Curvature-shaping device

Abstract

To provide such a configuration as to obtain desired quality and strength, according to a curvature-shaping device for shaping a reinforcing fiber material obtained by molding the reinforcing fiber material used with a thermoplastic resin as a matrix material into a curved shape.SOLUTION: A curvature-shaping device comprising a heater for heating a reinforcing fiber material in a state capable of deforming the reinforcing fiber material further comprises a holding mechanism for holding the reinforcing fiber material on an upstream side of the heater, and comprises a swinging mechanism, a shaping mechanism, and a drawing mechanism on a downstream side of the heater. The swinging mechanism extends a side edge on a side that becomes an outer side at both side edges of the reinforcing fiber material by revolving and driving a holding unit by which the reinforcing fiber material is held, on a downstream side. The drawing mechanism draws a part of the reinforcing fiber material, which has been heated by the heater, on the downstream side after extended. The shaping mechanism shapes the reinforcing fiber material into a curvature shape by a shaping die unit comprising an upper die, a lower die, and a pair of side dies after drawn.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a curved shaping device that shapes a reinforcing fiber material, which is formed by molding a long sheet-like reinforcing fiber substrate using a thermoplastic resin as a matrix material and in which the reinforcing fibers are oriented at an angle to the longitudinal direction, along a defined path while shaping the reinforcing fiber material so as to form a curve in a planar view. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, aircraft-related parts, automobile-related parts, sports and leisure goods, etc., have been formed from reinforced fiber materials. However, the reinforced fiber material referred to here is a material manufactured by applying pressure, heat, etc. to a reinforced fiber substrate such as prepreg and molding it. In addition, the reinforced fiber substrate (prepreg), which is the basis of the reinforced fiber material, is formed into a sheet shape by impregnating reinforcing fibers such as carbon fiber, glass fiber, aramid fiber, etc. with a matrix material (resin). Furthermore, some such reinforced fiber substrates have reinforcing fibers oriented at an angle (for example, 45° or 90°) to the longitudinal direction.

[0003] In addition, there are thermosetting resins and thermoplastic resins as matrix materials. In addition, it is known that a reinforcing fiber substrate using a thermoplastic resin as a matrix material is superior in moldability compared to one using a thermosetting resin. Therefore, in recent years, a reinforcing fiber substrate using a thermoplastic resin having such an advantage as a matrix material for molding a reinforcing fiber material is preferably used.

[0004] Incidentally, it is also known that curved parts, such as the frame material of the fuselage of an aircraft, which is one of the aircraft-related parts described above, are formed from the reinforcing fiber material. As an apparatus for manufacturing curved reinforcing fiber material from a reinforcing fiber base material using a thermoplastic resin as a matrix material as described above, for example, there is an apparatus disclosed in the following Patent Document 1 (hereinafter referred to as the "conventional apparatus").

[0005] The conventional device is a device that molds a reinforcing fiber substrate (hereinafter simply referred to as "reinforcing fiber substrate") using a thermoplastic resin as a matrix material into a straight reinforcing fiber material, and then shapes the reinforcing fiber material into a curved shape. Therefore, the conventional device includes a preforming device that molds multiple long sheet-like reinforcing fiber substrates prepared in a form wound around a spool into a U-shaped cross section when stacked together, and a bending section that shapes the reinforcing fiber material molded by the preforming device into a curved shape.

[0006] In the conventional device, the reinforcing fiber material formed as described above is fed along a path defined by each component of the device, and the reinforcing fiber material is shaped into a curved shape by passing through a curved section. The curved shape of the reinforcing fiber material in the curved section is achieved by applying heat and pressure to the reinforcing fiber material as it passes through the curved path in the curved section. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-78554 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] In the conventional device, the linear reinforced fiber material molded as described above is passed through a curved section under heating and pressure to form a curved shape. However, while the linear material has the same length on both sides, the curved material after molding has different lengths on both sides (the outer side edge is longer than the inner side edge).

[0009] Furthermore, when shaping a material with both sides of the same length into a material with different lengths, the method of shaping a straight material into a curved shape by passing it through a curved section while applying heat and pressure as in the conventional device, is likely to crush the inner part of the material and make it impossible to shape the material (especially the surface part) into the desired shape. In that case, problems will arise such as not being able to obtain the desired quality or strength for the material.

[0010] In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a curved shaping device that shapes a reinforcing fiber material obtained by molding a reinforcing fiber base material using a thermoplastic resin as a matrix material into a curved shape, in which the above-mentioned problems do not occur. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The present invention is based on a curved shaping device that shapes a reinforcing fiber material, which is formed by molding a long sheet-like reinforcing fiber substrate in which a thermoplastic resin is used as a matrix material and reinforcing fibers are oriented at an angle to the longitudinal direction, so as to form a curve in a plan view while feeding the reinforcing fiber material along a defined path. In addition, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized by comprising the following heating device, clamping mechanism, swinging mechanism, shaping mechanism, pull-out mechanism, and drive control device.

[0012] The heating device is provided in the path and heats the reinforcing fiber material to a temperature equal to or higher than the deformable temperature at which the reinforcing fiber material becomes deformable. The clamping mechanism is provided upstream of the heating device and is configured to be switchable between a clamping state in which at least both ends of the reinforcing fiber material are clamped and a non-clamping state in which the clamping state is released. The swinging mechanism includes a gripping unit provided downstream of the heating device and configured to be switchable between a gripping state in which at least both ends of the reinforcing fiber material are gripped and a non-gripping state in which the gripping state is released. The swinging mechanism is configured to drive the gripping unit to rotate between an initial position and a rotation position downstream of the initial position, with the rotation center being the position of one side edge of the reinforcing fiber material or a position closer to the center of the curvature than the side edge. The shaping mechanism is provided downstream of the heating device and adjacent to the heating device, and includes a shaping unit consisting of an upper mold, a lower mold, and a pair of side molds for shaping the reinforcing fiber material. The shaping mechanism is configured to heat the shaping mold unit at a temperature lower than the deformable temperature and drive the shaping mold unit to perform a shaping operation. In order to shape the reinforcing fiber material into a curved shape, the shaping mechanism is configured such that the outer shaping surfaces for shaping the reinforcing fiber material in each side mold of the shaping mold unit are formed as curved surfaces that realize the curvature, and the inner shaping surfaces facing the outer shaping surfaces in the upper mold and / or lower mold are formed as curved surfaces parallel to the outer shaping surfaces. The drawing mechanism is provided downstream of the heating device and performs a drawing operation to draw out the portion of the reinforcing fiber material heated by the heating device to a position where the shaping operation by the shaping mold unit is performed. The drive control device controls the drive of each mechanism so that each of the steps of a rotation process in which the clamping mechanism is in a clamping state and the gripping unit, which is located in an initial position, is in a gripping state using the swinging mechanism and then the gripping unit is rotated toward a rotation position, a pull-out process in which the clamping mechanism is in a non-clamping state and then the pull-out mechanism performs a pull-out operation, and a shaping process in which the shaping mechanism causes the shaping mold unit to perform a shaping operation, is performed in the order of the rotation process, pull-out process, and shaping process.

[0013] In addition, in the curve shaping device of the present invention, the shaping die unit may function as a gripping unit, and the shaping mechanism may be configured to rotate the shaping die unit between an initial position and a rotating position, and may also function as a rocking mechanism.

[0014] Furthermore, in addition to functioning as a swinging mechanism, the shaping mechanism may also function as a drawing mechanism by being configured to cause the shaping mold unit to perform a drawing operation.

[0015] The curve shaping device of the present invention may also include a holding mechanism as described below. The holding mechanism is provided downstream of the swinging mechanism and is configured to be switchable between a holding state in which the reinforcing fiber material is held and a non-holding state in which the holding state is released. In addition, the drive of the holding mechanism is controlled by a drive control device so that the holding mechanism is in the holding state when the gripping unit located at the turning position is turned toward the initial position. Effect of the Invention

[0016] In the curve forming device according to the present invention, as a series of steps, first, the gripping unit in the initial position is put into the gripping state, and then a rotation step is performed in which the gripping unit is rotated toward the rotation position. As a result, a portion of the reinforcing fiber material heated by the heating device on the upstream side of the gripping unit (hereinafter referred to as the "heated portion") is pulled toward the rotation position. As a result, the heated portion has two sides with different lengths. The gripping unit rotates around the position of one side edge of the reinforcing fiber material or a position closer to the center of the curve than that side edge. As a result, the one side edge of the heated portion does not move toward the heating device due to the rotation, so that the portion on the side edge side is not crushed.

[0017] Next, a drawing step is performed in which the drawing mechanism performs a drawing operation. As a result, the heated portion is positioned at a position where a shaping operation is performed by a shaping mold unit in the shaping mechanism. Then, a shaping step is performed in which a shaping operation involving heating and pressurization is performed by a shaping mold unit consisting of a mold whose shaping surface is formed as a curved surface, so that the heated portion is shaped into a curved shape.

[0018] Thus, according to the curved shaping device of the present invention, prior to shaping a straight reinforcing fiber material into a curved shape, the heated portion of the reinforcing fiber material is made to have different lengths on both sides, as in the case of a curved shape. Then, the heated portion with the different lengths on both sides is shaped by the shaping unit as described above to shape the reinforcing fiber material into a curved shape. This makes it possible to prevent crushing of the inner part of the reinforcing fiber material as much as possible, compared to the method of the conventional device in which a straight reinforcing fiber material with the same length on both sides is directly shaped into a curved shape. As a result, a curved reinforcing fiber material having the desired quality and strength can be manufactured.

[0019] In addition, by configuring the shaping mechanism so that the shaping mold unit functions as a gripping unit and is driven to rotate between the initial position and the pivot position, and by configuring the shaping mechanism so that it also functions as a rocking mechanism, the overall configuration of the curve shaping device can be simplified.

[0020] Furthermore, by configuring the shaping mechanism, which also functions as the rocking mechanism, so that the shaping mold unit performs a pull-out operation, and configuring the shaping mechanism to also function as the pull-out mechanism, the overall configuration of the curve shaping device can be further simplified.

[0021] In addition, by configuring the curve shaping device so as to include a holding mechanism downstream of the oscillating mechanism that is switchable between the holding state and the non-holding state and to set the holding mechanism to the holding state when the gripping unit pivots from the pivot position toward the initial position, the configuration for preventing the reinforcing fiber material from shifting in position due to the pivoting action of the gripping unit toward the initial position (hereinafter, the "position shift prevention configuration") becomes simpler, and the configuration of the curve shaping device can be avoided from becoming complicated.

[0022] More specifically, the reinforcing fiber material immediately after shaping in the shaping mechanism may still have a high temperature and its surface may be viscous, so that the reinforcing fiber material may move back to the upstream side of the path along with the gripping unit as the gripping unit rotates toward the initial position, that is, the reinforcing fiber material may be displaced. If such a displacement occurs, it may adversely affect the curved shaping. Therefore, in the curved shaping device, it is necessary to have a displacement prevention configuration to prevent such a displacement.

[0023] However, if the rocking mechanism including the gripping unit involved in the positional deviation is provided with a positional deviation prevention configuration, the rocking mechanism is configured to be able to switch the gripping unit between the gripping state and the non-gripping state and to drive the gripping unit to rotate, so the configuration of the rocking mechanism becomes complicated, which leads to a complicated configuration of the curve shaping device.

[0024] In contrast, by providing a holding mechanism that is provided downstream of the oscillating mechanism separately from the oscillating mechanism as a positional deviation prevention configuration, the positional deviation prevention configuration itself can be made simpler in configuration than when the positional deviation prevention configuration is provided in the oscillating mechanism as described above, and as a result, it is possible to avoid the configuration of the curve shaping device becoming complicated. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1]1 is a plan view showing a continuous molding machine to which an embodiment of the curve shaping device of the present invention is applied. [Diagram 2] Side view of Figure 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a schematic rear view of a shaping mold unit in the shaping mechanism. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. [Figure 11] 1A to 1D are explanatory diagrams showing an operation for shaping a reinforcing fiber material. (a) is a plan view. (b) is a front view of a clamping mechanism. (c) is a simplified front view of a shaping mold unit. (d) is a front view of a holding mechanism. [Figure 12] 12(a) to (d) are explanatory diagrams showing the next operation of FIG. 11. [Figure 13] 13(a) to (d) are explanatory diagrams showing the next operation of FIG. 12. [Figure 14] 14(a) to (d) are explanatory diagrams showing the next operation of FIG. 13. [Figure 15] 15(a) to (d) are explanatory diagrams showing the next operation of FIG. 14. [Figure 16] 16(a) to (d) are explanatory diagrams showing the next operation of FIG. 15. [Figure 17] 17(a) to (d) are explanatory diagrams showing the next operation of FIG. 16. [Figure 18] 18(a) to (d) are explanatory diagrams showing the next operation of FIG. 17. [Figure 19] 13(a) and (b) are explanatory views showing another modified example of the curve shaping device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] Hereinafter, one embodiment (example) of the curve shaping device according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figs.

[0027] 1 and 2, this embodiment is an example in which the curve shaping device 4 is provided as a part of a continuous molding machine 1 including a molding mechanism 3 for molding a reinforcing fiber base material R1 into a reinforcing fiber material R2. More specifically, this embodiment is an example related to a continuous molding machine 1 configured such that a plurality of sheet-like reinforcing fiber base materials R1 supplied from a supply device 2 are molded into a reinforcing fiber material R2 by the molding mechanism 3, and the molded reinforcing fiber material R2 is continuously sent to the curve shaping device 4.

[0028] In this embodiment, the number of reinforcing fiber substrates R1 supplied by the supply device 2 is three. However, the three reinforcing fiber substrates R1 are made of carbon fiber as reinforcing fibers, and the orientation directions of the reinforcing fibers form different angles (45°, 90°, 135°) with respect to the longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, the molding mechanism 3 is configured to mold the reinforcing fiber substrate R1 into a reinforcing fiber material R2 having a Z-shaped cross-sectional shape. Each device of the continuous molding machine 1 including such a molding mechanism 3 is described in detail below.

[0029] The molding mechanism 3 molds the reinforcing fiber base material R1 into a Z shape as described above. As shown in Fig. 3, the molding mechanism 3 includes a molding die 3a that molds the three reinforcing fiber base materials R1 in a stacked state as described above into a Z shape, and the molding die 3a is composed of an upper die 3b and a lower die 3c.

[0030] The upper die 3b and the lower die 3c are formed so that the molding surfaces 3b1, 3c1 for molding the reinforcing fiber substrate R1 into the reinforcing fiber material R2 are Z-shaped. Specifically, the molding surfaces 3b1, 3c1 are formed so that both sides are bent at an angle of approximately 90° to the opposite sides from the middle part. The molding die 3a is disposed downstream of the supply device 2 so that the upper die 3b and the lower die 3c sandwich the path of the reinforcing fiber substrate R1 from above and below. The lower die 3c is fixedly disposed below the path.

[0031] The molding mechanism 3 is also provided with a die drive device 3d such as a hydraulic cylinder that reciprocates the upper die 3b, and is configured to pressurize the reinforcing fiber substrate R1 between the upper die 3b and the lower die 3c by driving the upper die 3b toward the lower die 3c with the die drive device 3d. However, the die drive device 3d is provided such that the direction in which the upper die 3b is reciprocated forms an angle with the vertical direction Z so that the reinforcing fiber substrate R1 is pressed not only in the vertical direction Z but also in the width direction Y of the path.

[0032] Furthermore, the molding mechanism 3 is configured to heat the upper mold 3b and the lower mold 3c so that the reinforcing fiber substrate R1 is heated at the same time as the pressurization as described above. The heating temperature is set to a temperature higher than the temperature (deformable temperature) at which the reinforcing fiber substrate R1 becomes deformable. However, the deformable temperature here is a temperature determined according to the type of thermoplastic resin as the matrix material in the reinforcing fiber substrate R1 (reinforcing fiber material R2 formed by molding the reinforcing fiber substrate R1), and is a temperature at which the thermoplastic resin becomes deformable when the reinforcing fiber substrate R1 (reinforcing fiber material R2) is heated and reaches that temperature. Incidentally, the deformable temperature of the reinforcing fiber substrate R1 (thermoplastic resin as the matrix material) of this embodiment is 270°C. In addition, the heating temperature of the molding die 3a (upper mold 3b and lower mold 3c) in the molding mechanism 3 is set to 280°C.

[0033] In the molding mechanism 3 configured as described above, the three reinforcing fiber substrates R1 supplied from the supply device 2 are heated and pressurized by the molding die 3a to form a linear reinforcing fiber material R2 having a Z-shaped cross section. The Z-shaped reinforcing fiber material R2 is then sent to the curved shaping device 4 provided downstream of the path relative to the molding mechanism 3, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The direction in which the reinforcing fiber material R2 is sent is a straight line and is referred to as the feed direction X. In addition, the direction of the path for the reinforcing fiber substrate R1 and the reinforcing fiber material R2 includes the opposite direction to the feed direction X and the feed direction X. In this embodiment, the path direction is horizontal.

[0034] In the present invention, the curve shaping device 4 includes a heating device that heats the reinforcing fiber material R2 in the path, and a clamping mechanism that clamps the reinforcing fiber material R2 on the upstream side of the heating device. The curve shaping device 4 also includes a swinging mechanism that turns a gripping unit that grips the reinforcing fiber material R2, a shaping mechanism including a shaping unit for shaping the reinforcing fiber material R2 into a curved shape at a position adjacent to the heating device, and a pull-out mechanism that pulls out the reinforcing fiber material R2, all of which are located downstream of the heating device. The curve shaping device 4 also includes a drive control device that controls the drive of each mechanism.

[0035] In addition, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, in this embodiment, the shaping mechanism 13 is configured to function also as a swinging mechanism 14 and a pull-out mechanism 15. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a holding mechanism 16 for holding the reinforcing fiber material R2 is provided downstream of the shaping mechanism 13, which also functions as the swinging mechanism 14, as a configuration for preventing the reinforcing fiber material R2 from shifting in position. That is, in this embodiment, the curve shaping device 4 is provided with the holding mechanism 16. The configuration of the curve shaping device 4 will be described in detail below.

[0036] As shown in Figure 4, the clamping mechanism 11 is configured to clamp the reinforcing fiber material R2 and includes a pair of clamping bodies 21, 22 arranged to sandwich the path from above and below, and a clamping body drive device 25 that drives one of the clamping bodies 21.

[0037] The pair of clamping bodies 21, 22 are formed so that their clamping surfaces 21a, 22a can face the entire surface (upper and lower surfaces) of the reinforcing fiber material R2 formed into a Z shape as described above.

[0038] More specifically, the reinforcing fiber material R2 is molded into a Z shape as described above, and as shown in Figure 8, it consists of a central portion (central portion R3) and side end portions (side end portions R4, R5) on both sides of the central portion R3, which are bent at an angle of approximately 90° to opposite sides from the central portion R3.

[0039] In contrast, as shown in Figure 4, the clamping surface 22a of the lower clamping body 22 (lower clamping body 22) is composed of a horizontal surface 22b, which is a portion facing the underside of the central portion R3 of the reinforcing fiber material R2, and two vertical surfaces 22c, 22d (upper vertical surface 22c and lower vertical surface 22d), which are portions facing the undersides of both side ends R4, R5 of the reinforcing fiber material R2 and extend upward and downward, respectively, at an angle of approximately 90° with respect to the horizontal surface 22b. Similarly, the clamping surface 21a of the upper clamping body 21 (upper clamping body 21) is composed of a horizontal plane 21b, which is a portion facing the upper surface of the central portion R3 of the reinforcing fiber material R2, and two vertical surfaces 21d, 21c (lower vertical surface 21d and upper vertical surface 21c), which are portions facing the upper surfaces of both side ends R4, R5 of the reinforcing fiber material R2 and extend downward and upward, respectively, at an angle of approximately 90° with respect to the horizontal plane 21b.

[0040] Moreover, the lower clamping body 22 is fixedly disposed at a position where the position of the horizontal plane 22b of the clamping surface 22a coincides with the height position of the path in the vertical direction Z. The upper clamping body 21 is provided so that the horizontal plane 21b of the clamping surface 21a faces the horizontal plane 22b of the clamping surface 22a of the lower clamping body 22 in the vertical direction Z. However, during standby when the upper clamping body 21 is not clamping the reinforcing fiber material R2, the upper clamping body 21 is disposed at a position (upper standby position) spaced upward from the lower clamping body 22.

[0041] The clamping body drive device 25 is provided to drive the upper clamping body 21, which is in the upper standby position, toward and away from the lower clamping body 22 in order to clamp the reinforcing fiber material R2 between both clamping bodies 21, 22. In this embodiment, the clamping body drive device 25 is configured to use a hydraulic cylinder 26 as a drive means. The clamping body drive device 25 supports the upper clamping body 21 so that the upper clamping body 21 is in the upper standby position during standby by attaching the upper clamping body 21 to a piston rod 27 of the hydraulic cylinder 26.

[0042] Then, the clamping body drive device 25 drives the upper clamping body 21 to advance and retreat between the clamping position where the reinforcing fiber material R2 is clamped and the upper standby position. However, the clamping body drive device 25 is provided so as to drive the upper clamping body 21 to advance and retreat in a direction forming an angle with the vertical direction so that the clamping force by the biasing force of the hydraulic cylinder 26 acts not only on the center portion R3 of the reinforcing fiber material R2 formed into a Z shape but also on both side end portions R4 and R5.

[0043] Specifically, the upper waiting position of the upper clamping body 21 is shifted in the width direction Y such that the lower vertical surface 21d of the clamping surface 21a of the upper clamping body 21 is positioned outside the lower clamping body 22 with respect to the lower vertical surface 22d of the clamping surface 22a of the lower clamping body 22 (the upper vertical surface 21c of the clamping surface 21a of the upper clamping body 21 is positioned inside the lower clamping body 22 with respect to the upper vertical surface 22c of the clamping surface 22a of the lower clamping body 22). Also, the hydraulic cylinder 26 is provided such that the advancing direction of its piston rod 27 forms an angle with the vertical direction and is oriented in the opposite direction to the above-mentioned shift direction of the upper clamping body 21 with respect to the lower clamping body 22 with respect to the width direction Y.

[0044] Thus, when driving the upper clamping body 21 to advance toward the lower clamping body 22, the clamping body driving device 25 is provided so as to move the upper clamping body 21 closer to the lower clamping body 22 not only in the vertical direction but also in the width direction Y. Therefore, according to this configuration, the biasing force of the hydraulic cylinder 26 acting on the lower clamping body 22 via the upper clamping body 21, i.e., the clamping force by the upper clamping body 21 and the lower clamping body 22, acts not only in the vertical direction but also in the width direction Y.

[0045] In addition, the clamping mechanism 11 of this embodiment is configured so that the clamping force acts on a part of the central portion R3 and both side end portions R4, R5 of the reinforcing fiber material R2. Specifically, in the clamping mechanism 11, a clamping piece 23 made of a flat plate material is attached to the upper vertical surface 22c of the clamping surface 22a of the lower clamping body 22. In addition, an L-shaped clamping piece 24 formed by bending a plate material into an L-shape is attached to the lower vertical surface 21d of the clamping surface 21a of the upper clamping body 21 and the end portion of the horizontal surface 21b on the lower vertical surface 21d side. As a result, the clamping mechanism 11 clamps the reinforcing fiber material R2 only in the range where both the clamping pieces 23, 24 are present.

[0046] The clamping mechanism 11 of this embodiment is configured to heat both clamping bodies 21 and 22 so as to heat the reinforcing fiber material R2 while clamping the reinforcing fiber material R2. The purpose of the heating is to shorten the time required for heating the reinforcing fiber material R2 by the heating device 12 provided downstream of the clamping mechanism 11. The heating temperatures of both clamping bodies 21 and 22 are set to a temperature lower than the deformation temperature.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 5, the heating device 12 includes a pair of heating members 31, 32 (upper heating member 31 and lower heating member 32) fixedly disposed on the downstream side of the clamping mechanism 11 so as to sandwich the path from above to below. More specifically, both heating members 31, 32 are mainly composed of block-shaped members having an L-shaped cross section. Both heating members 31, 32 are configured to have built-in heaters 34. In addition, both heating members 31, 32 are disposed in a positional relationship such that their inner surfaces face the other heating members 32, 31 and are spaced apart from the other heating members 32, 31 so that a Z-shaped space 36 (Z-shaped space 36) is formed between them when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the end faces forming the L shape.

[0048] However, the distance between the two heating members 31, 32 is substantially uniform over the entire area where the two heating members 31, 32 face each other, and is slightly larger than the thickness of the reinforcing fiber material R2. The two heating members 31, 32 are formed to have a size such that the width of the Z-shaped space 36 when viewed in the perpendicular direction is slightly larger than the width of the reinforcing fiber material R2 formed into a Z shape as described above (the size between the side ends R4, R5 on both sides). In other words, the two heating members 31, 32 are members of a size such that the Z-shaped space 36 formed by them is large enough to pass the Z-shaped reinforcing fiber material R2.

[0049] Both heating members 31, 32 are fixedly provided downstream of the clamping mechanism 11 in the direction of the path in such an arrangement that the Z-shaped reinforcing fiber material R2 fed on the path can pass through a Z-shaped space 36 formed by both heating members 31, 32 without coming into contact with both heating members 31, 32 in the vertical direction Z and the width direction Y. By providing both heating members 31, 32 in this manner, the pair of upper and lower heating members 31, 32 can face the entire surface of the reinforcing fiber material R2 passing through the Z-shaped space 36 on the inner surfaces forming the Z-shaped space 36.

[0050] Then, both heating members 31 and 32 are heated to a predetermined temperature (heating temperature) by the built-in heater 34. The heating members 31 and 32 are heated in this manner to generate heat, and the reinforcing fiber material R2 passing through the Z-shaped space 36 is heated according to the temperature of the heating members 31 and 32. Moreover, since the pair of heating members 31 and 32 faces the entire surface of the reinforcing fiber material R2 as described above, the reinforcing fiber material R2 is heated by receiving (evenly) the heat generated by the heating members 31 and 32 over its entire surface. The heating is performed to realize shaping of the reinforcing fiber material R2 by the shaping mechanism 13 described later. Therefore, the heating temperatures of both heating members 31 and 32 are set to be higher than the deformable temperatures.

[0051] Furthermore, regarding the heating temperature, a part of the reinforcing fiber material R2 is heated by the heating device 12, and then the heated part (heated part) is sent to the shaping mechanism 13 located downstream to be shaped. However, since there is a time difference between the time when heating is performed and the time when shaping is performed, the temperature of the heated part at the time of shaping may be lower than the time when heating by the heating device 12. In addition, since the heating device 12 (heating member) applies heat to the surface to heat the reinforcing fiber material R2, the surface part and the center part of the heated part have different temperatures. Therefore, the heating temperatures of both heating members 31 and 32 are set to a temperature sufficiently higher than the deformable temperature, and the temperature to which the heating members are heated by the heater 34 is set to a temperature corresponding to that. Incidentally, in this embodiment, the heating temperatures of both heating members 31 and 32 are 360°C.

[0052] As shown in Figure 6, the shaping mechanism 13 is configured to shape the reinforcing fiber material R2 into a curved shape, and includes a shaping mold unit 40 arranged downstream of the heating device 12 adjacent to the heating device 12, a mold drive device 50 that drives the shaping mold unit 40, and a mold heating device 55 that heats the shaping mold unit 40.

[0053] The shaping unit 40 is composed of a lower mold 41 arranged below the path, an upper mold 42 arranged above the path, and a pair of side molds 43, 44 arranged on both sides of the lower mold 41 and the upper mold 42 in the width direction Y. The shaping of the reinforcing fiber material R2 by the shaping unit 40 is to give a new shape (a curved shape in the present invention) to the reinforcing fiber material R2 previously molded into a predetermined shape (Z-shape in this embodiment), in other words, to further deform the molded reinforcing fiber material R2 by the shaping unit 40. The shaping is performed by pressing the reinforcing fiber material R2 with molds (the lower mold 41, the upper mold 42, and a pair of side molds 43, 44) provided in the shaping unit 40.

[0054] Since the molded reinforcing fiber material R2 is Z-shaped as described above, the side end R4 (upper end R4) of the reinforcing fiber material R2, which is one of the side end portions R4, R5 of the reinforcing fiber material R2 and faces upward with respect to the path, is shaped by one of the two-sided molds 43, 44 (the left side in FIG. 6 as seen from downstream, hereinafter referred to as the "left side mold 43") and the upper mold 42. Similarly, the other side end R5 (lower end R5) of the reinforcing fiber material R2, which is the other of the two-sided molds 43, 44 and faces downward with respect to the path, is shaped by the other of the two-sided molds 43, 44 (the right side in FIG. 6 as seen from downstream, hereinafter referred to as the "right side mold 44") and the lower mold 41. Therefore, in the shaping mold unit 40, the surface of the upper mold 42 facing the lower mold 41 and the left side mold 43 is the shaping surface 42a, and the surface of the lower mold 41 facing the upper mold 42 and the right side mold 44 is the shaping surface 41a. Furthermore, of the surface of the left side mold 43 facing the upper mold 42 and the lower mold 41, the portion facing the upper mold 42 is the shaping surface 43a, and of the surface of the right side mold 44 facing the upper mold 42 and the lower mold 41, the portion facing the lower mold 41 is the shaping surface 44a.

[0055] Each of the dies 41 to 44 in the shaping die unit 40 is composed of a block-shaped member forming a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. The arrangement of the dies 41 to 44 is as follows, as shown in Fig. 8. In order to make it easier to understand the configuration of the shaping die unit 40, only the back surface of the shaping die unit 40 is shown in Fig. 8.

[0056] The lower die 41 is disposed in a position where the position of its upper surface 41U approximately coincides with the height position of the path in the vertical direction Z. In addition, the lower die 41 is disposed in a position where its side is oriented parallel to the direction of the path in the width direction Y, and where the position of one side surface 41R (the side surface on the right side, hereinafter referred to as the "right side surface 41R") approximately coincides with the position of the inner side surface of the lower end portion R5 of the reinforcing fiber material R2 passing on the path. The lower die 41 is fixedly provided at such a position. In this manner, the lower die 41 is disposed such that the upper surface 41U of the lower die 41 can closely face the center portion R3 of the reinforcing fiber material R2 passing on the path, and the right side surface 41R can closely face the lower end portion R5.

[0057] The lower die 41 is formed such that a dimension 41y in the width direction Y in the thus arranged state is slightly smaller than the distance R2y between the inner surfaces of the both end portions R4, R5 of the reinforcing fiber material R2. As a result, the side surface 41L (left side surface 41L) opposite the right side surface 41R of the lower die 41 is positioned slightly inward in the width direction Y from the inner surface of the upper end portion R4 of the reinforcing fiber material R2.

[0058] The upper die 42 is disposed such that its side surfaces 42R, 42L are parallel to the direction of the path, and its lower surface faces the lower die 41. However, the upper die 42 is disposed in the width direction Y such that the position of one side surface 42L (the left side surface, hereinafter referred to as the "left side surface 42L") substantially coincides with the position of the inner surface of the upper end portion R4 of the reinforcing fiber material R2 passing along the path. In this manner, the upper die 42 is disposed such that the lower surface 42D of the upper die 42 faces the center portion R3 of the reinforcing fiber material R2 passing along the path, and the left side surface 42L faces closely to the upper end portion R4.

[0059] However, when the upper die 42 is on standby (not shaping) and not shaping the reinforcing fiber material R2, it is positioned at a position (upper die standby position) spaced upward from the lower die 41. The upper die standby position is set so that the lower surface 42D of the upper die 42 is slightly lower than the upper edge of the upper end R4 of the reinforcing fiber material R2 passing on the path. Therefore, the upper die 42 is positioned such that the left side surface 42L can closely face the upper end R4 of the reinforcing fiber material R2 passing on the path even when the upper die 42 is positioned at the upper die standby position.

[0060] In addition, the dimension 42y in the width direction Y of the upper die 42 in the state arranged as described above is the same as the dimension 41y in the width direction Y of the lower die 41, and is a dimension slightly smaller than the distance R2y between the inner surfaces of the both end portions R4, R5 of the reinforcing fiber material R2. As a result, the side surface (right side surface 42R) opposite to the left side surface 42L of the upper die 42 is located slightly more inward in the width direction Y than the inner surface of the lower end portion R5 of the reinforcing fiber material R2.

[0061] Thus, in the shaping mold unit 40 of this embodiment, the upper mold 42 and the lower mold 41 have the same dimensions 42y, 41y in the width direction Y, and the left and right side surfaces 41L, 41R, 42L, 42R are arranged in the above-mentioned positions, and are arranged in a state where they are shifted in position in the width direction Y as a whole. As a result, when viewed from above vertically, the shaping mold unit 40 is in a state where a part of the upper surface 41U of the lower mold 41 that is continuous with the right side surface 41R is exposed to the upper mold 42 (the right side surface 42R of the upper mold 42 is located inside the right side surface 41R of the lower mold 41). In addition, the corner portion 41f between the right side surface 41R and the upper surface 41U of the lower mold 41 is chamfered in an arc shape (R chamfering). Similarly, when viewed vertically from below, the shaping mold unit 40 is in a state where a part of the lower surface 42D of the upper mold 42 that is continuous with the left side surface 42L is exposed to the lower mold 41 (the left side surface 41L of the lower mold 41 is located inside the left side surface 42L of the upper mold 42). Note that the corner 42f between the left side surface 42L and the lower surface 42D of the upper mold 42 is also rounded like the corner 41f of the lower mold 41.

[0062] The left mold 43 is disposed at a position (left mold standby position) spaced from the upper mold 42 and the lower mold 41 to the left side with respect to the width direction Y during the non-shaping process, on the left side of the upper mold 42 and the lower mold 41. The left mold 43 is disposed at a position where its approximate center approximately coincides with the position of the upper surface 41U of the lower mold 41 with respect to the vertical direction Z. Furthermore, the left mold 43 is provided with its side surfaces 43R, 43L oriented in parallel with the left side surface 42L of the upper mold 42. The left mold 43 is formed such that the side surface 43L opposite to the side surface 43R (the right side surface, hereinafter referred to as the "opposing surface 43R") facing the upper mold 42 and the lower mold 41 is flat. In addition, the left side mold 43 is formed such that a dimension 43y2 in the width direction Y of a portion 43k (lower portion 43k) facing the lower mold 41 is larger than a dimension 43y1 in the width direction Y of a portion 43j (upper portion 43j) above the lower portion 43k. As a result, the facing surface 43R of the left side mold 43 is formed such that a step portion 43h exists between the lower portion 43k and the upper portion 43j.

[0063] The dimensional difference 43Δ (size of the step 43h) between the upper portion 43j and the lower portion 43k in the width direction Y is slightly smaller than the distance 41Δ in the width direction Y between the outer surface of the upper end R4 of the reinforcing fiber material R2 passing on the path and the left side surface 41L of the lower die 41. The surface on the upper portion 43j side of the opposing surface 43R is formed so that the portion continuing to the surface on the lower portion 43k side is an arc surface. However, the radius of curvature of the arc surface is slightly larger than the radius of curvature of the R surface of the corner portion 42f of the upper die 42.

[0064] Moreover, the left mold 43 has a size in the vertical direction Z such that, when disposed as described above, its upper surface 43U is positioned slightly above the upper end R4 of the reinforcing fiber material R2 passing along the path. As a result, the left mold 43 is disposed such that the upper part 43j can face the entire outer surface of the upper end R4 of the reinforcing fiber material R2.

[0065] The right mold 44 itself has the same shape (size) as the left mold 43, and is arranged symmetrically with respect to the upper mold 42 and the lower mold 41 in an inverted orientation. Therefore, the right mold 44 also faces the upper mold 42 and the lower mold 41 at an opposing surface 44L having a step portion 44h. In addition, the right mold 44 has an upper part 44j larger than a lower part 44k in terms of the size in the width direction Y. However, in terms of the arrangement in the vertical direction Z, the position of the boundary between the upper part 44j and the lower part 44k is located so as to approximately coincide with the position of the upper surface of the central part R3 of the reinforcing fiber material R2 passing on the path. And, the right mold 44 is also located at a position (right mold standby position) spaced to the right from the upper mold 42 and the lower mold 41 in the width direction Y during the non-shaping period. Furthermore, the right mold 44 is disposed such that the lower portion 44k faces the entire outer surface of the lower end portion R5 of the reinforcing fiber material R2 passing along the path.

[0066] As shown in Fig. 6, a die drive device 50 is provided for each of the dies 42-44 in order to drive the upper die 42 and both side dies 43, 44 (left die 43, right die 44) in the shaping die unit 40 to advance and retreat individually in order to shape the Z-shaped reinforcing fiber material R2 by the shaping die unit 40. In this embodiment, each die drive device 50 is configured to use a hydraulic cylinder 50a as a driving means. Each die drive device 50 supports the corresponding die 42-44 by attaching the corresponding die 42-44 to a piston rod 50b of the hydraulic cylinder 50a.

[0067] In addition, the mold drive device 50 (upper mold drive device 52) supporting the upper mold 42 is provided to drive the upper mold 42 to move back and forth in the vertical direction Z between the upper mold standby position and a position (upper pressure position) where the upper mold 42 cooperates with the lower mold 41 to pressurize the central portion R3 of the reinforcing fiber material R2 passing on the path. The mold drive device 50 (left mold drive device 53) supporting the left mold 43 is provided to drive the left mold 43 to move back and forth in the horizontal direction Y between the left mold standby position and a position (left pressure position) where the upper mold 42 cooperates with the upper mold 42 to pressurize the upper end portion R4 of the reinforcing fiber material R2 passing on the path. In addition, the mold driving device 50 (right side mold driving device 54) supporting the right side mold 44 is configured to drive the right side mold 44 back and forth horizontally in the width direction Y between the right side mold waiting position and a position (right pressure position) where it cooperates with the lower mold 41 to pressurize the lower end R5 of the reinforcing fiber material R2 passing along the path.

[0068] Each pressurizing position is set as a position relative to the molds (lower mold 41, upper mold 42, both side molds 43, 44) that cooperate to pressurize the reinforcing fiber material R2, taking into consideration the thickness of the reinforcing fiber material R2, the pressure to be applied to the reinforcing fiber material R2, etc. In the shaping mechanism 13, each mold (upper mold 42, both side molds 43, 44) in the shaping mold unit 40 is driven to advance toward each pressurizing position by each mold drive device 50 as described above, and the reinforcing fiber material R2 is pressurized by the cooperation of each mold (lower mold 41, upper mold 42, both side molds 43, 44), thereby shaping the reinforcing fiber material R2. Therefore, in each mold 41 to 44 (lower mold 41, upper mold 42, both side molds 43, 44), the surfaces that contribute to the shaping become the shaping surfaces 41a to 44a.

[0069] Specifically, in the lower mold 41, the upper surface 41U and the right side surface 41R (more specifically, the portion of the right side surface 41R facing the right mold 44) ​​are the shaping surface 41a, and in the upper mold 42, the lower surface 42D and the left side surface 42L (more specifically, the portion of the left side surface 42L facing the left mold 43 at the upper pressurizing position) are the shaping surface 42a. In the left mold 43, the portion of the opposing surface 43R on the upper portion 43j side is the shaping surface 43a, and in the right mold 44, the portion of the opposing surface 44L on the lower portion 44k side is the shaping surface 44a.

[0070] In addition, in the shaping mechanism 13 of this embodiment, the upper die 42 and the lower die 41 are arranged at different positions in the width direction Y as described above, and the side dies 43 and 44 are driven to apply pressure only in the horizontal direction, so that the exposed portion between the upper die 42 and the lower die 41 is not directly pressurized by the respective dies to the reinforcing fiber material R2. Therefore, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, in the shaping mechanism 13 of this embodiment, plates 46 and 47 for pressurization are attached to the upper die 42 and the lower die 41, respectively, so that a pressure force acts on the exposed portion.

[0071] The plates 46, 47 are formed of flexible plate material. The plates 46, 47 are formed in a Z-shape with a cross-sectional shape and size that are substantially the same as the shape and size of the reinforcing fiber material R2 so as to follow the surface of the Z-shaped reinforcing fiber material R2. The plate 46 (upper plate 46) attached to the upper mold 42 is attached to the shaping surface 42a of the upper mold 42 in such a manner that the central portion of the plate 46 abuts against the lower surface 42D of the upper mold 42 and the side end portion of one side (the left side) of the both end portions abuts against the left side surface 42L of the upper mold 42. The plate 47 (lower plate 47) attached to the lower mold 41 is attached to the shaping surface 41a of the lower mold 41 in such a manner that the central portion of the plate 47 abuts against the upper surface 41U of the lower mold 41 and the side end portion of one side (the right side) of the both end portions abuts against the right side surface 41R of the lower mold 41.

[0072] Each plate 46, 47 has the same dimension in the path direction as the corresponding mold 42, 41, and is attached to the mold so that its center position in the path direction coincides with the center position of the corresponding mold. Since each plate 46, 47 has a center portion that can face the entire center portion R3 of the reinforcing fiber material R2, when the reinforcing fiber material R2 is pressed by the upper mold 42 and the lower mold 41, a pressing force can be applied to the reinforcing fiber material R2 at the exposed portion between the upper mold 42 and the lower mold 41.

[0073] 9, the shaping mechanism 13 shapes the reinforcing fiber material R2 to form a curved shape in a plan view, as described above. Therefore, the shaping surfaces 41a to 44a of the dies 41 to 44 in the shaping die unit 40 are formed as curved surfaces to realize such curved shaping. In this embodiment, the curved shape of the reinforcing fiber material R2 to be obtained by the shaping is a curved shape in which the edge (outer edge R7) on the outer side with respect to the center of the arc (center of the curvature) of the arc-shaped curvature has a predetermined desired curvature, and the outer edge R7 and the inner edge (inner edge R8) are formed in parallel.

[0074] Therefore, the shaping surface 42a of the upper mold 42 (more specifically, the left side surface 42L of the shaping surface 42a) is a circular arc surface curved to the desired curvature in order to realize such shaping. However, the curvature is such that the position of the surface becomes more outward toward the downstream side with respect to the feed direction X, which is the direction in which the reinforcing fiber material R2 is fed, in relation to the curved shaping. In addition, the shaping surface 41a of the lower mold 41 (more specifically, the right side surface 41R of the shaping surface 41a) is a circular arc surface curved parallel to the shaping surface 42a (left side surface 42L) of the upper mold 42 when viewed in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the shaping surfaces 43a and 44a of each side mold are also circular arc surfaces curved parallel to the shaping surface 42a (left side surface 42L) of the upper mold 42 when viewed in the vertical direction.

[0075] The shaping surfaces 43a, 44a of the side molds 43, 44 correspond to the "outer shaping surface" as referred to in the present invention. The portion 42L1 of the shaping surface 42a of the upper mold 42 facing the outer shaping surface 43a of the left mold 43 and the portion 41R1 of the shaping surface 41a of the lower mold 41 facing the outer shaping surface 44a of the right mold 44 correspond to the "inner shaping surface" as referred to in the present invention. Furthermore, the plates 46, 47 attached to the upper mold 42 and the lower mold 41 as described above are also formed to have a curved shape that follows the shape of the shaping surfaces 42a, 41a of the molds 42, 41 to which the plates 46, 47 are attached.

[0076] As shown in Figs. 6 and 8, the mold heating device 55 is configured to include a heater 55a built into each of the molds 41 to 44 in the shaping mold unit 40 in order to heat each of the molds 41 to 44. In addition, when the temperature of each of the molds 41 to 44 is low, the temperature of the heated portion (the portion heated to a temperature higher than the deformable temperature by the heating device 12) of the reinforcing fiber material R2 may become lower than the deformable temperature before the shaping is completed, and the desired shaping may not be performed. Therefore, the heating of each of the molds 41 to 44 is performed so that the temperature of the heated portion of the reinforcing fiber material R2 does not become lower than the deformable temperature before the shaping is completed. Incidentally, in this embodiment, the heating temperature is set to 220°C, whereas the deformable temperature is 270°C.

[0077] 6 and 7, the shaping mechanism 13 of this embodiment also functions as the swing mechanism 14 as described above. Therefore, the shaping mechanism 13 is provided with a swing drive unit 60 that swings the shaping mold unit 40. The swing drive unit 60 is provided with a base 61, a frame 62 that supports the lower mold 41 and each mold drive device in the shaping mold unit 40, a support 68 that supports the frame 62 with respect to the base 61, and a swing drive device 70 that swings the frame 62.

[0078] The base 61 is a thick plate-like member in which the long side of the rectangular end surface that forms the upper surface is sufficiently larger than the short side. The base 61 is installed so that the long side direction of the upper surface coincides with the width direction Y. The support pillar 68 is a cylindrical member. The support pillar 68 is erected on the base 61.

[0079] The frame 62 is configured as a rectangular frame body made up of four rectangular columnar members. Specifically, the frame 62 is configured of a pair of parallel and opposing rectangular columnar side stays 63, 64 (left side stay 63, right side stay 64), and a pair of upper and lower rectangular columnar support beams 65, 66 (upper support beam 65, lower support beam 66) installed between the side stays 63, 64. The lower die 41 and each die drive device 50 (52-54) in the shaping die unit 40 are attached and supported on the frame 62 as described above. More specifically, the lower die 41 in the shaping die unit 40 is attached to the lower support beam 66 in a manner in which it is placed on it. The upper support beam 65 is attached to the upper support beam 65 in a manner in which it is suspended. Furthermore, the left-side drive unit 53 is attached to the left side stay 63, and the right-side drive unit 54 is attached to the right side stay 64, with the piston rods 50b of the hydraulic cylinders 50a in each unit facing horizontally (inward).

[0080] Moreover, the frame 62 is rotatably attached to the support column 68 at its lower support beam 66. Specifically, the frame 62 is rotatably attached to the upper end of the support column 68 via a bearing 69 or the like at a position where the position of the left corner 47f of the two upstream corners of the lower plate 47 attached to the lower mold 41 on the lower support beam 66 approximately coincides with the center 68c of the support column 68 in a plan view.

[0081] The slewing drive device 70 also includes a hydraulic cylinder 71 as a drive means, and a receiving portion 75 that receives the advancement and retreat of a piston rod 72 in the hydraulic cylinder 71 .

[0082] The hydraulic cylinder 71 is attached to the lower support beam 66 of the frame 62 with its piston rod 72 facing the upstream side in the feed direction X. Specifically, the hydraulic cylinder 71 is attached to the cylinder body 73 of the lower support beam 66 of the frame 62 via a bracket 74 on the side surface facing the downstream side of the lower support beam 66 of the frame 62. However, the position at which the hydraulic cylinder 71 is attached is a position to the right of the support column 68 in the width direction Y and a position below the lower support beam 66 of the frame 62 in the up-down direction Z. In addition, when the hydraulic cylinder 71 is attached to the frame 62 as described above, the piston rod 72 is approximately parallel to the feed direction X and the tip of the piston rod 72 faces the upstream side.

[0083] The receiving portion 75 is a cylindrical member, and is erected between the base 61 and the lower support beam 66 of the frame 62 supported on the base 61 via the support pillars 68 as described above, so as to be rotatable with respect to the base 61. The receiving portion 75 is provided at a position such that the position of its axis 75L in relation to the width direction Y substantially coincides with the axis 72L of the piston rod 72 in the hydraulic cylinder 71, and is provided at a position such that the tip of the piston rod 72 in the most retracted state in the hydraulic cylinder 71 can abut against the peripheral surface of the receiving portion 75 when the longitudinal direction of the support beams 65, 66 in the frame 62 substantially coincides with the width direction Y in relation to the feed direction X.

[0084] Moreover, the hydraulic cylinder 71 and the receiving portion 75 are connected in such a manner that a fixing member (not shown) or the like attached to the tip of the piston rod 72 of the hydraulic cylinder 71 is fixed to the circumferential surface of the receiving portion 75. As a result, in the swing drive portion 60, the piston rod 72 is driven to advance and retreat in the hydraulic cylinder 71 of the slewing drive device 70, and the advance and retreat motion of the piston rod 72 is received by the receiving portion 75, so that the cylinder body 73 of the hydraulic cylinder 71 advances and retreats in the feed direction X and the direction opposite to the feed direction X, and the frame 62 to which the hydraulic cylinder 71 is attached makes a revolving motion about the support pillar 68 (more specifically, also referred to as the center 68c of the support pillar 68 or the revolving center 68c).

[0085] As described above, the frame 62 is attached to the support 68 so that the position of the corner 47f of the lower plate 47 and the center 68c of the support 68 approximately coincide with each other in a plan view. Therefore, the rotation center 68c is the position of the corner 47f with respect to the lower plate 47. The position of the corner 47f is a position that can coincide with the inner edge R8 (the side edge on the center side of the curvature) of both side edges R7, R8 of the reinforcing fiber material R2 in the width direction Y. Thus, in this embodiment, the rotation center 68c is a position that can coincide with the position of the inner edge R8 of the reinforcing fiber material R2. The inner edge R8 corresponds to "one side edge" in the present invention.

[0086] As the frame 62 turns, the shaping unit 40 (the lower die 41, and the upper die 42 and both side dies 43, 44 supported by the die drive devices) on the frame 62 is driven to turn between the initial position and the turning position as shown in FIG. 12(a). The initial position is a position where the longitudinal direction of the support beams 65, 66 of the frame 62 is approximately aligned with the width direction Y, and the arrangement direction of the both side dies 43, 44 of the shaping unit 40 is approximately aligned with the width direction Y. The turning position is a position where the piston rod 72 of the hydraulic cylinder 71 is most advanced, and is a position downstream of the initial position. Therefore, at the turning position, the frame 62 is in a state where the longitudinal direction of the support beams 65, 66 forms a predetermined angle with respect to the width direction Y.

[0087] The shaping mechanism 13 of this embodiment also serves as the draw-out mechanism 15 as described above. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the shaping mechanism 13 is configured so that a base 61 supporting a frame 62 on which the shaping mold unit 40 is supported is driven to advance and retreat in the feed direction X and in the direction opposite to the feed direction X. Specifically, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6, a pair of rails 77, 77 are fixedly disposed below the base 61 in the shaping mechanism 13. The rails 77, 77 are substantially parallel to the feed direction X and are disposed symmetrically with respect to the center of the base 61 in the width direction Y (the long side direction of the upper surface of the base 61).

[0088] 2 and 6, a pair of guide members 78, 78 whose displacement is guided by the rails 77 are attached to the lower surface of the base 61. In this embodiment, the guide members 78 are formed of block-shaped members such as the LM blocks in a so-called LM Guide (registered trademark). The base 61 is placed on the pair of rails 77, 77 via the guide members 78, 78, and is supported by the rails 77, 77 so as to be displaceable in the feed direction X.

[0089] In addition, the shaping mechanism 13 is provided with a drive mechanism 80 that drives the base 61 to advance and retreat in the feed direction X and the direction opposite to the feed direction X. In this embodiment, the drive mechanism 80 is configured with a ball screw mechanism 80. Moreover, the ball screw mechanism 80 is provided on the upstream side of the base 61 so as to be connected to the base 61.

[0090] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the base 61 is formed with a through hole 61h penetrating in the feed direction X (the direction of the short side of the upper surface of the base 61) at a position approximately at the center in the width direction Y. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, a nut 81 of a ball screw mechanism 80 is attached to the upstream end of the through hole 61h. Also, on the upstream side of the base 61, a screw shaft 82 of the ball screw mechanism 80 is provided so as to be approximately parallel to the feed direction X. Then, the screw shaft 82 is connected to the base 61 at one end by being screwed into the nut 81 attached to the base 61. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ball screw mechanism 80 is provided with a servo motor 85 as a drive source. Then, the screw shaft 82 is connected to the output shaft of the servo motor 85 at the other end.

[0091] As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the shaping mechanism 13 is adapted to move forward and backward in a manner that the base 61 is guided in the feed direction X by a pair of rails 77, 77 by rotating the screw shaft 82 in the ball screw mechanism 80 by a servo motor 85 in the forward and reverse directions. As a result, the shaping unit 40 on the frame 62 supported by the base 61 is reciprocated between the shaping position and the drawing completion position in the feed direction X and the direction opposite to the feed direction X with the forward and backward driving of the base 61. The shaping position is a position where the shaping operation (pressurization of the reinforcing fiber material R2) by the shaping unit 40 is performed, and is the same position as the initial position. The drawing completion position is a position downstream of the shaping position, and is a position slightly smaller than the dimension of the shaping unit 40 in the direction of the path from the shaping position.

[0092] In this embodiment, the holding mechanism 16 is provided downstream of the shaping mechanism 13 as described above. As shown in Fig. 10, the holding mechanism 16 includes a pair of holders 91 and 92 arranged to sandwich the path from above and below, and a holder driving device 95 that drives the holder 91, as a configuration for holding the reinforcing fiber material R2.

[0093] The pair of holders 91, 92 are composed of block-shaped members forming an approximately rectangular parallelepiped. The lower holder 92 (lower holder 92) is fixedly disposed at a position in the vertical direction Z such that the position of its upper surface coincides with the height position of the path. The upper holder 91 (upper holder 91) is disposed so that its lower surface faces the upper surface of the lower holder 92. However, the upper holder 91 is disposed at a position (non-holding position) spaced upward from the lower holder 92 during standby when not holding the reinforcing fiber material R2. Each holder is disposed so that its side surface is approximately parallel to the feed direction X. As shown in (a) and (d) of FIG. 11, the dimension of each holder 91, 92 in the width direction Y is approximately half the size of the distance between the inner surfaces of both end portions R4, R5 of the reinforcing fiber material R2. In addition, each of the holding bodies 91, 92 is arranged so as to be located near the center of the central portion R3 of the reinforcing fiber material R2 that has been shaped into a curved shape by the shaping mechanism 13 upstream of the holding mechanism 16 in the width direction Y.

[0094] As shown in Fig. 10, the holder drive device 95 is provided to drive the upper holder 91 at the non-holding position to move forward and backward relative to the lower holder 92 in order to hold the reinforcing fiber material R2 by both holders 91, 92. In this embodiment, the holder drive device 95 is configured to use a hydraulic cylinder 96 as a drive means. The holder drive device 95 supports the upper holder 91 so that the upper holder 91 is at the non-holding position during the standby state by attaching the upper holder 91 to a piston rod 97 of the hydraulic cylinder 96. The holder drive device 95 drives the upper holder 91 forward and backward between the holding position where the reinforcing fiber material R2 is held and the non-holding position.

[0095] As shown in Fig. 1, the continuous molding machine 1 including the above-described shaping mechanism 3 and curve-forming device 4 includes a control device 5 that controls the driving of the shaping mechanism 3 and the driving of each mechanism in the curve-forming device 4. The control device 5 also controls the driving of each mechanism in the curve-forming device 4, and therefore also functions as a drive control device 5 for the curve-forming device 4. As a result of the control device 5 controlling each mechanism (including devices) 11-16 in the shaping mechanism 3 and curve-forming device 4, the operations of those mechanisms 11-16 are executed sequentially as follows.

[0096] As shown in Fig. 3, first, in the molding mechanism 3, the upper mold 3b is started to move toward the lower mold 3c by the mold drive device 3d. As a result, the three reinforcing fiber substrates R1, which are supplied from the supply device 2 and in a stacked state, are sandwiched and pressurized by the upper mold 3b and the lower mold 3c. In addition, the upper mold 3b and the lower mold 3c are each heated, and the heating temperature is controlled by the control device 5 to the above-mentioned temperature. Therefore, the pressurization is performed with heating, and as a result, the part of the reinforcing fiber substrate R1 that is pressurized by the molding mechanism 3 (upper mold 3b, lower mold 3c) is molded into a Z-shaped reinforcing fiber material R2.

[0097] Then, after the molding is completed and the upper mold 3b is moved away from the lower mold 3c by the mold driving device 3d to the original position before pressure application, the operation of drawing out the reinforcing fiber material R2 by the drawing mechanism 15 (shaping mechanism 13) is executed in the curve shaping device 4 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. As a result, the part (shaping part) of the reinforcing fiber material R2 formed by the shaping mechanism 3 moves to the curve shaping device 4 side, and as a result, the shaping part is moved to the heating device 12. Incidentally, the movement amount of the shaping part in one drawing operation is slightly smaller than the dimension of the shaping part in the longitudinal direction of the reinforcing fiber material R2. Therefore, in the movement by one drawing operation, a part of the upstream side of the shaping part remains in the shaping mechanism 3, and a part of it overlaps with the next shaping part, so that shaping of the reinforcing fiber base material R1 is performed continuously without gaps.

[0098] Moreover, the shaping mechanism 3 and the heating device 12 are disposed with a distance greater than the distance of movement between them. Therefore, the drawing operation is performed multiple times while the shaped portion reaches the heating device 12. Furthermore, in the curve shaping device 4, a shaping step and a turning step, which will be described later, are performed between the drawing operation and the next drawing operation. Therefore, the drawing operation is performed intermittently for each period during which the shaping step and the turning step are performed.

[0099] Further, a clamping mechanism 11 is provided between the forming mechanism 3 and the heating device 12, and in the clamping mechanism 11, the drive is controlled so that the upper clamping body 21 is moved to the clamping position by the clamping body drive device 25 upon completion of the drawing-out operation. As a result, after the formed portion reaches the position of the clamping mechanism 11 by the drawing-out operation, the clamping mechanism 11 is in a state (clamping state) in which the formed portion is clamped by the upper clamping body 21 and the lower clamping body 22. Furthermore, in the clamping mechanism 11, the upper clamping body 21 is moved to the upper standby position by the clamping body drive device 25 prior to the start of the next drawing-out operation, and the clamping state is released (non-clamping state) (switched from the clamping state to the non-clamping state).

[0100] In the heating device 12, both heating members 31, 32 (upper heating member 31, lower heating member 32) are heated as described above, and the heating temperature is controlled by the control device 5 to the above-mentioned temperature (360°C, which is a temperature higher than the deformable temperature). As a result of the intermittent movement of the shaped portion as described above, the shaped portion remains in the heating device 12 throughout the intermittent period. The heating temperature (360°C) is set so that the temperature of the shaped portion becomes higher than the deformable temperature while the shaped portion remains in the heating device 12 and before the turning process is started.

[0101] However, a clamping mechanism 11 is provided upstream of the heating device 12, and clamping by the clamping mechanism 11 is performed accompanied by heating as described above. As a result, the shaped portion is also heated by the clamping mechanism 11 on the way to the heating device 12. Therefore, the heating temperature in the heating device 12 is determined taking into consideration the heating by the clamping mechanism 11. Incidentally, the heating temperature by the clamping mechanism 11 is set to a temperature lower than the deformable temperature as described above, and the heating of the clamping mechanism 11 (upper clamping body 21, lower clamping body 22) at the set heating temperature is also controlled by the control device 5.

[0102] In the shaping mechanism 13, the shaping mold unit 40, which is located at the draw-out completion position due to the draw-out operation, is returned to the initial position (the original position before the draw-out operation is performed) after the draw-out operation is completed, as shown in FIG. 14(a). When the shaping mold unit 40 is returned to the initial position, as shown in FIG. 14(c), the upper mold 42 and both side molds 43, 44 are in the corresponding standby positions. Then, in the shaping mechanism 13, a turning process is started by the shaping mold unit 40. At the start of the turning process, the formed part heated in the heating device 12 as described above has a temperature higher than the deformable temperature.

[0103] In the turning process, first, the upper mold 42 and the both side molds 43, 44 in the shaping mold unit 40 are moved to the corresponding pressurizing positions as shown in Fig. 11. As a result, the shaping mold unit 40 is in a state where each mold holds the reinforcing fiber material R2 (holding state).

[0104] Next, as shown in FIG. 12, the shaping mold unit 40 is rotated from the initial position to the rotating position by the rotating drive device 70 in the swing drive section 60. Incidentally, in this embodiment, the rotating angle is about 2°. Also, while the shaping mold unit 40 is rotating in this manner, the clamping mechanism 11 is in the clamping state in which the reinforcing fiber material R2 is clamped, as shown in FIG. 11(c) and 12(c). As a result, the shaping part R20 heated in the heating device 12 as described above is pulled toward the rotating position as the shaping mold unit 40 rotates. However, in the rotation of the shaping mold unit 40, the rotation center 68c is in a position that coincides with the position of the inner edge R8 of the reinforcing fiber material R2 as described above.

[0105] As a result of being pulled toward the turning position as described above, the side edge (the outer edge R7) of the lower end side (the side farther from the turning center 68c) of both side edges R7, R8 of the shaped portion R20 is linearly stretched. Meanwhile, the side edge (the inner edge R8) of the upper end side of the shaped portion R20 is in a state in which its length has not changed compared to before the shaping mold unit 40 is turned toward the turning position. As a result, the length of the outer edge R7 of the shaped portion R20 is longer than the length of the inner edge R8.

[0106] Thereafter, as shown in Fig. 13, the upper mold 42 and both side molds 43, 44 of the shaping mold unit 40 are moved to the corresponding standby positions (original positions before pressure application) to release the gripping state (non-gripping state), and as shown in Fig. 14, the shaping mold unit 40 is returned to the initial position in the non-gripping state by the turning drive device 70. While the shaping mold unit 40 is being returned to the initial position (turned), as shown in Figs. 13(d) and 14(d), the holding mechanism 16 is in a state (holding state) in which the upper holder 91 is moved to the holding position by the holder drive device 95 and the upper holder 91 and the lower holder 92 hold the reinforcing fiber material R2. As a result, when the shaping mold unit 40 rotates toward the initial position, as shown in Figures 13(c) and 14(c), the reinforcing fiber material R2 is placed on the lower mold 41 of the shaping mold unit 40, and a force toward the initial position caused by the sliding contact of the lower mold 41 (lower plate 47) acts on the reinforcing fiber material R2, but the reinforcing fiber material R2 is not displaced (shifted) due to the action of that force.

[0107] Then, following the completion of the turning process by returning (turning) the shaping mold unit 40 to the initial position as described above, the drawing process for the drawing operation is started in the shaping mechanism 13 (drawing mechanism 15). In the drawing process, as shown in Fig. 15, first, the upper mold 42 and both side molds 43, 44 in the shaping mold unit 40 are moved to corresponding pressurizing positions, and the shaping mold unit 40 is brought into a state in which the reinforcing fiber material R2 is gripped by each mold. As the shaping mechanism 13 (drawing mechanism 15) is brought into such a state in which the reinforcing fiber material R2 is gripped, the clamping mechanism 11 is brought into the non-clamping state, and the holding mechanism 16 is brought into a state in which the holding state is released (non-holding state).

[0108] Then, the ball screw mechanism 80 as a drive mechanism in the pull-out mechanism 15 moves the shaping mold unit 40 from the initial position to the pull-out completion position downstream thereof, as shown in Fig. 16, thereby executing the pull-out operation. As a result, the shaped part R20, the both side edges R7, R8 of which have different lengths as described above, moves (is pulled out from the position of the heating device 12), and the shaped part R20 is positioned at the initial position.

[0109] Thereafter, as shown in Fig. 17, the shaping mold unit 40 is placed in a state where the upper mold 42 and the both side molds 43, 44 are moved to the corresponding standby positions to release the grip of the reinforcing fiber material R2, and is returned to the initial position by the ball screw mechanism 80 as shown in Fig. 18. Note that, prior to the shaping mold unit 40 being returned to the initial position in this manner, the clamping mechanism 11 is placed in the clamping state, and the holding mechanism 16 is placed in the holding state as shown in Fig. 17.

[0110] Then, following the completion of the pull-out step by returning the shaping mold unit 40 to the initial position as described above, in the shaping mechanism 13, a shaping step for the shaping operation by the shaping mold unit 40 is started. The shaping operation is performed by gripping the reinforcing fiber material R2 by the shaping mold unit 40 (each mold) and applying pressure to the reinforcing fiber material R2, and the gripping of the reinforcing fiber material R2 by the shaping mold unit 40 is the same operation as the gripping in the turning process described above (it also serves as the gripping in the turning process). Incidentally, the initial position where the shaping (gripping) is performed is the position where the shaping operation is performed, and is the position also referred to as the shaping position in the above.

[0111] In the shaping operation, the gripping by the shaping unit 40 is performed by moving the upper die 42 and the both side dies 43, 44 to the corresponding pressurizing positions as described above, but the movement of each of the dies 42 to 44 is specifically performed in such a manner that the movement of the upper die 42 precedes the movement of the side dies 43, 44. More specifically, in the shaping operation, first, the upper die 42 is moved to the upper pressurizing position by the upper die drive device 52. Next, after the movement of the upper die 42 to the upper pressurizing position is completed, the movement of the left die 43 by the left die drive device 53 and the movement of the right die 44 by the right die drive device 54 are started, and the left die 43 and the right die 44 are moved to the left pressurizing position and the right pressurizing position, respectively. Then, when the movement of the left side mold 43 to the left pressure position and the movement of the right side mold 44 to the right pressure position are completed, the shaping mold unit 40 enters the gripping state in which the shaped portion is gripped (pressurized) by each of the molds 41 to 44, as shown in (c) of Figure 11.

[0112] Moreover, since each of the dies 41-44 in the shaping mold unit 40 is heated as described above, the holding is performed accompanied by heating. The shaped portion is shaped by such holding (heating) accompanied by heating. The heating temperature of each of the dies 41-44 is a temperature set so that shaping can be performed appropriately as described above (specifically, 220°C, which is a temperature lower than the deformable temperature), and is controlled by the control device 5. Furthermore, since the shaping surfaces 41a-44a of each of the dies 41-44 in the shaping mold unit 40 are curved surfaces (curved surfaces) as described above, the shaped portion is pressurized by such curved surfaces, and as a result, the shaped portion is shaped to be curved in a plan view.

[0113] In this way, the shaping step of shaping the shaped portion into a curved shape is completed by completing the gripping (pressurizing) of the shaping mold unit 40. Since the gripping for shaping also serves as the gripping in the above-mentioned turning step, the next turning step is started after the shaping step is completed. Note that the shaping mold unit 40 of this embodiment is switched between the gripping state and the non-gripping state in the turning step as described above, and is also driven to turn between the initial position and the turning position. Therefore, the shaping mold unit 40 also functions as the "gripping unit" as referred to in the present invention.

[0114] In this way, according to the curved shaping device 4 of this embodiment, before shaping the straight reinforcing fiber material R2 into a curved shape, the shaped portion of the reinforcing fiber material R2 heated by the heating device 12 is made to have different lengths of both side edges R7, R8, similar to the case of a curved shape. Then, the shaping operation by the shaping unit 40 as described above is performed on the shaped portion, so that the shaped portion is shaped into a curved shape. This makes it possible to manufacture a curved reinforcing fiber material R2 having the desired quality and strength without causing crushing of the inner portion of the reinforcing fiber material R2.

[0115] Moreover, in the curve shaping device 4 of this embodiment, as described above, the shaping mold unit 40 also functions as the gripping unit, and the shaping mechanism 13 also functions as the swinging mechanism 14 and the pull-out mechanism 15, so that the pull-out process, the turning process, and the shaping process can be performed by a single mechanism. Therefore, the curve shaping device 4 can realize the production of the curved reinforcing fiber material R2 as described above with a simplified configuration as a whole.

[0116] Furthermore, in the curve shaping device 4 of this embodiment, as a configuration for preventing the positional deviation of the reinforcing fiber material R2 accompanying the rotation of the shaping mold unit 40 toward the initial position, the holding mechanism 16 as described above is provided downstream of the shaping mechanism 13 (swinging mechanism 14) separately from the shaping mechanism 13. As a result, the configuration for preventing the positional deviation is a simple configuration, and the configuration of the curve shaping device 4 can be prevented from becoming complicated.

[0117] The present invention is not limited to the embodiment (the above example) of the curve shaping device 4 described above, but can be implemented in other embodiments (variations) such as the following (1) to (12).

[0118] (1) In the embodiment, the swing mechanism 14 is configured such that the pivot center 68c of the gripping unit (shaping unit 40) is a position that coincides with the position of the inner edge R8 (one side edge) of both side edges R7, R8 of the reinforcing fiber material R2 in the width direction Y, and is a position that coincides with the position of the upstream corner of the lower plate 47 attached to the lower mold 41 in a plan view in the direction of the path (the feed direction X). As described above, with respect to the position in the direction of the path, the lower plate 47 has the same dimensions as the lower mold 41 in the direction of the path, and is attached to the lower mold 41 in such a way that the center position of the lower plate 47 coincides with the center position of the lower mold 41 in the direction of the path. Therefore, the position of the corner of the lower plate 47, which is the pivot center 68c, coincides with the position of the upstream side surface of the lower mold 41 (each mold 41 to 44 of the shaping unit 40) in the direction of the path. In other words, the oscillating mechanism 14 of the above embodiment is configured such that, with respect to the direction of the path, the pivot center 68c of the gripping unit is in a position that coincides with the position of the upstream side surface of each of the molds 41 to 44 of that gripping unit (shaping mold unit 40).

[0119] However, in the present invention, the swing mechanism is not limited to the one configured so that the center of rotation of the gripping unit is the position of the embodiment. Specifically, the swing mechanism may be configured so that the center of rotation of the gripping unit is a position on the center side of the curvature from the inner edge R8 (one side edge) of the reinforcing fiber material R2 in the width direction Y. Also, the swing mechanism may be configured so that the center of rotation of the gripping unit is a position upstream or downstream from the position of the upstream side surface of each mold of the gripping unit in the direction of the path. Note that when the center of rotation of the gripping unit is a position different from the position of the embodiment, the inner edge (one side edge) of the molding part (the part of the reinforcing fiber material R2 heated in the heating device 12) is linearly stretched in the same manner as the outer edge as the inner edge. However, the outer edge is longer than the inner edge in the same manner as the embodiment.

[0120] (2) In the above embodiment, the swing mechanism 14 is configured to use a single cylinder (hydraulic cylinder) that reciprocates the gripping unit between the initial position and the pivot position as the drive means for pivoting the gripping unit (shaping mold unit 40) between the initial position and the pivot position. That is, a single double-acting cylinder is used as the drive means for reciprocating the gripping unit between the two positions.

[0121] However, in the present invention, the driving means in the rocking mechanism that reciprocates the gripping unit is not limited to such a single double-acting cylinder. For example, the driving means may be configured using two cylinders, one for forward movement and one for return movement. Specifically, the hydraulic cylinder as the driving means in the above embodiment may be a single-acting cylinder that is used for forward movement, and a new single-acting hydraulic cylinder for return movement may be added to configure the driving means. In this case, the hydraulic cylinder for return movement is provided on the opposite side of the support 68 to the side of the hydraulic cylinder for forward movement in the width direction Y, so as to apply a force in the return direction to the frame 62.

[0122] In addition, when a cylinder is used as the driving means as described above, the cylinder is not limited to a hydraulic cylinder, but may be an air cylinder. Furthermore, the driving means is not limited to the one configured using a cylinder as described above, and may be, for example, a motor configured to rotate the support 68 etc. in forward and reverse directions via a drive transmission mechanism such as gears.

[0123] (3) In the above embodiment, in the curved shaping device 4 including the swinging mechanism 14 that performs the turning process, the drawing-out mechanism 15 that performs the drawing-out process, and the shaping mechanism 13 that performs the shaping process, the shaping mechanism 13 is configured to perform these three processes so that the shaping mechanism 13 also functions as the swinging mechanism 14 and the drawing-out mechanism 15. That is, in the above embodiment, the shaping mold unit 40 in the shaping mechanism 13 also functions as the gripping unit in the swinging mechanism 14 and also functions as a configuration that grips the reinforcing fiber material R2 when drawing out the reinforcing fiber material R2 in the drawing-out process, so that the three mechanisms 13 to 15 are unitized into a single unit.

[0124] However, in the present invention, the rocking mechanism, the drawing mechanism, and the shaping mechanism are not limited to being all unitized as a single unit, and two of the three mechanisms may be unitized and one may be provided independently, or each may be provided independently.

[0125] For example, the shaping mechanism 13 and the drawing mechanism 15 may be unitized by omitting the configuration for turning in the shaping mechanism 13 of the above embodiment, and the swinging mechanism may be provided independently. In this case, the swinging mechanism is provided downstream of the shaping mechanism 13 and the drawing mechanism 15 that are unitized. The swinging mechanism is provided with a dedicated gripping unit and configured to drive the gripping unit to turn. In addition, when the swinging mechanism is provided independently in this manner, it is sufficient that the gripping unit is configured to be able to grip at least both ends of the reinforcing fiber material R2. Specifically, like the upper clamping body 21 and the lower clamping body 22 to which the clamping pieces 24 and 23 are attached in the clamping mechanism 11 of the above embodiment, the gripping unit may be configured to be able to grip only both side ends R4 and R5 and a part of the central portion R3 of the reinforcing fiber material R2 (only in the range where the clamping pieces 23 and 24 are present).

[0126] The shaping mechanism 13 is not limited to being provided as a unit with other mechanisms as described above, but may be provided as a single mechanism independent of the other mechanisms. In that case, the rocking mechanism and the drawing mechanism may be provided as a unit, or each may be provided independently.

[0127] (4) In the above embodiment, the shaping mechanism 13 is configured so that the side molds 43, 44 in the shaping mold unit 40 are driven to advance and retreat only in the horizontal direction. However, in the present invention, the shaping mechanism 13 may be configured so that the side molds 43, 44 are driven to advance and retreat not only in the horizontal direction but also in the vertical direction. In that case, the side molds 43, 44 also apply pressure to the reinforcing fiber material R2 in the exposed portion between the upper mold 42 and the lower mold 41, which are provided at different positions in the width direction Y as described above. In that case, since the side molds 43, 44 can pressurize the reinforcing fiber material R2 in the exposed portion, the plates (upper plate 46, lower plate 47) provided to pressurize the reinforcing fiber material R2 in the exposed portion in the above embodiment can be omitted.

[0128] (5) In the shaping mechanism 13 of the above embodiment, the shaping unit 40 for shaping the reinforcing fiber material R2 having a Z-shaped cross-sectional shape is configured to include an upper mold 42, a lower mold 41, and a pair of side molds 43, 44 (left mold 43 and right mold 44), each of which is independent of the other.

[0129] However, the shaping mold unit 40 may be configured so that the lower mold 41 and the left mold 43 are included in a single mold (the lower mold 41 and the left mold 43 are included in a single mold). In that case, the single mold including the lower mold 41 and the left mold 43 is formed, for example, in a shape in which the lower mold 41 and the left mold 43 of the above embodiment are fixedly arranged and integrated, and has a shape similar to that of the lower clamping body 22 in the clamping mechanism 11 of the above embodiment. In that case, the position of the shaping surface 43a in the part corresponding to the left mold 43 does not change, so that the upper mold 42 is driven to move forward and backward not only vertically as in the above embodiment but also horizontally so that pressure is applied to the upper end R4 of the reinforcing fiber material R2.

[0130] The shaping mold unit 40 may be configured so that the upper mold 42 and the right mold 44 are included in a single mold (the upper mold 42 and the right mold 44 are included in a single mold). In that case, the single mold including the upper mold 42 and the right mold 44 is formed, for example, in a shape that integrates the upper mold 42 and the right mold 44 of the above embodiment, and has a shape similar to that of the upper clamping body 21 in the clamping mechanism 11 of the above embodiment. In that case, the single mold including the upper mold 42 and the right mold 44 is driven to advance and retreat in the vertical and horizontal directions.

[0131] (6) In the above embodiment, the clamping mechanism 11 is configured to clamp both side end portions R4, R5 and a part of the central portion R3 of the reinforcing fiber material R2 by a pair (two) of clamping bodies (upper clamping body 21, lower clamping body 22) to which the clamping pieces 23, 24 are attached. However, the clamping mechanism 11 is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the clamping mechanism 11 may be configured to include two sets of clamping bodies, one set of clamping bodies being arranged to clamp the upper end portion R4 of the reinforcing fiber material R2, and the other set of clamping bodies being arranged to clamp the lower end portion R5 and a part of the central portion R3 of the reinforcing fiber material R2.

[0132] In the present invention, the clamping mechanism 11 is not limited to a mechanism configured to clamp at least both ends of the reinforcing fiber material R2, but is configured to clamp both end portions R4, R5 and a part of the central portion R3 of the reinforcing fiber material R2. Specifically, the clamping mechanism 11 may be configured to clamp only both end portions R4, R5 of the reinforcing fiber material R2. The clamping mechanism 11 is not limited to a mechanism configured to partially clamp the reinforcing fiber material R2, but may be configured to clamp the entire reinforcing fiber material R2.

[0133] (7) In the above embodiment, the clamping mechanism 11 is configured to heat the clamping bodies 21 and 22 in order to heat the reinforcing fiber material R2 in the clamped state, with the aim of shortening the heating time of the reinforcing fiber material R2 by the heating device 12 provided downstream of the clamping mechanism 11. However, in the present invention, when it is not necessary to consider shortening the heating time in the heating device 12, the clamping mechanism 11 does not have to be configured to heat the reinforcing fiber material R2 (the clamping bodies 21 and 22).

[0134] (8) In the drawing mechanism 15 of the above embodiment, the drive mechanism for reciprocating the structure for gripping the reinforcing fiber material R2 (the shaping mold unit 40) in the feed direction X and the direction opposite to the feed direction X is configured by the ball screw mechanism 80. However, the drive mechanism is not limited to being configured in this way, and may be configured by, for example, a rack and pinion mechanism or may be configured using a linear motor as a drive source.

[0135] Furthermore, when the pull-out mechanism is provided as a single mechanism independent of other mechanisms, the drive mechanism in the pull-out mechanism is not limited to one configured to reciprocate a mechanism for gripping the reinforcing fiber material R2 as described above, but may be configured to have a pair of rollers that are configured to be able to clamp the reinforcing fiber material R2, and to pull out the reinforcing fiber material R2 by rotating one of the rollers while the reinforcing fiber material R2 is clamped between both rollers.

[0136] (9) In the above embodiment, the heating device 12 is configured to heat the pair of heating members 31, 32 that are fixedly arranged, thereby heating the reinforcing fiber material R2 passing between the two heating members 31, 32. However, the heating device 12 is not limited to being configured with the pair of heating members 31, 32 as in the above embodiment, and may be configured in any way as long as it is capable of heating the entire reinforcing fiber material R2.

[0137] In addition, the heating device 12 of the above embodiment is configured to heat the reinforcing fiber material R2 in a non-contact manner by providing both heating members 31, 32 in a fixed manner and setting the distance between the heating members 31, 32 to be greater than the thickness of the reinforcing fiber material R2. However, the heating device 12 may be configured to heat the reinforcing fiber material R2 in a non-contact manner by, for example, switching between a state in which the pair of heating members 31, 32 clamp the reinforcing fiber material R2 and a state in which the clamping is released, and the heating members 31, 32 may come into contact with each other to heat the reinforcing fiber material R2.

[0138] (10) In the above embodiment, the holding mechanism 16 is configured to hold the reinforcing fiber material R2 by a pair of holding bodies 91, 92. The holding mechanism 16 is intended to prevent the reinforcing fiber material R2 from shifting in position when the gripping unit (shaping mold unit 40) rotates (at the time of rotation) toward the initial position as described above. However, the holding mechanism is not limited to the one configured as in the above embodiment, and may be configured in any way as long as it holds the reinforcing fiber material R2 so as to prevent the above-mentioned shifting in position.

[0139] However, in the present invention, the curve shaping device 4 is not limited to being provided with such a holding mechanism, and may not be provided with a holding mechanism. In detail, the curve shaping device 4 may be provided with a mechanism for keeping the reinforcing fiber material R2 out of contact with the gripping unit during the above-mentioned turning, instead of the holding mechanism. Specifically, a mechanism for lifting the reinforcing fiber material R2 and separating the reinforcing fiber material R2 from the lower member of the gripping unit (the member supporting the reinforcing fiber material R2, which is the lower mold 41 of the shaping mold unit 40 in the above-mentioned embodiment) in the vertical direction Z, or a mechanism for displacing the lower member downward while maintaining the position of the reinforcing fiber material R2 in the vertical direction Z, etc. are conceivable. Furthermore, in cases where the state (hardness, surface viscosity, etc.) of the reinforcing fiber material R2 after shaping and the surface of the lower member that contacts the reinforcing fiber material R2 are such that the reinforcing fiber material R2 does not move (there is no misalignment) even if the lower member slides against the reinforcing fiber material R2 as the gripping unit rotates, it is possible to omit the holding mechanism or a mechanism that replaces it.

[0140] (11) In the above embodiment, the curve-forming device 4 is provided as a part of the continuous molding machine 1 including the molding mechanism 3 that molds the reinforcing fiber substrate R1 into the reinforcing fiber material R2. However, in the present invention, the curve-forming device 4 may be provided independently of such a continuous molding machine 1. In this case, the reinforcing fiber material R2 supplied to the curve-forming device 4 is previously molded by the continuous molding machine 1 or the like that is provided independently of the curve-forming device 4.

[0141] (12) In the above embodiment, the curve forming device 4 is configured to form the Z-shaped reinforcing fiber material R2 to be curved, the Z-shaped reinforcing fiber material R2 being the reinforcing fiber material R2 to be shaped. However, the curve forming device of the present invention is not limited to the Z-shaped reinforcing fiber material R2, and may be configured to form reinforcing fiber materials R2b, R2c having a C-shaped or L-shaped cross-sectional shape, etc., into a curved shape, as shown in FIG.

[0142] For example, as shown in (a) of FIG. 19, when the C-shaped reinforcing fiber material R2b is supplied to the shaping unit 40b of the curve shaping device 4 with both side ends R4b, R5 facing downward, the shaping of both side ends R4b, R5 is performed by pressure between the lower mold 41 and the both side molds 431, 44. In that case, the parts of both side surfaces 41L, 41R of the lower mold 41 facing the shaping surfaces 43a, 44a of the both side molds 431, 44 are formed as inner shaping surfaces forming a curved shape. In that case, the clamping mechanism, heating device, rocking mechanism, and drawing mechanism, which are components other than the shaping mechanism, are naturally configured to correspond to the C-shaped reinforcing fiber material R2b.

[0143] Furthermore, as shown in (b) of Figure 19, in the case of L-shaped reinforcing fiber material R2c, since the L-shaped reinforcing fiber material R2c has a shape in which one side end portion R4b is omitted compared to the C-shaped reinforcing fiber material R2b, the end portion on the one side (the side opposite to the other side end portion R5) of the reinforcing fiber material R2c can be shaped so as to fit along the inner surface of a side mold (in the illustrated example, the left side mold 432 of the shaping mold unit 40c) located at the side position of the lower mold 41 in the width direction Y.

[0144] More specifically, the left mold 432 is provided in a manner to be attached to the upper mold 42, and is provided so that the position of its inner side surface in the width direction Y substantially coincides with the position of the side surface of the lower mold 41. In this case, the inner side surface is formed as an outer shaping surface 43a having a curved shape. According to this configuration, when the heated reinforcing fiber material R2c is pressed by the upper mold 42 and the lower mold 41, the thermoplastic resin in the reinforcing fiber material R2c is in a state of spreading in the width direction Y, so that the reinforcing fiber material R2c (thermoplastic resin) is in a shape that follows the inner side surface of the left mold 432 at the end portion. And, since the inner side surface of the left mold 432 is in a curved shape as described above, the end portion of the reinforcing fiber material R2c is in a state of being shaped into a curved shape.

[0145] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and modifications described above, and various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0146] 1. Continuous molding machine 2 Feeding device 3 Molding mechanism 3a mold 3b Upper mold 3b1 Molding surface 3c Lower mold 3c1 Molding surface 3D type drive mechanism 4. Curved forming device 5 Control device (drive control device) 11 Clamping mechanism 12 Heating device 13 Impression mechanism 14 Swing mechanism 15 Drawer mechanism 16 Retention mechanism 21 Upper clamping body (clamping body) 21a Clamping surface 21b Horizontal plane 21c Upper vertical plane (vertical plane) 21d Lower vertical plane (vertical plane) 22 Lower clamping body (clamping body) 22a Clamping surface 22b horizontal plane 22c Upper vertical plane (vertical plane) 22d Lower vertical plane (vertical plane) 23, 24 Clamping piece 25 Clamp drive device 26 Hydraulic Cylinder 27 Piston rod 31 Upper heating element (heating element) 32 Lower heating element (heating element) 34 Heater 36 Z-shaped space 40, 40b, 40c: shaping unit (grasping unit) 41 Lower mold 41a Shaped surface 41f Corner 41U top 41R Right side 41R1 The part of the lower die's forming surface that faces the outer forming surface of the right die (inner forming surface) 41L Left side 41y Width dimension of lower die 41Δ interval 42 Upper mold 42a Shaping surface 42f Corner 42D Bottom 42R Right side 42L left side 42L1 The part of the upper mold's forming surface that faces the outer forming surface of the left mold (inner forming surface) 42y Width dimension of upper die 43 Left side type (side type) 43a Shaping surface (outer shaping surface) 43h Multilayered section 43j upper part 43k lower part 43U top 43R Opposite surface (side) 43L side 43Δ Dimensional difference 43y1 Width dimension of upper part 43y2 Width dimension of lower part 44 Right side type (side type) 44a Shaping surface (outer shaping surface) 44h Multilayered section 44j upper part 44k bottom part 44L Opposite surface (side) 46 Upper plate (plate) 47 Lower plate (plate) 50-type drive unit 52 Upper die drive unit 53 Left-hand drive unit 54 Right-hand drive unit 55 type heating device 55a Heater 60 Swing drive unit 61 Base 62 frames 63 Left side stay (side stay) 64 Right side stay (side stay) 65 Upper support beam (support beam) 66 Lower support beam (support beam) 68 Pillar 68c Center of support (center of rotation) 69 Bearings 70 Swing drive unit 71 Hydraulic Cylinder 72 Piston rod 73 Cylinder body 74 Bracket 75 Receiving part 75L axis 77 Rail 78 Guide member 80 Ball screw mechanism (drive mechanism) 81 Nut 82 Screw shaft 85 Servo motor 91 Upper holding body (holding body) 92 Lower holding body (holding body) 95 Holder drive unit 96 Hydraulic Cylinder 97 Piston rod

[0147] R1 Reinforced fiber base material R2, R2b, R2c Reinforced fiber materials R2y Distance between the inner surfaces of both ends R3 central part R4 Upper end (side end) R4b side end R5 Lower end (side end) R7 Outer edge R8 Medial edge (one side edge) X Feed Direction Y Width direction Z vertical direction

Claims

1. A curved shaping device that shapes a reinforcing fiber material, which is formed by molding a long sheet-like reinforcing fiber substrate in which a thermoplastic resin is used as a matrix material and reinforcing fibers are oriented at an angle to the longitudinal direction, so as to form a curve in a planar view while feeding the reinforcing fiber material along a defined path, a heating device provided in the path and configured to heat the reinforcing fiber material to a temperature equal to or higher than a deformable temperature at which the reinforcing fiber material becomes deformable; a clamping mechanism provided upstream of the heating device and configured to be switchable between a clamping state in which at least both ends of the reinforcing fiber material are clamped and a non-clamping state in which the clamping state is released; a gripping unit provided downstream of the heating device and configured to be switchable between a gripping state in which at least both ends of the reinforcing fiber material are gripped and a non-gripping state in which the gripping state is released, the gripping unit being configured to pivotally drive the gripping unit between an initial position and a pivot position downstream of the initial position, the pivot center being the position of one side edge of the reinforcing fiber material or a position closer to the center of the curvature than the side edge; a shaping mechanism including a shaping mold unit, which is provided adjacent to the heating device downstream of the heating device and which is composed of an upper mold, a lower mold, and a pair of side molds for shaping the reinforcing fiber material, and which is configured to heat the shaping mold unit at a temperature lower than the deformable temperature and drive the shaping mold unit to perform a shaping operation, in which, in order to shape the reinforcing fiber material into a curved shape, an outer shaping surface for shaping the reinforcing fiber material in each of the side molds of the shaping mold unit is formed as a curved surface that realizes the curvature, and an inner shaping surface facing the outer shaping surface in the upper mold and / or the lower mold is formed as a curved surface that is parallel to the outer shaping surface; A pull-out mechanism that is provided downstream of the heating device and performs a pull-out operation to pull out a portion of the reinforcing fiber material heated by the heating device to a position where the shaping operation by the shaping mold unit is performed; and The method includes a drive control device that controls the driving of each of the mechanisms so that each of the steps of a turning step in which the clamping mechanism is in the clamping state and the swinging mechanism is used to turn the gripping unit located at the initial position to the gripping state and then turn the gripping unit toward the turning position, a drawing step in which the clamping mechanism is in the non-clamping state and then the drawing mechanism is used to perform the drawing operation, and a shaping step in which the shaping mechanism is used to perform the shaping operation is performed in the order of the turning step, the drawing step, and the shaping step. A curve shaping device characterized by the above.

2. The shaping mold unit functions as the gripping unit, and the shaping mechanism is configured to rotate the shaping mold unit between the initial position and the rotating position, and also functions as the swinging mechanism.

2. The curve shaping device according to claim 1 .

3. The shaping mechanism is configured to cause the shaping mold unit to perform the drawing operation and also functions as the drawing mechanism.

3. The curve shaping device according to claim 2.

4. a holding mechanism that is provided downstream of the swinging mechanism and is configured to be switchable between a holding state that holds the reinforcing fiber material and a non-holding state in which the holding state is released, The drive control device controls the drive of the holding mechanism so that the holding mechanism is in the holding state when the gripping unit located at the turning position is turned toward the initial position.

4. The curve forming apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3.

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