Sheet stacker for single-sided corrugated sheets

Abstract

To provide a sheet stacker for a single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet capable of stably stacking single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets.SOLUTION: A sheet stacking part 11 is provided with: a sheet side edge support guide 34 movably supported between a sheet holding position for supporting a side edge of a single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 along a sheet conveying direction and a sheet holding release position for releasing the support of the side edge of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 and dropping the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4; and a sheet side edge support guide reciprocating drive device 42 for reciprocating the sheet side edge support guide 34 between the sheet holding position and the sheet holding release position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet stacker for single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets that stacks single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets conveyed from an upstream side in order to form a stack of sheets. [Background technology]

[0002] Single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets are widely used as cushioning materials to prevent damage to products, and as materials for packaging boxes. Single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets consist of a corrugated core and a liner attached to one side of the core, and are characterized by being more flexible and having superior cushioning performance than general double-sided corrugated cardboard sheets (corrugated cardboard sheets consisting of a core, a front liner attached to one side of the core, and a back liner attached to the other side of the core).

[0003] In manufacturing this single-faced cardboard sheet, it is common to first use a single facer to form a continuous single-faced cardboard sheet without any breaks in the traveling direction, then cut it along its width (perpendicular to the traveling direction) into sheets using a cutoff located downstream of the single facer, and then stack the single-faced cardboard sheets into a pile of sheets using a sheet stacker located downstream of the cutoff.

[0004] The applicant of the present application has proposed a sheet stacker for use in the manufacture of single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets, as disclosed in Patent Document 1. The sheet stacker in Patent Document 1 has a wrap conveyor that transports single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets in a state where adjacent single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets overlap like roof tiles at the front and rear of the sheet transport direction, and a sheet stacking section where the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets discharged from the wrap conveyor fall and are stacked. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5472777 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the sheet stacker for single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets in Patent Document 1, the single-faced cardboard sheets are conveyed in a direction perpendicular to the corrugations of the corrugated core, so that when the single-faced cardboard sheets are discharged from the wrap conveyor, the leading edge of the single-faced cardboard sheets tends to droop under their own weight.

[0007] In addition, in the sheet stacker for single-faced cardboard sheets in Patent Document 1, the single-faced cardboard sheets are transported by a wrap conveyor with the core on top and the liner on the bottom, so that the top surface of the single-faced cardboard sheets discharged from the wrap conveyor to the sheet stacking section and stacked is the uneven surface of the corrugated core.

[0008] As a result, when a single-sided cardboard sheet is discharged from the wrap conveyor, the hanging end of the single-sided cardboard sheet gets caught on the upper surface (the uneven surface of the core) of a single-sided cardboard sheet that has already been stacked in the sheet stacking section, causing the single-sided cardboard sheet to bend as it is discharged from the wrap conveyor, resulting in a jam.

[0009] To solve this problem, the sheet stacker for single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets in Patent Document 1 has a spiral brush roller installed in the sheet stacking section. The spiral brush roller is a roller supported rotatably around a vertical axis, with brushes spirally embedded in the outer periphery, and is constantly driven by a motor to lift upward the side edges of single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets discharged from the wrap conveyor.

[0010] The purpose of this spiral brush roller is to prevent the leading edge of a single-faced cardboard sheet discharged from a wrap conveyor from drooping by lifting upward the side edge of the single-faced cardboard sheet discharged from the wrap conveyor.

[0011] However, even when a spiral brush roller is provided in the sheet stacking section, the leading edge of the single-sided cardboard sheet discharged from the wrap conveyor would sag before reaching the spiral brush roller and get caught on the upper surface (uneven surface of the core) of the single-sided cardboard sheet that had been stacked in the sheet stacking section first. Also, even if the leading edge of the single-sided cardboard sheet discharged from the wrap conveyor reaches the spiral brush roller, the leading edge of the single-sided cardboard sheet would then sag before reaching the front guide and get caught on the upper surface (uneven surface of the core) of the single-sided cardboard sheet that had been stacked in the sheet stacking section first. This made it difficult to stably stack the single-sided cardboard sheets discharged from the wrap conveyor.

[0012] The problem to be solved by this invention is to provide a sheet stacker for single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets that is capable of stably stacking single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a sheet stacker for single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets having the following configuration. That is, a wrap conveyor that conveys a single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet consisting of a corrugated medium and a liner attached to one side of the medium, with the medium on the upper side and the liner on the lower side, with the direction perpendicular to the corrugations of the medium as the sheet conveying direction, and with adjacent single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets overlapping each other like roof tiles in the front and rear of the sheet conveying direction; A sheet stacker for single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets, comprising: a sheet stacking section disposed downstream of the wrap conveyor, into which single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets discharged from the wrap conveyor fall and are stacked; The sheet stack portion includes: a sheet side edge support guide supported movably between a sheet holding position that supports the side edge of the single-faced cardboard sheet discharged from the wrap conveyor along the sheet conveying direction and a sheet holding release position that releases support for the side edge of the single-faced cardboard sheet to allow the single-faced cardboard sheet to fall; a sheet side edge support guide reciprocating drive device that reciprocates the sheet side edge support guide between the sheet holding position and the sheet holding release position; A front guide is provided to receive the leading end of the single-faced cardboard sheet discharged from the wrap conveyor. The sheet side edge support guide is a plate-like member arranged to face the side edge of the single-faced cardboard sheet discharged from the wrap conveyor in the sheet width direction, the guide surface facing the side edge of the single-faced cardboard sheet is inclined in a downward tapering direction, and is formed to extend to the position of the front guide so as to support the side edge of the single-faced cardboard sheet until the leading end of the single-faced cardboard sheet discharged from the wrap conveyor reaches the front guide.

[0014] In this way, when the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet is discharged from the wrap conveyor to the sheet stacking section, the side edge of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet is supported by the sheet side edge support guide. At this time, the weight of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet causes the center of the width direction of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet to bend lower than the side edge of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet, so that the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet supported by the sheet side edge support guide is in an upward warping state with its side edge positioned higher than the center, and this warping increases the rigidity of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet in the sheet conveying direction, preventing the leading end of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet from sagging. Here, the sheet side edge support guide has a guide surface that is inclined in a downward tapering direction and is formed to extend to the position of the front guide, so that the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet is supported by the inclined sheet side edge support guide while increasing its upward warping state due to its own weight, and reaches the front guide. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the leading edge of the single-faced cardboard sheet from getting caught on the upper surface (the uneven surface of the corrugated core) of the single-faced cardboard sheet that has been stacked in the sheet stacking section before it reaches the front guide. The sheet side edge support guide reciprocating drive device reciprocates the sheet side edge support guide between the sheet holding position and the sheet holding release position, so that the single-faced cardboard sheet that has been supported in an upwardly warped state by the sheet side edge support guide and reached the front guide falls from the sheet side edge support guide when the sheet side edge support guide moves to the sheet holding release position, and is stacked on top of the pile of sheets in the sheet stacking section. As described above, the leading edge of the single-faced cardboard sheet discharged from the wrap conveyor to the sheet stacking section does not get caught on the upper surface (the uneven surface of the corrugated core) of the single-faced cardboard sheet that has been stacked in the sheet stacking section before, so that the single-faced cardboard sheets can be stacked stably.

[0015] It is preferable to provide a sheet pressing roller above the downstream end of the wrap conveyor for pressing the single-faced cardboard sheet against the upper surface of the downstream end of the wrap conveyor.

[0016] In this way, the sheet pressing roller presses the single-faced cardboard sheet against the upper surface of the downstream end of the wrap conveyor, so that the single-faced cardboard sheet discharged from the wrap conveyor can be reliably transported forward in the sheet transport direction until just before the sheet is completely discharged from the wrap conveyor. Therefore, the single-faced cardboard sheet discharged from the wrap conveyor can be reliably sent out until it reaches the front guide while being slidably supported by the sheet side edge support guide.

[0017] The wrap conveyor is preferably composed of a plurality of belt conveyors arranged in a series in the sheet transport direction, the belt conveyor located most downstream among the plurality of belt conveyors being composed of a plurality of split conveyors arranged parallel to the sheet width direction, and each of the split conveyors being preferably supported so as to be individually swingable so that the single-sided cardboard sheet can be discharged in a deformed upwardly curved state in which both side edges in the sheet width direction are positioned higher than the center.

[0018] In this way, the single-faced cardboard sheet discharged from the wrap conveyor is reliably curved upward, and the leading edge of the single-faced cardboard sheet discharged from the wrap conveyor can be effectively prevented from sagging.

[0019] The sheet side edge support guide can be configured to swing about a swing axis arranged parallel to the sheet conveying direction between the sheet holding position in which the guide surface of the sheet side edge support guide facing the side edge of the single-sided cardboard sheet is inclined in a downward tapering direction, and the sheet holding release position in which the inclination of the guide surface opens in the vertical direction, and the single-sided cardboard sheet that has been supported by the sheet side edge support guide and reached the front guide falls.

[0020] In this way, the oscillation of the sheet side edge support guide makes it possible to simultaneously support the side edge of the single-sided cardboard sheet being discharged from the wrap conveyor with the sheet side edge support guide and drop the single-sided cardboard sheet that has reached the front guide.

[0021] It is preferable to adopt a configuration in which the sheet stacking section is provided with a back jogger that reciprocates so as to press and align the rear ends of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets that fall from the sheet side edge support guides.

[0022] In this way, it is possible to effectively align the falling position of the single-faced cardboard sheet in the sheet conveying direction. In other words, in general, the rigidity of a single-faced cardboard sheet in the sheet conveying direction (the direction perpendicular to the corrugations of the core) is weak, so that even if the rear end of a falling single-faced cardboard sheet is pressed, the rear end portion of the single-faced cardboard sheet is deformed and the pressing force is absorbed, making it difficult to push the entire falling single-faced cardboard sheet in the sheet conveying direction, but in the above-mentioned sheet stacker for single-faced cardboard sheets, the single-faced cardboard sheet falls from the sheet side edge support guide in an upwardly curved state, and in the upwardly curved state, the rigidity of the single-faced cardboard sheet in the sheet conveying direction is high, so that when the rear end of the falling single-faced cardboard sheet is pressed, the pressing force is transmitted over the entire length of the single-faced cardboard sheet in the sheet conveying direction, making it possible to push the entire falling single-faced cardboard sheet in the sheet conveying direction. Therefore, it is possible to effectively align the falling position of the single-faced cardboard sheet in the sheet conveying direction.

[0023] The sheet side edge support guide is provided so as to be movable in the sheet width direction according to the width dimension of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet, The front guide is provided in a plurality of positions aligned in the seat width direction, Of the multiple front guides, it is preferable to adopt a configuration in which the front guide located on the outside in the sheet width direction is movable up and down between a receiving position where it receives the leading edge of the single-sided cardboard sheet and a retracted position moved upward from the receiving position so as not to interfere with the sheet side edge support guide.

[0024] In this way, among the multiple front guides lined up in the sheet width direction, the outer front guide in the sheet width direction is made movable, so that when the sheet side edge support guide is moved inward in the sheet width direction according to the width dimension of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet, the sheet side edge support guide can be prevented from interfering with the front guide. Therefore, when the production lot of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet is changed and the width dimension of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet changes, it is possible to move the sheet side edge support guide in accordance with the width dimension of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet.

[0025] It is preferable that the sheet stacking section is provided with a partition plate that is movable up and down at the center in the sheet width direction.

[0026] In this way, when producing single-sided cardboard sheets divided in two in the center in the sheet width direction, the partition plate is lowered, one side edge of the single-sided cardboard sheet is supported by the sheet side edge support guide, and the other side edge of the single-sided cardboard sheet is brought into contact with the partition plate, thereby preventing the leading edge of the single-sided cardboard sheet from sagging. Effect of the Invention

[0027] The sheet stacker for single-faced cardboard sheets of this invention is capable of stacking single-faced cardboard sheets stably because the leading edge of each single-faced cardboard sheet discharged from the wrap conveyor to the sheet stacking section does not get caught on the top surface (the uneven surface of the core) of the single-faced cardboard sheets previously stacked in the sheet stacking section. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a sheet stacker and its periphery in a single-faced corrugated cardboard manufacturing apparatus using a sheet stacker for single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a belt conveyor located immediately before the sheet stacking unit among a series of belt conveyors constituting the wrap conveyor shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3]Plan view of the sheet stacking section shown in Figure 1 and the belt conveyor located just before it [Figure 4] Cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in Figure 3. [Diagram 5] Cross-sectional view taken along line VV in Figure 3. [Figure 6] A cross-sectional view of the partition plate and its lifting device shown in FIG. 3 as seen from the sheet width direction. [Figure 7] A view of the belt conveyor shown in Figure 3 from the sheet stacking side. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the sheet side edge support guide and its vicinity shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the sheet side edge support guide and its vicinity shown in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 shows a state in which the sheet side edge support guide shown in FIG. 9 has swung from the sheet holding position to the sheet holding release position, and the single-faced corrugated sheet has fallen from the sheet side edge support guide onto the sheet pile. [Figure 11] A cross-sectional view of the sheet stack, front guide, back jogger, and side jogger in the sheet stacking section shown in Figure 3, viewed from above. [Figure 12] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the partition plate shown in FIG. 4 is lowered and the side edge of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet is supported by the partition plate and the sheet side edge support guide when producing a double-cut single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet. [Figure 13] 13 is a cross-sectional view of the sheet stack, the partition plate, the front guide, the back jogger, and the side jogger of the sheet stacking section as viewed from above in the state shown in FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a modified example of the partition plate shown in FIG. 12. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0029] 1 shows the downstream side of a single-faced corrugated cardboard manufacturing device using a sheet stacker 1 for single-faced corrugated cardboard according to an embodiment of the present invention. This single-faced corrugated cardboard manufacturing device is configured such that a single facer (not shown) disposed at the upstream end forms a single-faced cardboard 2 that is continuous without interruption in the traveling direction, and then a cut-off 3 disposed downstream of the single facer cuts the single-faced cardboard 2 along its width (perpendicular to the traveling direction) to form a single-faced cardboard sheet 4, and the single-faced cardboard sheet 4 is stacked in a sheet stacker 1 for single-faced cardboard disposed downstream of the cut-off 3 to form a sheet pile 5. A slitter (not shown) capable of cutting the single-faced cardboard 2 in the center in the width direction to divide it into two along the traveling direction is disposed upstream of the cut-off 3.

[0030] The cutoff 3 has knife cylinders 6 arranged above and below with the single-faced corrugated cardboard 2 transported from the upstream side between them. A knife is fixed to the outer periphery of each knife cylinder 6. The cutoff 3 rotates the upper and lower knife cylinders 6 to engage the upper and lower knives, and cuts the single-faced corrugated cardboard 2 with these upper and lower knives.

[0031] Downstream of the cutoff 3, a cutoff exit conveyor 8, a warp forming conveyor 9, and a sheet stacker 1 for single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets are provided in this order. The sheet stacker 1 for single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets has a wrap conveyor 10 that conveys single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets 4 in a state where adjacent single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets 4 are overlapped like roof tiles at the front and rear in the sheet conveying direction (wrapped state), and a sheet stacking section 11 arranged downstream of the wrap conveyor 10. In the sheet stacking section 11, the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets 4 discharged from the wrap conveyor 10 drop and are stacked, forming a sheet pile 5.

[0032] The cut-off exit conveyor 8 is a conveyor that conveys the single-faced cardboard sheets 4 in a state where the single-faced cardboard sheets 4 do not overlap each other and there are gaps at the front and rear in the sheet conveying direction (i.e., the entire top surface of the single-faced cardboard sheets 4 is exposed). The conveying speed of the cut-off exit conveyor 8 is the same as or faster than the speed of the single-faced cardboard 2 upstream of the cut-off 3. Therefore, the single-faced cardboard sheets 4 cut into sheets by the cut-off 3 do not overlap each other on the cut-off exit conveyor 8.

[0033] The warp forming conveyor 9 is composed of a plurality of divided conveyors 12 arranged in parallel in the sheet width direction. Each divided conveyor 12 has a head pulley 13 provided at the downstream end, a tail pulley 14 provided at the upstream end, and a conveyor belt 15 stretched between the head pulley 13 and the tail pulley 14. Each divided conveyor 12 is supported so as to be able to swing individually with the head pulley 13 as the swing end, and can be swung individually by a lifting cylinder 16 to adjust the angle of the conveying surface. The conveying speed of the warp forming conveyor 9 is the same as the conveying speed of the cut-off exit conveyor 8. This warp forming conveyor 9 deforms the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 fed from the cut-off exit conveyor 8 into an upward warp state in which both side edges in the sheet width direction are located above the center, and discharges the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 in this state to the downstream wrap conveyor 10. The warp forming conveyor 9 discharges the single-faced cardboard sheet 4 in an upwardly warped state, thereby preventing the leading edge of the single-faced cardboard sheet 4 from drooping when it is discharged from the warp forming conveyor 9 onto the wrapping conveyor 10, thereby preventing the leading edge of the single-faced cardboard sheet 4 discharged from the warp forming conveyor 9 from getting caught on the top surface of the single-faced cardboard sheet 4 that has previously landed on the wrapping conveyor 10.

[0034] The conveying speed of the wrapping conveyor 10 is slower than that of the warping conveyor 9, and due to this speed difference, adjacent single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets 4 at the front and rear in the sheet conveying direction overlap like roof tiles on the wrapping conveyor 10. As shown in Figure 2, the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 is composed of a corrugated core 17 and a liner 18 attached to one side of the core 17, and is conveyed with the core 17 on the upper side and the liner 18 on the lower side, with the sheet conveying direction being perpendicular to the steps of the core 17.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 1, the wrap conveyor 10 is composed of a plurality of belt conveyors 19-22 arranged in series in the sheet conveying direction. Among the plurality of belt conveyors 19-22, the belt conveyor 22 located on the most downstream side is composed of a plurality of divided conveyors 23 arranged parallel to the sheet width direction as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 1, each divided conveyor 23 has a head pulley 24 provided at the downstream end, a tail pulley 25 provided at the upstream end, and a conveying belt 26 stretched between the head pulley 24 and the tail pulley 25. Each divided conveyor 23 is supported so as to be able to swing individually with the head pulley 24 as a swing end, and can be individually swung by a lifting cylinder 27 attached to each divided conveyor 23 to adjust the angle of the conveying surface.

[0036] Above the downstream end of the belt conveyor 22, there is provided a sheet pressure roller 28 for pressing the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 against the upper surface of the downstream end of the belt conveyor 22. A plurality of sheet pressure rollers 28 are provided in a line in the sheet conveying direction. The sheet pressure roller 28 located on the most downstream side is disposed in a position facing the head pulley 24 of the belt conveyor 22 in the vertical direction. Each sheet pressure roller 28 is made of rubber. As shown in Figs. 5 and 7, each sheet pressure roller 28 is supported so as to be movable up and down, and is biased downward by an air cylinder 29.

[0037] As shown in Figures 2, 5 and 7, the belt conveyor 22 transports the single-faced cardboard sheet 4 with the dividing conveyors 23 corresponding to both sides of the width of the single-faced cardboard sheet 4 adjusted in angle upward so as to create an upward gradient relative to the dividing conveyor 23 corresponding to the central part of the width of the single-faced cardboard sheet 4. As a result, the single-faced cardboard sheet 4 sent from the adjacent belt conveyor 21 (see Figure 1) on the upstream side is deformed into an upward-curved state in which both side edges in the sheet width direction are positioned higher than the center, and in this state the single-faced cardboard sheet 4 is discharged into the sheet stacking section 11 (see Figure 5) on the downstream side.

[0038] 1, the sheet stacking unit 11 has a lifting conveyor 30 that supports the stack of sheets 5, a front guide 31 located in front of the stack of sheets 5, a back jogger 32 located behind the stack of sheets 5, a side jogger 33 located on the side of the stack of sheets 5, and a sheet side edge support guide 34 located above the side jogger 33. Here, the front-to-rear direction of the stack of sheets 5 corresponds to the front-to-rear direction of the sheet conveying direction of the wrap conveyor 10, and the side of the stack of sheets 5 corresponds to the sheet width direction (the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction of the wrap conveyor 10).

[0039] As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the lifting conveyor 30 has a lifting frame 35, a head pulley 36 and a tail pulley 37 supported by the lifting frame 35, and a conveyor belt 38 stretched between the head pulley 36 and the tail pulley 37. A lifting drive device (not shown) is connected to the lifting frame 35, and the lifting drive device can move the lifting frame 35 to any height position. The lifting conveyor 30 gradually lowers the lifting frame 35 as the height of the sheet pile 5 gradually increases, thereby maintaining a constant positional relationship between the height of the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 22 (see Fig. 5) and the height of the top surface of the sheet pile 5. When the height of the sheet pile 5 reaches a predetermined upper limit height, the lifting conveyor 30 rapidly descends to the height of an exit conveyor (not shown) arranged adjacent to the downstream side of the sheet stacking unit 11, discharges the sheet pile 5 onto the exit conveyor, and then returns to the upward position.

[0040] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the sheet side edge support guides 34 are plate-like members arranged to face the side edges of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets 4 in the sheet width direction. A pair of sheet side edge support guides 34 are provided to face each other in the sheet width direction, sandwiching the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets 4 discharged from the belt conveyor 22 (see Figure 5) therebetween. As shown in Figure 4, each sheet side edge support guide 34 is supported so as to be able to swing about a swing shaft 40 provided parallel to the sheet conveying direction. The swing shaft 40 is arranged above the center in the up-down direction on the back side of the sheet side edge support guides 34.

[0041] 9 and 10, the sheet side edge support guide 34 is disposed so that its lower end is located above the topmost single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 of the sheet stack 5. The sheet side edge support guide 34 has a planar guide surface 41 that faces the side edge of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 discharged from the belt conveyor 22 (see FIG. 1). The sheet side edge support guide 34 is fitted with a sheet side edge support guide reciprocating drive device 42 that reciprocates the sheet side edge support guide 34 between a sheet holding position (position shown in FIGS. 4 and 9) where the guide surface 41 is inclined downward and a sheet holding release position (position shown in FIG. 10) where the guide surface 41 is open in the vertical direction.

[0042] 8 and 9, the sheet side edge support guide reciprocating drive device 42 has an electric motor 43 (see FIG. 8), a rotating shaft 44 that is rotated by the electric motor 43, a cam body 45 fixedly attached to the rotating shaft 44, and a sliding member 46 that slides against the non-circular outer circumferential surface of the cam body 45. The sliding member 46 is fixed to the rear surface of the sheet side edge support guide 34. The sheet side edge support guide reciprocating drive device 42 rotates the cam body 45 with the electric motor 43, thereby reciprocating the sheet side edge support guide 34 between the sheet holding position (the position shown in FIGS. 4 and 9) and the sheet holding release position (the position shown in FIG. 10).

[0043] As shown in Fig. 9, the swing shaft 40 that supports the sheet side edge support guide 34 is supported by a swing shaft support member 47. The swing shaft support member 47 is supported by a linear guide 48 so as to be movable in the sheet width direction. A rack 49 extending in the sheet width direction is fixed to the swing shaft support member 47, and a pinion 50 meshes with the rack 49. An electric motor 52 (see Fig. 8) is connected to the pinion 50 via a rotating shaft 51. By adjusting the position of the swing shaft support member 47 with the electric motor 52, it is possible to adjust the inclination angle of the guide surface 41 of the sheet side edge support guide 34.

[0044] The side jogger 33 is disposed so that the lower end of the side jogger 33 is located below the single-faced cardboard sheet 4 stacked on top of the sheet pile 5, and the upper end of the side jogger 33 is located above the single-faced cardboard sheet 4 stacked on top of the sheet pile 5. As shown in FIG. 11, the side jogger 33 is supported by a linear guide 53 attached to the back of the side jogger 33 so as to be slidable in the sheet width direction. The side jogger 33 reciprocates in the sheet width direction by an air cylinder 54 attached to the back of the side jogger 33, and as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the side jogger 33 presses together the side edge of the single-faced cardboard sheet 4 just before it falls from the sheet side edge support guide 34 and is stacked on the sheet pile 5, and the side edge of the single-faced cardboard sheet 4 just after it is stacked on the top of the sheet pile 5.

[0045] As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the sheet side edge support guide 34, the sheet side edge support guide reciprocating drive device 42, and the side jogger 33 are supported by a sheet width direction moving frame 55. As shown in Fig. 5, the sheet width direction moving frame 55 is supported by a front frame 56 fixed to the front upper side of the sheet stacking unit 11 and extending in the sheet width direction, and a back frame 57 fixed to the rear upper side of the sheet stacking unit 11 and extending in the sheet width direction so as to be movable in the sheet width direction. The front frame 56 and the back frame 57 are provided with a sheet width direction moving device 58 that moves the pair of sheet width direction moving frames 55 symmetrically in the sheet width direction. With this configuration, the sheet side edge support guide 34, the sheet side edge support guide reciprocating drive device 42, and the side jogger 33 are movable in the sheet width direction according to the width dimension of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 to be produced.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of front guides 31 (eight in the figure) are provided in line in the sheet width direction. The front guides 31 are also symmetrically arranged on both sides of the center of the sheet width direction at an interval. Of the plurality of front guides 31, the front guides 31 located on the outer side in the sheet width direction (here, the front guides 31 other than the front guide 31 located on the innermost side in the sheet width direction) are individually supported by linear guides 60 (see FIG. 3) so as to be able to rise and fall between a receiving position for receiving the leading end of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 discharged from the belt conveyor 22 (see FIG. 5) and a retreat position moved upward from the receiving position so as not to interfere with the sheet side edge support guide 34. An air cylinder 61 for raising and lowering each front guide 31 is attached to each front guide 31 located on the outer side in the sheet width direction.

[0047] Each front guide 31, linear guide 60, and air cylinder 61 are supported by a sheet conveying direction moving frame 62. As shown in Fig. 3, the sheet conveying direction moving frame 62 is supported by a pair of side frames 63 extending in the sheet conveying direction arranged on both sides of the sheet width direction of the sheet stacking unit 11 so as to be movable in the sheet conveying direction. The side frames 63 are provided with a sheet conveying direction moving device 64 that moves the sheet conveying direction moving frame 62 in the sheet conveying direction. With this configuration, each front guide 31, linear guide 60, and air cylinder 61 are movable in the sheet conveying direction according to the length dimension in the conveying direction of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets 4 to be produced.

[0048] 1, the back jogger 32 is provided to face the front guide 31 in the sheet conveying direction with the sheet stack 5 therebetween. The back jogger 32 is disposed so that the lower end of the back jogger 32 is located below the single-faced cardboard sheet 4 stacked on top of the sheet stack 5, and the upper end of the back jogger 32 is located above the single-faced cardboard sheet 4 stacked on top of the sheet stack 5.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 7, the back jogger 32 is disposed below the head pulley 24 of the belt conveyor 22. A plurality of back joggers 32 (four in the figure) are provided in line in the sheet width direction. A recess 65 having a width corresponding to the head pulley 24 is formed on the upper edge of the back jogger 32 at a position corresponding to the head pulley 24. The back joggers 32 reciprocate individually in the sheet conveying direction by an air cylinder 66 attached to the back of the back jogger 32, and push together the rear end of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 just before it falls from the sheet side edge support guide 34 and is piled up on the sheet stack 5 (see FIG. 1), and the rear end of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 just after it is piled up on the top of the sheet stack 5. The air cylinder 66 is provided individually for each back jogger 32, and selectively drives the back jogger 32 according to the width dimension of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 to be produced, thereby making it possible to prevent the back jogger 32 from interfering with the side frame 63 (see FIG. 8).

[0050] As shown in Fig. 4, a partition plate 70 is provided in the center of the seat width direction of the sheet stacking portion 11. As shown in Fig. 6, the partition plate 70 is supported so as to be vertically movable by a guide member 72 attached to a center frame 71. An air cylinder 73 that raises and lowers the partition plate 70 is attached to the center frame 71. The center frame 71 is a fixed frame that bridges the center of the front frame 56 in the seat width direction and the center of the back frame 57 in the seat width direction.

[0051] In the above-mentioned sheet stacker 1 for single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets, as shown by the dashed lines in Figures 3 and 8, the side edge of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 discharged from the belt conveyor 22 to the sheet stacking section 11 is supported along the sheet conveying direction by the sheet side edge support guide 34 as shown by the dashed lines in Figures 4 and 9. At this time, the weight of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 causes the center of the width direction of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 to bend lower than the side edge of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4, so that the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 supported by the sheet side edge support guide 34 is in an upwardly curved state with its side edge positioned higher than the center, and this warping increases the rigidity of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 in the sheet conveying direction, making it possible to prevent the leading end of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 from sagging. 1, the sheet side edge support guide 34 is formed to extend to the position of the front guide 31, so the upwardly curved state of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 is maintained until the leading edge of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 reaches the front guide 31. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the leading edge of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 from getting caught on the upper surface (the uneven surface of the corrugated core 17) of the single-faced cardboard sheet 4 previously stacked in the sheet stacking section 11 before it reaches the front guide 31. 9 and 10, the sheet side edge support guide reciprocating drive device 42 reciprocates the sheet side edge support guide 34 between the sheet holding position (position shown in FIG. 9) and the sheet holding release position (position shown in FIG. 10), so that the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 is supported by the inclined sheet side edge support guide 34 while increasing its upward warping state due to its own weight until it reaches the front guide 31, as shown in FIG. 9, and when the sheet side edge support guide 34 moves to the sheet holding release position as shown in FIG. 10, it falls from the sheet side edge support guide 34 and is piled up on the sheet pile 5 of the sheet stacking section 11. As described above, the leading end of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 discharged from the belt conveyor 22 shown in FIG. 1 to the sheet stacking section 11 does not get caught on the upper surface (the uneven surface of the corrugated core 17) of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 previously stacked on the sheet stacking section 11, so that the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets 4 can be stacked stably.

[0052] 2 and 5, the sheet stacker 1 for single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets has a sheet pressing roller 28 provided above the downstream end of the belt conveyor 22, which presses the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 against the upper surface of the downstream end of the belt conveyor 22, so that the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 discharged from the belt conveyor 22 can be reliably transported forward in the sheet conveying direction until just before the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 is completely discharged from the belt conveyor 22. Therefore, the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 discharged from the belt conveyor 22 can be reliably sent out until it reaches the front guide 31 while being slidably supported by the sheet side edge support guide 34.

[0053] In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, in this sheet stacker 1 for single-faced cardboard sheets, the belt conveyor 22 located most downstream among the multiple belt conveyors 19-22 that make up the wrap conveyor 10 is a split conveyor 23 that is supported so that it can swing individually, so that the single-faced cardboard sheets 4 discharged from the belt conveyor 22 to the sheet stacking section 11 can be reliably kept in an upwardly curved state, and the leading end of the single-faced cardboard sheet 4 can be effectively prevented from sagging.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet stacker 1 for single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets can effectively align the falling positions of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets 4 in the sheet conveying direction by the back jogger 32. That is, generally, single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets 4 have low rigidity in the sheet conveying direction (the direction perpendicular to the corrugations of the core 17 shown in FIG. 2), so that even if the rear end of the falling single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 is pressed, the rear end portion of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 is deformed and the pressing force is absorbed, making it difficult to push the entire falling single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 in the sheet conveying direction, but in the sheet stacker 1 for single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets described above, as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 falls from the sheet side edge support guide 34 in an upwardly curved state, and in the upwardly curved state, the rigidity of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 in the sheet conveying direction is high, so that when the rear end of the falling single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 is pressed by the back jogger 32 shown in FIG. 1, the pressing force is transmitted over the entire length of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 in the sheet conveying direction, making it possible to push the entire falling single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 in the sheet conveying direction. Therefore, it is possible to effectively align the falling position of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 in the sheet conveying direction.

[0055] 4, in this sheet stacker 1 for single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets, the outer front guide 31 in the sheet width direction among the multiple front guides 31 lined up in the sheet width direction can be raised and lowered, so that when the sheet side edge support guide 34 is moved inward in the sheet width direction according to the width dimension of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4, the sheet side edge support guide 34 can be prevented from interfering with the front guide 31. Therefore, when the production lot of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 is changed and the width dimension of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4 changes, it is possible to move the sheet side edge support guide 34 according to the width dimension of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet 4.

[0056] As shown in Figs. 12 and 13, when producing two-piece single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets 4 divided in the center in the sheet width direction, the sheet stacker 1 for single-faced cardboard sheets can prevent the leading end of the single-faced cardboard sheet 4 from sagging by lowering the partition plate 70, supporting one side edge of the single-faced cardboard sheet 4 with the sheet side edge support guide 34, and bringing the other side edge of the single-faced cardboard sheet 4 into contact with the partition plate 70. As shown in Fig. 14, the partition plate 70 may be provided with a protrusion 74 extending in the sheet conveying direction. In this way, even when the dimension of the single-faced cardboard sheet 4 in the sheet width direction is large, the partition plate 70 can stably support the side edge of the single-faced cardboard sheet 4. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1 sheet stacker 4 Single-sided corrugated cardboard sheets 10 Wrap Conveyor 11 Sheet stacking section 17 Core 18 Raina 19~22 Belt conveyor 23 Split Conveyor 28 Sheet pressure roller 31 Front guide 32 Back Jogger 34 Sheet side edge support guide 40 Swing Axis 41 Guide surface 42 Sheet side edge support guide reciprocating drive device 70 Partition

Claims

1. a wrap conveyor (10) for conveying a single-faced cardboard sheet (4) consisting of a corrugated core (17) and a liner (18) attached to one side of the core (17) with the core (17) on the upper side and the liner (18) on the lower side, with a sheet conveying direction perpendicular to the corrugations of the core (17) and with adjacent single-faced cardboard sheets (4) overlapping in the front and rear of the sheet conveying direction like roof tiles; a sheet stacking section (11) disposed downstream of the wrap conveyor (10) and into which the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets (4) discharged from the wrap conveyor (10) fall and are stacked, The sheet stack (11) includes: a sheet side edge support guide (34) supported movably between a sheet holding position for supporting the side edge of the single-faced cardboard sheet (4) discharged from the wrap conveyor (10) along the sheet transport direction and a sheet holding release position for releasing support of the side edge of the single-faced cardboard sheet (4) and allowing the single-faced cardboard sheet (4) to fall; a sheet side edge support guide reciprocating drive device (42) for reciprocating the sheet side edge support guide (34) between the sheet holding position and the sheet holding release position; a front guide (31) for receiving the leading end of the single-faced cardboard sheet (4) discharged from the wrap conveyor (10); The sheet side edge support guide (34) is a plate-shaped member arranged to face the side edge of the single-sided cardboard sheet (4) discharged from the wrap conveyor (10) in the sheet width direction, and a guide surface (41) facing the side edge of the single-sided cardboard sheet (4) is inclined in a downward tapering direction, and is formed to extend to the position of the front guide (31) so as to support the side edge of the single-sided cardboard sheet (4) until the leading end of the single-sided cardboard sheet (4) discharged from the wrap conveyor (10) reaches the front guide (31).

2. 2. A sheet stacker for single-faced cardboard sheets as described in claim 1, wherein a sheet pressing roller (28) is provided above the downstream end of the wrap conveyor (10) to press the single-faced cardboard sheet (4) against the upper surface of the downstream end of the wrap conveyor (10).

3. The wrap conveyor (10) is composed of a plurality of belt conveyors (19-22) arranged in a series in the sheet transport direction, and the belt conveyor (22) located most downstream among the plurality of belt conveyors (19-22) is composed of a plurality of divided conveyors (23) arranged parallel to the sheet width direction, and each of the divided conveyors (23) is individually supported so as to be able to swing so as to discharge the single-sided cardboard sheet (4) in a state in which both side edges in the sheet width direction are deformed into an upwardly curved state located above the center. The sheet stacker for single-sided cardboard sheets as described in claim 1 or 2.

4. 4. The sheet stacker for single-sided cardboard sheets according to claim 1, wherein the sheet side edge support guide (34) pivots about a pivot shaft (40) arranged parallel to the sheet conveying direction between the sheet holding position in which a guide surface (41) of the sheet side edge support guide (34) facing the side edge of the single-sided cardboard sheet (4) is inclined in a downward tapering direction, and the sheet holding release position in which the inclination of the guide surface (41) opens in the vertical direction, and the single-sided cardboard sheet (4) that has been supported by the sheet side edge support guide (34) and reached the front guide (31) falls.

5. 5. A sheet stacker for single-faced cardboard sheets according to claim 1, wherein the sheet stacking section (11) is provided with a back jogger (32) that reciprocates so as to push and align the rear ends of the single-faced cardboard sheets (4) that fall from the sheet side edge support guide (34).

6. The sheet side edge support guide (34) is provided so as to be movable in the sheet width direction in accordance with the width dimension of the single-faced corrugated cardboard sheet (4), The front guide (31) is provided in a plurality of positions aligned in the sheet width direction, 6. A sheet stacker for single-sided cardboard sheets as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, among the multiple front guides (31), the front guide (31) located on the outer side in the sheet width direction is arranged to be able to rise and fall between a receiving position where it receives the leading edge of the single-sided cardboard sheet (4) and a retracted position moved upward from the receiving position so as not to interfere with the sheet side edge support guide (34).

7. 7. The sheet stacker for single-faced corrugated cardboard sheets according to claim 1, wherein the sheet stacking section (11) is provided with a partition plate (70) that is movable up and down at the center in the sheet width direction.

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