Belt-shaped material conveying device

Abstract

To provide a strip member of conveying device that can suppress unevenness of thickness distribution when conveying strip members inside out.SOLUTION: A conveying device 10 is a device for conveying strip members W cut to a predetermined length in the conveying direction, and includes a first belt conveyor 11 and a second belt conveyor 12 arranged one above another, a first conveying surface 21a of a first conveying belt 21 of the first belt conveyor 11 and a second conveying surface 22a of a second conveying belt 22 of the second belt conveyor 12 are opposed to each other and have a conveying section 15 that conveys strip members W sandwiched between first conveying surface 21a and second conveying surface 22a, the conveying section 15 has a main reversing device 31 that twists the first conveyor belt 21 and the second conveyor belt 22 to the positive direction R1 around the axis parallel to the length direction of the first conveyor belt 21 and the second conveyor belt 22 and reverses the orientation of the first conveying surface 21a and the second conveying surface 22a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying device for conveying a strip-shaped member that is a component of a pneumatic tire. [Background technology]

[0002] Pneumatic tires are manufactured by vulcanizing a raw cover formed by laminating various strip-shaped members such as an inner liner, a carcass ply, a belt, a tread, and a sidewall. The strip-shaped members are pulled out from a reel or the like and cut to a predetermined length. The cut strip-shaped members may be turned over for each process, and in such cases, a device for turning the strip-shaped members over is used (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] A conventional device (reversal assist device) that reverses a strip-shaped material has two rotatable auxiliary rollers arranged at a distance in the feed direction of the strip-shaped material, and the rotation axes of the auxiliary rollers are orthogonal to the feed direction and width direction of the strip-shaped material to reverse the strip-shaped material conveyed along the auxiliary rollers. Conventionally, a method of clamping and lifting the strip-shaped material to reverse it has also been used. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-43371 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When a strip-shaped material is turned over using the conventional turning assist device, the weight of the strip acts on the material during turning, causing it to bend, which may result in uneven thickness distribution. Furthermore, when a method of clamping and lifting the strip-shaped material is adopted, the weight of the strip acts on the material, causing uneven thickness distribution.

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a conveying device for a strip-shaped material that can suppress the occurrence of conveying abnormalities and suppress uneven thickness distribution when conveying a strip-shaped material while turning it over. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] (1) A belt-shaped material conveying device according to the present invention comprises: A conveying device that conveys a strip-shaped material cut to a predetermined length in a conveying direction, A first belt conveyor and a second belt conveyor are disposed one above the other, a conveying section in which a first conveying surface of a first conveying belt of the first belt conveyor and a second conveying surface of a second conveying belt of the second belt conveyor face each other and sandwiches the belt-shaped member between the first conveying surface and the second conveying surface and conveys the belt-shaped member; The conveying unit The device has a main inversion device that twists the first conveying belt and the second conveying belt in the forward direction around an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the first conveying belt and the second conveying belt, thereby inverting the orientation of the first conveying surface and the second conveying surface.

[0008] According to the conveying device having the above configuration, the belt-shaped material is supported by the first conveying belt and the second conveying belt, and the main reversing device can reverse the belt-shaped material, thereby reducing the weight acting on the belt-shaped material when reversing it, thereby suppressing conveyance abnormalities and uneven thickness distribution of the belt-shaped material.

[0009] (2) In the belt-shaped material conveying device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the main reversing device includes a turn roller that supports the first conveying belt and the second conveying belt and has a rotation axis that is perpendicular or inclined relative to the horizontal direction. With this configuration, the belt-shaped material can be turned over while being supported by the first and second conveyor belts, thereby suppressing conveyance abnormalities and uneven thickness distribution of the belt-shaped material.

[0010] (3) In the belt-shaped material conveying device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the conveying section has an introduction section at the upstream end of the conveying section, in which the distance between the first conveying surface and the second conveying surface increases toward the upstream side in the conveying direction. With this configuration, the belt-shaped material can be smoothly introduced into the conveying section, thereby preventing conveyance abnormalities from occurring.

[0011] (4) In the belt-shaped member conveying device according to the present invention, the first belt conveyor is a first return unit that returns the first conveyor belt from a downstream end to an upstream end of the conveying unit; a first sub-reversing device that reverses the orientation of the first conveying surface by twisting the first conveying belt in the opposite direction around an axis parallel to the length direction of the first conveying belt in the middle of the first returning section, The second belt conveyor, a second return section that returns the second conveyor belt from a downstream end to an upstream end of the conveying section; It is preferable to have a second sub-reversing device that twists the second conveying belt in the opposite direction around an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the second conveying belt in the middle of the second return section, thereby reversing the orientation of the second conveying surface. With this configuration, it is possible to realize a conveying device that can turn over a belt-shaped member while supporting the belt-shaped member with the first conveying belt and the second conveying belt.

[0012] (5) In the belt-shaped material conveying device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the main reversing device changes the conveying direction of the belt-shaped material in the conveying section. With this configuration, the belt-shaped material can be turned over and the conveying direction of the belt-shaped material can be changed while the belt-shaped material is supported by the first and second conveying belts, thereby improving the flexibility of the layout of the belt-shaped material conveying device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, when a belt-shaped member is transported while being turned over, it is possible to suppress unevenness in the thickness distribution of the belt-shaped member. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic plan view of a transport device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a conveying section of the conveying device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a first returning section of the conveying device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing a second returning section of the conveying device. [Figure 5] FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of a transport device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram summarizing the results of conveying a strip-shaped material using various conveying devices. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a conveying device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The conveying device 10 shown in FIG. 1 is the first embodiment of the conveying device according to the present invention. In the following description, the conveying device 10 according to the first embodiment (see FIG. 1) will be referred to as a first conveying device 10A, and the conveying device 10 according to the second embodiment (see FIG. 5) will be referred to as a second conveying device 10B. In the following description, when simply referring to "conveying device 10," a configuration common to the first and second conveying devices 10A and 10B will be described.

[0016] The conveying device 10 conveys a strip-shaped member W constituting a pneumatic tire from a first process A to a second process B. The strip-shaped member W is, for example, a member such as a tread made of unvulcanized rubber. As shown in FIG. 1, a tire manufacturing plant is provided with a layout including a first process A, which is a pre-process, and a second process B, which is a post-process, and a conveying device 10 for conveying the strip-shaped member W is disposed between the first process A and the second process B. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the first process A and the second process B are arranged on the same line. For example, the first process A is a process for forming the strip-shaped member W, and the second process B is a process for storing the strip-shaped member W. After the second process B, the strip-shaped member W is supplied to a process for forming a row cover. Before being stored in the second process B, the strip-shaped member W is turned upside down from the position in which it was formed in the first process A.

[0017] 2 is a schematic side view showing a conveying section of the conveying device 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the conveying device 10 includes a first belt conveyor 11 and a second belt conveyor 12.

[0018] The first belt conveyor 11 includes a first transport belt 21, a drive roller 23, a plurality of driven rollers 24, and a plurality of auxiliary rollers 25. The first belt conveyor 11 uses one side of the first transport belt 21 as a transport surface 21a (hereinafter referred to as the first transport surface 21a). The first transport belt 21 is made of a material that is flexible and stretchable enough to reverse the orientation of the first transport surface 21a when twisted around an axis parallel to the length direction. Note that the "length direction of the first transport belt 21" in this description refers to the direction perpendicular to the width direction and thickness direction of the first transport belt 21.

[0019] The second belt conveyor 12 includes a second transport belt 22, a drive roller 23, a plurality of driven rollers 24, and a plurality of auxiliary rollers 25. The second belt conveyor 12 uses one side of the second transport belt 22 as a transport surface 22a (hereinafter referred to as the second transport surface 22a). The second transport belt 22 is made of a material that is flexible and stretchable enough to reverse the orientation of the second transport surface 22a when twisted around an axis parallel to the length direction. Note that the "length direction of the second transport belt 22" in this description refers to the direction perpendicular to the width and thickness directions of the second transport belt 22.

[0020] In the conveying device 10, the first belt conveyor 11 and the second belt conveyor 12 are arranged one above the other, with the first conveying surface 21a and the second conveying surface 22a facing each other. In the conveying device 10, the portion where the first conveying surface 21a and the second conveying surface 22a face each other is the conveying section 15. The conveying section 15 is a portion that conveys the strip-shaped material W while turning it over. The conveying section 15 drives the first conveying belt 21 and the second conveying belt 22 by the drive roller 23, and can convey the strip-shaped material W sandwiched between the first conveying surface 21a and the second conveying surface 22a.

[0021] 1, the conveying section 15 conveys the strip-shaped material W linearly in the direction X in a plan view. Note that only the portions of the first belt conveyor 11 and the second belt conveyor 12 that constitute the conveying section 15 are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0022] Fig. 3 is a schematic side view showing a first return section of the conveying device. Fig. 4 is a schematic side view showing a second return section of the conveying device. Fig. 3 shows a first return section 17 of a first belt conveyor 11 constituting the conveying device 10. Fig. 4 shows a second return section 18 of a second belt conveyor 12 constituting the conveying device 10. That is, as shown in Figs. 2 to 4, the conveying device 10 includes a conveying section 15, a first return section 17, and a second return section 18.

[0023] 2 to 4, the drive roller 23 and the plurality of driven rollers 24 have horizontal rotation axes and are arranged parallel to each other. The first conveyor belt 21 and the second conveyor belt 22 are formed in an endless belt shape and are wound around the drive roller 23 and the plurality of driven rollers 24, respectively. The first conveyor belt 21 and the second conveyor belt 22 are circulated around the drive roller 23 and the plurality of driven rollers 24 when the drive roller 23 is driven by a drive device (not shown) such as a motor.

[0024] (Main inversion device) As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the conveying device 10 includes a main reversing device 31 located midway through the conveying section 15. The main reversing device 31 reverses the orientation of the first conveying surface 21a and the second conveying surface 22a in the conveying section 15. The main reversing device 31 reverses the orientation of the first conveying surface 21a, which faces downward upstream of the main reversing device 31, to the orientation upward downstream of the main reversing device 31, and also reverses the orientation of the second conveying surface 22a, which faces upward upstream of the main reversing device 31, to the orientation downward downstream of the main reversing device 31. The main reversing device 31 includes a turn roller 36. Auxiliary rollers 25 are disposed immediately before and immediately after the main reversing device 31 in the conveying direction to assist in reversing the orientation of the first conveying belt 21 and the second conveying belt 22. Note that, although the main reversing device 31 shown in this embodiment has two turn rollers 36, the turn rollers 36 may be disposed in one location or three or more locations. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the turn roller 36 is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, but the turn roller 36 may also be provided perpendicular to the horizontal direction (see FIG. 5).

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the turn roller 36 has an axis inclined relative to the horizontal and is composed of a pair of parallel rollers 36a and 36b. In the following description, the (first) turn roller 36 located upstream in the conveying direction will also be referred to as the first turn roller 36A, and the (second) turn roller 36 located downstream in the conveying direction will also be referred to as the second turn roller 36B. That is, when the first conveyor belt 21 and the second conveyor belt 22 pass through the turn roller 36 (between the pair of rollers 36a and 36b), their orientation after passing through is changed to the tangential direction of the rollers 36a and 36b. Note that, while the present embodiment illustrates the turn roller 36 in which the pair of rollers 36a and 36b sandwich and support the first conveyor belt 21 and the second conveyor belt 22, the configuration of the turn roller 36 is not limited thereto. For example, the turn roller 36 may be configured such that a single roller is alternately disposed on one side and the other side of the first conveyor belt 21 and the second conveyor belt 22 toward the downstream side in the conveying direction.

[0026] The first conveyor belt 21 and the second conveyor belt 22, which are circulated in the conveying section 15, pass through an auxiliary roller 25 located upstream of the main reversing device 31 in the conveying direction, and are then twisted in the forward direction R1 about an axis parallel to the conveying direction, and are redirected to a direction Y1 toward the first turn roller 36A. Next, the first conveyor belt 21 and the second conveyor belt 22 pass through the first turn roller 36A, and are then twisted further in the forward direction R1, and are redirected to a direction Y2 toward the second turn roller 36B. Next, the first conveyor belt 21 and the second conveyor belt 22 pass through the second turn roller 36B, and are then twisted further in the forward direction R1, and are redirected to a direction Y3 toward the auxiliary roller 25 located downstream of the main reversing device 31 in the conveying direction. In this embodiment, when viewing the first conveyor belt 21 and the second conveyor belt 22 from the downstream side in the conveying direction, the clockwise rotation direction around an axis parallel to the length direction of each belt 21, 22 is defined as the "forward direction R1," and the counterclockwise rotation direction around an axis parallel to the length direction of each belt 21, 22 is defined as the "reverse direction R2" (see FIGS. 3 and 4). The "forward direction R1" and the "reverse direction R2" are opposite rotation directions. In the conveying device according to the present invention, the counterclockwise rotation direction around an axis parallel to the length direction of each belt 21, 22 may be defined as the "forward direction," and the clockwise rotation direction around an axis parallel to the length direction of each belt 21, 22 may be defined as the "reverse direction."

[0027] The belt-shaped material W is conveyed by the conveying unit 15 while sandwiched between the first conveying surface 21a and the second conveying surface 22a. The belt-shaped material W is conveyed upstream of the main reversing device 31 with the first surface Wa facing upward, and downstream of the main reversing device 31 with the second surface Wb facing upward. In other words, the belt-shaped material W is reversed while passing through the main reversing device 31. The length L (see FIG. 2) of the section where the main reversing device 31 reverses the orientation of the first conveying surface 21a and the second conveying surface 22a is preferably 10 times or more the belt width of the first conveying belt 21 and the second conveying belt 22. The section having the length L is the distance between the auxiliary roller 25 located upstream of the main reversing device 31 in the conveying direction and the auxiliary roller 25 located downstream of the main reversing device 31 in the conveying direction.

[0028] The belt-shaped material W is sandwiched between the first conveying surface 21a and the second conveying surface 22a while being conveyed by the conveying section 15, and is therefore continuously supported by the first conveying belt 21 and the second conveying belt 22 while passing through the main reversing device 31 and being turned over. Therefore, the weight of the belt-shaped material W sandwiched between the first conveying belt 21 and the second conveying belt 22 acting on the belt while being turned over is suppressed, and thereby the bending that occurs during turning over is also suppressed.

[0029] (Introduction) As shown in FIG. 2, the conveying device 10 includes an introduction section 16 at the upstream end of the conveying section 15 in the conveying direction. The introduction section 16 is a section where the distance between the first conveying surface 21a and the second conveying surface 22a increases toward the upstream side in the conveying direction. The introduction section 16 allows the conveying device 10 to smoothly introduce the strip-shaped material W sent from the first process A into the conveying section 15. In the conveying device 10 of this embodiment, the introduction section 16 is provided by inclining the first belt conveyor 11 side upward toward the upstream side in the conveying direction. However, the introduction section 16 may be provided by inclining the second belt conveyor 12 side downward toward the upstream side in the conveying direction. Alternatively, the introduction section 16 may be provided by inclining the first belt conveyor 11 side upward toward the upstream side in the conveying direction and inclining the second belt conveyor 12 side downward toward the upstream side in the conveying direction.

[0030] The material constituting the first conveyor belt 21 and the second conveyor belt 22 preferably has a coefficient of friction that prevents the belt-shaped material W from moving relative to the first conveyor surface 21a and the second conveyor surface 22a when the main reversing device 31 turns the belt-shaped material W over. The first conveyor belt 21 and the second conveyor belt 22 may ensure the coefficient of friction by subjecting the first conveyor surface 21a and the second conveyor surface 22a to a surface treatment. Examples of the surface treatment that can be adopted include a process for roughening the first conveyor surface 21a and the second conveyor surface 22a, a process for forming protrusions on the first conveyor surface 21a and the second conveyor surface 22a, and a process for applying a chemical agent to the first conveyor surface 21a and the second conveyor surface 22a.

[0031] (First return section) As shown in FIG. 3, the conveying device 10 has a first return section 17. The first return section 17 is part of the first belt conveyor 11 and forms a path for returning the first conveyor belt 21 from the downstream end of the conveying section 15 to the upstream end of the conveying section 15. The first return section 17 includes a first sub-reversing device 32. The first sub-reversing device 32 twists the first conveyor belt 21, which has been twisted and reversed in the forward direction R1 by the main reversing device 31, in the reverse direction R2 to untwist it, and then reverses it again. The first conveyor belt 21, whose orientation of the first conveying surface 21a has been reversed midway through the conveying section 15, is then reversed again midway through the first return section 17 to the side that untwists it, and is then sent to the conveying section 15, thereby enabling the first conveyor belt 21 to be circulated.

[0032] (First sub-inverter) As shown in FIG. 3, the first sub-reversing device 32 has a turn roller 37. The turn roller 37 has an axis inclined relative to the horizontal direction and is composed of a pair of rollers 37a and 37b that are parallel to each other. In the following description, the (first) turn roller 37 located upstream in the conveying direction will also be referred to as the first turn roller 37A, and the (second) turn roller 37 located downstream in the conveying direction will also be referred to as the second turn roller 37B. In other words, when the first conveyor belt 21 passes through the turn roller 37 (between the pair of rollers 37a and 37b), the direction of the first conveyor belt 21 after passing through the turn roller 37 is changed to the tangential direction of the rollers 37a and 37b. Auxiliary rollers 25 that assist the turn roller 37 in changing the direction of the first conveyor belt 21 are arranged immediately before and after the first sub-reversing device 32 in the conveying direction.

[0033] The first conveyor belt 21 conveyed through the first returning section 17 passes through the auxiliary roller 25 located upstream of the first sub-reversing device 32 in the conveying direction, and then changes direction in a direction α1 toward the first turn roller 37A. After passing through the first turn roller 37A, the first conveyor belt 21 changes direction in a direction α2 toward the second turn roller 37B. After passing through the second turn roller 37B, the first conveyor belt 21 changes direction in a direction α3 toward the auxiliary roller 25 located downstream of the first sub-reversing device 32 in the conveying direction. In this manner, the first sub-reversing device 32 twists the first conveyor belt 21 in the reverse direction R2 around an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the first conveyor belt 21, thereby reversing the direction of the first conveying surface 21a. Note that, although the first sub-reversing device 32 shown in this embodiment has turn rollers 37 disposed at two locations, the number of turn rollers 37 may be one, three, or more. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a turn roller 37 is exemplified in which a pair of rollers 37a, 37b sandwich and support the first conveyor belt 21, but the configuration of the turn roller 37 is not limited to this, and for example, it may be configured in such a way that single rollers are alternately arranged on the front and back sides of the first conveyor belt 21 toward the downstream side in the conveying direction.

[0034] (Second return section) As shown in FIG. 4, the conveying device 10 has a second return section 18. The second return section 18 is part of the second belt conveyor 12 and forms a path for returning the second conveyor belt 22 from the downstream end of the conveying section 15 to the upstream end of the conveying section 15. The second return section 18 includes a second sub-reversing device 33. The second sub-reversing device 33 twists the second conveyor belt 22, which has been twisted and reversed in the forward direction R1 by the main reversing device 31, in the reverse direction R2 to untwist it, and then reverses it again. The second conveyor belt 22, whose second conveying surface 22a has been reversed midway through the conveying section 15, is then reversed again midway through the second return section 18 to untwist it, and is then sent to the conveying section 15, thereby enabling the second conveyor belt 22 to be circulated.

[0035] (Second sub-inverter) As shown in FIG. 4, the second sub-reversing device 33 has a turn roller 38. The turn roller 38 has an axis inclined relative to the horizontal direction and is composed of a pair of rollers 38a and 38b that are parallel to each other. In the following description, the (first) turn roller 38 located upstream in the conveying direction will also be referred to as the first turn roller 38A, and the (second) turn roller 38 located downstream in the conveying direction will also be referred to as the second turn roller 38B. In other words, when the second conveyor belt 22 passes through the turn roller 38 (between the pair of rollers 38a and 38b), the direction of the second conveyor belt 22 after passing through the turn roller 38 is changed to the tangential direction of the rollers 38a and 38b. Auxiliary rollers 25 that assist the turn roller 38 in changing the direction of the second conveyor belt 22 are arranged immediately before and after the second sub-reversing device 33 in the conveying direction.

[0036] The second conveyor belt 22 conveyed through the second return section 18 passes through the auxiliary roller 25 located upstream of the second sub-reversing device 33 in the conveying direction, and then changes direction in direction β1 toward the first turn roller 38A. After passing through the first turn roller 38A, the second conveyor belt 22 changes direction in direction β2 toward the second turn roller 38B. After passing through the second turn roller 38B, the second conveyor belt 22 changes direction in direction β3 toward the auxiliary roller 25 located downstream of the second sub-reversing device 33 in the conveying direction. In this manner, the second sub-reversing device 33 twists the second conveyor belt 22 in the reverse direction R2 around an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the second conveyor belt 22, thereby reversing the direction of the second conveying surface 22a. Note that, although the second sub-reversing device 33 shown in this embodiment has turn rollers 38 disposed at two locations, the number of turn rollers 38 may be one or three or more. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a turn roller 38 is exemplified in which a pair of rollers 38a, 38b sandwich and support the second conveyor belt 22, but the configuration of the turn roller 38 is not limited to this, and for example, it may be configured in such a way that single rollers are alternately arranged on the front and back sides of the second conveyor belt 22 toward the downstream side in the conveying direction.

[0037] (Regarding change of conveying direction by conveying device for belt-shaped material equipped with reversing device) FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of a conveying device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 illustrates a second conveying device 10B, which is a conveying device 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the example illustrated in FIG. 5, the first process A and the second process B are not arranged on the same straight line. In the second conveying device 10B illustrated in FIG. 5, the conveying section 15 conveys the strip-shaped material W linearly in a direction X1 in a plan view, then turns the conveying direction clockwise by 90 degrees to convey the strip-shaped material W linearly in a direction X2, and then turns the conveying direction clockwise by 90 degrees to convey the strip-shaped material W linearly in a direction X3. In other words, in the example illustrated in FIG. 5, the strip-shaped material W is conveyed by the second conveying device 10B while being turned over and turned approximately 180 degrees between the first process A and the second process B. In this way, the second conveying device 10B can turn over the strip-shaped material W and change the conveying direction of the strip-shaped material W. In this embodiment, the case where the change angle of the conveying direction of the strip-shaped material W is approximately 180 degrees is exemplified, but the change angle of the conveying direction by the conveying device 10 is not limited to this.

[0038] (Results of checking the transport status of belt-shaped materials by transport equipment) Figure 6 is a diagram summarizing the results of conveying a strip-shaped material using various conveying devices. Figure 6 shows the results of checking 1) the number of times conveying abnormalities occurred and 2) the thickness distribution of the strip-shaped material W when the strip-shaped material W was conveyed while being turned over using various devices described below.

[0039] FIG. 6 shows the results of confirming the above 1) and 2) for four patterns, namely, a first example, a second example, a first comparative example, and a second comparative example. In the first example, the strip-shaped material W was transported using a transport device 10 having the transport section 15 shown in FIG. 2. In the second example, the strip-shaped material W was transported using a transport device in which the introduction section 16 was omitted from the transport section 15 shown in FIG. 2. In the first comparative example, the main reversing device 31 (turn roller 36) was omitted from the transport section 15 shown in FIG. 2. In the second comparative example, the strip-shaped material W was clamped, lifted, and reversed, and then transported using a conventional transport device without a reversing device.

[0040] In the above confirmation, an experiment was conducted 100 times for each conveyance of a rubber strip W measuring 2.0 m in length and 8.2 mm in thickness at a speed of 20.0 m / min. The conveyance abnormality in 1) above was determined to be an abnormality when there was a failure to reverse the strip W or the material falling off. The thickness distribution in 2) above was evaluated by measuring the thickness of the strip W after conveyance and calculating the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​of the thickness (thickness difference).

[0041] As shown in Figure 6, in the case of the first embodiment, the number of occurrences of abnormal conveyance was "0 times," the thickness difference was kept to "0.1 mm," and it was confirmed that the conveyance state and the state of front and back reversal were very good. Therefore, the case of the first embodiment was evaluated as "Excellent: Very good."

[0042] In the case of the second example, the number of times abnormal conveyance occurred was "2 times." It was confirmed that the number of times abnormalities occurred increased slightly by omitting the introduction section 16. However, the thickness difference was kept to "0.1 mm," and it was confirmed that the conveyance state and the state of front and back reversal were good. Therefore, the case of the second example was evaluated as "Good."

[0043] In the case of the first comparative example, the number of times abnormal conveyance occurred was "16 times." It was confirmed that when the main reversing device 31 (turn roller 36) was omitted and the first conveyor belt 21 and the second conveyor belt 22 were twisted without support to convey the strip-shaped material W while reversing it, the number of times abnormalities occurred increased significantly. Although the thickness difference was kept to "0.1 mm," the occurrence of abnormal conveyance increased significantly, so the first comparative example was evaluated as "×: poor."

[0044] In the case of the second comparative example, the number of abnormalities was "11 times," which was slightly better than the first comparative example, but the thickness difference was "0.6 mm," and the thickness distribution was significantly worse than the three examples mentioned above. When the strip-shaped material W was clamped, lifted, and inverted, the influence of its own weight acting during inversion became greater, and it was confirmed that the thickness distribution was significantly worse than when an inversion device was used. Therefore, the second comparative example was evaluated as "×: poor."

[0045] From the above results, it was confirmed that by using the conveying device 10 of the present invention, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of abnormal conveying, and to reverse the strip-shaped material W while conveying it, while maintaining a good thickness distribution of the strip-shaped material W.

[0046] (Effects of the embodiment) The conveying device 10 of this embodiment is a device that conveys a strip-shaped material W cut to a predetermined length in the conveying direction. The conveying device 10 includes a first belt conveyor 11 and a second belt conveyor 12 arranged above and below each other. The conveying device 10 includes a conveying section 15 in which a first conveying surface 21a of a first conveyor belt 21 of the first belt conveyor 11 faces a second conveying surface 22a of a second conveyor belt 22 of the second belt conveyor 12, and the conveying device 10 conveys the strip-shaped material W sandwiched between the first conveying surface 21a and the second conveying surface 22a. The conveying section 15 includes a main reversing device 31 that twists the first conveyor belt 21 and the second conveyor belt 22 in a forward direction R1 around an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the first conveyor belt 21 and the second conveyor belt 22, thereby reversing the orientation of the first conveying surface 21a and the second conveying surface 22a. According to the conveying device 10 configured as described above, the belt-shaped material W can be supported by the first conveying belt 21 and the second conveying belt 22 while the main reversing device 31 can reverse the belt-shaped material W, thereby suppressing the weight acting on the belt-shaped material W when reversing it. This suppresses the occurrence of conveying abnormalities and also suppresses uneven thickness distribution (increased thickness difference) occurring in the belt-shaped material W.

[0047] In the conveying device 10 of the above embodiment, the main reversing device 31 supports the first conveying belt 21 and the second conveying belt 22 and includes a turn roller 36 having a rotation axis that is perpendicular or inclined relative to the horizontal direction. With this configuration, the belt-shaped material W can be reversed while being supported by the first conveying belt 21 and the second conveying belt 22. This makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of conveyance abnormalities and to suppress uneven thickness distribution (increased thickness difference) occurring in the belt-shaped material W.

[0048] In the conveying device 10 of the above embodiment, the conveying section 15 has an introduction section 16 in which the distance between the first conveying surface 21 a and the second conveying surface 22 a increases toward the upstream side in the conveying direction at the upstream end of the conveying section 15. With this configuration, the strip-shaped material W can be smoothly introduced into the conveying section 15.

[0049] The conveying device 10 of the above embodiment includes a first return section 17 in which the first belt conveyor 11 returns the first conveyor belt 21 from the downstream end to the upstream end of the conveying section 15, and a first sub-reversing device 32 that twists the first conveyor belt 21 in the reverse direction R2 around an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the first conveyor belt 21, thereby reversing the orientation of the first conveying surface 21a, midway through the first return section 17. The conveying device 10 includes a second return section 18 in which the second belt conveyor 12 returns the second conveyor belt 22 from the downstream end to the upstream end of the conveying section 15, and a second sub-reversing device 33 that twists the second conveyor belt 22 in the reverse direction R2 around an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the second conveyor belt 22, midway through the second return section 18, thereby reversing the orientation of the second conveying surface 22a. According to this configuration, a conveying device that can turn over the belt-shaped material W while supporting it with the first conveying belt 21 and the second conveying belt 22 can be realized.

[0050] In the second conveying device 10B of the above embodiment, the main reversing device 31 reverses the conveying direction of the strip-shaped material W in the conveying section 15 by 180 degrees. With this configuration, the first conveying belt 21 and the second conveying belt 22 can reverse the strip-shaped material W while supporting it, and can also reverse the conveying direction of the strip-shaped material W. This improves the degree of freedom in the layout of the conveying device 10 for the strip-shaped material W, and makes it possible to change the layout of the conveying device 10 according to the situation of the installation location.

[0051] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the invention described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 10:Transportation device 11: First conveyor belt 12: Second belt conveyor 15: Transport section 16: Introduction 17: First return section 18: Second return section 21: First conveyor belt 21a: First conveying surface 22: Second conveyor belt 22a: Second conveying surface 31: Main reversing device 32: First sub-inverter 33: Second sub-inverter W: Belt-shaped member

Claims

1. A conveying device that conveys a strip-shaped material cut to a predetermined length in a conveying direction, a first belt conveyor and a second belt conveyor disposed one above the other; a conveying section in which a first conveying surface of a first conveying belt of the first belt conveyor and a second conveying surface of a second conveying belt of the second belt conveyor face each other and sandwiches the belt-shaped member between the first conveying surface and the second conveying surface and conveys the belt-shaped member; The conveying unit a main reversing device that twists the first conveying belt and the second conveying belt in a forward direction around an axis that is parallel to a lengthwise direction of the first conveying belt and the second conveying belt when viewed from the downstream side in the conveying direction, thereby reversing the orientation of the first conveying surface and the second conveying surface; The main reversing device changes the traveling direction of the first conveyor belt and the second conveyor belt in the conveying section, thereby changing the conveying direction of the belt-shaped member.

2. 2. The belt-shaped member conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the main reversing device includes a turn roller that supports the first conveying belt and the second conveying belt and has a rotation axis that is perpendicular or inclined relative to the horizontal direction.

3. 3. A conveying device for a strip-shaped material as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the conveying section has an introduction section at an upstream end of the conveying section, in which the distance between the first conveying surface and the second conveying surface increases toward the upstream side in the conveying direction.

4. The first belt conveyor, a first return section that returns the first conveyor belt from a downstream end to an upstream end of the conveying section; a first sub-reversing device that, in the middle of the first returning section, twists the first conveyor belt in the opposite direction around an axis parallel to the length direction of the first conveyor belt as viewed from the downstream side of the conveying direction, thereby reversing the orientation of the first conveying surface; The second belt conveyor, a second return section that returns the second conveyor belt from a downstream end to an upstream end of the conveying section; A belt-shaped material conveying device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a second sub-inversion device that, midway through the second return section, twists the second conveying belt in the opposite direction around an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the second conveying belt, as viewed from the downstream side of the conveying direction, thereby reversing the orientation of the second conveying surface.

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