Sanitary paper bundle sorting method and manufacturing method of sanitary paper bundle product

Abstract

To provide a technique enabling appropriate distribution of sanitary paper bundles to one main route and two or more sub routes.SOLUTION: A sorting method of sanitary paper bundles B comprises a conveying process for conveying a plurality of sanitary paper bundles B at an interval along one main route by a conveyor, and a sorting process for sorting at least part of the sanitary paper bundles B advancing along the main route to one or a plurality of sub routes. The sorting process comprises a push-out process for pushing out at least part of the sanitary paper bundles B advancing along the main route in the crosswise direction by the push-out device 20 and sliding it on the conveyor in the crosswise direction, and a guide process for guiding the sanitary paper bundle B pushed out by the push-out process so as to advance obliquely to the main route.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for allocating a transport path of a stack of sanitary paper such as tissue paper during transport.The present invention also relates to a method for producing a sanitary paper product in which a stack of sanitary paper is wrapped in a flexible film or the like. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, products in which sanitary paper such as tissue paper is packaged in a resin film (so-called soft pack products) have been known (Patent Document 1).

[0003] Furthermore, tissue paper is generally manufactured using a method in which a continuous sheet fed from multiple rolls is folded by a multi-stand interfolder, and then cut into individual sizes by a cutter to obtain a sanitary paper bundle (Patent Document 2). This method makes it possible to obtain sanitary paper bundles at high speed and continuously.

[0004] Furthermore, a packaging machine for automatically storing a bundle of multiple articles in a packaging bag made of a resin film or the like is also known (Patent Document 3). This type of packaging machine is configured to expand the opening of the packaging bag, and then push the multiple articles into the packaging bag through the opening while maintaining the expanded state of the packaging bag. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-133981 [Patent Document 2] JP 2012-011170 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2014-125228 A [Patent Document 4] JP 2004-284720 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Incidentally, when manufacturing soft pack products in which a sanitary paper bundle such as tissue paper is packaged in a resin film, it is possible to adopt a manufacturing process in which a multi-reel machine is used to continuously produce a sanitary paper bundle at high speed, and then a packaging machine such as that in Patent Document 3 is used to push the sanitary paper bundle into a packaging bag. However, as described above, a packaging machine for resin film needs to go through a procedure of pushing the sanitary paper bundle into the packaging bag while maintaining the state after spreading the packaging bag, so there is a problem that it is difficult to store the sanitary paper bundle into the packaging bag at high speed. In particular, since both the sanitary paper bundle and the inside of the packaging bag are soft, in order to properly store the sanitary paper bundle in the packaging bag, it is necessary to push the sanitary paper bundle into the packaging bag at a relatively low speed. Thus, while a multi-reel machine can continuously produce a sanitary paper bundle at high speed, a packaging machine for film cannot sufficiently keep up with the production speed of this multi-reel machine, which is a problem in the manufacturing of soft pack products.

[0007] In order to address these issues, the present inventor has been considering, mainly in the manufacture of soft-pack products, distributing and transporting sanitary paper bundles obtained by a multiple machine to multiple transport paths, and arranging a packaging machine for each transport path and packaging the sanitary paper bundles sequentially using the multiple packaging machines. One possible device for distributing items on a transport path is that described in Patent Document 4. Patent Document 4 proposes a device that uses one lever rotation mechanism and a rotating lever to evenly distribute items from one inlet row to two outlet rows.

[0008] The sorting device of Patent Document 4 can sort articles conveyed along one main path to another sub-path. However, in the configuration of the sorting device of Patent Document 4, the main path and the sub-path are set in a position where they run parallel to each other in close contact with each other, so the only option is to continue conveying the articles conveyed along one main path along the main path or sort them into another sub-path. In addition, it is difficult to directly introduce the configuration of the sorting device of Patent Document 4, which uses a lever rotation mechanism and a rotating lever, into a sorting device for sanitary paper stacks, which are soft and easily crumbled.

[0009] Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide a technique that can appropriately distribute a sanitary paper stack to one main path and two or more sub-paths. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] A first aspect of the present invention relates to a method for sorting sanitary paper stacks. The sorting method according to the present invention includes a conveying step and a sorting step. In the conveying step, a conveyor conveys a plurality of sanitary paper stacks along one main path at intervals. In the sorting step, at least a portion (part or all) of the sanitary paper stacks traveling along the main path are sorted into one or more sub-paths. Here, the sorting step includes a pushing step and a guiding step. In the pushing step, at least a portion of the sanitary paper stack traveling along the main path is pushed out laterally by a sorting device and slid laterally on the conveyor. In the next guiding step, the sanitary paper stack pushed out in the pushing step is guided to proceed obliquely with respect to the main path. That is, in this guiding step, the sanitary paper stack proceeds so as to gradually move away from the main path. Thereafter, the sanitary paper stack guided to proceed obliquely is introduced into a sub-path different from the main path. In this way, the sanitary paper stack pushed out by the sorting device in the pushing step is further made to proceed obliquely in the guiding step, so that a sub-path can be set at a position away from the main path. This makes it possible to set multiple sub-paths for one main path. Note that although the present invention provides a technology that makes it possible to set multiple sub-paths for one main path, it is not necessarily required to have multiple sub-paths. In other words, it is also possible to use the sorting method of the present invention to sort sanitary paper stacks into one main path and one sub-path.

[0011] In the sorting method according to the present invention, the guiding step may be a step of guiding the sanitary paper stack onto a separate conveyor extending obliquely with respect to the main path.

[0012] In the sorting method of the present invention, if the number of sanitary paper bundles transported along the main path between a sanitary paper bundle pushed out in one extrusion process and a sanitary paper bundle pushed out in the next extrusion process is X, and the number of sanitary paper bundles pushed out in one extrusion process is n, it is preferable that X is four times or less n (X≦4n).

[0013] In the sorting method according to the present invention, it is preferable that a plurality of sets each including a sorting device and an individual conveyor are provided along the main path.

[0014] In the sorting method according to the present invention, it is preferable that the conveying surface of the individual conveyor is inserted between the conveying surface and the return surface of the main conveyor that forms the main path.

[0015] In the sorting method of the present invention, the sorting step may further include a secondary transport step, in which the sanitary paper stack is transported on a secondary path extending parallel to the main path after the guiding step.

[0016] In the sorting method according to the present invention, the sorting step may further include a secondary pushing step and a tertiary conveying step. In the secondary pushing step, after the pushing step, a part of the sanitary paper stack traveling on the main path is pushed laterally by a secondary sorting device and slid laterally on the conveyor. In the tertiary conveying step, after the secondary pushing step, the sanitary paper stack is conveyed on another sub-path extending parallel to the main path.

[0017] In the sorting method according to the present invention, the secondary pushing step may further include, after the guiding step, pushing at least a part of the sanitary paper stack traveling on the sub-path laterally by a secondary sorting device to slide laterally on the conveyor, and the tertiary transport step may further include, after the secondary pushing step, transporting the sanitary paper stack on yet another sub-path extending parallel to the sub-path.

[0018] The sorting method according to the present invention may further include a total sorting step of sorting all of the sanitary paper stack traveling along the main path to the sub path.

[0019] In the sorting method according to the present invention, in the pushing-out process, the contact piece of the sorting device may be brought into contact with a side of the stack of sanitary paper sheets opposite the side on which the fold of the bottommost sanitary paper sheet is located.

[0020] A second aspect of the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a sanitary paper bundle product. The sanitary paper bundle product here refers to a product in which one or more sanitary paper bundles are packaged. The packaging for the sanitary paper bundle is preferably a packaging bag made of resin film or the like, rather than a carton. The manufacturing method for a sanitary paper bundle product according to the present invention includes a step of sorting the sanitary paper bundle by the sorting method according to the first aspect described above, and a step of packaging the sanitary paper bundle sorted by this sorting method. Effect of the Invention

[0021] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique that can appropriately distribute a sanitary paper stack to one main path and two or more sub-paths. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a method for producing a sanitary paper bundle product. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view that illustrates a schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the sorting device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 shows an example of an extrusion device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows an example of a method for distributing sanitary paper stacks into four paths using the distributing device shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 shows an example of a device that distributes the entire amount of sanitary paper stacks traveling along a main path to a sub-path. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 shows an example of how to combine a sorting conveyor and an inclined individual conveyor. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a plan view that illustrates a schematic diagram of a second embodiment of a sorting device. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 shows an example of a method for distributing sanitary paper stacks into four paths using the distributing device shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 shows an example of a method for distributing sanitary paper stacks to four paths using the distributing device shown in FIG. 7, and illustrates steps subsequent to the steps shown in FIG. [Figure 10]FIG. 10 shows an example of the configuration of an extrusion device. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 shows an example of the configuration of an extrusion device. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 shows an example of the configuration of an extrusion device. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 shows a schematic diagram of the direction in which the sanitary paper stack is pushed out. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a flow diagram showing an example of a method for producing a sanitary paper bundle product. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a plan view showing an example of a deceleration step in a manufacturing method for sanitary paper bundle products. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a plan view showing an example of a gap adjusting step in the manufacturing method for sanitary paper bundle products. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 shows a modification of the first embodiment of the sorting device. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 shows a modified example of the extrusion device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and includes appropriate modifications of the embodiments described below within the scope obvious to those skilled in the art.

[0024] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and includes appropriate modifications of the embodiments described below within the scope obvious to those skilled in the art.

[0025] FIG. 1 shows a process for manufacturing a sanitary paper bundle product, in which a sanitary paper bundle B obtained by using a multiple-reel machine 1 is packaged by a packaging machine 4. As shown in FIG. 1, the multiple-reel machine 1 folds and stacks sanitary paper P (base paper) fed from a number of base rolls to form a continuous stack of sanitary paper P. The multiple-reel machine 1 is provided with a number of base rolls corresponding to the number of stacked sheets of sanitary paper. For example, to obtain a product in which 200 sets of tissues each consisting of two sheets (a total of 400 sheets) are stacked, 200 sets of base rolls each consisting of two rolls (a total of 400 rolls) are installed in the multiple-reel machine 1. Such a multiple-reel machine 1 (multi-stand type interfolder) may be a known one. Next, the stack of sanitary paper P formed by the multiple-reel machine 1 is transported downstream and cut at predetermined intervals by a cutter 2. This results in individual sanitary paper bundles B. A known rotary cutter may be used as the cutter 2. In this way, sanitary paper bundles B can be produced continuously at high speed. In sanitary paper stack B, each sheet of sanitary paper is folded approximately in half, and halves of two sheets of sanitary paper are inserted between each sheet of sanitary paper, one above the other, so that when one sheet of sanitary paper is lifted up, the sanitary paper underneath is also lifted up, forming a pop-up style stack.

[0026] After that, the multiple sanitary paper stacks B are transported downstream in a line by a conveyor or the like. There is a speed difference between the transport speed of the sanitary paper stack B in the cutter 2 and the transport speed of the sanitary paper stack B by the conveyor immediately after it, and the transport speed of the sanitary paper stack B by the conveyor immediately after it is set to be faster. This increases the interval between the sanitary paper stacks B. However, it is not necessary to provide a speed difference in the conveyor following the cutter, and the interval adjustment of the sanitary paper stacks B can be performed between the cutter and the sorter. The interval between the sanitary paper stacks B when sorting in three or more directions is preferably 5% to 30% of the product length, and more preferably 10% to 25%. If it is less than 5%, there is a risk that the product will come into contact with the products in front and behind during sorting, causing the direction to change or the stack to collapse, and if it is more than 30%, the transport speed will be too fast, and the size of the equipment for the deceleration process will be large. A sorter 3 is provided downstream of the cutter 2. The sorting device 3 will be described in detail later, but this sorting device 3 has a function of sorting a plurality of sanitary paper stacks B, which are conveyed in a line along one conveying path, into a plurality of conveying paths. In addition, a known discharge device that detects defects in the sanitary paper stack B and discharges the sanitary paper stack B that is recognized as defective may be installed in the conveying path between the cutter 2 and the sorting device 3. Such a discharge device is arranged for the purpose of discharging the sanitary paper stack B in a state that cannot be made into a product at the time of initial operation, or discharging the sanitary paper stack B in a state that cannot be made into a product at the time of sudden stop due to a problem in the downstream process. In addition, it is also possible to use the main path as the discharge destination. In this case, the products to be discharged can be conveyed to the discharge section beyond the main path without being sorted by the extrusion device. In the example shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of sanitary paper stacks B are sorted into three conveying paths. In addition, the number of conveying paths for the sanitary paper stack B is not limited to three, and may be two, or may be four or more.In addition, with a method of switching lanes using a normal guide, it is necessary to set the product intervals wide enough to guide the leading product, which continues to move due to transport, from the time of switching to the time of switching, or to guide it by extending and retracting the guide. However, in this case, since the contact piece moves in line with the transport of the product from the main path to guide it and extract it to the sub-path, there is no need to set a large product interval, and as a result, it can be operated at a low transport speed and there is no need for equipment with complex mechanisms, allowing for compact equipment and stable production.

[0027] Further, a packaging machine 4 is provided downstream of each conveying path. The packaging machine 4 may be one that has the function of packaging one or more sanitary paper bundles B in a flexible packaging bag made of resin film or the like. The packaging bag is preferably made of a resin such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyester, or polyvinyl acetate. However, the packaging bag may be a paper bag. As such a packaging machine, a known one such as that disclosed in Patent Document 3 may be used. In this manner, a sanitary paper bundle product (so-called soft pack product) in which one or more sanitary paper bundles B are packaged in a packaging bag can be manufactured.

[0028] [1. First embodiment] FIG. 2 shows a first embodiment of the sorting device 3. First, to give an overview, the sorting device 3 according to the first embodiment is configured to sort the sanitary paper stack B introduced from the main conveyor 11 to the sorting conveyor 12 onto a plurality of inclined individual conveyors 13 on the sorting conveyor 12 using a push-out device 20. In addition, a parallel individual conveyor 14 is provided downstream of the inclined individual conveyor 13. As shown in FIG. 2, a path that conveys the sanitary paper stack B directly from the main conveyor 11 to the downstream side is called a "main path". In other words, the sanitary paper stack B traveling on the main path does not change its conveying path downstream of the main conveyor 11. On the other hand, a path that branches off from the main path to convey the sanitary paper stack B is called a "sub-path". In the example shown in FIG. 2, three sub-paths are set in addition to the main path. In the first embodiment, the sanitary paper stack B is pushed out by the push-out device 20 on the sorting conveyor 12, and the conveying path is switched from the main path to the sub-path. This embodiment is an effective method for allocating products to multiple routes at a product speed of 200 products / minute or more.

[0029] Specifically, the sorting device 3 according to the first embodiment includes a conveyor device 10 for conveying the sanitary paper stack B, and a plurality of pushers 20(a)-(c) for distributing the sanitary paper stack B to a plurality of conveying paths. The conveyor device 10 includes one main conveyor 11, one sorting conveyor 12, a plurality of inclined individual conveyors 13(a)-(c), and the same number of parallel individual conveyors 14(a)-(c). Each of the conveyors 11-14 may be, for example, a general belt conveyor having a structure in which an endless belt is stretched around pulleys including a driving pulley and a driven pulley. Note that a conveying device with many irregularities on the surface and high resistance is not preferable because the sanitary paper stack B does not slide when moving diagonally, causing abnormalities such as wrinkles and folds in the bottom sheet. Furthermore, a roller conveyor with multiple rolls aligned in the transport direction can easily move the sanitary product stacks laterally, but rolls with gaps between them are not preferred because the bottom sheet of the sanitary product stack B can get caught and tear. Therefore, it is preferable to use a flat belt with minimal surface irregularities for transporting the sanitary paper stack to the area where it is pushed out.

[0030] The main conveyor 11 transports all of the multiple sanitary paper stacks B to be sorted by the sorting device 3. At this time, it is preferable that the multiple sanitary paper stacks B are arranged in a line on the main conveyor 11 with a gap between them. A sorting conveyor 12 is provided downstream of the main conveyor 11, and all of the sanitary paper stacks B transported by the main conveyor 11 are introduced into this sorting conveyor 12. On the sorting conveyor 12, the sanitary paper stacks B are slid to switch the transport path, so it is preferable that the width of the transport surface of this sorting conveyor 12 is wider than that of the main conveyor 11. For example, it is sufficient that the width of the transport surface of the main conveyor 11 is 1.5 to 3 times the width of the sanitary paper stack B, but it is preferable that the width of the transport surface of the sorting conveyor 12 is 3 to 10 times the width of the sanitary paper stack B.

[0031] Push-out devices 20 are provided on the sorting conveyor 12. In the example shown in FIG. 2, three push-out devices 20 are provided. When a plurality of push-out devices 20 are provided, they may be arranged at intervals along the conveying path (main path) of the sanitary paper stack B. In this embodiment, the number of push-out devices 20 corresponds to the number of sub-paths branched off from the main path. Each push-out device 20 has a contact piece 21 that contacts the side of the sanitary paper stack B. Each push-out device 20 controls the operation of the contact piece 21 so that the contact piece 21 crosses the main path diagonally. In this way, each push-out device 20 presses the contact piece 21 against the side of the sanitary paper stack B to slide the sanitary paper stack B on the sorting conveyor 12. As a result, the conveying path of the sanitary paper stack B deviates from the main path. An inclined individual conveyor 13 is provided ahead of the push-out direction by the push-out device 20, and the sanitary paper stack B pushed out by the push-out device 20 is introduced into the inclined individual conveyor 13.

[0032] FIG. 3 shows an example of the push-out device 20. The push-out device 20 shown in FIG. 3 is disposed above the main path of the sorting conveyor 12. In the push-out device 20, an endless belt 24 is stretched between a driving pulley 22 and a driven pulley 23, and the belt 24 advances in a fixed direction by rotating the driving pulley 22 in a fixed direction. The belt 24 is also provided with a contact piece 21 for contacting the side of the sanitary paper stack B. Specifically, in the push-out device 20, the lower surface of the belt 24 stretched between the driving pulley 22 and the driven pulley 23 is a forward surface that faces the sanitary paper stack B, and the upper surface of the belt 24 is a backward surface that moves away from the sanitary paper stack B. For this reason, when the belt 24 is rotated in a fixed direction, the contact piece 21 repeatedly moves toward the sanitary paper stack B on the lower surface of the belt 24 and moves away from the sanitary paper stack B on the upper surface of the belt 24. As a result, when the sanitary paper stack B, which needs to switch the conveying path, arrives below the extrusion device 20, the belt 24 is rotated to bring the contact piece 21 close to the sanitary paper stack B, and the contact piece 21 is brought into contact with the side of the sanitary paper stack B and pushed out obliquely, so that the sanitary paper stack B can be slid. It is preferable to use a timing belt for the belt 24, which makes it easy to control the movement and position of the contact piece 21. For the same reason, it is also possible to use a chain instead of the belt 24. The moving speed of the contact piece 21 when pushing out the product (the rotation speed of the belt 24) is equal to 1 / cosθ1 relative to the conveying speed of the sanitary paper stack B, or it may be slightly faster. After that, by rotating the belt 24 in the same direction, the contact piece 21 passes through the upper surface side of the belt 24 and returns to a position where the sanitary paper stack B can be pushed out again. In this way, the contact piece 21 always moves in a fixed direction (it does not move back and forth), so that the sorting work of the multiple sanitary paper stacks B being conveyed by the sorting conveyor 12 can be performed at high speed. The push-out device 20 that pushes out such articles at an angle to sort them is well known, and for example, the "TLS Touch Line Selector" (Maruyasu Machinery Co., Ltd.) can be used.

[0033] Returning to FIG. 2, each extrusion device 20 is disposed so that the moving direction of the contact piece 21 is inclined with respect to the moving direction of the sorting conveyor 12. Specifically, the approach angle θ 1 The angle θ of the contact piece 21 (the angle between the direction of travel of the sorting conveyor 12 and the direction of travel of the contact piece 21) is preferably 15 to 35 degrees. 1 If the angle θ of the contact piece 21 exceeds 35 degrees, the speed at which the sanitary paper stack B slides sideways when the contact piece 21 comes into contact with the side of the sanitary paper stack B becomes too fast, which may lead to problems such as the sanitary paper stack B collapsing or the upper paper being turned over. 1 If the angle θ of the contact piece 21 is less than 15 degrees, the distance the contact piece 21 must push the sanitary paper stack B from the sorting conveyor 12 to the inclined individual conveyor 13 becomes long, which leads to an increase in the overall length of the sorting device 3. 1 The angle is preferably 15 to 35 degrees, and particularly preferably 20 to 30 degrees.

[0034] In addition, in FIG. 2, the inclination angle of the contact piece 21 itself is indicated by the symbol θ 2 The inclination angle θ of the contact piece 21 (particularly the surface that contacts the sanitary paper stack B) is 2 is the angle at which the contact piece 21 is inclined with respect to the direction of travel of the sorting conveyor 12 when the contact piece 21 is in contact with the side of the sanitary paper stack B. The inclination angle θ of the contact piece 21 2 The inclination angle θ of the contact piece 21 may be 0 degrees, but is preferably set to 5 to 35 degrees, and particularly preferably 10 to 25 degrees or 20 to 25 degrees. In other words, the contact piece 21 is preferably inclined gently downward toward the front so that its leading end 21a (end on the downstream side in the transport direction) comes into contact with the side of the sanitary paper stack B before its trailing end 21b (end on the upstream side in the transport direction). 2 If the inclination angle θ of the contact piece 21 exceeds 25 degrees, the contact piece 21 will come into point contact with the sanitary paper stack B at a sharp angle, which may lead to problems such as the sanitary paper stack B collapsing. 2If the inclination angle θ of the contact piece 21 is less than 5 degrees, the contact piece 21 will be in almost surface contact with the sanitary paper stack B, so the impact when the contact piece 21 comes into contact with the sanitary paper stack B will be large, which may also lead to problems such as the sanitary paper stack B collapsing. Since the sanitary paper stack B is soft and easily collapsed, the inclination angle θ of the contact piece 21 is 2 It is preferable to adjust the angle to an appropriate range of 5 to 25 degrees so that the contact piece 21 comes into contact with the sanitary paper stack B at a gentle angle.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of inclined individual conveyors 13(a)-(c) are provided on the sides of the sorting conveyor 12. Each of the inclined individual conveyors 13(a)-(c) is disposed so as to be inclined with respect to the main path on the sorting conveyor 12. Therefore, the inclined individual conveyor 13 forms a part of a sub-path extending obliquely with respect to the main path. As described above, the sanitary paper stack B pushed out by the pushing device 20 on the sorting conveyor 12 is slid toward the side of the sorting conveyor 12, and is discharged from the sorting conveyor 12 as it is and introduced into the inclined individual conveyor 13. In the example shown in FIG. 2, three pushing devices 20 are provided, and three inclined individual conveyors 13 are also provided, and one pushing device 20 and one inclined individual conveyor 13 form a pair.

[0036] Also, a fixed guide 31 may be provided between the extrusion destination of the extrusion device 20 and the inclined individual conveyor 13. This fixed guide 31 is provided on the sorting conveyor 12 and serves to guide the sanitary paper stack B extruded by the extrusion device 20 so that the sanitary paper stack B reaches the inclined individual conveyor 13. That is, the sanitary paper stack B extruded by the extrusion device 20 proceeds on the sorting conveyor 12 along the fixed guide 31 and is introduced into the inclined individual conveyor 13. This makes it easy to distribute the sanitary paper stack B one by one at equal intervals to each path. In the example shown in FIG. 2, three fixed guides 31(a)-(c) are provided, the same as the extrusion device 20 and the inclined individual conveyor 13. Note that this fixed guide 31 is not essential, and it is possible to omit the fixed guide 31 by adopting a conveyor capable of branching the transport path as the sorting conveyor 12, as shown in FIG. 17(a). In the example of Fig. 17(a), each of the conveyors 12, 13(a), 13(b), and 13(c) at the points where the sanitary paper stack B is pushed out is preferably a flat belt. Also, as shown in Fig. 17(b), it is possible to adopt individual conveyors (flex conveyors) 13(a), 13(b), and 13(c) that can be curved, transfer the sanitary paper stack B onto the straight part of the conveyor, and convey it diagonally along the curve. In the example of Fig. 17(b), each of the individual conveyors 13(a), 13(b), and 13(c) can be a plastic chain type flex conveyor, etc. When the sanitary paper stack B is transferred to different conveying equipment during sorting as in the examples shown in Fig. 17(a) and Fig. 17(b), it is preferable that the conveying speeds of the two conveying equipment are not significantly different, and it is more preferable that they are the same. For example, a speed difference of 30% or more will result in increased wrinkles in the bottom sheet of the sanitary paper stack, and a speed difference of 50% or more will cause the bottom sheet to fold, so it is preferable that the conveying speed difference between the two conveying equipment be 30% or less.

[0037] Parallel individual conveyors 14(a)-(c) are provided downstream of each of the inclined individual conveyors 13(a)-(c). These parallel individual conveyors 14(a)-(c) are arranged to advance the sanitary paper stack B parallel to the main path of the sorting conveyor 12. In other words, the sanitary paper stack B pushed out by the push-out device 20 is transported by the inclined individual conveyor 13 in a direction away from the main path, and then introduced into the parallel individual conveyor 14, which transports it parallel to the main path.

[0038] FIG. 4 shows an example of a method for distributing a plurality of sanitary paper stacks B conveyed continuously to a main path and three sub-paths by the distributing device 3 shown in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 4(a), in this example, four sanitary paper stacks B 1 ~B 4 In this example, the first sanitary paper stack B is finally conveyed. 1 is sent to the main path as is, and the second sanitary paper stack B 2 is sent to the first sub-path, and the third sanitary paper stack B 3 is sent to the second sub-path, and the fourth sanitary paper stack B 4 are sent to the third sub-path. In this manner, in this embodiment, the transport path of the sanitary paper stack B can be switched one by one.

[0039] First, as shown in Fig. 4(a), four sanitary paper stacks B 1 ~B 4 are all initially transported along the main path on the sorting conveyor 12. 1 Then, as shown in Fig. 4(b), the second sanitary paper stack B 2 When the sanitary paper stack B reaches the extrusion position of the most upstream extrusion device 20(a), the extrusion device 20(a) extrudes the sanitary paper stack B 2 is pushed out and introduced into the inclined individual conveyor 13(a) via the fixed guide 31(a). In this way, the second sanitary paper stack B 2Next, as shown in FIG. 4(c), the third sanitary paper stack B 3 When the sanitary paper stack B reaches the extrusion position of the intermediate extrusion device 20(b), the extrusion device 20(b) extrudes the sanitary paper stack B 3 is pushed out and introduced into the inclined individual conveyor 13(b) via the fixed guide 31(b). In this way, the third sanitary paper stack B 3 Similarly, as shown in FIG. 4(d), the fourth sanitary paper stack B 4 When the sanitary paper stack B reaches the extrusion position of the most downstream extrusion device 20(c), the extrusion device 20(c) extrudes the sanitary paper stack B 4 is pushed out and introduced into the inclined individual conveyor 13(c) via the fixed guide 31(c). In this way, the fourth sanitary paper stack B 4 In Fig. 4, for ease of understanding, four sanitary paper stacks B are 1 ~B 4 Although only one example is shown in the figure, even if a large number of sanitary paper stacks B are transported, these sanitary paper stacks B can be quickly distributed to multiple transport paths by repeating the steps shown in Figures 4(a)-(b).

[0040] Fig. 5 shows an example of a device that collects and distributes sanitary paper stacks B transported along the main path to a separate sub-path. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the device shown in Fig. 5 is disposed downstream of the device shown in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 5, a wide conveyor 15 is provided downstream of the sorting conveyor 12 and each of the parallel individual conveyors 14(a)-(c). The width of this wide conveyor 15 is set to be equal to or greater than the sum of the width of the sorting conveyor 12 and the width of each of the parallel individual conveyors 14(a)-(c), and all of the sanitary paper stacks B transported by these conveyors 12, 14(a)-(c) are once introduced into this wide conveyor 15.

[0041] A plurality of movable guides 32(a)-(c) are provided on the wide conveyor 15. Each of the movable guides 32(a)-(c) is configured to be able to switch between an open state in which the sanitary paper stack B passes through without restricting the transport of the sanitary paper stack B, and a closed state in which the sanitary paper stack B is restricted and guided to an adjacent transport path. Specifically, a first movable guide 32(a) is provided at a position along the main path of the wide conveyor 15. This first movable guide 32(a) can switch between an open state in which the sanitary paper stack B passes through along the main path as is, and a closed state in which the sanitary paper stack B is guided to a third sub-path adjacent to the main path. In addition, a second movable guide 32(b) is provided at a position along the third sub-path. This second movable guide 32(b) can switch between an open state in which the sanitary paper stack B passes through along the third sub-path as is, and a closed state in which the sanitary paper stack B is guided to a second sub-path adjacent to the third sub-path. Also, a third movable guide 32(c) is provided at a position along the second sub-path. This third movable guide 32(c) can be switched between an open state in which the sanitary paper stack B passes directly along the second sub-path, and a closed state in which the sanitary paper stack B is guided to the first sub-path adjacent to the second sub-path. Also, the first to third movable guides 32(a)-(c) are arranged so that when all of them are closed, the sanitary paper stack B can be conveyed obliquely by these guides. For example, when all of the first to third movable guides 32(a)-(c) are closed, the sanitary paper stack B traveling along the main path can be guided to the first sub-path that is the furthest from the main path. Also, by controlling the opening and closing of each of the movable guides 32(a)-(c), it is also possible to guide the sanitary paper stack B on the main path to the second sub-path or the third sub-path. Similarly, it is also possible to guide the entire amount of the sanitary paper stack B on one sub-path to another sub-path. It is preferable to provide movable guides 32(a)-(c) in this way so that the entire amount of sanitary paper stacks B on one transport path can be diverted to another transport path. For example, if some kind of problem occurs in a packaging machine 4 located downstream of one transport path and the packaging machine 4 is no longer able to package the sanitary paper stacks B, troubles that arise on each transport path can be dealt with quickly and flexibly.This is particularly effective when operating with only one route and transporting all products to one specific route. Also, lane (guide) switching can be achieved by utilizing the increased product spacing that occurs when products are sampled through sorting. Furthermore, when using only one route, sufficient product spacing can be created and utilized by discharging products using the discharge equipment. The equipment can also be stopped temporarily and switching can be performed manually.

[0042] FIG. 6 shows an example of how to combine the sorting conveyor 12 and the inclined individual conveyor 13. In the example shown in FIG. 6(a), the rear end (upstream end) of the inclined conveyor 13 is inserted into the gap between the conveying surface (surface sent downstream to convey the sanitary paper stack B) of the sorting conveyor 12 and the return surface (surface returning upstream without conveying the sanitary paper stack B). In this case, there is a slight step between the conveying surface of the sorting conveyor 12 and the conveying surface of the inclined individual conveyor 13, but there is no gap between the two conveying surfaces, so the sanitary paper stack B moves smoothly from the sorting conveyor 12 to the inclined individual conveyor 13. In addition, since the inclination angle of the inclined individual conveyor 13 is easy to adjust, the degree of freedom in designing the sorting device is increased. In addition, there is no need to order a dedicated conveyor according to the inclination angle of the inclined individual conveyor 13, and a general-purpose conveyor can be used as this inclined individual conveyor 13, so the introduction cost of the sorting device can be reduced.

[0043] As shown in the example of Fig. 6(b), the inclined individual conveyor 13 may be a conveyor whose rear end is cut at an angle. In this case, the installation angle of the inclined individual conveyor 13 is fixed, but it is possible to prevent a step from occurring between the conveying surface of the sorting conveyor 12 and the conveying surface of the inclined individual conveyor 13. Also, as shown in the example of Fig. 6(c), the inclined individual conveyor 13 may be a normal conveyor whose rear end is perpendicular to the conveying direction, and a bridge plate 16 may be disposed to fill the gap between the sorting conveyor 12 and the inclined individual conveyor 13. Note that since the bridge plate 16 does not have the function of actively conveying the sanitary paper stack B, the overall length of the bridge plate 16 should be less than the overall length of the sanitary paper stack B.

[0044] [2. Second embodiment] 7 shows a second embodiment of the sorting device 3. First, to give an overview, the sorting device 3 according to the second embodiment sorts the sanitary paper stack B introduced from the main conveyor 11 to the sorting conveyor 12 onto two paths, a main path or an alternative path, on the sorting conveyor 12 using one push-out device 20. In addition, a wide conveyor 15 is provided downstream of the sorting conveyor 12, and on this wide conveyor 15, the sanitary paper stack B proceeding along the main path can be sorted onto another alternative path, or the sanitary paper stack B pushed out by the push-out device 20 and proceeding along another path can be sorted onto yet another alternative path. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the sanitary paper stack B is configured to be sorted onto one main path and three alternative paths.

[0045] More specifically, the sorting device 3 according to the second embodiment includes a conveyor device 10 for transporting the sanitary paper stack B, and a pusher device 20 for sorting the sanitary paper stack B into a plurality of transport paths. The conveyor device 10 includes one main conveyor 11, one sorting conveyor 12, and one wide conveyor 15. The wide conveyor 15 is provided with a fixed guide 31(d) for guiding the sanitary paper stack B so that it advances obliquely with respect to the main path, and movable guides 32(d), 32(e) for switching the transport path of the sanitary paper stack B transported by the wide conveyor 15.

[0046] As in the first embodiment (see FIG. 2), the main conveyor 11 transports all of the multiple sanitary paper stacks B that are to be sorted by the sorting device 3. At this time, it is preferable that the multiple sanitary paper stacks B are arranged in a row with spaces between them on the main conveyor 11. A sorting conveyor 12 is provided downstream of the main conveyor 11, and all of the sanitary paper stacks B transported by the main conveyor 11 are introduced into this sorting conveyor 12. On the sorting conveyor 12, the sanitary paper stacks B are slid to switch the transport path, so as in the first embodiment, it is preferable that the width of the transport surface of this sorting conveyor 12 is wider than the width of the transport surface of the main conveyor 11.

[0047] A push-out device 20(d) is provided on the sorting conveyor 12. In the second embodiment, only one push-out device 20(d) is provided. The push-out device 20(d) has a contact piece 21 that contacts the side of the sanitary paper stack B, as described in the first embodiment. The push-out device 20(d) presses the contact piece 21 against the side of the sanitary paper stack B to slide the sanitary paper stack B on the sorting conveyor 12. As a result, the transport path of the sanitary paper stack B deviates from the main path. As in the first embodiment, the push-out device 20(d) may be the one described with reference to FIG. 3. In this way, in this embodiment, a main path is formed on the sorting conveyor 12 when the sanitary paper stack B is not pushed out by the push-out device 20(d) and a separate path is formed when the sanitary paper stack B is pushed out by the push-out device 20(d). As described later, the sanitary paper stack B passing through the main path on the sorting conveyor 12 is sorted into the main path and the second sub-path on the downstream transport conveyor 15. Also, the sanitary paper stack B passing through another path on the sorting conveyor 12 is sorted into the first sub-path and the third sub-path on the downstream transport conveyor 15.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 7, a fixed guide 31(d) is provided on the wide conveyor 15 ahead of the extrusion direction by the extrusion device 20(d). When the sanitary paper stack B extruded by the extrusion device 20(d) is introduced onto the wide conveyor 15, it proceeds along this fixed guide 31(d). The fixed guide 31(d) forms a fixed path on the wide conveyor 15 through which the sanitary paper stack B can pass. As shown in FIG. 7, the fixed guide 31(d) guides the sanitary paper stack B on the wide conveyor 15 obliquely in a direction away from the main path. Specifically, on the wide conveyor 15, the main path, the second sub-path, the first sub-path, and the third sub-path are arranged in order from the top of FIG. 7, and this fixed guide 31(d) forms a fixed path extending obliquely so as to guide the sanitary paper stack B extruded by the extrusion device 20(d) through the main path to the first sub-path.

[0049] Further, on the wide conveyor 15, a first movable guide 32(d) and a second movable guide 32(e) are provided downstream of the fixed guide 31(d). Each of the movable guides 32(d) and (e) is configured to be able to switch between an open state in which the sanitary paper stack B passes through without restricting the transport of the sanitary paper stack B, and a closed state in which the sanitary paper stack B is restricted and guided to an adjacent transport path. Specifically, a first movable guide 32(d) is provided at a position along the main path of the wide conveyor 15. This first movable guide 32(d) can switch between an open state in which the sanitary paper stack B passes through along the main path as it is, and a closed state in which the sanitary paper stack B is guided to a second sub-path adjacent to the main path. A second movable guide 32(e) is provided at a position along the first sub-path, which is the discharge destination of the fixed guide 31(d). This second movable guide 32(e) can be switched between an open state in which the sanitary paper stack B passes directly along the first sub-path, and a closed state in which the sanitary paper stack B is guided to a third sub-path adjacent to the first sub-path. The spacing between the sanitary paper stacks B increases as the leading pusher 20(d) pulls out the sanitary paper stack B, so the movable guides 32(d) and (e) can switch paths without using a high-speed pusher. Furthermore, when a wider spacing is required during high-speed operation, the number of pieces dispensed by the pusher 20(d) can be increased to multiple pieces, widening the spacing between the sanitary paper stacks B, making it possible to accommodate high-speed operation.

[0050] 8 and 9 show an example of a method for distributing a plurality of sanitary paper stacks B conveyed continuously to a main path and three sub-paths by the distributing device 3 shown in FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 8(a), in this example, four sanitary paper stacks B 1 ~B 4 In this example, the first sanitary paper stack B is finally conveyed. 1 is sent to the main path as is, and the second sanitary paper stack B 2 is sent to the first sub-path, and the third sanitary paper stack B 3 is sent to the second sub-path, and the fourth sanitary paper stack B 4are sent to the third sub-path. In this manner, in this embodiment, the transport path of the sanitary paper stack B can be switched one by one.

[0051] First, as shown in FIG. 8(a), four sanitary paper stacks B 1 ~B 4 are all initially transported along the main path on the sorting conveyor 12. 1 Then, as shown in Fig. 8(b), the second sanitary paper stack B 2 When the sanitary paper stack B reaches the extrusion position of the extrusion device 20(d) on the sorting conveyor 12, the extrusion device 20(d) extrudes the sanitary paper stack B 2 is pushed out of the main path and introduced into the fixed guide 31(d) on the wide conveyor 15. Then, as shown in Figs. 8(c) and 8(d), the third sanitary paper stack B 3 is conveyed along the main path through the extrusion device 20(d) and the fourth sanitary paper stack B 4 are pushed out of the main path by the pushing device 20(d) and introduced into the fixed guide 31(d). In this manner, in this embodiment, the four sanitary paper stacks B 1 ~B 4 The first sanitary paper stack B 1 and the third sanitary paper stack B 3 is transported on the main path, and the second sanitary paper stack B 2 and the fourth sanitary paper stack B 4 The discharge destination of the fixed guide 31(d) corresponds to the first sub-path.

[0052] Next, as shown in FIG. 9(e), the first sanitary paper stack B 1 As a result, the first sanitary paper stack B 1 The second sanitary paper stack B continues to travel along the main path. 2The second movable guide 32(e) does not restrict the path of travel of the second sanitary paper stack B, and the second sanitary paper stack B is allowed to pass through as is. 2 On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9(f) and FIG. 9(g), the third sanitary paper stack B 3 When the third sanitary paper stack B arrives in front of the first movable guide 32(d), the first movable guide 32(d) is driven to regulate the path of travel. 3 The fourth sanitary paper stack B is guided by the first movable guide 32(d) and diverted to the second sub-path adjacent to the main path. 4 When the fourth sanitary paper stack B arrives in front of the second movable guide 32(e), the second movable guide 32(e) is driven to regulate the path of travel. 4 are guided by the second movable guide 32(e) and distributed to the fourth sub-path adjacent to the first sub-path. 1 ~B 4 8 and 9. However, even if a large number of sanitary paper stacks B are transported, these sanitary paper stacks B can be quickly sorted into multiple transport paths by repeating the procedures shown in Figures 8 and 9. It is also possible to sort the main path side to the opposite side to the current sub-path without using fixed guide 31(d).

[0053] [3. Common matters for the embodiments] Next, matters common to the first and second embodiments will be described.

[0054] The above-mentioned push-out device 20 and movable guide 32 can be controlled based on detection information from a sensor (not shown). The sensor is arranged mainly for the purpose of detecting that the sanitary paper stack B has reached a predetermined position. Specifically, the sensor is provided near the transport path of the sanitary paper stack B, and by detecting the presence or absence of the sanitary paper stack B, it specifies that the sanitary paper stack B or a gap between them is approaching the push-out device 20 or the movable guide 32. Based on the detection information from the sensor 26, a control device (not shown) controls the push-out device 20 and the movable guide 32, and drives these devices when a gap in the sanitary paper stack B occurs, thereby switching the transport path of the sanitary paper stack B. The sensor can also measure the length of the gap between the sanitary paper stacks B. It is also possible to control in such a way that if the gap between the sanitary paper stacks B is equal to or greater than a certain length, the transport path of the sanitary paper stack B is switched at that interval, and if the gap is less than the certain length, the transport path of the sanitary paper stack B is not switched at that interval. The sensor is not particularly limited as long as it can detect the presence or absence of the sanitary paper stack B, and may be any known sensor such as an optical sensor (photoelectric sensor), ultrasonic sensor, pressure sensor, etc. The transport path can be switched by setting a timer after the sensor detects a gap in the sanitary paper stack B (switching is performed after a predetermined time has elapsed after detection) or by adjusting the position of the sensor.

[0055] 10 to 12 are schematic diagrams depicting the extrusion device 20 from the side, showing the relationship between the extrusion device 20 and the sanitary paper stack B, and examples of improvements and modifications of the extrusion device 20. FIG. 10(a) shows the extrusion device 20 having one contact piece 21. As described above, the extrusion device 20 is configured so that the contact piece 21 attached to the chain 24 rotates together with the chain (or belt) 24 by rotating it in a certain direction, thereby repeatedly extruding the sanitary paper stack B. Here, the number of sanitary paper stacks extruded by one extrusion operation (extrusion step) by the contact piece 21 is defined as "n". Also, the number of sanitary paper stacks B transported on the transport path (mainly the main path) from the sanitary paper stack B extruded by a certain extrusion operation by the contact piece 21 to the front of the sanitary paper stack B extruded by the next extrusion operation is defined as "X". In particular, X is the number of sanitary paper stacks B transported along the transport path (mainly the main path) from when the contact piece 21 starts the operation for dispensing until the contact piece 21 leaves the sanitary paper stack B at the front of one dispensing. In the example shown in FIG. 9(a), the number n of sanitary paper stacks pushed out by one pushing operation by the contact piece 21 is 1. Also, the number X of sanitary paper stacks B transported along the transport path (mainly the main path) from the sanitary paper stack B pushed out by a certain pushing operation by the contact piece 21 to the front of the sanitary paper stack B pushed out by the next pushing operation is 4. In this way, X is preferably 4 times n or less (X≦4n). In particular, X is preferably twice n (X=2). Note that the lower limit of n is 1, and the lower limit of X is also 1 (n≦X≦4n). That is, when n=1 and X=4, one of the four sanitary paper stacks B transported continuously is periodically pushed out by the contact piece 21, as in the example shown in FIG. 10(a). However, it is sufficient for the push-out device 20 to have the capacity to make X≦4n, for example by adjusting the rotation speed of the chain 24. In some cases, the push-out device 20 may adjust the rotation speed of the chain 24 so that, for example, one of five or more sanitary paper stacks B is periodically pushed out by the contact piece 21 (5n≦X). Note that the speed of the forward movement and the return movement of the contact piece 21 do not need to be the same, and it is preferable that the return movement is faster than the forward movement.

[0056] In the example of FIG. 10(b), the number n of sanitary paper stacks pushed out by one pushing operation (pushing step) by the contact piece 21 is set to "2". In other words, two contact pieces 21 are arranged side by side in the pushing device 20, and two sanitary paper stacks B are pushed out almost simultaneously by the pushing operation of these two contact pieces 21. In this way, it is also possible to arrange multiple contact pieces 21 side by side in the pushing device 20 and push out multiple sanitary paper stacks B almost simultaneously. In this case, it is preferable that the number X of sanitary paper stacks B transported on the transport path from a sanitary paper stack B pushed out by a pushing operation by the contact piece 21 to the front of the sanitary paper stack B pushed out by the next pushing operation is "8" or less. In this pattern, the discharge rate of one machine with respect to the product transport amount on the main path is more than 50%, so allocation to two lanes is possible. The condition for enabling allocation to two lanes is X≦2n×number of units. The number of units is the number of push-out devices 20 constituting one push-out means that distributes the sanitary paper stack B to one sub-path (such as the inclined individual conveyor 13). In the example of Fig. 10, the number of units is 1, but in the example of Fig. 11 described later, the number of units is 2.

[0057] In the example of FIG. 10(c), the push-out device 20 is provided with two contact pieces 21(a) and (b), which are arranged at positions spaced apart from each other. Therefore, in this example, the number n of sanitary paper stacks pushed out by one push-out operation (pushing step) by the contact piece 21 is "1". In this case, the number X of sanitary paper stacks B transported along the transport path from a sanitary paper stack B pushed out by a certain push-out operation by the contact piece 21 to the front of the sanitary paper stack B pushed out by the next push-out operation is preferably "4" or less. As in the example shown in FIG. 10(c), it is also possible to arrange multiple contact pieces 21(a) and (b) at a distance from each other in the push-out device 20. In this case, the rotation speed of the chain 24 can be operated at a lower speed than in the example shown in FIG. 10(a). In addition, although the example of FIG. 10(c) allows for continuous multiple discharges as in FIG. 10(b), it is not preferable to discharge distant products (for example, skipping one product) in one discharge operation. This is because the contact pieces need to be spaced apart in order to discharge distant products, and it is not possible to respond to changes in product intervals or positional deviations. As in the example of Figure 10(c), when the number of discharges per time is n=1, arranging the contact pieces at the target position of the rotation is preferable because it omits the operation of returning the contact pieces to their fixed positions, which allows for more time for operation, and also reduces the number of rotations of the equipment, thereby reducing the load. When n=2 or more, for example when n=2, the discharge side continues to discharge the second product when the returning contact piece returns to the standby position for the next operation, which is not preferable.

[0058] In the example of Fig. 11, two push-out devices 20(a) and (b) are arranged side by side and used as one push-out means. For example, in the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, it is assumed that the two push-out devices 20(a) and (b) are used as one push-out means to perform a distribution process to one inclined individual conveyor 13. Each of the two push-out devices 20(a) and (b) is provided with one contact piece 21(a) and (b), a driving pulley 22(a) and (b), a driven pulley 23(a) and (b), and a chain 24(a) and (b). Therefore, the two push-out devices 20(a) and (b) can independently control the rotation speed of the chain 24(a) and (b) and the timing at which the contact piece 21(a) and (b) are brought into contact with the sanitary paper stack B. The example in Figure 11 is the most preferable equipment because it can discharge one product at equal intervals, has a discharge rate of 50% or more, and can be distributed to two lanes.

[0059] Fig. 12 shows a modified example of the contact piece 21 attached to the push-out device 20. As shown in Fig. 12, the contact surface of the contact piece 21 that comes into contact with the side surface of one stack of sanitary paper B may be divided into a plurality of small pieces. In this case, when the contact piece 21 is folded back at the rear end or front end of the push-out device 20 and passes through the curved surface of the drive pulley 22 or the driven pulley 23, the small pieces that make up the contact piece 21 move away from each other. This allows the contact piece 21 to move smoothly over this curved surface, making it possible to prevent malfunctions and the like from occurring in the push-out device 20.

[0060] 13 shows the direction in which the contact piece 21 of the extrusion device 20 comes into contact with the sanitary paper stack B. Specifically, in the sanitary paper stack B, each sanitary paper is folded roughly in half, and between each sheet of sanitary paper, halves of two other sheets of sanitary paper that overlap above and below are inserted, so that when one sanitary paper is lifted up, the sanitary paper below it is also lifted up, forming an integrated bundle in a pop-up style. Also, the sanitary paper P at the bottom of the sanitary paper stack B is folded roughly in half, and between each sheet of sanitary paper, halves of two other sheets of sanitary paper that overlap above and below are inserted, so that when one sanitary paper is lifted up, the sanitary paper below it is also lifted up, forming an integrated bundle. L In this case, the contact piece 21 of the extrusion device 20 is pressed against the bottom layer of sanitary paper P. LIt is preferable that the contact piece 21 contacts the side of the sanitary paper stack B from the side opposite to the fold. This prevents the sanitary paper stack B from collapsing or the bottommost sanitary paper P from collapsing when the sanitary paper stack B is pushed out by the contact piece 21. L This can prevent the paper from rolling up. Since the push-out device 20 itself is fixed and cannot be moved, it is advisable to adjust the direction of the sanitary paper stack B introduced into the main path in advance so that the push-out direction is as shown in Fig. 13. It is preferable that all lane switching (sorting) be performed in the same direction relative to the main path. This is particularly effective in locations where there is a step at the transition between conveyors.

[0061] 18 shows an example in which the push-out device 20 and the movable guide 32 are arranged in the same position. The push-out device 20 alone cannot guide the entire amount of the conveyed sanitary paper stack B to the sub-path (for example, the inclined individual conveyor 13), but by combining the push-out device 20 with the movable guide 32, the function of this movable guide 32 makes it possible to guide the entire amount of the sanitary paper stack B to the sub-path. When it becomes necessary to convey the sanitary paper stack B to only one lane of the sub-path due to a situation in the downstream process (such as equipment shutdown), there is an advantage to arranging the movable guide 32 in combination with the push-out device 20 to distribute such an entire amount.

[0062] In addition, an example in which a guide for one lane operation is not used will be considered. For example, two extrusion devices 20 are arranged in parallel (FIG. 11), and the number of discharges per time n is set to 2 or more, so that X≦2n. In this way, by having two devices, it is possible to discharge the entire amount. In addition, the product speed when sorting to 3 or more is set to 50% or less when using one lane, and the speed ratio between the cutter speed and the rear conveyor speed when sorting to 3 or more and when using one lane is changed, and the conveyor speed is set to 1.5 times or more than the cutter speed when using one lane. As a result, the product interval is widened and X is set to 2, so that X≦2n. By using two extrusion devices in parallel, it is possible to discharge the entire amount. Specifically, it is preferable that the product speed is 150 pieces / min or less, the product interval is 90 mm or more, and the conveyor speed of the sorting section is 90 m / min or less (preferably 65 m / min or less, more preferably 50 m / min or less). In addition, the speed ratio (after / cutting) between the cutting speed equipment level and the rear conveyor speed is 1.1 to 1.4 when allocating to 3 or more lanes, and 1.4 or more (preferably 1.5 to 2.0) when 1 lane is used. When there are 2 lanes, if there are 3 or more lanes and X≦2n×number of units is satisfied, the same conditions as when there are 3 or more lanes can be applied, and if not, the same conditions as when there is 1 lane can be applied. When allocating to a small number of lanes, the product conveying speed does not become too high even if the conveyor speed difference is set to increase the product interval to reduce the product speed, so stable conveying and allocation is possible. The implementation condition for 1 lane is X≦number of units×n. When the number of units is 1, the conveyor speed difference between the cutting device and the next process is increased to increase the interval between sanitary paper stacks to X=1, making it possible to allocate the entire amount.

[0063] Next, Fig. 14 shows a flow diagram from distributing the sanitary paper bundle B to a plurality of transport paths to packaging the sanitary paper bundle B on each transport path to obtain a sanitary paper bundle product. As shown in Fig. 14, the manufacturing method for the sanitary paper bundle product preferably includes a distributing step (S1), a decelerating step (S2), a spacing adjustment step (S3), and a packaging step (S4) in this order.

[0064] The sorting step (S1) is a step of sorting a plurality of sanitary paper stacks B that are continuously transported along one path into a plurality of transport paths. Details of the sorting step are as described above.

[0065] The deceleration process (S2) is a process of decelerating the conveying speed of the sanitary paper stack B in each conveying path after the sorting process. As described above, the multiple machine 1 (see FIG. 1) generates the sanitary paper stack B at high speed, and the sanitary paper stack B is sorted to each conveying path by the sorting device 3 while maintaining the conveying speed. At this time, if the conveying speed after the sorting process is kept as it is, the packaging machine 4 provided on each conveying path may not be able to handle it. Therefore, it is preferable to decelerate the conveying speed of the sanitary paper stack B to a speed that the packaging machine 4 can handle after the sorting process. By extracting products at regular intervals from the main path, the product intervals become wider as a result, and it is necessary to decelerate to adjust the product intervals. In particular, sorting is preferable because the product intervals conveyed to each lane are constant by performing the sorting at regular intervals one product at a time, and the product intervals can be easily adjusted by adjusting the conveyor speed after sorting. FIG. 15 shows an example of this deceleration process. In the example shown in FIG. 15, multiple deceleration conveyors 17(a)-(c) are arranged downstream of the wide conveyor 15 in each transport path, and the transport speed of the sanitary paper stack B is decelerated in stages. If the transport speed of the sanitary paper stack B is suddenly decelerated, the gaps between the sanitary paper stacks B may become too narrow, causing the sanitary paper stacks B to collide with each other or the sanitary paper stack B to lose its shape, so it is better to gradually reduce the transport speed of the sanitary paper stack B. In the example shown in FIG. 15, a first deceleration conveyor 17(a) that receives the sanitary paper stack B from the wide conveyor 15, a second deceleration conveyor 17(b) whose transport speed is slower than the first deceleration conveyor 17(a), and a third deceleration conveyor 17(c) whose transport speed is even slower than the second deceleration conveyor 17(b) are arranged in this order for each transport path. This allows the transport speed of the sanitary paper stack B to be gradually decelerated to a speed that the packaging machine 4 can handle.

[0066] As another example of the deceleration step (S2), a non-driven area such as a metal plate may be provided behind the wide conveyor 15, and the sanitary paper stack B may be fed from the wide conveyor 15 into this non-driven area, where it may be stopped temporarily on the non-driven force area. The sanitary paper stack B moves onto the non-driven area due to the momentum of transport by the wide conveyor 15, and is stopped due to frictional resistance in the non-driven area. After that, after a certain number of sanitary paper stacks B have accumulated in the non-driven area, a pusher (conveyor bar, etc.) is used to send the sanitary paper stack B from the non-driven area to another conveyor downstream. This makes it possible to rapidly decelerate the sanitary paper stack B in a shorter space.

[0067] The interval adjustment step (S3) is a step of adjusting the intervals between the sanitary paper bundles B in each conveying path after the deceleration step. Since the intervals between the sanitary paper bundles B distributed to each conveying path may vary, it is preferable to adjust the intervals between the sanitary paper bundles B to be somewhat uniform before the sanitary paper bundles B are introduced into the packaging machine 4. Here, an example of performing the interval adjustment step for the purpose of widening the intervals between the sanitary paper bundles B will be described. As described above, it is preferable to gradually decelerate the speed of the sanitary paper bundles B in each conveying path, and in this case, the intervals between the sanitary paper bundles B become gradually narrower. That is, the sanitary paper bundles B are continuously conveyed in each conveying path, but for example, when the first sanitary paper bundle B is transferred from a conveyor with a high conveying speed to a conveyor with a low conveying speed, the first sanitary paper bundle B will decelerate. Then, the second sanitary paper bundle B following it will continue to be conveyed by the fast conveyor, and the interval between the first sanitary paper bundle B and the second sanitary paper bundle B will become narrower. Therefore, it is advisable to perform a spacing adjustment in order to widen the spaces between the sanitary paper stacks B that have become narrower after the deceleration process. Note that if the conveying speed of the entire facility is slow, the deceleration process (S2) is not necessarily required, and the spacing adjustment process (S3) alone can be sufficient.

[0068] FIG. 16 shows an example of this interval adjustment process. In the example shown in FIG. 16, a first interval adjustment conveyor 18(a) and a second interval adjustment conveyor 18(b) are arranged in this order on the downstream side of the deceleration conveyors 17(a) to (c) described above in each conveying path. In this case, the conveying speed of the sanitary paper stack B of the downstream second interval adjustment conveyor 18(b) is set to be faster than that of the upstream first interval adjustment conveyor 18(a). In this case, the sanitary paper stack B accelerates when it is transferred from the first interval adjustment conveyor 18(a) to the second interval adjustment conveyor 18(b), and at that time the interval between the sanitary paper stacks B becomes wider. In addition, the conveying speed of the downstream second interval adjustment conveyor 18(b) of the sanitary paper stack B may be set to be slower than that of the upstream first interval adjustment conveyor 18(a). In this case, the sanitary paper stacks B slow down when they are transferred from the first gap adjustment conveyor 18(a) to the second gap adjustment conveyor 18(b), narrowing the gap between the sanitary paper stacks B. In this way, the gap between the sanitary paper stacks B can be adjusted by using the first gap adjustment conveyor 18(a) and the second gap adjustment conveyor 18(b), which have different transport speeds. For example, in this gap adjustment process, adjustments can be made to narrow the gap between the sanitary paper stacks B that have become spread out in groups (several stacks) during sorting, to make the gaps between the sanitary paper stacks B closer to equal, or to dispense the sanitary paper stacks one by one on the conveyor just before packaging in accordance with the timing of the packaging machine.

[0069] 16, an operation is performed to widen the space between the sanitary paper stacks B for every predetermined number (for example, four) of sanitary paper stacks B. In other words, a group is formed with a predetermined number of sanitary paper stacks B, and the last sanitary paper stack B of the first group is 1 and the first sanitary paper stack B in the next second group. 2 The intervals between the sanitary paper stacks B in each group are not adjusted. Specifically, at the timing when the interval adjustment is not performed, the conveying speeds of the first interval adjustment conveyor 18(a) and the second interval adjustment conveyor 18(b) are made substantially equal. On the other hand, the conveying speeds of all the sanitary paper stacks B (sanitary paper stacks B) included in the first group are made substantially equal. 1) is placed on the second interval adjustment conveyor 18(b), and all sanitary paper stacks B (including sanitary paper stacks B 2 At the stage where the last sanitary paper stack B of the first group is placed on the first interval adjustment conveyor 18(a), the conveying speed of the second interval adjustment conveyor 18(b) is made different from the conveying speed of the first interval adjustment conveyor 18(a). 1 and the first sanitary paper stack B of the second group 2 The gap G between the first gap adjustment conveyor 18(a) and the second gap adjustment conveyor 18(b) is increased. For example, the second gap adjustment conveyor 18(b) is accelerated and its transport speed is set to be faster than the transport speed of the first gap adjustment conveyor 18(a). At this time, the transport speed of the first gap adjustment conveyor 18(a) may be decelerated, or the first gap adjustment conveyor 18(a) may be temporarily stopped. As a result, the sanitary paper stack B 1 and sanitary paper stack B 2 The interval between the sanitary paper stack B can be increased depending on the situation. 1 and sanitary paper stack B 2 It is also possible to control the conveying speeds of the first and second gap adjustment conveyors 18(a) and 18(b) so as to narrow the gaps between the groups. In this case, the first and second gap adjustment conveyors 18(a) and 18(b) are made to perform the reverse operation to that described above. This makes it possible to make the gaps between the groups somewhat uniform.

[0070] In the packaging step (S4), after the interval adjustment, the sanitary paper bundles B are packaged using packaging machines 4 arranged for each transport path to obtain sanitary paper bundle products. The packaging machines 4 may package each sanitary paper bundle B in a packaging bag, or may collect multiple sanitary paper bundles B and package them in a packaging bag. In the example shown in FIG. 16, groups are formed for each predetermined number of sanitary paper bundles B (for example, four). In this case, it is preferable to collect and package multiple sanitary paper bundles B belonging to each group.

[0071] The system switches the distribution destination so that sanitary paper stacks are not sent to routes that cannot continue operation based on information detected by sensors, such as the operation / stop status of downstream equipment and congestion on the conveying lines, and automatically adjusts the number of sanitary paper stacks by slowing down the cutting equipment according to the number of routes to the distribution destination, and adjusts the conveying speed and product intervals by increasing or decreasing the speed of each conveyor, and can automatically restore the distribution destination when the condition of the downstream process improves. It is also possible to keep the conveying speed of the equipment downstream of the cutter constant, increase or decrease the speed of the cutter according to the number of downstream distribution lines, and adjust X by changing the sanitary paper stack interval. In this case, X is X≦number of units × n × number of distribution lines.

[0072] In the above, in order to express the contents of the present invention, the present specification has described the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and includes modifications and improvements that are obvious to a person skilled in the art based on the matters described in the present specification. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 1...Multiple machines 2...Cutters 3… Sorting device 4… Packing machine 10...Conveyor device 11...Main conveyor 12...Sorting conveyor 13...Inclined individual conveyor 14...Parallel individual conveyor 15...Wide conveyor 16... Gangway 17... Deceleration conveyor 18: Gap adjustment conveyor 20: Extrusion device 21: Contact piece 22: Drive pulley 23...Driven pulley 24...Belt 31...Fixed guide 32...Movable guide P…Sanitary paper B…Sanitary paper stack

Claims

1. A method for sorting a sanitary paper stack, comprising the steps of: a conveying step of conveying a plurality of sanitary paper bundles along one main path at intervals by a conveyor; a sorting step of sorting at least a portion of the sanitary paper stack traveling along the main path to one or more sub paths, The allocating step includes: a pushing step of pushing at least a portion of the sanitary paper stack traveling along the main path laterally by a sorting device and sliding the same laterally on a conveyor; a guiding step of guiding the sanitary paper stack extruded in the extrusion step so as to proceed obliquely with respect to the main path. How to sort sanitary paper stacks.

2. The guiding step is a step of guiding the sanitary paper stack onto a separate conveyor extending obliquely with respect to the main path. The method of claim 1.

3. When the number of sanitary paper bundles transported along the main path between a sanitary paper bundle extruded in one extrusion process and a sanitary paper bundle extruded in the next extrusion process is X, and the number of sanitary paper bundles extruded in one extrusion process is n, X is 4 times or less n (X≦4n). The method of claim 2.

4. A plurality of sets including the sorting device and the individual conveyor are provided along the main path. The method for allocating according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The conveying surface of the individual conveyor is inserted between the conveying surface and the return surface of the main conveyor that forms the main path. The method for allocating according to claim 2 or 3.

6. The sorting step further includes a secondary transport step of transporting the sanitary paper stack on the sub-path extending parallel to the main path after the guiding step. The method of claim 1.

7. The allocating step includes: a secondary pushing step in which, after the pushing step, a part of the sanitary paper stack traveling along the main path is pushed laterally by a secondary sorting device and slid laterally on a conveyor; The method further includes a tertiary conveying step of conveying the sanitary paper stack on another sub-path extending parallel to the main path after the secondary pushing step. The method of allocating according to claim 6.

8. The allocating step includes: a secondary pushing step in which, after the guiding step, a part of the sanitary paper stack traveling along the sub-path is pushed laterally by a secondary sorting device to slide laterally on a conveyor; The method further includes a tertiary conveying step of conveying the sanitary paper stack on a further sub-path extending parallel to the sub-path after the secondary extrusion step. The method for allocating according to claim 6 or 7.

9. The method further includes a total amount sorting step of sorting all of the sanitary paper stack traveling on the main path to the sub path. The method of claim 1.

10. In the pushing step, a contact piece of the sorting device is brought into contact with a side of the stack of sanitary paper sheets opposite to a side on which the fold of the bottommost sanitary paper sheet is located. The method of claim 1.

11. A step of sorting the sanitary paper stack by the sorting method according to claim 1; packaging the sanitary paper stack sorted by the sorting method, A method for manufacturing sanitary paper bundle products.

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