Closed-loop stacker control using stack topography to avoid jams
US10011453B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 24, 2017 |
| Grant date | Jul 3, 2018 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 24, 2037 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB65H2801/06
- WIPO fieldHandling
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A sheet stacking system is disclosed that has improved tolerance for sheets that are not flat. Successive sheets are aligned onto a stack by a plurality of registration belts. The heights of the pivoting registration belts are compared with one another to determine the unevenness of the top of the stack. This unevenness is represented by the difference between the heights of the highest and lowest registration belt Δstack-height and is monitored to quantify the planarity of the top of the stack. When the unevenness (Δstack-height) exceeds a threshold, the system switches to a modified method to control the elevation of the stack. This method may include stopping the machine from stacking before the unevenness is too large for the registration belts to uniformly drive sheets. This invention prevents the stacker from attempting to stack when sheets are expected to skew thereby preventing jams and unusable stacks.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.