Adjustment device

Abstract

To provide a technique for replacing a cutter quickly and with high accuracy when replacing the cutter in a cutting device.SOLUTION: In a cutting device having a cutter for cutting a sheet member, a device for adjusting an initial position of a new cutter when replacing the cutter comprises: a holding part which holds reference data concerning the initial position of the cutter; a detection part which detects a position of the cutter in the cutting device; and a control part which controls an actuator capable of adjusting the position of the cutter relative to the sheet member on the basis of the reference data and a detection position of the replaced new cutter that has been detected by the detection part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an adjusting device for adjusting the position of a cutter in a cutting device.

Background Art

[0002] In a cutting device having a cutter for cutting a sheet member such as paper or cloth, in order to obtain a good cutting result, the relative positional relationship between the sheet member to be cut and the cutter is important. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which the height of the cutter is detected by a detection unit and the initial setting of the height of the cutter is performed based on the detection signal. Specifically, the detection result (presence or absence of energization) of a sensor using energization is used, and based on the detection result, the cutter is set to a predetermined height. Further, since the cutter wears out during use and the cutting edge dulls, it is necessary to replace the cutter when a predetermined time has elapsed. Therefore, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration in which the cutter is imaged by a camera to acquire information on the cutting edge angle and the width of the cutting edge, and the replacement timing of the cutter is determined.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In cutting equipment, the cutter needs to be replaced as it wears down with use. In this case, the operating equipment must be stopped to replace the cutter. However, the relative position between the sheet material to be cut and the cutter strongly affects the quality of the cutting result, so replacing the cutter may take several hours. On the other hand, depending on the material of the sheet material and the cutting conditions, the cutter may wear down quickly, and in some cases, it may be necessary to replace the cutter as frequently as once a day. In such a high-frequency replacement system, if the time required to replace the cutter becomes unnecessarily long, the operating rate of the cutting equipment will decrease, which is undesirable.

[0005] Furthermore, the prior art does not disclose any technology for quickly and accurately replacing cutters in a cutting device. As a result, at the time of filing this application, replacing cutters in a cutting device took a relatively long time, which hindered the optimal operation of the cutting device.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a technology for quickly and accurately replacing a cutter in a cutting device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An adjustment device relating to one aspect of the present disclosure is a device for adjusting the initial position of a new cutter when replacing a cutter in a cutting device having a cutter for cutting a sheet member, comprising: a holding unit for holding reference data relating to the initial position of the cutter; a detection unit for detecting the position of the cutter in the cutting device; and a control unit for controlling an actuator capable of adjusting the relative position of the cutter with respect to the sheet member based on the reference data and the detected position of the new cutter that has been replaced, as detected by the detection unit.

[0008] The adjustment device configured in this way is configured to adjust the initial position of a new cutter when a cutter is replaced in a cutting device. The cutting device is configured to have a cutter for cutting a sheet member, and the number of cutters may be one or more. Preferably, the cutter may be configured to have a first cutter and a second cutter arranged vertically to sandwich the sheet member. In the case of a cutter configured in this way, the sheet member is sandwiched between the first cutter and the second cutter in a predetermined region that includes the overlapping portion in the vertical direction of the first cutter and the separated region in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, thereby cutting the sheet member sandwiched between the first cutter and the second cutter. Note that the cutter configuration is not limited to this form, and other known cutters can also be used. The sheet member to be cut may be any member that can be cut by the cutter. There is no intention to limit the material constituting the sheet member or the thickness in the cutting direction to a specific type.

[0009] Furthermore, in the adjustment device disclosed herein, when the cutter of the cutting device is replaced with a new one, the control unit controls an actuator to adjust the relative position of the cutter with respect to the sheet member. The actuator is configured to move the cutter closer to or further away from the sheet member in the height direction, or to move the cutter in the width direction of the sheet member, and for example, a servo motor with an encoder and capable of servo control can be used as the actuator.

[0010] The control unit then uses reference data and detection results from the detection unit, i.e., the detection position of the new cutter, to control the actuator. This reference data is data relating to the initial position of the cutter, and the reference data may be generated by identifying an initial position in advance through experiments or other means that allows for good cutting of the sheet material by the cutter, and this reference data may be stored in the holding unit. Alternatively, when a good cutting result is obtained in the cutting process performed before the cutter is replaced, data relating to the position of the cutter relative to the sheet material at that time may be acquired as new reference data and replaced with the old reference data already stored in the holding unit. It is preferable for the control unit to perform predetermined processing on the detection result so that the detection result from the detection unit can be compared with the reference data. If the detection unit is configured to image the cutter so that its position in the cutting device can be recognized, the control unit may perform image processing as the predetermined processing. Alternatively, if the detection unit is a sensor that senses the position of the cutter in the cutting device using optical, electrical, electromagnetic, or other methods, the control unit may perform processing such as filtering or amplification on the sensor's detection signal as the predetermined processing. The control unit then controls the actuator based on the comparison results between the two, adjusting the position of the replaced cutter to a position corresponding to the reference data.

[0011] By controlling the actuator with such a control unit, when a cutter is replaced with a new one in a cutting device, the relative position of the cutter with respect to the sheet material can be stably and quickly set to the position corresponding to the reference data. As a result, the cutter replacement work in a cutting device, which previously took a relatively long time, can be achieved extremely quickly and with high precision.

[0012] Herein, with respect to the adjustment device described above, if the cutter has a first cutter and a second cutter arranged vertically so as to sandwich the sheet member, the detection unit may be configured to detect the position of the cutter by imaging a predetermined region that includes the overlapping portion of the first cutter and the second cutter in the vertical direction and the separated region in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. Since the predetermined region is the space in which the sheet member is cut by the first cutter and the second cutter, it is considered important to image the predetermined region for comparison with reference data.

[0013] Furthermore, in the adjustment device described above, the control unit, based on the reference data and the detection result by the detection unit, cuts the sheet member with the new cutter while the sheet The actuator may be controlled so that the relative position of the cutter with respect to the sheet member is at a predetermined position. With this configuration, the relative position of the cutter is adjusted not only when the cutter is replaced, but also during subsequent cutting processes, so that the sheet member can be cut under the same cutting conditions without being affected by cutter wear and other factors associated with use.

[0014] Here, the adjustment device described above may further include an imaging unit that images the cut surface of the sheet member cut by the cutter. In that case, the control unit may further control the actuator based on the imaging result of the cut surface of the sheet member captured by the imaging unit. By further utilizing the imaging result of the cut surface in this way, the relative position of the cutter with respect to the sheet member can be adjusted more accurately.

[0015] In the adjustment device described above, if the cutting device has three or more cutters arranged in the width direction of the sheet member, the control unit may adjust the relative position of the cutters relative to the sheet member sequentially along the width direction of the sheet member, starting from the outermost cutter among the multiple cutters. Alternatively, if the cutting device has three or more cutters arranged in the width direction of the sheet member, the control unit may first adjust the relative position of the inner cutters, excluding the outermost cutter among the multiple cutters, relative to the sheet member, and then adjust the relative position of the outermost cutter relative to the sheet member. The positions of the multiple cutters may also be adjusted according to other configurations.

[0016] Furthermore, in the adjustment device described above, the control unit may also notify the user of the timing to replace the cutter based on the detection result from the detection unit. This configuration allows for prompting the replacement of the cutter at an appropriate time, and subsequent cutter replacements can also be carried out quickly, thus enabling the entire sheet material cutting process by the cutting device to be carried out extremely efficiently.

[0017] Furthermore, the adjustment device described above may be configured to be included in the cutting device. Alternatively, the adjustment device may be configured to be electrically connected to the cutting device temporarily so as to be able to send commands for position adjustment to the cutting device when it is necessary to adjust the position of the cutter. Furthermore, alternatively, the adjustment device may be configured to be mechanically added to the cutting device temporarily when it is necessary to adjust the position of the cutter. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] When replacing a cutter in a cutting device, the cutter can be replaced quickly and with high precision. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0019] [Figure 1] This figure shows the schematic configuration of the adjustment device disclosed in this application. [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing the control structure of servo control for positioning a cutter executed by an adjustment device. [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing the arrangement of a camera in a cutting device which is the object of the adjustment device disclosed in the present application. [Figure 4] It is a first flowchart showing the process flow for cutter position adjustment accompanying cutter replacement in a cutting device, which is executed by the adjustment device disclosed in the present application. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a cutting device according to a modification example. [Figure 6] [[ID=H14]]It is a second flowchart showing the process flow for cutter position adjustment accompanying cutter replacement in a cutting device, which is executed by the adjustment device disclosed in the present application.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the figures, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions will not be repeated. In the present disclosure, as an exemplary form of the adjustment device, a control device (PLC: Programmable Logic Controller) that provides a position command to a servo driver that drives a servo motor for cutter position adjustment is shown, but the form of the adjustment device is not necessarily limited to this.

[0021] Figure 1 shows a schematic configuration of a servo system including a PLC 5 and a servo driver 4. The PLC 5 corresponds to the adjustment device disclosed in this application. The servo system includes the PLC 5 and a servo driver 4 that generates a drive current to servo-control the servo motor, which is the object to be controlled, according to the control axis position command generated by the PLC 5. In the system configuration shown in Figure 1, one servo driver and one motor 21 are disclosed, but the system may include multiple servo drivers and corresponding motors as necessary to constitute the cutting device 20. Here, the cutting device 20 has a rotary cutter 25 for cutting the sheet member to be cut. Note that the motor that rotates the cutter 25 for cutting is omitted from Figure 1. In the sheet member cutting process, the cutter 25 can be rotated while being pressed against the sheet member, or the cutter 25 can be rotated in accordance with the flow of the sheet member as it flows from one direction. The motor 21 shown in Figure 1 is an actuator for adjusting the relative position of the cutter 25 with respect to the sheet member. The output shaft of the motor 21 is transmitted to the cutter 25 via a known power transmission mechanism (such as a link mechanism or lead screw), and its position is adjusted. Therefore, if the cutting device 20 includes multiple cutters whose position is to be adjusted, the servo system will include a motor and servo driver corresponding to each cutter.

[0022] One example of a cutting device 20 is a device that cuts wide electrode rolls used in the manufacture of secondary batteries to the required electrode width. When cutting such electrode rolls, the material being cut is relatively hard, and the cutter wears out relatively quickly. When the cutter wears out, the cut surface becomes rough and prone to burrs, so it is necessary to replace the cutter with a new one after a certain period of use. The cutting device 20 may also be a device that cuts sheet materials such as paper or fibrous materials. In any form of cutting device, cutter wear generally progresses with use, so cutter replacement is essential.

[0023] The motor 21 of the cutting device 20 is an AC servo motor. An encoder 22 is attached to the motor 21, and signals related to the operation of each motor are fed back to the servo driver 4 by this encoder. These feedback signals (hereinafter referred to as feedback signals) include, for example, position information regarding the rotational position (angle) of the rotating shaft of the motor 21, and information regarding the rotational speed of the rotating shaft.

[0024] Here, the motion command signals (position commands, etc.) related to the operation (motion) of the motor of the cutting device 20, generated by the PLC 5, are received by the communication unit 41 and supplied to the servo control unit 42. The servo control unit 42 generates a current command to drive the drive circuit 43 using its internal servo control structure (see Figure 2). Feedback signals from the encoder 22 of the motor 21 are delivered to the servo control structure via an encoder cable. The drive circuit 43 is a so-called inverter device. The power to the drive circuit 43 is AC power supplied from an AC power source (not shown). In this disclosure, the drive circuit 43 is of the type that receives three-phase AC, but it may also be of the type that receives single-phase AC. The drive circuit 43 generates a drive current to drive the motor 21.

[0025] Next, the servo control structure of the servo control unit 42 will be described based on Figure 2. The servo control structure comprises a position control unit 401, a speed control unit 402, and a current control unit 403. The position control unit 401 performs, for example, proportional control (P control). Specifically, it calculates the speed command vcmd by multiplying the position deviation, which is the difference between the position command pcmd generated in the PLC5 and the detected position, by a predetermined position proportional gain.

[0026] The speed control unit 402 performs, for example, proportional-integral control (PI control). Specifically, it calculates the torque command τcmd by multiplying the integral of the speed deviation, which is the difference between the speed command vcmd calculated by the position control unit 401 and the detected speed, by a predetermined speed integral gain, and then multiplying the sum of this calculation result and the speed deviation by a predetermined speed proportional gain. Alternatively, the speed control unit 402 may perform P control instead of PI control.

[0027] The current control unit 403 outputs a current command Ccmd to the drive circuit 43 based on the deviation between the torque command τcmd calculated by the speed control unit 402 and the drive current supplied from the drive circuit 43 to the windings of the motor 21. Upon receiving the current command Ccmd, the drive circuit 43 generates the drive current for the motor 21. The current control unit 403 includes a filter (first-order low-pass filter) and one or more notch filters related to the torque command, and may have control parameters such as cutoff frequencies related to the performance of these filters.

[0028] In the servo control structure, the detected position signal and detected speed signal calculated based on the detection signal of the encoder 22 of the motor 21 are fed back to the position control unit 401 and the speed control unit 402 as feedback signals related to position and speed, respectively. In order for the servo control unit 42 to perform control loop calculations, it is necessary to set control parameters such as control gain, notch filter cutoff frequency, and other parameters that reflect the mechanical and structural conditions of the motor 21, which is the direct target of drive, and the cutting device 20 into which the motor 21 is incorporated.

[0029] Next, the PLC5 will be described. The PLC5 has a communication unit 51, a control unit 52, and a holding unit 53. The communication unit 51 is a functional unit for communicating with the servo driver 4, etc., which supplies drive current to the motor that is the target of servo control by the PLC5. Therefore, a communication unit 41 is provided that corresponds to each of the servo drivers 4, etc. that will be the communication partner. The control unit 52 is a functional unit that performs control (hereinafter referred to as "adjustment control") to adjust the relative position of the new cutter 25 with respect to the sheet member when the cutter 25 is replaced in the cutting device 20. Details of this adjustment control will be described later.

[0030] The holding unit 53 is a functional unit that holds reference data regarding the initial position of the cutter 25 relative to the sheet member when the cutter 25 is replaced with a new one. For example, the reference data is stored in the memory of the PLC 5. Before the cutting device 20 is put into use, the correlation between the position of the cutter 25 and the cutting result may be obtained by experimentation or other means using the device, and numerical data regarding the initial position where a good cutting result is expected based on the obtained correlation may be used as the reference data. Examples of cutting results include the roughness of the cut surface of the sheet member and the size of the burrs. Alternatively, the numerical data regarding the position of the cutter 25 at the timing when a suitable cutting result was obtained in the sheet member cutting process performed before the cutter 25 was replaced may be used to replace the reference data previously held in the holding unit 53 and use as the new reference data. When determining the new reference data, the size of the burrs obtained from the image results of the cut surface captured by the third camera 33 described later may be used. The reference data held by the holding unit 53 is used for adjustment control performed by the control unit 52.

[0031] Furthermore, the system, which includes the adjustment device PLC5 shown in Figure 1, includes a first camera 31, a second camera 32, and a third camera 33. The arrangement of these cameras is based on Figure 3. Let me explain. The upper part (a) of Figure 3 is a view of the cutter 25 from the side, and the lower part (b) is a view of the cutter 25 from the front. Note that in the lower part (b), the sheet material is omitted for the sake of explanation. As shown in the figure, the cutter 25 has a first cutter 251 and a second cutter 252 in the vertical direction (up and down direction in the figure), and the cutter 25 is formed by both cutters. Both have circular cutting blades and are rotationally driven by an actuator (not shown), and the sheet material is supplied so as to be sandwiched between the first cutter 251 and the second cutter 252, thereby cutting the sheet material.

[0032] Here, as shown in the lower Figure 3(b), the first cutter 251 and the second cutter 252 are separated by a gap of ΔL2 in the lateral direction (left-right direction in the figure), that is, in the width direction of the sheet member. Furthermore, the first cutter 251 and the second cutter 252 overlap by ΔL1 in the vertical direction. Thus, the predetermined region including the overlapping portion of ΔL1 and the separated region of ΔL2 is the region that determines the correlation between the first cutter 251 and the second cutter 252, and in this predetermined region the sheet When the sheet member is clamped, the sheet member is cut by the rotating first cutter 251 and second cutter 252. Therefore, this predetermined region is the region that determines the relative position of the cutter 25 (first cutter 251 and second cutter 252) with respect to the sheet member, and is an important region in cutting the sheet member.

[0033] Therefore, a first camera 31 is positioned to image the predetermined region from the front, and a second camera 32 is positioned to view the predetermined region vertically from above. Thus, the first camera 31 captures the correlation between the cutter 25 and the sheet member, including the overlap distance ΔL1 occurring in the predetermined region, based on the displacement between the lower edge of the first cutter 251 and the upper edge of the second cutter 252. The second camera 32 captures the correlation between the cutter 25 and the sheet member, including the separation distance ΔL2 occurring in the predetermined region, based on the separation distance between the right surface of the first cutter 251 and the left surface of the second cutter 252. By imaging the predetermined region with the first camera 31 and the second camera 32 in this way, the position of the cutter 25 in the cutting device 20 can be detected in the form of image data. The first camera 31 and the second camera 32 correspond to the detection unit disclosed in this application.

[0034] Furthermore, the third camera 33 is positioned to capture an image of the cross-section of the sheet member cut by the cutter 25. The third camera 33 is positioned relatively close to the cross-section of the cut sheet member in order to capture an image that allows for image recognition of the size of burrs on the cut surface. The third camera 33 corresponds to the imaging unit disclosed in this application. The imaging results from the first camera 31, second camera 32, and third camera 33, positioned in this manner, are passed to the control unit 52 of the PLC 5 and used for adjustment control described later.

[0035] Here, the first adjustment control performed by the control unit 52 of the PLC5 will be described based on Figures 4 and 5. This adjustment control is for positioning the new cutter 25 relative to the sheet member when the cutter 25 is replaced with a new cutter by the cutting device 20. The adjustment control is repeatedly performed by the control unit 52 at predetermined intervals.

[0036] In S101, it is determined whether or not the cutter 25 has been replaced in the cutting device 20. If, for example, the cutting process with the cutter 25 has been performed for a predetermined time or longer in the cutting device 20, a notification is output to the user prompting them to replace the cutter 25. When the user receives this notification and stops the cutting device 20 to replace the cutter 25, the cutting device 20 outputs a signal to the PLC5 indicating that it has stopped for replacement. Based on this signal, the PLC5 can then determine whether or not the cutter 25 has been replaced. If the determination in S101 is positive, the process proceeds to S102; if the determination is negative, this adjustment control is terminated.

[0037] If a positive result is obtained in S101, the initial positions of the first cutter 251 and the second cutter 252 of the cutter 25 in the cutting device 20 have not yet been determined relative to the sheet material. Since the position of the cutter 25 in the cutting device 20 greatly affects the cutting result of the sheet material, cutting using a new cutter 25 in the cutting device 10 is basically withheld until the initial position is determined by the processing from S102 onward. Then, in S102, the control unit 52 acquires the reference data held by the holding unit 53. If the holding unit 53 holds multiple reference data, the most recent reference data is acquired.

[0038] Next, in S103, the control unit 52 acquires the imaging results from the first camera 31 and the imaging results from the second camera 32. As described above, the former imaging result is image data that allows for understanding the correlation between the cutter 25 and the sheet member, including the overlap distance ΔL1 in a predetermined region shown in Figure 3. The latter imaging result is image data that allows for understanding the correlation between the cutter 25 and the sheet member, including the separation distance ΔL2 in a predetermined region shown in Figure 3.

[0039] Then, in S104, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to adjust the relative position of the cutter 25 with respect to the sheet member based on the reference data acquired in S102 and the image data acquired in S103. Specifically, image processing is performed to extract feature points that can be compared with the reference data from the image data acquired in S103. For example, if the reference data is numerical data representing the position of feature parts (corners, edges, etc.) on the outer surface of the first cutter 251 and the second cutter 252 with respect to a predetermined part of the sheet member within a predetermined area (for example, a predetermined identifiable location on the sheet member), the above image processing extracts feature points that have numerical values ​​that can be compared with the numerical data related to this reference data.

[0040] Then, in S104, the reference data and the numerical data of the feature points extracted by image processing are compared. If the difference between the two falls within a predetermined range, it means that the current position of the cutter 25 is suitable as the initial position, and a negative determination is made in S104, thus determining the initial position of the cutter 25 and ending this adjustment control. On the other hand, if the difference between the two does not fall within the predetermined range as a result of the comparison, it means that the current position of the cutter 25 is not suitable as the initial position, and a positive determination is made in S104, and the process proceeds to S105 to determine the initial position of the cutter 25.

[0041] In S105, the motor 21 is controlled based on the difference between the above reference data and the numerical data of feature points extracted by image processing. That is, a position command for the motor 21 is generated so that the difference becomes zero. In this embodiment, for the sake of simplicity, only one motor 21 is shown as the motor for adjusting the relative position of the cutter 25, but multiple motors may be used to perform finer control in adjusting the relative position of the cutter 25. For example, motors corresponding to the first cutter 251 and the second cutter 252 may be provided so that their positions can be moved individually, or motors for the rotating shafts to adjust the posture of each cutter may be provided. In this application, these motors are collectively referred to as motor 21. Even in such cases, the position command to be issued to the motor 21 is calculated based on the above difference and the geometric relationship between the positions of the first cutter 251, the second cutter 252, and the sheet member. The calculated position command for the motor 21 is output from the PLC 5 to the servo driver 4, and motor control in S105 is executed via the servo control structure of the servo control unit 42 shown in Figure 2. As a result, the initial position of the cutter 25 relative to the sheet member is determined to a suitable position.

[0042] As shown in Figure 4, with the adjustment control, when the cutter 25 in the cutting device 20 is replaced with a new one, the relative position of the cutter 25 with respect to the sheet member is determined by servo control based on reference data and image data, thereby positioning the cutter 25 to a preferred position corresponding to the reference data. As a result, the initial position of the cutter 25 This allows for minimizing the time required to make the determination and effectively improving the accuracy of the position. This significantly contributes to improving the operating rate of the cutting equipment that performs the cutting process on the sheet material.

[0043] <Variation> Here, Figure 5 illustrates a modified example of the cutting device 20 in which the sheet material is cut. In the cutting device 20 shown in the figure, three sets of cutters 25, each having a first cutter 251 and a second cutter 252, are arranged in a row along the width direction (left-right direction in the figure) of the sheet material. Therefore, in the modified cutting device, the sheet material is cut at three locations in its width direction. In this case, a servo motor corresponding to each cutter 25 is provided. A first camera 31 and a second camera 32 corresponding to each cutter 25 are also provided. Based on the reference data corresponding to each cutter 25 and the imaging results from each cutter 25, the servo motors are controlled, thereby realizing the adjustment control shown in Figure 4.

[0044] Furthermore, there are various patterns for the order in which the adjustment control of each cutter 25 is performed, depending on the purpose. For example, in the first pattern, the relative position of each cutter 25 with respect to the sheet member may be adjusted sequentially from one end to the other along the width direction of the sheet member. In this case, the time required to adjust the position of all cutters 25 will be longer, but the accuracy of the position adjustment of each cutter 25 can be maintained to a satisfactory degree. In the second pattern, in the width direction of the sheet member, the position of the inner cutters 25, excluding the cutters 25 at both ends, may be adjusted first, and then the positions of the two cutters 25 at both ends may be adjusted simultaneously. In this case, the time required to adjust the position of all cutters 25 can be shortened compared to the first pattern.

[0045] Next, the second adjustment control performed by the control unit 52 of the PLC5 will be explained with reference to Figure 6. This adjustment control is performed to readjust the relative position of the cutter 25 with respect to the sheet member after the cutter 25 has been replaced and its initial position has been adjusted, and after the cutting process of the sheet member has started with the new cutter 25. This adjustment control is repeatedly performed by the control unit 52 at predetermined intervals.

[0046] In S201, it is determined whether the cutting process of the sheet material by the cutter 25 has started in the cutting device 20. If the determination in S201 is positive, the process proceeds to S202; if the determination is negative, this adjustment control is terminated. In S202, the control unit 52 acquires the imaging results from the third camera 33. As described above, the imaging results are images of the cross-section of the sheet material cut by the cutter 25, and from these imaging results, it is possible to determine the presence and size of burrs on the cut surface.

[0047] Then, in S203, based on the image data acquired in S202, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to adjust the relative position of the cutter 25 with respect to the sheet material. Specifically, image processing is performed on the image data acquired in S203 to check for the presence or absence of burrs on the cut surface and to calculate their size. If the calculated size of the burrs exceeds the allowable value, it is determined that a proper cut has not been made and that the position of the cutter 25 needs to be adjusted to resolve the situation, i.e., a positive determination is made, and the process proceeds to S204. At this point, the cutter 25, which was rotating for cutting, is stopped. On the other hand, if the calculated size of the burrs is within the allowable value, it is determined that a proper cut has been made, and this adjustment control is terminated.

[0048] Then, in S204, the motor 21 is controlled to adjust the relative position of the cutter 25 with respect to the sheet material based on the difference between the calculated burr size and the allowable value. Specifically, to reduce the burr size by a unit amount, the motor 21 is driven to a certain extent. The control unit 52 has data in advance showing the correlation between the unit amount to which the cutter 25 should be moved and the drive amount of the motor 21, and the control unit 52 uses this correlation data to calculate the position command to be output to the motor 21. The calculated position command to the motor 21 is output from the PLC 5 to the servo driver 4, and motor control in S204 is executed via the servo control structure of the servo control unit 42 shown in Figure 2. As a result, even after cutting has started, the position of the cutter 25 is adjusted to a suitable position relative to the sheet material.

[0049] Furthermore, other adjustment controls performed by the control unit 52 of the PLC5 are mentioned. In the adjustment controls described above, the cutter 25 was stopped when adjusting its relative position to the sheet member. However, instead of this, the position of the cutter 25 may be adjusted while rotating the cutter 25 to cut the sheet member, based on reference data and imaging results, for example, imaging results from the first camera 31 and the second camera 32. By adjusting the position of the cutter 25 in this way, a stable cutting result can always be obtained without being affected by wear of the cutter 25 during cutting.

[0050] Furthermore, the system may use the imaging results from at least one of the first camera 31, the second camera 32, or any other camera that images part or all of the cutter 25 to detect changes in the size of the cutter 25, defects, etc., and notify the user when it is time to replace the cutter 25. Upon receiving such notification, the user can quickly and accurately determine the relative position of the new cutter 25 with respect to the sheet member by performing the adjustment control shown in Figure 4 when replacing the cutter 25 with a new one.

[0051] Furthermore, in the detection unit disclosed in this application, instead of the first camera 31 and the second camera 32, a sensor that optically, electrically, or electromagnetically senses the position of the cutter 25 in the cutting device 20 may be employed. For example, if an optical sensor using a laser is employed, the position of one or more parts of the cutter 25 relative to a reference part in the cutting device 20 can be detected, and the detection result can be used as the detected position of the cutter 25 for the adjustment control described above. The detection results of other known sensors can also be used for adjustment control in a similar manner.

[0052] <Note 1> A cutting device (20) having a cutter (25) for cutting a sheet member, wherein a device (5) is used to adjust the initial position of a new cutter when replacing the cutter (25), A holding unit (53) that holds reference data regarding the initial position of the cutter (25), The cutting device (20) includes detection units (31, 32) for detecting the position of the cutter (25), A control unit (52) controls an actuator (21) that can adjust the relative position of the cutter (25) with respect to the sheet member based on the reference data and the detection position of the replaced new cutter (25) detected by the detection unit (31, 32), An adjustment device equipped with the following features. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0053] 4 Servo Drivers 5 PLC 21 Motor 25 cutters 31. Camera 1 32. Second camera 33 Third Camera 52 Control Unit 53 Holding part 251 First cutter 252 Second cutter

Claims

1. A cutting device having a cutter for cutting sheet material, wherein the device adjusts the initial position of the new cutter when the cutter is replaced, A holding unit that holds reference data regarding the initial position of the cutter, A detection unit for detecting the position of the cutter in the cutting device, A control unit controls an actuator capable of adjusting the relative position of the cutter with respect to the sheet member, based on the aforementioned reference data and the detected position of the replaced new cutter detected by the detection unit. Equipped with, The cutter has a first cutter and a second cutter arranged vertically so as to sandwich the sheet member, The detection unit is configured to detect the position of the cutter by imaging a predetermined region that includes the overlapping portion of the first cutter and the second cutter in the vertical direction and the separated region in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. The control unit controls the actuator so that the relative position of the cutter to the sheet member is at a predetermined position, while cutting the sheet member with the new cutter, based on the reference data and the detection result from the detection unit. Adjustment device.

2. The system further includes an imaging unit for imaging the cut surface of the sheet member cut by the cutter, The control unit further controls the actuator based on the imaging results of the cross-section of the sheet member, which are imaged by the imaging unit. The adjustment device according to claim 1.

3. The system further includes an imaging unit for imaging the cut surface of the sheet member cut by the cutter, The control unit further controls the actuator based on the imaging results of the cross-section of the sheet member, which are imaged by the imaging unit. The adjustment device according to claim 1.

4. The cutting device has three or more of the cutters arranged in the width direction of the sheet member. The control unit adjusts the relative position of the cutters relative to the sheet member, starting from the outermost cutter among the plurality of cutters, along the width direction of the sheet member. The adjustment device according to claim 1.

5. The cutting device has three or more of the cutters arranged in the width direction of the sheet member. The control unit adjusts the relative position of the cutters relative to the sheet member, starting from the outermost cutter among the plurality of cutters, along the width direction of the sheet member. The adjustment device according to claim 1.

6. The cutting device has three or more of the cutters arranged in the width direction of the sheet member. The control unit adjusts the relative position of the cutters relative to the sheet member, starting from the outermost cutter among the plurality of cutters, along the width direction of the sheet member. The adjustment device according to claim 2.

7. The cutting device has three or more of the cutters arranged in the width direction of the sheet member. The control unit adjusts the relative position of the cutters relative to the sheet member, starting from the outermost cutter among the plurality of cutters, along the width direction of the sheet member. The adjustment device according to claim 3.

8. The cutting device has three or more of the cutters arranged in the width direction of the sheet member. The control unit first adjusts the relative positions of the inner cutters, excluding the outermost cutter, with respect to the sheet member, and then adjusts the relative position of the outermost cutter with respect to the sheet member. The adjustment device according to claim 1.

9. The cutting device has three or more of the cutters arranged in the width direction of the sheet member. The control unit first adjusts the relative positions of the inner cutters, excluding the outermost cutter, with respect to the sheet member, and then adjusts the relative position of the outermost cutter with respect to the sheet member. The adjustment device according to claim 1.

10. The cutting device has three or more of the cutters arranged in the width direction of the sheet member. The control unit first adjusts the relative positions of the inner cutters, excluding the outermost cutter, with respect to the sheet member, and then adjusts the relative position of the outermost cutter with respect to the sheet member. The adjustment device according to claim 2.

11. The cutting device has three or more of the cutters arranged in the width direction of the sheet member. The control unit first adjusts the relative positions of the inner cutters, excluding the outermost cutter, with respect to the sheet member, and then adjusts the relative position of the outermost cutter with respect to the sheet member. The adjustment device according to claim 3.

12. The control unit further notifies the cutter replacement time based on the detection result from the detection unit. The adjustment device according to claim 1.

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