of force
is applied to the arm
202. Therefore, a drive force of the motor
208
for driving the traveling member
204 is required to be increased, resulting
in a cost increase.
Further, in the case of using the conventional plate supplying apparatus
200 to transfer the plate P, bending stress is applied to the plate P in
a manner as described above, and therefore, a repulsive force is generated in a
direction of causing the plate P to be detached from the suction pads
201.
Such a repulsive force becomes larger with an increase of the thickness of the
plate P. For example, in the case of transferring a plate P having a thickness
of 0.4 mm, the repulsive force is large as compared to the suction force of the
suction pads
201, and therefore, in some cases, the plate P can be dropped
from the suction pads
201 during transfer.
In order to prevent such a drop of the plate P, it is conceivable to increase
a pivoting radius of the suction pads
201 to reduce the repulsive force.
In such a case, for example, the arm
202 is required to be lengthened, resulting
in upsizing of the plate transfer mechanism. Moreover, the drive force of the motor
208 is required to be increased, leading to the upsizing and cost increase
of the plate supplying apparatus
200.
In order to prevent the drop of the plate P, it is also conceivable to set the
suction force of the suction pads
201 so as to exceed the repulsive force
by increasing negative pressure supplied to the suction pads
201. However,
in the case of using a large suction force, which has been set so as to exceed
the repulsive force, in order to secure a plate P having a small thickness (e.g.,
0.15 mm) via suction, the plate P having such a small thickness may be deformed
by such a large suction force. Accordingly, it is necessary to control the negative
pressure supplied to the suction pads
201 in accordance with the thickness
of the plate P to be transferred. Thus, a mechanism for detecting the thickness
of the plate P and a mechanism for controlling the negative pressure are required,
leading to a cost increase of the plate supplying apparatus
200.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a plate supplying
apparatus capable of preventing an image recording layer of a plate from being
damaged when shaking a slip sheet off the plate.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a plate supplying apparatus
capable of reducing a moment of force applied to an arm when transferring a plate,
thereby reducing the cost of a motor for driving the arm.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a plate supplying
apparatus capable of supplying a plate of any thickness without increasing the
size of the apparatus itself by reducing a repulsive force generated in the plate
being transferred such that its faces are reversed, thereby preventing a drop of
the plate during transfer.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a plate supplying
apparatus capable of successfully taking a plate from the top of a pile of plates
stored in a cassette placed in a plate supply position, and supplying the plate
such that its faces are reversed.
The present invention has the following features to attain the objects mentioned above.
A first aspect of the present invention is directed to a plate supplying apparatus
for supplying a plate, which is transferred such that its faces are reversed, from
a pile of plates each alternating with a slip sheet. The apparatus includes: a
storage section for storing the pile of plates each alternating with the slip sheet;
a plate suction section for sucking a proximal end portion of a plate present at
the top of the pile of plates stored in the storage section, the proximal end portion
being nearer to the plate suction section; a base member for supporting the plate
suction section; a moving and pivoting mechanism for moving the plate suction section
and the base member in a direction toward a portion of the plate opposite to the
proximal end portion, while causing at least the plate suction section to pivot,
thereby transferring the plate sucked by the plate suction section such that its
faces are reversed; a vertical movement mechanism for causing the plate suction
section to move up and down with respect to the base member; a control section
for controlling movement of each of the plate suction section, the moving and pivoting
mechanism, and the vertical movement mechanism; and a supplying section for supplying
the plate transferred by the moving and pivoting mechanism toward another equipment
device. The control section controls the plate suction section so as to suck the
plate, and then controls the vertical movement mechanism so as to cause the plate
suction section to move up and down, thereby performing a separating operation
for shaking off a slip sheet adhering to a back face of the plate, and thereafter
the control section controls the moving and pivoting mechanism so as to transfer
toward the supplying section the plate on which the separating operation has been
performed by the vertical movement mechanism.
In the plate supplying apparatus according to the first aspect, vibration in a
vertical direction is applied to the plate sucked by the plate suction section
in order to shake off a slip sheet from that plate, and therefore only slight bending
stress is applied to the plate, so that the plate is not pushed hard toward the
direction of the storage section. Thus, it is possible to prevent the plate from
being damaged by friction.
The control section may control the plate suction section so as to suck the plate,
and then may control the vertical movement mechanism so as to cause the plate suction
section to repeat a slight ascent or descent and a pause, thereby shaking off the
slip sheet adhering to the back face of the plate. In this case, in order to shake
off the slip sheet from the plate sucked by the plate suction section, the plate
suction section is caused to repeat a slight ascent or descent and a pause, thereby
applying various vibrations to the plate. Thus, it is possible to reliably peel
off the slip sheet adhering to the back face of the plate.
The control section may control the plate suction section so as to suck the plate,
and then may control the moving and pivoting mechanism so as to cause the plate
suction section and the base member to pivot a prescribed angle, and thereafter
the control section may control the vertical movement mechanism so as to cause
the plate suction section to move up and down, thereby shaking off the slip sheet
adhering to the back face of the plate. In this case, the prescribed angle is formed
between the plate sucked by the plate suction section and the pile of plates and
slip sheets stored in the storage section, thereby improving the efficiency of
peeling off the slip sheet adhering to the sucked plate. Thus, it is possible to
prevent the peeled slip sheet from adhering to the plate again. Moreover, the position
of another end of the plate opposite to an end portion at which the plate is sucked
can be stabilized, and therefore it is possible to prevent friction between the
sucked plate and another plate or slip sheet during the up and down movement of
the plate suction section.
The control section may control the vertical movement mechanism so as to shorten
a distance between the base member and a position at which the plate suction section
sucks the plate, and then may control the moving and pivoting mechanism so as to
cause the plate suction section and the base member to move while pivoting, thereby
transferring the plate. In this case, a moment of force required for causing the
plate suction section and the base member to pivot is reduced, whereby it is possible
to reduce the capacity of the driving source for supplying the moment of force,
resulting in cost reduction. Further, the control section may control the vertical
movement mechanism so as to cause the plate suction section to further move up
or down such that the proximal end of the plate, which has been transferred by
the moving and pivoting mechanism such that its faces are reversed, is aligned
with the supplying section. Accordingly, positional setting of the supplying section
for supplying the plate to another equipment device can be previously made in accordance
with an adjustable range of the vertical movement mechanism, and therefore it is
possible to readily modify the plate supplying apparatus in accordance with the
height of an apparatus located in the subsequent stage.
In one exemplary case, the control section may control the vertical movement
mechanism
so as to adjust, in accordance with a vertical position of the plate present at
the top of the pile of plates stored in the storage section within the plate supplying
apparatus, a distance between the base member and a position at which the plate
suction section sucks the plate present at the top of the pile of plates, and after
the adjustment of the distance, the control section controls the plate suction
section so as to suck the proximal end portion of the plate present at the top
of the pile of plates. In another exemplary case, the control section may control
the vertical movement mechanism so as to adjust, in accordance with a remaining
amount of the pile of plates stored in the storage section, a distance between
the base member and a position at which the plate suction section sucks the plate
present at the top of the pile of plates, and then the control section may control
the plate suction section so as to suck the proximal end portion of the plate present
at the top of the pile of plates. In either case, it is possible to appropriately
suck the plate in accordance with the height or the remaining amount of plates
stored in the storage section.
The storage section may store a plurality of piles of plates side-by-side, each
plate alternating with a slip sheet, the plate supplying apparatus may include
a plurality of plate suction sections each provided for a corresponding one of
the piles of plates stored in the storage section, the plate supplying apparatus
may include a plurality of vertical movement mechanisms each provided for a corresponding
one of the plate suction sections. The control section may control each of the
vertical movement mechanisms so as to adjust, in accordance with a remaining amount
of each pile of plates stored in the storage section, a distance between the base
member and a position at which each of the plate suction sections sucks a plate
present at the top of a corresponding one of the piles of plates, and then the
control section may control each of the plate suction sections so as to suck a
proximal end portion, which is nearer to that plate suction section, of the plate
present at the top of the corresponding one of the piles of plates. Thus, it is
possible to appropriately suck the plates in accordance with the remaining amount
of each of the piles of plates stored side-by-side in the storage section.
Specifically, the vertical movement mechanism includes: a rod having
the plate suction section provided at an end portion thereof; and a rod expansion
and contraction mechanism for moving the rod along a longitudinal direction of
the rod with respect to the base member.
A second aspect of the present invention is directed to a plate supplying apparatus
for supplying a plate, which is transferred such that its faces are reversed, from
a pile of plates. The apparatus includes: a storage section for storing the pile
of plates; a plate suction section for sucking a proximal end portion of a plate
present at the top of the pile of plates stored in the storage section, the proximal
end portion being nearer to the plate suction section; a base member for supporting
the plate suction section; a moving and pivoting mechanism for moving the plate
suction section and the base member in a direction toward a portion of the plate
opposite to the proximal end portion, while causing at least the plate suction
section to pivot, thereby transferring the plate sucked by the plate suction section
such that its faces are reversed; a vertical movement mechanism for causing the
plate suction section to move up and down with respect to the base member; a control
section for controlling movement of each of the plate suction section, the moving
and pivoting mechanism, and the vertical movement mechanism; and a supplying section
for supplying the plate transferred by the moving and pivoting mechanism toward
another equipment device. The control section controls the plate suction section
so as to suck the plate, and then controls the vertical movement mechanism so as
to cause the plate suction section to move up and down, thereby performing a separating
operation for shaking off another plate adhering to a back face of the plate sucked
by the plate suction section, and thereafter the control section controls the moving
and pivoting mechanism so as to transfer toward the supplying section the plate
on which the separating operation has been performed by the vertical movement mechanism.
In the plate supplying apparatus according to the second aspect, vibration in
a vertical direction is applied to the plate sucked by the plate suction section
in order to shake off another plate adhering thereto, and therefore only slight
bending stress is applied to the plate, so that the plate is not pushed hard toward
the direction of the storage section. Thus, it is possible to prevent the plate
from being damaged by friction.
A third aspect of the present invention is directed to a plate supplying apparatus
for supplying a plate which is transferred such that its faces are reversed, the
plate being present at the top of a pile of plates. The apparatus includes: a storage
section for storing the pile of plates; a raising and lowering mechanism for raising
and lowering the storage section; a plate suction section for sucking a proximal
end portion of the plate present at the top of the pile of plates stored in the
storage section placed in a first position, the proximal end portion being nearer
to the plate suction section; a moving and pivoting mechanism for moving the plate
suction section in a direction toward a portion of the plate opposite to the proximal
end portion, while causing at least the plate suction section to pivot, thereby
transferring the plate sucked by the plate suction section such that its faces
are reversed; a control section for controlling movement of each of the plate suction
section, the raising and lowering mechanism, and the moving and pivoting mechanism;
and a supplying section for supplying the plate transferred by the moving and pivoting
mechanism toward another equipment device. The control section controls the raising
and lowering mechanism so as to cause the storage section to move to the first
position, and then controls the plate suction section so as to suck the plate,
and thereafter the control section controls the raising and lowering mechanism
so as to lower the storage section from the first position to a second position,
and then controls the moving and pivoting mechanism so as to transfer the plate
toward the supplying section, while keeping the storage section placed in the second position.
In the plate supplying apparatus according to the third aspect, when the moving
and pivoting mechanism transfers the plate sucked by the plate suction section
from the storage section, the raising and lowering mechanism lowers the storage
section to the second position, and then supplies the plate to the supplying section
such that the plate's faces are reversed. Accordingly, bending radius R of the
plate when the plate supplying apparatus according to the third aspect transfers
the plate is increased as the storage section moves down, and therefore bending
stress applied to the plate is reduced, resulting in reduction of a repulsive force
generated in a direction of causing the plate to be detached from the plate suction
section. That is, reduction of the repulsive force is realized even when the plate
is thick, and therefore it is possible to prevent a drop of the plate during transfer.
Moreover, in the plate supplying apparatus of the third aspect, the second position
in which the storage section is placed is set in accordance with the type or size
of the plate to be transferred, and therefore it is possible to prevent a drop
of the plate during transfer without increasing the size and cost of the apparatus
and/or suction force of the plate suction section.
The control section may control the plate suction section so as to suck the plate,
and then may control the moving and pivoting mechanism so as to cause the plate
suction section to pivot a prescribed angle, and thereafter the control section
may control the raising and lowering mechanism so as to lowering the storage section
to the second position. Thus, it is possible to stabilize the position of another
end of the plate opposite to an end portion at which the plate is sucked, and therefore
it is possible to prevent the plate from moving to a direction in which friction
is caused between the plate and another plate.
The storage section may store a pile of plates each alternating with a slip sheet.
In this case, the control section controls the suction section so as to suck the
plate, and then controls the raising and lowering mechanism so as to lower the
storage section from the first position to the second position, and thereafter
the control section controls the moving and pivoting mechanism to cause the plate
suction section to move back and forth, while pivoting, thereby performing a separating
operation for shaking off a slip sheet adhering to a back face of the plate, and
to transfer to the supplying section the plate on which the separating operation
has been performed. Accordingly, even in the case of the separating operation in
which various vibrations are applied to the plate to be transferred in order to
shake off a slip sheet adhering to the back face of the plate, the storage section
is lowered to the second position for performing the separating operation, and
therefore it is possible to prevent a drop of the plate during the separating operation.
A fourth aspect of the present invention is directed to a plate supplying apparatus
for supplying a plate which is transferred such that its faces are reversed. The
apparatus includes: a plurality of storage sections each provided for storing a
pile of plates; a plate suction section for sucking a proximal end portion of a
plate present at the top of the pile of plates stored in a storage section, the
proximal end portion being nearer to the plate suction section; a base member for
supporting the plate suction section; a moving and pivoting mechanism for moving
the plate suction section and the base member in a direction toward a portion of
the plate opposite to the proximal end portion, while causing at least the plate
suction section to pivot, thereby transferring the plate sucked by the plate suction
section such that its faces are reversed; a distance adjusting mechanism for adjusting
a distance between the base member and the plate suction section; a supplying section
for supplying the plate transferred by the moving and pivoting mechanism toward
another equipment device, and a control section for controlling the plate suction
section, the distance adjusting mechanism, and the moving and pivoting mechanism,
wherein after the distance adjusting mechanism is controlled so as to move the
plate suction section with respect to the base member to cause a portion of the
plate suction section which sucks the plate to be in contact with the plate present
at the top of the pile of plates stored in the storage section, the plate suction
section is controlled so as to suck the proximal end portion of the plate present
at the top of the pile of plates, and thereafter the moving and pivoting mechanism
is controlled so as to transferring the plate to the supplying section while turning
over the plate.
In the plate supplying apparatus according to the fourth aspect, a plate present
at the top of a pile of plates stored in a storage section can be reliably secured
via suction by the plate suction section regardless of the vertical position of
the plate to be transferred, which varies due to, for example, a remaining amount
of plates in the storage section or an error in a vertical position of the storage
section within the plate supplying apparatus. Accordingly, the plate is not detached
from the plate suction section when the moving and pivoting mechanism transfers
the plate to the supplying section while turning over the plate. Thus, it is possible
to reliably supply the plate.
The plate supplying apparatus may further include: a multicassette section for
accommodating the plurality of storage sections stacked together in a vertical
direction; and a sliding mechanism for horizontally moving a storage section selected
from among the plurality of storage sections to a plate supply position below the
moving and pivoting mechanism. In this case, the distance adjusting mechanism moves
the plate suction section with respect to the base member so as to cause the plate
suction section to be in contact with the plate present at the top of the pile
of plates stored in the storage section. Specifically, the distance adjusting mechanism
includes: a rod having the plate suction section provided at an end thereof; and
a rod expansion and contraction mechanism for moving the rod along a longitudinal
direction of the rod with respect to the base member.
These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention
will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present
invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an image recording system including a plate
supplying apparatus according to a first embodiment;
FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the image recording system illustrated in
FIG. 1;
FIGS. 3A to 3C are views illustrating states where plates P of various sizes
are stored in a cassette 9 illustrated in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a view used for explaining the overall operation of a plate transfer
mechanism 400 viewed from a side direction of an autoloader section 4
according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is another view used for explaining the overall operation of the plate
transfer mechanism 400 viewed from the side direction of the autoloader
section 4 according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a still another view used for explaining the overall operation of
the plate transfer mechanism 400 viewed from the side direction of the autoloader
section 4 according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a still another view used for explaining the overall operation of
the plate transfer mechanism 400 viewed from the side direction of the autoloader
section 4 according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a top view used for explaining the plate transfer mechanism 400
according to the first embodiment of the present invention and illustrating the
autoloader section 4 together with a conveyer section 8;
FIG. 9 is a front view of the plate transfer mechanism 400 according
to the first embodiment of the present invention which is in the state of FIG.
7 and viewed from a direction A indicated in FIG. 7;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a portion of one of a pair of structures
included in the plate transfer mechanism 400 illustrated in FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 illustrates graphs used for explaining vertical movement of pad rods
403 with respect to a loader base 412, i.e., adjustment of the stroke
length of the pad rods 403;
FIG. 12 is a view for explaining the overall operation of the plate transfer
mechanism 400 viewed from a direction of one side thereof in an exemplary
case where an air-blowing section 500 is provided to the autoloader section
4 according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary case where suction pads 401
are caused to individually move up and down in the plate transfer mechanism 400
according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 14 is a schematic top view of an image recording system according to a
second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 15 is a side view illustrating a structure of a slide mechanism according
to the second embodiment of the present invention, which is provided across a multicassette
section 3 and the autoloader section 4, and a structure of a raising
and lowering mechanism 150 provided in the autoloader section 4;
FIG. 16 is a top view illustrating the structure of the raising and lowering
mechanism 150 provided in the autoloader section 4 according to the
second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of principal portions viewed from a direction A
indicated by an arrow shown in FIG. 15, which illustrates relationships among the
cassette 9, the slide mechanism, and the raising and lowering mechanism
150 within the multicassette section 3 according to the second embodiment
of the present invention;
FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of principal portions viewed from the direction
A shown in FIG. 15, which illustrates relationships among the cassette 9,
the slide mechanism, and the raising and lowering mechanism 150 within the
autoloader section 4 according to the second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 19 is a view used for explaining the overall operation of both the plate
transfer mechanism 400 and the raising and lowering mechanism 150
viewed from a side direction of the autoloader section 4 according to the
second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 20 is another view used for explaining the overall operation of both the
plate transfer mechanism 400 and the raising and lowering mechanism 150
viewed from a side direction of the autoloader section 4 according to the
second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 21 is a still another view used for explaining the overall operation of
both the plate transfer mechanism 400 and the raising and lowering mechanism
150 viewed from a side direction of the autoloader section 4 according
to the second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 22 is a still another view used for explaining the overall operation of
both the plate transfer mechanism 400 and the raising and lowering mechanism
150 viewed from a side direction of the autoloader section 4 according
to the second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 23 is one of views used for explaining a series of operation of a plate
transfer mechanism which is included in a conventional plate supplying apparatus
200 and used for transferring plates P from a cassette 206 toward
an image recording apparatus;
FIG. 24 is another one of the views used for explaining a series of operation
of the plate transfer mechanism which is included in the conventional plate supplying
apparatus 200 and used for transferring plates P from the cassette 206
toward the image recording apparatus;
FIG. 25 is still another one of the views used for explaining a series of operation
of the plate transfer mechanism which is included in the conventional plate supplying
apparatus 200 and used for transferring plates P from the cassette 206
toward the image recording apparatus;
FIG. 26 is still another one of the views used for explaining a series of operation
of the plate transfer mechanism which is included in the conventional plate supplying
apparatus 200 and used for transferring plates P from the cassette 206
toward the image recording apparatus; and
FIG. 27 is a graph illustrating movements of an arm 202 illustrated in
FIG. 23 swinging for a prescribed time period with respect to the speed of a traveling
member 204 moving toward a transfer movement direction and the angle of
the arm 202 in a transfer turn direction.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
(First Embodiment)
A plate supplying apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention
will be described below. FIG.
1 is a perspective view of an image recording
system including the plate supplying apparatus according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the image recording system illustrated in FIG. 1.
In FIGS. 1 and 2, the image recording system includes: a plate supplying section
2 used for storing plates P into each of a plurality of cassettes
9;
a multicassette section
3 accommodating the plurality of cassettes
9
stacked together in a vertical direction; a plate supplying apparatus
4
(hereinafter, referred to as the "autoloader section
4") for taking a plate
P out from a cassette
9 having moved to a plate supply position and transferring
that plate P; a feed and ejection tray section
5 having a plate feed tray
131 and a plate ejection tray
132; a conveyer section
8; an
image recording section
6 for recording an image onto the plate P; and a
transfer mechanism
7 for transferring the plate P on which the image has
been recorded by the image recording section
6 to an automatic developing
apparatus (not shown) located in the subsequent stage.
The conveyer section
8 is operable to transfer the plate P from the autoloader
section
4 to the feed and ejection tray section
5. As indicated by
a double-headed arrow in FIG. 2, the conveyer section
8 is configured to
flip up on one end in order to increase the maintenanceability of the entire system.
As mentioned above, in this image recording system, the multicassette section
3 accommodates the plurality of cassettes
9 in a stacked manner.
When plates P stored in one of the plurality of cassettes
9 are transferred
to the image recording section
6, a slide mechanism (not shown) is used
to move that one cassette
9 from the multicassette section
3 to the
autoloader section
4. Then, a raising and lowering mechanism
150
controlled by an electronic section
450, which will be described later,
raises or lowers the cassette
9 to a plate supply position illustrated in
FIG. 2.
When storing new plates P into one of the plurality of cassettes
9 accommodated
in the multicassette section
3, the sliding mechanism as mentioned above
is used to move that one cassette
9 to the autoloader section
4.
The raising and lowering mechanism
150 raise or lowers the cassette
9
to a cassette ejection position at the same level as that of a cassette holder
11 in a horizontal position illustrated in FIG. 2. Thereafter, the cassette
9 in the autoloader section
4 is caused to move along a guiding member
(not shown) into the cassette holder
11 in the plate supplying section
2.
The cassette holder
11 is pivotably provided in the plate supplying section
2. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the cassette holder
11 is driven by
a motor (not shown) so as to rock between a horizontal position and an inclined
position. When the cassette
9 moves between the autoloader section
4
and the cassette holder
11, the cassette holder
11 is set in the
horizontal position. Accordingly, when storing relatively small plates P into the
cassette
9 having moved into the cassette holder
11, those small
plates P can be stored without changing the horizontal position of the cassette
holder
11. However, when storing relatively large plates P into the cassette
9, the cassette holder
11 is set in the inclined position, so that
those large plates P can be readily stored into the cassette
9 without being
bent. As described above, each plate P is a presensitized (PS) plate including
a support layer and an image recording layer. The plates P are stored into the
cassette
9 such that their image recording layers face downwards, and each
plate P alternates with a slip sheet for preventing frictions between plates.
Plates P to be transferred to the image recording section
6 by the
autoloader section
4 are taken out from the cassette
9 placed in
the plate supply position illustrated in FIG. 2. The autoloader section
4
includes: a plate transfer mechanism
400 having a plurality of movable arms
each including plate suction pads which will be described later; a slip sheet transfer
mechanism
81; a vacuum pump
451 connected via an electromagnetic
valve
452 and a hose (not shown) so as to be in communication with suction
pads of each of the plate transfer mechanism
400 and the slip sheet transfer
mechanism
81; and the electronic section
450 for controlling all
the above-mentioned elements included in the autoloader section
4. Each
plate P contained in the cassette
9 placed in the plate supply position
is held at its support layer side via suction by the suction pads of the plate
transfer mechanism
400, and then reversed by causing the movable arm to
move while pivoting. Thereafter, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the plate P is transferred
toward the conveyer section
8. The plate P transferred to the conveyer section
8 is further transferred with its support layer facing downwards to the
plate feed tray
131 of the feed and ejection tray section
5.
As described above, a plurality of plates P are piled in the cassette
9
such that each plate P alternates with a slip sheet. In order to eject the slip
sheet, the autoloader section
4 includes the slip sheet transfer mechanism
81 having movable slip sheet suction pads. The slip sheet transfer mechanism
81 secures the slip sheet via suction by the slip sheet suction pads each
time the movable arm of the plate transfer mechanism
400 takes the plate
P out from the cassette
9. In the state where the slip sheet is secured
via suction by the slip sheet suction pads, the slip sheet suction pads are caused
to move to a prescribed position, thereby ejecting the slip sheet from the autoloader
section
4 (i.e., the plate supplying apparatus) into a slip sheet container
10. Slip sheets ejected into the slip sheet container
10 are compressed
by a slip sheet press
43 attached to the back face of the cassette holder
11 as illustrated in FIG. 2, so that a volume of the slip sheets in the
slip sheet container
10 is reduced.
The image recording section
6 includes a cylindrical recording drum
101
and a recording head
102. The recording drum
101 is driven by a motor
(not shown) so as to rotate about its cylindrical shaft, thereby carrying a plate
P placed around the perimeter thereof. The recording head
102 is operable
to record an image on the plate P placed around the perimeter of the recording
drum
101. The recording head
102 includes a large number of light
emitting devices for outputting optical beams obtained via modulation performed
in accordance with an image signal or the like.
A plate P mounted on the feed tray
131 is transferred to the recording
drum
101 provided in the image recording section
6. Then, the plate P
is placed around the perimeter of the recording drum
101 with its image
recording layer facing outwards, and then rotated about the cylindrical shaft of
the recording drum
101. In this state, the recording head
102 irradiates
the image recording layer of the plate P with the optical beams obtained via modulation
performed in accordance with the image signal or the like. Thereafter, the plate
P on which an image has been recorded is ejected via the plate ejection tray
132
into the transfer mechanism
7.
Referring to FIGS. 3A to 3C, a structure of the cassette
9 will
now be described. FIGS. 3A to 3C are views illustrating states where plates P of
various sizes are stored in the cassette
9.
In each of FIGS. 3A to 3C, a reference guide board
58, which is used as
a positional reference of plates P of any sizes, is provided as a front wall of
the cassette
9 (illustrated in a bottom direction of FIGS. 3A to 3C). In
order to store a plurality of plates P of various sizes side-by-side in the cassette
9, a plurality of grooves
56 for attaching positioning members
57
used for positioning the plurality of plates P of various sizes are formed in a
bottom face of the cassette
9. For example, in the case of storing a relatively
large plate P in the cassette
9 as illustrated in FIG. 3A, that plate P
is placed with one end along the reference guide board
58 and the other
ends (in top, right, and left directions of FIG. 3A) along the positioning members
57 attached in the grooves
56. Alternatively, in the case of storing
two plates P having the same size in the cassette
9 as illustrated in FIG.
3B, the two plates P are placed with one end along the reference guide board
58
and the other ends along the positioning members
57 attached in the grooves
56. Alternatively still, in the case of storing two plates P having different
sizes in the cassette
9 as illustrated in FIG. 3C, the two plates P are
placed with one end along the reference guide board
58 and the other ends
along the positioning members
57 attached in the grooves
56. In this
manner, in any one of the above cases, each plate P stored in the cassette
9
is positioned with one end contacting the reference guide board
58 and the
other three ends contacting the positioning members
57 attached in the grooves
56.
Referring to FIGS. 4 to 7, described next are a schematic structure and
a transfer operation of the plate transfer mechanism
400 for transferring
plates P from the cassette
9 placed in the plate supply position toward
the conveyer section
8. FIGS. 4 to 7 are views used for explaining the overall
operation of the plate transfer mechanism
400 viewed from a side direction
of the autoloader section
4. Note that the plate transfer mechanism
400
has a pair of structures in order to transfer two plates P stored side-by-side
as described above. In the following description of the plate transfer mechanism
400, "a" is added to each end of reference numerals of elements included
in one of the pair of structures (i.e., the structure on the side shown in FIG.
2), and "b" is added to each end of reference numerals of elements included in
the other one of the pair of structures (i.e., a structure which can be seen from
the side opposite to the side shown in FIG. 2). Elements having the same function
and similarly operated in the pair of structures may be generically denoted by
the same reference numerals without "a" or "b" added thereto.
The plate transfer mechanism
400 transfers plates P from the cassette
9 having moved to a plate supply position (as illustrated in FIG. 4) toward
the conveyer section
8. The plate transfer mechanism
400 includes
a pair of linear bush holders
407 each traveling along a slide rail
444
by receiving drive from an endless synchronous belt
442 which is caused
to move rotationally by drive of a loader movement motor
440. The synchronous
belt
442 is looped over a pair of drive pulleys
443 and
448
so as to move rotationally. A drive force of the loader movement motor
440
is transmitted to the synchronous belt
442 by rotating a drive pulley
448a
via a belt
441. The drive force is transmitted to a drive pulley
448b,
which is included in the other one of the pair of structures, via a horizontal
shaft (not shown) having opposite ends to which either one of the drive pulleys
448a and
448b is connected and secured. The loader
movement motor
440 rotates the pair of drive pulleys
448a and
448b in phase with each other. Each linear bush holder
407
has a coupling member
408 secured thereon. The coupling member
408
holds the synchronous belt
442 by sandwiching the synchronous belt
442
between two separate portions so as to receive the drive therefrom. Each linear
bush holder
407 also includes a speed reducer
405 having a loader
reversing pinion gear
406 to be engaged with a rack rail
445 provided
in parallel with the slide rail
444. The speed reducer
405 is connected
to a plurality of pad rods
403 via a coupling shaft and a loader base (not
shown). The coupling shaft, the loader base, and the pad rods
403 are provided
so as to pivot reversibly on the center of the coupling shaft at a pivoting speed
controlled by the speed reducer
405. The pad rods
403 are connected
at one end to either one of a pair of support boards
402 which will be described
later. Each support board
402 includes a plurality of suction pads
401
for holding a plate P via suction. A pad rod vertical movement motor
411
is secured on the loader base. The pad rod vertical movement motor
411 causes
the pad rods
403 to move with respect to the loader base, so as to change
a distance between the loader base and the suction pads
401 provided at
the end of the pad rod
403 (hereinafter, such a distance is referred to
as the "stroke length" of the pad rods
403). Specifically, in order to cause
the pad rods
403 to move up and down with respect to the loader base, the
pad rod vertical movement motor
411 substantially causes the pad rods
403
to expand and contract. The detailed description of the above-described elements
included in the plate transfer mechanism
400 will be provided later.
The pad rods
403 are connected at one end to a plurality of support rollers
404 for supporting a leading end portion of a plate P from the back face
thereof when transferring that plate P. The loader base is coupled to a plurality
of arms
409 each having a plurality of support rollers
410 provided
at one end thereof. The support rollers
410 are used for supporting a central
portion of the plate P from the back face thereof.
In the case where the plate transfer mechanism
400 having the above-described
structure is in the state illustrated in FIG. 4, when the linear bush holder
407
is driven by the loader movement motor
440 so as to move toward a direction
to the right (hereinafter, referred to as the "transfer movement direction"), as
illustrated in FIGS. 5-7, the pad rods
403 pivot on the center of the coupling
shaft of the speed reducer
405 in a clockwise direction (hereinafter, referred
to as the "transfer turn direction"; the following description is provided on the
assumption that the pad rods
403 in the state of FIG. 4 are set at an angle
of 0° in the transfer turn direction). Therefore, in the case where the suction
pads
401 hold a proximal end portion, which is nearer to the suction pads,
of a support layer side of a plate P via suction in the state illustrated in FIG.
4, and then, as illustrated in FIGS. 5-7, the linear bush holder
407 is
driven by the loader movement motor
440 so as to move toward the transfer
movement direction, when the pad rods
403 pivot 180° in the transfer
turn direction, the plate P held via suction by the suction pads
401
