Decorative panel manufacturing equipment

Abstract

To provide a manufacturing device for decorative boards capable of improving the quality of decorative boards. [Solution] Each roller (5, 6) that transports the material (103) includes a first transport path (7) that transports the material (103) upstream of the camera (3), and a second transport path (8) that is connected downstream of the first transport path (7) and transports the material (103) in a direction angled relative to the first transport path (7). This allows a gap (G) to be formed between the substrates (101) by folding the material (103) at the boundary between the first transport path (7) and the second transport path (8). Because this gap (G) between the substrates (101) is detected by the camera (3), the decorative sheet (102) is less likely to peel off from the substrate (101) compared to a configuration in which a step is formed at the boundary between the substrates, as in the prior art. This improves the quality of the decorative board (100).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a manufacturing apparatus for decorative boards, and more particularly to a manufacturing apparatus for decorative boards that can improve the quality of decorative boards. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 describes an apparatus for manufacturing a decorative board by attaching a cover sheet C (decorative sheet) to the upper surfaces of multiple continuously conveyed plate materials BD (substrates) and then cutting the cover sheet C at the boundary between the plate materials BD. In this decorative board manufacturing apparatus, a step DS is generated at the boundary between the plate materials BD while they are being conveyed, and the cover sheet C is cut at the step DS portion detected by a step detector 18. Therefore, even if the cover sheet C is attached while the plate materials BD are in close contact with each other, the boundary between the plate materials BD (i.e., the position where the cover sheet C should be cut) can be detected with high accuracy. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 09-183094 (for example, paragraphs 0009 to 0012, 0016, 0017, Figures 1 and 5) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the conventional technology described above, when a step DS is formed at the boundary between the boards BD, the covering sheet C is likely to peel off from the board BD at the step DS, which poses a problem of easily degrading the quality of the decorative board.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has as its object to provide a manufacturing apparatus for decorative boards that can improve the quality of decorative boards. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve this object, the decorative panel manufacturing apparatus of the present invention comprises a conveying device that continuously conveys multiple substrates, an attachment device that forms a material in which the multiple substrates are joined together by the decorative sheet by attaching a decorative sheet to the upper surface of the substrates conveyed by the conveying device, a detection device that detects the boundaries between the substrates of the material formed by the attachment device, and a cutting device that cuts the decorative sheet at the boundaries between the substrates detected by the detection device to form a decorative panel, wherein the conveying device comprises a first conveying path that conveys the material upstream of the detection device, and a second conveying path connected downstream of the first conveying path that conveys the material in a direction angled to the first conveying path, and the material is bent at the boundary between the first conveying path and the second conveying path to form a gap between the substrates, and the gap is detected by the detection device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the decorative board manufacturing apparatus of claim 1, the conveying device includes a first conveying path that conveys the material upstream of the detection device, and a second conveying path connected downstream of the first conveying path that conveys the material in a direction angled with respect to the first conveying path. This allows the material to be folded at the boundary between the first and second conveying paths, forming a gap between the substrates. Because this gap between the substrates is detected by the detection device, the decorative sheet is less likely to peel off from the substrate compared to conventional configurations in which a step is formed at the boundary between the substrates. This effectively improves the quality of the decorative board.

[0008] The decorative panel manufacturing apparatus of claim 2 achieves the following effect in addition to the effect achieved by the decorative panel manufacturing apparatus of claim 1. The application device applies a decorative sheet to the top surface and both left and right side surfaces of the substrate. Therefore, when the material is folded and the gap between the substrates widens, the decorative sheet covering the side surfaces of the substrate may be stretched, causing cracks or defects such as peeling off of the decorative sheet from the side surfaces of the substrate.

[0009] In contrast, the cutting device of claim 2 cuts the decorative sheet with a blade whose thickness is greater than the gap formed between the substrates. This makes it easier for the cutting device to remove the defective portion even if the decorative sheet has a defect such as that described above. This has the effect of improving the quality of the decorative board.

[0010] According to the decorative board manufacturing apparatus of claim 3, in addition to the effects of the decorative board manufacturing apparatus of claim 2, the cutting device cuts the decorative sheet while closing the gaps between the substrates, so even if defects such as those described above occur in the decorative sheet, the defective portion can be easily removed by the cutting device, thereby improving the quality of the decorative board.

[0011] According to the decorative panel manufacturing apparatus of claim 4, in addition to the effects achieved by the decorative panel manufacturing apparatus of claim 2, the detection device is a camera that photographs the gap between the substrates from the underside of the material, so that the gap between the substrates can be detected with greater accuracy than when, for example, an optical sensor is used as the detection device. Furthermore, the conveying device is equipped with a pressure roller that presses down on the top surface of the material at a position facing the detection device, so that when the material passes in front of the detection device, the pressure roller can press the material toward the detection device. This makes it easier for the gap between the substrates to form toward the detection device, which has the effect of allowing the detection device to detect the gap with greater accuracy.

[0012] The decorative board manufacturing apparatus of claim 5 achieves the following effect in addition to the effect achieved by the decorative board manufacturing apparatus of claim 4. The conveying device is provided upstream and downstream of the detection device and includes a pair of support rollers that support the underside of the material, and the detection device is located midway between the pair of support rollers. This allows the material to be stably clamped at three points: the pressure roller located opposite the detection device and the pair of support rollers located on both sides of the detection device. This makes it easier for gaps between the substrates to form toward the detection device, which has the effect of allowing the detection device to accurately detect the gaps. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1(a) is a side view of the manufacturing apparatus, and FIG. 1(b) is a cross-sectional view of the substrate and decorative sheet taken along line Ib-Ib in FIG. 1(a). [Figure 2] 1. (a) is a partially enlarged side view of the manufacturing apparatus in which the part IIa in FIG. 1 is enlarged, and (b) is a partially enlarged side view of the manufacturing apparatus in which the part IIb in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, the overall configuration of a manufacturing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1(a) is a side view of the manufacturing apparatus 1, and Fig. 1(b) is a cross-sectional view of a substrate 101 and a decorative sheet 102 taken along line Ib-Ib in Fig. 1(a). Note that Fig. 1(a) illustrates cross sections (cross sections cut along a plane perpendicular to the left-right direction) of the substrate 101 and the decorative sheet 102 of the decorative board 100 for ease of understanding.

[0015] Figure 1 also schematically illustrates the manufacturing apparatus 1 and the decorative board 100 (material 103), and also illustrates the dimensions of each part of the manufacturing apparatus 1 and the decorative board 100, such as the distance from the supply roll 2 on which the decorative sheet 102 is wound to the camera 3, the distance from the camera 3 to the circular saw 4, the length of the substrate 101, and the thickness of the decorative sheet 102.

[0016] As shown in Figure 1, manufacturing apparatus 1 is an apparatus that manufactures decorative board 100 by attaching decorative sheet 102 to a plurality of substrates 101 that are continuously conveyed, and then cutting decorative sheet 102 at the boundaries of substrate 101. Substrate 101 is formed into a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape using wood, resin, or the like, and decorative sheet 102 that covers substrate 101 is formed from a single-layer or multi-layer synthetic resin sheet.

[0017] The manufacturing apparatus 1 includes cylindrical upper roller 5 and lower roller 6 (hereinafter collectively referred to as "rollers 5, 6") for transporting the substrate 101. The upper roller 5 is a roller that presses down from above the decorative sheet 102 attached to the upper surface of the substrate 101, and the lower roller 6 is a roller that supports the substrate 101 from below.

[0018] An upper roller 5 and a lower roller 6 are arranged vertically and spaced apart along the conveying direction (horizontal direction) of the substrate 101, and the space between these rollers 5, 6 forms conveying paths 7, 8 for the substrate 101 and decorative sheet 102. A driving force from a driving source (not shown) is applied to some or all of the rollers 5, 6, and the substrate 101 and decorative sheet 102 are conveyed by the rotation of the rollers 5, 6 due to this driving force.

[0019] In the following description, the upstream side (left side of FIG. 1(a)) in the conveying direction of the substrate 101 and the decorative sheet 102 will be simply referred to as the upstream side, and the opposite side (right side of FIG. 1(a)) will be referred to as the downstream side. Also, the horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1(a)) will be described as the left-right direction of the manufacturing apparatus 1.

[0020] A decorative sheet 102 fed from a supply roll 2 is attached to the substrate 101 being transported downstream by the rollers 5 and 6. The decorative sheet 102 is attached not only to the top surface of the substrate 101, but also to both the left and right side surfaces and the bottom surface of the substrate 101 so as to wrap around the top surface (see FIG. 1(b)).

[0021] Specifically, the decorative sheet 102 comprises an upper surface portion 120 that covers the upper surface of the substrate 101, a pair of side surface portions 121 that bend downward from both the left and right ends of the upper surface portion 120 to cover both the left and right side surfaces of the substrate 101, and a pair of lower surface portions 122 that bend inward in the left-right direction from the lower ends of each of the pair of side surface portions 121 to cover the lower surface of the substrate 101.

[0022] 1 constitute an application device that applies the decorative sheet 102, but to simplify the drawing, the specific structure of the application device is not shown in Fig. 1. Furthermore, since a known configuration can be adopted for the application device for the decorative sheet 102, detailed explanation will be omitted, but examples of known application devices include those described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-026015 and Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-048525.

[0023] The decorative sheet 102 is attached to the substrate 101 in a state where multiple substrates 101 are adjacent to or in close contact with each other. Therefore, downstream of the attachment device, the multiple substrates 101 lined up in the conveying direction of the rollers 5 and 6 are joined together (continuously) by the decorative sheet 102 to form a material 103.

[0024] The boundaries between the base materials 101 of this material 103 are detected by camera 3, and based on the detection results of camera 3, the boundaries between the base materials 101 are cut by circular saw 4. By cutting the material 103 with this circular saw 4, a plurality of decorative boards 100 are successively manufactured. Note that the circular saw 4 that cuts the material 103 is a so-called flying cutter that is rotated by a driving force from a driving source (not shown) and cuts the material 103 while sending it downstream, and a known configuration (for example, the circular saw machine 9 described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 1962-009648) can be used, so detailed description will be omitted.

[0025] Furthermore, a known configuration (for example, control of the cutting device 102 based on the detection signal of the step detector 18 described in JP-A-09-183094) can be adopted for the method of controlling the circular saw 4 for cutting the boundary of the substrate 101 detected by the camera 3, so detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0026] The method for cutting the material 103 using the camera 3 and the circular saw 4 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 2(a) is a partially enlarged side view of the manufacturing apparatus 1, enlarging part IIa in Figure 1, and Figure 2(b) is a partially enlarged side view of the manufacturing apparatus 1, enlarging part IIb in Figure 1.

[0027] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, each roller 5, 6 of the manufacturing apparatus 1 forms a first conveying path 7 that conveys the material 103 along a direction (first direction) that slopes linearly downward toward the camera 3, and a second conveying path 8 that is connected downstream of the first conveying path 7 and conveys the material 103 along a horizontal direction (a direction inclined relative to the first direction).

[0028] That is, the second conveying path 8 conveys the material 103 in a direction at an angle relative to the first conveying path 7. By forming these curved conveying paths 7, 8, the material 103 can be folded at the boundary between the conveying paths 7, 8, starting from the upper surface of the decorative sheet 102. As a result, the boundary between the substrates 101 expands, forming a gap G (see FIG. 2(a)). This gap G is detected by the camera 3, allowing the boundary between the substrates 101 (i.e., the position to be cut with the circular saw 4) to be detected with high accuracy. Furthermore, compared to the prior art, which detects a step created at the boundary between the substrates, the decorative sheet 102 is less likely to peel off from the substrate 101. Therefore, the quality of the decorative board 100 after the material 103 is cut with the circular saw 4 can be improved.

[0029] In this way, by folding the material 103 to form gaps G between the substrates 101, peeling is particularly unlikely to occur at the upper surface portion 120 of the decorative sheet 102 that covers the upper surface of the substrate 101. On the other hand, since the side and lower surfaces of the substrate 101 are covered by the side surfaces 121 and lower surfaces 122 (see FIG. 1(b)) of the decorative sheet 102, when the material 103 is folded (the gaps G between the substrates 101 widen), defects such as cracks occurring due to the stretching of the side surfaces 121 and lower surfaces 122 of the decorative sheet 102 or peeling of the side surfaces 121 and lower surfaces 122 of the decorative sheet 102 from the substrate 101 may occur.

[0030] In contrast to this, in this embodiment, the thickness Lb (see FIG. 2(b) ; e.g., 3 mm) of the blade of the circular saw 4 is made thicker than the size La (see FIG. 2(a) ; e.g., 2 mm) of the gap G to be created at the boundary between the substrates 101. As a result, even if a defect such as that described above occurs in the decorative sheet 102, the defective portion can be easily cut out by the circular saw 4.

[0031] Furthermore, because the circular saw 4 cuts the decorative sheet 102 while the gaps G between the substrates 101 are closed (see FIG. 2(b)), even if defects such as those described above occur in the decorative sheet 102 when the gaps G between the substrates 101 widen, the defective portions can be easily cut out by the circular saw 4. This improves the quality of the decorative board 100 after cutting the raw material 103.

[0032] In order to reduce such defects that occur in the decorative sheet 102, it is necessary to make the size La of the gap G between the substrates 101 as small as possible, but making it too small reduces the accuracy of detecting the gap G by the camera 3. For this reason, the size La of the gap G between the substrates 101 is preferably 1 mm or more and 5 mm or less, and more preferably 2 mm or more and 4 mm or less.

[0033] If the size La of the gap G between the substrates 101 is 1 mm or more and 5 mm or less, it is possible to accurately detect the gap G between the substrates 101 by the camera 3 and reduce defects that occur in the decorative sheet 102. Furthermore, if the size La of the gap G is 2 mm or more and 4 mm or less, it is more preferable to accurately detect the gap G between the substrates 101 by the camera 3 and reduce defects that occur in the decorative sheet 102.

[0034] If the angle of the second transport path 8 relative to the first transport path 7 is θ and the thickness of the substrate 101 is X (mm), the size of the gap G between the substrates 101, La, is expressed as 2X sin(θ / 2). Therefore, it is preferable to satisfy 1 mm ≦ 2X sin(θ / 2) ≦ 5 mm. In this case, for example, if the thickness of the substrate 101 is about 50 mm, the angle (θ) of the second transport path 8 relative to the first transport path 7 should be 1.2° or more and 5.7° or less. It is more preferable to satisfy 2 mm ≦ 2X sin(θ / 2) ≦ 4 mm. In this case, for example, if the thickness of the substrate 101 is about 50 mm, the angle (θ) of the second transport path 8 relative to the first transport path 7 should be 2.3° or more and 4.5° or less.

[0035] In this manner, in this embodiment, a relatively narrow gap G is formed at the boundary between the substrates 101. For this reason, if a known sensor such as a reflective or transmissive optical sensor is used, it may not be possible to accurately detect the gap G between the substrates 101.

[0036] Therefore, in this embodiment, a method is adopted in which the gap G between the substrates 101 is photographed by the camera 3 from the underside of the substrates 101. This allows the camera 3 to accurately detect whether or not the substrates 101 have passed through the gap G. Furthermore, the upper roller 5 is equipped with a pressure roller 50 (see FIG. 2(a)) that presses the material 103 (the upper surface portion 120 of the decorative sheet 102) from above at a position facing the camera 3. This allows the pressure roller 50 to press the material 103 toward the camera 3 when the material 103 passes in front of the camera 3, making it easier for the gap G between the substrates 101 to be formed toward the camera 3. Therefore, the gap G between the substrates 101 can be reliably photographed by the camera 3, allowing the passage (presence or absence) of the gap G between the substrates 101 to be detected with high accuracy.

[0037] The lower roller 6 also includes a pair of support rollers 60, 61 located upstream and downstream of the camera 3, and these support rollers 60, 61 support the substrates 101 located on both sides of the gap G from below. The camera 3 is located midway between the pair of support rollers 60, 61, and the distance between the support roller 60 and the camera 3 is approximately the same as the distance between the camera 3 and the support roller 61. This allows the material 103 to be stably clamped at three points: the pressure roller 50 located opposite the camera 3, and the pair of support rollers 60, 61 located on both sides (upstream and downstream) of the camera 3. This makes it easier for the gap G between the substrates 101 to be formed toward the camera 3, allowing the camera 3 to reliably capture the gap G between the substrates 101. This allows the passage of the substrates 101 through the gap G to be accurately detected.

[0038] The present invention has been described above based on the above embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and it can be easily inferred that various modifications and improvements are possible within the scope of the present invention.

[0039] In the above embodiment, the upper roller 5 and the lower roller 6 (roller conveyor) are exemplified as an example of a conveying device for conveying the substrate 101 (material 103), but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, other known conveying devices such as a belt conveyor may be used. Whatever conveying device is used, the camera 3 may be positioned at a position that avoids the conveying device (for example, the belt of the belt conveyor) to capture an image of the gap G between the substrates 101.

[0040] In the above embodiment, the camera 3 is used as an example of a detection device for detecting the gap G between the substrates 101, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the gap G between the substrates 101 may be detected using other known sensors, such as a non-contact sensor such as a reflective or transmissive optical sensor, or a contact sensor.

[0041] In the above embodiment, the circular saw 4 that cuts the material 103 while conveying it is given as an example of a cutting device that cuts the boundary between the substrates 101, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, when cutting the boundary between the substrates 101 with the circular saw 4, the conveyance of the material 103 may be stopped, or the boundary between the substrates 101 may be cut using another known cutting device such as a slitter or a cutter.

[0042] In the above embodiment, the decorative sheet 102 is cut by the circular saw 4 with the gap G in the base material 101 closed, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the decorative sheet 102 may be cut with the gap G in the base material 101 widened.

[0043] In the above embodiment, the case where the thickness Lb of the blade of the circular saw 4 is thicker than the size La of the gap G between the base materials 101 has been described, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the thickness Lb of the blade of the circular saw 4 may be equal to or smaller than the size La of the gap G between the base materials 101.

[0044] In the above embodiment, the first transport path 7 is inclined downward toward the downstream side, while the second transport path 8 is horizontal, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the first transport path 7 may be horizontal, while the second transport path 8 may be inclined upward toward the downstream side, or each of the transport paths 7, 8 may be inclined with respect to the horizontal.

[0045] In the above embodiment, the upper surface, both left and right side surfaces, and the lower surface of the base material 101 are covered by the upper surface portion 120, the side surface portion 121, and the lower surface portion 122 of the decorative sheet 102, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the lower surface portion 122 may be omitted, or both the side surface portion 121 and the lower surface portion 122 may be omitted.

[0046] In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which a pressure roller 50 that presses down the top surface of the material 103 (decorative sheet 102) is provided in a position facing the camera 3, and a case in which the camera 3 is positioned midway between the pair of support rollers 60, 61, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the pressure roller 50 may be omitted, or the camera 3 may be positioned at a position shifted from the midpoint between the pair of support rollers 60, 61. In other words, as long as the material 103 is folded at the boundary between the transport paths 7, 8 to form a gap G between the base materials 101, and the gap G can be photographed by the camera 3, the positions of the upper and lower rollers 5, 6 and the camera 3 can be changed as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1 Manufacturing equipment 2 Supply roll (part of the application device) 3 Camera (detection device) 4. Circular saw (cutting device) 5 Upper roller (transport device) (part of the application device) 50 pressure roller 6 Lower roller (conveyor device) (part of the application device) 60 Support Roller 7 First conveying path 8 Second conveying path 100 decorative panels 101 Base material 102 Decorative sheet 103 Materials G Gap between substrates

Claims

1. A manufacturing apparatus for decorative panels, comprising: a conveying device that continuously conveys a plurality of substrates; an attaching device that attaches a decorative sheet to an upper surface of the substrates conveyed by the conveying device to form a material in which the plurality of substrates are integrally joined by the decorative sheet; a detecting device that detects boundaries between the substrates of the material formed by the attaching device; and a cutting device that cuts the decorative sheet at the boundaries between the substrates detected by the detecting device to form a decorative panel; the conveying device includes a first conveying path that conveys the material upstream of the detection device, and a second conveying path that is connected downstream of the first conveying path and conveys the material in a direction angled with respect to the first conveying path, A decorative panel manufacturing device characterized in that a gap is formed between the base materials by folding the material at the boundary between the first conveying path and the second conveying path, and the gap is detected by the detection device.

2. the attachment device attaches the decorative sheet to the top surface and both left and right side surfaces of the base material, 2. The decorative board manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cutting device cuts the decorative sheet with a blade having a thickness greater than the gap between the substrates.

3. 3. The decorative board manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the cutting device cuts the decorative sheet while the gaps between the substrates are closed.

4. the detection device is a camera that photographs the gap between the base materials from the lower surface side of the material, 3. The decorative board manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the conveying device includes a pressure roller that presses down the upper surface of the material at a position facing the detecting device.

5. the conveying device is provided on the upstream side and downstream side of the detecting device, and includes a pair of support rollers for supporting a lower surface of the material; 5. The decorative board manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the detection device is disposed midway between the pair of support rollers.

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