Sheet member conveying device

Abstract

To provide a sheet member conveying device with a simple structure, capable of correcting a sheet member that has been displaced, and conveying the sheet member to a next process without displacement even when a conveyance cycle is accelerated.SOLUTION: A conveying device 100 comprises: a kicker 120 that sends a sheet member B in a holding position H to a delivery position G; and a side guide 130. The kicker 120 has a main support part 121 and a sub-support part 123. The main support part 121 has rear support areas 122a, 122b that support the sheet member B from a rear side in a delivery direction Tb, and the sub-support part 123 has an end part support area 124 that supports a side BV1 of the sheet member B. The rear support areas 122a, 122b are disposed along the rear side BS of the sheet member B, and the main support part 121 and the sub-support part 123 are configured to move forward and backward in the delivery direction Tb.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet-like material transport device having a holding section that holds a sheet-like material at a holding position, and a kicker that sends out the sheet-like material placed on the holding section to a delivery position on a transport path. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a sheet-like material conveying device that sends out sheet-like materials such as paper downstream along a conveying path is known, for example, as a sheet-like material conveying device (blank removal and pushing mechanism 1) that is part of a paper container manufacturing apparatus described in Patent Document 1.

[0003] The sheet-like material conveying device known in Patent Document 1 removes fan-shaped sheet-like materials (blanks 61) one by one from a blank stack 6 in a stocker (magazine box 14) and sends them to a downstream process, which is a body-attaching forming mechanism 2.The device has a suction pad 18 that removes the sheet-like materials (blanks 61) from the stocker (magazine box 14), a holding section (guide member 522) that holds the sheet-like materials (blanks 61) removed from the stocker (magazine box 14), and a kicker (protruding piece 133) that sends the sheet-like materials (blanks 61) placed on the holding section (guide member 522) to the body-attaching forming mechanism 2.

[0004] The kicker (protruding piece 133) is pushed out from two rear positions on the large diameter side of the fan-shaped sheet-like material (blank 61), sending it to the body attaching forming mechanism 2 and handing it over to the forming die 26 of the body attaching forming mechanism 2. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Publication No. 59-165638 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, there is still room for improvement in the sheet-like member transport device known from Patent Document 1 and the like.

[0007] In other words, the sheet-like material conveying device known from Patent Document 1 uses kickers to push two large-diameter points of the fan-shaped sheet-like material from the rear and send it downstream on the conveying path, which means that the sheet-like material is sent out with its orientation and position misaligned, which could cause problems in the next process or cause it to get stuck on the conveying path. Furthermore, when the transport cycle is increased in speed, the force with which the kicker pushes out the sheet-like material increases, which may cause the sheet-like material to easily become misoriented when transported to the next process. Furthermore, for example, when a fan-shaped sheet material is transported with one side aligned in the direction in which the sheet material is sent out, the sheet material is more likely to tilt when pressed by the kicker, which increases the risk of problems occurring when transporting it to the next process.

[0008] The present invention solves these problems and aims to provide a sheet-like material conveying device with a simple configuration that can correct misoriented sheet-like materials to the appropriate orientation, and that can convey the sheet-like materials to the next process without misorienting them, even when the conveying cycle is accelerated. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The sheet-like material transport device of the present invention is a sheet-like material transport device having a holding section that holds a sheet-like material at a holding position, a kicker that sends out the sheet-like material placed on the holding section to a sending position on a transport path, and a side guide that can support one side of the sheet-like material in the sending direction along a sending direction that is a direction in which the sheet-like material is sent out from the holding position to the sending position, and the kicker has a main support section that supports the sheet-like material from behind in the sending direction, and a kicker that supports the sheet-like material from a position opposite to the side guide with respect to the main support section. The side guide is formed to extend along the feeding direction, the main support portion has a rear support region that supports the sheet-like material from the rear side in the feeding direction, the sub-support portion has an end support region that supports one side in the feeding direction of the sheet-like material supported by the rear support region of the main support portion, the rear support region is arranged along part of the contour of the rear side of the sheet-like material, and the main support portion and the sub-support portion are configured to be movable back and forth in the feeding direction, thereby solving the above problem. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The sheet-like material conveying device of the invention according to claim 1 has a holding section, a kicker, and a side guide capable of supporting one of the sides of the sheet-like material in the feed direction, and by holding one of the sides of the sheet-like material in a state aligned with the side guide and supporting the other side of the sheet-like material in the end support area, it is possible to prevent the sheet-like material from shifting position when being conveyed from the holding position to the feed position. Furthermore, even if the conveying cycle is increased in speed, the side guides and the auxiliary support section support both sides of the sheet-like material, while the main support section pushes out the sheet-like material and sends it downstream on the conveying path, so the orientation or position of the sheet-like material will not shift.

[0011] According to the configuration of claim 2, the sheet-like member is a circular fan-shaped blank, and the side guide is configured to be able to support one of the sides in the feed direction of the outer peripheral edge of the blank placed on the holding section, the main support section supports the small diameter side of the outer peripheral edge of the blank in the rear support area, and the auxiliary support section supports one of the sides in the feed direction of the blank supported in the rear support area in the end support area, the rear support area is formed in a shape that follows part of the contour of the small diameter side of the outer peripheral edge of the blank, and the end support area supports the other side in the feed direction of the blank placed on the holding section.Therefore, for example, when a blank that forms the body of a paper cup or the like is fed using a kicker, the small diameter side of the blank is supported by the main support section, and both sides of the blank are supported by the side guide and the auxiliary support section, respectively, and the blank can be reliably fed downstream of the conveying path in the correct posture without misalignment. In addition, since the rear support area of ​​the main support part supports the smaller diameter side of the outer peripheral edge of the blank, the side guide and end support area are arranged so that they gradually move apart in the feed direction, and as the kicker moves in the feed direction, both sides of the blank are securely supported by the side guide and end support area, respectively, allowing the blank to be sent downstream on the conveying path without shifting in orientation. Furthermore, when the blank is pushed out to the delivery position, simply by moving the kicker in the opposite direction to the delivery direction, the kicker alone can be returned to the holding position while the blank remains in the delivery position. According to the configuration described in claim 3, at least one of the main support portion and the auxiliary support portion has an anti-floating piece extending from the upper part of the rear support area and / or the end support area toward the feed direction, so that even if the sheet-like material is about to float up due to the force of the kicker pushing the sheet-like material in the feed direction, the anti-floating piece can press down on the upper surface of the sheet-like material, ensuring that it is sent downstream of the conveying path.

[0012] According to the configuration described in claim 4, the main support part is configured to be able to simultaneously support at least the vicinity of the end parts on both sides in the feed direction, thereby suppressing bias in the force on the sheet-like member when the main support part presses the sheet-like member and preventing rotation. According to the configuration described in claim 5, a free roller is provided at the discharge position above the conveying path, and the sheet-like material pushed out to the discharge position is received downstream of the conveying path while being pressed from above by the free roller, thereby enabling the sheet-like material to be reliably conveyed to the next process without shifting in position or orientation.

[0013] According to the configuration of claim 6, the conveying path is configured by a vacuum conveyor, and the sheet-like material pushed out to the delivery position is adsorbed by the vacuum conveyor, so that the sheet-like material can be reliably conveyed to the next process without shifting in position or orientation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a taping edge surface processing apparatus 300 including a blank conveying apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is an overall view of a blank B fed by a blank conveying device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view of a blank conveying device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a top view of a blank conveying device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a floating prevention piece of the blank conveying device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic top view showing a conveying step 1 of a blank B by a blank conveying device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic top view showing a conveying step 2 of a blank B by the blank conveying device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 8] 10 is a schematic top view showing a conveying step 3 of a blank B by the blank conveying device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 9] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship with a floating prevention piece during transport of a blank B by a blank transport device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10]1 is a perspective view showing a free roller of a blank conveying device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a front view showing a free roller of the blank conveying device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] A blank conveying device 200 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1, 3, 4, 6 to 8 do not show the stocker and free rollers, and FIGS. 10 and 11 do not show the stocker.

[0016] As shown in Figures 1 to 5, 10 and 11, a blank conveying device 100, which is a sheet-like conveying device according to one embodiment of the present invention, is provided upstream of a tape application edge surface processing device 300 and supplies a blank B, which is a sheet-like material, to a conveying lane 302 of a conveying mechanism 301. The blank B supplied from the blank conveying device 100 is conveyed through the tape application edge surface processing device 300 in the conveying direction Ta, and passes through a process in which it is heated by a blank heating mechanism 320, a process in which the tape supplied from the tape conveying belt 335 of the tape application mechanism 330 is temporarily fastened by a tape temporary fastening mechanism 340, a process in which the temporarily fastened tape is folded back by a tape folding mechanism 350, a process in which the tape is welded by a first welding section 360 and a second welding section 370, and a process in which the tape application state is inspected by a tape application state inspection device 380, before being conveyed to a downstream process.

[0017] Blank B is a sheet-like member formed into an annular sector shape, for example, to be used for the body of a paper cup, etc., and the outer edge of blank B is composed of an outer edge BL on the larger diameter side of the annular sector, an outer edge BS on the smaller diameter side of the annular sector, a first outer edge BV1, and a second outer edge BV2.

[0018] The blank conveying device 100 includes a stocker (not shown) that holds a large number of stacked blanks B, a holding section 110 provided below the stocker (not shown), a vacuum pad 111 that removes blanks B from below the stocker (not shown) and transports them to the holding section 110 within the holding position H, a kicker 120 located behind the holding section 110 in the feed direction Tb, a side guide 130 that extends to the side of the holding section 110 along the feed direction Tb, and a free roller 131 provided above the feed position G in a position opposite the conveying lane 302.

[0019] The vacuum pad 111 is positioned near the periphery of the holding section 110 and is capable of being raised and lowered. It approaches the blank B held at the lower end of the stocker (not shown), sucks it in, and holds it there. It then descends to allow the blank B to reach the holding section 110, at which point it releases suction and moves below the holding section 110.

[0020] The kicker 120 sends out the blank B placed on the holding section 110 in the sending direction Tb from the holding position H to the sending position G, and has a main support section 121 (first main support section 121a, second main support section 121b) that presses the outer peripheral edge BS of the small diameter side of the blank B from the rear with the first rear support surface 122a and the second rear support surface 122b, which are rear support areas, a sub-support section 123 that presses the first outer peripheral edge BV1 of the blank B from the rear with the end support surface 124, which is the end support area, and anti-floating pieces 125 (first anti-floating piece 125a, second anti-floating piece 125b, third anti-floating piece 125c) formed on the upper part of each of the main support section 121 and the sub-support section 123.

[0021] The first rear support surface 122a and the second rear support surface 122b are formed in a surface shape that follows part of the contour of the outer peripheral edge BS on the small diameter side of the blank B, and the end support surface 124 is formed in a surface shape that follows part of the first outer peripheral edge BV1 of the blank B. The anti-floating pieces 125 are formed so as to protrude from the upper portions of the main support portion 121 and the sub-support portion 123 in the sending direction Tb.

[0022] The main support portion 121 and the sub-support portion 124 are configured to be movable back and forth in the delivery direction Tb in conjunction with each other.

[0023] The free roller 131 is located above the blank B sent to the delivery position G and has a first free roller 131a that can press the blank B near the first outer edge BV1 to sandwich it between the first free roller 131a and the conveying lane 302, and a second free roller 131b that can press the blank B near the second outer edge BV2 to sandwich it between the first free roller 131a and the conveying lane 302. The first free roller 131a and the second free roller 131b are configured to be able to press the blank B to a position where a predetermined gap is formed between them and the transport lane 302.

[0024] Next, a process of conveying the blank B by the blank conveying device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0025] First, the vacuum pad 111 is raised, and the blank B is removed from the bottom of the stocker (not shown) by suction, and placed on the holder 110 in the holding position H. At this time, by positioning the kicker 120 in advance behind the position where the blank B is placed on the holder 110 in the sending direction Tb, the blank B can be placed on the holder 110 reliably. Next, the suction of the vacuum pad 111 is released and the holder 110 is lowered below the holder 110, and then the kicker 120 is moved in the sending direction Tb.

[0026] The kicker 120 presses the rear side of the blank B placed on the holding part 110 at the holding position H, that is, the small diameter side BS of the outer periphery. At this time, at least one of the first rear support surface 122a, the second rear support surface 122b, and the end support surface 124 comes into contact with the small diameter side BS of the outer periphery of the blank B or the first outer periphery edge BV1.

[0027] The kicker 120 presses the blank B at high speed, so that the force of the blank B pressing the kicker 120 causes the small diameter side BS of the outer periphery to come into contact with the first rear support surface 122a and the second rear support surface 122b, and when the blank B reaches a position where the first outer periphery edge BV1 comes into contact with the end support surface 124, the second outer periphery edge BV2 follows the side guide 130. This allows the blank B to be automatically corrected to the correct posture and sent from the holding position H to the sending position G.

[0028] Depending on the force with which the kicker 120 contacts the blank B, the blank B may be about to lift up from the holding portion 110, but the anti-lift piece 125 can prevent the small diameter side BS of the outer edge of the blank B from lifting up, allowing the blank B to reliably abut against the first rear support surface 122a, the second rear support surface 122b, and the end support surface 124.

[0029] When the kicker 120 delivers the blank B from the holding position H to the delivery position G, the blank B enters between the free roller 131 and the transport lane 302 while maintaining the correct posture. The first free roller 131a and the second free roller 131b press the blank B near the first outer edge BV1 and the second outer edge BV2, respectively, so that the blank B is not distorted when the kicker 120 separates from the blank B.

[0030] Furthermore, since the first free roller 131a and the second free roller 131b are configured to be able to press the blank B to a position where there is a predetermined gap between them and the conveying lane 302, the free rollers 131 do not press the blank B excessively and do not hinder the conveying of the blank B by the conveying lane 302. Furthermore, by making the gap between the first free roller 131a and the second free roller 131b and the conveying lane 302 before pressing the blank B the same as the thickness of the blank B, the blank B can be reliably sent to the sending position G without causing any problems such as the blank B colliding with the first free roller 131a and the second free roller 131b and bending. Furthermore, the size of the specified gap between the first free roller 131a and the second free roller 131b and the conveying lane 302 when pressing the blank B is not particularly limited, but if it is less than the thickness of the blank B, the blank B can be reliably pressed by the first free roller 131a and the second free roller 131b, which is particularly suitable for preventing the blank B from shifting position and for conveying the blank B along the conveying lane 302.

[0031] As described above, by transporting blank B from holding position H to discharge position G while the first rear support surface 122a, second rear support surface 122b, end support surface 124 of kicker 120 and side guide 130 surround three sides of blank B (small diameter side BS of the outer peripheral edge, first outer peripheral edge BV1, second outer peripheral edge BV2), blank B can be transported while maintaining the correct posture to a process downstream of discharge position G of tape-applying end face processing device 300. Furthermore, even if the kicker 120 is moved back and forth at high speed to transport the blanks B, the posture of the blanks B is not disturbed, and therefore the transport cycle of the blanks B can be improved.

[0032] Furthermore, if the side guide 130 is configured to be able to move back and forth in the discharge direction Tb in conjunction with the kicker 120, the relative position between the second outer peripheral edge BV2 and the side guide 130 will not change while the blank B is being transported, and wear on the second outer peripheral edge BV2 due to the side guide 130 can be prevented. Furthermore, by configuring the conveying lane 302 as a vacuum conveyor, the blank B conveyed to the discharge position G can be transported to the downstream process while being adsorbed onto the conveying lane 302, which further prevents the posture of the blank B from shifting from the correct position.

[0033] Furthermore, blank B does not necessarily have to be a circular fan-shaped paper sheet as long as it is a sheet-like member; for example, it could be a polygonal plastic sheet, a circular metal plate, or a multi-layer paper sheet with a laminated surface.

[0034] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various design modifications can be made without departing from the present invention as set forth in the claims.

[0035] In the above-described embodiment, the kicker is provided with a main support portion and a secondary support portion, the main support portion having a first main support portion with a first rear support surface which is a rear support area, and a second main support portion with a second rear support surface, and the secondary support portion is provided with an end support surface which is an end support area. However, the configuration of the kicker is not limited to this, and for example, there may be only one main support portion, or the first main support portion and the secondary support portion may be configured as a single unit. In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the first rear support surface and second rear support surface, which are the rear support regions, are formed in a surface shape that follows part of the contour of the outer peripheral edge on the small diameter side of the blank, and the end support surface, which is the end support region, is described as being formed in a surface shape that follows part of the first outer peripheral edge of the blank.However, the configuration of the rear support region and the end support region is not limited to this, and for example, the rear support region and the end support region may each be configured to contact part of the contour of the outer peripheral edge on the small diameter side of the blank or part of the first outer peripheral edge of the blank at one or more points or lines.

[0036] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the blanks are sucked from the bottom of the stocker by a vacuum pad and transported to the holding section, but the method of transporting the blanks to the holding section is not limited to this. For example, the blanks may be grasped from the bottom of the stocker by an arm that can grasp the end face of the blank and transported to the holding section, or, without providing a stocker, the blanks may be sandwiched between the holding section and transported by a conveyor from the side of the holding section opposite the side guide. In addition, in the above-described embodiment, it has been described that free rollers are provided at the discharge position, but the configuration of the discharge position is not limited to this, and for example, there may be no free rollers, and a rail-like guide may be provided at the top of the conveying lane with a gap through which blanks transported to the discharge position can pass.

[0037] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, it has been described that anti-floating pieces are provided on the upper parts of the main support part and the sub-support part, but the configuration of the kicker is not limited to this, and for example, the anti-floating pieces may not be present. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the blank conveying device was described as conveying blanks to a tape-applying edge processing device, but the configuration of the blank conveying device is not limited to this, and it may, for example, be one that conveys plastic sheet-like members to a plastic cup molding machine. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 100 Blank conveying device (sheet-like member conveying device) 110... Holding part 111 ··· Vacuum pad 120 ··· Kicker 121 Main support part 121a... 1st main support part 121b... 2nd main support part 122a... 1st rear support surface (rear support area) 122b... Second rear support surface (rear support area) 123 ... Sub-support part 124... End support surface (end support area) 125 ··· Anti-surfacing piece 125a... 1st floating prevention piece 125b...Second floating prevention piece 125c... 3rd floating prevention piece 130 Side guide 131 ··· Free Roller 131a First free roller 131b Second free roller 300 ··· Tape-applied edge processing device 301 Transport mechanism 302 Transport lane 320 Blank heating mechanism 330 Tape joining mechanism 335 Tape conveyor belt 340 ··· Tape temporary fastening mechanism 350 Tape folding mechanism 360... 1st welding part 370...Second welding part 380 Tape attachment status inspection device B: Blank (sheet-shaped material) BL: Large diameter side of outer periphery BS: Small diameter side of outer periphery BV1: First outer edge BV2: Second outer edge Ta Transfer direction Tb ··· Sending direction H... Holding position G... Sending position

Claims

1. A sheet-like material conveying device having a holding section that holds a sheet-like material at a holding position, a kicker that sends out the sheet-like material placed on the holding section to a sending position of a conveying path, and a side guide that can support one side of the sheet-like material in a sending direction along a sending direction that is a direction in which the sheet-like material is sent from the holding position to the sending position, the kicker has a main support portion that supports the sheet-like material from the rear in the feed direction, and a sub-support portion that supports the sheet-like material from a position on the opposite side of the main support portion from the side guide, The side guide is formed to extend along the feeding direction, the main support portion has a rear support region that supports the sheet-like member from a rear side in the feeding direction, the auxiliary support portion has an end support region that supports one side in the feed direction of the sheet-like material supported by the rear support region of the main support portion, The rear support region is disposed along a portion of the contour of the rear side of the sheet-like member, The sheet-like member transport device according to claim 1, wherein the main support portion and the sub-support portion are configured to be movable forward and backward in a feed direction.

2. The sheet-like member is a circular fan-shaped paper blank, the kicker feeds the blank placed on the holding unit from the holding position to the feeding position with the larger diameter side of the outer peripheral edge of the blank facing the feeding position; the side guide is configured to support one of the sides in the feeding direction of the outer peripheral edge of the blank placed on the holding portion, the main support portion supports the small diameter side of the outer peripheral edge of the blank in the rear support region; The auxiliary support portion supports, in the end support region, one side of the blank supported in the rear support region in the feed direction, the rear support region is disposed along a portion of the contour of the smaller diameter side of the outer peripheral edge of the blank; The sheet-like material conveying device described in claim 1, characterized in that the end support area supports the other side of the outer edge of the blank placed on the holding section in the feed direction from a position opposite the side guide relative to the main support section.

3. The sheet-like material conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the main support portion and the sub-support portion has an anti-floating piece extending from the upper part of the rear support area and / or the end support area toward the feed direction.

4. 2. The sheet-like member transport device according to claim 1, wherein the main support portion is configured to simultaneously support at least the vicinities of both end portions in the feed direction.

5. 2. The sheet-like member transport device according to claim 1, wherein a free roller is provided at the delivery position above the transport path.

6. 2. The sheet-like member transport device according to claim 1, wherein the transport path is formed by a vacuum conveyor.

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