Fiber feeding device, fiber laminating method, and composite material molding method

Abstract

To provide technology capable of simultaneously laminating a plurality of tape materials such as a prepreg tape or a dry tape, which are a raw material of FRP, without overlapping each other, and changing an entire width of the plurality of the tape materials after lamination.SOLUTION: A fiber feeding device comprises: a plurality of rollers for guiding a feeding of a plurality of tapes made of fibers or prepreg; a brake for stopping the feeding of the tapes whose feeding should be stopped; and a belt conveyor for feeding the tapes while sandwiching the tapes between selected rollers when at least one roller is selected from a plurality of rollers. A selected roller is configured to approach the belt conveyor so as to sandwich the tapes between the roller and the belt conveyer, and a non-selected roller is configured to retract from the belt conveyor so that the tape is not sandwiched between the roller and the belt conveyer.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a fiber delivery device, a fiber laying method, and a composite molding method. [Background technology]

[0002] To mold fiber-reinforced plastics (FRPs), also known as composite materials such as glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP) and carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP), it is necessary to laminate prepreg sheets, which are sheets of fiber impregnated with uncured resin, and then cure the resin. Alternatively, it is necessary to laminate sheets of fiber before impregnation with resin, then impregnate them with resin and cure them. The FRP molding method in which fibers are laminated and then impregnated with resin is called RTM (Resin Transfer Molding).

[0003] In recent years, automated fiber placement (AFP) devices that automatically layer tape-shaped prepregs or fibers have become commercially available, and in addition to prepreg tapes for layering with AFP devices, tape-shaped fibers before being impregnated with resin, known as dry tapes, are also commercially available (see, for example, Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3).

[0004] When laminating tape materials such as prepreg tape and dry tape in an AFP device, laminating multiple tape materials simultaneously can improve lamination efficiency, i.e., the length of tape material laminated per unit time. For this reason, AFP devices equipped with multiple lamination heads have been devised so that multiple tape materials can be laminated simultaneously. Furthermore, a technology has been proposed that allows the amount of overlap between adjacent prepreg tapes to be adjusted in a multi-head AFP device that simultaneously laminates multiple prepreg tapes (see, for example, Patent Document 4). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 01-247146 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-181683 [Patent Document 3] Special Publication No. 2011-527648 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-059145 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in conventional AFP devices equipped with multiple stacking heads, the amount of overlap between the tapes must be changed in order to change the width of the tapes after stacking. In other words, unless the tapes are partially overlapped, the overall width of the tapes after stacking cannot be changed. As a result, it is not possible to make the thickness of the tapes uniform after stacking.

[0007] In addition, because prepreg tape is adhesive, when overlapping prepreg tapes are laminated, it may be difficult to laminate multiple prepreg tapes in a curved shape. Specifically, when attempting to laminate multiple prepreg tapes in a curved shape while overlapping each other, the laminate length differs between the prepreg tapes on the inside and the prepreg tapes on the outside, and it may not be possible to lay multiple prepreg tapes as ideal. For this reason, when overlapping multiple prepreg tapes, it is necessary to laminate the prepreg tapes along a straight line or a curve with a very small curvature.

[0008] This also applies when the tape itself is wide. That is, in order to stack multiple tape materials along a curve with a large curvature, it is necessary to stack multiple narrow tape materials without overlapping them. Moreover, since the stacking efficiency of the tape material decreases as the tape width becomes narrower, it is necessary to stack more tape materials simultaneously to avoid or reduce the decrease in stacking efficiency.

[0009] However, a typical AFP device has a lamination head consisting of a brake that secures the tape, a feed roller that feeds the tape, a cutter that cuts the tape, and a compaction roller that presses the tape against a mold. Because the width of these lamination head components is greater than the width of the tape, the lamination heads cannot be aligned in the width direction of the tape to avoid interference between the components. In other words, multiple lamination heads, the same number as the number of tapes, must be positioned at different positions in the tape feed direction, such as staggered. As a result, in order to simultaneously feed multiple tapes, a large-scale AFP device equipped with multiple lamination heads is required, and it is not easy to increase the number of tapes.

[0010] Therefore, the present invention aims to simultaneously stack multiple tape materials, such as prepreg tape or dry tape, which are the raw materials for FRP, without overlapping each other, and to make it possible to change the overall width of the multiple tape materials after stacking.

[0011] Another object of the present invention is to make it possible to laminate a larger amount of tape material without making the laminating head of the AFP device complex and large. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] A fiber feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of rollers for guiding the feeding of a plurality of tapes made of fibers or prepregs arranged so as not to overlap in the width direction; a brake for stopping the feeding of at least one tape from the plurality of tapes when the feeding of the at least one tape is determined to be a tape whose feeding should be stopped; and a belt conveyor for sandwiching and feeding a selected tape from the plurality of tapes guided by the selected roller between itself and at least one roller that does not guide the tape whose feeding should be stopped and the selected roller when the at least one roller is selected from the plurality of rollers, the selected roller being configured to approach the belt conveyor so that the selected tape is sandwiched between the selected roller and the belt conveyor, while rollers not selected from the plurality of rollers are configured to retract from the belt conveyor so that a tape from the plurality of tapes guided by the non-selected roller is not sandwiched between the non-selected roller and the belt conveyor.

[0014] Furthermore, a fiber laminating method according to an embodiment of the present invention is a method for producing a tape laminate by laminating the tapes fed out by the fiber feeding device described above.

[0015] Furthermore, a composite material molding method according to an embodiment of the present invention is a method for molding a composite material using a stack of tapes produced by the above-described fiber lamination method. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing the configuration of a fiber feeding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main components of the fiber delivery device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 2 is a diagram showing an example in which some tapes are selected from a plurality of arranged tapes supplied to the fiber delivery device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4]2 is a diagram showing an example in which some tapes are selected from a plurality of arranged tapes supplied to the fiber delivery device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a structural example of the suction chuck shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing how the tape is fed out while being sucked by the suction chuck shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 4 is a diagram showing an example of a control signal output from the controller when only two tapes belonging to the first group shown in FIG. 1 are fed from the fiber feed-out device toward the compaction roller. FIG. [Figure 8] 8 is a schematic diagram showing the state of the fiber delivery device controlled by the control signal shown in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a control signal output from the controller when only two tapes belonging to the first group and two tapes belonging to the second group shown in FIG. 1 are fed from the fiber feeding device toward the compaction roller. [Figure 10] 10 is a schematic diagram showing the state of the fiber delivery device controlled by the control signal shown in FIG. 9. [Figure 11] A diagram showing an example of the control state of an AFP device including a fiber feeding device when only two tapes belonging to the first group and two tapes belonging to the second group shown in Figure 1 are fed from the fiber feeding device to a compaction roller to stack one ply. [Figure 12] 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow when an AFP device equipped with the fiber delivery device shown in FIG. 1 is used to mold FRP using prepreg tape as a material. [Figure 13] 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow when an AFP device equipped with the fiber delivery device shown in FIG. 1 is used to form FRP using a dry tape as a material. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a suction chuck provided in a fiber feeding device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] 15 is a schematic diagram showing how the tape is fed out while being sucked by the suction chuck shown in FIG. 14. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A fiber feeding device, a fiber layering method, and a composite material molding method according to embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] (First embodiment) (Configuration and function of fiber delivery device) FIG. 1 is a front view showing the configuration of a fiber-delivering device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main components of the fiber-delivering device shown in FIG.

[0019] The fiber delivery device 1 is a device that selects at least one desired tape T from a plurality of tapes T that are pre-arranged so as not to overlap each other in the width direction, and delivers only the selected tape T. The tape T to be delivered by the fiber delivery device 1 is a tape T made of fibers or prepreg, which are the raw materials for FRP, i.e., a prepreg tape or a dry tape. A prepreg tape is a tape-shaped prepreg made by impregnating fibers with resin. A dry tape is a tape-shaped fiber before it is impregnated with resin.

[0020] FRP can be molded by laminating prepreg tapes to form a prepreg tape laminate and then curing the resin contained in the prepreg tape laminate. Alternatively, FRP can be molded by laminating dry tapes to form a dry tape laminate and then impregnating the dry tape laminate with resin and curing it using the RTM method.

[0021] Therefore, the fiber delivery device 1 can be built into the laying head of the AFP device 2 that automatically lays down the tape T. In other words, it can be attached to the laying head of the AFP device 2 as an attachment.

[0022] The AFP device 2 includes a table 3 for stacking the tape T, a compaction roller 4 for pressing the tape T against the table 3, and a movement mechanism 5 for moving the compaction roller 4 relative to the table 3. If the bottom surface of the tape T is not flat, a jig J such as a lower mold can be placed on the table 3 as shown in FIG. 1, and the tape T can be stacked on the jig J.

[0023] If the compaction roller 4 is moved relative to the table 3 while pressing one or more tapes T selected by the fiber feed-out device 1 against the table 3, tension can be applied to each tape T while the tapes T are fed in the direction opposite to the movement of the compaction roller 4. For this reason, the movement mechanism 5 of the AFP device 2 is configured to move at least one of the table 3 and the compaction roller 4. When the compaction roller 4 is moved by the movement mechanism 5, the lamination head equipped with the compaction roller 4 may be moved together with the table 5.

[0024] In order to feed the tape T from the compaction roller 4 toward the table 3, it is necessary to move the compaction roller 4 relative to the table 3 in the direction opposite to the feeding direction of the tape T. Also, in order to feed the tape T from the compaction roller 4 along a curve, it is necessary to rotate the compaction roller 4 relative to the table 3. Furthermore, as the tape T is stacked on the table 3, the thickness of the stack of tape T increases, so it is also necessary to move the compaction roller 4 relative to the table 3 in the thickness direction of the tape T.

[0025] Therefore, the movement mechanism 5 is configured to be able to rotate the compaction roller 4 in addition to linear movement in three orthogonal axial directions relative to the table 3. The movement of the compaction roller 4 relative to the table 3 in the thickness direction of the tape T may be achieved by moving the entire stacking head, or by moving only the compaction roller 4 without moving the stacking head.

[0026] In order to stack one or more tapes T in the AFP device 2 in this way, it is necessary to feed the tapes T to be stacked toward the compaction roller 4. Therefore, one or more tapes T selected from the multiple tapes T arranged in the fiber feed device 1 are fed toward the compaction roller 4 provided in the stacking head of the AFP device 2.

[0027] The multiple tapes T supplied to the fiber pay-off device 1 are arranged so as not to overlap each other in the width direction, and when two or more tapes T to be paid-off are selected, the selected multiple tapes T are also paid-off in an arranged state so as not to overlap each other in the width direction. Therefore, each tape T paid out from the fiber pay-off device 1 is simultaneously pressed against a common and single compaction roller 4. In other words, the AFP device 2 has one lamination head equipped with a compaction roller 4.

[0028] Note that if it is permissible to stack multiple tapes T with gaps between them, in other words, if the width of the stacking area is wider than the total width of the multiple tapes T fed from the AFP device 2 equipped with the fiber feed-out device 1 toward the table 3, the multiple tapes T may be fed from the fiber feed-out device 1 toward the compaction roller 4 with gaps between them. However, hereinafter, an example will be described in which multiple tapes T are fed simultaneously from the fiber feed-out device 1 without generating gaps or overlaps with negligible error.

[0029] 3 and 4 are diagrams showing examples in which some tapes T are selected from a plurality of arranged tapes T supplied to the fiber delivery device 1 shown in FIG.

[0030] Tapes T of different widths can be supplied to the fiber pay-off device 1. For this reason, if a plurality of wide tapes T are supplied to the fiber pay-off device 1 as illustrated in Fig. 3, the overall width of the selected tapes T will be wide even if the number of tapes T selected and fed from the fiber pay-off device 1 is the same. On the other hand, if a plurality of narrow tapes T are supplied to the fiber pay-off device 1 as illustrated in Fig. 4, the overall width of the selected tapes T will be narrow even if the number of tapes T selected and fed from the fiber pay-off device 1 is the same.

[0031] On the other hand, even if the width of each tape T supplied to the fiber pay-off device 1 is the same, changing the number of tapes T selected in the fiber pay-off device 1 changes the overall width of the selected tapes T. Therefore, by changing both the width of each tape T supplied to the fiber pay-off device 1 and the number of tapes T selected in the fiber pay-off device 1, it is possible to feed a single or multiple tapes T of a wide variety of widths from the fiber pay-off device 1 toward the compaction roller 4. As a result, it is possible to stack a single or multiple tapes T whose overall width varies, and to form FRP having a more complex shape.

[0032] The aligned tapes T supplied to the fiber pay-off device 1 can be produced by a fiber arrangement device 6 having a desired configuration. For example, as illustrated in Fig. 1, if bobbins 7 for multiple tapes T each having a specific width are set interchangeably and the fiber arrangement device 6 is configured as a device that arranges multiple tapes T supplied from the multiple bobbins 7 in a line in the width direction, the width of each tape T supplied to the fiber pay-off device 1 can be changed by replacing the bobbin 7 with a tape T having a different width.

[0033] 1, if a width adjusting device 8 for changing the width of the tape T is provided upstream of the fiber arrangement device 6, not only can the width of the tape T supplied from each bobbin 7 be changed to a desired width and supplied to the fiber pay-off device 1, but it also becomes possible to change the width of each tape T while it is being paid out. In other words, it is possible to supply a tape T of a variable width to the fiber pay-off device 1.

[0034] Known examples of devices for widening the width of dry tape include the fiber spreading device disclosed in International Publication No. 2010 / 137525. Furthermore, the device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-93454 may be used as the width adjusting device 8 as a device capable of narrowing the width of not only dry tape but also prepreg tape.

[0035] 3 and 4, the widths of the multiple tapes T simultaneously supplied to the fiber pay-off device 1 are approximately the same, but multiple tapes T having different widths may be arranged without overlapping in the width direction and supplied to the fiber pay-off device 1. Also, tapes T having non-uniform widths may be supplied to the fiber pay-off device 1.

[0036] When reducing the overall width of the multiple tapes T by reducing the number of tapes T fed out from the fiber feed device 1, in order to prevent significant gaps from occurring between the fed tapes T, it is necessary to deselect and exclude the tapes T from being fed out in order, starting from the outermost tapes T. For example, in the example shown in Figures 3 and 4, 16 tapes T are selectable, and by deselecting the 12 tapes T on both sides, the four tapes T from the center are selectively fed out. Of course, the overall width of the multiple tapes T may be reduced by deselecting the tapes T on one side in order, rather than deselecting the tapes T on both sides in order.

[0037] Furthermore, instead of allowing the tapes T to be selected one by one, it is also possible to allow the selection of a plurality of tapes T together. That is, the plurality of tapes T supplied from the fiber arrangement device 6 to the fiber delivery device 1 can be divided into a plurality of groups, and a group containing a plurality of tapes T can be selected.

[0038] 2, an example will be described in which the 16 tapes T supplied from the fiber arrangement device 6 to the fiber pay-off device 1 are classified into four groups, starting from the center and proceeding to both sides, consisting of two tapes TA belonging to a first group, two tapes TB belonging to a second group, four tapes TC belonging to a third group, and eight tapes TD belonging to a fourth group, and each group can be selected or deselected, but it is also possible to create a group containing only one tape T. In other words, the example described below is not limited to this, and multiple groups, each containing at least one tape T, can be selected or deselected.

[0039] The fiber let-off device 1 that selectively lets out the tape T as described above can be composed of a brake 9, guide rollers 10, a belt conveyor 11, a roller moving mechanism 12, a cutter 13, an auxiliary roller 14, and a controller 15. The brake 9 and guide roller 10 are provided for each group to be selected. Therefore, when multiple tapes T are classified into four groups, namely, tapes TA, TB, TC, and TD, the fiber let-off device 1 is provided with four brakes 9A, 9B, 9C, and 9D and four guide rollers 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D.

[0040] The brake unit, which is made up of multiple brakes 9, is a device that stops the feeding of the tape T belonging to the group whose feeding should be stopped when the tape T belonging to at least one group is determined to be the tape T whose feeding should be stopped from among the multiple arranged tapes T supplied to the fiber feeding device 1. In the example shown in the figure, each brake 9 stops the feeding of the tape T for which it is responsible by clamping the tape T between the brake roller 16 and the cylindrical pressing member 17, and releases the stop of the feeding of the tape T for which it is responsible by pulling the pressing member 17 relatively away from the brake roller 16.

[0041] The shape of the pressing member 17 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, but may be a desired shape such as a rectangular pillar shape, etc. However, if the pressing member 17 is configured as a rotatable roller, it is possible to prevent the tape T from suddenly stopping.

[0042] Furthermore, the relative movement of the pressing member 17 with respect to the brake roller 16 can be achieved by a desired drive mechanism. For example, at least one of the pressing member 17 and the brake roller 16 may be linearly reciprocated using a cylinder mechanism such as an air cylinder with a piston reciprocating inside a cylinder tube, a hydraulic cylinder, or an electric cylinder, a gear such as a rack-and-pinion, or a ball screw, which moves an object linearly back and forth. Alternatively, at least one of the pressing member 17 and the brake roller 16 may be fixed to the tip of a shaft that is rotated by a gear or a motor, or a columnar pressing member 17 that is not circular in cross section may be fixed to the rotating shaft of a gear or a motor, so that at least one of the pressing member 17 and the brake roller 16 reciprocates like a pendulum along an arc-shaped trajectory.

[0043] A guide roller unit consisting of multiple guide rollers 10 functions as a guide mechanism that guides the delivery of multiple arranged tapes T supplied to the fiber delivery device 1. Each guide roller 10 is configured to approach and retract toward the belt conveyor 11 by driving a roller moving mechanism 12. Therefore, the tape T guided by the guide roller 10 that has approached the belt conveyor 11 is delivered while sandwiched between the belt conveyor 11 and the guide roller 10, and the tape T guided by the guide roller 10 that has retracted from the belt conveyor 11 is guided by the guide roller 10 without coming into close contact with the belt conveyor 11.

[0044] Therefore, power is not required for each guide roller 10. In other words, by bringing the guide roller 10 close to the belt conveyor 11 so that the distance between the guide roller 10 and the belt conveyor 11 is equal to or less than the thickness of the tape T, the belt conveyor 11 and the guide roller 10 can pinch the tape T with sufficient pressure, and the power of the belt conveyor 11 is transmitted to the guide roller 10 through the tape T due to friction between the belt conveyor 11, the guide roller 10, and the tape T. Therefore, the guide rollers 10 can be rotated without providing power to each guide roller 10 with a motor or the like. Therefore, all of the guide rollers 10 can be rotated with only the power of the belt conveyor 11. As a result, the number of power sources, such as motors, required for the fiber let-off device 1 can be reduced.

[0045] However, power may be applied to the guide roller 10 by a motor or the like, and the tape T may be fed by both the guide roller 10 and the belt conveyor 11. That is, the guide roller 10 may be a powered roller similar to a feed roller provided in a typical conventional AFP device. In this case, the tape T can be fed with sufficient power, so that the tape T can be fed without any problems even under conditions where a large amount of power is required to pull out the tape T from the fiber arrangement device 6.

[0046] On the other hand, even if the tape T is guided by the guide roller 10 without being in close contact with the belt conveyor 11 by retracting the guide roller 10 from the belt conveyor 11 so that the distance between the guide roller 10 and the belt conveyor 11 is greater than the thickness of the tape T, the tape T can be fed out by moving the compaction roller 4 relative to the table 3 while the tape T is pressed against the table 3 by the compaction roller 4 as described above.

[0047] That is, if the tape T is pressed against the compaction roller 4, tension acts on the tape T due to the frictional force between the compaction roller 4 and the tape T or jig J stacked below, and the tape T being fed out and pressed against the compaction roller 4, allowing the tape T to be fed out. In this case, the guide roller 10, which has retreated from the belt conveyor 11, also rotates due to the frictional force between the guide roller 10 and the tape T being fed out and pressed against the compaction roller 4.

[0048] Therefore, the tape T that needs to be sandwiched between the guide roller 10 and the belt conveyor 11 and sent out is the tape T whose sending out has been stopped by the brake 9 and whose leading end has not yet reached the compaction roller 4.

[0049] Note that the tape T that has reached the compaction roller 4 may be sandwiched between the guide roller 10 and the belt conveyor 11 and sent out, but if the feed speed of the belt conveyor 11 differs from the relative speed of the compaction roller 4 with respect to the table 3, or if the feed speeds of multiple tapes T sent out from the compaction roller 4 differ, there is a risk of slack or excessive tension in the tape T. Therefore, it is more appropriate to sandwich and send out only the tape T that has not yet reached the compaction roller 4 between the guide roller 10 and the belt conveyor 11. Conversely, it is more appropriate to separate the tape T that has reached the compaction roller 4 from the belt conveyor 11 so that power is not applied from the belt conveyor 11.

[0050] As described above, the roller moving mechanism 12 is a device that moves each guide roller 10 to move the target guide roller 10 toward or away from the belt conveyor 11. The target guide roller 10 to be brought closer to the belt conveyor 11 is the guide roller 10 that guides the tape T whose leading edge has not reached the compaction roller 4, among the tape T whose feeding has not been stopped by the brake 9, as described above. Conversely, the target guide rollers 10 to be retracted from the belt conveyor 11 are the guide roller 10 that guides the tape T whose feeding has been stopped by the brake 9, and the guide roller 10 that guides the tape T whose leading edge has reached the compaction roller 4, among the tape T whose feeding has not been stopped by the brake 9.

[0051] Therefore, the determination of whether each guide roller 10 is a guide roller 10 that should be moved toward the belt conveyor 11 or a guide roller 10 that should be moved away from the belt conveyor 11 is made based on the operating state of the brake 9 and the position of the leading end of the tape T. This determination is made by the controller 15.

[0052] Therefore, the roller moving mechanism 12 is configured to move guide rollers 10 selected by the controller 15 as guide rollers 10 that should be moved toward the belt conveyor 11 toward the belt conveyor 11, while moving other guide rollers 10 that have been determined not to be selected by the controller 15 away from the belt conveyor 11. Of course, it is also possible to select guide rollers 10 that should be moved away from the belt conveyor 11 and determine that other guide rollers 10 should not be selected, and this determination is equivalent to the determination of selecting guide rollers 10 that should be moved toward the belt conveyor 11.

[0053] Specifically, when the roller moving mechanism 12 receives a control signal from the controller 15 and there is a selected guide roller 10 that should be moved closer to the belt conveyor 11, it presses the selected guide roller 10 against the belt conveyor 11 so that the tape T that is guided by the selected guide roller 10 among the multiple tapes T is sandwiched between the selected guide roller 10 and the belt conveyor 11.

[0054] That is, the roller moving mechanism 12 moves the guide rollers 10 closer to the belt conveyor 11 so that the distance between at least one guide roller 10 selected from the plurality of guide rollers 10 and the belt conveyor 11 is equal to or less than the thickness of the tape T. This allows the tape T, whose feeding has not been stopped by the brake 9 and which has not yet reached the compaction roller 4, to be sandwiched between the guide roller 10 and the belt conveyor 11 and fed out. Of course, it is also possible to select all of the guide rollers 10 and sandwich all of the tape T between the guide rollers 10 and the belt conveyor 11 and feed out the tape T.

[0055] On the other hand, the roller moving mechanism 12 maintains the other non-selected guide rollers 10 in a state where they are retracted from the belt conveyor 11. In other words, when all of the guide rollers 10 have not been selected as guide rollers 10 that should be brought closer to the belt conveyor 11 and there are non-selected guide rollers 10, the roller moving mechanism 12 moves the non-selected guide rollers 10 away from the belt conveyor 11 so that the tape T guided by the non-selected guide rollers 10 is not pinched between the non-selected guide rollers 10 and the belt conveyor 11.

[0056] As a result, the tape T whose feeding has been stopped by the brake 9 is separated from the belt conveyor 11, and power is no longer transmitted from the belt conveyor 11, so that the tape T remains stopped. In addition, the tape T that has reached the compaction roller 4 is also separated from the belt conveyor 11, and power is no longer transmitted from the belt conveyor 11, so that not only can the tape T be fed toward the table 3 at a relative speed of the compaction roller 4 with respect to the table 3 that is independent of the conveying speed of the belt conveyor 11, but also the tapes T can be fed at independent speeds.

[0057] The roller moving mechanism 12 can be configured with any desired drive mechanism. In the illustrated example, the roller moving mechanism 12 is configured to reciprocate the rotating shafts of the guide rollers 10 with a cylinder mechanism 12A such as an air cylinder, hydraulic cylinder, or electric cylinder in which a piston reciprocates within a cylinder tube, but the roller moving mechanism 12 may also be configured to reciprocate the rotating shafts of the guide rollers 10 linearly toward the belt conveyor 11 using equipment elements that linearly reciprocate an object, such as a gear such as a rack and pinion or a ball screw.

[0058] As another example of a configuration of the roller moving mechanism 12, the rotating shafts of the guide rollers 10 may be suspended by a wire, chain, or belt so that they can be raised and lowered, or the rotating shafts of the guide rollers 10 may be supported so that they can be raised and lowered by the rotation of a cam, so that the tape T is pressed against the belt conveyor 11 by the weight of the guide rollers 10. Alternatively, the roller moving mechanism 12 may be configured so that the rotating shafts of the guide rollers 10 move back and forth like a pendulum along an arc-shaped trajectory. In this case, an example configuration may be one in which the rotating shafts of the guide rollers 10 are rotatably connected to the tip of a shaft whose inclination angle is changed by a gear or motor.

[0059] The belt conveyor 11 is a conveying device that, when at least one guide roller 10 that does not guide the tape T whose feeding should be stopped by the brake 9 is selected from the plurality of guide rollers 10, sandwiches and feeds out at least the tape T guided by the selected single or multiple guide rollers 10 between the selected guide rollers 10.

[0060] The belt conveyor 11 can be configured using a belt 18 with holes, a drive roller 19 that applies power to the belt 18 to move it, a plurality of pulleys 20 that support the belt 18 so as to form an endless track, a suction chuck 21 that sucks air through the holes in the belt 18, and a backup roller 22 that supports the belt 18 from the inside. In other words, the belt conveyor 11 can be provided with a vacuum-type suction chuck 21.

[0061] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of the structure of the suction chuck 21 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing how the tape T is fed out while being sucked by the suction chuck 21 shown in FIG.

[0062] A suction box that creates negative pressure as shown in Fig. 5 can be placed on the back side of the belt 18 having holes, as a suction chuck 21. In the example shown in Fig. 5, an exhaust hose 25 for connecting to an ejector is connected to a hollow housing 24 that has formed therein a plurality of recesses for arranging the backup roller 22 and pulley 20 and five suction ports 23 for vacuum chucking so as to avoid the recesses.

[0063] 6, the tape T pressed against the belt 18 by the guide roller 10 can be attracted to the belt 18 by using the suction chuck 21 to suck air through the holes in the belt 18. In this case, the tape T attracted to the belt 18 can be released from the belt 18 after passing through the suction area of ​​the suction chuck 21. Therefore, it is appropriate to determine the suction area of ​​the suction chuck 21 so that the tape T can be smoothly released from the belt 18 immediately before the compaction roller 4.

[0064] However, since the portion of the housing 24 where the suction port 23 is formed has no rigidity except for the edge of the suction port 23, when the guide roller 10 or the cutter 13 is pressed against the belt 18, there is a risk that the belt 18 will deform to a non-negligible degree in the portion away from the edge of the suction port 23. Therefore, when the belt conveyor 11 is provided with the suction chuck 21, it is appropriate to provide backup rollers 22 for supporting the belt 18 at positions on the back side of the belt 18 facing the guide roller 10 and the cutter 13, respectively.

[0065] That is, it is appropriate to support belt 18 from the inside with backup roller 22 so that belt 18 does not dent in the pressing direction of guide roller 10 or cutter 13 even when guide roller 10 or cutter 13 is pressed against belt 18, and to prevent a decrease in the pressure applied to belt 18 and tape T by guide roller 10 and cutter 13. In this case, tape T pressed against belt 18 by guide roller 10 is sandwiched between guide roller 10 and backup roller 22 and sent out together with belt 18. In the illustrated example, drive roller 19 that moves belt 18 also serves as backup roller 22.

[0066] If the belt conveyor 11 is provided with a suction chuck 21 having sufficient suction force, it can suck not only the tape T pressed against the belt 18 by the guide roller 10, but also the tape T guided by the guide roller 10 that has been pulled away from the belt conveyor 11. Therefore, by using the suction chuck 21 to suck not only the tape T pressed against the belt 18 by the guide roller 10, but also the tape T in the vicinity of the belt 18, it is possible to prevent the tape T from shifting in the width direction.

[0067] In other words, if a suction chuck 21 with sufficient suction force is provided on the belt conveyor 11, the belt conveyor 11 can function not only as a feeding device for sucking and transporting the tape T before its tip reaches the compaction roller 4, but also as a guide device for preventing shifting in the width direction of all the tape T being guided by each guide roller 10, including the tape T whose feeding has been stopped by the brake 9.

[0068] In other words, the belt conveyor 11 with the suction chuck 21 functions as a guide device that maintains the spacing between the multiple tapes T arranged by the fiber arrangement device 6. Therefore, even if multiple tapes T having various widths are supplied to the fiber delivery device 1 at various intervals from the fiber arrangement device 6, a selected portion or all of the tapes T can be delivered toward the compaction roller 4 while maintaining the spacing between the tapes T determined by the fiber arrangement device 6.

[0069] Furthermore, even if the tape T is a breathable dry tape, if the suction force of the suction chuck 21 is sufficient, it can vacuum chuck the dry tape pressed against the belt 18 by the guide roller 10, as well as perform suction to prevent shifting in the width direction of each dry tape, including the dry tape separated from the belt 18.

[0070] On the other hand, if the tape T is a thermoplastic or thermosetting prepreg tape, it has adhesive strength, and therefore the prepreg tape pressed against the belt 18 by the guide rollers 10 will adhere tightly to the belt 18 even without vacuum chucking. Therefore, if some deviation of the prepreg tape in the width direction can be tolerated, the suction chuck 21 may be omitted. In that case, a belt 18 without holes can be used for the belt conveyor 11.

[0071] The cutter 13 is a tool for cutting the tape T when the feeding of each tape T in a certain ply is completed. As described above, when the suction chuck 21 is provided on the belt conveyor 11, it is appropriate to provide a backup roller 22 for supporting the belt 18 at a position on the back side of the belt 18 facing the cutter 13 so that the belt 18 does not deform even when the cutter 13 is pressed against the belt 18.

[0072] In the illustrated example, a single cutter 13 is provided that is common to all tapes T, but a separate cutter 13 may be provided for each group. If a separate cutter 13 is provided for each group, the number of tapes T to be laminated in the same ply can be changed without cutting the tapes T. Furthermore, the cutter 13 is not limited to one whose cutting edge reciprocates in a straight line, but may also be one whose cutting edge reciprocates along an arc-shaped trajectory.

[0073] The auxiliary rollers 14 can be provided as needed to change the feeding direction while maintaining the tension of each tape T. In the illustrated example, the auxiliary rollers 14 are provided at the entrance of the fiber feeding device 1 to direct the feeding direction of each tape T supplied from the fiber arrangement device 6 toward the brake rollers 16 that constitute each brake 9.

[0074] The controller 15 is a control device that performs overall control of the fiber-delivering device 1. Typical control objects in the fiber-delivering device 1 are the ON / OFF switching of each brake 9, the movement of each guide roller 10 by driving the roller moving mechanism 12, the operation of the cutter 13, and the operation of the belt conveyor 11 and the suction chuck 21.

[0075] For this reason, the controller 15 has a function of storing an overall control program for overall control of these control objects and controlling each control object in accordance with the stored overall control program. Specifically, the controller 15 has a function of outputting control signals to each control object in accordance with the overall control program. Of course, two-way communication may be performed between the controller 15 and each control object, and the controller 15 may recognize the operation mode, etc., of each control object.

[0076] The decision as to whether to move each guide roller 10 in a direction to approach the belt conveyor 11 or in a direction to move it away from the belt conveyor 11 is made based on whether the brake 9 responsible for the same tape T is in the ON or OFF state, as described above, as well as whether the tape T guided by each guide roller 10 has reached the compaction roller 4.

[0077] Whether or not the tape T guided by each guide roller 10 has reached the compaction roller 4 can be determined based on the time elapsed from a desired trigger signal, such as the time elapsed since each brake 9 was switched to the OFF state or the time elapsed since each tape T was sandwiched between the guide roller 10 and the belt conveyor 11. In this case, the controller 15 can automatically determine whether or not the tape T guided by each guide roller 10 has reached the compaction roller 4 using a control program.

[0078] Alternatively, the feed length of each tape T may be measured, and based on the feed length of each tape T, it may be automatically determined whether the tape T guided by each guide roller 10 has reached the compaction roller 4. In this case, the controller 15 may be provided with a function for acquiring the feed length of each tape T from the control device of the bobbin 7, the fiber arrangement device 6, or the width adjustment device 8, or for acquiring the feed length of each tape T from the belt conveyor 11 as the amount of rotation of the motor for rotating the drive roller 19, so that the controller 15 can determine whether each tape T has reached the compaction roller 4 based on the feed length of each tape T. Alternatively, a sensor including a roller or the like for detecting the feed length of each tape T may be disposed at a desired position, and the controller 15 may acquire the feed length of each tape T from the sensor.

[0079] Furthermore, when the leading edge of the tape T guided by each guide roller 10 reaches the compaction roller 4, it is necessary to move the compaction roller 4 to apply pressure to the tape T. Conversely, when the lamination of the tape T in each ply is complete and the tape T is to be cut by the cutter 13, it is appropriate to activate the brake 9 to stop the feeding of the tape T.

[0080] For this reason, the controller 15 can be provided with a function for acquiring necessary information from the control device 5A of the movement mechanism 5 so that the movement mechanism 5, which moves the compaction roller 4 relative to the table 3, and the fiber delivery device 1 work together. Conversely, since the fiber delivery device 1 itself can be built into the lamination head of the AFP device 2, the controller 15 of the fiber delivery device 1 can also be part of the control device 5A that controls the movement mechanism 5, and two-way communication can be performed between the controller 15 and the control device 5A.

[0081] Next, a specific example of control of the fiber letting-off device 1 by the controller 15 will be described.

[0082] Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of a control signal output from the controller 15 when only two tapes TA belonging to the first group shown in Figure 1 are fed from the fiber feeding device 1 toward the compaction roller 4, and Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing the state of the fiber feeding device 1 controlled by the control signal shown in Figure 7.

[0083] For example, when only two tapes TA belonging to the first group shown in Figure 1 are sent from the fiber sending device 1 toward the compaction roller 4, the control signal shown in Figure 7 can be generated by the controller 15 and output to each brake 9 and roller moving mechanism 12.

[0084] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7, a control signal that switches brake 9A, which stops the movement of tape TA belonging to the first group, to its OFF state can be output, while control signals that switch brakes 9B, 9C, and 9D, which stop the movement of the remaining tapes TB, TC, and TD belonging to the second to fourth groups, to their ON states can be output. As a result, as shown in Fig. 8, only tape TA belonging to the first group, for which brake 9A is not activated, is fed out, while tapes TB, TC, and TD belonging to the second to fourth groups are stopped by the activation of brakes 9B, 9C, and 9D.

[0085] In addition, the controller 15 can output a control signal shown in Figure 7 to the roller moving mechanism 12 so that the guide roller 10A that guides the tape TA belonging to the first group is in the ON state to press the tape TA belonging to the first group against the belt conveyor 11, while the remaining guide rollers 10B, 10C, and 10D that guide the remaining tapes TB, TC, and TD belonging to the second to fourth groups are in the OFF state to press the remaining tapes TB, TC, and TD belonging to the second to fourth groups, respectively, against the belt conveyor 11.

[0086] This drives the roller moving mechanism 12, and as shown in Figure 8, only the guide roller 10A that guides the tape TA belonging to the first group approaches the belt conveyor 11. Then, only the tape TA belonging to the first group is sandwiched between the guide roller 10A and the belt conveyor 11 supported by the backup roller 22 that also serves as the drive roller 19. As a result, only the tape TA belonging to the first group can be sent toward the compaction roller 4 by the power of the belt conveyor 11 before it reaches the compaction roller 4.

[0087] On the other hand, guide rollers 10B, 10C, and 10D that guide tapes TB, TC, and TD belonging to the second to fourth groups, respectively, do not press tapes TB, TC, and TD belonging to the second to fourth groups against belt conveyor 11, and therefore tapes TB, TC, and TD belonging to the second to fourth groups do not receive power from belt conveyor 11. Therefore, no excessive tension is generated in tapes TB, TC, and TD belonging to the second to fourth groups, whose movement is stopped by brakes 9B, 9C, and 9D, respectively.

[0088] Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of a control signal output from the controller 15 when only two tapes TA belonging to the first group shown in Figure 1 and two tapes TB belonging to the second group are fed from the fiber feeding device 1 toward the compaction roller 4, and Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing the state of the fiber feeding device 1 controlled by the control signal shown in Figure 9.

[0089] When only two tapes TA belonging to the first group shown in Figure 1 and two tapes TB belonging to the second group are sent from the fiber sending device 1 toward the compaction roller 4, the control signal shown in Figure 9 can be generated by the controller 15 and output to each brake 9 and roller moving mechanism 12.

[0090] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 9, a control signal is output to brake 9A, which stops the movement of tape TA belonging to the first group, and brake 9B, which stops the movement of tape TB belonging to the second group, to set their operating states to OFF, while a control signal is output to brakes 9C and 9D, which stop the movement of the remaining tapes TC and TD belonging to the third and fourth groups, to set their operating states to ON. As a result, as shown in Fig. 10, only tape TA belonging to the first group and tape TB belonging to the second group, for which brakes 9A and 9B are not activated, are fed out, while tapes TC and TD belonging to the third and fourth groups are stopped by the activation of brakes 9C and 9D.

[0091] In addition, the controller 15 can output a control signal shown in Figure 9 to the roller moving mechanism 12 so that the guide rollers 10A, 10B that guide the tapes TA, TB belonging to the first and second groups are in the ON state to press the tapes TA, TB belonging to the first and second groups, respectively, against the belt conveyor 11, while the remaining guide rollers 10C, 10D that guide the remaining tapes TC, TD belonging to the third and fourth groups, respectively, are in the OFF state to press the remaining tapes TC, TD belonging to the third and fourth groups, respectively, against the belt conveyor 11.

[0092] 10, only the guide rollers 10A and 10B that guide the tapes TA and TB belonging to the first and second groups, respectively, approach the belt conveyor 11. Then, only the tapes TA and TB belonging to the first and second groups are sandwiched between the guide rollers 10A and 10B, respectively, and the belt conveyor 11 supported by the backup roller 22. As a result, only the tapes TA and TB belonging to the first and second groups can be sent toward the compaction roller 4 by the power of the belt conveyor 11 before they reach the compaction roller 4.

[0093] On the other hand, guide rollers 10C and 10D that guide tapes TC and TD belonging to the third and fourth groups, respectively, do not press tapes TC and TD belonging to the third and fourth groups against belt conveyor 11, and therefore tapes TC and TD belonging to the third and fourth groups do not receive power from belt conveyor 11. Therefore, no excessive tension is generated in tapes TC and TD belonging to the third and fourth groups, whose movement is stopped by brakes 9C and 9D, respectively.

[0094] 7 to 10, by controlling brakes 9A, 9B, 9C, and 9D and guide rollers 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D in conjunction with each other by controller 15, it is possible to select a tape T belonging to a desired group from tapes TA, TB, TC, and TD belonging to multiple groups and feed it toward compaction roller 4. In other words, the number of tapes T fed toward compaction roller 4 at the same time can be changed.

[0095] After the tape T fed from the fiber feed-out device 1 reaches the compaction roller 4, as described above, the feed-out speed of the tape T is determined by the relative speed of the compaction roller 4 with respect to the table 3, and therefore it is appropriate to separate the tape T from the belt conveyor 11. For this reason, even after the tape T fed from the fiber feed-out device 1 reaches the compaction roller 4, it is necessary to control the fiber feed-out device 1 with the controller 15 having a control program installed.

[0096] Figure 11 shows an example of the control state of the AFP device 2 including the fiber feeding device 1 when only two tapes TA belonging to the first group shown in Figure 1 and two tapes TB belonging to the second group are fed from the fiber feeding device 1 to the compaction roller 4 to stack one ply.

[0097] 11, in the initial state of the AFP device 2 including the fiber pay-off device 1, all brakes 9A, 9B, 9C, and 9D are turned ON so that none of the tapes TA, TB, TC, and TD belonging to any group are paid out. In addition, pressure application by the guide rollers 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D, the cutter 13, and the compaction roller 4 are all turned OFF.

[0098] 9 and 10, when only the tapes TA, TB belonging to the first and second groups are to be fed out, the brakes 9A, 9B for stopping the movement of the tapes TA, TB belonging to the first and second groups, respectively, are switched to the OFF state under the control of the controller 15, while the operation of the guide rollers 10A, 10B for guiding the tapes TA, TB belonging to the first and second groups, to press the tapes TA, TB against the belt conveyor 11, is switched to the ON state under the control of the controller 15. As a result, the leading edges of the tapes TA, TB belonging to the first and second groups are fed out to the compaction roller 4 by the power of the belt conveyor 11 supported by the backup roller 22.

[0099] When the leading ends of the tapes TA and TB belonging to the first and second groups reach the compaction roller 4, the pressing operation of the tapes TA and TB against the belt conveyor 11 by the guide rollers 10A and 10B that guide the tapes TA and TB belonging to the first and second groups, respectively, is switched to the OFF state under the control of the controller 15.

[0100] Meanwhile, under the control of the control device 5A, which works in conjunction with the controller 15 of the fiber pay-off device 1, the movement mechanism 5 of the AFP device 2 moves the compaction roller 4 relative to the table 3 in the thickness direction of the tapes TA and TB. As a result, pressure is applied to the tapes TA and TB from the compaction roller 4. In other words, the application of pressure to the tapes TA and TB by the compaction roller 4 is switched to the ON state.

[0101] As a result, the power applied from the belt conveyor 11 to the tapes TA, TB belonging to the first and second groups is cut off, while tension is applied from the compaction roller 4 to the tapes TA, TB belonging to the first and second groups. Then, by moving the compaction roller 4 relative to the table 3 in the length direction of the tapes TA, TB, the tapes TA, TB can be stacked on the table 3. Because the tapes TA, TB are fed out of the AFP device 2 at independent speeds due to the tension they receive from the compaction roller 4, they can also be fed out in a curved path.

[0102] When the tapes TA and TB reach the end of the stacking area, the relative movement of the compaction roller 4 with respect to the table 3 driven by the movement mechanism 5 stops. At the same time, brakes 9A and 9B for stopping the movement of the tapes TA and TB belonging to the first and second groups, respectively, are switched to the ON state under the control of the controller 15. This stops the movement of the tapes TA and TB belonging to the first and second groups.

[0103] Furthermore, the controller 15 outputs a control signal to switch the operating state to the ON state to the cutter 13. This drives the cutter 13 to cut the tapes TA and TB belonging to the first and second groups.

[0104] When cutting of the tapes TA and TB is completed, the controller 15 outputs a control signal to the cutter 13 to switch the operating state to the OFF state, which drives the cutter 13 and causes the cutting edge of the cutter 13 to retreat from the tapes TA and TB belonging to the first and second groups.

[0105] Thereafter, the movement mechanism 5 moves the compaction roller 4 relative to the table 3 in the thickness direction of the tapes TA and TB, and switches off the pressure applied by the compaction roller 4 to the tapes TA and TB. In other words, the compaction roller 4 is separated from the tapes TA and TB. This completes the lamination of one ply of tapes TA and TB, and the AFP device 2, including the fiber pay-off device 1, returns to its initial state.

[0106] By installing the above-described control program in the controller 15, it becomes possible to repeatedly select, feed, and stack tape T that matches the shape of the FRP to be manufactured. This allows a stack of tape T made of prepreg tape or dry tape to be manufactured as a raw material for FRP.

[0107] Note that the movement of the belt 18 may be stopped while all of the guide rollers 10 are separated from the belt conveyor 11. That is, the movement of the belt 18 may be linked to the control of each guide roller 10 and the roller moving mechanism 12. Conversely, even if the tape T is guided by a guide roller 10 separated from the belt conveyor 11, if the tape T may come into contact with the belt 18 of the belt conveyor 11 near the compaction roller 4, the movement of the belt 18 may not be stopped while at least one tape T is being fed from the compaction roller 4 in order to reduce unnecessary friction between the belt 18 and the tape T. Therefore, the controller 15 outputs a control signal to the drive roller 19 of the belt conveyor 11 at an appropriate timing to switch the operation mode between an ON state and an OFF state.

[0108] Furthermore, while all of the guide rollers 10 are separated from the belt conveyor 11, the suction chuck 21 may be controlled by the controller 15 to be switched to the OFF state. However, as described above, while at least one tape T is being fed from the compaction roller 4, the suction chuck 21 may be maintained in the ON state because the suction chuck 21 can prevent the tape T from shifting in the width direction by sucking the tape T being fed.

[0109] (Fiber lamination method and composite material molding method) Next, a fiber layering method and a composite material molding method using the AFP device 2 equipped with the fiber feed-out device 1 will be described.

[0110] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow when FRP is molded from a prepreg tape using the AFP device 2 equipped with the fiber feed-out device 1 shown in FIG.

[0111] First, in step S1, the fiber delivery device 1 selects and delivers a tape T to be laminated from a plurality of tapes T.

[0112] Specifically, a plurality of tapes T made of prepreg tapes arranged in advance by the fiber arrangement device 6 are supplied to the fiber delivery device 1. Then, as shown in the example in Figures 7 to 10, the movement of tapes T that are not to be laminated is stopped by the brake 9, while the controller 15 controls the brake 9 and the roller movement mechanism 12 according to a control program so that only the tapes T to be laminated are sandwiched between the belt conveyor 11 with the suction chuck 21 and the guide roller 10 and delivered to the compaction roller 4. As a result, of the plurality of tapes T arranged by the fiber arrangement device 6, only one or more tapes T selected as the tapes to be laminated are delivered toward the compaction roller 4.

[0113] Next, in step S2, one or more tapes T sent out from the fiber sending-out device 1 to the compaction roller 4 are stacked.

[0114] Specifically, when the leading end of one or more tapes T fed from the fiber feed-out device 1 toward the compaction roller 4 reaches the compaction roller 4, the guide roller 10 that guides the one or more tapes T fed to the compaction roller 4 retreats from the belt conveyor 11 under the control of the controller 15, while the compaction roller 4 approaches the table 3 by driving the movement mechanism 5 controlled by the control device 5A that works in conjunction with the controller 15. As a result, the one or more tapes T fed to the compaction roller 4 are subjected to pressure from the compaction roller 4, and tension is generated by the frictional force with the compaction roller 4.

[0115] Next, the compaction roller 4 is driven by the movement mechanism 5 controlled by the control device 5A to move relative to the table 3 in the direction opposite to the feeding direction of the tape T. As a result, the tape T pressed against the table 3 by the compaction roller 4 is fed in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the compaction roller 4.

[0116] The compaction roller 4 can move not only linearly but also in a rotational manner relative to the table 3. When multiple tapes T are fed, the tapes T do not overlap each other in the width direction, so the adhesive force of the prepreg does not act between adjacent tapes T. This makes it possible to feed each tape T at an independent feed speed and length different from the other tapes T. As a result, even if the compaction roller 4 moves in a curved line, each tape T can be fed without slack or excessive tension occurring in the tapes T.

[0117] When the single or multiple tapes T fed from the compaction roller 4 reach the end of the stacking area, the relative movement of the compaction roller 4 with respect to the table 3 stops, and the single or multiple tapes T fed from the compaction roller 4 are cut by the cutter 13. This completes the stacking of one ply of single or multiple tapes T.

[0118] The selection and feeding of the tapes T to be laminated in step S1 and the lamination of the selected tapes T in step S2 are repeated until it is determined in step S3 that lamination of the tapes T belonging to all plies has been completed. The determination of whether lamination of the tapes T belonging to all plies has been completed can be made automatically based on a control program by the controller 15 of the fiber delivery device 1 and the control device 5A of the movement mechanism 5, which are linked by mutual communication.

[0119] In addition, the single or multiple tapes T that are first fed onto the table 3 are stacked directly on the table 3 or on a stacking jig J such as a mold placed on the table 3, and thereafter, the single or multiple tapes T that are fed onto the table 3 are stacked sequentially on top of the single or multiple tapes T adjacent to them below.

[0120] When the lamination of the tapes T belonging to all plies is completed, a laminate of tapes T made of prepreg tapes is obtained. That is, a laminate of tapes T can be produced by laminating one or more tapes T for one ply selected by the fiber delivery device 1 in the ply direction by the AFP device 2.

[0121] Next, in step S4, the resin contained in the laminate of tape T is cured. This allows the FRP to be molded. In other words, the laminate of tape T produced by the AFP device 2 can be used to mold the FRP, also known as a composite material.

[0122] If the resin is a thermosetting resin, it can be cured by heating it in a heating device such as an autoclave or an oven, whereas if the resin is a thermoplastic resin, it can be cured by cooling the resin that has been heated and melted in advance in a cooling device or by air-cooling it.

[0123] When curing the resin, the laminate of tapes T may be transferred from the lamination jig J to a molding jig, or the resin may be cured using a common jig J. Normally, when curing resin, it is necessary to apply pressure to the laminate of tapes T from above. For this reason, the laminate of tapes T may be pressurized with an upper mold, or atmospheric pressure may be applied to the laminate of tapes T by bagging using vacuum suction. Furthermore, devices required for molding FRP, such as an upper mold, vacuum device, heating device, or cooling device, may be integrated with the AFP device 2.

[0124] Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow when FRP is molded from dry tape using the AFP device 2 equipped with the fiber feed-out device 1 shown in Fig. 1. Note that in Fig. 13, steps that are similar to those in Fig. 12 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations will be omitted, except for whether the tape T is dry tape or prepreg tape.

[0125] The dry tapes can also be selected in the fiber delivery device 1 and laminated by the AFP device 2 or other dedicated lamination device. In this case, when it is determined in step S3 that lamination of the tapes T belonging to all plies has been completed, a laminate of tapes T made of dry tapes is obtained.

[0126] For this reason, in step S10, resin is injected into the stack of tapes T. For this purpose, the stack of tapes T is bagged by vacuuming or sealed in a mold. Then, in step S4, the FRP is formed by hardening the resin impregnated after the tapes T are stacked.

[0127] (effect) The fiber delivery device 1, fiber laminating method, and composite material molding method described above are configured to select and laminate a desired tape T from a plurality of tapes T made of pre-arranged prepreg tapes or dry tapes.

[0128] Therefore, the fiber delivery device 1, the fiber laying method, and the composite material molding method make it possible to change the number of tapes T that are laid simultaneously. Moreover, because the arranged tapes T can be pressed by a single and common compaction roller 4, the width of the tapes T themselves can also be changed. As a result, it becomes possible to easily change the overall width of a single or multiple tapes T that are simultaneously delivered from the fiber delivery device 1 to the same ply.

[0129] In addition, if a suction chuck 21 is provided on the belt conveyor 11, the spacing (pitch) of the tapes T arranged by the fiber arrangement device 6 can be maintained, and overlap between the tapes T can be more reliably prevented. This makes it possible to change the feed speed and feed length between multiple tapes T adjacent in the width direction in the same ply, and multiple tapes T can be layered in a curved pattern without generating excessive tension or slack in the tapes T. As a result, it becomes possible to form FRP with more complex shapes.

[0130] Furthermore, because a single tape T or multiple pre-arranged tapes T are fed from the fiber feed-out device 1 to the compaction roller 4 of the AFP device 2, there is no need to provide a compaction roller for each tape T. This eliminates interference between parts that occurs when multiple compaction rollers are provided for each tape, as in the past, and also eliminates the need to feed multiple tapes alternately, as in the conventional AFP device.

[0131] That is, the AFP device 2 does not need to provide a stacking head including a compaction roller for each tape T, and therefore, even if the width and number of tapes T are changed, a complex mechanism for sliding the stacking head in the width direction of the tape T is not required. Therefore, it is possible to stack many tapes T whose number and width may be changed without making the stacking head of the AFP device 2 complex and large.

[0132] Furthermore, in the fiber feeding device 1, power can be applied to multiple tapes T that can be fed at different positions from a common and single belt conveyor 11. This makes it unnecessary to apply power from a motor to the guide roller 10 to which rotational power is transmitted from the belt conveyor 11 through the tape T, making it possible to reduce the number of power sources required.

[0133] (Second embodiment) FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a suction chuck provided in a fiber feeding device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0134] 14 differs from the fiber delivery device 1 of the first embodiment in that an air outlet 30 is formed at the end of a suction chuck 21 provided on a belt conveyor 11, for discharging air through holes in the belt 18. Since the other configurations and operations of the fiber delivery device 1A of the second embodiment are not substantially different from those of the fiber delivery device 1 of the first embodiment, only an example configuration of the suction chuck 21 is shown, and the same or corresponding configurations are designated by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

[0135] 14, an air outlet 30 can be formed at the end of the suction chuck 21 on the side of the compaction roller 4. More specifically, the air outlet 30 can be formed at a position where the tape T, which has been sucked onto the belt 18 by the suction chuck 21, should be separated from the belt 18 in order to feed it toward the compaction roller 4.

[0136] In this case, the inside of the housing 24 constituting the suction chuck 21 is divided into an area where air is sucked in through the suction port 23 and an area where air is discharged through the air outlet 30, and an exhaust hose 25 for discharging air is connected to the area where air is sucked in through the suction port 23, while an air supply hose 31 for supplying air is connected to the area where air is discharged through the air outlet 30.

[0137] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing how the tape T is being fed out while being sucked by the suction chuck 21 shown in FIG.

[0138] As illustrated in Fig. 14, when air is discharged from air outlets 30 formed on the compaction roller 4 side of suction chuck 21, air can be blown onto tape T through holes in belt 18. As a result, as shown in Fig. 15, tape T that has been adsorbed onto belt 18 by air being sucked from suction ports 23 through holes in belt 18 can be separated from belt 18 at the position where air outlet 30 is formed. In other words, by blowing air only onto the portion of tape T that passes over the end of belt 18 on the compaction roller 4 side, it is possible to avoid the problem of tape T sticking to belt 18 and not being able to be peeled off.

[0139] According to the second embodiment described above, in addition to the same effects as those of the first embodiment, the effect of being able to detach the tape T from the belt conveyor 11 with the suction chuck 21 at an appropriate position and stably send the tape T to the compaction roller 4 can be obtained.

[0140] In particular, because prepreg tape has adhesiveness, even when tape T is fed by a simple belt conveyor 11 that omits suction chuck 21, there is an advantage in forming air outlet 30 at the end on the compaction roller 4 side for air blowing. However, since holes in belt 18 are required for air blowing, if air is to be blown through the holes in belt 18, it is reasonable to also perform vacuum chucking with suction chuck 21.

[0141] (Other embodiments) Although specific embodiments have been described above, the described embodiments are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the invention. The novel methods and apparatus described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made in the forms of the methods and apparatus described herein without departing from the spirit of the invention. The appended claims and their equivalents include all such forms and modifications as fall within the scope and spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0142] 1. 1A Fiber delivery device 2. Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) Equipment 3 tables 4 Compaction roller 5 Moving mechanism 5A Control Device 6. Fiber alignment device 7 Bobbin 8 Width adjustment device 9, 9A, 9B, 9C, 9D Brake 10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D Guide roller 11 Conveyor belt 12 Roller movement mechanism 12A Cylinder mechanism 13 cutter 14 Auxiliary roller 15 Controller 16 Brake roller 17 Pressing member 18 Belt 19 Drive roller 20 pulleys 21 Suction chuck 22 Backup roller 23 Suction port 24 cabinets 25 Exhaust hose 30 Ventilation vent 31 Air supply hose J jig T, TA, TB, TC, TD tape

Claims

1. a plurality of rollers for guiding the feeding of a plurality of tapes made of fibers or prepregs arranged so as not to overlap in the width direction; a brake that stops the feeding of at least one tape from the plurality of tapes when the feeding of the at least one tape is determined to be the tape whose feeding should be stopped; a belt conveyor for sandwiching and feeding a selected tape, which is to be guided by the selected roller, between the selected roller and the belt conveyor when at least one roller that does not guide the tape whose feeding is to be stopped is selected from the plurality of rollers; Equipped with The fiber delivery device is configured such that the selected roller approaches the belt conveyor so that the selected tape is sandwiched between the selected roller and the belt conveyor, while rollers not selected from the plurality of rollers retreat from the belt conveyor so that tapes of the plurality of tapes guided by the non-selected rollers are not sandwiched between the non-selected rollers and the belt conveyor.

2. The belt conveyor is a belt having holes; a suction chuck that sucks air through holes in the belt; and 2. The fiber delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the tape is prevented from shifting in the width direction by sucking the tape with the suction chuck.

3. The belt conveyor is a belt having holes; an air outlet that discharges air through holes in the belt; and 3. The fiber delivery device according to claim 1, wherein the tape is separated from the belt by discharging the air from the air outlet.

4. A fiber laying method for producing a laminate of the tapes by laminating the tapes delivered by the fiber delivery device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A composite material molding method for molding a composite material using a stack of tapes produced by the fiber laying method according to claim 4.

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