Apparatus of manufacturing pipe-like body, and method of manufacturing pipe-like body

Abstract

To enhance quality of a pipe-like body.SOLUTION: A manufacturing apparatus 30 according to the present disclosure is for manufacturing a pipe-like body 10 having a cylindrical body 12 and a skin sheet 14 that covers an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body 12. The manufacturing apparatus 30 comprises: a conveying unit 32 for conveying the cylindrical body 12 and the skin sheet 14 while they are brought into contact in a contact direction; and guide rollers 54 and 56 disposed on a conveying passage in the conveying unit 32 so as to guide the skin sheet 14 along the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body 12. Rotation axes of the guide rollers 54 and 56, when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the contact direction and the conveying direction of the conveying unit 32, are inclined in a direction moving from the cylindrical body 12 toward the skin sheet 14 within the contact direction, as moved from the upstream side in the conveying direction toward the downstream side in the conveying direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for manufacturing a tubular body. [Background technology]

[0002] There are tubular bodies with skin that cover pipes such as heat transfer pipes for air conditioning and water supply pipes to insulate and protect the pipes (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Such tubular bodies with skin include a tubular body such as a foam body and a skin that covers the outer circumferential surface of the tubular body, and a slit is formed in the pipe length direction. The tubular body with skin is attached to the outside of the pipe by inserting the pipe through the slit. The fin-shaped portion of the skin is then attached and the slit is closed to fix the pipe.

[0003] The skinned tubular body of Patent Document 1 is manufactured as follows. The tubular body is unwound in the tubular length direction, and the skin sheet, the sheet surface of which is coated with an adhesive, is unwound in the sheet length direction. When the tubular body and the skin sheet pass through the primary molding guide, the tubular body is disposed opposite the adhesive-coated surface of the skin sheet so that the tubular length direction is aligned with the sheet length direction. Then, the tubular body is unwound from above the primary molding guide, and the skin sheet is unwound from below the primary molding guide, and the tubular body and the skin sheet join at the entrance of the primary molding guide. In the primary molding guide, both ends of the skin sheet in the sheet width direction are lifted and the skin sheet is wrapped around the tubular body. As a result, the skin sheet is attached to the outer circumferential surface of the tubular body, except for a fin-shaped portion that protrudes by a predetermined width from one end in the sheet width direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-111961 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, with the manufacturing method of Patent Document 1, when both ends of the skin sheet are lifted in the primary molding guide and wrapped around the outer circumferential surface of the tubular body, gravity may cause wrinkles in the skin sheet, or the skin sheet may become too taut, deteriorating the shape of the obtained skinned tubular body, and thus the required quality may not be satisfied.

[0006] The present invention has been proposed in consideration of the above-mentioned problems associated with the conventional technology, and aims to provide a tubular body manufacturing apparatus and a tubular body manufacturing method that can produce high-quality tubular bodies. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A first aspect of the tubular body manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention is A manufacturing apparatus for a tubular body having a cylindrical body and a skin sheet covering an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body, a conveying section that conveys the cylindrical body and the skin sheet in a state of contact with each other in a contact direction; a guide roller disposed on a conveying path in the conveying section and configured to guide the surface sheet along an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body; The gist of the present invention is that the rotation axis of the guide roller, when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the contact direction and the conveying direction of the conveying section, is inclined in the contact direction from the upstream side in the conveying direction to the downstream side in the conveying direction, in a direction from the cylindrical body toward the skin sheet.

[0008] A second aspect of the tubular body manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention is the same as the first aspect, The sheet may further include a pressing member disposed downstream of the guide roller in the transport direction and pressing the cylindrical body in a direction toward the skin sheet in the contact direction.

[0009] A third aspect of the tubular body manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention is the same as the first or second aspect, A plurality of the guide rollers are arranged in the conveying direction, The guide roller disposed on the upstream side in the conveying direction may have a larger inclination angle with respect to the contact direction.

[0010] A fourth aspect of the tubular body manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention is any one of the first aspect, the second aspect, and the third aspect, a pressure roller disposed downstream of the guide roller in the conveying path in the conveying direction and pressing the surface sheet against the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body; The diameter of the pressure roller at the portion contacting the surface sheet may be larger as it is farther from an initial contact position between the surface sheet and the cylindrical body as viewed from the conveying direction of the conveying section.

[0011] A first aspect of the method for producing a tubular body according to the present invention is A method for producing a tubular body, the method comprising: conveying a tubular body and a skin sheet in a state in which the tubular body and the skin sheet are in contact with each other in a contact direction, and wrapping the skin sheet around an outer peripheral surface of the tubular body to produce a tubular body having an outer peripheral surface covered with the skin sheet, the method comprising the steps of: The gist of the invention is that, by rotation of guide rollers arranged in the conveying path, the skin sheet is urged in a direction from the skin sheet toward the cylindrical body in the contact direction as it moves from the upstream side in the conveying direction to the downstream side in the conveying direction, as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the contact direction and the conveying direction of the conveying path, so that the skin sheet is wrapped around the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the tubular body manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the quality of the tubular body obtained by covering the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body with a skin sheet can be improved. According to the method for producing a tubular body of the present invention, the quality of the tubular body obtained by covering the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body with a skin sheet can be improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1]1A and 1B are perspective views showing a part of a tubular body according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) shows the part before being attached to a pipe, and (b) shows the part after being attached to the pipe. [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic side view showing a tubular body manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of a fuselage fixing part and a closure fixing part provided on a skin sheet. [Figure 4] 1 is a perspective view showing a wrapping section of a skin sheet in a manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which the skin sheet is not shown. [Diagram 5] 1 is a side view showing a wrapping section of a skin sheet in a manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a frame is omitted. [Figure 6] (a) is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 2, (b) is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Fig. 2, and (c) is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line CC in Fig. 2. In (b) and (c), the positions of the skin sheet and the cylindrical body in the abutting position are indicated by two-dot chain lines. [Figure 7] 2. (a) is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. 2. (b) is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. 2. (c) is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line FF in FIG. [Figure 8] This is a view taken along the X arrow in Fig. 5. Note that the frame is not shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Next, the tubular body manufacturing apparatus and the tubular body manufacturing method according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, using preferred examples. Note that the embodiments and drawings described below are merely examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention to these configurations, and may be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention. EXAMPLES

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the tubular body 10 according to the embodiment includes a cylindrical body 12 and a skin sheet 14 covering the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body 12. The tubular body 10 also includes a slit 16 extending from the outside of the cylindrical body 12 to the inner hollow portion, and a closing piece 18 closing the slit 16. The slit 16 is formed over the entire length of the cylindrical body 12. The skin sheet 14 is wound around the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body 12 from the vicinity of one end edge divided by the slit 16 to the vicinity of the other end edge. In the tubular body 10, the cylindrical body 12 and the skin sheet 14 are fixed. The skin sheet 14 may be fixed to the entire outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body 12, but in the embodiment, the skin sheet 14 is fixed to a part of the circumferential range of the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body 12. In the embodiment, one edge of the skin sheet 14 is fixed to the vicinity of one edge of the slit 16 on the outer circumferential surface of the tubular body 12 by the body fixing part 20. Also, a root part of the closing piece 18 extending to the other edge of the skin sheet 14 is fixed to the vicinity of the other edge of the slit 16 on the outer circumferential surface of the tubular body 12 by the body fixing part 20. The body fixing part 20 in the embodiment is a double-sided tape. Thus, in the tubular body 10 of the embodiment, the outer circumferential surface of the tubular body 12 and the skin sheet 14 are only in contact with each other except at the body fixing part 20.

[0016] 1(a), the closing piece 18 of the embodiment is formed by extending the skin sheet 14. The closing piece 18 has a closing fixing part 22 that fixes the closing piece 18 to the outer circumferential surface of the tubular body 10. The closing fixing part 22 of the embodiment is a double-sided tape.

[0017] The material of the cylindrical body 12 may be selected depending on the function required for the tubular body 10, and for example, a polyolefin foam such as polyethylene foam or a foam such as polyurethane foam is preferably used because it can improve the heat insulation of the tubular body 10. The cylindrical body 12 should have flexibility so that the slit 16 can be opened and closed. The material of the skin sheet 14 may be selected depending on the function required for the tubular body 10, and for example, a resin such as polyethylene or polyvinyl chloride may be used, and so-called solid resin that does not have bubbles like a foam is preferable because it can improve the weather resistance of the tubular body 10.

[0018] 1(b), the tubular body 10 is attached around the piping 100 by inserting the piping 100 through the slit 16. Next, the closure piece 18 is arranged to cover the slit 16, and the closure fixing part 22 exposed by peeling off the protective paper 24 is attached to the outer surface of the one edge part of the skin sheet 14, thereby fixing the tubular body 10 to the piping 100. The tubular body 10 of the embodiment is used as a protective material for keeping the piping 100 warm or cold.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the manufacturing apparatus 30 for the tubular body 10 according to the embodiment includes a conveying section 32 that conveys the skin sheet 14 and the cylindrical body 12 in a state of contacting with each other in the contact direction. Here, in the conveying section 32, the position where the cylindrical body 12 and the skin sheet 14 join (start to contact) is called the contact position P1. In the embodiment, at the contact position P1, the skin sheet 14 is disposed on the lower side and the cylindrical body 12 is disposed on the upper side. That is, in the embodiment, the contact direction between the cylindrical body 12 and the skin sheet 14 is the up-down direction. In the following description, when the directions are described as the "skin sheet 14" side (lower side in the embodiment), the "cylindrical body 12" side, and the "opposite side of the skin sheet 14" (upper side in the embodiment), the arrangement of the skin sheet 14 and the cylindrical body 12 at the contact position P1 is used as a reference unless otherwise specified. In addition, the "upstream side" and the "downstream side" are used as a reference for the conveying direction of the cylindrical body 12 and the skin sheet 14. Furthermore, the direction perpendicular to the contact direction and the conveying direction is called the width direction.

[0020] The conveying section 32 of the embodiment includes pressing members 46, 48, guide members 50, 52, guide rollers 54, 56, pressing member 58, pressing roller 60, support members 62, 64, 66, auxiliary roller 68, and feed section 70. In the conveying section 32, the skin sheet 14 and the cylindrical body 12 are pulled together by the feed section 70, so that the skin sheet 14 and the cylindrical body 12 are conveyed together. In the conveying section 32, the skin sheet 14 is kept in a taut state by the difference in sheet conveying speed between the sheet supply section 34 and the feed section 70, which will be described later.

[0021] The manufacturing apparatus 30 includes a sheet supplying section 34 that guides the skin sheet 14, which is drawn out from the roll-shaped raw material 26, toward a contact position P1 where the skin sheet 14 contacts the cylindrical body 12. The sheet supplying section 34 in the embodiment is in the shape of a roller, and the skin sheet 14 is wrapped around the peripheral surface of the roller in a flatly spread state (see FIG. 3). The sheet supplying section 34 in the embodiment horizontally delivers the skin sheet 14 from the upper end of the circumference toward the conveying section 32. The sheet supplying section 34 can rotate in synchronization with the conveying of the skin sheet 14.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 3, the manufacturing apparatus 30 includes an applying section 36 that applies the body fixing section 20 and the closure fixing section 22 to the skin sheet 14. The applying section 36 in the embodiment attaches one side of the body fixing section 20 and the closure fixing section 22 pulled out from each of the three tape reels to the skin sheet 14, and applies the body fixing section 20 and the closure fixing section 22 to the skin sheet 14 continuously as the skin sheet 14 is transported. The manufacturing apparatus 30 also includes a recovery section 38 on the downstream side of the applying section 36 in the transport direction that recovers the protective paper 24 peeled off from the body fixing section 20. The recovery section 38 is provided on the upstream side of the contact position P1 in the transport direction (see Fig. 2), and in the embodiment, recovers the protective paper 24 by suction.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 2, the manufacturing apparatus 30 includes a cylindrical body supplying section 40 that guides the cylindrical body 12 to the contact position P1. The cylindrical body supplying section 40 in the embodiment is a gutter-shaped passage. The cylindrical body supplying section 40 has a width set according to the diameter of the cylindrical body 12, and transports the cylindrical body 12 in its pipe length direction while aligning the widthwise position of the cylindrical body 12 to a predetermined center position. The cylindrical body supplying section 40 in the embodiment is located above the sheet supplying section 34, and sends out the cylindrical body 12 above the skin sheet 14 that is unwound from the upper end of the sheet supplying section 34.

[0024] The manufacturing apparatus 30 includes pressing members 46, 48 that push the cylindrical body 12 toward the skin sheet 14 side (lower side in the embodiment) during the conveyance by the conveying section 32, and bend the conveyance path of the cylindrical body 12 toward the skin sheet 14 side (lower side in the embodiment). The pressing members 46, 48 in the embodiment are driven rollers that rotate with the conveyance of the cylindrical body 12. The pressing members 46, 48 are installed on the opposite side of the skin sheet 14 (upper side in the embodiment) across the cylindrical body 12. The pressing members 46, 48 are installed so as to abut against the skin sheet 14 on the skin sheet 14 side (lower side in the embodiment) rather than the end of the cylindrical body 12 at the abutment position P1 opposite to the skin sheet 14 (upper end in the embodiment). In the embodiment, the first pressing member 46 is installed upstream of the second pressing member 48 in the conveyance direction, and the second pressing member 48 is installed on the skin sheet 14 side (lower side in the embodiment) rather than the first pressing member 46. It is preferable that the inclination angle α between the conveyance path of the tubular body 12 at the contact position P1 and the conveyance path of the tubular body 12 bent by the pressing members 46, 48 is an obtuse angle. In this manner, by bending the conveyance path of the tubular body 12 at a relatively gentle angle, it is possible to prevent the tension of the skin sheet 14 from becoming too strong.

[0025] The conveying path of the tubular body 12 bent toward the skin sheet 14 side (downward in this embodiment) by the pressing members 46, 48 is bent again toward the opposite side to the skin sheet 14 (upward in this embodiment) by support members 62, 64, 66 described later, and returned to the horizontal. The pressing members 46, 48 may be one unit, or multiple units may be installed in the conveying direction of the tubular body 12 and the skin sheet 14 in the conveying section 32.

[0026] The cylindrical body 12 is displaced toward the skin sheet 14 side (lower side in this embodiment) from the contact position P1 in the conveying path of the conveying section 32 by the pressing members 46, 48. Here, it is preferable to set the displacement dimension H (see FIG. 2) between the cylindrical body 12 passing through the contact position P1 and the cylindrical body 12 passing through the first support member 62 after displacement to approximately the diameter of the cylindrical body 12. This allows the inclination angle α of the conveying path of the cylindrical body 12 to be a relatively gentle angle while applying an appropriate tension to the skin sheet 14 in the conveying section 32.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2, the manufacturing apparatus 30 may include guide members 50, 52 that guide the tubular body 12 being transported together with the skin sheet 14. The guide members 50, 52 are installed on the opposite side of the skin sheet 14 (upper side in the embodiment) across the tubular body 12. Here, the guide members 50, 52 restrict the tubular body 12 from moving to the opposite side of the skin sheet 14 (upper side in the embodiment) and align the transport directions of the tubular body 12 and the skin sheet 14. The guide members 50, 52 may be one, or multiple guide members may be installed in the transport direction of the tubular body 12 and the skin sheet 14. In the embodiment, the apparatus includes a first guide member 50 and a second guide member 52 that is disposed at an interval downstream of the first guide member 50 in the transport direction. The first guide member 50 is disposed upstream of the first pressing member 46 in the transport section 32 in the transport direction and guides the tubular body 12 before the transport path is bent by the pressing members 46, 48. The second guide member 52 is disposed downstream of the second pressing member 48 in the conveying direction, and guides the cylindrical body 12 after the conveying path has been bent by the pressing members 46, 48. The guide members 50, 52 in the embodiment are driven rollers that rotate as the cylindrical body 12 is conveyed.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the manufacturing apparatus 30 includes guide rollers 54, 56 that are disposed on the conveying path in the conveying section 32 and guide the skin sheet 14 toward the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 12. The guide rollers 54, 56 in the embodiment are driven rollers in which a cylindrical roller body that contacts the skin sheet 14 rotates around a rotation axis as the skin sheet 14 is conveyed. The guide rollers 54, 56 are disposed in such a manner that the roller body is inclined with respect to the contact direction when viewed from the width direction (a direction perpendicular to the contact direction and the conveying direction). Specifically, the rotation axis of the guide rollers 54, 56 is inclined from the cylindrical body 12 (upper side in the embodiment) toward the skin sheet 14 (lower side in the embodiment) in the contact direction (vertical direction in the embodiment) from the upstream side in the conveying direction toward the downstream side in the conveying direction when viewed from the width direction. In other words, the rotation axes of the guide rollers 54, 56 are inclined toward the upstream side in the conveying direction from the bottom (the skin sheet 14 side in the contact direction) to the top (the cylindrical body 12 side in the contact direction) when viewed in the width direction.

[0029] The manufacturing apparatus 30 includes a plurality of guide rollers 54, 56 arranged in the conveying direction. The manufacturing apparatus 30 of the embodiment includes a first guide roller 54 arranged downstream of the second pressing member 48 in the conveying section 32 in the conveying direction, and a second guide roller 56 arranged downstream of the first guide roller 54 in the conveying section 32 in the conveying direction. When viewed from the width direction, the inclination angle β1 (see FIG. 5) of the rotation axis of the first guide roller 54 with respect to the contact direction is larger than the inclination angle β2 (see FIG. 5) of the rotation axis of the second guide roller 56 with respect to the contact direction. That is, the more upstream the guide rollers 54, 56 are arranged in the conveying section 32 in the conveying direction, the larger the inclination angle of the rotation axis with respect to the contact direction when viewed from the width direction is set.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 7(b), the roller body of the first guide roller 54 is disposed in an inclined position with respect to the contact direction when viewed from the conveying direction. Specifically, the rotation axis of the first guide roller 54 is inclined from the inside to the outside in the width direction when viewed from the conveying direction, in the contact direction (vertical direction in this embodiment), from the skin sheet 14 (lower side in this embodiment) to the cylindrical body 12 (upper side in this embodiment). In other words, the rotation axis of the first guide roller 54 is inclined in a direction away from the center of the conveying path as it goes from the bottom (the skin sheet 14 side in the contact direction) to the top (the cylindrical body 12 side in the contact direction) when viewed from the conveying direction.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 7(c), the roller body of the second guide roller 56 is disposed in a position along the contact direction when viewed from the conveying direction. Specifically, the rotation axis of the second guide roller 56 extends in the contact direction (vertical direction in the embodiment) when viewed from the conveying direction. When viewed from the conveying direction, the inclination angle γ1 (see FIG. 7(b)) of the rotation axis of the first guide roller 54 with respect to the contact direction is larger than the inclination angle of the rotation axis of the second guide roller 56 with respect to the contact direction. That is, the inclination angle of the rotation axis with respect to the contact direction when viewed from the conveying direction is set larger for the guide rollers 54, 56 disposed on the upstream side in the conveying direction in the conveying section 32. Note that the second guide roller 56 may be disposed such that the rotation axis is inclined in the contact direction (vertical direction in the embodiment) from the skin sheet 14 (lower side in the embodiment) toward the tubular body 12 (upper side in the embodiment) as it moves from the inside to the outside in the width direction when viewed from the conveying direction.

[0032] In the embodiment, a pair of first guide rollers 54,54 and a pair of second guide rollers 56,56 are arranged in a symmetrical positional relationship with respect to the center of the width direction of the conveying path in the conveying section 32. The rotation axes of the pair of first guide rollers 54,54 extend so as to move away from each other in the width direction from bottom to top as viewed from the conveying direction. In this way, the roller bodies of the pair of first guide rollers 54,54 are arranged in a V-shape with the lower side of the conveying path narrowing as viewed from the conveying direction. The rotation axes of the pair of second guide rollers 56,56 are arranged in parallel as viewed from the conveying direction.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 2, the manufacturing apparatus 30 includes a pressing member 58 disposed downstream of the guide rollers 54, 56 in the conveying direction and pressing the tubular body 12 in the contact direction toward the skin sheet 14 (downward in the embodiment). The pressing member 58 is fixed to a frame 80 (see FIG. 4) and disposed downstream of the first guide roller 54 in the conveying direction and downstream of the second guide roller 56 in the conveying direction. The pressing member 58 restricts the tubular body 12, which is biased by the guide rollers 54, 56, from moving toward the opposite side of the skin sheet 14 (upward in the embodiment), thereby aligning the conveying directions of the tubular body 12 and the skin sheet 14. The pressing member 58 in the embodiment is a driven roller that rotates with the conveyance of the tubular body 12.

[0034] The manufacturing apparatus 30 includes a pressing roller 60 that is disposed downstream of the guide rollers 54, 56 in the conveying path of the conveying section 32 in the conveying direction and presses the skin sheet 14 against the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 12. The pressing roller 60 is fixed to a frame 80 (see FIG. 4). As shown in FIG. 8, the diameter of the pressing roller 60 that contacts the skin sheet 14 increases the farther it is from the initial contact position between the skin sheet 14 and the cylindrical body 12 (the lower end of the cylindrical body 12 in this embodiment) as viewed from the conveying direction of the conveying section 32. Thus, the pressing roller 60 is umbrella-shaped with a larger diameter on the cylindrical body 12 side than on the skin sheet 14 side in the contact direction.

[0035] The manufacturing apparatus 30 may include support members 62, 64, 66 that are disposed on the conveying path in the conveying section 32 and support the tubular body 12 and the skin sheet 14. The support members 62, 64, 66 are disposed on the skin sheet 14 side (lower side in the embodiment) in the contact direction. Here, the support members 62, 64, 66 restrict the movement of the tubular body 12 toward the skin sheet 14 side (lower side in the embodiment) and align the conveying directions of the tubular body 12 and the skin sheet 14. The support members 62, 64, 66 are disposed downstream of the second pressing member 48 and guide the tubular body 12 after the conveying path is bent by the pressing members 46, 48. The support members 62, 64, 66 in the embodiment are driven rollers that rotate with the conveying of the tubular body 12.

[0036] The support members 62, 64, 66 may be one or more in the conveying direction of the cylindrical body 12 and the skin sheet 14. In the embodiment, the device includes a first support member 62, a second support member 64 arranged on the downstream side of the first support member 62 in the conveying direction with a gap therebetween, and a third support member 66 arranged on the downstream side of the second support member 64 in the conveying direction with a gap therebetween. The first support member 62 is arranged downstream of the pressing members 46, 48 in the conveying direction and upstream of the first guide roller 54 in the conveying direction. The second support member 64 is arranged upstream of the second guide roller 56 in the conveying direction and downstream of the first guide roller 54 in the conveying direction. The third support member 66 is arranged on the skin sheet 14 side (lower side in the embodiment) in the contact direction with the pressing roller 60.

[0037] The manufacturing apparatus 30 may include an auxiliary roller 68 disposed on the conveying path in the conveying section 32. The auxiliary roller 68 is disposed upstream of the first guide roller 54 in the conveying direction. Specifically, the auxiliary roller 68 is disposed downstream of the first support member 62 in the conveying direction and upstream of the second guide member 52 in the conveying direction. The auxiliary roller 68 in the embodiment is a driven roller in which a cylindrical roller body that contacts the skin sheet 14 rotates around a rotation axis as the skin sheet 14 is conveyed. The auxiliary roller 68 is disposed in an upright position along the contact direction when viewed from the width direction. Specifically, the rotation axis of the auxiliary roller 68 extends in the contact direction (direction perpendicular to the conveying direction) when viewed from the width direction.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 7(a), the auxiliary roller 68 is disposed in a position inclined with respect to the contact direction when viewed from the conveying direction. Specifically, the rotation axis of the auxiliary roller 68 is inclined from the inside to the outside in the width direction when viewed from the conveying direction, in the contact direction (vertical direction in the embodiment), from the skin sheet 14 (lower side in the embodiment) to the cylindrical body 12 (upper side in the embodiment). In other words, the rotation axis of the auxiliary roller 68 is inclined in a direction away from the center of the conveying path as it goes from the lower side (the skin sheet 14 side in the contact direction) to the upper side (the cylindrical body 12 side in the contact direction) when viewed from the conveying direction. Also, when viewed from the conveying direction, the inclination angle γ2 (see FIG. 7(a)) of the rotation axis of the auxiliary roller 68 with respect to the contact direction is larger than the inclination angle γ1 of the rotation axis of the first guide roller 54 with respect to the contact direction. The manufacturing apparatus 30 of the embodiment has a pair of auxiliary rollers 68, 68 disposed in a symmetrical positional relationship with respect to the center of the width direction of the conveying path in the conveying section 32. The pair of auxiliary rollers 68, 68 are disposed in a V-shape when viewed from the conveyance direction, such that they move away from each other in the width direction from bottom to top.

[0039] The guide rollers 54, 56, the pressure roller 60 and the auxiliary roller 68 can be arbitrarily adjusted in terms of their positions in the contact direction, their positions in the width direction, the inclination angle with respect to the contact direction as viewed from the width direction, and the inclination angle with respect to the contact direction as viewed from the conveying direction, depending on the diameter of the cylindrical body 12 and the width dimension of the skin sheet 14, etc.

[0040] In the embodiment, two feed units 70, 70 are provided on the downstream side of the pressing roller 60 in the conveying direction, sandwiching the tubular body 12 wrapped with the skin sheet 14. Each feed unit 70 is configured to feed the tubular body 12 wrapped with the skin sheet 14 by rotating a belt wound between pulleys by driving the pulley. In the embodiment, a cutting unit 72 (see FIG. 2) that cuts the tubular body 10 to a predetermined length is provided on the downstream side of the conveying direction of the feed unit 70. In the embodiment, the skin sheet 14 is wrapped around the tubular body 12 in which the slit 16 is formed in advance, but the slit 16 may be formed in the tubular body 12 after the skin sheet 14 is wrapped around the tubular body 12 that does not have the slit 16.

[0041] Next, a manufacturing method of the tubular body 10 using the manufacturing apparatus 30 of the embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the skin sheet 14 drawn out from the original roll 26 as the skin sheet 14 is conveyed by the feed section 70 is fed to the conveying section 32 via the sheet supply section 34. As shown in FIG. 3, before being fed to the conveying section 32, the body fixing section 20 and the closure fixing section 22 drawn out from the applying section 36 are continuously applied to the skin sheet 14 as the skin sheet 14 is conveyed. One line of the body fixing section 20 is attached to one edge of the skin sheet 14 spread in the sheet supply section 34, and one line of the closure fixing section 22 and one line of the body fixing section 20 are attached to the other edge of the skin sheet 14 in a line. In addition, before the skin sheet 14 is fed to the conveying section 32, the protective paper 24 is peeled off from the body fixing section 20 and collected in the collecting section 38, and the adhesive surface of the body fixing section 20 is exposed. The protective paper 24 on the closure fixing portion 22 is not peeled off.

[0042] In synchronization with the conveyance of the skin sheet 14 fed from the sheet supply unit 34 to the conveyance unit 32, the tubular body 12 is sent from the tubular body supply unit 40 to the conveyance unit 32. The tubular body 12 sent from the tubular body supply unit 40 with the tube length direction aligned with the conveyance direction abuts against the skin sheet 14 at the contact position P1, and is conveyed while maintaining the state in which the tubular body 12 abuts against the upper side of the skin sheet 14 (see FIG. 6(a)). At this time, the tubular body 12 is located at the center in the width direction of the two body fixing parts 20, 20 arranged in parallel in the width direction of the skin sheet 14 (see FIG. 3 and FIG. 6(a)). In the embodiment, the tubular body 12 and the skin sheet 14 are conveyed in parallel in the horizontal direction from the contact position P1 to the first guide member 50 arranged downstream of the contact position P1.

[0043] In the conveying section 32, the tubular body 12 is pushed toward the skin sheet 14 (in the embodiment, downward) by the first pressing member 46 while being conveyed in a state of contact with the skin sheet 14, so that the conveying path of the tubular body 12 is bent toward the skin sheet 14 (in the embodiment, downward) downstream of the contact position P1 (see FIG. 2). When the conveying path of the tubular body 12 is bent obliquely downward, the skin sheet 14 conveyed horizontally and the tubular body 12 interfere with each other, so that the tubular body 12 adheres closely to the center of the width of the skin sheet 14. In addition, the center of the width of the skin sheet 14 is lowered below the contact position P1 by being pushed by the tubular body 12, so that both edges of the skin sheet 14 are relatively raised (see FIG. 6(b)). In this way, by bending the conveying path of the tubular body 12 toward the skin sheet 14, the skin sheet 14 is in the middle of being wrapped around the outer circumferential surface of the tubular body 12.

[0044] The cylindrical body 12 that has passed through the first pressing member 46 is pushed toward the skin sheet 14 (in this embodiment, downward) by the second pressing member 48, so that the conveying path of the cylindrical body 12 is bent (see FIG. 2). This increases the degree of interference between the cylindrical body 12 and the skin sheet 14, so that the cylindrical body 12 is further adhered to the widthwise center of the skin sheet 14. In addition, by being further pushed by the cylindrical body 12, the lifting amount of both edges of the skin sheet 14 increases, and the area where the skin sheet 14 is wrapped around the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 12 increases (see FIG. 6(c)). In this way, the wrapping of the skin sheet 14 around the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 12 progresses before reaching the guide rollers 54, 56.

[0045] When the cylindrical body 12 in a state where the wrapping of the skin sheet 14 has progressed reaches the position of the first guide roller 54, the skin sheet 14 is guided to be lifted by the first guide roller 54, which inclines upward from the inside to the outside in the width direction as viewed from the conveying direction, thereby progressing the wrapping of the skin sheet 14 around the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body 12. At this time, due to the rotation of the first guide roller 54 arranged in the conveying path, the skin sheet 14 is urged in the contact direction from the skin sheet 14 toward the cylindrical body 12 (from the lower side to the upper side in this embodiment) as it moves from the upstream side in the conveying direction to the downstream side in the conveying direction as viewed from the width direction (the direction perpendicular to the contact direction and the conveying direction of the conveying section 32).

[0046] When the cylindrical body 12 reaches the position of the second guide roller 56, the lifted state of the skin sheet 14 is maintained by the second guide roller 56 extending in the contact direction as viewed from the conveying direction, while the wrapping of the skin sheet 14 around the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body 12 progresses. At this time, due to the rotation of the second guide roller 56 arranged in the conveying path, the skin sheet 14 is biased in the contact direction in a direction from the skin sheet 14 toward the cylindrical body 12 (from the lower side to the upper side in this embodiment) as it moves from the upstream side of the conveying direction to the downstream side of the conveying direction as viewed from the width direction (a direction perpendicular to the contact direction and the conveying direction of the conveying section 32).

[0047] When the cylindrical body 12 reaches the position of the pressure roller 60, the pressure roller 60 presses the position of the body fixing portion 20 on the skin sheet 14 from the outside, and the body fixing portion 20 is attached to the cylindrical body 12, thereby fixing the skin sheet 14 to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 12.

[0048] The tubular body 12 wrapped with the skin sheet 14 passes between the opposing feed sections 70, 70, whereby the closing piece 18 pressed by the feed section 70 is folded back and set in a shape. The tubular body 10 is then cut at the cutting section 72 to obtain a tubular body 10 of a predetermined length. In this manner, the skin sheet 14 is wound around the outer circumferential surface of the tubular body 12 while the tubular body 12 and the skin sheet 14 are transported in a state where the tubular body 12 and the skin sheet 14 are in contact with each other, whereby the tubular body 10 whose outer circumferential surface is covered with the skin sheet 14 is continuously manufactured.

[0049] The rotation axes of the guide rollers 54, 56 are inclined from the upper side to the lower side as they move from the upstream side in the conveying direction to the downstream side in the conveying direction as viewed in the width direction. Therefore, the rotation of the guide rollers 54, 56 arranged in the conveying path can urge the skin sheet 14 from the lower side to the upper side as they move from the upstream side in the conveying direction to the downstream side in the conveying direction as viewed in the width direction. In this way, when the skin sheet 14 is wrapped around the cylindrical body 12, the skin sheet 14 is urged obliquely upward by the guide rollers 54, 56, so that tension is applied to the skin sheet 14, and in this state, the skin sheet 14 is wrapped around the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 12, thereby preventing the occurrence of wrinkles in the skin sheet 14. In addition, the tension applied to the skin sheet 14 can be easily adjusted by adjusting the inclination angle of the guide rollers 54, 56 with respect to the contact direction. Therefore, in the obtained tubular body 10, it is possible to avoid defects such as wrinkles due to insufficient tension of the skin sheet 14, or opening of the slits 16 due to excessive tension of the skin sheet 14. In this manner, the above-mentioned manufacturing apparatus 30 can improve the quality of the tubular body 10 obtained by covering the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body 12 with the skin sheet 14. Similarly, the above-mentioned manufacturing method can improve the quality of the tubular body 10 obtained by covering the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body 12 with the skin sheet 14.

[0050] The rotation of the first guide roller 54 biases the skin sheet 14 obliquely upward as it moves from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveying direction, and a lifting force acts on the cylindrical body 12. The manufacturing device 30 is disposed downstream of the first guide roller 54 in the conveying direction, and includes a pressing member 58 that presses the cylindrical body 12 in the contact direction toward the skin sheet 14 (downward), so that the cylindrical body 12 can be prevented from being lifted by the bias of the first guide roller 54. Similarly, the rotation of the second guide roller 56 biases the skin sheet 14 obliquely upward as it moves from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveying direction, and a lifting force acts on the cylindrical body 12. The manufacturing device 30 is disposed downstream of the second guide roller 56 in the conveying direction and is equipped with a pressing member 58 that presses the tubular body 12 in the contact direction toward the skin sheet 14 (downward), thereby preventing the tubular body 12 from floating up due to the force of the second guide roller 56.

[0051] By increasing the inclination angle with respect to the contact direction as viewed in the width direction of the guide rollers 54, 56 arranged on the upstream side in the conveying direction, the skin sheet 14 can be strongly urged when the progress of winding the skin sheet 14 around the cylindrical body 12 is low. This allows the skin sheet 14 to be efficiently guided to the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body 12, and also increases the tension applied to the skin sheet 14, thereby suppressing the occurrence of wrinkles in the skin sheet 14. By weakly urging the skin sheet 14 when the progress of winding the skin sheet 14 around the cylindrical body 12 is high, the tension applied to the skin sheet 14 can be reduced, preventing excessive force from being applied to the skin sheet 14.

[0052] After the skin sheet 14 is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 12 by the guide rollers 54, 56 in the conveying path of the conveying section 32, the skin sheet 14 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 12 by the pressing roller 60. Here, the diameter of the part of the pressing roller 60 that contacts the skin sheet 14 increases as it is farther from the initial contact position between the skin sheet 14 and the cylindrical body 12 as viewed from the conveying direction of the conveying section 32. In this way, the rotation speed of the upper part of the pressing roller 60, which has a larger diameter, is faster than that of the lower part, which has a smaller diameter, so that the skin sheet 14 can be pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 12 while being biased by the pressing roller 60 in a direction away from the initial contact position (upward). As a result, the body fixing part 20 can be attached to the cylindrical body 12 while applying tension to the skin sheet 14, and the occurrence of wrinkles in the skin sheet 14 can be suppressed.

[0053] As described above, the cylindrical body 12 can be brought into close contact with the skin sheet 14 by bending the conveying path of the cylindrical body 12 toward the skin sheet 14 downstream of the contact position P1 where the cylindrical body 12 and the skin sheet 14 are brought into contact with each other. In addition, as the cylindrical body 12 is conveyed along a conveying path that is bent from the conveying path of the contact position P1, the skin sheet 14 gradually wraps around the cylindrical body 12 from the skin sheet 14 side to the opposite side of the skin sheet 14. At this time, tension is applied to the skin sheet 14 by the pressure of the cylindrical body 12, and in this state, the skin sheet 14 wraps around the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 12, thereby preventing the occurrence of wrinkles in the skin sheet 14. In addition, the tension applied to the skin sheet 14 can be easily adjusted by adjusting the degree of bending of the conveying path of the cylindrical body 12. Therefore, in the obtained tubular body 10, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of defects such as wrinkles due to insufficient tension of the skin sheet 14, or opening of the slits 16 due to excessive tension of the skin sheet 14.

[0054] (Example of change) The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned items, and may be, for example, as follows: It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the specific descriptions of the examples and the following modified examples. (1) In the embodiment, the cylindrical body is disposed above the skin sheet at the contact position, but for example, the cylindrical body may be disposed below the skin sheet at the contact position and transported in a state where they are in contact with each other, or the skin sheet and the cylindrical body may be disposed side by side at the contact position and transported in a state where they are in contact with each other. In other words, the skin sheet and the cylindrical body may be disposed in any orientation as long as they are in a contacting relationship. In this way, even if the arrangement of the cylindrical body and the skin sheet is different from that of the embodiment, there is a problem that the skin sheet may sag due to the influence of gravity, and by bending the transport path of the cylindrical body toward the skin sheet downstream of the contact position, the same effect as that of the embodiment can be achieved. (2) The pressing member is not limited to being roller-shaped as in the embodiment, but may be belt-shaped, plate-shaped, rod-shaped, etc. Also, the pressing member is not limited to being a driven roller as in the embodiment, but may be a driving roller that rotates by itself. (3) The guide member, the pressing member, and the support member are not limited to being roller-shaped as in the embodiment, but may be belt-shaped, plate-shaped, rod-shaped, etc. Furthermore, the guide member, the pressing member, and the support member are not limited to being driven rollers as in the embodiment, but may be self-rotating drive rollers. (4) The sheet supplying section may be a roller capable of adsorbing the surface sheet by air suction or the like. (5) The cylindrical body may be either a long body longer than the required length of the tubular body, or a body that matches the required length of the tubular body. (6) The tubular body may be slit after the skin sheet is wound, or the skin sheet may be wound around a tubular body with a slit formed in advance. Forming a slit in the tubular body after the skin sheet is wound makes it easier to supply the tubular body, since the orientation of the slit does not need to be considered when winding the skin sheet. (7) The body fixing portion is not limited to double-sided tape, and other means capable of fixing the skin sheet and the tubular body, such as applying an adhesive to form an adhesive layer, may be used. (8) The closure fixing portion is not limited to double-sided tape, and other means capable of fixing the closure piece may be used, such as applying an adhesive to form an adhesive layer. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 10 tubular body, 12 cylindrical body, 14 skin sheet, 32 conveying section, 54 First guide roller (guide roller), 56 second guide roller (guide roller), 58 pressing member, 60 pressing roller

Claims

1. A manufacturing apparatus for a tubular body having a cylindrical body and a skin sheet covering an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body, a conveying section that conveys the cylindrical body and the skin sheet in a state of contact with each other in a contact direction; a guide roller disposed on a conveying path in the conveying section and configured to guide the surface sheet along an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body; the rotation axis of the guide roller is inclined in a direction from the cylindrical body toward the skin sheet within the contact direction as it moves from the upstream side in the conveying direction to the downstream side in the conveying direction, when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the contact direction and the conveying direction of the conveying section.

2. The apparatus for manufacturing a tubular body according to claim 1 , further comprising a pressing member disposed downstream of the guide roller in the conveying direction and pressing the cylindrical body in a direction toward the skin sheet in the contact direction.

3. A plurality of the guide rollers are arranged in the conveying direction, The apparatus for manufacturing a tubular body according to claim 1 , wherein the guide rollers arranged on the upstream side in the conveying direction have a larger inclination angle with respect to the contact direction.

4. a pressure roller disposed downstream of the guide roller in the conveying path in the conveying direction and pressing the surface sheet against the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body; 4. The apparatus for manufacturing a tubular body according to claim 1, wherein a diameter of a portion of the pressing roller that contacts the skin sheet increases as the pressing roller is farther from an initial contact position between the skin sheet and the tubular body as viewed from the conveying direction of the conveying section.

5. A method for producing a tubular body, the method comprising: conveying a tubular body and a skin sheet in a state in which the tubular body and the skin sheet are in contact with each other in a contact direction, and wrapping the skin sheet around an outer peripheral surface of the tubular body to produce a tubular body having an outer peripheral surface covered with the skin sheet, the method comprising the steps of: a guide roller arranged in a conveying path rotates to urge the skin sheet in a direction from the skin sheet toward the cylindrical body in the contact direction as the skin sheet moves from the upstream side in the conveying direction to the downstream side in the conveying direction, as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the contact direction and the conveying direction of the conveying path, thereby wrapping the skin sheet around the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body.

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