Automatic Chrysanthemum Folding Device

Abstract

To provide an automatic chrysanthemum folding device which requires a small installation space and is low cost. [Solution] An automatic folding device folds the excess portion 10 in a folding pattern by repeating the following actions each time the roll product 1 is rotated by the roll rotation mechanism 11: making a crease with the paper pressure plate 35, forming pleats 59 with the paper clamp 50, and making a crease in the pleats 59 with the paper pressure plate 35.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic folding device. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to protect a roll product (for example, a sheet roll having a plastic sheet wound around a core), packing paper is sometimes wrapped around the outer periphery of the roll product, and then the excess packing paper is folded toward the end face of the roll product, thereby covering the outer periphery and end face of the roll product with packing paper. Here, the excess packing paper is a portion of the packing paper that protrudes in a cylindrical shape in the roll axial direction from the outer periphery of the roll product by setting the length of the packing paper in the roll axial direction to be greater than the length of the roll product in the roll axial direction when wrapping the packing paper around the outer periphery of the roll product.

[0003] One method of folding the excess portion toward the end face of the roll product is the fold. The fold is a method of folding the excess portion inward along the periphery of the end face of the roll product so that multiple radially extending pleats are formed at regular intervals in the circumferential direction. Here, each pleat is folded to the same circumferential side along the end face of the roll product so that adjacent pleats overlap each other in the circumferential direction.

[0004] Folding the excess portion of the packaging paper around the end of the roll product improves the aesthetic appearance of the packaging and increases the product value. This folding is generally done manually. However, manual folding requires skill. Therefore, Patent Document 1 proposes an automatic folding device that automatically folds the excess portion of the packaging paper around the end of the roll product.

[0005] The automatic folding device of Patent Document 1 has a roll holding section that holds the roll product so that the central axis of the roll is horizontal, a turntable positioned opposite the end face of the roll product, multiple arms connected to the outer periphery of the turntable, multiple paper pressure plates provided at the tip of each arm, and a swinging mechanism that swings each arm.

[0006] The center of rotation of the turntable coincides with the central axis of the roll of the roll product. Each arm is arranged at a distance around the central axis of the roll. The tip of each arm extends toward the roll product, and the base end of each arm is connected to the outer periphery of the turntable, forming the center of swing of the arm. As each arm swings, each paper pressure plate swings between a standby position outside the outer periphery of the roll product when viewed from the roll axial direction, and a pressing position inside the outer periphery of the roll product.

[0007] Each paper pressure plate swings from its standby position to its pressure position, pressing the outer peripheral surface of the excess portion and folding it toward the end face of the roll product. At this time, a pleat is formed in each gap between adjacent paper pressure plates, with a portion of the excess portion protruding outward in the axial direction of the roll. These pleats extend radially inward from the periphery of the end face of the roll product and are aligned circumferentially. Each paper pressure plate rotates with the turntable, pressing the side of each pleat and folding it toward the end face of the roll product. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3182366 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] The automatic folding device of Patent Document 1 has multiple paper pressure plates located radially outward from the outer periphery of the roll product, spaced apart circumferentially, all around the circumference, so a large amount of space must be secured radially outward all around to avoid interference with the paper pressure plates, requiring a large amount of space to install the automatic folding device.Furthermore, the automatic folding device of Patent Document 1 requires the same number of paper pressure plates as the number of pleats in the folding, resulting in a large number of parts and high costs.

[0010] Furthermore, in order to fold roll products with different outer diameters, it is necessary to prepare multiple units using paper pressure plates of different sizes according to the outer diameter of each roll product, and to replace the units each time the outer diameter of the roll product is changed. This makes the work of accommodating multiple types of roll products with different outer diameters complicated.

[0011] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an automatic folding device that requires a small installation space and is low cost. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an automatic chrysanthemum folding device having the following configuration. [Configuration 1] a roll holding section that holds the roll product with packaging paper wrapped around its outer periphery so that the roll central axis is horizontal; An automatic folding device that folds an excess portion of the packing paper protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the roll product in the roll axial direction onto the end surface of the roll product, a paper pressure plate disposed so as to intersect with the periphery of the roll product when viewed in the roll axial direction; a paper pressure advance / retract mechanism that moves the paper pressure plate in the roll axial direction between an advanced position where the paper pressure plate abuts against the end surface of the roll material and a retreated position where the paper pressure plate is separated from the end surface of the roll material; a paper pressure moving mechanism that moves the paper pressure plate in a direction intersecting the roll axial direction; a paper clamp that grips the excess portion; a paper clamp moving mechanism that moves the paper clamp along the end surface of the roll material; a roll rotating mechanism for rotating the roll product around a roll central axis, The paper pressure plate is moved toward the end surface of the roll product by the paper pressure advancing / retracting mechanism, thereby pressing a portion of the excess portion against the end surface of the roll product and forming a crease along the periphery of the roll product, The paper clamp grasps one of the portions of the excess portion adjacent to both sides of the paper pressure plate in the width direction, sandwiching the portion being held down by the paper pressure plate, and by moving the grasped portion onto the paper pressure plate by the paper clamp moving mechanism, the grasped portion is folded back along one side edge of the paper pressure plate in the width direction to the other side in the width direction, and forms a Z-shaped pleat that is folded back from the other side in the width direction beyond one side edge of the paper pressure plate in the width direction to one side in the width direction, The paper pressure plate is pulled out from between the pleats and the end face of the roll product by the paper pressure advance / retract mechanism and the paper pressure movement mechanism, moved to a position facing the end face of the roll product with the pleats sandwiched therebetween, and then moved toward the end face of the roll product, pressing the portion of the pleats folded back on the paper pressure plate toward one end in the width direction against the end face of the roll product, thereby forming a crease in the folded back portion, The roll rotation mechanism rotates the roll product around the central axis of the roll at fixed angles, and with each rotation, the paper pressure plate repeatedly creases the periphery of the roll product, the paper clamp forms the pleats, and the paper pressure plate creases the folded-back portions of the pleats, thereby folding the excess portion into a pleat shape.

[0013] With this configuration, the roll product is rotated at a fixed angle, and with each rotation, a single pleat is formed using a paper clamp, followed by a crease at the folded-back portion of the pleat using a paper pressure plate. By repeating these operations, a chrysanthemum fold with multiple pleats is formed. This allows the formation of a chrysanthemum fold with a single paper pressure plate and a single paper clamp, eliminating the need for multiple paper pressure plates around the entire circumference. This eliminates the need for a large radially outer space around the entire circumference, minimizing the space required for installing the automatic chrysanthemum folding device. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to provide the same number of paper pressure plates as the number of pleats in the chrysanthemum fold, only one paper pressure plate is required, resulting in low costs.

[0014] [Configuration 2] The automatic folding device according to configuration 1, wherein the paper pressure plate and the paper clamp are provided on both sides of the roll axial direction of the roll holding portion.

[0015] In this configuration, the paper pressure plate and paper clamp are provided on both sides of the roll holding portion in the axial direction of the roll, so that the excess portion can be folded in a circular pattern onto the end face of the roll product on both sides of the axial direction of the roll simultaneously.

[0016] [Configuration 3] An automatic folding device described in either configuration 1 or 2, in which, when forming the Z-shaped pleats, the paper pressure plate is positioned so that the extension direction of one side edge of the paper pressure plate in the width direction is the radial direction of the roll product, and the Z-shaped pleats are formed while the excess portion is held down by the paper pressure plate.

[0017] In this configuration, when forming Z-shaped pleats, the paper pressure plate is positioned so that the direction in which the side edge on one side of the width of the paper pressure plate extends is the radial direction of the roll product.Therefore, the pleat portion that is folded back along the side edge on one side of the width of the paper pressure plate to the other side in the width direction is formed to extend radially from the center of the roll product, resulting in the formation of a chrysanthemum fold with an excellent appearance.

[0018] [Configuration 4] The paper pressure plate is disposed so as to extend in the vertical direction as viewed from the roll axial direction, 4. The automatic folding device according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, wherein the positions of the paper pressure plate and the paper clamp are configured to be adjustable in the vertical direction according to the outer diameter of the roll product.

[0019] With this configuration, simply by adjusting the positions of the paper pressure plate and paper clamp in the vertical direction, it is possible to fold the paper in a chrysanthemum shape to accommodate multiple types of roll products with different outer diameters without having to replace units depending on the outer diameter of the roll product.

[0020] [Configuration 5] An automatic folding device according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, configured to fold the packing paper around the outer periphery of the roll product by a certain angle each time the roll rotation mechanism rotates the roll product by that angle, to fold the packing paper around the outer periphery of the roll product by that angle, to crease the periphery of the roll product using the paper pressure plate, to form the pleats using the paper clamp, and to crease the folded portion of the pleats using the paper pressure plate, thereby folding the packing paper around the outer periphery of the roll product.

[0021] In this configuration, the packing paper is wrapped around the outer peripheral surface of the roll product in accordance with the rotation of the roll product accompanying the fold, so that wrapping of the packing paper and the fold can be performed in parallel.

[0022] [Configuration 6] 6. The automatic folding device according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, wherein the roll rotation mechanism rotates the rolled product by 15° to 60° increments.

[0023] In this configuration, the number of pleats formed on the end surface of the roll material can be 6 to 24. [Effects of the Invention]

[0024] The automatic chrysanthemum folding device of this invention rotates the roll product by a fixed angle, and with each rotation, it forms one pleat with a paper clamp and creases the folded-back portion of the pleat with a paper pressure plate. By repeating these operations, a chrysanthemum fold with multiple pleats is formed. Therefore, the chrysanthemum fold can be formed with one paper pressure plate and one paper clamp, eliminating the need to place multiple paper pressure plates around the entire circumference. This eliminates the need to secure a large radially outer space around the entire circumference, minimizing the space required to install the automatic chrysanthemum folding device. Furthermore, it is not necessary to provide paper pressure plates in the same number as the number of pleats in the chrysanthemum fold; only one paper pressure plate is required, resulting in low costs. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] Top view of the automatic folding device of the embodiment [Figure 2] View from below of Figure 1 [Figure 3] Cross-sectional view along line III-III in Figure 1 [Figure 4] IV arrow view of Figure 3 [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the paper pressure plate of FIG. [Figure 6] Cross-sectional view along line VI-VI in Figure 5 [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the paper pressure plate of FIG. [Figure 8] Cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in Figure 7 [Figure 9] Cross-sectional view along line IX-IX in Figure 7 [Figure 10] Right side view of Figure 7 [Figure 11] The paper pressure plate in Figure 10 is moved toward the end of the roll product. [Figure 12] The paper clamp in FIG. 11 is moved downward toward the excess portion, and then the excess portion is gripped by the paper clamp. [Figure 13] Left side view of Figure 12 [Figure 14] The paper clamp has been moved onto the paper pressure plate from the state shown in Figure 13. [Figure 15] Top view of Figure 13 [Figure 16] Top view of Figure 14 [Figure 17] The paper clamp is moved from the state shown in Figure 16 towards the end of the roll product. [Figure 18] The paper pressure plate is lowered from the state shown in Figure 17 and removed from between the pleats and the end face of the roll product. [Figure 19] Bottom view of Figure 18 [Figure 20] The paper pressure plate is swung clockwise from the state shown in Figure 19. [Figure 21] Figure 20 shows the paper pressure plate moved away from the end of the roll product. [Figure 22]The paper pressure plate is swung counterclockwise from the state shown in Figure 21. [Figure 23] Figure 22 shows the paper pressure plate moved toward the end of the roll product [Figure 24] Figure 23 shows the state in which the excess part is released from the paper clamp. [Figure 25] The paper clamp is moved away from the beginning of the packing paper from the state shown in Figure 24. [Figure 26] Figure 26 shows the paper clamp being moved away from the end of the roll product from the state shown in Figure 25. [Figure 27] The paper pressure plate has been moved upward from the state shown in Figure 26. [Figure 28] Figure 27 shows the paper pressure plate moved away from the end of the roll product. [Figure 29] Left side view of Figure 28 [Figure 30] The roll product is rotated counterclockwise from the state shown in Figure 29. [Figure 31] A diagram showing the completed fold of the excess part. [Figure 32] Packaging paper wrapped around the entire outer surface of the roll product [Figure 33] Packaging paper is wrapped around only part of the outer surface of the roll product DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] An automatic folding device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figure 1. This automatic folding device has a roll holding section 2 that holds a roll product 1 (such as a sheet roll with a plastic sheet wound around a core) so that the central axis of the roll is horizontal, folding units 3 provided on both sides of the roll holding section 2 in the roll axis direction (left and right in the figure), a unit position adjustment mechanism 4 that moves the folding unit 3 in the roll axis direction, and a paper clamp unit 5 (see Figure 3) supported by the folding unit 3.

[0027] As shown in Figure 3, the roll holding unit 2 has a receiving roller 6 that rotatably supports the roll product 1, and a support pillar 7 that supports the receiving roller 6 in a fixed position. The receiving roller 6 is cylindrical and is arranged parallel to the roll product 1. The receiving rollers 6 are arranged in pairs, with the roll central axis between them, in a horizontal direction (left and right in the figure) perpendicular to the roll central axis, and the pair of receiving rollers 6 supports the outer periphery of the roll product 1 from below. The support pillar 7 is fixed to the upper surface of a base 8.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of receiving rollers 6 is provided on both sides of the center position of the roll product 1 in the roll axial direction (left-right direction in the figure). The size of the roll product 1 is an outer diameter of 400 to 1200 mm and a length in the roll axial direction (width of the roll product 1) of 700 to 2500 mm. Packing paper 9 is wrapped around the outer peripheral surface of the roll product 1, and surplus portions 10 are provided on both ends of the roll product 1. The surplus portions 10 are portions of the packing paper 9 that protrude in a cylindrical shape from the outer peripheral surface of the roll product 1 in the roll axial direction by setting the length of the packing paper 9 in the roll axial direction to be longer than the length of the roll product 1 when wrapping the packing paper 9 around the outer peripheral surface of the roll product 1.

[0029] The roll holding section 2 is provided with a roll rotation mechanism 11 that rotates the roll product 1 around the roll central axis. The roll rotation mechanism 11 has an electric motor 12 and a rotation transmission path 13 that transmits the rotation output from the electric motor 12 to the two backing rollers 6. The rotation transmission path 13 is made up of a first drive sprocket 14 (see FIG. 3) provided on the output shaft of the electric motor 12, a first driven sprocket 16 provided on a rotating shaft 15 arranged parallel to the backing rollers 6, a first chain 17 (see FIG. 3) wound between the first drive sprocket 14 and the first driven sprocket 16, two second driven sprockets 18 provided on the rotating shaft 15 at axial positions corresponding to the two backing rollers 6, a third driven sprocket 19 provided on each backing roller 6, and two second chains 20 wound between the two second driven sprockets 18 and the third driven sprockets 19 of each of the two backing rollers 6.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 1, a unit position adjustment mechanism 4 is provided for each of a pair of folding units 3 on both sides of the roll holding section 2 in the roll axis direction. Each unit position adjustment mechanism 4 has a linear guide 21 that supports the folding unit 3 so that it can move in the roll axis direction, an electric motor 22, and a motion conversion mechanism 23 that converts the rotation of the electric motor 22 into linear movement of the folding unit 3 in the roll axis direction. In this example, the motion conversion mechanism 23 used comprises a screw shaft extending in the roll axis direction and a nut that screws onto the screw shaft. The nut is fixed to the folding unit 3. The screw shaft is attached to a base 8 in a rotatable state but its movement in the roll axis direction is restricted.

[0031] The unit position adjustment mechanism 4 moves a pair of folding units 3, located on both sides of the roll holding section 2 in the roll axial direction, in opposite directions along the roll axial direction, thereby making it possible to adjust the distance between the pair of folding units 3 in accordance with the axial length dimension of the rolled material 1. Furthermore, the unit position adjustment mechanism 4 moves the pair of folding units 3, located on both sides of the roll holding section 2 in the roll axial direction, in the same direction along the roll axial direction, making it possible to adjust the center positions of the pair of folding units 3.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 5, the folding unit 3 has a support frame 24, a turning mechanism 25 that turns the support frame 24 about a turning shaft 27, and a support frame position adjustment mechanism 26 that moves the support frame 24 up and down. As shown in Fig. 2, the support frame 24 is supported so as to be turnable around a turning shaft 27 in the horizontal direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in the figure) that is perpendicular to the central axis of the roll between an upright position (the position shown by the solid line in the figure) in which it stands upright and a laid-down position (the position shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure) in which it is laid-down in a direction away from the rolled product 1.

[0033] 6, the turning mechanism 25 has an electric motor 28, a turning shaft 27 to which the rotation of the electric motor 28 is input, and a bearing 29 that rotatably supports the turning shaft 27, and the support frame 24 is prevented from rotating on the turning shaft 27 so that the support frame 24 turns integrally with the turning shaft 27. The turning shaft 27 is attached to a mounting base 30 via the bearing 29. When the mounting base 30 is moved vertically (in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing in the figure) by a support frame position adjustment mechanism 26 (described later), the turning shaft 27 moves vertically integrally with the mounting base 30.

[0034] 5, the support frame position adjustment mechanism 26 includes a linear guide 31 that supports the support frame 24 so that it can move up and down, an electric motor 32, and a motion conversion mechanism 33 that converts the rotation of the electric motor 32 into linear movement in the up and down direction of the support frame 24. In this example, the motion conversion mechanism 33 used comprises a screw shaft that extends up and down and a nut that screws onto the screw shaft. The nut is fixed to the mounting base 30.

[0035] As shown in Figure 2, the folding unit 3 on the left side of the figure and the folding unit 3 on the right side of the figure are configured symmetrically. In addition, the paper clamp unit 5 on the left side of the figure and the paper clamp unit 5 on the right side of the figure are also configured symmetrically. Therefore, the following will describe the folding unit 3 and paper clamp unit 5 on the left side of the figure, and the folding unit 3 and paper clamp unit 5 on the right side of the figure will be assigned the same reference numerals and will not be described again. In addition, the following description will be given with the support frame 24 in the upright position.

[0036] As shown in Figure 5, the bending unit 3 has a support plate 34, a paper pressure plate 35 supported by the support plate 34, a paper pressure movement mechanism 36 that moves the paper pressure plate 35 in a direction intersecting the roll axis direction (a direction parallel to the paper surface in the figure), and a paper pressure advance / retract mechanism 38 that moves the paper pressure plate 35 in the roll axis direction (a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in the figure) between an advanced position where it abuts against an end surface 37 of the roll product 1 and a retracted position where it is away from the end surface 37 of the roll product 1.

[0037] As shown in Fig. 7, the support plate 34 extends vertically when viewed from the roll axis direction. A side edge 39 on one side in the width direction of the support plate 34 (the left side in the figure) is formed in a straight line that extends at an angle upward toward the other side in the width direction (the right side in the figure). A side edge 40 on the other side in the width direction of the support plate 34 (the right side in the figure) is formed in a straight line that extends vertically.

[0038] The paper pressure plate 35 extends vertically when viewed from the roll axis direction, and is positioned so as to intersect with the lower peripheral edge of the roll product 1. One widthwise side (left side in the figure) of the paper pressure plate 35 has a side edge 41 formed in a straight line extending vertically. The other widthwise side (right side in the figure) of the paper pressure plate 35 is covered by the support plate 34, while the other widthwise side (left side in the figure) of the paper pressure plate 35 is exposed and not covered by the support plate 34. The exposed part of the paper pressure plate 35 that is not covered by the support plate 34 has a triangular shape that gradually widens toward the center of the roll product 1.

[0039] The paper pressure plate 35 is positioned so that the side edge 41 on one widthwise side (the left side in the figure) extends in the radial direction of the roll product 1 (the direction passing through the center of the roll product 1), so that when viewed from the roll axial direction, the side edge 41 on one widthwise side (the left side in the figure) coincides with an imaginary straight line in the vertical direction passing through the center of the roll product 1. The side edge 41 and the upper edge of the paper pressure plate 35 on one widthwise side (the left side in the figure) are chamfered. As shown in Figure 2, the paper pressure plates 35 are provided on both sides of the roll holding section 2 in the roll axial direction.

[0040] As shown in Figure 10, the paper pressure plate 35 is connected to the support plate 34 so as to be able to swing about a swing shaft 42 in the roll axial direction (left-right direction in the figure). The paper pressure plate 35 is arranged opposite an end face 37 of the roll material 1, and the support plate 34 is arranged on top of the paper pressure plate 35 on the opposite side (left side in the figure) from the side facing the roll material 1. The paper pressure plate 35 is formed thinner than the support plate 34. As shown in Figure 8, a swing shaft 42 is fixedly provided on the surface of the paper pressure plate 35 that overlaps with the support plate 34, protruding toward the support plate 34 (downward in the figure), and the swing shaft 42 is rotatably supported via a bearing 44 on a cylindrical portion 43 fixedly provided on the support plate 34.

[0041] The paper pressure moving mechanism 36 shown in Figure 5 is a mechanism that moves the paper pressure plate 35 in the vertical direction and also swings the paper pressure plate 35 around the swing axis 42 relative to the support plate 34, thereby moving the paper pressure plate 35 in a direction intersecting the roll axis direction (a direction parallel to the paper surface in the figure).

[0042] As shown in Figure 10, the paper pressure movement mechanism 36, which moves the paper pressure plate 35 up and down, includes a linear guide 45 that supports the paper pressure plate 35, support plate 34, and paper pressure advance / retract mechanism 38 so that they can move up and down, an electric motor 46, and a motion conversion mechanism 47 that converts the rotation of the electric motor 46 into linear up and down movement of the paper pressure advance / retract mechanism 38. The linear guide 45 is fixed to the support frame 24 and rotates integrally with the support frame 24. The motion conversion mechanism 47 used here consists of a ball screw shaft that extends up and down and a ball nut that screws onto the screw shaft. The ball nut is fixed to a bracket 49 that attaches the paper pressure advance / retract mechanism 38. A servo motor is used as the electric motor 46.

[0043] 7 and 9, the paper pressure moving mechanism 36 has a swing shaft 42 and an air cylinder 48 disposed below the swing shaft 42 as a mechanism for swinging the paper pressure plate 35 relative to the support plate 34. One end of the air cylinder 48 is rotatably connected to the bottom of the support plate 34, and the other end of the air cylinder 48 is rotatably connected to the bottom of the paper pressure plate 35.

[0044] As shown in Figure 10, an air cylinder is used as the paper pressure advance / retract mechanism 38. The body of the air cylinder is fixed to a bracket 49, and the rod of the air cylinder is connected to the support plate 34. The body of the air cylinder is oriented so that the rod advances and retreats in the roll axis direction (left and right in the figure), and movement of the rod moves the paper pressure plate 35 together with the support plate 34 in the roll axis direction (left and right in the figure). The air cylinder in the figure is a guided air cylinder.

[0045] The paper clamp unit 5 has a paper clamp 50 that grips the excess portion 10, and a paper clamp movement mechanism 51 that moves the paper clamp 50 along the end surface 37 of the roll material 1. The paper clamp 50 has a receiving portion 52 that is arranged opposite the end surface 37 of the roll material 1, a pressing portion 53 that is arranged on the opposite side of the receiving portion 52 from the side that faces the end surface 37 of the roll material 1, and an air cylinder 54 that moves the pressing portion 53 in the roll axial direction.

[0046] The receiving portion 52 is part of a downwardly opening U-shaped cross-section member 55 which is made up of a pair of opposing portions opposing each other in the roll axial direction and a connecting portion connecting the upper ends of the pair of opposing portions, and is the opposing portion of the pair of opposing portions of the U-shaped cross-section member 55 which is closer to the end surface 37 of the roll product 1. The receiving portion 52 is formed in the shape of a plate perpendicular to the roll axial direction. The U-shaped cross-section member 55 is arranged so that it has a U-shaped cross section when viewed in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the roll central axis (in the drawing, the direction perpendicular to the paper surface).

[0047] The air cylinder 54 is fixed to one of a pair of opposing portions of a U-shaped cross-section member 55, the opposing portion farther from the end surface 37 of the roll product 1. The pressing portion 53 is provided at the tip of the rod of the air cylinder 54. In this paper clamp 50, the excess portion 10 is positioned between the pressing portion 53 and the receiving portion 52. By extending the rod of the air cylinder 54 in this state, the pressing portion 53 at the tip of the rod presses the excess portion 10 against the receiving portion 52, thereby gripping the excess portion 10 between the pressing portion 53 and the receiving portion 52. The portion of the pressing portion 53 that comes into contact with the excess portion 10 is formed hemispherically. The pressing portion 53 is made of rubber. As shown in FIG. 2, the paper clamp units 5 are provided on both sides of the roll holding portion 2 in the roll axial direction.

[0048] As shown in Figure 5, the paper clamp movement mechanism 51 has a first cylinder 56 that moves the paper clamp 50 in a horizontal direction (left and right in the figure) perpendicular to the roll central axis, a second cylinder 57 that moves the paper clamp 50 in the roll axial direction (left and right in the figure) as shown in Figure 4, and a third cylinder 58 that moves the paper clamp 50 up and down. The paper clamp 50 is supported on the support frame 24 via the paper clamp movement mechanism 51. Air cylinders are used for the first cylinder 56, second cylinder 57, and third cylinder 58.

[0049] Here, a method for folding the excess portion 10 into a chevron shape on the end surface 37 of the roll material 1 using the automatic chevron folding device will be described.

[0050] [Preparation process] First, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2, the roll product 1 with the packing paper 9 wrapped around its outer periphery is placed on the roll holding part 2 with the support frame 24 in the laid-down position.

[0051] Next, as shown by the arrow in Figure 10, the support frame 24 is rotated by the rotating mechanism 25 around the pivot 27 from the laid-down position (the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in the figure) to the standing position (the position indicated by the solid line in the figure). At this time, the paper pressure plate 35 presses against the outer peripheral surface of the excess portion 10 as it rises, so that the excess portion 10 is pushed from below and rises toward the end surface 37 of the roll product 1. Here, as shown in Figure 5, the paper clamp 50 is moved to a position shifted to one widthwise side (the left side in the figure) from the side edge 41 on one widthwise side (the left side in the figure) of the paper pressure plate 35. The paper clamp 50 is also adjusted in advance so that it is positioned above the raised excess portion 10.

[0052] [Operation of forming a crease along the periphery of the roll product 1 by the paper pressure plate 35] 11, the paper pressure plate 35 is moved from the retracted position (the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in the figure) to the advanced position (the position indicated by the solid line in the figure). As a result, part of the excess portion 10 (the part of the excess portion 10 that has been pressed by the paper pressure plate 35 and rises toward the end surface 37 of the roll product 1) is pressed against the end surface 37 of the roll product 1, and a fold is formed at the base of the part of the excess portion 10 along the periphery of the roll product 1.

[0053] [Operation of forming pleats 59 with paper clamp 50] Next, as shown in Figure 12, the third cylinder 58 of the paper clamp movement mechanism 51 is actuated to lower the paper clamp 50, thereby accommodating the upper end of the raised surplus portion 10 between the receiving portion 52 and the pressing portion 53. Next, the air cylinder 54 of the paper clamp 50 is actuated to grip the end of the surplus portion 10 between the receiving portion 52 and the pressing portion 53 at the tip of the rod of the air cylinder 54. At this time, as shown in Figure 13, the paper clamp 50 grips the portion of the surplus portion 10 adjacent to both sides of the paper pressing plate 35 in the width direction, sandwiching the portion held down by the paper pressing plate 35, on the side opposite the starting end 60 of the packing paper 9 (on the left side in the figure).

[0054] Next, as shown in Figures 14 to 16, the paper clamp 50 gripping the excess portion 10 is moved onto the paper pressure plate 35 (to a position facing the end surface 37 of the roll product 1 with the paper pressure plate 35 sandwiched therebetween) by the operation of the first cylinder 56 (see Figure 5) of the paper clamp movement mechanism 51, whereby the excess portion 10 is folded back along the side edge 41 on one side in the width direction (the left side in the figures) of the paper pressure plate 35 to the other side in the width direction (the right side in the figures). At this time, as shown in Figure 16, the excess portion 10 is also folded back from the other side in the width direction (the right side in the figures) of the side edge 41 on one side in the width direction (the left side in the figures) of the paper pressure plate 35 to one side in the width direction (the left side in the figures). These actions form Z-shaped pleats 59 as seen from the top-bottom direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in the figures), as shown in Figure 16.

[0055] [The operation of creating a crease at the folded portion of the pleats 59 using the paper pressure plate 35] As shown in Figure 17, the paper clamp 50 holding the excess portion 10 is moved in a direction toward the end surface 37 of the roll product 1 (upward in the figure) by operating the second cylinder 57 (see Figure 4) of the paper clamp moving mechanism 51, pushing the pleats 59 toward the end surface 37 of the roll product 1.

[0056] 18 and 19, the electric motor 46 (see FIG. 10) of the paper pressure plate moving mechanism 36 is operated to lower the paper pressure plate 35. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 20, the air cylinder 48 of the paper pressure plate moving mechanism 36 is contracted to swing the paper pressure plate 35 around the swing shaft 42 from a holding position where the side edge 41 on one widthwise side (the left side in the figure) of the paper pressure plate 35 extends in the radial direction of the roll product 1 (the up-down direction in the figure) to an escape position where the paper pressure plate 35 is tilted away from the radial direction of the roll product 1 and away from the paper clamp 50 (tilted clockwise in the figure). This causes the paper pressure plate 35 to be removed from between the pleats 59 and the end face 37 of the roll product 1.

[0057] Next, as shown in Figure 21, the paper pressure plate 35 is moved away from the end surface 37 of the roll material 1 (to the left in the figure) by the paper pressure advance / retract mechanism 38. Then, as shown in Figure 22, the air cylinder 48 of the paper pressure movement mechanism 36 is extended to swing the paper pressure plate 35 from the avoidance position to the pressing position (swinging counterclockwise in the figure) around the swing shaft 42. As a result, the paper pressure plate 35 moves to a position facing the end surface 37 of the roll material 1, with the pleats 59 sandwiched between them.

[0058] Next, as shown in Figure 23, the paper pressure plate 35 is moved in the direction toward the end surface 37 of the roll product 1 (to the right in the figure) by the paper pressure advance / retreat mechanism 38, and the pleat 59 portion located between the paper pressure plate 35 and the end surface 37 of the roll product 1 shown in Figure 22 is pressed against the end surface 37 of the roll product 1, thereby creating a crease in the folded portion.

[0059] Next, as shown in Figure 24, the rod of the air cylinder 54 of the paper clamp 50 is contracted, and the pressing portion 53 is moved in a direction away from the receiving portion 52 (to the left in the figure), thereby releasing the grip of the excess portion 10 by the paper clamp 50.

[0060] Next, as shown in Figure 25, the first cylinder 56 (see Figure 5) of the paper clamp moving mechanism 51 is operated to move the paper clamp 50 in a direction away from the starting end 60 of the packing paper 9 (a direction away from the paper pressure plate 35, to the left in the figure).

[0061] Next, as shown in FIG. 26, the second cylinder 57 (see FIG. 4) of the paper clamp moving mechanism 51 is actuated to move the paper clamp 50 in a direction away from the end surface 37 of the roll material 1 (to the left in the figure).

[0062] Next, as shown in Figure 27, the electric motor 46 (see Figure 10) of the paper pressure moving mechanism 36 is activated to move the paper pressure plate 35 upward along the surface of the pleats 59, thereby creating a crease at the top of the pleats 59.

[0063] Next, as shown in FIG. 28, the paper pressure plate 35 is moved in a direction away from the end surface 37 of the roll material 1 (to the left in the figure) by the paper pressure advance / retract mechanism 38.

[0064] [Rotational movement] Next, as shown in Figures 29 and 30, the electric motor 12 (see Figure 3) of the roll rotation mechanism 11 is operated to rotate the roll material 1 by a certain angle around the central axis of the roll. If the rotation angle of the roll material 1 is set in the range of 15° to 60°, the number of folds 59 formed on the end surface 37 of the roll material 1 can be 6 to 24. The rotation direction of the roll material 1 is opposite to the winding direction (clockwise in the figure) of the packing paper 9 wrapped around the roll material 1.

[0065] Next, the process returns to the above-mentioned [action of creating a crease along the periphery of the roll product 1 using the paper pressure plate 35], and then the [action of creating a crease along the periphery of the roll product 1 using the paper pressure plate 35], [action of forming pleats 59 using the paper clamp 50], [action of creating a crease at the folded-back portion of the pleats 59 using the paper pressure plate 35], and [rotational action] are repeated, thereby completing the chrysanthemum fold of the excess portion 10, as shown in Figure 31.

[0066] 31, in the completed state of the chrysanthemum fold, the excess portion 10 is folded radially inward along the periphery of the end surface 37 of the rolled product 1, and a plurality of radially extending pleats 59 formed by the excess portion 10 are aligned at regular intervals in the circumferential direction. The pleats 59 are folded to the same side in the circumferential direction along the end surface 37 of the rolled product 1 so that adjacent pleats 59 in the circumferential direction overlap each other.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 30, the automatic folding device of this embodiment rotates the roll product 1 by a fixed angle. With each rotation, the paper clamp 50 forms one pleat 59 and the paper pressure plate 35 creases the folded portion of the pleat 59. By repeating these operations, a fold with multiple pleats 59 is formed, as shown in FIG. 31. This eliminates the need for multiple paper pressure plates 35 around the entire circumference, and the fold can be formed with a single paper pressure plate 35 and a single paper clamp 50, as shown in FIG. 7. This eliminates the need for a large radially outer space around the entire circumference, and reduces the space required to install the automatic folding device. Furthermore, it is not necessary to provide the same number of paper pressure plates 35 as the number of pleats 59 in the fold shown in FIG. 31; only one paper pressure plate 35 is required, resulting in low costs.

[0068] As shown in Figure 2, this automatic folding device has paper pressure plates 35 and paper clamps 50 on both sides of the roll holding section 2 in the roll axial direction, so that the excess portion 10 can be folded in a circular pattern onto the end surface 37 of the roll product 1 simultaneously on both sides in the roll axial direction.

[0069] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 14, when this automatic chrysanthemum folding device forms Z-shaped pleats 59, the paper pressure plate 35 is positioned so that the extending direction of the side edge 41 on one side of the width direction of the paper pressure plate 35 (left side in the figure) is the radial direction of the roll product 1 (up and down in the figure).Therefore, the part of the pleats 59 that is folded back along the side edge 41 on one side of the width direction of the paper pressure plate 35 (left side in the figure) to the other side of the width direction (right side in the figure) is formed to extend radially (up and down in the figure) from the center of the roll product 1, and as shown in Figure 31, a chrysanthemum fold with an excellent appearance can be formed.

[0070] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, this automatic folding device can fold in a circular pattern to accommodate multiple types of roll products 1 with different outer diameters, simply by adjusting the position of the support frame 24 connected to the paper pressure plate 35 and the paper clamp 50 in the vertical direction using the support frame position adjustment mechanism 26, without having to replace units depending on the outer diameter of the roll product 1.

[0071] In the above embodiment, as shown in Figure 32, an example was described in which the packing paper 9 was wrapped around the entire circumference of the roll product 1 and then the excess portion 10 of the packing paper 9 was folded in a Chrysanthemum shape.However, as shown in Figure 33, the operation of wrapping the packing paper 9 around the outer periphery of the roll product 1 and the operation of folding the excess portion 10 of the packing paper 9 in a Chrysanthemum shape may also be performed in parallel.

[0072] Specifically, a packing paper feeder (not shown) is provided adjacent to the automatic folding device shown in Fig. 3, and the packing paper 9 fed from the packing paper feeder is introduced between the contact surface of the receiving roller 6 and the roll product 1 shown in Fig. 3. Then, each time the roll rotation mechanism 11 shown in Fig. 3 rotates the roll product 1 by a certain angle, the packing paper 9 is supplied from the packing paper feeder to the automatic folding device, and the packing paper 9 is wrapped around the outer periphery of the roll product 1 by the angle of rotation. By repeating this operation, the operation of folding the periphery of the roll product 1 with the paper pressure plate 35 described above, the operation of forming pleats 59 with the paper clamps 50, and the operation of folding the folded-back portions of the pleats 59 with the paper pressure plate 35, the packing paper 9 is folded in a flute while being wrapped around the outer periphery of the roll product 1.

[0073] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1 roll of product 2 Roll holder 9. Packaging paper 10 Surplus 11 Roll rotation mechanism 35 Paper holder 36 Paper holder movement mechanism 37 End face of roll product 38 Paper holder advance / retract mechanism 41 One side edge of the paper pressure plate in the width direction 50 Paper Clamps 51 Paper clamp movement mechanism 59 Pleats

Claims

1. The roll product (1) has a roll holding section (2) that holds the roll product (1) with a packing paper (9) wrapped around its outer periphery so that the central axis of the roll is horizontal, An automatic folding device for folding an excess portion (10) of the packing paper (9) protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the roll product (1) in the roll axial direction into a folding shape onto an end surface (37) of the roll product (1), a paper pressure plate (35) disposed so as to intersect with the periphery of the roll product (1) when viewed from the roll axial direction; a paper pressure advance / retract mechanism (38) that moves the paper pressure plate (35) in the roll axial direction between an advanced position where the paper pressure plate (35) abuts against the end surface (37) of the roll product (1) and a retreated position where the paper pressure plate (35) is separated from the end surface (37) of the roll product (1) in the roll axial direction; a paper pressure moving mechanism (36) that moves the paper pressure plate (35) in a direction intersecting the roll axial direction; a paper clamp (50) for gripping the excess portion (10); a paper clamp moving mechanism (51) that moves the paper clamp (50) along the end surface (37) of the roll product (1); a roll rotating mechanism (11) for rotating the roll product (1) around the roll central axis, The paper pressure plate (35) is moved toward the end surface (37) of the roll product (1) by the paper pressure advance / retract mechanism (38), thereby pressing a part of the excess portion (10) against the end surface (37) of the roll product (1) and forming a crease along the periphery of the roll product (1); The paper clamp (50) clamps one of the portions of the excess portion (10) adjacent to both sides of the paper pressure plate (35) in the width direction by sandwiching the portion held down by the paper pressure plate (35), and by moving the gripped portion onto the paper pressure plate (35) by the paper clamp moving mechanism (51), the gripped portion is folded back along one side edge (41) of the paper pressure plate (35) in the width direction to the other side in the width direction, and forms a Z-shaped pleat (59) that is folded back from the other side in the width direction beyond the one side edge (41) of the paper pressure plate (35) in the width direction to one side in the width direction, The paper pressure plate (35) is pulled out from between the pleats (59) and the end surface (37) of the roll product (1) by the paper pressure advance / retract mechanism (38) and the paper pressure movement mechanism (36), and moves to a position facing the end surface (37) of the roll product (1) with the pleats (59) sandwiched therebetween, and then moves toward the end surface (37) of the roll product (1), pressing the portion of the pleats (59) folded back on the paper pressure plate (35) toward one end in the width direction against the end surface (37) of the roll product (1), thereby creating a crease in the folded back portion, The roll rotation mechanism (11) rotates the roll product (1) around the central axis of the roll by a fixed angle at a time, and with each rotation, the paper pressure plate (35) creases the roll product (1) along the periphery, the paper clamp (50) forms the pleats (59), and the paper pressure plate (35) creases the folded-back portions of the pleats (59), thereby repeating this operation, thereby folding the excess portion (10) in a pleat shape.

2. 2. The automatic folding device according to claim 1, wherein the paper pressure plate (35) and the paper clamp (50) are provided on both sides of the roll holding portion (2) in the roll axial direction.

3. An automatic folding device as described in either claim 1 or 2, wherein when forming the Z-shaped pleats (59), the paper pressure plate (35) is positioned so that the extension direction of one side edge (41) of the paper pressure plate (35) in the width direction is the radial direction of the roll product (1), and the Z-shaped pleats (59) are formed while the paper pressure plate (35) is pressing down the excess portion (10).

4. The paper pressure plate (35) is arranged to extend in the vertical direction when viewed from the roll axial direction, 3. An automatic folding device according to claim 1, wherein the positions of the paper pressure plate (35) and the paper clamp (50) are adjustable in the vertical direction according to the outer diameter of the roll product (1).

5. 3. The automatic folding device according to claim 1, wherein the device is configured to fold the packing paper (9) around the outer periphery of the roll product (1) in a chrysanthemum shape while wrapping it around the outer periphery of the roll product (1) by a fixed angle each time the roll rotation mechanism (11) rotates the roll product (1) by a fixed angle, to repeat the following operations: wrapping the packing paper (9) around the outer periphery of the roll product (1) by the rotation angle; creasing the periphery of the roll product (1) using the paper pressure plate (35); forming the pleats (59) using the paper clamp (50); and creasing the folded-back portions of the pleats (59) using the paper pressure plate (35).

6. 3. The automatic folding device according to claim 1, wherein the roll rotation mechanism (11) rotates the roll product (1) by 15 to 60 degrees.

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