Method for sorting sanitary paper bundles and method for manufacturing sanitary paper bundle products

Abstract

This technology provides the ability to appropriately distribute bundles of sanitary paper into multiple routes. [Solution] A method for sorting sanitary paper bundles B, comprising a transport step of transporting multiple sanitary paper bundles B at intervals along a single main path using a conveyor, and a sorting step of sorting at least a portion of the sanitary paper bundles B traveling along the main path into one or more sub-paths. The sorting step includes an extrusion step of pushing at least a portion of the sanitary paper bundles B traveling along the main path laterally using an extrusion device 20 and sliding them laterally on a conveyor, and a sorting adjustment function that changes the amount of sanitary paper bundles sorted for each path.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for diverting the conveyance path during the conveyance of a bundle of sanitary paper such as tissue paper. The present invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a sanitary paper product in which a bundle of sanitary paper is packaged with a flexible film or the like.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a product in which sanitary paper such as tissue paper is packaged with a resin film (so-called soft pack product) has been known (Patent Document 1).

[0003] In the production of tissue paper, generally, a continuous sheet drawn from a number of original roll is folded by a multi-station folder (also called a multi-stand interfolder), and then cut into individual sizes by a cutting machine to obtain a bundle of sanitary paper (Patent Document 2). According to such a method, a bundle of sanitary paper can be obtained at high speed and continuously.

[0004] [[ID=2,0]]Furthermore, a packaging machine for automatically accommodating a plurality of articles bundled together in a packaging bag such as a resin film is also known (Patent Document 3). Such a packaging machine is configured to push a plurality of articles into the packaging bag through the opening of the packaging bag after widening the opening of the packaging bag and maintaining the widened state of the packaging bag.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Summary of the Invention

[0006] Incidentally, when manufacturing soft pack products in which bundles of sanitary paper such as tissue paper are wrapped in resin film, it is conceivable to employ a manufacturing process in which a multi-machine is used to rapidly and continuously generate bundles of sanitary paper, and then a packaging machine such as the one described in Patent Document 3 is used to push the bundles of sanitary paper into the packaging bag. However, as mentioned above, the packaging machine for resin film requires a procedure in which the packaging bag is opened and then pushed into the packaging bag while maintaining that state, which presents the challenge of rapidly storing the bundles of sanitary paper into the packaging bag. In particular, since both the bundles of sanitary paper and the inside of the packaging bag are soft, in order to properly store the bundles of sanitary paper in the packaging bag, it is necessary to push them into the packaging bag at a relatively low speed. Thus, while a multi-machine can generate bundles of sanitary paper at high speed and continuously, the fact that a film packaging machine cannot adequately match the generation speed of this multi-machine is a manufacturing challenge for soft pack products.

[0007] To address these challenges, the inventors are considering a method for manufacturing soft pack products in which bundles of sanitary paper obtained by a multi-machine are distributed and transported along multiple transport paths, and packaging machines are placed along each transport path to sequentially package the bundles of sanitary paper. As an example of a device for distributing items along a transport path, the one described in Patent Document 4 can be considered. Patent Document 4 proposes a device that uses one lever rotation mechanism and a rotating lever to evenly distribute items from one inlet row to two discharge rows.

[0008] The sorting device described in Patent Document 4 can sort items transported along one main path into another secondary path. However, in the configuration of the sorting device described in Patent Document 4, the main path and secondary path are set to run in close proximity and parallel to each other. Therefore, it is limited to selecting whether to transport items along one main path directly along the main path or to sort them into the other secondary path. Furthermore, it is difficult to directly introduce the configuration of the sorting device described in Patent Document 4, which uses a lever rotation mechanism and a rotating lever, into a sorting device for sanitary paper bundles, which are soft and easily crumbled.

[0009] Furthermore, while the packaging machines located along each route operate at varying speeds depending on their operating status, if the sorting device distributes the products evenly across all routes, the distribution will be adjusted to match the slowest operating packaging machine. However, routes with surplus operating speed will not be fully utilized, thus reducing the overall production capacity of the facility.

[0010] Therefore, the main objective of the present invention is to provide a technology that can appropriately distribute bundles of sanitary paper into multiple paths in quantities that match the operating conditions of the packaging machine. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] A first aspect of the present invention relates to a method for sorting sanitary paper bundles. The sorting method according to the present invention includes a conveying step and a sorting step. In the conveying step, multiple sanitary paper bundles are conveyed at intervals along a single main path by a conveyor. In the sorting step, at least a portion (or all) of the sanitary paper bundles moving along this main path are sorted into one or more sub-paths. Here, this sorting step includes an extrusion step and a guiding step. In the extrusion step, at least a portion of the sanitary paper bundles moving along the main path are pushed laterally by a sorting device and slid laterally on a conveyor. In the following guiding step, the sanitary paper bundles pushed out in the extrusion step are guided to a sub-path that moves diagonally with respect to the main path. That is, in this guiding step, the sanitary paper bundles move so as to gradually move away from the main path. In this way, by further guiding the sanitary paper bundles pushed out by the sorting device in the extrusion step, a sub-path can be set at a position far from the main path. This makes it possible to set up multiple sub-paths for a single main path. While the present invention provides a technology that allows for the setting of multiple sub-paths for a single main path, it is not necessarily required to have multiple sub-paths. In other words, it is also possible to use the distribution method of the present invention to distribute a stack of sanitary paper into one main path and one sub-path.

[0012] In the sorting method according to the present invention, it is preferable that the number of sanitary paper bundles extruded in one extrusion step is equal, and more preferably that it is one bundle.

[0013] In the sorting method according to the present invention, it is preferable that multiple sets of sorting devices and individual conveyors are provided along the main path.

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

[0015] The sorting method according to the present invention may further include a total amount sorting step. In the total amount sorting step, all of the toilet paper bundles traveling on the main path are sorted to the sub-path. In this case, the end of the main path can be the discharging step, and the toilet paper bundles that are conveyed on the main path without being sorted are removed from the manufacturing process.

[0016] In the sorting method according to the present invention, in the extrusion step, the contact piece of the sorting device may be brought into contact with the side surface of the toilet paper bundle that is opposite to the side surface where the crease of the lowermost toilet paper is located among the side surfaces of the toilet paper bundle.

[0017] In the sorting method according to the present invention, it is preferable to have a sorting adjustment function for switching the amount of toilet paper bundles sorted to each path. It is possible to detect the packaging capacity amount of the sorting destination path and change the sorting amount of the toilet paper bundles for each path according to the packaging capacity amount.

[0018] The second aspect of the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a toilet paper bundle product. The toilet paper bundle product referred to here is a product obtained by packaging one or a plurality of toilet paper bundles. The package of the toilet paper bundle is preferably a packaging bag such as a resin film, rather than a carton. The method for manufacturing a toilet paper bundle product according to the present invention includes a step of sorting toilet paper bundles by the sorting method according to the first aspect described above, and a step of packaging the toilet paper bundles sorted by this sorting method.

Effects of the Invention

[0019] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technology capable of appropriately sorting the toilet paper bundles in an amount according to the operating conditions of the packaging machine to a plurality of paths.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 schematically shows a method for manufacturing a toilet paper bundle product. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing an embodiment of the sorting device. [Figure 3]Figure 3 shows an example of an extrusion device. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of how to combine a distribution conveyor and an inclined individual conveyor. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows a configuration example of an extrusion device. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows a configuration example of an extrusion device. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows a configuration example of an extrusion device. [Figure 8] Figure 8 schematically shows the direction in which the toilet paper bundle is extruded. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for manufacturing a toilet paper bundle product. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a flowchart from when the toilet paper bundle B is distributed to a plurality of transport routes until the toilet paper bundle B is packaged in each transport route to obtain a toilet paper bundle product.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and also includes those appropriately modified by those skilled in the art within an obvious range from the following embodiments.

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and also includes those appropriately modified by those skilled in the art within an obvious range from the following embodiments.

[0023] Figure 1 shows a method for manufacturing a sanitary paper bundle product, illustrating the process from obtaining the sanitary paper bundle B using a multi-folder 1 to packaging it with a packaging machine 4. As shown in Figure 1, the multi-folder 1 folds sanitary paper P (base paper) unfurled from numerous rolls to form a continuous laminate of sanitary paper P. The multi-folder 1 is equipped with a number of rolls corresponding to the number of sanitary paper bundles. For example, to obtain a product consisting of 200 sets of two-ply tissues (400 sheets in total), the multi-folder 1 is equipped with 200 sets of two-roll rolls (400 rolls in total). Such a multi-folder 1 (multi-stand interfolder) can be a known type. Next, the laminate of sanitary paper P formed by the multi-folder 1 is transported downstream and cut at predetermined intervals by a cutting machine 2. This results in individual sanitary paper bundles B. A known rotary cutter can be used as the cutting machine 2. In this way, sanitary paper bundles B can be produced at high speed and continuously. In sanitary paper stack B, each sheet of sanitary paper is folded in half, and the halves of two other sheets of sanitary paper are inserted between each sheet, so that when one sheet of sanitary paper is lifted, the sheets below it also lift up, creating a pop-up style stack.

[0024] Subsequently, multiple stacks of sanitary paper B are transported downstream in a single line by a conveyor or the like. There is a speed difference between the transport speed of sanitary paper B within the cutting device 2 and the transport speed of sanitary paper B by the conveyor immediately following it, with the transport speed of sanitary paper B by the conveyor immediately following it being set to be faster. This widens the spacing between the sanitary paper B stacks. However, it is not always necessary to create a speed difference on the conveyor immediately following the cutting device; the spacing of the sanitary paper B stacks can be adjusted between the cutting device and the sorting device. When sorting in three or more directions, the spacing of sanitary paper B stacks is preferably 5% to 30% of the product length, and more preferably 10% to 25%. If it is less than 5%, there is a risk that the stacks will come into contact with the products before and after them during sorting, causing their orientation to change or the stacks to collapse. If it is greater than 30%, the transport speed will be too fast, and the size of equipment such as deceleration processes will increase. A sorting device 3 is provided downstream of the cutting device 2. The details of the sorting device 3 will be described later, but this sorting device 3 has the function of sorting multiple bundles of sanitary paper B that have been transported in a single line along one transport path into multiple transport paths. It is advisable to install a known discharge device in the transport path between the cutting machine 2 and the sorting device 3 that detects defects in the sanitary paper bundles B and discharges the sanitary paper bundles B that are deemed defective. Such a discharge device is placed for purposes such as discharging sanitary paper bundles B that are not ready to be sold as products at the initial stage, or discharging sanitary paper bundles B that are not ready to be sold as products in the event of a sudden stop due to trouble in a downstream process. It is also possible to use the main path as the discharge destination. In this case, the items to be discharged can be transported to the discharge section at the end of the main path without being sorted by the extruder. In the example shown in Figure 1, multiple bundles of sanitary paper B are sorted into three transport paths. It should be noted that the number of transport paths for sanitary paper bundles B is not limited to three; there may be two or four or more.Furthermore, in conventional lanes that use guides to switch lanes, it is necessary to set a sufficiently wide product spacing to guide the leading product that continues to move due to transport during the switching timing and until the switch is made, or to extend and retract the guide while guiding. However, in this method, contact pieces are moved along with the transport of the product from the main path to guide it and then removed into the secondary path. As a result, it is not necessary to set a large product spacing, and operation at a low transport speed is possible. Complex mechanisms are not required, so compact equipment and stable production are possible.

[0025] Furthermore, a packaging machine 4 is provided downstream of each transport path. The packaging machine 4 should preferably be one that has the function of packaging one or more bundles of sanitary paper B into flexible packaging bags such as resin film. The packaging bags are preferably made of resin such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyester, or polyvinyl acetate. However, the packaging bags may also be paper bags. As such a packaging machine, a known one such as the one disclosed in Patent Document 3 can be used. In this way, a sanitary paper bundle product (a so-called soft pack product) can be manufactured by packaging one or more bundles of sanitary paper B in packaging bags.

[0026] [1. First Embodiment] Figure 2 shows a first embodiment of the sorting device 3. To give an overview, the sorting device 3 according to the first embodiment is configured to sort bundles of sanitary paper B introduced into the sorting conveyor 12 into multiple inclined individual conveyors 13 using an extrusion device 20 on the sorting conveyor 12. As shown in Figure 2, the path that transports the bundles of sanitary paper B directly downstream from the main conveyor 11 is called the "main path". In other words, the transport path of the bundles of sanitary paper B traveling along the main path is not changed downstream of the sorting conveyor 12. On the other hand, the paths that branch off from the main path and transport the bundles of sanitary paper B are called "secondary paths". In the example shown in Figure 2, three secondary paths are set up in addition to the main path. In the first embodiment, the transport path of the bundles of sanitary paper B is switched from the main path to a secondary path when it is pushed out by the extrusion device 20 on the sorting conveyor 12. This embodiment is an effective sorting method for distributing products along multiple paths at a product speed of 200 units / minute or more.

[0027] Specifically, the sorting device 3 according to the first embodiment includes a conveyor device 10 for transporting bundles of sanitary paper B, and a plurality of extrusion devices 20(a) to (c) for sorting the bundles of sanitary paper B into a plurality of transport paths. The conveyor device 10 includes one sorting conveyor 12 and a plurality of inclined individual conveyors 13(a) to (c). Each of the conveyors 11 to 13 can be a general belt conveyor with a structure in which an endless belt is stretched over pulleys including a drive pulley and a driven pulley. Note that transport equipment with many irregularities on the surface and high resistance is undesirable because the bundles of sanitary paper B do not slip when moving diagonally, causing abnormalities such as wrinkles and folds in the bottom sheet. Also, roller conveyors with multiple single rolls arranged in the transport direction are easy to move the bundles of sanitary paper in the lateral direction, but those with gaps between the rolls are undesirable because the bottom sheet of the bundles of sanitary paper B can get caught and torn. Therefore, it is preferable to use a flat belt with minimal surface irregularities for conveying the sanitary paper stacks.

[0028] The sorting conveyor 12 transports all of the multiple sanitary paper bundles B that are subject to sorting by the sorting device 3. Preferably, the multiple sanitary paper bundles B are arranged in a single line with spacing between them on the sorting conveyor 12. On the sorting conveyor 12, the sanitary paper bundles B are slid to switch their transport paths.

[0029] An extrusion device 20 is provided on the distribution conveyor 12. In the example shown in Figure 2, three extrusion devices 20 are provided. When multiple extrusion devices 20 are provided, they should be arranged at intervals along the transport path (main path) of the sanitary paper bundles B. In this embodiment, the number of extrusion devices 20 corresponds to the number of sub-paths branching off from the main path. Each extrusion device 20 has a contact piece 21 that contacts the side surface of the sanitary paper bundles B. Each extrusion device 20 controls the movement of the contact piece 21 so that it diagonally crosses the main path. In this way, each extrusion device 20 presses the contact piece 21 against the side surface of the sanitary paper bundles B, causing the sanitary paper bundles B to slide on the distribution conveyor 12. As a result, the transport path of the sanitary paper bundles B deviates from the main path. An inclined individual conveyor 13 is provided at the end of the extrusion direction by the extrusion devices 20, and the sanitary paper bundles B extruded by the extrusion devices 20 are further introduced into the inclined individual conveyor 13 by the extrusion devices 20.

[0030] Figure 3 shows an example of an extrusion device 20. The extrusion device 20 shown in Figure 3 is positioned above the main path of the distribution conveyor 12. In the extrusion device 20, an endless belt 24 is stretched between a drive pulley 22 and a driven pulley 23, and by rotating the drive pulley 22 in a certain direction, the belt 24 moves in a certain direction. Contact pieces 21 are attached to the belt 24 to make contact with the side surface of the sanitary paper bundle B. Specifically, in the extrusion device 20, the lower surface of the belt 24 stretched between the drive pulley 22 and the driven pulley 23 is the moving surface toward the sanitary paper bundle B, and the upper surface of the belt 24 is the receding surface toward the sanitary paper bundle B. Therefore, when the belt 24 is rotated in a certain direction, the contact pieces 21 repeatedly move toward the sanitary paper bundle B on the lower surface of the belt 24 and move toward the sanitary paper bundle B on the upper surface of the belt 24. This allows the belt 24 to rotate so that when a stack of sanitary paper B that needs to change its transport path arrives below the extruder 20, the contact piece 21 is brought closer to the stack of sanitary paper B, and then the contact piece 21 is brought into contact with the side of the stack of sanitary paper B and pushed out at an angle, causing the stack of sanitary paper B to slide. It is preferable to use a timing belt 24, which allows for easy control of the movement and position of the contact piece 21. For the same reason, it is also possible to use chains instead of a belt 24. The movement speed of the contact piece 21 when pushing out the product (the rotation speed of the belt 24) should be equal to 1 / cosθ1 relative to the transport speed of the stack of sanitary paper B, or it may be slightly faster. After that, by rotating the belt 24 in the same direction, the contact piece 21 passes over the top of the belt 24 and returns to a position where it can push out the stack of sanitary paper B again. In this way, the contact piece 21 always moves in a constant direction (it does not reciprocate), so the sorting operation of multiple stacks of sanitary paper B being transported by the sorting conveyor 12 can be performed at high speed. Extrusion devices 20 that push out such items diagonally and sort them are well known, and for example, the "TLS Touch Line Selector" (Maruyasu Machinery Co., Ltd.) can be used.

[0031] Returning to Figure 2 for explanation, each extrusion device 20 is positioned such that the direction of travel of the contact piece 21 is inclined with respect to the direction of travel of the sorting conveyor 12. Specifically, the entry angle θ1 of the contact piece 21 (the angle between the direction of travel of the contact piece 21 and the direction of travel of the sorting conveyor 12) is preferably 15 to 35 degrees. If the entry angle θ1 of the contact piece 21 exceeds 35 degrees, when the contact piece 21 contacts the side surface of the sanitary paper stack B, the speed at which the sanitary paper stack B slides laterally becomes too fast, which may lead to problems such as the sanitary paper stack B collapsing or the top sheet peeling off. On the other hand, if the entry angle θ1 of the contact piece 21 is less than 15 degrees, the distance over which the sanitary paper stack B is pushed by the contact piece 21 to discharge it from the sorting conveyor 12 to the inclined individual conveyor 13 becomes longer, which leads to an overall increase in the length of the sorting device 3. Therefore, the entry angle θ1 of the contact piece 21 is preferably 15 to 35 degrees, and particularly preferably 20 to 30 degrees.

[0032] Furthermore, the inclination angle θ2 of the contact piece 21 (especially the surface that contacts the sanitary paper stack B) is the angle at which the contact piece 21 is inclined with respect to the direction of travel of the distribution conveyor 12 when the contact piece 21 is in a state where it is touching the side of the sanitary paper stack B. The inclination angle θ2 of the contact piece 21 may be 0 degrees, but it is preferably set to 5 to 35 degrees, and particularly preferably to 10 to 30 degrees or 20 to 25 degrees. That is, it is preferable that the contact piece 21 is gently inclined downwards towards the front so that its front end 21a (the end on the downstream side in the conveying direction) contacts the side of the sanitary paper stack B before its rear end 21b (the end on the upstream side in the conveying direction). If the inclination angle θ2 of the contact piece 21 exceeds 25 degrees, the contact piece 21 will make point contact with the sanitary paper stack B at a sharp angle, which may lead to problems such as the sanitary paper stack B collapsing. On the other hand, if the inclination angle θ2 of the contact piece 21 is less than 5 degrees, the contact piece 21 will be in almost surface contact with the sanitary paper stack B, resulting in a larger impact when the contact piece 21 contacts the sanitary paper stack B. In this case, there is a risk that the sanitary paper stack B may collapse or other problems may arise. Since the sanitary paper stack B is soft and easily collapses, it is preferable to adjust the inclination angle θ2 of the contact piece 21 to an appropriate range of 5 to 25 degrees, so that the contact piece 21 contacts the sanitary paper stack B at a gentle angle.

[0033] It is preferable that the entry angle θ1 of the contact piece 21 and the angle θ3 at which the inclined individual conveyor 13 is inclined with respect to the direction of travel of the distribution conveyor 12 are the same or θ1 < θ3. If θ3 is set to be 1 to 5 degrees greater than θ1, the contact piece 21 will move away from the sanitary paper bundle B after it has been pushed out by the extruder 20 onto the inclined individual conveyor 13 due to the difference in movement angle, thereby preventing the sanitary paper bundle B from collapsing or changing orientation due to contact between the contact piece 21 and the sanitary paper bundle B.

[0034] As shown in Figure 2, multiple inclined individual conveyors 13(a) to (c) are provided on the side of the sorting conveyor 12. Each inclined individual conveyor 13(a) to (c) is positioned to be inclined with respect to the main path on the sorting conveyor 12. Thus, the inclined individual conveyors 13 form part of a secondary path that extends diagonally with respect to the main path. As mentioned above, the sanitary paper bundles B pushed out by the extruder 20 on the sorting conveyor 12 are slid toward the side of the sorting conveyor 12 and discharged from the sorting conveyor 12, and then introduced into the inclined individual conveyors 13. In the example shown in Figure 2, there are three extruder 20s and three inclined individual conveyors 13, with one extruder 20 and one inclined individual conveyor 13 forming a pair.

[0035] When sanitary paper bundles B are transferred to different transport equipment during sorting, it is preferable that the transport speeds of the two transport equipment do not differ significantly, and more preferably, be equivalent. For example, if the speed difference is 30% or more, wrinkles will increase on the bottom sheet of the sanitary paper bundle, and if the speed difference is 50% or more, folds will occur on the bottom sheet. Therefore, it is preferable that the difference in transport speed between the two transport equipment be 30% or less.

[0036] Figure 4 shows an example of how the sorting conveyor 12 and the inclined individual conveyor 13 can be combined. In the example shown in Figure 4(a), the rear end (upstream end) of the inclined conveyor 13 is inserted into the gap between the transport surface (the surface that sends the sanitary paper bundles B downstream) and the return surface (the surface that returns to the upstream side without transporting the sanitary paper bundles B) of the sorting conveyor 12. In this case, although there is a slight step between the transport surface of the sorting conveyor 12 and the transport surface of the inclined individual conveyor 13, there is no gap between the two transport surfaces, so the sanitary paper bundles B will be smoothly transferred from the sorting conveyor 12 to the inclined individual conveyor 13. In addition, the inclination angle of the inclined individual conveyor 13 can be easily adjusted, which increases the design flexibility of the sorting device. Furthermore, there is no need to order a dedicated conveyor according to the inclination angle of the inclined individual conveyor 13, and a general-purpose conveyor can be used as this inclined individual conveyor 13, thus reducing the introduction cost of the sorting device.

[0037] As shown in the example in Figure 4(b), a conveyor with its rear end cut at an angle may be used as the inclined individual conveyor 13. In this case, the installation angle of the inclined individual conveyor 13 will be fixed, but it will be possible to prevent a step from occurring between the conveying surface of the distribution conveyor 12 and the conveying surface of the inclined individual conveyor 13. Alternatively, as shown in the example in Figure 4(c), a normal conveyor with its rear end perpendicular to the conveying direction may be used as the inclined individual conveyor 13, and a connecting plate 16 may be placed to fill the gap between the distribution conveyor 12 and the inclined individual conveyor 13. Note that the connecting plate 16 does not have the function of actively conveying the sanitary paper bundles B, so the total length of the connecting plate 16 should be less than or equal to the total length of the sanitary paper bundles B.

[0038] Next, Figure 5 shows a flowchart illustrating the process from the total amount of operating capacity (packaging capacity) of the packaging machine 4 in each transport route to adjusting the amount of sanitary paper bundles B distributed to each transport route. As shown in Figure 5, the distribution adjustment method for sanitary paper bundle products preferably includes the packaging capacity calculation step (F1), the cutting capacity determination step (F2), the cutting speed adjustment step (F3), and the distribution operation adjustment step (F4) in this order.

[0039] The packaging capacity calculation process (F1) calculates the packaging capacity for each transport route based on the operation and stop information and operating set speed of the packaging machines 4 located in each transport route, and then calculates the total packaging capacity by summing the previous transport route. It is also possible to reflect the information from the full sensor installed in the transport route before the packaging machine in the packaging capacity calculation. If the full sensor is activated due to transport trouble or excessive supply, it can be determined that there is a problem with continuing to operate the packaging machine.

[0040] Next, the cutting capacity determination process (F2) compares the operating speed of the cutting machine 2 with the packageable amount calculated in the packageable amount calculation process (F1). If the packageable amount falls below the operating speed of the cutting machine 2, the cutting speed adjustment process (F3) switches the operating speed of the cutting machine 2. It is preferable to set the operating speed of the cutting machine 2 to a speed equivalent to or 1-10% lower than the packageable amount. Slightly reducing the speed prevents congestion in the conveying process and prevents repeated unexpected stops. Furthermore, it is preferable to switch the operating speed of the cutting machine 2 to one of several preset speeds. The packageable amount calculated based on the condition of the downstream equipment and conveying equipment, as well as the operating speed, constantly changes, and the operating patterns are diverse, thus avoiding a complex control method. For example, by pre-setting speeds in 3 to 5 stages and switching to a speed slower than the calculated packageable amount, the operating patterns can be simplified, and the control method can be simplified.

[0041] Next, the distribution operation adjustment process (F4) adjusts the amount of sanitary paper bundles B supplied to each transport route in accordance with the operating speed of the cutting machine 2 instructed in the cutting speed adjustment process (F3) and the amount that can be packaged for each transport route calculated in the packageable amount calculation process (F1). Specifically, the basic cycle involves distributing bundles of sanitary paper B to each of the acceptable transport routes once, and this cycle is repeated to perform continuous distribution. For routes with a smaller packageable capacity than the other routes, a cycle is set to skip distribution and distribute only to the other routes, and this cycle is operated at a certain frequency. For example, for a line with a 10% smaller packageable capacity than other routes, a cycle that skips distribution once every 10 cycles can be operated to ensure balanced distribution. If there are multiple routes with a small packageable capacity, it is not advisable to set up a cycle that skips distribution to multiple routes within the same cycle. When distributing to multiple routes, for example, setting routes A and B in 2 to skip distribution can be done by setting up a cycle that skips distribution only to route A and a cycle that skips distribution only to route B, and operating these cycles individually to ensure balanced distribution. Furthermore, the sorting operation can be adjusted using a full-capacity sensor installed in the transport path before the packaging machine. When the full-capacity sensor is activated, the sorting operation will not be performed on that line, and can be resumed after the sensor is deactivated.

[0042] In another specific example, if distribution is repeatedly performed in the basic cycle, the supply of sanitary paper bundle B will be excessive for routes with a small packaging capacity. However, by discharging sanitary paper bundle B at a certain frequency, congestion in the transport route due to excess supply can be prevented. For example, on a line with a packaging capacity 10% less than other routes, distribution can be balanced by discharging sanitary paper bundle B once every 10 cycles. Discharge can be done using the main route as the destination without performing a distribution operation, or it can be done on each transport route after performing a distribution operation. Furthermore, the discharge operation can be adjusted using a full-capacity sensor installed in the transport path before the packaging machine. When the full-capacity sensor is activated, the sanitary paper bundle B will be discharged, and the discharge operation can be stopped after the full-capacity sensor is deactivated.

[0043] When using a full-capacity sensor for the distribution adjustment function, the line's packaging capacity is judged to be zero when the full-capacity sensor is activated. However, in reality, the full-capacity sensor is deactivated in a short time, so it is effective to set a timer to allow time before the line judges that the packaging capacity is zero.

[0044] Further details will be provided based on examples. Table 1 shows an example of equipment with four routes, each with a distribution facility upstream and a packaging facility downstream.

[0045] [Table 1] Normally, all packaging machines operate at 90 units / minute, and the total packaging capacity calculated by the packaging capacity calculation process (F1) is 360 units / minute. The set speed of the cutting machine is 360 units / minute. The operating speed of the cutting machine instructed by the cutting speed adjustment process (F3) is 360 units / minute. Under normal circumstances, the cutting machine's operating speed of 360 pieces / minute is evenly distributed to all lines at 90 pieces / minute.

[0046] In Example 1, the packaging machines along routes 1 to 3 operate at 90 units / minute, while the packaging machine along route 4 operates at a reduced speed of 70 units / minute. The total packageable capacity calculated by the packageable capacity calculation process (F1) is 340 units / minute. The operating speed of the cutting machine instructed by the cutting speed adjustment process (F3) is 340 units / minute. In the distribution operation adjustment process (F4), an adjustment is made so that distribution to route 4 is not performed for 2 out of 9 cycles, and distribution is performed only for routes 1 to 3. As a result, sanitary paper bundles B are distributed and supplied at a rate of 90 units / minute to routes 1 to 3 and 70 units / minute to route 4.

[0047] In Example 2, the packaging machines along routes 1 to 3 operate at 90 units / minute, while the packaging machine along route 4 operates at a reduced speed of 70 units / minute. The total packageable capacity calculated by the packageable capacity calculation process (F1) is 340 units / minute. The operating speed of the cutting machine instructed by the cutting speed adjustment process (F3) is 340 units / minute. In the distribution operation adjustment process (F4), the distribution operation is adjusted by switching between pattern A, which distributes 85 units / minute to paths 1-4, and pattern B, which distributes 113 units / minute to paths 1-3. As a result, sanitary paper bundles B are distributed and supplied at a rate of 90 units / minute to paths 1-3 and 70 units / minute to path 4. The switching between pattern A and pattern B can be done in a ratio of A:B=7:2, or it is possible to use the full sensor on path 4 to distribute using pattern B when the full sensor is activated and pattern A when the full sensor is not activated.

[0048] In Example 3, the packaging machines on routes 1 to 3 operate at 90 units / minute, while the packaging machine on route 4 operates at a reduced speed of 70 units / minute. The total packageable capacity calculated by the packageable capacity calculation process (F1) is 340 units / minute. The operating speed of the cutting machine instructed by the cutting speed adjustment process (F3) is 340 units / minute. The distribution operation adjustment process (F4) distributes the paper evenly to paths 1-4 at a rate of 85 units / minute, and discharges the sanitary paper bundle B from path 4 at a constant frequency of 15 units / minute. As a result, 90 units / minute of sanitary paper bundle B are distributed to paths 1-3, and 70 units / minute are distributed to path 4. Discharge operation and stopping can be controlled using the full-capacity sensor in path 4; discharge will start when the full-capacity sensor is activated, and stop when the full-capacity sensor is not activated.

[0049] In Example 4, the packaging machines on routes 1 to 3 operate at 90 units / minute, while the packaging machine on route 4 operates at a reduced speed of 70 units / minute. The total packageable capacity calculated in the packageable capacity calculation process (F1) is 340 units / minute. The operating speed of the cutting machine instructed in the cutting speed adjustment process (F3) is set to 300 units / minute, selected from three preset speeds of 100 units / minute, 200 units / minute, and 300 units / minute, which is the maximum speed at which packageable capacity > cutting machine instruction speed. The sorting operation adjustment process (F4) adjusts the sorting operation so that once every eight cycles, sorting is not performed on path 4, and sorting is performed only on paths 1 to 3, thereby sorting and supplying sanitary paper bundles B. While it is possible to change the sorting operation frequency precisely, doing so within 10 cycles is effective for simplifying the operation.

[0050] Figures 6 to 8 are schematic diagrams of the extruder 20 viewed from the side, illustrating the relationship between the extruder 20 and the sanitary paper bundles B, as well as examples of improvements and modifications to the extruder 20. Figure 6(a) shows an extruder 20 having one contact piece 21. As mentioned above, the extruder 20 is configured to repeatedly push out the sanitary paper bundles B by rotating the chain (or belt) 24 in a certain direction, which in turn rotates the contact piece 21 attached to the chain 24. In the example shown in Figure 6(a), the number of sanitary paper bundles n pushed out by one extrusion operation by the contact piece 21 is 1. The number of sanitary paper bundles B transported along the transport path (mainly the main path) between one sanitary paper bundle B pushed out by one extrusion operation by the contact piece 21 and the next sanitary paper bundle B pushed out by the next extrusion operation is (number of paths - 1) × number of extrusions per operation, which is 3 in the case of 4 paths.

[0051] In the example shown in Figure 6(b), the number of sanitary paper bundles n extruded by a single extrusion operation (extrusion process) by the contact piece 21 is set to "2". In other words, two contact pieces 21 are arranged side by side in the extrusion device 20, and the extrusion operation by these two contact pieces 21 extrudes two sanitary paper bundles B almost simultaneously. In this way, it is also possible to arrange multiple contact pieces 21 side by side in the extrusion device 20 and extrude multiple sanitary paper bundles B almost simultaneously.

[0052] In the example shown in Figure 6(c), the extruder 20 is equipped with two contact pieces 21(a) and (b), which are positioned at spaced intervals. Therefore, in this example, the number of sanitary paper bundles n extruded by one extrusion operation (extrusion process) by the contact pieces 21 is "1". As shown in the example in Figure 6(c), it is also possible to arrange multiple contact pieces 21(a) and (b) spaced apart in the extruder 20. In this case, the rotation speed of the chain 24 can be operated at a lower speed compared to the example shown in Figure 6(a). Furthermore, while the example in Figure 6(c) allows for the continuous discharge of multiple products as in Figure 6(b), it is not desirable to discharge separated products (for example, skipping one product) in a single discharge operation. This is because, in order to discharge separated products, the contact pieces must be spaced apart, and it is not possible to accommodate changes in product spacing or positional shifts. As shown in the example in Figure 6(c), when the number of discharges in one cycle n=1, placing the contact piece at the target position of the rotation is preferable because it eliminates the need to return the contact piece to its fixed position, creating more time for operation, and also reduces the load by reducing the number of rotations of the equipment. For n=2 or more, for example in the case of 2, it is undesirable because the discharge side continues to discharge the second item when the return contact piece has returned to the standby position for the next operation.

[0053] In the example shown in Figure 7, two extrusion devices 20(a) and (b) are arranged side by side and used as an extrusion means for one location. For example, in the embodiment shown in Figure 7, it is assumed that two extrusion devices 20(a) and (b) are used as a single extrusion means to perform the sorting process to one inclined individual conveyor 13. Each of the two extrusion devices 20(a) and (b) is equipped with one contact piece 21(a) and (b), a drive pulley 22(a) and (b), a driven pulley 23(a) and (b), and a chain 24(a) and (b). Therefore, the rotation speed of the chains 24(a) and (b) and the timing of contacting the contact pieces 21(a) and (b) with the sanitary paper stack B can be controlled independently for each of the two extrusion devices 20(a) and (b). The example in Figure 7 is the most preferable equipment because it can discharge one product at equal intervals, achieve a discharge rate of 50% or more, and allow for distribution to two lanes.

[0054] Figure 8 shows a modified example of a contact piece 21 installed in the extruder 20. As shown in Figure 8, the contact surface of the contact piece 21 that contacts the side surface of a single stack of sanitary paper B may be divided into multiple small pieces. In this case, when the contact piece 21 folds back at the rear or front end of the extruder 20, the small pieces constituting the contact piece 21 will separate from each other as it passes over the curved surface of the drive pulley 22 or driven pulley 23. This allows the contact piece 21 to move smoothly over this curved surface, thereby suppressing malfunctions and other problems in the extruder 20.

[0055] Figure 9 shows the direction in which the contact piece 21 of the extruder 20 is brought into contact with the sanitary paper stack B. Specifically, the sanitary paper stack B is formed by folding each sheet of sanitary paper in half, with the halves of two other sheets of sanitary paper inserted between each sheet, so that when one sheet of sanitary paper is lifted, the sheets below it are also lifted, creating a pop-up type stack. The bottom layer of sanitary paper PL in the sanitary paper stack B also has a fold (shown as a dotted circle in the figure). In this case, it is preferable that the contact piece 21 of the extruder 20 be brought into contact with the side of the sanitary paper stack B from the opposite side of the fold in the bottom layer of sanitary paper PL. This prevents the sanitary paper stack B from collapsing or the bottom layer of sanitary paper PL from curling up when the sanitary paper stack B is pushed out by the contact piece 21. Note that the extruder 20 itself is fixed and cannot be moved, so it is advisable to adjust the orientation of the sanitary paper stack B introduced into the main path in advance so that the extrusion direction is as shown in Figure 9. It is preferable to perform all lane switching (distribution) in the same direction relative to the main path. This is particularly effective in areas where there are steps or differences in elevation between conveyors.

[0056] Next, Figure 10 shows a flowchart illustrating the process from distributing the sanitary paper bundles B to multiple transport paths, to packaging the sanitary paper bundles B at each transport path, and obtaining the sanitary paper bundle products. As shown in Figure 10, the manufacturing method for the sanitary paper bundle products preferably includes the distribution step (S1), the deceleration step (S2), the spacing adjustment step (S3), and the packaging step (S4) in this order.

[0057] The sorting process (S1) is the process of distributing multiple bundles of sanitary paper B, which are continuously transported along one path, to multiple transport paths. The details of the sorting process are as described above.

[0058] The deceleration process (S2) is a process that reduces the transport speed of the sanitary paper bundles B in each transport path after the sorting process. As mentioned above, the multi-unit machine 1 (see Figure 1) generates sanitary paper bundles B at high speed, and the sanitary paper bundles B are distributed to each transport path by the sorting device 3 while maintaining their transport speed. At this time, if the transport speed after the sorting process remains the same, the packaging machines 4 installed in each transport path may not be able to cope. Therefore, it is preferable to reduce the transport speed of the sanitary paper bundles B after the sorting process to a speed that the packaging machines 4 can cope with. By removing products from the main path at regular intervals, the product spacing becomes wider as a result, and it becomes necessary to decelerate and adjust the product spacing. In particular, sorting is preferable because it is done one product at a time at equal intervals, so that the product spacing conveyed to each lane remains constant, and the product spacing can be easily adjusted by adjusting the conveyor speed after sorting.

[0059] The spacing adjustment step (S3) is a step that adjusts the spacing between sanitary paper bundles B in each transport path after the deceleration step. Since there may be variations in the spacing between sanitary paper bundles B distributed to each transport path, it is preferable to adjust the spacing between sanitary paper bundles B to be somewhat uniform before introducing them into the packaging machine 4. Here, we will mainly describe an example in which the spacing adjustment step is performed for the purpose of widening the spacing between sanitary paper bundles B. As described above, it is preferable to gradually decelerate the speed of the sanitary paper bundles B in each transport path, but in this case, the spacing between the sanitary paper bundles B will gradually narrow. That is, in each transport path, the sanitary paper bundles B are transported continuously, but for example, when the first sanitary paper bundle B is transferred from a conveyor with a transport speed to a conveyor with a transport speed, the first sanitary paper bundle B will decelerate. Then, the second sanitary paper bundle B that follows will continue to be transported by the faster conveyor, so the spacing between the first sanitary paper bundle B and the second sanitary paper bundle B will narrow. Therefore, it is advisable to perform spacing adjustment to widen the gaps between the sanitary paper bundles B that have narrowed after the deceleration process. Note that if the overall transport speed of the equipment is slow, the deceleration process (S2) is not necessarily required, and the spacing adjustment process (S3) alone may suffice. In this spacing adjustment process, adjustments can be made to narrow the gaps between the sanitary paper bundles B that have spread apart in groups (several bundles) during sorting, to make the spacing between the sanitary paper bundles B closer to equal intervals, or, on the conveyor just before packaging, to dispense the sanitary paper bundles one by one in accordance with the timing of the packaging machine.

[0060] In the packaging process (S4), after spacing adjustment, the sanitary paper bundles B are packaged using packaging machines 4 arranged along each transport path to obtain sanitary paper bundle products. The packaging machine 4 may individually package each sanitary paper bundle B into a packaging bag, or it may collect multiple sanitary paper bundles B and package them into a packaging bag.

[0061] Based on information detected by sensors regarding the operating / stopping status of downstream equipment and congestion on the conveyor line, the system automatically switches the destination so that sanitary paper bundles are not sent to routes where operation cannot continue. It also automatically adjusts the quantity of sanitary paper bundles by slowing down the cutting equipment and adjusts the conveying speed and product spacing by increasing or decreasing the speed of each conveyor according to the number of destination routes. If the condition of the downstream process improves, the destination can be automatically restored. Alternatively, the conveying speed of the equipment downstream of the cutting device can be kept constant, and the speed of the cutting device can be increased or decreased according to the number of downstream distribution lines, thereby changing and adjusting the sanitary paper bundle spacing.

[0062] In this specification, embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings in order to express the content of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and includes modifications and improvements that are obvious to those skilled in the art based on the matters described in this specification. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0063] 1...Multi-unit machine 2...Cutting machine 3… Sorting device 4… Packing machine 10...Conveyor system 11...Main conveyor 12... Distribution conveyor 13... Inclined individual conveyor 16...Gangway plate 20...Extruder 21... Contact piece 22... Drive pulley 23... Driven pulley 24... Belt P…Sanitary paper B…Sanitary paper stack

Claims

1. A method for sorting stacks of sanitary paper, A conveying process in which multiple bundles of sanitary paper are transported along a single main path at intervals using a conveyor, The process includes a sorting step of distributing at least a portion of the sanitary paper bundle traveling along the main path to one or more sub-paths, The aforementioned sorting process is, An extrusion step in which at least a portion of the sanitary paper bundle moving along the main path is pushed laterally by a sorting device and slid laterally on a conveyor, It includes a distribution adjustment function that detects the packaging capacity of each distribution route and changes the amount of sanitary paper bundles distributed to each route according to the packaging capacity. Method for sorting stacks of sanitary paper.

2. The aforementioned distribution adjustment function is, This includes changing the amount of sanitary paper distributed by changing the number of times the paper is distributed to each distribution route. The distribution method according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned distribution adjustment function is, This includes removing a portion of the sanitary paper bundles that are to be distributed to each destination route from the route. The distribution method according to claim 1.

4. The aforementioned distribution adjustment function is, The basic cycle consists of distributing the goods once to each of the aforementioned distribution routes, and includes cycles that do not involve distribution, at a frequency that matches the packaging capacity of each distribution route. The distribution method according to claim 2 or claim 3.

5. The aforementioned distribution adjustment function is, The basic cycle consists of distributing the data once to each of the aforementioned destination routes. The packaging capacity of the aforementioned distribution route is detected by a full-capacity sensor on the transport line of the distribution route, distribution is not performed to the route where full capacity is detected, and distribution is resumed after the full-capacity sensor is deactivated. The distribution method according to claim 2 or claim 3.

6. A step of sorting the sanitary paper bundles according to the sorting method described in claim 1, The process includes packaging the bundles of sanitary paper sorted by the sorting method described above. A method for manufacturing sanitary paper bundle products.

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