Conveying device

Abstract

To convey a stacked body while suppressing the curling of an upper surface thereof.SOLUTION: A conveying device comprises: a lower conveying section 2 which is arranged below a stacked body 1 in which a plurality of sheets are stacked vertically, and conveys the stacked body 1 in a state where the stacked body 1 is placed from an upstream region R1 which is a region where the stacked body 1 is conveyed in a vertically sandwiched state, to a downstream region R2 which is a region adjacent to the upstream region R1, where the stacked body 1 is conveyed in a state where an upper surface 1U of the stacked body 1 is exposed; and an upper conveying section 3 which is arranged above the stacked body 1 in the upstream region R1, and conveys the stacked body 1 in a state where the stacked body 1 is sandwiched between the lower conveying section 2 and itself in the upstream region R1. The upper conveying section 3 has an air blowing section 7 that blows gas downward from above the upper surface 1U toward the upper surface 1U of the stacked body 1 entering the downstream region R2 from the upstream region R1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying device for a stack in which a plurality of sheets are stacked one above the other.

Background Art

[0002] As a stack in which a plurality of sheets are stacked one above the other, a bundle of tissue paper housed in a box tissue or a bundle of paper towels (also referred to as "kitchen paper", "wipe", etc.) packaged in a pillow is known. In a line for manufacturing such a stack, the stack is conveyed toward a part for housing in the outer package of the product. For example, a bundle of tissue paper (stack) that is the content of a box tissue (product) is conveyed toward a device (so-called carton loader) for boxing it in a carton that is the outer package of the box tissue. Regarding the conveyance of the stack, a technique for conveying the stack in a state of being sandwiched vertically has been proposed (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a manufacturing line in which a stack is conveyed, not only a region in which the stack is conveyed in a state of being sandwiched vertically as described above, but also a region in which the stack is conveyed in a state of being merely placed is set in order to correspond to the layout of the manufacturing line or to facilitate the boxing process of the stack. When the stack on such a manufacturing line enters from the region where it is conveyed in a state of being sandwiched vertically to the region where it is conveyed in a state of being merely placed, the upper surface is exposed, and there is a risk that the exposed upper surface will be curled. Subsequently, due to the curling of the stack, there is a risk of causing problems in post-processing such as the boxing process or causing a deterioration in the quality of the product. Therefore, there is room for improvement in transporting the stacked material while suppressing the curling of the top surface.

[0005] The conveying device described in this invention was devised in view of the above-mentioned problems, and one of its purposes is to convey a stacked object while suppressing the curling of its upper surface. However, other purposes of this invention include not only this purpose, but also the effects and benefits derived from the various configurations shown in the "Modes for Carrying Out the Invention" described later, which are not obtainable with conventional technology. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The transport device disclosed herein has the following configurations (1) to (6). (1) A lower transport unit is positioned below a stack of sheets stacked vertically, and transports the stacked body from an upstream region, which is the region where the stacked body is transported sandwiched between the upper and lower sheets, to a downstream region, which is the region adjacent to the upstream region where the upper surface of the stacked body is exposed during transport. The system comprises an upper conveying unit positioned above the stacked body in the upstream region, which conveys the stacked body while sandwiching it between itself and the lower conveying unit in the upstream region. The upper transport section has a spray nozzle that blows gas from above the upper surface downwards toward the upper surface of the stacked object as it enters the downstream region from the upstream region. A conveying device characterized by the following features. (2) The aforementioned gas jet unit blows gas from the upstream side in the conveying direction toward the downstream side in the conveying direction. The conveying device according to (1), characterized in that it is a conveying device. (3) The upper conveying section includes a belt conveyor with a downstream pulley, which is a pulley located at the downstream end in the conveying direction among a plurality of pulleys around which an endless belt that circulates along a predetermined track is wound, and the spraying section. The aforementioned gas nozzle is Built into the aforementioned belt conveyor, The belt has ventilation holes provided around its entire circumference along the predetermined track, and a passage through which gas flows from inside the downstream pulley to the ventilation holes in the portion of the belt that is wrapped around the downstream pulley. The gas that has flowed through the aforementioned flow path is blown from the inside surrounded by the belt to the outside on the opposite side from the inside, through the ventilation holes toward the upper surface. The conveying device according to (2), characterized in that (4) A conveying device for conveying a stacked body in which the sheets are folded and stacked in a way that allows them to be pulled out in a pop-up manner, and in which the number of stacked sheets in the central region, which is the region sandwiched between the end regions, is greater than the number of stacked sheets in the pair of end regions, which are the regions of the width direction that intersect the conveying direction in a plan view, The ventilation holes are provided in the belt of the belt conveyor in a region facing the central region. The conveying device according to (3), characterized in that (5) A conveying device for conveying a stacked body in which the sheets are folded and stacked in a way that allows them to be pulled out in a pop-up manner, and in which the number of stacked sheets in the central region, which is the region sandwiched between the end regions, is greater than the number of stacked sheets in the pair of end regions, which are the regions of the width direction that intersect the conveying direction in a plan view, The belt has a pair of protrusions that project outward from the side opposite to the inner area enclosed by the belt, extend along the circumferential direction of the belt, and press down on the upper surface of the central region of the stacked body from above. The conveying device according to (3) or (4), characterized in that it is a conveying device according to (3) or (4). (6) The ventilation holes are provided between the protrusions. The conveying device according to (5), characterized in that [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this conveying device, it is possible to convey the stacked items while preventing the top sheet from curling up. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a schematic side view showing the main components of the conveying device. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the stacked form of sheets in a stacked structure. [Figure 3] This is a partial cross-sectional view showing a disassembled belt in the upper conveying section of a conveying device. [Figure 4] This is a plan view showing the main part of the belt in the upper conveying section of a conveying device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The following describes an embodiment of the conveying device. The conveying device of this embodiment is a device for conveying stacks of multiple sheets stacked vertically. Examples of stacks include bundles of single-sheet sanitary paper (sheets) such as tissue paper or paper towels. For example, a conveying device that uses stacks of tissue paper stacked vertically as the target of transport is a multi-stand interfolder (also called a "multi-unit machine") or a facial saw that has cut long workpieces into predetermined transport dimensions. This conveying device sequentially transports the stacks toward post-processing devices such as carton loaders. Such a conveying device is used by being incorporated into the manufacturing line of box tissues.

[0010] In the embodiments described below, the terms conveying direction, width direction, and vertical direction are used for explanation. The conveying direction is also referred to as the MD (Machine Direction) and is the direction in which the stack is conveyed by the conveying device. Based on the conveying direction, the upstream and downstream are defined. The width direction is also referred to as the CD (Cross Direction) and is the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction in the plane along the conveying direction (the direction intersecting the conveying direction in plan view). The vertical direction is also referred to as the TD (Transverse Direction) and is the direction along the upper side (denoted as "U" in the figure) and the lower side (denoted as "D" in the figure). The direction in which gravity acts is the lower side, and the opposite direction of the lower side is the upper side.

[0011] [I. One Embodiment] In the following one embodiment, the configuration of the conveying device is described in item [1], and the actions and effects due to the configuration of item [1] are described in item [2]. [1. Configuration] In this item [1], an overview of the conveying device is described in sub-item [1-1], the object to be conveyed is described in sub-item [1-2], and the conveying device is detailed in sub-item [1-3].

[0012] [1-1. Overview] As shown in FIG. 1, the conveying device is provided with a lower conveying unit 2 disposed below the stack 1 to be conveyed as an element for conveying the stack 1, and an upper conveying unit 3 disposed above the stack 1 to be conveyed. The lower conveying unit 2 extends to the downstream side beyond the upper conveying unit 3. Since the extending regions of the conveying units 2 and 3 are different in this way, the conveying region of the stack 1 includes an upstream region R1 where both the lower conveying unit 2 and the upper conveying unit 3 are provided, and a downstream region R2 where only the lower conveying unit 2 is provided. The downstream region R2 is a region adjacent to the upstream region R1 on the downstream side.

[0013] The upstream region R1 is the region in which the stacked object 1 is transported while being sandwiched between the upper and lower transport section 3. In this upstream region R1, the stacked object 1 is transported while being sandwiched between the lower transport section 2 and the upper transport section 3. In other words, the upper transport section 3 transports the stacked object 1 while sandwiching it between the lower transport section 2 and the upper transport section 3. The downstream region R2 is the region in which the stacked body 1 is transported with its upper surface 1U exposed. In this downstream region R2, there is a lower transport section 2 on which the stacked body 1 is placed, but there is no upper transport section 3. In other words, the lower transport section 2 transports the stacked body 1 with it placed on it from the upstream region R1 to the downstream region R2.

[0014] [1-2. Stacked object] As illustrated in Figure 2, the stacked body 1, which is transported from the upstream region R1 to the downstream region R2, is provided with multiple sheets 1S that are folded along folding lines 1F that extend along the transport direction at its widthwise edge. This stacked body 1 is provided with two types of folding lines 1F as shown below, and two types of sheets 1S corresponding to each type of folding line 1F. • First folding line 1FL: Folding line 1F provided on one side in the width direction (left side in Figure 2) • Second folding line 1FR: Folding line 1F located on the other side in the width direction (right side in Figure 2) • First seat 1SL: First folding line 1FL, folded seat 1S • Second seat 1SR: Seat 1S folded at the second folding line 1FR.

[0015] In the first sheet 1SL, the upper half and lower half of the second sheet 1SR are sandwiched between the upper and lower halves, with the second folding line 1FR in between. Similarly, in the second sheet 1SR, the upper half and lower half of the first sheet 1SL are sandwiched between the upper and lower halves, with the second folding line 1FR in between.

[0016] Here, in the stacked body 1 in which sheets 1SL and 1SR are stacked alternately as described above, the sheet 1S that forms the top surface 1U is referred to as the "top sheet 11", and the sheet 1S having half of it sandwiched between the top sheet 11 is referred to as the "second sheet 12". When the top sheet 11 of the stacked body 1 is lifted, the lower half of the top sheet 11 relative to the folding line 1F is also lifted, and in conjunction with this, the upper half of the second sheet 12 relative to the folding line 1F is lifted. Other sheets 1S stacked below the second sheet 12 can be pulled out in the same way.

[0017] As described above, in the stacked body 1 in which multiple sheets 1S are stacked and can be pulled out in a pop-up manner, the number of stacked layers (which can also be called the "number of sheets") differs depending on the position in the width direction. Specifically, the central region 1C below has more stacked sheets 1S than the edge region 1E below. • End region 1E: Region where only the first sheet 1SL or the second sheet 1SR is stacked. • Central area 1C: The area where the first sheet 1SL and the second sheet 1SR are stacked.

[0018] The end region 1E is a pair of regions located on one side and the other side (end) in the width direction of the stacked body 1. The end regions 1E on one side and the other side in the width direction can be rephrased as the region between the edge X1 in the width direction corresponding to the folding line 1F in the stacked body 1 and the edge X2 extending along the transport direction in the sheet 1S. The central region 1C is the region sandwiched between a pair of end regions 1E. This central region 1C can be rephrased as the region between the edges X2 that extend along the transport direction in half of the sheet 1S.

[0019] The central region 1C has more stacked layers than the end region 1E, making it less prone to deformation (less likely to lose its shape) when pressed from above. Conversely, the end region 1E has fewer stacked layers than the central region 1C, making it more prone to deformation (less likely to lose its shape) when pressed from above. The stacked object 1 described above is transported by the transport device described next.

[0020] [1-3. Conveying equipment] As shown in Figure 1, the conveying device of this embodiment uses belt conveyors in each of the conveying sections 2 and 3. The belt conveyor used in the lower conveying section 2, as illustrated here, is provided with an upper surface 2U that runs horizontally, and the stacked object 1 placed on this upper surface 2U is conveyed. The following will mainly describe the belt conveyor 4 used in the upper transport section 3.

[0021] The belt conveyor 4 has an endless belt 5 that revolves along a predetermined track, which is wrapped around multiple pulleys 6. In this example, only one belt 5 is provided in the belt conveyor 4, covering the area that covers the stacked object 1 being transported in the upstream region R1. Multiple pulleys 6 are provided, including at least the upstream pulley 6U and downstream pulley 6D described below. In this case, the auxiliary pulley 6S described below is also provided as part of pulley 6. • Upstream pulley 6U: Pulley 6 located at the furthest upstream end (upstream end in the conveying direction). • Downstream pulley 6D: Pulley 6 located at the furthest downstream end (downstream end in the conveying direction) • Auxiliary pulley 6S: Pulley 6 positioned between the upstream pulley 6U and the downstream pulley 6D

[0022] The belt 5 revolves along a predetermined track when at least one of the upstream pulley 6U and the downstream pulley 6D is driven to rotate. The upstream pulley 6U is positioned on the upstream side in the upstream region R1, and can also be described as being located at the point where the stacked object 1 to be transported is introduced into the upstream region R1. The downstream pulley 6D is positioned on the downstream side in the upstream region R1, and can be described as being located at the point where the stacked object 1 to be transported is led out of the upstream region R1 (in other words, at the point facing the downstream region R2).

[0023] The auxiliary pulley 6S is a pulley 6 that functions to press down on the lower part 5B of the circulating belt 5, which moves along the conveying direction (hereinafter referred to as the "lower part of the belt"). In other words, the upstream pulley 6U and downstream pulley 6D are responsible for the conveying drive function, which is the main function of the belt conveyor 4, while the auxiliary pulley 6S is responsible for auxiliary functions to improve conveying stability. The lower surface of the lower part 5B of the belt is pressed against the upper surface 1U of the stacked body 1. Since the stacked body 1, which is biased in this way, is placed on the upper surface 2U of the belt conveyor used in the lower transport section 2, it is transported while being sandwiched between the upper and lower surfaces. From the viewpoint of suppressing deformation of the stacked body 1, it is preferable that the degree of pressure applied to the stacked body 1 by the auxiliary pulley 6S is set to compress the vertical dimension of the stacked body 1 by about 20-30% compared to the stacked body 1 in its natural, unpressured state.

[0024] The auxiliary pulleys 6S illustrated in Figure 1 are arranged in a line in the conveying direction, with three (or more) of them positioned slightly below the upstream pulley 6U and downstream pulley 6D. Due to this arrangement of auxiliary pulleys 6S, at the introduction point of the stacked body 1 in the upstream region R1, the lower part of the belt 5B is positioned lower as it moves downstream, and at the exit point of the stacked body 1 in the upstream region R1, the lower part of the belt 5B is positioned higher as it moves downstream. Due to this tapered introduction configuration, in the upstream region R1, at the introduction point of the stacked body 1, the upward pressing force on the stacked body 1 gradually increases as it is conveyed, and at the exit point of the stacked body 1, the upward pressing force on the stacked body 1 gradually decreases as it is conveyed.

[0025] Furthermore, the vertical position of the lower part 5B of the belt remains constant between the introduction and exit points of the stacked body 1 (i.e., it is aligned horizontally). In addition, the lower part 5B of the belt 5 wrapped around the belt conveyor 4 in the upper conveying section 3 moves downstream at the same speed as the upper surface 2U of the belt conveyor used in the lower conveying section 2, and the stacked object 1 is conveyed at this speed.

[0026] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the belt 5 in this example has outer bars 5X and inner bars 5Y protruding from it, extending along the circumferential direction of the belt 5. Here, we illustrate with a pair of bars 5X and 5Y arranged side by side in the width direction. • Outer rail 5X: A rail (protrusion) that extends outwards on the opposite side from the inside enclosed by belt 5. • Inner rail 5Y: A rail that protrudes inward, enclosed by belt 5.

[0027] The outer rail 5X is a rail provided to properly hold down the stacked body 1. Since this outer rail 5X protrudes downward at the lower part 5B of the belt, it can be said that this part of the lower part 5B of the belt holds down the stacked body 1 more strongly than the part where the outer rail 5X is not provided. In this embodiment, the outer crossbar 5X is positioned to press down on the upper surface 1U of the central region 1C of the stacked body 1 from above. That is, in the central region 1C of the stacked body 1, which is less prone to deformation, the upper surface 1U is pressed down by the pair of outer crossbars 5X. The inner rail 5Y is a rail provided to prevent the belt 5 from meandering, and is guided by a rail groove 6G recessed on the outer circumference of the downstream pulley 6D (pulley 6). Known rails, such as so-called meandering prevention V-rails, can be applied to the inner rail 5Y.

[0028] Incidentally, as shown in Figure 1, when the stacked body 1, which has been transported while being sandwiched above and below in the upstream region R1, enters the downstream region R2, the upper transport section 3 is not provided in the downstream region R2, so the pressure on the upper surface 1U of the stacked body 1 is released. As a result, when the stacked body 1 enters the downstream region R2 from the upstream region R1, the sheets 1S (see Figure 2), such as the top sheet 11 and the second sheet 12, may curl up as shown by the dashed line in Figure 1. If the upper surface 1U of the stacked body 1 curls up in this way, it may cause problems in post-processing such as boxing performed downstream of the downstream region R2, or lead to a decrease in product quality.

[0029] Therefore, the conveying device of this embodiment is equipped with a gas jet unit 7 that blows gas onto the upper surface 1U of the stacked body 1 as it enters the downstream region R2 from the upstream region R1. The gas jet section 7 blows gas from above the upper surface 1U downwards toward the upper surface 1U of the piled-up body 1 as it enters the downstream region R2 from the upstream region R1. Examples of gases blown by the gas jet section 7 include inert gases such as air.

[0030] This gas jet 7 blows gas from the upstream side (upstream side in the conveying direction) to the downstream side (downstream side in the conveying direction). In other words, the gas is blown in the direction opposite to the direction in which the upper surface 1U of the stacked body 1 is curled up (so to speak, the trading side). The flow velocity of the gas blown from the gas nozzle 7 is set appropriately according to various parameters such as the basis weight and stiffness of the sheets 1S (see Figure 2) that make up the stacked body 1, and the transport speed of the stacked body 1.

[0031] In this embodiment, the illustrated gas jet section 7 is built into the belt conveyor 4 used in the upper transport section 3. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the gas jet unit 7 built into the belt conveyor 4 is provided with ventilation holes 5H drilled in the belt 5 and a flow path 8 to the ventilation holes 5H. The ventilation holes 5H (only one location is indicated by a symbol) are provided along the entire circumference of the belt 5, following a predetermined trajectory.

[0032] Figure 4 illustrates a number of ventilation holes 5H arranged in a staggered pattern. The ventilation holes 5H in the region of the belt 5 that is wrapped around the downstream pulley 6D form the nozzles for the gas that is blown in by the gas injection unit 7. The ventilation holes 5H exemplified here are provided between a pair of outer rails 5X, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, and are located in the belt 5 in the region opposite the central region 1C, as shown in Figure 3. An example of the widthwise region in which the ventilation holes 5H are provided is a region with a widthwise dimension of 1 / 3 to 1 / 2 of the widthwise dimension of the stacked body 1.

[0033] The flow path 8 is a gas flow passage from the inside of the downstream pulley 6D to the vent hole 5H. The flow path 8 illustrated here includes a space 8A in which the center of the width direction of the downstream pulley 6D is radially recessed, and a hollow space 8B that extends along the rotation axis of the downstream pulley 6D. Using belt 5 as a reference, a flow path 8 is provided inside the area enclosed by belt 5, and a ventilation hole 5H is provided that connects the inside area enclosed by belt 5 with the opposite outside area. The spray unit 7, equipped with these ventilation holes 5H and flow path 8, sprays the gas that has flowed through the flow path 8 from the ventilation holes 5H toward the upper surface 1U of the stacked body 1, from the inside area enclosed by belt 5 toward the outside.

[0034] Specifically, the gas flowing through the channel 8 is ejected radially outward from the space 8A, which is radially recessed in the center of the widthwise direction of the downstream pulley 6D, through the ventilation holes 5H in the region wrapped around the downstream pulley 6D. A portion of the gas ejected in this way is blown from above downward and from the upstream side to the downstream side toward the upper surface 1U of the stacked mass 1 as it enters the downstream region R2 from the upstream region R1, as shown by the white arrows in Figure 1. In the conveying device having the above configuration, a method for conveying the stacked body 1 is implemented. In this conveying method, a gas spraying process is performed in which gas is blown from above the upper surface 1U downwards toward the upper surface 1U of the stacked body 1 as it enters the downstream region R2 from the upstream region R1.

[0035] [2. Action and Effects] Because the conveying device of this embodiment has the above-described configuration, the following operations and effects can be obtained. (1) This conveying device is equipped with a gas jet section 7 that blows gas onto the upper surface 1U of the stacked body 1 as it enters the downstream region R2 from the upstream region R1. As a result, the gas blown from the gas jet section 7 presses the upper surface 1U of the stacked body 1 as it enters the downstream region R2 from the upstream region R1 downwards. In this way, the upper surface 1U, which is trying to curl up, is biased in the opposite direction to the direction in which it is trying to curl up by the blown gas. Therefore, the stacked body 1 can be transported while suppressing the curling of the upper surface 1U.

[0036] Consequently, problems caused by the transport of the stacked body 1 with its upper surface 1U curled up can be suppressed. (2) With the gas blowing section 7, gas is blown from the upstream side toward the downstream side, and the gas is blown in a direction opposite to the way in which the upper surface 1U of the stacked body 1 tries to curl up. Therefore, the curling of the upper surface 1U of the stacked body 1 during transport can be reliably suppressed.

[0037] (3) The spray nozzle 7 in this embodiment is built into the belt conveyor 4 used in the upper conveying section 3. Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the spray nozzle is provided separately from the upper conveying section, the degree of freedom in the layout of the conveying device and the manufacturing line into which this conveying device is incorporated can be increased. With this gas jet section 7, the gas that has flowed through the channel 8 from the ventilation holes 5H provided in the belt 5 of the belt conveyor 4 is blown onto the belt, so that the upper surface 1U of the stacked body 1 does not stick to the belt 5 and curl up, which can be reliably suppressed.

[0038] (4) The central region 1C of the stacked body 1 is a region where the reaction force against downward pressure is stronger than that of the end region 1E, and therefore tends to curl up and stick to the belt 5 more easily than the end region 1E. Since ventilation holes 5H are provided in the region opposite to this central region 1C, gas is blown onto the central region 1C of the upper surface 1U of the stacked body 1 as it enters the downstream region R2 from the upstream region R1. From this point as well, curling of the upper surface 1U of the stacked body 1 during transport can be reliably suppressed.

[0039] (5) Furthermore, the central region 1C on the upper surface 1U of the stacked body 1 is pressed down from above by a pair of outer rails 5X, so it is not pressed down completely but only partially. As a result, the contact area between the outer rails 5X (belt 5) and the upper surface 1U of the stacked body 1 is reduced, which helps to suppress the curling up that would cause the upper surface 1U to stick to the belt 5 due to static electricity (charge) on the upper surface 1U and the belt 5.

[0040] (6) Furthermore, since the ventilation holes 5H are provided between a pair of outer rails 5X, the diffusion of gas blown out from the ventilation holes 5H outward in the width direction is structurally suppressed by the outer rails 5X. This also helps to suppress the curling of the upper surface 1U of the stacked body 1 during transport. (7) In addition, an auxiliary pulley 6S is positioned slightly below the upstream pulley 6U and the downstream pulley 6D. Therefore, in the upstream region R1, at the introduction point of the stacked body 1, the upward pressing force on the stacked body 1 gradually increases as the stacked body 1 is transported, and at the exit point of the stacked body 1, the upward pressing force on the stacked body 1 gradually decreases as the stacked body 1 is transported. Thus, deformation of the transported stacked body 1 can be suppressed, contributing to improved transportability of the stacked body 1 in the upstream region R1.

[0041] [II. Variant Examples] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative, and there is no intention to exclude various modifications or applications of techniques not explicitly stated in these embodiments. Each configuration of these embodiments can be modified in various ways without departing from their spirit. Furthermore, they can be selected and combined as needed. For example, if ventilation holes are provided around the entire circumference of the belt, they can be set in any widthwise region, not limited to areas opposite the central region or between outer ribs.

[0042] Furthermore, the outer ribs of the belt may be omitted. In a configuration where the outer ribs are omitted from the belt, there will be no marks left on the stacked objects from where the outer ribs were pressed, which contributes to improving product quality. Furthermore, the belt conveyor used in the upper conveying section is not limited to a single belt, but may also consist of multiple belts spaced apart in the width direction. If two belts are arranged side by side, gas may be blown onto the upper surface of the stacked material through the space between the belts. In this type of blowing configuration, ventilation holes in the belts can be omitted.

[0043] Furthermore, in addition to or instead of the built-in gas blower in the belt conveyor used in the upper conveying section, a separate gas blower may be provided in the upper conveying section. Known equipment such as an air blow nozzle can be used as the gas blower separate from the belt conveyor. There may be more than one separate gas blower from the belt conveyor, and the number of installations is arbitrary. At least the direction of gas blowing is also arbitrary, as long as the gas is blown from above downwards onto the upper surface of the stacked object. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1. Stack 11 Top sheet 12 Second row seats 1C central area 1D Bottom 1E End area 1F Folding Line 1S Seat 1SL First Seat 1SR Second Seat 1U top 2. Lower conveying section 2U top 3 Upper Conveyor Section 4 Belt conveyor 5 belts 5B Lower part of belt 5H ventilation holes 5X Outer pier (protrusion) 5Y Inner pier 6 Pulley 6D Downstream Pulley 6G groove 6S Auxiliary Pulley 6U upstream pulley 7. Steam section 8 channels 8A,8B space R1 upstream region R2 downstream area X1 In stacked body 1, the widthwise edge corresponding to the folding line 1F Edges extending along the transport direction in sheet 1S X2

Claims

1. A lower transport unit is positioned below a stack of sheets stacked vertically, and transports the stacked body from an upstream region, which is the region where the stacked body is transported sandwiched between the upper and lower sheets, to a downstream region, which is the region adjacent to the upstream region where the upper surface of the stacked body is exposed during transport. The system comprises an upper conveying unit positioned above the stacked body in the upstream region, which conveys the stacked body while sandwiching it between itself and the lower conveying unit in the upstream region. The upper transport section has a spray nozzle that blows gas from above the upper surface downwards toward the upper surface of the stacked object as it enters the downstream region from the upstream region. A conveying device characterized by the following features.

2. The aforementioned gas jet unit blows gas from the upstream side in the conveying direction toward the downstream side in the conveying direction. The conveying device according to feature 1.

3. The upper conveying section includes a belt conveyor with a downstream pulley, which is a pulley located at the downstream end in the conveying direction among a plurality of pulleys around which an endless belt that circulates along a predetermined track is wound, and the spraying section. The aforementioned gas nozzle is Built into the aforementioned belt conveyor, The belt has ventilation holes provided around its entire circumference along the predetermined track, and a passage through which gas flows from inside the downstream pulley to the ventilation holes in the portion of the belt that is wrapped around the downstream pulley. The gas that has flowed through the aforementioned flow path is blown from the inside surrounded by the belt to the outside on the opposite side from the inside, through the ventilation holes toward the upper surface. The conveying device according to feature 2.

4. A conveying device for conveying a stacked body in which the sheets are folded and stacked in a way that allows them to be pulled out in a pop-up manner, and in which the number of stacked sheets in the central region, which is the region sandwiched between the end regions, is greater than the number of stacked sheets in the pair of end regions, which are the regions of the width direction that intersect the conveying direction in a plan view, The ventilation holes are provided in the belt of the belt conveyor in a region facing the central region. The conveying device according to feature 3.

5. A conveying device for conveying a stacked body in which the sheets are folded and stacked in a way that allows them to be pulled out in a pop-up manner, and in which the number of stacked sheets in the central region, which is the region sandwiched between the end regions, is greater than the number of stacked sheets in the pair of end regions, which are the regions of the width direction that intersect the conveying direction in a plan view, The belt has a pair of protrusions that project outward from the side opposite to the inner area enclosed by the belt, extend along the circumferential direction of the belt, and press down on the upper surface of the central region of the stacked body from above. The conveying device according to feature 3 or 4.

6. The ventilation holes are provided between the protrusions. The conveying device according to feature 5.

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