Sheet manufacturing device

Abstract

To provide a sheet manufacturing device allowing the device to be easily re-operated after jam occurs.SOLUTION: A sheet manufacturing device 1 comprises: a sheet molding unit 70 to mold a belt-like sheet P1 by accumulating materials including fibers and subsequently compressing the accumulated materials; and a transportation unit 80 having a plurality of transporting rollers disposed along a transportation direction of the sheet in order to transport the belt-like sheet P1, a cut sheet P2, and a sheet P3. The transportation unit 80 comprises: an upstream side transportation unit 81 having a first transportation roller group 810 including a portion of the plurality of transportation rollers; a downstream side transportation unit 82 having a second transportation roller group 820 including the plurality of transportation rollers disposed on the downstream side in the transportation direction with respect to the first transportation roller group 810 among the plurality of transportation rollers; and a sheet sensor 850 to detect abnormality of sheet transportation in the transportation unit 80. The upstream side transportation unit 81 has an opening mechanism to perform opening operation when the sheet sensor 850 detects the abnormality.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet manufacturing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an apparatus for manufacturing a sheet using fibers obtained by defibrating waste paper or the like in the air has been known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a sheet manufacturing apparatus that optimizes the process and timing of stopping the operations of each part when the operation is stopped.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, it may take time to restart after a jam occurs. Specifically, in the above apparatus, a plurality of mechanisms responsible for each process such as defibrating, depositing, and sheet forming are interlocked with each other. Although the process and timing of stopping each mechanism are optimized, when a jam occurs, the operation may be immediately stopped in order to prevent damage to each mechanism. In this case, since there are materials and work-in-progress such as defibrated materials with unknown remaining amounts in each mechanism, it was difficult to stabilize the quality of the manufactured sheet when restarting the apparatus in that state. In addition, the response of a professional service technician may be required for restarting. The following invention was devised to solve the above problems.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The sheet manufacturing apparatus includes a sheet forming unit that compresses a material containing fibers after depositing it to form a sheet, and a transport unit having a plurality of transport rollers arranged along the transport direction of the sheet for transporting the sheet. The transport unit includes an upstream transport unit having a first transport roller group including a part of the plurality of transport rollers, a downstream transport unit having a second transport roller group including the plurality of transport rollers installed on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the first transport roller group, and an abnormality detection sensor that detects an abnormality in sheet transport within the transport unit. The upstream transport unit includes a release mechanism that performs a release operation when the abnormality detection sensor detects the abnormality.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0007] In the following embodiments, as the sheet manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, a sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 that regenerates waste paper or the like into a sheet in a dry manner is exemplified. Hereinafter, the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. The sheet manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is not limited to being dry, and may be wet. In this specification, dry means being carried out in air such as the atmosphere without being carried out in a liquid.

[0008] In each of the following figures, the XYZ axes are attached as coordinate axes orthogonal to each other. The direction pointed by each arrow is taken as the + direction, and the direction opposite to the + direction is taken as the - direction. The Z axis is a virtual axis along the vertical direction, with the +Z direction being upward and the -Z direction being downward. The -Z direction is the direction in which gravity acts. Also, in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1, the front in the conveyance direction of materials, webs, sheets, etc. is taken as the downstream, and the side in the reverse conveyance direction is taken as the upstream. For the sake of illustration, the sizes of the respective members are made different from the actual ones.

[0009] As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a first unit group 101, a second unit group 102, and a third unit group 103. The first unit group 101, the second unit group 102, and the third unit group 103 are supported by a frame (not shown). In FIG. 1, the directions in which the paper piece C, the sheet P3, the slit piece S, and unnecessary end materials, etc. move are indicated by white arrows. In the following description, an aggregate of paper pieces C composed of a plurality of paper pieces C is also simply referred to as the paper piece C.

[0010] The sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 manufactures the sheet P3 from paper pieces C such as waste paper. In the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1, in a side view from the -X direction, the first unit group 101, the third unit group 103, and the second unit group 102 are arranged from the -Y direction toward the +Y direction.

[0011] The paper piece C is conveyed from the first unit group 101 to the second unit group 102 through a pipe 21 that crosses inside the third unit group 103. Then, the paper piece C is subjected to defibration, etc. in the second unit group 102 to become fibers, and then becomes a mixture containing a binder, etc. The mixture is conveyed to the third unit group 103 through a pipe 24. The mixture is made into the web W in the third unit group 103 and then formed into a belt-like sheet P1. The belt-like sheet P1 is cut in the first unit group 101 to become the sheet P3.

[0012] The first unit group 101 includes a raw material supply device 13, a measurement unit 15, a confluence unit 17, and a pipe 21. In the first unit group 101, these components are arranged in the above order from upstream to downstream. The first unit group 101 also includes a downstream transfer unit 82, a tray 191, and a shredding unit 913 among the transfer units 80.

[0013] The downstream transfer unit 82 has a first cutting part 832 and a second cutting part 834. The first cutting part 832 cuts the belt-shaped sheet P1 into single-sheet-shaped sheets P2. The second cutting part 834 cuts the single-sheet-shaped sheet P2 into sheets P3 of a predetermined shape. The first cutting part 832 and the second cutting part 834 are examples of the cutter of the present invention.

[0014] The first unit group 101 also has a water supply part 67. The water supply part 67 is a water storage tank. The water supply part 67 supplies humidifying water to each of a first humidifying part 65 and a second humidifying part 66 described later through a water supply pipe (not shown).

[0015] The raw material supply device 13 stores and supplies downstream the paper pieces C which are the raw materials of the sheet P3. The raw material supply device 13 has a raw material inlet 131, a storage part 132, and a discharge part 140.

[0016] The paper pieces C are put into the storage part 132 from the raw material inlet 131. The paper pieces C contain fibers such as cellulose and are, for example, shredded waste paper. Humidified air is supplied from the second humidifying part 66 provided in the third unit group 103 into the storage part 132.

[0017] After being temporarily stored in the storage part 132, the paper pieces C are conveyed to the measurement unit 15 through the discharge part 140. The sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 may be provided with a shredder for shredding the paper pieces C etc. on the upstream side of the storage part 132.

[0018] The measuring unit 15 includes a sensor unit 15a and a supply mechanism (not shown). The sensor unit 15a measures the mass of the paper piece C. The supply mechanism supplies the paper piece C measured by the sensor unit 15a to the downstream confluence part 17. That is, the measuring unit 15 measures the paper piece C by the sensor unit 15a for each predetermined mass and supplies it to the downstream confluence part 17 by the supply mechanism.

[0019] Either a digital or an analog weighing mechanism can be applied to the sensor unit 15a. Specifically, examples of the sensor unit 15a include physical sensors such as load cells, and spring scales and balances. In this embodiment, a load cell is applied as the sensor unit 15a. The predetermined mass at which the sensor unit 15a measures the paper piece C is, for example, about several grams to several tens of grams.

[0020] Known technologies such as an openable and closable feeder can be applied to the supply mechanism. The supply mechanism may be a configuration included in the sensor unit 15a.

[0021] The weighing and supply of the paper piece C by the measuring unit 15 are batch processes. That is, the supply of the paper piece C from the measuring unit 15 to the confluence part 17 is performed intermittently. The measuring unit 15 may have a plurality of combinations of the sensor unit 15a and the supply mechanism, or may operate a plurality of sensor units 15a with a time difference to improve the efficiency of weighing and supply. The sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 has two sensor units 15a and supply mechanisms attached to each of them. Thereby, the paper piece C is alternately conveyed from the two sets of sensor units 15a and supply mechanisms to the confluence part 17.

[0022] At the confluence part 17, shredded pieces of the slit piece S supplied from the shredding part 913 are joined and mixed with the paper piece C supplied from the measuring unit 15. The slit piece S and the shredding part 913 will be described later. The paper piece C mixed with the shredded pieces flows from the confluence part 17 into the pipe 21.

[0023] The pipe 21 conveys the paper piece C from the first unit group 101 to the second unit group 102 by the suction air flow generated by the downstream defibering part 31.

[0024] The second unit group 102 includes a defibering section 31 which is a dry defibering machine, a separating section 32, a pipe 23, a mixing section 33, and a pipe 24. In the second unit group 102, these components are arranged in the above order from upstream to downstream. The second unit group 102 also includes a pipe 25 connected to the separating section 32, a recovery section 35, a compressor 38, and a power supply section 39.

[0025] The paper pieces C conveyed through the pipe 21 flow into the defibering section 31. The defibering section 31 dry-defibers the paper pieces C supplied from the measuring section 15 into fibers. A known defibering mechanism can be applied to the defibering section 31.

[0026] Examples of the configuration of the defibering section 31 include the following. The defibering section 31 includes a stator and a rotor. The stator has a substantially cylindrical inner surface. The rotor is installed inside the stator and rotates along the inner surface of the stator. The shreds of the paper pieces C are sandwiched between the inner surface of the stator and the rotor and are defibered by the shearing force generated therebetween. As a result, the entangled fibers contained in the paper pieces C are unraveled. The paper pieces C are turned into fibers and conveyed to the separating section 32.

[0027] The separating section 32 separates the defibered fibers. Specifically, the separating section 32 removes the components unnecessary for the production of the sheet P3 contained in the fibers. Specifically, the separating section 32 separates relatively long fibers from relatively short fibers. Since relatively short fibers may cause a decrease in the strength of the sheet P3, they are separated by the separating section 32. In addition, the separating section 32 also separates and removes colorants, additives, etc. contained in the paper pieces C. Known techniques such as the disk mesh method can be applied to the separating section 32.

[0028] Inside the separating section 32, air humidified by the second humidifying section 66 of the third unit group 103 is supplied.

[0029] The defibrated fibers, such as relatively short fibers, are excluded and conveyed to the mixing section 33 through the pipe 23. Unnecessary components such as relatively short fibers and coloring materials are discharged to the recovery section 35 through the pipe 25.

[0030] The mixing section 33 mixes a binder material or the like with the defibrated material in the air to form a mixture. Although not shown in the figure, the mixing section 33 includes a flow path through which the defibrated material is conveyed, a fan, a hopper, a supply pipe, and a valve.

[0031] The hopper communicates with the flow path of the defibrated material through the supply pipe. The valve is provided in the supply pipe between the hopper and the flow path. The hopper supplies a binder material such as starch into the flow path. The valve adjusts the mass of the binder material supplied from the hopper to the flow path. Thereby, the mixing ratio of the fiber and the binder material is adjusted.

[0032] In addition to the above-described configuration for supplying the binder material, the mixing section 33 may be provided with a similar configuration for supplying a coloring material, an additive, or the like.

[0033] The fan of the mixing section 33 uses the generated airflow to convey the defibrated material containing fibers downstream while mixing a binder material or the like in the air to form a mixture. The mixture flows into the pipe 24 from the mixing section 33.

[0034] The recovery section 35 includes a filter (not shown). The filter filters out unnecessary components such as relatively short fibers conveyed in the pipe 25 by the airflow.

[0035] The compressor 38 generates compressed air. In the above filter, clogging may occur due to fine particles or the like among the unnecessary components. It is possible to spray the compressed air generated by the compressor 38 onto the filter to blow off the attached particles and clean the filter.

[0036] The power supply section 39 has a power supply device (not shown) that supplies power to the control section 5 and the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1. The power supply section 39 distributes the power supplied from the outside to each component of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1.

[0037] The control unit 5 includes, although not shown in the figure, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage unit including a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory). Various programs for controlling the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 are stored in the storage unit. The control unit 5 may include dedicated hardware (application specific integrated circuit: ASIC) for executing at least a part of various processes. That is, the control unit 5 may be configured as a circuit including one or more processors that operate according to a computer program (software), one or more dedicated hardware circuits such as an ASIC, or a combination thereof.

[0038] The processor includes a CPU and a memory such as a RAM and a ROM. The memory stores program codes or instructions configured to cause the CPU to execute processes. The memory, that is, the computer-readable medium, includes anything accessible by a general-purpose or dedicated computer.

[0039] The control unit 5 is electrically connected to each component such as the sheet forming unit 70 and the conveying unit 80 described later, a sheet sensor 850 and a movable unit 811 (not shown), and integrally controls the operation of these components. In particular, when a jam occurs in the conveying path, such as a single-sheet-like sheet P2, the control unit 5 instructs each component to take countermeasures. Details of the above countermeasures will be described later.

[0040] The third unit group 103 deposits and compresses a mixture, which is a material containing fibers, to form a belt-like sheet P1. The third unit group 103 includes a deposition unit 50, a first conveying unit 61, a second conveying unit 62, a first humidifying unit 65, a second humidifying unit 66, a drainage unit 68, a sheet forming unit 70, an upstream conveying unit 81 of the conveying unit 80, and a sheet retracting unit described later.

[0041] In the third unit group 103, a deposition unit 50, a first conveying unit 61, a second conveying unit 62, a first humidifying unit 65, a sheet forming unit 70, and an upstream conveying unit 81 are arranged in the above order from upstream to downstream. The second humidifying unit 66 is arranged below the first humidifying unit 65.

[0042] The deposition unit 50 deposits a mixture containing separated fibers in the air to generate a web W. The deposition unit 50 includes a drum member 53, a blade member 55 installed inside the drum member 53, a housing 51 that houses the drum member 53, and a suction unit 59. The mixture is taken into the inside of the drum member 53 from a pipe 24.

[0043] The first conveying unit 61 is arranged below the deposition unit 50. The first conveying unit 61 has a mesh belt 61a and five tensioning rollers (not shown) that tension the mesh belt 61a. The suction unit 59 faces the drum member 53 across the mesh belt 61a in the direction along the Z axis.

[0044] The blade member 55 is inside the drum member 53 and is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown). The drum member 53 is a semi-cylindrical sieve. A net having a sieve function is provided on the side surface of the drum member 53 facing downward. The drum member 53 allows particles such as fibers and mixtures smaller than the mesh size of the sieve net to pass from the inside to the outside.

[0045] The mixture is discharged to the outside of the drum member 53 while being agitated by the rotating blade member 55 inside the drum member 53. Humidified air from the second humidifying unit 66 is supplied to the inside of the drum member 53.

[0046] The suction unit 59 is arranged below the drum member 53. The suction unit 59 sucks the air inside the housing 51 through a plurality of holes in the mesh belt 61a. The plurality of holes in the mesh belt 61a allow air to pass through but make it difficult for fibers, binders, etc. contained in the mixture to pass through. Thereby, the mixture discharged to the outside of the drum member 53 is sucked downward together with the air. The suction unit 59 is a known suction device such as a blower.

[0047] The mixture is dispersed in the air within the housing 51 and deposited on the upper surface above the mesh belt 61a by gravity and the suction of the suction portion 59 to form the web W.

[0048] The mesh belt 61a is an endless belt and is stretched by five tension rollers. The mesh belt 61a rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 1 due to the rotation of the tension rollers. As a result, the mixture continuously deposits on the mesh belt 61a, and the web W is formed. The web W contains a relatively large amount of air and is soft and inflated. The first conveying unit 61 conveys the formed web W downstream by the rotation of the mesh belt 61a.

[0049] The second conveying unit 62 conveys the web W downstream of the first conveying unit 61 in place of the first conveying unit 61. The second conveying unit 62 peels the web W from the upper surface of the mesh belt 61a and conveys it toward the sheet forming unit 70. The second conveying unit 62 is located above the conveying path of the web W and is arranged slightly upstream of the starting point on the return side of the mesh belt 61a. A part of the +Y direction of the second conveying unit 62 and the -Y direction of the mesh belt 61a overlap in the vertical direction.

[0050] The second conveying unit 62 has a conveying belt (not shown), a plurality of rollers, and a suction mechanism. The conveying belt is provided with a plurality of holes for passing air. The conveying belt is stretched by a plurality of rollers and rotates by the rotation of the rollers.

[0051] The second conveying unit 62 adsorbs the upper surface of the web W to the lower surface of the conveying belt by the negative pressure generated by the suction mechanism. When the conveying belt rotates in this state, the web W is adsorbed to the conveying belt and conveyed downstream.

[0052] The first humidifying unit 65 humidifies the web W containing fibers deposited in the deposition unit 50 of the third unit group 103. Specifically, the first humidifying unit 65 is, for example, a mist-type humidifier that supplies mist M from below to the web W conveyed by the second conveying unit 62 for humidification. The first humidifying unit 65 is disposed below the second conveying unit 62 and faces the web W conveyed by the second conveying unit 62 in the direction along the Z axis. A known humidifying device such as an ultrasonic type can be applied to the first humidifying unit 65.

[0053] When the web W is humidified with the mist M, the function as a binder for starch is promoted, and the strength of the sheet P3 is improved. Also, since the web W is humidified from below, the fall of droplets derived from the mist onto the web W is prevented. Further, since humidification is performed from the side opposite to the contact surface between the transport belt and the web W, the adhesion of the web W to the transport belt is reduced. The second conveying unit 62 conveys the web W to the sheet forming unit 70.

[0054] The sheet forming unit 70 forms a belt-like sheet P1 by compressing the web W after depositing a mixture, which is a material containing fibers, to form the web W. The sheet forming unit 70 has processing rollers 71, 72. The processing rollers 71, 72 are paired and each has a built-in electric heater and has the function of raising the temperature of the roller surface.

[0055] The processing rollers 71, 72 are each a substantially cylindrical member. The rotation axis of the processing roller 71 and the rotation axis of the processing roller 72 are arranged along the X axis. With respect to the conveyance path of the web W, the processing roller 71 is disposed substantially above, and the processing roller 72 is disposed substantially below.

[0056] The processing rollers 71 and 72 are rotationally driven by a stepping motor (not shown). The web W is sandwiched between the processing roller 71 and the processing roller 72 and is fed downstream while being heated and pressed. That is, the web W continuously passes through the sheet forming unit 70 and is press-formed while being heated. By using the processing rollers 71 and 72 as a pair of forming members, the heating and pressurization of the web W can be efficiently performed.

[0057] By passing through the sheet forming unit 70, the web W is formed from a relatively soft state containing a large amount of air into a belt-like sheet P1 in which the enclosed air is reduced and the fibers are bound to each other by a binder. The belt-like sheet P1 is conveyed to the first unit group 101 by the upstream conveying unit 81.

[0058] The second humidifying unit 66 is disposed below the first humidifying unit 65. A known vaporizing humidifying device can be applied to the second humidifying unit 66. Examples of the vaporizing humidifying device include those that generate humidified air by blowing air onto a moist non-woven fabric or the like to vaporize moisture.

[0059] The second humidifying unit 66 humidifies a predetermined area of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1. The predetermined area is one or more of the storage unit 132, the separation unit 32, and the drum member 53 of the deposition unit 50. Specifically, humidified air is supplied from the second humidifying unit 66 to the above area through a plurality of pipes (not shown). The humidified air suppresses the charging of paper pieces C, fibers, etc. in each of the above configurations and suppresses the adhesion of these to members due to static electricity.

[0060] The drainage unit 68 is a drainage tank. The drainage unit 68 is used in the first humidifying unit 65, the second humidifying unit 66, etc. to collect and store the old moisture. The drainage unit 68 can be removed from the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 as necessary to discard the accumulated water.

[0061] The belt-shaped sheet P1 conveyed to the first unit group 101 reaches the first cutting part 832 via the conveying roller pair 821 of the downstream conveying unit 82 described later. The first cutting part 832 cuts the belt-shaped sheet P1 in a direction intersecting the conveying direction, for example, in the direction along the X axis. The belt-shaped sheet P1 is cut into single-sheet-shaped sheets P2 at the first cutting part 832. The single-sheet-shaped sheets P2 are conveyed from the first cutting part 832 to the second cutting part 834.

[0062] The second cutting part 834 cuts the single-sheet-shaped sheet P2 in the conveying direction, for example, in the direction along the Y axis. Specifically, the second cutting part 834 cuts near the sides on both sides in the direction along the X axis of the single-sheet-shaped sheet P2. The sizes of the manufactured sheet P3 can be adjusted by the first cutting part 832 and the second cutting part 834. As a result, the single-sheet-shaped sheet P2 becomes a sheet P3 with a predetermined shape such as A4 size or A3 size.

[0063] When the single-sheet-shaped sheet P2 is cut into the sheet P3 at the second cutting part 834, a slit piece S which is a scrap is generated. The slit piece S is conveyed in the substantially -Y direction and reaches the shredding part 913 which is a shredder. The shredding part 913 shreds the slit piece S into shredded pieces and supplies them to the confluence part 17. A mechanism for weighing the shredded pieces of the slit piece S and supplying them to the confluence part 17 may be installed between the shredding part 913 and the confluence part 17.

[0064] The sheet P3 is conveyed substantially upward and stacked on the tray 191. Thus, the sheet P3 is manufactured by the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1. The sheet P3 can be applied as a substitute for, for example, copy paper.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 2, the conveying unit 80 includes an upstream conveying unit 81, a downstream conveying unit 82, a sheet sensor 850, and an opening mechanism (not shown). Further, the conveying unit 80 has conveying roller pairs 813, 815, 821, 823, etc. as a plurality of conveying rollers arranged along the conveying direction of each sheet in order to convey the belt-like sheet P1, the single-sheet-like sheet P2, and the sheet P3. The conveying roller pairs 813, 815, 821, 823 are rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown).

[0066] In the conveying unit 80, the conveying roller pair 813, the conveying roller pair 815, the conveying roller pair 821, the first cutting portion 832, the conveying roller pair 823, the sheet sensor 850, and the second cutting portion 834 are arranged in this order from the sheet forming unit 70 downstream.

[0067] The upstream conveying unit 81 includes a movable unit 811 and a first conveying roller group 810 including a part of the plurality of conveying rollers. The first conveying roller group 810 includes the conveying roller pairs 813, 815. The conveying roller pair 813 is composed of a pair of upper rollers 813a and lower rollers 813b. The conveying roller pair 815 is composed of a pair of upper rollers 815a and lower rollers 815b.

[0068] Since the belt-like sheet P1 is sandwiched and conveyed between the upper roller 813a and the lower roller 813b and between the upper roller 815a and the lower roller 815b, the conveyability is improved. The conveying roller pair 815 is an example of the first conveying roller of the present invention.

[0069] The movable unit 811 is provided in the opening mechanism described later. Details of the movable unit 811 and the opening mechanism will be described later.

[0070] The downstream conveying unit 82 includes a second conveying roller group 820 including a plurality of conveying rollers installed on the downstream side in the conveying direction with respect to the first conveying roller group 810 among the plurality of conveying rollers. The second conveying roller group 820 includes the conveying roller pairs 821, 823.

[0071] The sheet sensor 850 is an example of the abnormality detection sensor of the present invention, and detects an abnormality in the conveyance of the single-sheet-like sheet P2 in the conveyance unit 80. Specifically, the sheet sensor 850 is disposed above the conveyance path of the single-sheet-like sheet P2 between the pair of conveyance rollers 823 and the second cutting unit 834, and faces the single-sheet-like sheet P2 being conveyed along the conveyance path in the vertical direction.

[0072] The sheet sensor 850 is, for example, an optical sensor, which measures the reflected light of the light it irradiates and transmits the detection result to the control unit 5. The control unit 5 determines the presence or absence of the single-sheet-like sheet P2 from the reflectance of the reflected light with respect to the irradiated light. Note that a reflecting member that reflects the light irradiated by the sheet sensor 850 may be installed on the conveyance path of the single-sheet-like sheet P2 facing the sheet sensor 850.

[0073] When the single-sheet-like sheet P2 is not conveyed between the pair of conveyance rollers 823 and the second cutting unit 834 during the operation of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1, it is presumed that a jam has occurred upstream. That is, the occurrence of a jam is an abnormality in the conveyance of the single-sheet-like sheet P2 or the belt-like sheet P1, and countermeasures are required. In the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1, the release mechanism described later performs a release operation to deal with the jam.

[0074] The arrangement of the sheet sensor 850 is not limited to the above. The sheet sensor 850 may be installed at one or more locations among the conveyance path of the belt-like sheet P1 and the conveyance path of the sheet P3 in addition to the conveyance path of the single-sheet-like sheet P2.

[0075] Although not shown, the plurality of conveyance rollers are also disposed downstream of the second cutting unit 834 to convey the sheet P3 to the tray 191. The slit pieces S are conveyed to the shredding unit 913 by the slit piece conveyance roller group 911.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 3, the upstream conveyance unit 81 includes a movable unit 811, a rotating shaft 812, an operating shaft 814, a hook member 816, and a pin member 818 as an opening mechanism. The opening mechanism performs an opening operation when the sheet sensor 850 detects an abnormal conveyance of the single-sheet-like sheet P2. Here, in the description of FIG. 3 given below, unless otherwise specified, the state as viewed from the -X direction will be described.

[0077] The opening mechanism includes a movable unit 811, a rotating shaft 812, an operating shaft 814, a hook member 816, a pin member 818, and biasing members, solenoid members, etc. not shown. Here, in FIG. 3, a conveyance path along the conveyance direction of the belt-like sheet P1 is indicated by a dashed-dotted line, and the posture in which the movable unit 811 is displaced to the open state is indicated by a broken line. Note that the postures of the upstream conveyance unit 81 and the movable unit 811 during the operation in which the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 manufactures the sheet P3 are referred to as the normal state.

[0078] The movable unit 811 is a substantially trapezoidal three-dimensional member as viewed from the -X direction. Upper rollers 813a and 815a are arranged on the side corresponding to the lower base in the -Z direction of the movable unit 811. On the said lower base, the upper roller 813a is located at the +Y direction end, and the upper roller 815a is located at the -Y direction end. The upper roller 815a is installed on the movable unit 811. The upper roller 813a overlaps with the movable unit 811 but is independent of the movable unit 811.

[0079] The rotating shaft 812 is installed near the +Y direction end on the upper base in the +Z direction of the movable unit 811. The rotating shaft 812 rotatably supports the movable unit 811 with itself as a fulcrum. Although not shown, the rotating shaft 812 is supported by a frame on which the third unit group 103 is supported via a support member or the like.

[0080] The biasing member is attached near the rotating shaft 812. The biasing member is, for example, a torsion spring, and constantly biases the movable unit 811 to rotate clockwise.

[0081] The drive shaft 814, the hook member 816, the pin member 818, and the solenoid member perform operations that initiate the opening operation of the movable unit 811. The drive shaft 814 and the hook member 816 are installed in the movable unit 811 in the substantially -Y direction of the rotation shaft 812. The pin member 818 is not installed in the movable unit 811 and is supported by the frame via a support member or the like at a position corresponding to the -Z direction tip of the hook member 816.

[0082] The drive shaft 814 rotatably supports the hook member 816. Specifically, the drive shaft 814 supports the rear end in the +Z direction of the hook member 816. The drive shaft 814 is connected to the solenoid member and rotates clockwise by the solenoid member.

[0083] The hook member 816 has a shape in which the tip in the -Z direction is bent in a hook shape. In the normal state, the tip of the hook member 816 is hung on the pin member 818. Thereby, in the movable unit 811, the normal state is maintained against the biasing force of the biasing member.

[0084] In the displacement from the normal state to the open state, as an opening operation, the movable unit 811 rotates around the rotation shaft 812. Specifically, first, the drive shaft 814 rotates clockwise by the solenoid member, and the tip of the hook member 816 is disengaged from the pin member 818. Next, due to the biasing force of the biasing member, the movable unit 811 rotates clockwise with the rotation shaft 812 as a fulcrum. The above rotation is stopped within a certain range by a stopper member (not shown), and the movable unit 811 assumes the posture shown by the dashed line in FIG. 3. Thereby, the upstream conveyance unit 81 enters the open state by the opening operation including the rotation of the movable unit 811.

[0085] The upstream conveyance unit 81 can be manually returned from the open state to the normal state. Specifically, the -Y direction end of the movable unit 811 in the open state is pushed downward. Thereby, the tip of the hook member 816 is hung on and locked to the pin member 818, and the normal state is restored.

[0086] In the open state, the -Y direction of the movable unit 811 is lifted substantially in the +Z direction. Therefore, a space leading to the conveyance path is created in the +Z direction and the -Y direction of the area where the upper roller 815a was arranged in the normal state. This space is the sheet retreat portion EZ. In FIG. 3, the sheet retreat portion EZ is shown by hatching. The belt-like sheet P1 is accommodated in the sheet retreat portion EZ when dealing with a jam described later.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 4, the opening operation for dealing with a jam includes steps S1 to S6. In the following description of the opening operation of the upstream conveyance unit 81, FIGS. 1 to 3 are also referred to.

[0088] In step S1, the sheet sensor 850 performs a detection operation on the single-sheet-like sheet P2. Step S1 is always executed in the normal operating state where the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 manufactures the sheet P3. The detection result of the sheet sensor 850 is transmitted to the control unit 5. Then, it proceeds to step S2.

[0089] In step S2, the control unit 5 determines whether there is an abnormality in the sheet conveyance based on the detection result of the sheet sensor 850. Specifically, the control unit 5 compares the reflectance when there is no single-sheet-like sheet P2 stored in itself or the reflectance when there is a single-sheet-like sheet P2 with the detection result to estimate the presence or absence of the single-sheet-like sheet P2 in the conveyance path. The control unit 5 determines that a jam has occurred when there is no single-sheet-like sheet P2, and determines that no jam has occurred when there is a single-sheet-like sheet P2.

[0090] When no jam has occurred, it returns to the step before step S1. When the sheet sensor 850 detects an abnormality, that is, when a jam has occurred, it proceeds to step S3.

[0091] In step S3, the control unit 5 instructs each component of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 to start the operation stop operation. At this time, the above components do not stop operating all at once, but stop operating sequentially. Specifically, in the deposition unit 50 upstream of the sheet forming unit 70, the supply of the mixture as the material is stopped. Also, due to the mixture and the web W remaining in the sheet forming unit 70 from the deposition unit 50, the forming of the strip-shaped sheet P1 continues in the sheet forming unit 70.

[0092] In addition, in the conveying unit 80, the operation of conveying the strip-shaped sheet P1 and the single-sheet-shaped sheet P2 by the second conveying roller group 820 is stopped, and the operation of conveying the sheet P3 is continued. As a result, since the material and the web W are consumed between the deposition unit 50 and the sheet forming unit 70, the residue as the work in progress is reduced, and the labor required for restarting can be saved. Then, the process proceeds to step S4.

[0093] In step S4, the control unit 5 instructs the upstream conveying unit 81 to perform the opening operation. Specifically, in accordance with the instruction of the control unit 5, the solenoid member of the opening mechanism rotates the operating shaft 814 to remove the tip of the hook member 816 from the pin member 818. As a result, the movable unit 811 is lifted, and the upstream conveying unit 81 becomes an open state. Then, the process proceeds to step S5.

[0094] In step S5, the control unit 5 instructs the downstream conveying unit 82 to stop operating. As a result, the second conveying roller group 820, the first cutting unit 832, the second cutting unit 834, etc. stop operating. Note that step S5 may be performed simultaneously with step S4.

[0095] During this period, the forming of the strip-shaped sheet P1 continues in the sheet forming unit 70. In the open state, the strip-shaped sheet P1 formed in the sheet forming unit 70 deviates from the conveying path and moves to the sheet retreating portion EZ.

[0096] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, in order to continue forming the belt-shaped sheet P1, the belt-shaped sheet P1 is conveyed downstream from the sheet forming unit 70. Among the first conveying roller groups 810, the conveying roller pair 813 continues to convey the belt-shaped sheet P1 downstream. On the other hand, the second conveying roller group 820 including the conveying roller pair 821 stops conveying at this step S5.

[0097] Therefore, the belt-shaped sheet P1 does not advance beyond the conveying roller pair 821 and rises upward to the sheet retreat portion EZ above the lower roller 815b. When the belt-shaped sheet P1 moves to the sheet retreat portion EZ, the materials and the web W remaining in the sheet forming unit 70 and the like are consumed. In addition, since the conveyance of the belt-shaped sheet P1 and the single-sheet-shaped sheet P2 to the jam occurrence location is stopped, the deterioration of the jam situation can be prevented. Then, the process proceeds to step S6.

[0098] Returning to FIG. 4, in step S6, the control unit 5 instructs to stop the forming operation of the sheet forming unit 70. At this time, the control unit 5 stops the forming of the belt-shaped sheet P1 in the sheet forming unit 70 after the operation of the second conveying roller group 820 is stopped in step S5 and a predetermined time has elapsed. The above-mentioned predetermined time is the time during which the work-in-progress and the input materials are formed into the belt-shaped sheet P1 and consumed upstream of the upstream conveying unit 81 including the sheet forming unit 70. The above-mentioned predetermined time is appropriately set according to the scale and configuration of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1, and is, for example, from several tens of seconds to several minutes. As described above, countermeasures against jams are executed and the operation of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 is stopped.

[0099] According to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0100] Restart after a jam can be facilitated. Since the release mechanism performs a release operation in response to an abnormality in sheet conveyance, the time and labor required for jam recovery are reduced. Thereby, a sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 that facilitates restart after a jam can be provided.

[0101] When jamming occurs and the operation of the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 stops, it becomes possible to continue the operation for a while while moving the strip-shaped sheet P1 to the sheet retraction unit EZ. Therefore, upstream of the conveyance unit 80, the remaining materials and work-in-progress are consumed and reduced. As a result, the recovery and restart of the jam can be made easier.

Explanation of Signs

[0102] 1... Sheet manufacturing apparatus, 70... Sheet forming unit, 80... Conveyance unit, 81... Upstream conveyance unit, 82... Downstream conveyance unit, 810... First conveyance roller group, 811... Movable unit, 815... Conveyance roller pair as the first conveyance roller, 815a... Upper roller, 815b... Lower roller, 820... Second conveyance roller group, 832... First cutting unit as a cutter, 834... Second cutting unit as a cutter, 850... Sheet sensor as an abnormality detection sensor, EZ... Sheet retraction unit, P1... Strip-shaped sheet, P2... Single-sheet-shaped sheet, P3... Sheet.

Claims

1. A sheet forming unit that deposits a material containing fibers and then compresses it to form a sheet, and A conveying unit having a plurality of conveying rollers arranged along the conveying direction of the sheet for conveying the sheet, and comprising: The conveying unit An upstream conveying unit including a first conveying roller group including a part of the plurality of conveying rollers, and A downstream conveying unit including a second conveying roller group including the plurality of conveying rollers installed on the downstream side in the conveying direction with respect to the first conveying roller group among the plurality of conveying rollers, and An abnormality detection sensor for detecting an abnormality in sheet conveyance within the conveying unit, and A sheet manufacturing apparatus, wherein the upstream conveying unit includes a release mechanism that performs a release operation when the abnormality detection sensor detects the abnormality.

2. Comprising a sheet storage unit, The upstream conveying unit is in an open state by the release operation, In the open state, the sheet formed by the sheet forming unit deviates from the conveying path along the conveying direction and moves to the sheet storage unit. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The release mechanism has a movable unit that rotates around a rotation axis as the release operation, The upstream conveying unit is in the open state by the rotation of the movable unit. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2.

4. The first conveying roller group includes a first conveying roller The first conveying roller is composed of a pair of upper rollers and lower rollers, The upper roller is installed on the movable unit. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3.

5. The downstream conveying unit has a cutter for cutting the sheet. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1.

6. When the abnormality detection sensor detects the abnormality, Upstream of the sheet forming unit, the supply of the material is stopped, and the forming of the sheet is continued by the material remaining in the sheet forming unit, In the conveying unit, the operation of the second conveying roller group is stopped. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1.

7. After the operation of the second conveying roller group is stopped and a predetermined period has elapsed, the forming of the sheet in the sheet forming unit is stopped. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6.

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