Conveying device and conveying method

Abstract

A conveyance device (100) is provided with: a sheet-like feed sheet (20) provided with an adhesion section (21) that adheres to a sheet (S); a guide drive mechanism (30) that grips the feed sheet (20) and moves the feed sheet (20) along a conveyance path of the sheet (S) formed by the conveyance rollers (10); and a bonding mechanism (50) that bonds the sheet (S) and the fed sheet (20) by pressing the bonding section (21) against the sheet (S).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a conveying device and a conveying method for a sheet material. Background Art

[0002] In the past, a device for passing a film between a plurality of conveying rollers has been proposed (for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-1855). The paper feeding device of Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-1855 comprises: a plurality of guide members, which are respectively arranged in areas away from both ends of the conveying roller to the outside relative to the conveying area of ​​the conveying film, so that the linear guide member travels along the conveying path of the film; and a fixing part, which is arranged on each linear guide member and is used to connect the rope for threading with the linear guide member. Summary of the invention

[0003] In the paper feeding device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-1855, it is necessary to connect a rope passed between a plurality of conveying rollers to a film to be conveyed. In addition, in the paper feeding device, after the film and the rope are connected, the rope is pulled from the device outlet side to pass the product film between the plurality of rollers. Such an operation is usually performed manually.

[0004] On the other hand, in the production of thin films, there is a demand to automate manual work such as the paper feed device described in Patent Document 1 from the viewpoint of improving work efficiency and reducing costs.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to automatically convey a supplied sheet.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a conveying device that conveys a supplied sheet along a length direction comprises: a plurality of conveying rollers for conveying the sheet; a sheet-shaped guide portion that is provided with a bonding portion that is bonded to the sheet; a guide drive mechanism that grips the guide portion and moves the guide portion along a conveying path of the sheet formed by the conveying rollers; and a bonding mechanism that presses the bonding portion to the sheet to bond the sheet to the guide portion.

[0007] In addition, according to one aspect of the present invention, a conveying method is provided, which conveys a supplied sheet along a length direction. The conveying method comprises: pressing an adhesive portion provided on a sheet-shaped guide portion against the sheet to adhere the guide portion and the sheet to each other, and moving the guide portion along a conveying path of the sheet formed by a plurality of conveying rollers to guide the sheet into the conveying path. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a thin film manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2AIt is a structural diagram showing the structure of the conveying device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a side view of the entire conveying device. Figure 2B It is a structural diagram showing the structure of the conveying device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a top view of the periphery of the handover position from the casting machine to the conveying device. Figure 3 It is a block diagram showing the structure of the conveying device according to the embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the sheet feeding and guide drive mechanism of the conveying device according to the embodiment of the present invention along the sheet surface. Figure 5 2 is a diagram showing a separation mechanism of a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2A The figure is viewed in the direction of arrow V. Fig. 6A This is a diagram for explaining a step of cutting a sheet by a sheet cutter in the conveying method according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a side view of the entire conveying device. Figure 6B This is a diagram for explaining a step of cutting a sheet by a sheet cutter in the conveying method according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a top view of the periphery of a handover position from a casting machine to a conveying device. Fig. 7A This is a diagram showing a state where a sheet is cut by a TD cutter in the conveying method according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a side view of the entire conveying device. Figure 7B This is a diagram showing a state where a sheet is cut by a TD cutter in the conveying method according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a top view of the periphery of a handover position from a casting machine to a conveying device. Fig. 8A This is a diagram showing a state in which the first plate and the second plate are retracted from the sheet in the conveying method according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a side view of the entire conveying device. Figure 8B This is a diagram showing a state where the first plate and the second plate are retracted from the sheet in the conveying method according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a top view of the periphery of the handover position from the casting machine to the conveying device. Fig.9A This is a diagram showing a state in which a sheet is introduced into a conveyance path in a conveyance method according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a side view of the entire conveyance device. Fig. 9B This is a diagram showing a state where a sheet is introduced into a conveyance path in a conveyance method according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a top view of the periphery of a handover position from a casting machine to a conveyance device. Fig. 10A This is a diagram showing a state in which a sheet is conveyed to a second collecting device in the conveying method according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a side view of the entire conveying device. Fig. 10B 1 is a diagram showing a state in which a sheet is conveyed to a second collecting device in the conveying method according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram showing a sheet and a sheet cutter viewed from an arrow XB. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] Hereinafter, a conveying device 100 and a thin film manufacturing device 1000 having the same according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in each of the drawings, for the sake of convenience of description, the scale of each structure is appropriately changed, and the drawings are not necessarily strictly illustrated. In addition, for a plurality of identical structures, sometimes only a part thereof is given a reference numeral, and the reference numerals are omitted for the other parts.

[0010] The thin film manufacturing device 1000 is, for example, a device for manufacturing thin film products. Figure 1 As shown, the film manufacturing apparatus 1000 includes a raw material supply device 101, an extruder 102, a T-die 103, a casting machine 104, a conveyor 100, and a longitudinal stretching machine 105. The raw material supply device 101, the extruder 102, the T-die 103, and the casting machine 104 can each adopt a known structure, so detailed illustration and description are omitted and briefly described below.

[0011] The raw material supply device 101 is supplied with raw materials (eg, resin and plasticizer) of a film product, and supplies the supplied raw materials to the extruder 102 .

[0012] The extruder 102 melts and kneads the raw materials supplied from the raw material supply device 101 and supplies the melted raw materials to the T-die 103. For example, a single-screw extruder having one screw is used as the extruder 102. Alternatively, the extruder 102 may be a twin-screw kneading extruder.

[0013] The T-die 103 forms the molten material continuously supplied from the extruder 102 into a sheet (ribbon) shape by extruding the molten material from the slit of the T-die 103. Hereinafter, the material formed into a sheet shape is simply referred to as "sheet S". The T-die 103 continuously supplies the sheet S in the longitudinal direction.

[0014] The casting machine 104 cools and solidifies the sheet S continuously supplied from the T-shaped die 103. Figure 2A As shown, the sheet S cooled and solidified by the casting machine 104 is conveyed downstream by the conveying rollers 104a and is recovered by the first recovery device 104b.

[0015] The specific structure of the conveying device 100 is described below. Figure 2AAs shown in the figure, three orthogonal axes are set as absolute coordinate axes, the X-axis direction is set as the "front-back direction", the Y-axis direction is set as the "left-right direction", and the Z-axis direction is set as the "up-down direction". The front-back direction and the left-right direction are directions parallel to the horizontal direction. The up-down direction is the direction along the vertical axis. In addition, as a direction based on the sheet S, the direction of conveying the sheet S is set as the "conveying direction", and the direction of specifying the thickness of the sheet S is set as the "thickness direction". The conveying direction is equivalent to the length direction of the sheet S, which is equivalent to the above-mentioned longitudinal direction. In the present embodiment, the width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction and the thickness direction is always consistent with the left-right direction of the conveying device 100, so the width direction of the sheet S is also referred to as the left-right direction.

[0016] like Figure 2A As shown, the outlet of the casting machine 104 is provided with a first recovery device 104b for recovering the sheet S that is cooled and solidified and conveyed by the conveying roller 104a. After the production of the film product begins, there may be cases where the properties of the sheet S are unstable, such as air entrainment (air mixing) in the sheet S, and the resin in the T-shaped die 103 deteriorates and turns yellow since the last production. Therefore, when the production of the film product begins, the sheet S is recovered by the first recovery device 104b until its properties are stable. The first recovery device 104b can utilize, for example, a winder that winds the sheet S on a reel, a crusher (crusher) that crushes the sheet S, and the like.

[0017] When the properties of the sheet S are stable, the sheet S is not recovered by the first recovery device 104b, but is supplied to the conveying device 100. The conveying device 100 conveys the sheet S toward the first recovery device 104b in the casting machine 104.

[0018] like Figure 2A and Figure 3 As shown, the conveying device 100 includes: a plurality of conveying rollers 10 for conveying a sheet S; a feed sheet 20 as a sheet-shaped guide portion, which is provided with a bonding portion 21 bonded to the sheet S; a guide drive mechanism 30, which grips the feed sheet 20 and moves the feed sheet 20 along the conveying path of the sheet S formed by the conveying rollers 10; a cutting mechanism 40, which cuts the front end of the sheet S supplied from the casting machine 104 along the conveying direction; a bonding mechanism 50, which presses the bonding portion 21 to the sheet S to bond the sheet S to the feed sheet 20; a second recovery device 60 (recovery mechanism), which is provided at the exit of the conveying path formed by the conveying rollers 10, and recovers the sheet S; and a control device 80, which controls the operation of the conveying device 100.

[0019] The plurality of conveying rollers 10 form a conveying path for conveying the sheet S supplied from the casting machine 104 in the longitudinal direction. The width (dimension in the left-right direction) of the plurality of conveying rollers 10 is formed to be at least larger than the width of the sheet S. The central axes of the plurality of conveying rollers 10 extend in the left-right direction, respectively. In FIG. 2 , the rotation direction of the conveying rollers 10 is indicated by an arrow.

[0020] In addition, in the present embodiment, part or all of two or more of the plurality of conveying rollers 10 of the conveying device 100 constitute Figure 1 The longitudinal stretching machine 105 is shown. The longitudinal stretching machine 105 stretches the sheet S in the longitudinal direction as the conveying direction to reduce the thickness, thereby manufacturing an original roll film.

[0021] The plurality of conveying rollers 10 are driven to rotate in a predetermined direction and speed around the central axis by a driving source such as an electric motor (not shown). In addition, the conveying rollers 10 located on the relatively downstream side of the conveying path are driven to rotate faster than the conveying rollers 10 located on the upstream side, so that the sheet S is stretched in the longitudinal direction by the rotation speed difference of the conveying rollers 10. In this way, the plurality of conveying rollers 10 function as a longitudinal stretching machine 105.

[0022] The feed sheet 20 is a sheet-shaped member made of a resin material, more specifically, the same material as the sheet S or the film product, and is made of a non-stretched material that does not generate compressive residual stress. By making the feed sheet 20 the same material as the film product, it is possible to use the waste parts such as the residual edge of the film product generated when the product is manufactured to manufacture the feed sheet 20, which can save energy and reduce costs. In addition, by using the film product in a non-stretched state as the feed sheet 20, it is possible to suppress deformation of the feed sheet 20 caused by temperature changes.

[0023] like Figure 2A , Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 , the guide drive mechanism 30 includes: a clamp 31 that clamps the feed sheet 20; and a clamp drive mechanism 35 that moves the clamp 31. Figure 4 In the figure, (a) shows the state where the front end of the feeding sheet 20 is gripped by the clamp 31, (b) shows the state where the rear end of the feeding sheet 20 is bonded to the narrow sheet portion S1 of the sheet S, and (c) shows the sheet S in the state where the wide sheet portion S2 is formed.

[0024] like Figure 2A As shown, the clamp drive mechanism 35 includes: a chain 36 formed in an annular shape to form a circulation path; a sprocket 37, which meshes with the chain 36 to circulate and drive the chain 36; and an electric motor 38 (see Figure 3 ), which drives sprocket 37.

[0025] like Figure 4As shown in FIG. 1 , the chain 36 is provided on one side of the sheet S in the left-right direction, specifically, on the right side of the sheet S. As shown in FIG.

[0026] The chain 36 forms a predetermined circulation path including a path along the conveyance path of the sheet S. Specifically, the chain 36 forms a circulation path that leads from the conveyance path formed by the conveyance rollers 10 to the entrance of the conveyance path via the second recovery device 60 .

[0027] A plurality of sprockets 37 are meshed with the chain 36, and the sprockets 37 are driven to rotate by the electric motor 38, thereby exerting a driving force for circulating the chain 36 meshed with the sprockets 37. A plurality of sprockets 37 are provided so that the chain 36 moves along a predetermined circulation path. In other words, the chain 36 is wound around the plurality of sprockets 37, thereby forming a predetermined circulation path including a path along the conveying path of the sheet S. Therefore, although not shown in the figure, the sprockets 37 are provided at positions corresponding to the conveying rollers 10 so that a portion of the circulation path of the chain 36 is along the conveying path of the sheet S formed by the conveying rollers 10.

[0028] The driving force of the electric motor 38 may be transmitted to all of the plurality of sprockets 37, or the driving force of the electric motor 38 may be transmitted to a portion of the sprockets 37 while the remaining portion rotates driven by the chain 36. Figure 2A In FIG. 1 , the driving direction of the chain 36 is indicated by a dotted arrow.

[0029] like Figure 4 As shown in A, a plurality of (three in this embodiment) clamps 31 are provided on the chain 36 at predetermined intervals along the circulation path of the chain 36.

[0030] The clamp 31 can adopt a known structure as long as it can grip the feed sheet 20 so that it is located on the conveying path of the sheet S, so detailed description is omitted. The clamp 31 is configured to include, for example, a main body having a groove for inserting the feed sheet 20, and a pressing bolt that presses the feed sheet 20 inserted into the groove of the main body to the inner peripheral surface of the groove. In addition, the clamp 31 may also be a structure that clamps the sheet S by a pair of magnets provided in the groove of the main body.

[0031] like Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1A , the front end portion 20a of the feed sheet 20 is formed to be inclined so as to face forward in the conveying direction as it faces forward from the left side in the left-right direction to the right side. The width of the front end portion 20a of the feed sheet 20 is smaller than the width of the sheet S. That is, the front end portion 20a of the feed sheet 20 in the conveying direction is inclined relative to the left-right direction and the conveying direction, and the right side extends relatively forward in the conveying direction.

[0032] like Figure 2AAs shown, the rear end 20c (one end) of the feed sheet 20 is provided with an adhesive portion 21. The adhesive portion 21 is provided on one side (the lower surface in the vertical direction) of the feed sheet 20. The adhesive portion 21 is formed by attaching a double-sided tape or an adhesive to the feed sheet 20, for example.

[0033] The front end portion 20a and the rear end portion 20c of the feed sheet 20 are connected by the middle portion 20b. The middle portion 20b extends in the length direction with the same width as the maximum width of the front end portion 20a. The feed sheet 20 is gripped by the clamp 31 at the front end portion 20a and the middle portion 20b.

[0034] like Figure 4 As shown in the (b) portion of the drawing, the width of the rear end portion 20c of the feed sheet 20 is formed to be smaller than the width of the front end portion 20a and the middle portion 20b so as not to be gripped by the clamp 31. More specifically, the left edge of the rear end portion 20c of the feed sheet 20 is formed in a straight line continuous with the left edge of the middle portion 20b of the feed sheet 20. The right edge of the rear end portion 20c of the feed sheet 20 is located to the left of the right edge of the middle portion 20b (in other words, the center side of the left-right direction of the sheet S), and the right edge of the feed sheet 20 is formed in a step shape between the middle portion 20b and the rear end portion 20c.

[0035] The gripper 31 is moved along the conveyance path of the sheet S outside the left-right direction of the sheet S by the chain 36 being cyclically driven by the gripper driving mechanism 35 . Thus, the fed sheet 20 gripped by the gripper 31 is conveyed on the conveyance path of the sheet S.

[0036] like Figure 2A As shown, the cutting mechanism 40 is provided at the exit of the conveying path of the sheet S in the casting machine 104, and cuts the sheet S before being recovered by the first recovery device 104b of the casting machine 104. The cutting mechanism 40 comprises: a sheet cutter 41, which cuts the sheet S along the conveying direction (length direction); a TD cutter 42, which cuts the sheet S along the left-right direction; and a cutter driving unit 43 (see Figure 3 ), which moves the sheet cutter 41 and the TD cutter 42; and an end detection sensor 44 as an end detection unit (reference Figure 3 ) which detects one end of the sheet S in the left-right direction (the right end in this embodiment).

[0037] like Figure 2B As shown, the sheet cutter 41 cuts the sheet S in the length direction at a position offset to the right from the center of the sheet S in the left-right direction (hereinafter referred to as the "cutting position"). Figure 2B The cutting position shown in the figure moves backward to form a slit in the portion of the sheet S that moves in the vertical direction, and then moves toward the left direction. Figure 4(c) Figure 6B As shown in FIG. 1 , a relatively narrow portion (hereinafter referred to as “narrow sheet portion S1”) and a relatively wide portion (hereinafter referred to as “wide sheet portion S2”) are formed on the sheet S (refer to FIG. 1 ). Figure 4 6). The width of the narrow sheet portion S1 is substantially the same as the width of the rear end portion 20c of the feed sheet 20. The sheet cutter 41 is configured to cut the sheet S upstream of a joining position where the sheet S and the feed sheet 20 are bonded to each other as described below.

[0038] The TD cutter 42 is a cutter that cuts the narrow sheet portion S1 of the sheet S in the left-right direction. Specifically, the TD cutter 42 cuts the narrow sheet portion S1 at a later-described handover position in the left-right direction to cut the narrow sheet portion S1 front-back in the conveyance direction.

[0039] The cutter drive unit 43 moves the sheet cutter 41 in the two-axis directions of the front-back direction and the left-right direction. The cutter drive unit 43 moves the TD cutter 42 in the two-axis directions of the up-down direction and the left-right direction. That is, the cutter drive unit 43 includes a two-axis actuator that moves the sheet cutter 41 in the two-axis directions, and a two-axis actuator that moves the TD cutter 42 in the two-axis directions. As for the structure of each actuator, a known structure can be adopted, so detailed illustration and description are omitted.

[0040] The edge detection sensor 44 is, for example, a laser displacement sensor, and can detect the edge in the left-right direction of the sheet S. The detection result of the edge detection sensor 44 is input to the control device 80 .

[0041] like Figure 2A and Figure 3 As shown, the bonding mechanism 50 comprises: a first plate 51 and a second plate 52, which clamp the feed sheet 20 and the sheet S and bond them to each other; an adsorption portion 53, which causes the first plate 51 to adsorb the feed sheet 20; a lifting roller 56 as a path changing portion, which changes the conveying path of the sheet S recovered by the first recovery device 104b of the casting machine 104; and a driving portion 57, which causes the first plate 51, the second plate 52, and the lifting roller 56 to move respectively.

[0042] The first plate 51 and the second plate 52 are plate-shaped members provided parallel to the horizontal direction. The first plate 51 and the second plate 52 are moved by the driving unit 57 to clamp the sheet S at the delivery position and upstream of the portion cut by the TD cutter 42 .

[0043] The adsorption portion 53 includes an adsorption pad 54 (see Figure 2A ), which is disposed on the lower surface of the first plate 51; and a suction source 55 (refer to Figure 3), which sucks gas through the adsorption pad 54. The suction source 55 is, for example, a vacuum pump. By sucking gas through the adsorption pad 54 by the suction source 55, the feed sheet 20 is adsorbed on the adsorption pad 54. The surface (upper surface) of the feed sheet 20 opposite to the adhesive portion 21 is adsorbed by the adsorption pad 54.

[0044] The lifting roller 56 moves in the up-down direction and the front-back direction to lift the sheet S from the lower side toward the first recovery device 104b of the casting machine 104, thereby changing the conveying path of the sheet S. By changing the conveying path of the sheet S, a part of the sheet S moves to a position where it can be clamped by the first plate 51 and the second plate 52 together with the feed sheet 20 (hereinafter referred to as the "handover position"). Fig. 6A As shown, at the handover position, the conveying path is changed by the lifting roller 56 so that a portion of the sheet S is conveyed in the horizontal direction, and the sheet S is supplied to the conveying device 100 at the horizontal portion.

[0045] The driving unit 57 moves the first plate 51 in two axial directions, i.e., the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. In addition, the driving unit 57 moves the second plate 52 in one axial direction, i.e., the horizontal direction. In addition, the driving unit 57 moves the lifting roller 56 in the front-back direction and the vertical direction. The driving unit 57, like the tool driving unit 43, has actuators for moving the first plate 51, the second plate 52, and the lifting roller 56, respectively, according to the moving directions of the first plate 51, the second plate 52, and the lifting roller 56. As for the structure of each actuator, a known structure can be adopted, and therefore detailed illustration and description are omitted.

[0046] The second recovery device 60 in the conveying device 100 recovers the sheet S stretched in the longitudinal direction by the longitudinal stretching machine 105 (conveying roller 10). Figure 2A As shown, the second collecting device 60 includes a reel 61, a first clamping roller 62 and a second clamping roller 63 for winding the sheet S around the reel 61, and an electric motor 64 for rotating and driving the reel 61 (see Figure 3 ) winding machine. The first clamping roller 62 is set at a position more than 180° away from the contact position of the sheet S with respect to the winding drum 61 toward the front of the rotation direction of the winding drum 61. Figure 2A and Figure 5As shown, the second clamping roller 63 is arranged at a position downstream of the first clamping roller 62 in the conveying direction of the sheet S (the front side of the rotation direction of the reel 61). The conveyed sheet S is guided between the reel 61 and each of the first clamping roller 62 and the second clamping roller 63, and is pressed toward the reel 61 by the first clamping roller 62 and the second clamping roller 63. As a result, the sheet S is wound around the outer periphery of the reel 61 and is recovered. When the sheet S is wound around the outer periphery of the reel 61, specifically, when it is wound for several weeks, the first clamping roller 62 and the second clamping roller 63 retreat together with the rotating knife 71 of the separation mechanism 70 described later to leave the reel 61. As a result, it is possible to avoid the winding of the sheet S relative to the reel 61 being obstructed by the first clamping roller 62 and the second clamping roller 63.

[0047] Furthermore, in the conveying device 100 , a separation mechanism 70 that separates the fed sheet 20 from the gripper 31 is provided.

[0048] like Figure 3 and Figure 5 As shown, the separation mechanism 70 includes a disk-shaped rotating blade 71 and an electric motor 73 for rotationally driving the rotating blade 71 .

[0049] like Figure 5 As shown, the rotary blade 71 is disposed at a position that is inward (left side) of the clamp 31 of the guide drive mechanism 30 in the left-right direction and outward (right side) of the right end of the roll 61 in the left-right direction. The rotary blade 71 is disposed so that the rotation axis is parallel to the left-right direction of the sheet S. In addition, Figure 5 The dotted line in shows the right end of the roll 61. Therefore, the rotary blade 71 cuts the feed sheet 20 between the portion of the feed sheet 20 gripped by the clamp 31 and the portion in contact with the outer periphery of the roll 61. Thus, the feed sheet 20 is separated from the clamp 31. The rotation speed (circumferential speed of the outer periphery) of the rotary blade 71 is preferably greater than the conveying speed of the feed sheet 20.

[0050] In addition, the rotary blade 71 is set at a position that does not cut the rear end portion 20c of the feed sheet 20 but cuts the middle portion 20b in the left-right direction. When the rotary blade 71 is set at a position that cuts the rear end portion 20c and the feed sheet 20 is not formed into a step shape, in order to separate the feed sheet 20 from the clamp 31, it is necessary to continuously cut the feed sheet 20 or move the rotary blade 71 in the left-right direction. In contrast, if it is configured so that the middle portion 20b is cut in the conveying direction by forming the feed sheet 20 into a step shape using the separation mechanism 70, it is not necessary to cut the feed sheet 20 over the entire length, nor is it necessary to move the rotary blade 71 in the left-right direction. Therefore, it can be easily separated from the clamp 31.

[0051] In addition, the separation mechanism 70 separates the fed sheet 20 from the clamp 31 while the sheet 20 is moving from the first clamp roller 62 of the second recovery device 60 toward the second clamp roller 63. Specifically, the rotary blade 71 is provided at a position to cut the sheet S between the first clamp roller 62 and the second clamp roller 63. In other words, with respect to the rotary blade 71 of the separation mechanism 70, the first clamp roller 62 and the second clamp roller 63 are provided at the upstream and downstream of the conveying direction, respectively.

[0052] The feed sheet 20 separated from the clamp 31 is recovered together with the sheet S by the second recovery device 60. In addition, the clamp 31 from which the feed sheet 20 has been separated is removed from the chain 36 and recovered, for example, after temporarily stopping the operation of the guide drive mechanism 30. The separation of the feed sheet 20 from the clamp 31 can be detected by, for example, providing a sensor for detecting the passage of the clamp 31 downstream of the separation mechanism 70.

[0053] The control device 80 is composed of a microcomputer having a CPU (central processing unit), a ROM (read-only memory), a RAM (random access memory), and an I / O interface (input-output interface). The RAM stores data being processed by the CPU, the ROM stores the control program of the CPU in advance, and the I / O interface is used for information input and output with the connected equipment. The control device 80 is programmed to be able to perform at least the following processing, that is, the processing required for the control of the present embodiment and the modified example. In addition, the control device 80 can be configured as a single device, or it can be configured to be divided into a plurality of devices and each control is processed in a distributed manner in the plurality of devices.

[0054] The control device 80 controls the operation of each component of the conveying device 100 so as to execute the following method of conveying the sheet S. The control device 80 is not limited to being provided exclusively for the conveying device 100, but may be used in common with other devices of the thin film manufacturing apparatus 1000.

[0055] Next, a method of conveying the sheet S by the conveying device 100 will be described.

[0056] In the casting machine 104, the sheet S is recovered by the first recovery device 104b of the casting machine 104 until its properties are stabilized.

[0057] In the initial state before the conveying device 100 starts conveying ( Figure 2A In the state of the first plate 51, the clamp 31 grasps the front end 20a of the feeding sheet 20, and the first plate 51 adsorbs the rear end 20c of the feeding sheet 20. In the initial state, the first plate 51 is located at a position that is retracted to the right relative to the sheet S (refer to Figure 2B) to facilitate the operation of adsorbing and feeding the sheet 20. Similarly, the second plate 52 also retreats to the right side relative to the sheet S. In addition, in the initial state, the sheet cutter 41 retreats to the right side from the sheet S conveyed in the casting machine 104, and retreats to the front side from the part cut by the sheet cutter 41 (the part of the sheet S that moves in the up and down direction). In addition, the TD cutter 42 retreats to the upper side from the sheet S. Furthermore, in the initial state, the lifting roller 56 does not contact the sheet S, but retreats to the bottom and rear of the sheet S. In addition, the positions of the first plate 51 and the second plate 52 in the front-to-back direction and the left-to-right direction are synchronized with each other, so that in Figure 2B , Figure 6B to Figure 9B In FIG. 1 , the second plate 52 located below is indicated by the symbols in parentheses.

[0058] When the properties of the sheet S of the casting machine 104 are stable, for example, by operating a conveyance start button or the like by the operator, the sheet S is not recovered by the first recovery device 104b but is conveyed by the conveyor device 100. By operating the conveyance start button or the like, the conveyor roller 10 of the longitudinal stretching machine 105 rotates at a predetermined rotation speed.

[0059] In the transportation performed by the transportation device 100, first Fig. 6A As shown, the lifting roller 56 at a position away from the sheet S is moved to move a portion of the sheet S toward the first collecting device 104b and transport it horizontally. As a result, a portion of the sheet S transported by the casting machine 104 moves to the delivery position.

[0060] Next, the sheet S is cut along the conveying direction at a predetermined width to form a narrow sheet portion S1. Specifically, the sheet cutter 41 is moved to the left from the initial state position in which it is retreated from the sheet S. The sheet cutter 41 moves a predetermined distance to the left from the right end of the sheet S obtained based on the detection result of the end detection sensor 44. The moving distance of the sheet cutter 41 from the right end of the sheet S to the left is set based on the desired size of the narrow sheet portion S1. Then, the sheet cutter 41 is moved backward toward the portion of the sheet S conveyed in the up-down direction and is located at the cutting position. As a result, the blade tip of the sheet cutter 41 contacts the sheet S, and the sheet S heading toward the first recovery device 104b is cut by the cutting mechanism 40 in the left-right direction into the narrow sheet portion S1 and the separated sheet portion S3 (refer to Figure 6B Thus, by controlling the moving distance of the sheet cutter 41 in the left-right direction according to the end of the sheet S detected by the end detection sensor 44, the sheet S can be cut into a desired width to form a narrow sheet portion S1 even if the sheet S is conveyed in a zigzag manner.

[0061] In addition, along with the movement of the sheet cutter 41, the TD cutter 42, the first plate 51 and the second plate 52 also move from the position where they are retracted from the sheet S ( Figure 2B ) moves to the left. As a result, the TD cutter 42 is located above the narrow sheet portion S1. In addition, the sheet S at the intersection position is located between the first plate 51 and the second plate 52.

[0062] Then, if Fig. 7A As shown, the TD cutter 42 moves downward and contacts the narrow sheet portion S1 of the sheet S, thereby cutting the narrow sheet portion S1 forward and backward in the conveying direction. The separated sheet portion S3 is not cut forward and backward in the conveying direction, but continues to be recovered by the first recovery device 104b.

[0063] When the narrow sheet portion S1 is cut forward and backward in the conveying direction, the first plate 51 moves toward the second plate 52. Then, the rear end portion 20c of the feed sheet 20 provided with the adhesive portion 21 and the front end of the narrow sheet portion S1 located at the rear side in the conveying direction among the cut narrow sheet portions S1 are sandwiched by the first plate 51 and the second plate 52. Fig. 7A ). Thus, the adhesive portion 21 of the rear end portion 20c of the feed sheet 20 is bonded to the front end of the narrow sheet portion S1 on the rear side (see Figure 8B ). The first plate 51 and the second plate 52 clamp the feed sheet 20 and the narrow sheet portion S1 with a predetermined pressing force or for a predetermined time. Thereafter, the adsorption of the feed sheet 20 by the adsorption pad 54 is released, and the first plate 51 moves upward away from the second plate 52. Then, the first plate 51 and the second plate 52 retreat to the position of the initial state (refer to FIG. 8 ).

[0064] When the first plate 51 is separated from the second plate 52, the chain 36 of the guide drive mechanism 30 is driven to rotate, the clamp 31 moves along the circulation path, and the feed sheet 20 is conveyed along the conveying path. The moving speed of the feed sheet 20 (the rotational drive speed of the chain 36) is synchronized with the rotation speed of the conveying roller 10 of the longitudinal stretching machine 105. In addition, along with the start of the operation of the guide drive mechanism 30, the rotating blade 71 of the separation mechanism 70 also rotates.

[0065] By conveying the feed sheet 20 along the conveying path, as Fig.9A As shown, the narrow sheet portion S1 of the sheet S adhered to the feed sheet 20 is drawn by the feed sheet 20 and introduced into the conveyance path. Thereafter, the sheet S is conveyed downstream of the conveyance path by being rotationally driven by the conveyance roller 10 .

[0066] Furthermore, the feeding sheet 20 moves in synchronization with the rotation speed of the conveying roller 10 , and thus it is possible to prevent the movement of the feeding sheet 20 from hindering the conveyance of the sheet S by the conveying roller 10 .

[0067] When the feed sheet 20 moves to the exit of the conveying path, it is wound on the reel 61 of the second recovery device 60 and introduced between the first pinch roller 62 and the reel 61. After that, the feed sheet 20 is separated from the clamp 31 by the separation mechanism 70, and the feed sheet 20 separated from the clamp 31 is introduced between the reel 61 and the second pinch roller 63. Then, the feed sheet 20 is wound on the reel 61 together with the sheet S, and is recovered by the second recovery device 60.

[0068] In the second recovery device 60, the first clamping roller 62 is arranged at a position more than 180° away from the position where the sheet S and the feed sheet 20 are in contact with the reel 61 to the front in the rotation direction of the reel 61. Then, the separation mechanism 70 cuts off the feed sheet 20 from the first clamping roller 62 toward the second clamping roller 63. As a result, the feed sheet 20 is wound at least half a circle relative to the reel 61 before being separated from the clamp 31. Furthermore, after the feed sheet 20 is separated from the clamp 31, it is also pressed toward the reel 61 by the second clamping roller 63. Through these structures, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of poor winding, such as the feed sheet 20 leaving the reel 61 after separation from the clamp 31 and failing to wind the feed sheet 20 (or even the sheet S) onto the reel 61.

[0069] When the leading end of the narrow sheet portion S1 is conveyed to the exit of the conveying path and is recovered by the second recovery device 60 (see Fig. 10A ),like Fig. 10B As shown, the sheet cutter 41 is moved toward the left direction to cut the separated sheet portion S3 forward and backward along the conveying direction. Thus, a wide sheet portion S2 is formed on the cut rear sheet S. The wide sheet portion S2 and the narrow sheet portion S1 are supplied to the conveying device 100 together, and the entire left-right direction of the sheet S is conveyed to the exit along the conveying path.

[0070] The conveyance of the narrow sheet portion S1 to the exit of the conveyance path is detected based on the moving distance of the clamp 31. Specifically, it is possible to use a method for detecting the time taken for the narrow sheet portion S1 to reach the exit of the conveyance path (the second recovery device 60) based on the length of the conveyance path and the moving speed of the clamp 31, or a method for detecting by a position sensor that detects that the clamp 31 has passed through the second recovery device 60.

[0071] Usually, when the leading end of the sheet S is introduced between the conveying rollers, the width in the left-right direction is relatively narrow and is not easy to be loosened, so it is easy to convey the sheet S. Therefore, as in the present embodiment, after the narrow sheet portion S1 is conveyed to the exit of the conveying path, the entire sheet S including the wide sheet portion S2 is moved along the conveying path, so that the sheet S can be smoothly conveyed to the exit of the conveying path. Similarly, since the feed sheet 20 is also formed to have a width smaller than the width of the sheet S, the feed sheet 20 can be easily passed between the conveying rollers and smoothly conveyed.

[0072] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the clamp 31 and the chain 36 are only provided on the right side of the sheet. Only the right end of the feed sheet 20 is gripped by the clamp 31, and the left end is a free end. Generally, when the sheet is pulled by clamping the feed sheet only on one side in the left-right direction, the sheet is easily offset (displaced) toward the right side gripped by the clamp during transportation. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the rear end 20c of the feed sheet 20 is formed to be narrower in width than the front end 20a and the middle part 20b, and is provided at a position that is biased toward the left and right center side of the sheet S than the right end gripped by the clamp 31 (refer to Figure 4 ). Thus, the sheet S can be pulled at a position closer to the center in the left-right direction by the feeding sheet 20. Therefore, even if the feeding sheet 20 is clamped only on one side in the left-right direction, it is possible to suppress the sheet S from shifting to one side during conveyance.

[0073] In addition, when the feeding sheet is gripped only on one side in the left-right direction and the front end is not tilted but perpendicular to the conveying direction, the free end on the opposite side not gripped by the clamp is prone to displacement such as loosening. When such displacement of the free end occurs, it will hinder the introduction of the front end of the feeding sheet relative to the conveying roller, and the feeding sheet cannot be smoothly conveyed.

[0074] In contrast, in the present embodiment, the front end portion 20a of the feed sheet 20 is formed to be inclined so that the right side gripped by the clamp 31 is located forward in the conveying direction. Thus, the front end portion 20a of the feed sheet 20 is introduced between the conveying rollers 10 from the right side gripped by the clamp 31, so that the front end portion 20a of the feed sheet 20 can be introduced into the conveying rollers without causing displacement such as shaking. Thus, the feed sheet 20 can be smoothly conveyed.

[0075] As described above, the sheet S supplied from the casting machine 104 is introduced into the conveying path by the feed sheet 20 and the guide drive mechanism 30, and is stretched in the longitudinal direction by the longitudinal stretching machine 105 (transport roller 10). The sheet S stretched in the longitudinal direction is further transported to the downstream side by the driving force of the transport roller 10, and is wound around the second recovery device 60. In this way, in the present embodiment, the sheet S can be automatically introduced into the conveying path and transported downstream, and recovered after being introduced into the longitudinal stretching machine 105 and stretched in the longitudinal direction.

[0076] Hereinafter, the effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0077] A conveying device 100, which conveys a supplied sheet S along a length direction, comprises: a plurality of conveying rollers 10, which are used to convey the sheet S; a sheet-like feeding sheet 20, which is provided with a bonding portion 21 bonded to the sheet S; a guiding drive mechanism 30, which grips the feeding sheet 20 and moves the feeding sheet 20 along a conveying path of the sheet S formed by the conveying rollers 10; and a bonding mechanism 50, which presses the bonding portion 21 to the sheet S to bond the sheet S to the feeding sheet 20.

[0078] In addition, a conveying method is provided for conveying a supplied sheet S in a length direction, wherein the adhesive portion 21 provided on a sheet-shaped feed sheet 20 is pressed against the sheet S to adhere the feed sheet 20 and the sheet S to each other, and the feed sheet 20 is moved along a conveying path of the sheet S formed by a plurality of conveying rollers 10 to guide the sheet S into the conveying path.

[0079] According to these structures, the feed sheet 20 is bonded to the sheet S by pressing the bonding portion 21 to the sheet S. By moving the feed sheet 20 bonded with the sheet S along the conveyance path of the sheet S, the sheet S is pulled by the feed sheet 20 and introduced into the conveyance path. In this way, the sheet S can be automatically conveyed.

[0080] In addition, the conveying device 100 also has a cutting mechanism 40, which cuts off the front end of the supplied sheet S along the conveying direction, and the width of the rear end portion 20c of the feeding sheet 20 is formed to be smaller than the width of the sheet S. The cutting mechanism 40 cuts the sheet S along the conveying direction with a width corresponding to the width of the rear end portion of the feeding sheet 20, and the bonding mechanism 50 bonds the front end of the narrow sheet portion S1 of the sheet S cut corresponding to the width of the rear end portion 20c of the feeding sheet 20 to the rear end portion 20c of the feeding sheet 20.

[0081] According to this structure, the feed sheet 20 and the narrow sheet portion S1, which are narrower than the entire width of the sheet S, are first introduced into the conveying path. Therefore, compared with the case where the entire width of the sheet S is introduced into the conveying path, looseness is less likely to occur, and the feed sheet 20 and the sheet S can be smoothly conveyed.

[0082] In addition, the conveying device 100 includes: a separation mechanism 70, which is arranged at the exit of the conveying path, and cuts the feed sheet 20 to separate it from the guide drive mechanism 30; and a second recovery device 60, which winds up and recovers the sheet S together with the feed sheet 20 separated from the guide drive mechanism 30, and the second recovery device 60 has: a reel 61, which winds up the sheet S; a first clamping roller 62, which presses the sheet S toward the reel 61; and a second clamping roller 63, which is arranged at a position closer to the downstream side of the conveying direction of the sheet S than the first clamping roller 62, and presses the sheet S toward the reel 61. The separation mechanism 70 separates the feed sheet 20 from the guide drive mechanism 30 during the period from the first clamping roller 62 to the second clamping roller 63.

[0083] According to this structure, after passing through the first pinch roller 62, the feed sheet 20 is separated from the clamp 31, and the separated feed sheet 20 is pressed to the roll 61 by the second pinch roller 63. Thus, the feed sheet 20 can be automatically separated from the guide drive mechanism 30, and is pressed to the roll 61 by the first pinch roller 62 and the second pinch roller 63 before and after the separation, so that poor winding on the roll 61 can be suppressed.

[0084] In addition, the conveying device 100 also has an end detection sensor 44, which detects one end of the sheet S in the width direction. Based on the detection result of the end detection sensor 44, the cutting mechanism 40 cuts the sheet S along the conveying direction with a width corresponding to the width of one end of the fed sheet 20.

[0085] According to this configuration, even when the sheet S is conveyed in a meandering manner, the narrow sheet portion S1 can be formed to a desired width. Thus, the front end of the narrow sheet portion S1 of the sheet S and the rear end portion 20 c of the feed sheet 20 can be more reliably bonded.

[0086] Furthermore, in the conveying device 100 , the feed sheet 20 is made of the same material as the sheet S and is formed of a non-stretching material.

[0087] According to this configuration, deformation of the fed sheet 20 due to temperature change can be suppressed, and the sheet S discharged from the T-die 103 and discarded can be reused, for example, so that costs can be reduced.

[0088] Next, a modification of the present embodiment will be described.

[0089] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the width of the feed sheet 20 is smaller than the entire width of the sheet S, and is bonded to the narrow sheet portion S1 and transported on the transport path. In contrast, the structure in which the width of the feed sheet 20 is smaller than the entire width of the sheet S and the structure in which the narrow sheet portion S1 is formed on the sheet S and bonded to the feed sheet 20 are not essential structures.

[0090] For example, the feed sheet 20 may be formed with a width greater than the entire width of the sheet S, and the chains 36 and the clamps 31 may be provided on the left and right sides of the sheet S, and the clamps 31 may be used to grip both ends of the feed sheet 20 in the left and right directions for conveyance. In this case, the separation mechanism 70 may be provided with a pair of rotating blades 71 provided on the left and right outer sides of the sheet S in order to separate the feed sheet 20 from the clamps 31 on the left and right sides. In addition, from the viewpoint of simplifying the device structure and achieving cost reduction and space saving, it is preferable to grip the feed sheet 20 only on one side in the left and right directions.

[0091] In addition, the structures of the second recovery device 60 and the separation mechanism 70 in the above-mentioned embodiment can also be applied to the casting machine 104. That is, similarly to the second recovery device 60 of the present embodiment, the first recovery device 104b of the casting machine 104 is configured as a winding machine having a reel, a first clamping roller, and a second clamping roller. Then, in the casting machine 104, the sheet S supplied from the T-shaped die 103 is also introduced into the conveying path of the conveying roller 104a by the feeding sheet 20 and the guide drive mechanism 30. When conveyed to the first recovery device 104b, the feeding sheet 20 is separated from the guide drive mechanism 30 by the separation mechanism, and the sheet S conveyed by the conveying roller 104a is wound on the reel of the first recovery device 104b and recovered. In this way, the structure of the second recovery device 60 and the separation mechanism 70 of the present embodiment is not limited to the above-mentioned conveying device for conveying the sheet S from the casting machine 104 to the longitudinal stretching machine 105, but can also be applied to other devices that guide the sheet S into the conveying path between the conveying rollers through the feeding sheet 20 and the guiding drive mechanism 30.

[0092] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the conveyor 100 recovers the longitudinally stretched sheet S by the second recovery device 60. In contrast, the conveyor 100 may be configured to further stretch the sheet S longitudinally stretched by the longitudinal stretching machine 105 in the transverse direction by using a transverse stretching machine (not shown) and recover the stretched sheet S.

[0093] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the plurality of conveying rollers 10 of the conveying device 100 function as the longitudinal stretching machine 105, but the present invention is not limited to this structure. For example, the plurality of conveying rollers 10 may be driven at the same speed as each other so as to convey the sheet S without stretching it. In this case, for example, the sheet S conveyed by the conveying rollers 10 may be introduced into a transverse stretching machine or the like.

[0094] In the above embodiment, the separation mechanism 70 includes the rotating blade 71. On the other hand, the separation mechanism 70 only needs to be able to separate the fed sheet 20 from the clamp 31, and is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment.

[0095] For example, the separation mechanism 70 may include a cutting blade (so-called laser cutter) with a substantially triangular tip as a cutting blade for cutting the fed sheet 20 instead of the circular rotating blade 71 to cut the fed sheet 20 .

[0096] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the material of the feed sheet 20 is the same material as the sheet S (film product). In contrast, the material of the feed sheet 20 is not limited to the configuration of the above-mentioned embodiment. For example, the feed sheet 20 may be a resin material different from the sheet S. In addition, the feed sheet 20 may be a material other than a resin material (e.g., cloth).

[0097] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments merely illustrate some application examples of the present invention and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific structures of the above embodiments.

Claims

1. A conveying device for conveying a supplied sheet material in a longitudinal direction, comprising: a plurality of conveying rollers for conveying the sheet; a sheet-shaped guide portion provided with a bonding portion bonded to the sheet material; a guide drive mechanism that grasps the guide portion and moves the guide portion along a conveying path of the sheet formed by the conveying roller; and The bonding mechanism presses the bonding portion against the sheet material to bond the sheet material and the guide portion.

2. The conveying device according to claim 1, further comprising: a cutting mechanism for cutting off the leading end of the supplied sheet along the conveying direction, The width of one end of the guide portion is formed to be smaller than the width of the sheet. The cutting mechanism cuts the sheet along the conveying direction at a width corresponding to the width of the one end portion of the guide portion. The bonding mechanism bonds the leading end of the sheet cut to correspond to the width of the one end of the guide portion to the one end of the guide portion.

3. The conveying device according to claim 1 or 2, comprising: a separation mechanism disposed at an exit of the conveying path and configured to cut off the guide portion and separate it from the guide drive mechanism; and a recovery mechanism that winds up and recovers the sheet together with the guide portion separated from the guide drive mechanism, The recycling mechanism has: a reel that winds up the sheet; a first pinch roller that presses the sheet toward the drum; and a second pinch roller disposed at a position downstream of the first pinch roller in the conveying direction of the sheet and pressing the sheet toward the roll; The separation mechanism separates the guide portion from the guide drive mechanism while the guide portion moves from the first pinch roller toward the second pinch roller.

4. The conveying device according to claim 2, further comprising: an end portion detecting portion for detecting an end portion in a width direction of the sheet, The cutting mechanism cuts the sheet in the conveying direction at a width corresponding to the width of the one end portion of the guide portion based on the detection result of the end portion detection portion.

5. The conveying device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The guide portion is made of the same material as the sheet and is formed of a non-stretchable material.

6. A conveying method for conveying a supplied sheet material along a length direction, the conveying method comprising: The guide portion and the sheet are bonded to each other by pressing a bonding portion provided on the sheet-shaped guide portion against the sheet material. The guide portion is moved along a conveyance path of the sheet formed by a plurality of conveyance rollers to guide the sheet into the conveyance path.

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